Spring is here!

It is finally spring. I want to drink lots of iced tea (green or regular style) & spend all my time outside reading books or chasing the dog or watering the grass or just doing anything.

Instead, there is work & with work there is Tiredness.

Yesterday at work I had a prank caller that was trying to channel Charlie Sheen or something. Every statement was punctuated with “Ya Heard?!”  That left me at a loss of how to respond.  I wanted to say, “Yeah, I heard,” or something slightly mocking. I especially loved the part where he said he called me because of ‘Lil Wayne & just did not elaborate on this at all, even when I asked for clarification.

In what seemed like seriousness he stated that he had 3 questions for me. With that foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach I asked that he proceed. Long pauses happened instead.

So I asked again.  I knew better but I felt I had to continue. So he then asked very random questions, like, did I know when Kurt Cobain had died. Seriously?  As a child of the 90’s of course I know, but it’s a pretty redonkulus question to bring up during such a work conversation. Weird, weird, weird. Wannabe comedians wasting my time.

Enough ranting though. Today a southern lady called me honey & said I should get paid more because I am so very wonderful at what I do. =) So there are those moments too.

In other news, I am cooking up a storm this week.  There were the chocolate-chip cookies with wheat flour (because, dare I say it, I don’t actually like chocolate chip cookies that much & wanted to try an alternate version.) The
wheat flour did make them a more serious cookie. They were chewy & not too sweet.  Verdict?  They’re still not my favorite kind of cookie, but my very favorite version of chocolate chip cookies at least.

Also, Sunday night’s dinner consisted of sweet potato/buttermilk biscuits made into little biscuit sandwiches with ham & spicy mustard.  Next time I plan on eating them with just butter because they would be great by themselves too.  Oh, and these were my first ever homemade biscuits! I’m proud.  I never tried making biscuit dough before.  I had to use the 2 knives method because I don’t have a pastry thing.  So. That was kind of intense but fun!

Then, last night I stirred some pomegranate molasses for 1.5 hours so that it would become more syrupy.  I’m getting lots of  exercise just making food lately! I need to seriously be less clumsy & learn how to sterilize glass jars or do canning though so I can actually keep this stuff on hand for a while.

Oh & witness the scrumptiousness.  I’ve never made salmon taste so good before. Thanks to Magda for this recipe.

This week I’m trying to get better at what the enlightened hippies call “mindfulness”.

I think that means taking pleasure in the little things & in the moment. For me, I think that should mean being happy now, instead of thinking of “oh, when I have this bill paid off or can get a kitchen table or finally grow grass in my back yard or be able to afford a really schmancy DSLR…..I’ll be so happy.”  As clichéd as it sounds, I realize I need to be happy in the journey, that this is it, this is the fun part & I need to not take it for granted.

So, this weekend, I spent lots of time just vegging out with my dog, taking naps & reading in the backyard while she sniffed out the squirrels.  I think we needed the rest. ( She got very sick last week – We almost lost her I think -had to get her an IV & I had to feed her baby food from a syringe every 2 hours.  I was covered in baby food & that was not fun. Things are better now though, thank goodness. She is back to her energetic & happy self).

But I was able to spend Sunday afternoon watching her chase squirrels for 20 minutes as they taunted her. I got to listen to the wind in the trees, my favorite sound ever. Of course, every time I sit outside & enjoy the sound of the wind, I immediately think of this song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arFhEWAArN8 because the lyrics are about listening to the wind.  It’s a nice song, so that part is cool too.

Today at work, I enjoyed what is my new & better version of  a stress ball – Silly Putty!  I did find out that Silly putty wears out though. It doesn’t have that snap after a few days. I also have some bright blue Play-Doh. It doesn’t smell the same though. Perhaps they changed the smell as a way to discourage kids from eating it. I admit, I’m kind of odd & tasted a tiny piece to see if that was different too.  Just so you know, it is. It kind of tastes soapier. Another deterrent for curious children! I miss the old smell though.

I am quite glad it is spring.  Look what I was able to have for breakfast because it is spring:

Hooray for strawberries!

I will stop bragging now about all the good food & all the peaceful moments I have been privileged to obtain lately =) I just wanted to take a moment to notice them myself.

It’s going to be a great day..

I’m so playing hooky from work today. I just decided spur of the moment because I’m such a wimp.  I’m really liking my job lately but I forgot my asthma medication yesterday so I took the recommended dosage today (normally I use 1/2) & now my thoughts are racing, my head is spinning & I just really don’t want to conduct 10 more 25 min task-oriented conversations with strangers when I feel so icky. It would be a disservice to all the clients, not to mention it would intensify this nervous feeling.

Instead, I am going to try to do tons of job applications for Bryan & make a pizza tonight.  Seriously guys, making pizza is the easiest & best thing ever.  Homemade crust is AMAZING and you can get all creative.  Like the collard green & farmer’s cheese pizza a few wks ago for example. It is a chance to eat really tasty carbs & cheese but not feel bad because you’re eating tons of veggies too.  Tonight, I’m thinking mushroom & tomato pizza. Yep.

Anyhow.  Back to the grind. I’m not wasting these 5 hours off.  I feel craptastic but I think I can still do a few things right.   I’m going to crank up the music, some Sabrosa Purr, suggested by the wonderful Katt. I’m going to do some laundry for a change, figure out stuff about tech certifications for Bryan & maybe have a nice calming cup of tea later =) No more caffeine for me today though haha.

P.S. Linking those semi-related songs in this post was not at all intentional.

trying something new..

Anyone ever roast a duck before?  I tried it out recently, using these very detailed instructions:

http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/02/11/the-best-way-to-roast-a-duck-hello-crispy-skin/

At first I was going to try a recipe w/ plum sauce or maybe the orange sauce that came with it. However, Bryan really loves Sriacha & I love honey – so Jessie’s recipe sounded better!  I was thinking of making it as a surprise on the anniversary of our first date. However, I forgot when that was.. I had to look up Bob Dylan’s archived tour dates & discovered that’s not until mid-April. I  didn’t want to wait until mid-April!  Plus, at some point, Bryan would probably notice the huge frozen duck in my freezer.

So, I decided to try it.

It was my first attempt so I didn’t get the skin as crispy as I would have liked. That was probably because my knives are all really dull & I didn’t score the skin as well as I should have.

The sauces was really good though so it more than made up for the lack of crispiness.  It was a fun experiment. It turns out, duck is not my favorite thing ever. Bryan really liked it so I’ll probably make it again.  I’ll definitely make the sauce again soon though. I will probably enjoy it more with chicken & some kind of stir fried dish. Yum.

FINALLY! A plant survived. Shannon has eaten or torn apart all my cacti & soon the snails will destroy this hyacinth.  Still, I was very happy to see it bloom for the first time =)

It appears that my purple heart plants might survive  too.

We’re not planting a garden this year but hopefully we CAN grow some grass out back. The city took away our grass last year for some reason. We had just moved here & had actually mowed the day before. Our neighbors had not though & the city took their weed-eaters to all the yards on the block & destroyed the grass =/  Then they charged my landlord $200. Craziness.  So, the next project will be planting grass seed.   Fun!

 

a week of excitement & destruction!

Dining from a coffee table (or, let’s be honest here – a desk) is much more challenging when you get a new dog!

Shannon is doing well though. She had some anxiety issues at first but it has been 10 days since we brought her home & she can now sleep in her crate without me having to sleep on the couch beside her!  Hooray.  She is a clever, clever dog though. After first  installing the gate that blocked the stairs, she managed to jump between the stair rails. She broke the bottom plastic tray out of her crate &  later knocked down the gate.  However, her crate is now safer without the plastic & she usually doesn’t mess with the gate if one of us are in the room. We  also took her to the vet last week & OMG this place is nicer than any of my doctor’s offices.  It’s called  Zoot Pets. They brew Starbucks coffee in the lobby &  the architecture is so pretty with all the giant windows.

We also bought Shannon this toy 2 days ago. (It’s tested on tigers & supposedly great for dogs that destroy other toys).  I bought a similar one last year for Bryan’s Jack-Russel terrier (Buster)  & the toy lasted 1 month, which is pretty great for him.  The one we bought Shannon is supposedly stronger but she chewed a hole in the octopus’s head today. Yep. Stuffing everywhere. But this thing has 7 layers, so maybe it will make it 1 month. We shall see.

Look mom, Brains!

She definitely enjoyed playing with it but I can’t afford to buy a new one of these just so she can try & eat the stuffing 2 days later.

Speaking of eating.. I made an interesting pizza this week. I haven’t had time to make it to the store in quite a while so I had to throw some things together. My mom is good at that. I’ve never been good at that, but the result was awesome! We had a pizza with spinach, collard greens, a little bacon &  pepperjack & feta cheese. I didn’t really have anything to make the sauce w/ because red sauce just doesn’t seem right for pizza with so many green veggies.  Or is that just me being weird?  So instead of sauce, I just put some finely chopped garlic & pepperjack cheese on the crust, vegetables on top of that & more cheese on top. Yum.

Later this week I’m going to try making Swiss steak for the first time & a matcha poundcake for dessert.  Yum =)

This was Tuesday’s dinner:

(Please ignore my messy kitchen.)

Yum!  The recipe (Butternut Squash & Poblano Gratin) is courtesy of the good people at Our Life in Food.  It wasn’t what I expected but I definitely enjoyed it. I think Bryan liked it more than me. (I was starving & had to snack a lot whilst cooking, so that’s probably why).  But Bryan normally appreciates meat being a part of his meals so the fact that he loved it kind of attests to its greatness.

 

 

Meet Shannon!

Not much time for cooking & photographing food lately =) I’m crate training our new dog, Shannon.  She is a handful. OMG. I thought getting a 2 yr old dog vs a puppy would be easier. She is like a 2 yr old human, only possibly smarter haha.

I got a bark collar which I know so many people disagree with. I’m kind of undecided. I will definitely talk w/ my vet about some different options, once I take her.  Also, as she gets used to the environment she’ll hopefully have less separation anxiety? I dunno. I had to sleep w/ her last night & she took up the whole couch. Something needs to change soon! She has her own crate now though & seems to like it. I need to find her a bed but I have a feeling she’d kind of tear through anything at the moment because she doesn’t want to be by herself even for short periods of time.  I’m currently supposed to on the phone, working, but I had a 15 min break & took her out & now she’s still getting over me walking away again =/  It’s heart-breaking. I don’t even think the bark collar works but it’s hard to say-she never barks when I’m around.

She is normally happier looking but she was so tired yesterday. We had a long day!

The weekend of too many cookies

I have been baking up a storm & will post photos & details soon, I promise.

For now, if you like gingerbread cookies at all, give this German recipe a try.  Actually, even if you don’t like gingerbread or other spicy cookies, you might just be converted like I was.

I made a few adjustments to this recipe because I was trying to replicate the Contessa lebkuchen cookies as a gift for Bryan’s mom. I can only find them at World Market or Fiesta & they’re kind of pricey & I thought it would be neat to experiment.  Instead of making a heavy icing for them as the recipe recommends, I just mixed a little milk & powdered sugar & brushed it on them when they were fresh out of the oven.  I also sprinkled some more powdered sugar on top.

After letting them cool & then sit in a closed container (with fresh orange slices) for 1-2 days, I dipped 1 side in melted semi-sweet chocolate & then refrigerated them to let it harden. The next day I took them out so they could get to room temperature again and be all chewy & wonderful. I know, it sounds like a lot of work but really they’re simple & just have a lot of steps.

They’re currently my favorite cookies ever (and honestly, I don’t like the Contessa version that much).  I’m not sure if that means I succeeded or failed at my mission =) I think with these cookies, you either love them or hate them.  I love ’em & one cool thing about them, is the flavor can be pretty strong (esp at first -which is why it’s good to store them in a tin or something for a day or two).  But even after that, it’s a pretty intense cookie & that helps you not eat five in one sitting!

So. I made about 8 batches of cookies Friday, (a couple of these) & then many pumpkin chocolate chip cookies which I’ll post about later. We then traveled to see family. Halfway there, my car started being a pain but we made it.  We also made it home but I didn’t trust  my car to go to the 2nd Christmas party (or anywhere ever again, for that matter) so now I not only have pumpkin cookies & lebkuchen but I also have Reese’s co0kies, shortbread cookies w/ cranberries & coconut & oh yeah, a chocolate cake. My family saw fit to give me even more sweets to take to my 2nd party but I missed it =/

I need to start giving sweets away to the neighbors at this point. It’s pretty crazy. I will keep the lebkuchen though!

Breakfast of Champions

Man,  I cannot wait until this weekend. There is not much I love more than driving 3 hours to see my parents & sister for the weekend. Now that I work from home, I so rarely get to drive & listen to good music & daydream.  Plus, my family is of course  great company & I miss them =)

Anyhow, let’s not forget the best breakfast ever:

And here’s a closeup:

Why yes, that’s a hardboiled egg, some fruit & cheese & some kind of bready biscuit thing with peanut butter & honey on it.  This makes me miss UMHB & the breakfast bar. (Cottage cheese, fruit & a hardboiled egg every day baby!)  That was my favorite. I’m just way too lazy to boil eggs for some reason.  And I always forget to buy fruit.  I used to try & avoid Starbucks in favor of generating business for smaller, non-chain coffee places. But..I have to say, I do love the Starbucks =)

I can’t wait!  I bought some new tunes @ Cheapo’s recently too.  I think I will listen to Carina Round (which is new to me), The Best of the Animals (I love me some Eric Bourdon), as well as The Lapse (if I’m feeling particularly contemplative).   Oh & I forgot to mention, there is a fantastic oldies station I can pickup about halfway there! I am so excited just thinking about this. haha.  If you have any music suggestions for my 3 hr drive, let me know.

If you read this post, you’ll get to see a cute dog.

Blogging during work hours? How dare I?

I’m also doing job searches on my laptop, mainly for Bryan but I found a good backup, just in case. It involves teaching life skills training to teenagers. I have the social work training for such but umm.. I’m not a very good grown-up.

For example,  I still need to finish unpacking & I moved here in March.   I can’t keep track of my Time Warner bill, but maybe that’s because THEY can’t keep track of my bill.  I have some sort of  ghost account.  It’s confusing.  Somehow when I paid my bill last month, Time Warner created another account for me, took my payment & applied it toward that account..even though it has no balance. They even sent me a statement with this +60 something dollar balance.  So my $60 is sitting there  & my internet could get shut off any day now because I can’t find the account with the actual balance.

Orr hmm..maybe I had a late payment & so this payment was for 2 months, because why would 1 month of internet only be $60?!    But  the statement had an entirely different account #, so I don’t know.

I suppose I could call them but that takes a LOT of effort.  Of course, you could just read this other blog & it basically summarizes most of what I’m saying, in a more amusing way.

But onwards & upwards or something.

What I came to write about today was expensive tea.  For the past year or so I have been obsessed w/ tea & seeking the elusive matcha powder.  I think it started when I tried a matcha concoction at Jamba Juice.  I loved it but figured that real matcha without all the sugar & ice or ice cream could be even better.  I’ve looked for the powder at countless grocery stores & added it to my amazon wishlist, but it just seemed like an extravagance, something I probably shouldn’t buy for myself while I’m kinda broke.  However, I was taken to the mall against my will & saw some in a Teavana shop & decided it was time.

That little can of powder was 20 bucks, but worth it.  The powder is made dried & ground up tea leaves that were grown in the shade, which is supposed to be why matcha has a deeper, sweeter flavor.   In tea-speak, this stuff tastes very “vegetal,” which to me, means it tastes like plants, but in a good way.   I tried some on it’s own but it is also great with just a little bit of soymilk added.  I’m looking forward to making some matcha shortbread cookies or maybe a matcha buttercream icing or something.

Look at how green it was before I added the soymilk!

Oh and I suppose I should introduce you to my temporary house guest, Buster.  He likes long walks anywhere, as long as he can pee on lots of things along the way.  He will only go outside in the rain if someone joins him, because “misery loves company,” I guess.  He ‘s a good boy but surprisingly skilled at tearing up dog toys. I’ve seen the sturdiest last about 5 minutes with him.   Tuffie Toys are the exception. I need to get him a new lobster. His last one survived about a month. Anyhow,  here he is:

mini-adventures

Back when I lived in the apartment complex a few blocks from ACC & my old job…I would go on walks a  lot. It was a fairly nice area.  Once I followed the train tracks & discovered the IBM complex behind a woodsy area.   They have a tennis court for their employees & a nice pond & it was just really beautiful & secret, kind of hidden away.   There was in fact a no trespassing sign when approaching from the street. However…approaching from the direction of the railroad tracks, there were no such signs.  That was something I planned on mentioning if Bryan & I were approached by security =)

I also walked up on a raccoon playing in a stream one time.  Crappy, blurry photo from my phone:

All these places were all kind of on the way to Sodade, a coffee place I used to frequent.  (Speaking of which, I miss good coffee. Drinking Folger’s instant coffee from the tea bag things makes me feel kind of dirty & yuck..but I was having some caffeine withdrawal so yeah).

Anyhow, oneday I thought I’d do something different, walk a different path- check out the streets on the other side of ACC. There was supposedly a park around.  I did find it & it was kind of small & I couldn’t really figure out how to get from one side to the other since the bridge was out.  Not ready to go home yet, I decided to walk to the comic book store that I thought was nearby.  So, I walked and walked…and walked.  Suddenly, I became a bit nervous I had my camera with me, ’cause the neighborhood wasn’t that great. I tried to hide it in my pocket & I walked a little more quickly.

Finally, feeling  sweaty & gross & very thirsty, I arrived!  I thought I might surprise Bryan with something Batman related.. I think I did in fact purchase some Batman magnets along with some Transmetropolitan & Fables reading material =)

Afterward, I was still thirsty, famished & a bit too tired to walk home (if I could help it).  I saw a little restaurant nearby & called Bryan & asked him to meet me there.

I was the only customer & the people were SO nice!  I think it’s a family owned operation because every time I go there, it’s the same 2 nice people =)

I had the most scrumptious tuna fish sandwich ever (great pickles are apparently a key ingredient). I do not exaggerate – the people asked me about 8 different questions to make my sandwich as customized as possible.   Bryan arrived & ordered this (the beef kabob) —>

Very good stuff.  I miss that place immensely.   It is called Delta’s Restaurant. They’re open pretty late which is great when you work crazy hours.  I just hope they don’t close down. =/ There’s never many people there when I go in but again, I go in at weird times.

Today though, I am going Goodwill shopping for my Halloween costume! I’m so excited. October is my favorite time of year,  when you can start feeling a bit of the cold weather at night, and the air just smells different.  And no, I’m not telling you what I’m going to be for Halloween, ’cause that’s a surprise. Maybe I’ll get to stop in @ Delta’s today though.  Oh and the Asian market that finally got opened nearby. I guess it all depends on if I stop being lazy & get stuff done around here so I can go.

I shall finish my coffee off & start the playlist now..