Whew! This is looking like it's gonna be a busy month! I have a thesis defense to attend this week, possibly going to visit one of my friends this weekend, starting a noncredit college course this week, have my cousin's rehearsal dinner and wedding later this month, and just today, committed to reading Little Dorrit.
Among these things, I'm going to somehow try to squeeze a few hours in at my job, continue working on short stories (and hopefully the novella) and work on my various and sundry craft projects.
Following up on Mantrap, I'm enjoying it. I'm finding that I rather enjoy Sinclair Lewis' style. I'm kind of a sucker for the 1920s American lit (which probably seems odd, considering I'm planning to read an English novel from the 1800s next). I'm less than 20 pages from finishing Mantrap, so I hope to finish it tonight.
In other news, I visited Barnes and Noble again today. Didn't buy anything, but I saw a ton of cool books! I did purchase a new crochet book at a crafts store. More projects on the way :) Also, since I went with my mother and grandmother, we ate out. We decided to share this dessert called "Bananas Foster," which is sort of starting to sound familiar now, but I don't think I'd ever heard of it before. Anyway, the thing was covered in this really delectable caramel-rum sauce, which my grandma (who could easily have been a spokeswoman for the WCTU had she been old enough) was afraid to eat. She said she'd never had any alcohol in all her life. My mom winked at me and said, "well, then maybe it's time you tried some." I told Grandma that it was probably made with rum extract instead of the real stuff. Mom and I both reassured her that even if it were made with real rum it wouldn't be enough to do anything to her and that we weren't scared of it. Grandma kind of rared up at that one and protested, "Well, I'm not scared of it either."
I can't believe my mother was trying to corrupt hers with desserts.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
In My Neck of the Woods...
Whew, what a busy weekend! On Thursday, I met up with some of my former classmates and professors from grad school. I should mention, this was after I'd spent a couple of hours with two of my friends who just graduated with bachelors degrees, and after going to work for a bit. Friday, I did the usual lunch with Grandma and Mom thing, and afterwards I worked a little. Saturday was graduation, so that was pretty much a day-long affair. Sunday was Mother's Day, and also a graduation party for one of the graduates. Suddenly, I see that it's Monday. In just under two weeks I'll have a bridal shower to attend for my cousin, and I just received the wedding invitation today. So much stuff going on that I feel the need to stop and catch my breath just typing!
In other news, I've been taking this "sabbatical" time to catch up on books, movies, etc. that I didn't have the time for during school. I just recently finished Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, then turned around and polished off Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's in less than 24 hours. Now I'm reading The Silence of the Lambs--I'm half done with it, and trying to decide what to check out next.
Well, I must sign off for now, as I'm preparing to fix a waffle and a veggie sausage patty for supper. I know, I'm odd eating breakfast foods of an evening, but heck, that's what sounded good.
In other news, I've been taking this "sabbatical" time to catch up on books, movies, etc. that I didn't have the time for during school. I just recently finished Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, then turned around and polished off Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's in less than 24 hours. Now I'm reading The Silence of the Lambs--I'm half done with it, and trying to decide what to check out next.
Well, I must sign off for now, as I'm preparing to fix a waffle and a veggie sausage patty for supper. I know, I'm odd eating breakfast foods of an evening, but heck, that's what sounded good.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Cinco de Mayo
Okay, so we didn't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo so much, but we had some quasi-Mexican food last night. It was a fun change of pace, and helped use up some extra canned goods from our pantry.
From the left: my version of the corn in a cup purchased from a street vendor in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico; my take on the burrito; nachos and cheese. I'd like to post the corn recipe on Nana's Kitchen, but it's one of those "to taste" kind of things. Roughly, you would drain some canned corn or, if you're lucky enough to have fresh, cut the kernals off the boiled ear, add mayo (I prefer Miracle Whip), hot sauce to taste, and sometimes I add some Monterrey Jack cheese; heat (I just stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute) and top with parmesan cheese.
The burrito is made with whole wheat flour and brown sugar for an interesting flavor combination. I added some vegetarian refried beans, a bit of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese and nothing else.
The nachos are pretty much self-explanatory. I didn't make the cheese sauce--it came from a can.
Can you tell that I really love my queso?
From the left: my version of the corn in a cup purchased from a street vendor in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico; my take on the burrito; nachos and cheese. I'd like to post the corn recipe on Nana's Kitchen, but it's one of those "to taste" kind of things. Roughly, you would drain some canned corn or, if you're lucky enough to have fresh, cut the kernals off the boiled ear, add mayo (I prefer Miracle Whip), hot sauce to taste, and sometimes I add some Monterrey Jack cheese; heat (I just stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute) and top with parmesan cheese.
The burrito is made with whole wheat flour and brown sugar for an interesting flavor combination. I added some vegetarian refried beans, a bit of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese and nothing else.
The nachos are pretty much self-explanatory. I didn't make the cheese sauce--it came from a can.
Can you tell that I really love my queso?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Good For You, Chef Boyardee
Okay, this title does have a bit of a double meaning. I'm very proud of Chef Boyardee (hence the "Good for You," but the reason I'm proud of it is that the products have become healthier (hence the "Good for You" ;) )Get my drift?
Anyway, I went to Wal-Mart with my dad this morning, and for the first time in a very long time, I was led into temptation by the canned pasta aisle. I almost resisted, but then I saw the Dinosaurs pasta that I used to basically live on as a kid. Dad lived on it when I was a kid, too. He started in about how good that was, and while reminiscing about the good old days, I was persuaded by the devil on my shoulder to pick up a can. I was shocked to see that if I ate the whole can, I'd still have 42% of my daily sodium intake to spend on something else (I'm very economic in my thinking). After I told this to Dad, he insisted that I pick up a can for him, as well.
When I got home a few minutes ago, I opened up mine to microwave it for lunch, and I saw that there was actually more potassium than sodium in a serving. Wow! And, there was the addition of other minerals, such as selenium. Here I was feeling guilty for straying and picking up a can of pasta. Still, I started with a half can. But I talked myself into eating the other half. Used to be, you only ate a whole can of pasta if you had a death wish. It's good to know that food manufacturers are getting a little more health-conscious. Now I can fudge on other things, like Kit Kats :)
Anyway, I went to Wal-Mart with my dad this morning, and for the first time in a very long time, I was led into temptation by the canned pasta aisle. I almost resisted, but then I saw the Dinosaurs pasta that I used to basically live on as a kid. Dad lived on it when I was a kid, too. He started in about how good that was, and while reminiscing about the good old days, I was persuaded by the devil on my shoulder to pick up a can. I was shocked to see that if I ate the whole can, I'd still have 42% of my daily sodium intake to spend on something else (I'm very economic in my thinking). After I told this to Dad, he insisted that I pick up a can for him, as well.
When I got home a few minutes ago, I opened up mine to microwave it for lunch, and I saw that there was actually more potassium than sodium in a serving. Wow! And, there was the addition of other minerals, such as selenium. Here I was feeling guilty for straying and picking up a can of pasta. Still, I started with a half can. But I talked myself into eating the other half. Used to be, you only ate a whole can of pasta if you had a death wish. It's good to know that food manufacturers are getting a little more health-conscious. Now I can fudge on other things, like Kit Kats :)
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Cooking!
I decided what to do today--cook. I'm baking bread, and I made some soup. After my butter softens, I'm going to attempt to make some cookies, too. It should be a nice surprise for my parents when they get back from shopping. And after they "hit the Hut" without me. Oh well, I won't hold a grudge :)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My First Attempt at Meme-ing
Sunday Scribblings
#135 - Scandalous
Have you got some juicy gossip? What about a bit of scandal? Have you caused a commotion in your life? Would you like to? In this week full of politics and financial woe, let's add a bit of spice and fun, shall we?
Chicken
I have been a vegetarian since conception. In other words, my parents quit eating meat before I was born. Apparently one of my uncle's girlfriends once fed me a ham cube, but I couldn't help that. I mean, I was just a toddler--I didn't know any better.
Then, when I was six years old, my school held a pizza party. I can't remember the occasion. Anyway, I didn't want the veggie pizza because I was a picky child who hated green peppers and tomatoes. I took a slice of what I thought was cheese pizza. Near the crust, I found something round, red, and mostly eaten protruding from under the cheese. A pepperoni! How dare they hide meat in my pizza!
Fast forward 16 years. I was a senior in college, sitting at Taco Bell with a friend. She had ordered a chicken chalupa--something that always sounded strangely alluring to me. When a chunk of chicken dropped from her chalupa, the devil on my left shoulder told me to eat it:
"Come on, you know you want to."
The angel on my right shoulder put up a decent fight:
"You can't eat that. You don't know what will happen. You might get sick."
The bickering continued:
"Normal people eat meat. Even most vegetarians started out life as carnivores."
"You aren't "normal people."
Finally the devil half stuffed the chicken piece in the angel's mouth to hush her, and I tried it. It tasted like, well, chicken. The soy stuff, anyway. I felt that I had experienced a rite of passage. At 22 years of age I had finally tasted chicken. And I liked it.
I still haven't told my parents though.
More Sunday Scribblings
#135 - Scandalous
Have you got some juicy gossip? What about a bit of scandal? Have you caused a commotion in your life? Would you like to? In this week full of politics and financial woe, let's add a bit of spice and fun, shall we?
Chicken
I have been a vegetarian since conception. In other words, my parents quit eating meat before I was born. Apparently one of my uncle's girlfriends once fed me a ham cube, but I couldn't help that. I mean, I was just a toddler--I didn't know any better.
Then, when I was six years old, my school held a pizza party. I can't remember the occasion. Anyway, I didn't want the veggie pizza because I was a picky child who hated green peppers and tomatoes. I took a slice of what I thought was cheese pizza. Near the crust, I found something round, red, and mostly eaten protruding from under the cheese. A pepperoni! How dare they hide meat in my pizza!
Fast forward 16 years. I was a senior in college, sitting at Taco Bell with a friend. She had ordered a chicken chalupa--something that always sounded strangely alluring to me. When a chunk of chicken dropped from her chalupa, the devil on my left shoulder told me to eat it:
"Come on, you know you want to."
The angel on my right shoulder put up a decent fight:
"You can't eat that. You don't know what will happen. You might get sick."
The bickering continued:
"Normal people eat meat. Even most vegetarians started out life as carnivores."
"You aren't "normal people."
Finally the devil half stuffed the chicken piece in the angel's mouth to hush her, and I tried it. It tasted like, well, chicken. The soy stuff, anyway. I felt that I had experienced a rite of passage. At 22 years of age I had finally tasted chicken. And I liked it.
I still haven't told my parents though.
More Sunday Scribblings
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Anchovies, Reasor Park, and No Scarface
I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a very long time. Too long, actually. I went on a drive. Sarah invited me up to see where she will be doing her practicum or student teaching or whatever. You'll have to forgive me for getting the two confused--I wasn't in the teacher certification program.
Anyway, we drove around Mattoon some, and then I remembered that I wanted to stop at Buffalo Wild Wings to pick up some hot sauce. It's one of those things I've always wanted to do, but never did--until yesterday.
So, Sarah and I waited an eternity for someone to emerge from the back to get down a jar of Parmesan Garlic and a jar of Wild sauce. As soon as I'd paid for my goods, the lady disappeared, just as mysteriously as she'd appeared not five minutes prior. As Sarah and I were walking out the door, I had the crazy idea to read the ingredients label. I really shouldn't do this, because, to my knowledge, I have no food allergies. And as far as the vegetarian thing goes, if I am not aware of animal products or by-products, it's fair game; once I learn of said products, my stomach gets queasy.
Yep. You guessed it. Wild sauce has anchovies in it.
Anchovies are not a major player in the Wild game--they're second from the last on the list of ingredients. They are the second to last important ingredients in the sauce. I considered returning the bottle, but then I remembered how long I had to wait just to get the stuff. Then I thought, I'll just eat it and not think about it. I mean, after all, I ate Cheez-Whiz and Worcestershire sauce with anchovies for years unawares.
Coming back to Charleston, Sarah and I decided to check out Reasor Park. I've tried to find Reasor Park before, only to get derailed by the Lafferty Nature Study Center. Anyway, this time, since Sarah and I had been discussing the park via IM earlier that day, we thought we knew where we were going, so it shouldn't be a big deal. It looked like a good-sized park, anyhow.
We took off down University Drive (don't even get me started about the name of that street), and started looking for Lover's Lane. That is seriously the name of the road on the map that takes you to Reasor Park. I never saw any "Lover's Lane," but Sarah saw a sign that read "Reasor Park."
I missed it.
I had to turn around in the church school's parking lot (I think it is Calvary Baptist or Calvary Christian Academy or something like that) and head back to so-called "Lover's Lane" (I never did see a street sign for it. This should have been my first clue. Hey, don't get me wrong, it was a pretty drive, but that's all it was--a drive. I got to the end of it and started recognizing Reynolds Drive (I got lost there looking for Reasor Park on yet ANOTHER occasion).
Then we got the bright idea to check out VFW Park. I'm not even going to comment on that one.
In Mattoon and Charleston both, I looked Family Video for Scarface. I thought I found it at Charleston, but someone had stuck the movie Predator behind the Scarface box. Mattoon didn't even have it. I wanted to watch Scarface because I saw an interview with Michelle Pfeiffer on TV. Isn't publicity great?
When I came back home, I checked Visual Effects--no Scarface. I then checked Casey's. I settled for No Country for Old Men and Juno. Those movies sure were a change of pace from one another. Movie reviews of these coming soon.
Anyway, we drove around Mattoon some, and then I remembered that I wanted to stop at Buffalo Wild Wings to pick up some hot sauce. It's one of those things I've always wanted to do, but never did--until yesterday.
So, Sarah and I waited an eternity for someone to emerge from the back to get down a jar of Parmesan Garlic and a jar of Wild sauce. As soon as I'd paid for my goods, the lady disappeared, just as mysteriously as she'd appeared not five minutes prior. As Sarah and I were walking out the door, I had the crazy idea to read the ingredients label. I really shouldn't do this, because, to my knowledge, I have no food allergies. And as far as the vegetarian thing goes, if I am not aware of animal products or by-products, it's fair game; once I learn of said products, my stomach gets queasy.
Yep. You guessed it. Wild sauce has anchovies in it.
Anchovies are not a major player in the Wild game--they're second from the last on the list of ingredients. They are the second to last important ingredients in the sauce. I considered returning the bottle, but then I remembered how long I had to wait just to get the stuff. Then I thought, I'll just eat it and not think about it. I mean, after all, I ate Cheez-Whiz and Worcestershire sauce with anchovies for years unawares.
Coming back to Charleston, Sarah and I decided to check out Reasor Park. I've tried to find Reasor Park before, only to get derailed by the Lafferty Nature Study Center. Anyway, this time, since Sarah and I had been discussing the park via IM earlier that day, we thought we knew where we were going, so it shouldn't be a big deal. It looked like a good-sized park, anyhow.
We took off down University Drive (don't even get me started about the name of that street), and started looking for Lover's Lane. That is seriously the name of the road on the map that takes you to Reasor Park. I never saw any "Lover's Lane," but Sarah saw a sign that read "Reasor Park."
I missed it.
I had to turn around in the church school's parking lot (I think it is Calvary Baptist or Calvary Christian Academy or something like that) and head back to so-called "Lover's Lane" (I never did see a street sign for it. This should have been my first clue. Hey, don't get me wrong, it was a pretty drive, but that's all it was--a drive. I got to the end of it and started recognizing Reynolds Drive (I got lost there looking for Reasor Park on yet ANOTHER occasion).
Then we got the bright idea to check out VFW Park. I'm not even going to comment on that one.
In Mattoon and Charleston both, I looked Family Video for Scarface. I thought I found it at Charleston, but someone had stuck the movie Predator behind the Scarface box. Mattoon didn't even have it. I wanted to watch Scarface because I saw an interview with Michelle Pfeiffer on TV. Isn't publicity great?
When I came back home, I checked Visual Effects--no Scarface. I then checked Casey's. I settled for No Country for Old Men and Juno. Those movies sure were a change of pace from one another. Movie reviews of these coming soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
.JPG)
