Tag Archives: Cooking

it’s a good thing there is no cheese in my house.

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You guys, I feel like a crazy addict. It’s Day 4 of our cleanse, and really Day 3 of the no-cheese world I am living in (because I had cheese earlier this week by accident) and thoughts of brie are haunting my dreams.  It’s a good thing there is no cheese around, or I am sure I would have dove right into it last night.

Last night, I was making dinner for Jeff and I, coming up with a lackluster protein (beans) for our spaghetti squash with pesto (homemade, sans cheese) and Brussels sprouts. I thought chicken, but we’ve been chicken heavy this week, and Jeff doesn’t like fish, and I hate the idea of tofu. I was making dinner, hungry from an afternoon of clementines and a handful of cashews, when I realized: I can have peanut butter. So I got myself a teaspoon of it, and let me tell you, peanut butter has never tasted so good.

I really wanted to add cheese to the pesto, cheese to the dinner, eat cheese before and after the meal, but I had to stay strong. So instead, we had popcorn for dessert as a treat (popcorn is intrinsically pretty good for you!) I was dreaming of cheese as I enjoyed my peanut butter, hoping that I could make it to Tuesday (Tuesday! So many days from now!) when I can eat cheese again.

Surprisingly, the no processed foods hasn’t been so hard (except you guys, I am so over nuts. I think I need to rethink this strategy and come up with some other snacks than cashews) but the cheese, the cheese! I can’t wait until I can get at that again.

In the meantime, I am stocking up on veggies and protein (just had leftover lemon chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and broccoli!) and am trying to drink more water. This weekend, I plan on getting some oatmeal ready for next week’s breakfasts, making my own hummus to snack on at work, and figuring out some more snacks (maybe even good old peanut butter!) to bring to work so I’m not starving by 5 pm.

Any delicious snack ideas for me, guys?

#30dayspositive

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One of my yoga teachers, who I am sure I’ve talked about before, is doing this thing called 30 Days Positive. You can learn about it here, but it’s basically about losing the negativity and finding positivity in each and every day. Here’s my first eight days.

8/2/2012 – day one: went to Shark Week 25th Anniversary party. Ate a cupcake.


8/3/2012 – day two: found this of nikki and me…guess I have to update this one!

8/4/2012 – day three: beach day for myself, including crosswords and MVY Radio.

8/5/2012 – day four: gluten free blueberry pie.

8/6/2012 – day five: Yesterday I lost my keys, forgot to put butter in my pie, and got a piece of plastic stuck in garbage disposal. Jeff got the plastic out, the pie was delicious, and the Farmer’s Market called to tell me they have my keys. #30dayspositive. Win.

8/7/2012 – day six: laundry = done.


8/8/2012 – day seven: taking time to feed Jeff and I right.

8/9/2012 – day eight: second night of homemade meals, this time, Summer Vegetable Pasta with goat cheese. 

Sooner or later/I swear we’re gonna make it

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Morning friends.

This morning marks my 500th blog post. I started this blog on October 17, 2008, nearly three years ago, upon my move to Los Angeles. I’ve written through a few jobs (working at the school, my newest job with Rebecca) and through new experiences (becoming a soccer coach, free lancing for a local magazine, running a 5k) and through exciting life changes (numerous cousins being born, my sister getting engaged.)

This is a picture of Jeff and I, three days after I started my new blog.

 This is our birthday party this year. I think we look pretty much the same.

One of my first photographs of food, when I started this blog. On my point and shoot.

A more recent photo from this spring. On Jeff’s fancy camera.

Do you see the difference? I sure do. In food quality and photo quality.

This blog has allowed me to have a place for people to follow me through my adventures, and to write when I feel the need to just get it all out. I look forward to the next 500 posts. I hope to continue to entertain you about my life, from the boring days of Shark Week to the exciting ones of my sister’s wedding. The past three years has since an advance in my photography skills, more than twenty “5 Good Things,” and a new cooking blog to focus on.

Life has gotten so exciting over the past three years, and I can’t wait to see what the next three years brings. Thank you, friends, for reading about my life, caring about my stories, and eating my food. It’s been a blessing.

 

 

All our friendship has been for the past 2 years is RUSHING.

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I said this to Corelyn last night as we RUSHED out of the door to Trader Joe’s and I said, “Remember that time that we went to TJ’s and forgot our list?”

“Yes, we talk about it nearly every time we go to TJS, obviously it was traumatic.”

“Well yes, and we were rushing for some reason….”

“WE’RE ALWAYS RUSHING.”

“Corelyn, all our friendship has been for the past 2 years is RUSHING. We just RUSH around all the live-long day.”

Last night was no exception. The plan was to do the following: paint chairs, make granola, exchange music (if we had time), maybe slap on a second coat of paint, outfit plan for the photo shoot on Sunday.

On the actual docket? Unexpected visit from Mary, which turned into outfit planning whilst waiting for dinner to arrive. This was a blessing (not in disguised, as Corelyn pointed out) because she had insight into what she really thought would look great. Also unexpected visit from Becca, who showed up because she was supposed to grab dinner with Mary. This turned into dinner with Mary and Becca, whilst hanging out with Melissa, who actually was supposed to come over.

This led us to a late start on our painting, which meant we painted the chairs in my garage in the dark, using a camping light and head lamps. Mary watched for a few minutes before turning to go inside and keep Becca company.

“How do they look?” Mary asked as we came in, about 30 minutes later.

“Well, you’re not going to like them. But we’ll put a second coat on them and they’ll look great,” was my honest response. After that, we sat around for a few minutes making plans for the granola we were about to make, waiting for the food. The Indian place we order from somehow was very late in getting us our food, so this led to us eating and finishing up around 9:15. Since our normal TJ’s closes at 9:00, we had to head to a different one.

As we were going to the car, after saying goodbye to Mary and Becca who were rejuvenated by delicious food and ready for another adventure, Melissa, Corelyn, and I were reminded a) how late it was b) that we had the list and c) all we do is rush.

We headed to TJ’s where we had a hilarious conversation with the check-out guy, “You know how there is always something in granola that you don’t like? This granola will have nothing you don’t like, because YOU made it.” He seemed intrigued. He gave us stickers. One has a chicken with chicks that are multicolored.

Then we went back to the house, when we realized it was 10:00. Perfect time to make granola and paint the second coat. We got everything ready for the oven to bake, then took the timer, the camping lamp, the headlamps, and headed back to the garage.

27 minutes later, we headed back inside, but not before Melissa came to say goodbye and tell us someone had left a hilarious note (which is going to be posted soon, I promise.) She headed home, and we headed inside to finish the granola.

As we washed our teal hands, we could smell the oats and maple syrup all deliciously roasted. We documented what we had already added, and then added a slew of other things while making sure to keep track of what we were adding. Pictures were taken, random splotches of paint were found on each other’s arms, and granola was finished. By the time Corelyn left it was nearly quarter to midnight. We hadn’t had a music exchange, we didn’t pack the kitchen, but other than that, we had accomplished a lot.

Tonight, book club. Tomorrow? Rinse and repeat Tuesday’s chaos with some donuts, muffins, and pancakes. Stay tuned.

Waitin’ for the daylight to bring me home…

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I’ve been saying all weekend that I want to update my blog, even though I don’t have much to update you on. Life has been cycling through work, home, sleep, and work again, to no avail. Finally we have reached a breaking point, and the season promises to slow down, thin out, allow me to slowly return to afternoons of running on the treadmill and evenings of cooking and blogging.

We’re planning a road trip, Cor and I, by the way. I posted about it on Garlic, My Soul, but for those of you who don’t read both, now you know. We’re driving the Southern route, starting the day before Easter, meandering through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Which, is to say, six states I’ve never been to. Seven states in all, nine days, friends and family to see, memories to make, pictures to capture, a final “hoorah!” before Garlic, My Soul goes bi-coastal.

I have this weird cold. It feels like mono, but as I know what mono feels like, it surely cannot. I’ve been getting copious amounts of sleep, lazing about, and drinking a lot of water. I also spent the better part of the weekend cleaning my house for KB’s arrival (and because, let’s be honest, the bathroom always needs a good scrub.)

Yesterday, as I was repotting my rosemary and aloe, Cor stopped by to split up the CSA veggies. She’d had a doctor’s appointment in the area. I’d forgotten that she was coming (weird cold, I’m telling you.)

She chatted with me as I scrubbed the toilet, and gladly accepted a cup of coffee. Then she went to the kitchen to check out the CSA situation. “WHERE did you get the artichokes?” she yelled.

“Oh yeah! The CSA!” I yelled back, from under the toilet.

“I’m going to make them right now.” Water running, dutch oven out. I vacuum the house. She cooks. Mid-90s music blasts in the background. “Hey, Jen, Jeff’s on his way…Jeff’s in the closet. On the phone.” Laughter ensues, artichokes still boiling, vacuum still sucking, giggles emitting throughout the house.

I turn the vacuum off, Cor pulling the artichokes out of the water, whipping up a butter sauce. We spend the next 30 minutes devouring the three artichokes, along with cheese and crackers. Jeff moves from the closet to the bedroom.

Artichokes gone, Jeff off the phone, we clean up. Corelyn goes. The recycling goes out. I shower. Kelly calls, because SHE’S HERE. What a good Saturday…

This week? More Kelly. Carne asada, cookies (chewy, thanks Alton Brown), Glee, game plan for cleaning the office up (we’re moving soon), starting the book club book, blogging, St. Patrick’s Day, a night of dancing, general mayhem. Josh Kelley, dream your fears away, Maroon 5, throw back to 2005, and smelling spring, missing you.