Recently, I have been feeling quite a bit better.
I think this has to do with several factors: 1. the sun. Oh, how, exciting to see the sun! it's honestly enchanting my eyes, my skin, and my heart with its brightness, and the best part of all is that it has played a huge part in the answering of my prayers...vain girl that I am, I have long since been praying for more freckles. I love them. I think they are beautiful. And with the appearance of sun, the appearance of freckles is also.
2. playing guitar. i have been playing guitar darn near every day for the past two weeks, and my fingers are now successfully calloused, and i have been improving. cause for celebration, indeed.
3. bacon consumption. sometimes, I believe (perhaps somewhat sacreligiously) that bacon and my moods are in direct correlation. No bacon = bad mood. plenty of bacon = abundant joy. and it just so happens that i shared a lovely meal with some lovely friends. and it was this:
burgers, filled with cheese, wrapped with bacon, accompanied by fried pickles. bliss, my friends, bliss. burgers are simple. however you make a burger, fill that with cheese, and then wrap it bacon. easy enough?
but fried pickles...oh, fried pickles. joy of living, i sometimes think. now, those...they are worth 'splaining about. so what you want to do is, take some pickles. really any will do, simply because even if a certain brand isn't appealing when eaten cold, i find that everything gains appeal when it has been breaded and deep fried. well, nearly everything. probably not a lightbulb or, say, a picture frame.
anyway, slice the pickles (6, large) on the bias, into nice, thin, diagonal slices. mix a few eggs (2), a splash of pickle juice (1 T), and some sriracha (2 tsp) together. in a seperate dish, combine flour (1/2 C), garlic powder (2 tsp), seasoning salt (2 tsp), black pepper (1/2 tsp), cornmeal (1/2 C).
then, you'll do this: dip the pickle slices into the eggs, coat them in the floury mixture, and deep fry them until they are lovely golden brown, and eat them. with ranch dressing.
happy fried pickles day, everyone.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
This Dark Day
Goodness, I am sick of the rain.
I am sick of riding the bus to school every day and having to spend so much time, wasted, in bus stops out in the cold.
I am sick of reading about sustainable purchasing on the internet until my eyes hurt, and my head hurts and my fingers hurt from twiddling them to keep from passing out due to boredom.
I am sick of cooking and baking and experimenting with things that don't turn out.
I am sick of emotions. Of being tired all of the time. So tired that my mind is always fuzzy and I can't think things through logically and I wonder what happened to this sharp, intelligent, brain that I had become accustomed to.
I am sick of the dark days, like this one, where so many negative, bummer things spring into my head and crowd for room, shoving into one another and barking at me in hushed tones until I want to cry only because I do not know what else to do.
I am sorry to sound so depressing...sorry for you, sorry for me, sorry for the people I affect when I feel this way.
But, I am thankful for some things today. I am so thankful that if I died right now, I wouldn't go to hell. That's a big one right there. I am thankful for writing. I've read so much today, restaurant reviews, blogs of strangers, blogs of friends, and I love how it lifts my spirits. There is such beauty in being let into a small piece of another persons world. Of seeing a little bit more of that someone. It feel likes being let into the house if you knocked on the door. It feels like the offer of a warm, fresh baked good or a glass of water when the heat's sweltering. And, I love that. Sometimes, when I read, I cry. When I read about food, about photography, about music. I wish I could soak up the beauty, that it would just come seeping out of me in so many millions of small bits of light, making me shine, lighting things up a little more. I feel so weird saying that, like that's not something that people say out loud, but they think it, all the time.
And I realize that I can actually do this. That I have the ability to soak up these bits of light. That there is such immense beauty just beyond my finger tips and I can nearly reach it, and then, that I can reach it. That it will be contagious to others, that they will feel the pull, it will make their hearts hungry, their souls parched, because of the sustenance they see. There's a reason that Jesus loves me so much, all of us, so much, that he came and proved it to us. And it's not just so I can die and not go to hell.
It's so that my life can turn from bland to marvelous, so that instead of hiding under an umbrella in the rain, I can call out for my own sunshine.
I am sick of riding the bus to school every day and having to spend so much time, wasted, in bus stops out in the cold.
I am sick of reading about sustainable purchasing on the internet until my eyes hurt, and my head hurts and my fingers hurt from twiddling them to keep from passing out due to boredom.
I am sick of cooking and baking and experimenting with things that don't turn out.
I am sick of emotions. Of being tired all of the time. So tired that my mind is always fuzzy and I can't think things through logically and I wonder what happened to this sharp, intelligent, brain that I had become accustomed to.
I am sick of the dark days, like this one, where so many negative, bummer things spring into my head and crowd for room, shoving into one another and barking at me in hushed tones until I want to cry only because I do not know what else to do.
I am sorry to sound so depressing...sorry for you, sorry for me, sorry for the people I affect when I feel this way.
But, I am thankful for some things today. I am so thankful that if I died right now, I wouldn't go to hell. That's a big one right there. I am thankful for writing. I've read so much today, restaurant reviews, blogs of strangers, blogs of friends, and I love how it lifts my spirits. There is such beauty in being let into a small piece of another persons world. Of seeing a little bit more of that someone. It feel likes being let into the house if you knocked on the door. It feels like the offer of a warm, fresh baked good or a glass of water when the heat's sweltering. And, I love that. Sometimes, when I read, I cry. When I read about food, about photography, about music. I wish I could soak up the beauty, that it would just come seeping out of me in so many millions of small bits of light, making me shine, lighting things up a little more. I feel so weird saying that, like that's not something that people say out loud, but they think it, all the time.
And I realize that I can actually do this. That I have the ability to soak up these bits of light. That there is such immense beauty just beyond my finger tips and I can nearly reach it, and then, that I can reach it. That it will be contagious to others, that they will feel the pull, it will make their hearts hungry, their souls parched, because of the sustenance they see. There's a reason that Jesus loves me so much, all of us, so much, that he came and proved it to us. And it's not just so I can die and not go to hell.
It's so that my life can turn from bland to marvelous, so that instead of hiding under an umbrella in the rain, I can call out for my own sunshine.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
A Quite Good Day, Indeed.
I discovered today that the main song from my favorite movie, Stranger Than Fiction, is called 'The Way We Get By', and is by Spoon. I immediately created a Pandora station dubbed thus, and I have spent the last five hours in bliss, listening to Cake, the Arctic Monkeys, the Cold War Kids, Spoon, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the White Stripes, Vampire Weekend, and Guster play in the background. Lovely. And when I say 'lovely', I mean that in the absolute strongest sense of the word. This is the music that I have been craving my entire life. Do you know what a relief it is to find it all in one day? Do you?
Addtionally, for dinner tonight, I made and ate, with good friends, macadamia nut crusted swordfish steaks, Asparagus with a brown butter mustard bechamel, and kale with lemon and olive oil. Oh gosh. I love food. So much. My stomach is very happy right now. Not to mention healthy. Look at that veritable gold mine of nutrition! It is generally uncharted territory for my junk food appreciating self, but nay....I fear that omega 3's, leafy greens, and protein are a new, surprisingly enjoyable part of my diet!
I hope that there is somewhere an alternate universe where my life has constant background music like the aforementioned, where my theme song is 'The Way We Get By' by Spoon, and such a song no longer belongs to Harold Crick, where I eat ridiculous amounts of delicious food all the time but never gain a pound, and where I am married to a guy who is an endearing mixture of Marshall from How I Met Your Mother, and Jim from The Office. My afternoon has largely been spent with dreaming of such a universe.
And here are two recipes for you:
Kale with Olive Oil and Lemon
1 bunch of Kale (10 leaves or so)
2 T Olive Oil
1 T Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp minced fresh Garlic
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it lightly begins to smoke. Toss in the freshly washed leaves of kale, which will pop dramatically, sounding really enthusiastic. After about 10 seconds, when the kale is bright, bright green, and just beginning to wilt, add the lemon juice. Await more popping. After about 30 seconds and a few tosses, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Done! Not only was that incredibly simple, but here is an easy leafy green vegetable with a delightfully smooth mouthfeel and a taste that is not reminiscent of broccoli or wasabi, which is to say, it will go well with a plethora of other foods.
Macadamia-crusted Swordfish Steaks
2 Eggs
1 C Macadamia nuts
2 1/2-3/4 pound Swordfish steaks
1/2 C flour
2 T Olive oil
1 T butter
Beat the eggs until blended. Crush the macadamia nuts, however you deem acceptable, until they are in smallish chunks, and not pasty at all. I used one of those meat tenderizer things and a ziploc bag. It worked quite well. Pour the flour on a small plate. Coat each of the steaks in flour. Dip them in the egg. On a cutting board, spread the macadamia nuts into a thin layer. One at a time, coat the steaks with macadamia nuts, until a thick crust is formed. Heat the oil over high heat until it smokes. Add the swordfish, sear for 30-40 seconds on each side. Place in a baking dish, bake for 8-12 minutes at 400ยบ. Let rest for three minutes before eating.
That is all.
Addtionally, for dinner tonight, I made and ate, with good friends, macadamia nut crusted swordfish steaks, Asparagus with a brown butter mustard bechamel, and kale with lemon and olive oil. Oh gosh. I love food. So much. My stomach is very happy right now. Not to mention healthy. Look at that veritable gold mine of nutrition! It is generally uncharted territory for my junk food appreciating self, but nay....I fear that omega 3's, leafy greens, and protein are a new, surprisingly enjoyable part of my diet!
I hope that there is somewhere an alternate universe where my life has constant background music like the aforementioned, where my theme song is 'The Way We Get By' by Spoon, and such a song no longer belongs to Harold Crick, where I eat ridiculous amounts of delicious food all the time but never gain a pound, and where I am married to a guy who is an endearing mixture of Marshall from How I Met Your Mother, and Jim from The Office. My afternoon has largely been spent with dreaming of such a universe.
And here are two recipes for you:
Kale with Olive Oil and Lemon
1 bunch of Kale (10 leaves or so)
2 T Olive Oil
1 T Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp minced fresh Garlic
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it lightly begins to smoke. Toss in the freshly washed leaves of kale, which will pop dramatically, sounding really enthusiastic. After about 10 seconds, when the kale is bright, bright green, and just beginning to wilt, add the lemon juice. Await more popping. After about 30 seconds and a few tosses, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Done! Not only was that incredibly simple, but here is an easy leafy green vegetable with a delightfully smooth mouthfeel and a taste that is not reminiscent of broccoli or wasabi, which is to say, it will go well with a plethora of other foods.
Macadamia-crusted Swordfish Steaks
2 Eggs
1 C Macadamia nuts
2 1/2-3/4 pound Swordfish steaks
1/2 C flour
2 T Olive oil
1 T butter
Beat the eggs until blended. Crush the macadamia nuts, however you deem acceptable, until they are in smallish chunks, and not pasty at all. I used one of those meat tenderizer things and a ziploc bag. It worked quite well. Pour the flour on a small plate. Coat each of the steaks in flour. Dip them in the egg. On a cutting board, spread the macadamia nuts into a thin layer. One at a time, coat the steaks with macadamia nuts, until a thick crust is formed. Heat the oil over high heat until it smokes. Add the swordfish, sear for 30-40 seconds on each side. Place in a baking dish, bake for 8-12 minutes at 400ยบ. Let rest for three minutes before eating.
That is all.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Scraps of Cheese Souffle
I did pride myself for awhile on the fact that I in no way had ever resembled the typical college kid. I ate fairly well balanced meals, did not keep up with any TV...at all, ever, and had a clean room. I could retain some dignity and act like a reasonable adult at the age of 20....for the most part (in my head, at least). Recently I have found that this is no longer true. Case in point:
The Office is something I'd now swear courses through my veins daily. If I don't watch it, I legitimately crave it. After a long day of reading hundreds of pages about vegetables and how to differentiate the parts of certain grains, I need a way to refuel my sense of humor and a good laugh.
Last night, I spent about 3 hours watching How I Met Your Mother, from the first episode. I immediately started watching it when I woke up. I am now at episode 21. It is 8:13 and I am just now deciding it's dinner time. My evening fare: A Trader Joe's Strawberries and Cream yogurt, 6 ounces of Pellegrino (I have developed a new taste for sparkling mineral water, which is an accomplishment to speak of) and a few handfulls of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips. Possibly followed by some Top Ramen around 10.
Today, I have done one thing that I am proud of. Based solely on my memory of an episode of Julia Child that I watched in school yesterday, I made a souffle, successfully. I am quite proud. It was enjoyed not only by me, but by others with good taste in food, which is how I know it was successful. A metal bowl with scraps of cheese souffle is now sitting on top of the stove. I need to wash that bowl. After the next episode of How I Met Your Mother.
The Office is something I'd now swear courses through my veins daily. If I don't watch it, I legitimately crave it. After a long day of reading hundreds of pages about vegetables and how to differentiate the parts of certain grains, I need a way to refuel my sense of humor and a good laugh.
Last night, I spent about 3 hours watching How I Met Your Mother, from the first episode. I immediately started watching it when I woke up. I am now at episode 21. It is 8:13 and I am just now deciding it's dinner time. My evening fare: A Trader Joe's Strawberries and Cream yogurt, 6 ounces of Pellegrino (I have developed a new taste for sparkling mineral water, which is an accomplishment to speak of) and a few handfulls of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips. Possibly followed by some Top Ramen around 10.
Today, I have done one thing that I am proud of. Based solely on my memory of an episode of Julia Child that I watched in school yesterday, I made a souffle, successfully. I am quite proud. It was enjoyed not only by me, but by others with good taste in food, which is how I know it was successful. A metal bowl with scraps of cheese souffle is now sitting on top of the stove. I need to wash that bowl. After the next episode of How I Met Your Mother.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Oh, and Sparkling Orange Water
I started writing a few days ago, and the computer was in a rare mood, and did not save my draft. Good. I must not have been meant to write those things. I don't even know where to start. My shoulders are back to feeling like they're made of bricks and I've had an incessant cough for about two weeks, both unfavorable things.
I'll just write about food, because it helps to take my mind off of things that I really shouldn't be in an uproar about in the first place.
In the past week, it seems as if I've been touring the world a bit with my food choices. I can't complain...I've found Spain, Thailand, Italy to be delicious (as if I didn't already know). Monday night, I made Pad Thai. It was a recipe that we used in class for food costing, so I knew exactly how much each serving cost.....which "benefited" me. Tuesday, I made something of a Paella, with wild rice and black barley, and shrimp. Wednesday night, I made Pasta with Pine Nuts and Hashed Brussels Sprouts, which I have to say I've been waiting to make for a few months now, and it was delicious. It far surpassed my expectations. Find the recipe here, written by Molly Wizenberg, who is as much a beautifully talented writer as she is an amazing cook. I have made so many of her recipes, and have been more than satisfied with each of them. And although all of those dishes were lovely and happiness to my stomach, I am choosing to write about the breakfast I ate this morning. See, I've always held somewhat of a belief that breakfast is not only the important, but the most delicious meal of the day, and if it happens to be sub-par, the rest of the day can't be hoped to surpass it much. Well today, I've had a delicious start, and I think others would do well to try it.
This is what I ate: a piece of whole wheat toast with butter and camembert, two slices of bacon, two slices of fried tomato, and a poached egg. Oh, and sparkling orange water! If I did it all over again, I would change the toast to a fluffy slice of french bread, but it was still good.
Toast is self explanatory. Butter it while it's hot, mash up two small wedges of camembert over the top and let it melt slightly. Heat the pan to medium, and fry up two slices of bacon. Drain off most of the bacon fat. Slice two slices out of a tomato..any kind (I used roma, it's all I had). Mix breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 tsp oregano. Drop a few drops of sriracha over each tomato slice. Press them firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat, fry in the remaining bacon grease until crisp outside and heated through. Poach an egg. If you don't know how to poach an egg, learn how to poach an egg. Leave the yolk creamy/runny, and press it down onto the toast. Eat and breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm so glad God gave us good food, and then made our stomachs the center of our emotions. I think his design is clear. Food nourishes, but comforts us, and this may seem like a stretch, but when I eat good food, I feel closer to him, grateful that he made something so tasty for me to eat.
Thanks, Jesus.
I'll just write about food, because it helps to take my mind off of things that I really shouldn't be in an uproar about in the first place.
In the past week, it seems as if I've been touring the world a bit with my food choices. I can't complain...I've found Spain, Thailand, Italy to be delicious (as if I didn't already know). Monday night, I made Pad Thai. It was a recipe that we used in class for food costing, so I knew exactly how much each serving cost.....which "benefited" me. Tuesday, I made something of a Paella, with wild rice and black barley, and shrimp. Wednesday night, I made Pasta with Pine Nuts and Hashed Brussels Sprouts, which I have to say I've been waiting to make for a few months now, and it was delicious. It far surpassed my expectations. Find the recipe here, written by Molly Wizenberg, who is as much a beautifully talented writer as she is an amazing cook. I have made so many of her recipes, and have been more than satisfied with each of them. And although all of those dishes were lovely and happiness to my stomach, I am choosing to write about the breakfast I ate this morning. See, I've always held somewhat of a belief that breakfast is not only the important, but the most delicious meal of the day, and if it happens to be sub-par, the rest of the day can't be hoped to surpass it much. Well today, I've had a delicious start, and I think others would do well to try it.
This is what I ate: a piece of whole wheat toast with butter and camembert, two slices of bacon, two slices of fried tomato, and a poached egg. Oh, and sparkling orange water! If I did it all over again, I would change the toast to a fluffy slice of french bread, but it was still good.
Toast is self explanatory. Butter it while it's hot, mash up two small wedges of camembert over the top and let it melt slightly. Heat the pan to medium, and fry up two slices of bacon. Drain off most of the bacon fat. Slice two slices out of a tomato..any kind (I used roma, it's all I had). Mix breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 tsp oregano. Drop a few drops of sriracha over each tomato slice. Press them firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat, fry in the remaining bacon grease until crisp outside and heated through. Poach an egg. If you don't know how to poach an egg, learn how to poach an egg. Leave the yolk creamy/runny, and press it down onto the toast. Eat and breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm so glad God gave us good food, and then made our stomachs the center of our emotions. I think his design is clear. Food nourishes, but comforts us, and this may seem like a stretch, but when I eat good food, I feel closer to him, grateful that he made something so tasty for me to eat.
Thanks, Jesus.
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