In honor of my 31st birthday yesterday, I think I will use this blog post to put down the first 31 thoughts that pop into my head. I don't really know why this strikes me as a good idea, but let's just go with it for now and see how it turns out.
1. I can't really believe that I am 31. As my mother-in-law so kindly pointed out last night, I am officially in my thirties now. She also said that it is "all downhill from here".
2. I started classes for the last time this week. I am excited, but as I said in my previous post, I am not really looking forward to the work.
3. On that note, I told my sister that I would retract a statement from my previous blog post. I did not, in fact, wear my new boots to school on Tuesday. My jeans, which were the only ones clean that day, did not look right with them. I am planning to wear the boots for the first time tomorrow. There: clean slate. I am not a blog liar now.
4. I am not sure why my four year old is hopping up and down in front of the TV right now. Doesn't she know that you are just supposed to sit on your butt while watching TV? I guess I should be grateful for her activity/energy level.
5. I discovered that I can actually run the equivalent of a 5K on the treadmill this morning. I was not sure that my decrepit knees were up to it, but I did a full 3.2 miles in about 40 minutes. I was attempting another version of interval training, so I walked (to slow my heart rate) at every mile, for about 5 minutes. Otherwise, I ran the whole thing.
6. I am pretty proud of myself for running that distance, but I am also pretty sure that it is a matter of time before my knees start showing their disapproval for said activity.
7. It is not really that cold outside right now, but I am shivering in my house for some reason.
8. Maybe the cat, whose tail is blocking my ability to move my mouse right now, would do me the favor of sitting on me (for warmth) rather than warming the stack of papers on my desk.
9. My husband and I opened a bottle of wine that he got me for Christmas last night to toast my birthday. I don't usually say this about many things with alcohol in it, but it was bad. Really bad.
10. I am going to blame the crankiness (in an extreme form), I felt this morning on the really bad wine. Seriously, it was that bad.
11. I bet my husband is going to finish the bottle of really bad wine tonight. Let's just say that he doesn't discriminate too much when it comes to adult beverages. He drinks Advocat for crying out loud.
12. For those of you who may not know what Advocat is, it is a Dutch eggnog like liquor. first of all, I hate egg nog so Advocat, which is the color and consistency of snot, does not appeal to me in the slightest.
13. 31 one things to write is getting to be harder than I thought. And I am still cold.
14. I have a massive amount of greens and other assorted vegetables in my fridge, from my CSA, that I have no idea how/what/when I am going to cook/consume them.
15. Maybe I can use the ass tasting wine to braise the greens. I am not a huge fan of mustard greens, so maybe the two flavor profiles would cancel each other out.
16. I did also get a home grown sweet potato in my bag today, so I am really intrigued by that.
17. Oops....the TV show is over and the cat is awake. No good can come of this.
18. I am always surprised by the simple power of a blank sheet of paper and a bunch of crayons. Pure entertainment magic.
19. I am also always surprised by how quickly the four year old mind finds ennui in that same magic that was so captivating a moment ago.
20. Based on the information I recieved in class yesterday, I think that this semester may be more challenging than I thought it was going to be.
21. My sister can make me laugh harder about the weirdest stuff than anyone else that I know.
22. Most people cannot understand the humor that my sister and I share. My husband and my mother have both developed twin looks that eloquently say, "WTF?!?" only without so many words or letters for that matter.
23. The reason I thought of numbers 22 and 23 is because my sister just posted something bizarre on my Facebook page and I had to snicker at it.
24. Damn cat is still sitting on the papers and I am still cold.
25. I wonder how much more random I am going to get with this post this morning. I am pretty sure it can't get any more random than it already has, but you never know.
26. I also am beginning to think that this whole "31 Thoughts" thing was not a great idea. I am pretty sure I am just rambling at this point.
27. I am addicted to a new series of books. Not vampires this time, though they are part of the storyline, but werewolves.
28. I would really like to go read that book, but my filthy house isn't going to clean itself.
29. (Almost there!) So far, in the past 2 1/2 hours since I finished running my mock 5K, my knees have not protested too much. Needless to say, I am surprised.
30. I am realizing that this kind of shotgun writing is, perhaps, not for me. I like my posts to be a little neater and more focused than this. Yes, even the ones entitled, "Random Thoughts".
31. And, I am done! I actually killed enough time that I can fix lunch now. Running 3 miles, cleaning a house while watching your four year old and waiting for your knees to start throbbing with pain really makes a person hungry. I don't think I want veggies for lunch though.
Yeah, maybe this wasn't the best idea, but it was an experiment, ok? It seems like most of the time, most of my thoughts aren't necessarily worth typing out. I think I will weed them out a bit better for next time. On to lunch, though, after which I will try to figure out what the heck to do with all those veggies. I do like me a challenge.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Quick Thoughts for the Day
I feel like I should mark this day for a couple of reasons and have decided to do so with a new blog post. It has to be quick for at least one of those reasons, in that I have to go to school today and have yet to take a shower after my workout earlier this morning. First, and most importantly, my baby turned four years old today and she is the main reason I want to make this day significant to my little virtual world. She was so excited this morning, literally saying repeatedly, "I am so excited to be four years old!" I mean, how cute is that? Four years ago, at almost this exact time, my husband and I watched the sun come up over the hospital where I was about to be induced. About 9 hours later, at 5:53 pm on January 19, 2006, our beautiful baby girl was born, squalling and generally ticked off at just about everybody. She has been a firecracker ever since and has kept us on our toes for four years. Bless her heart, I wouldn't change one little thing about her because those traits that cause us more than a little bit of trouble right now will serve her well as an adult. She is an independent little pixie who constantly amazes me and I don't think I could love her any more if I tried.
Ok, second reason I am blogging (now through eyes blinded by sentimental tears): today is the first day of my last semester of culinary school. I am not looking forward to it. Well, I am looking forward to wearing my new boots (happy birthday to me from my lovely mother), but that is about it. I always have a hard time getting started with the spring semester, but add to it a blooming case of "senioritis" and I am already wearied by the thought of the next four months. I will get out of this slump soon enough, especially once the work starts rolling in. This is like anything that I do - I may not want to do it, but the payoff at the end will be worth it. I have been in school almost as long as my little one has been alive (she was 12 months old when I applied to ACC and 16 months old when I began my first class), so she does not remember a time when I was NOT in school. My older daughter probably doesn't either - she was only 3 1/2 when I began. Good lord! Has it really been that long? I mean, it FEELS like forever for sure, but that seems like a long time. So, time to power through, so to speak. I can do it. I will do it. I am (not) looking forward to doing it. Time to suck it up and put in the work so I can be finished. Now I feel a bit more ready.....to go take a shower. After that, I will put on my pretty new boots and go get started.
Ok, second reason I am blogging (now through eyes blinded by sentimental tears): today is the first day of my last semester of culinary school. I am not looking forward to it. Well, I am looking forward to wearing my new boots (happy birthday to me from my lovely mother), but that is about it. I always have a hard time getting started with the spring semester, but add to it a blooming case of "senioritis" and I am already wearied by the thought of the next four months. I will get out of this slump soon enough, especially once the work starts rolling in. This is like anything that I do - I may not want to do it, but the payoff at the end will be worth it. I have been in school almost as long as my little one has been alive (she was 12 months old when I applied to ACC and 16 months old when I began my first class), so she does not remember a time when I was NOT in school. My older daughter probably doesn't either - she was only 3 1/2 when I began. Good lord! Has it really been that long? I mean, it FEELS like forever for sure, but that seems like a long time. So, time to power through, so to speak. I can do it. I will do it. I am (not) looking forward to doing it. Time to suck it up and put in the work so I can be finished. Now I feel a bit more ready.....to go take a shower. After that, I will put on my pretty new boots and go get started.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My First Food Musings
First of all: check me out! Blogging twice in one week! My wonderful husband took my children to school for me this morning, so I am taking the time to write a little food entry (as promised) about something kind of sublime I made for dinner last night: roasted vegetable noodle soup. Let's start with me stating a little known fact about myself. I generally do not like vegetable soups for one reason: celery. Love the flavor it imparts, but hate hate HATE the texture. I hate seeing chunks of it floating in soups, stews, what have you and I certainly hate the misfortune of having a piece end up on my spoon or, God forbid, in my mouth accidentally. I don't gag on many things any more (yes, Mom, I know that surprises you, considering that I was the child that spent many an hour picking onions out of every dish you ever made), but celery remains my food nemesis. I should also note that I can tolerate raw celery and often enjoy it with a variety of dips, but even then, my preference is for other, less offensive crudite.
Back to the soup. I made a roasted vegetable noodle soup using fresh organic vegetables that I received from my local CSA (or as my children like to refer to the man himself, "Farmer Tim"), among other components. I actually got my children involved (which, for anyone that knows me, was a big step since I am so OCD about my cooking) and had them peel orange-yellow carrots and a couple of creamy, lemon yellow parnips (they could have been rutabegas, but I am not sure). They stripped the leaves off the stems of deep blue green kale and dark and waxy collard greens. They watched me chop the root vegetables, including those they had peeled, as well as some radishes, extra baby carrots and yes, celery. We tossed all of the vegetables together with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a baking sheet to roast in the oven. Of course, they were pretty impressed with themselves and their cooking abilities before running off to play with their toys.
Oh, the aromas that came from all of those vegetables roasting! I would not normally roast that combination, but what with some leftover celery and the odd grab bag from the CSA, it is what I had. (Thanks to Savuer's latest issue for giving me the idea to roast the radishes. Good gracious, those are AMAZING! Tender and sweet with the barest of peppery bites.) While the vegetables were in the oven, I chopped and sauteed a few baby leeks and green onions, again from the CSA, then added some canned, diced, no salt tomatoes. I pulled the roasted vegetables from the oven just as the edges began to caramelize and chopped most of them (especially the celery which got an extra fine mince) further once they cooled enough to handle. I added them to the leek-tomato mixture, poured in a quart of low sodium chicken broth and sprinkled it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. After stripping some fresh thyme from my own herb garden into the pot, the soup was ready to simmer for a bit. At this point, it smelled sweet and savory, with just a hint of the spicy herbaceousness of the thyme that floated on the top of the liquid. After a bit, I added the chopped greens, a can of drained garbanzo beans and some rotini pasta. Fifteen minutes later, we had an amazing soup on the table for dinner!
The soup was a bounty of incredible flavors with enough textural differences to make it really interesting. The roasted vegetables were savory and sweet, whose vastly different flavors had melded and mellowed during their cooking time in the oven. They were amazingly tender, still retaining their structure in the bowl, but literally dissolving in the mouth. The beans were creamy and slightly nutty with a lightly chewy texture which stood out due to their late addition to the pot. The greens, once so deeply colored, took on a olive tone, but were tender and richly flavored by the soup itself. The pasta cooked beautifully in the soup as well and, with its own al dente texture, provided another level of textural contrast, especially with the twists and turns which acted as yet another vehicle for flavor. The tomatoes at the base of the soup, combined with the chicken stock, gave the overall dish depth while adding an acidic component that offset the other, more richly flavored vegetables. Truly, this dish was a feast for all the senses - beautiful and delicious, with an amazing mouthfeel.
Please don't think that I am only lauding my cooking abilities. I did actually find a recipe that gave me the idea for the soup and, like every good cook says, I started with wonderfully fresh ingredients. I also had a couple of really cute little helpers who so enjoy cooking with me for any meal. I did not actually expect those same little helpers to eat the meal that they helped to prepare, so I was stunned when they both ate every bite. It wasn't even dessert night at our house, so bribes to finish dinner were not offered, but my children actually ate with only the barest amount of cajoling. Ultimately, those vegetables were delectable, each and every one of them. Including the celery. Which I ate. It was minced and it was surrounded by much more appealing vegetables, but it was there because, despite my attempts to disguise it, I saw it. And, like I said: I ate it. And loved it.
Back to the soup. I made a roasted vegetable noodle soup using fresh organic vegetables that I received from my local CSA (or as my children like to refer to the man himself, "Farmer Tim"), among other components. I actually got my children involved (which, for anyone that knows me, was a big step since I am so OCD about my cooking) and had them peel orange-yellow carrots and a couple of creamy, lemon yellow parnips (they could have been rutabegas, but I am not sure). They stripped the leaves off the stems of deep blue green kale and dark and waxy collard greens. They watched me chop the root vegetables, including those they had peeled, as well as some radishes, extra baby carrots and yes, celery. We tossed all of the vegetables together with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a baking sheet to roast in the oven. Of course, they were pretty impressed with themselves and their cooking abilities before running off to play with their toys.
Oh, the aromas that came from all of those vegetables roasting! I would not normally roast that combination, but what with some leftover celery and the odd grab bag from the CSA, it is what I had. (Thanks to Savuer's latest issue for giving me the idea to roast the radishes. Good gracious, those are AMAZING! Tender and sweet with the barest of peppery bites.) While the vegetables were in the oven, I chopped and sauteed a few baby leeks and green onions, again from the CSA, then added some canned, diced, no salt tomatoes. I pulled the roasted vegetables from the oven just as the edges began to caramelize and chopped most of them (especially the celery which got an extra fine mince) further once they cooled enough to handle. I added them to the leek-tomato mixture, poured in a quart of low sodium chicken broth and sprinkled it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. After stripping some fresh thyme from my own herb garden into the pot, the soup was ready to simmer for a bit. At this point, it smelled sweet and savory, with just a hint of the spicy herbaceousness of the thyme that floated on the top of the liquid. After a bit, I added the chopped greens, a can of drained garbanzo beans and some rotini pasta. Fifteen minutes later, we had an amazing soup on the table for dinner!
The soup was a bounty of incredible flavors with enough textural differences to make it really interesting. The roasted vegetables were savory and sweet, whose vastly different flavors had melded and mellowed during their cooking time in the oven. They were amazingly tender, still retaining their structure in the bowl, but literally dissolving in the mouth. The beans were creamy and slightly nutty with a lightly chewy texture which stood out due to their late addition to the pot. The greens, once so deeply colored, took on a olive tone, but were tender and richly flavored by the soup itself. The pasta cooked beautifully in the soup as well and, with its own al dente texture, provided another level of textural contrast, especially with the twists and turns which acted as yet another vehicle for flavor. The tomatoes at the base of the soup, combined with the chicken stock, gave the overall dish depth while adding an acidic component that offset the other, more richly flavored vegetables. Truly, this dish was a feast for all the senses - beautiful and delicious, with an amazing mouthfeel.
Please don't think that I am only lauding my cooking abilities. I did actually find a recipe that gave me the idea for the soup and, like every good cook says, I started with wonderfully fresh ingredients. I also had a couple of really cute little helpers who so enjoy cooking with me for any meal. I did not actually expect those same little helpers to eat the meal that they helped to prepare, so I was stunned when they both ate every bite. It wasn't even dessert night at our house, so bribes to finish dinner were not offered, but my children actually ate with only the barest amount of cajoling. Ultimately, those vegetables were delectable, each and every one of them. Including the celery. Which I ate. It was minced and it was surrounded by much more appealing vegetables, but it was there because, despite my attempts to disguise it, I saw it. And, like I said: I ate it. And loved it.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Random Thoughts
I was talking about my blog to a friend of mine last night and decided, upon sitting down at the computer this morning, to update mine although I do not really have anything specific to write about. I mean, we had a busy week last week, with a lot of decisions to make, many of which had a pretty definitive impact on our lives, but I am not sure this is the forum in which to discuss them. I suppose I am still feeling my way through this world of virtual self-disclosure and am just not sure what I truly want left for posterity (or for current reading material for that matter). I really find this whole blog experience interesting. I mean, here I am, sitting in my pajamas and robe no less, writing, for lack of a better word, "stuff" for anyone/no one/everyone to see. Who is reading this? Who will read this? Who wants to read this? Why do they want to read it? What do I want to accomplish with this? Aren't these all questions that you would have to answer in a typical writing situation - novels, magazines....traditional print media? I don't know the actual answer to that question, but I would imagine that to be the case. I suppose my whole Holden Caulfield train of consciousness is stopping at the "What Am I Doing With This Thing?" station. I don't know the actual answer for that either, but, the way I look at it, is that I am writing. I am writing for myself primarily and I am writing in the event that someone out there sees fit to join me in my string of slightly disjointed thoughts. To back track a little, I think the best policy with this blog is to limit the pure self-disclosure. This is not a diary (remember those?) and I should treat this as a public forum (despite the fact that it is probably only being read by my family and close friends). I am going to continue to write on a regular basis, and I am going to try to actually include some entries about food soon. That is kind of funny - I titled this post "Random Thoughts" just because I couldn't think of anything else and it turns out to be rather prophetic. Random is a good word for this. Maybe next time, I will title my entry "Focused Thoughts" and see what happens.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Slacking already
The first full week of 2010 is here and I am behind on my blogging goals already!! I did not ever intend to be a daily blogger (how could I with two little girls thwarting my every productive move?), but I did intend to write more than once a week. Ah well....the best laid plans and all of that. The important thing is that I am doing it now while trying to generate some forward momentum for myself this week. My husband returned to work today after an extended holiday vacation. My oldest daughter will be returning to school in two days and my youngest will continue going to her preschool, as she has done, even throughout the holiday break. I......well, I do not know what I am going to do. I spent the last four months of my life re-acclimating to the working world and now, by my own choice, am unemployed again and feeling a little rudderless, if the truth must be told. I should be thankful for the extra time that I now find myself with, both to spend with my children and to work on my own pet projects, but I am kind of at a loss as to how to fill this gaping stretch ahead of me. I mean, I used to do this - stayed at home with the girls, found productive ways to pass the days and was happy doing it. I really did not realize how much I had gotten used to working and being out of the house on a daily basis.
You know what? That is ok. This, like the new year, is a time of transition for me, like it is for so many others. It is ok to feel a little lost right now. I have been there before and I have always found a way for myself. I have my "to-do" list in front of me and a house that has been neglected for the past four months. I have two more days of vacation to create memories with my girls. I have Christmas to dismantle (at least on the exterior of our house) and painting projects to begin. I have workouts planned and the Longhorns to cheer on. I have time to myself, for the first time since the summer, and, lest I forget, school to begin again myself in three weeks. I have a birthday party to plan for my youngest and decisions about how I will see in my 31st as well. Hmmmm.....well, see, there was the way after all. The Gaping Stretch is filled and my enthusiasm for the new year and my new (or rather renewed) situation has returned. As a bonus, I wrote a new blog entry as well. I knew I could do it.
You know what? That is ok. This, like the new year, is a time of transition for me, like it is for so many others. It is ok to feel a little lost right now. I have been there before and I have always found a way for myself. I have my "to-do" list in front of me and a house that has been neglected for the past four months. I have two more days of vacation to create memories with my girls. I have Christmas to dismantle (at least on the exterior of our house) and painting projects to begin. I have workouts planned and the Longhorns to cheer on. I have time to myself, for the first time since the summer, and, lest I forget, school to begin again myself in three weeks. I have a birthday party to plan for my youngest and decisions about how I will see in my 31st as well. Hmmmm.....well, see, there was the way after all. The Gaping Stretch is filled and my enthusiasm for the new year and my new (or rather renewed) situation has returned. As a bonus, I wrote a new blog entry as well. I knew I could do it.
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