9/20/10
my seestor has joined the blogosphere!! yayyyy!!!
emma sue.: 1.: "'I should write that down' How many times has that particular thought run through your head? For me, all day, e'ryday. I have always aspir..."
new issue of vegetarian times!
i was excited to receive the latest edition of "vegetarian times" magazine (one of my most favorite and most useful x-mas presents i received last year...thanks, jbl!)this month's issue is the best yet since i've started receiving the monthly collection of delicious and innovative recipes for myriad vegetarian chefs. here, the first flavors of fall are presented, and i can't wait until the temperature drops a few more degrees to try out the veg spin on comfort foods like chicken pot pie and hearty soups and stews!
we stopped by the sunday farmer's market and the natural foods co-op to stock our fridge and pantry with everything we need to make some of the meals suggested in the magazine.
in case i don't get around to blogging about them, go pick up the latest issue and see for yourself how delicious and satisfying a meal without meat can be! your body and the earth will thank you.
9/8/10
once upon a time...
...there was a maiden who liked to cook all sorts of delicious foods to share with others. as this passion developed, so did the idea to create a blog to document her favorite things.
she blogged for months and months, spending hours in the kitchen creating and re-creating triumphant culinary treats, and even more hours diligently recording her process, successes and failures.
as the second summer season drew to a close, so came the advent of a new and exciting chapter in this maiden's story: the chapter about how she will be in graduate school for the next two years.
yes, reader[s]...as you may have gleaned from this fractured fairy tale, i have sadly let my blog fall by the wayside since august to prepare myself, mentally and temporally, for my first year of graduate school.
it's going to be an insanely challenging two years (if these first two weeks are any prediction of what is to come). but i hope to continue to explore the creative outlet i've found through cooking, blogging and sharing, even while up to my elbows in papers to grade, books to read, and essays to write.
i promise to be diligent in my notifications of any updates, of which, at least until thanksgiving, i fear might be few and far between.
in the meantime know that i still care about all things culinary, delicious, and kind...and that absolutely NO kind of graduate or post-doctoral program will force me to ever consume anything that only requires microwaving. and the same should go for you.
yours truly and scrumptiously,
m.
ps...
look what i just got!!!!
she blogged for months and months, spending hours in the kitchen creating and re-creating triumphant culinary treats, and even more hours diligently recording her process, successes and failures.
as the second summer season drew to a close, so came the advent of a new and exciting chapter in this maiden's story: the chapter about how she will be in graduate school for the next two years.
yes, reader[s]...as you may have gleaned from this fractured fairy tale, i have sadly let my blog fall by the wayside since august to prepare myself, mentally and temporally, for my first year of graduate school.
it's going to be an insanely challenging two years (if these first two weeks are any prediction of what is to come). but i hope to continue to explore the creative outlet i've found through cooking, blogging and sharing, even while up to my elbows in papers to grade, books to read, and essays to write.
i promise to be diligent in my notifications of any updates, of which, at least until thanksgiving, i fear might be few and far between.
in the meantime know that i still care about all things culinary, delicious, and kind...and that absolutely NO kind of graduate or post-doctoral program will force me to ever consume anything that only requires microwaving. and the same should go for you.
yours truly and scrumptiously,
m.
ps...
look what i just got!!!!
8/2/10
friendship!
once upon a last weekend, three friends hopped in a car and embarked upon a thirteen hour journey to the sleepy little village of frienship, maine.
the trip started out strong as the friends powered through the first half of the drive with some beer (for the passengers), a bag of chips, plenty of string for friendship bracelets, an atlas, and a copy of "the adventures of huckleberry finn".
as the hours progressed and the miles ticked away on the odometer, the three delawarean travelers were quite literally on their way to becoming maniacs (no pun intended), battling terrible traffic, drizzly weather, and archaic windshield wiper blades. however, as soon as this came into view, they knew it was well worth the 13 hour journey in the car:
SO worth it.
the trip started out strong as the friends powered through the first half of the drive with some beer (for the passengers), a bag of chips, plenty of string for friendship bracelets, an atlas, and a copy of "the adventures of huckleberry finn".
as the hours progressed and the miles ticked away on the odometer, the three delawarean travelers were quite literally on their way to becoming maniacs (no pun intended), battling terrible traffic, drizzly weather, and archaic windshield wiper blades. however, as soon as this came into view, they knew it was well worth the 13 hour journey in the car:
SO worth it.
a sampling of the weekend's beautiful sights:
 |
| the poole's |
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| periwinkles and pebbles |
 |
| expert navigation to seal island |
 |
| friendship jam |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| blustery sunday morning |
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| rachel |
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| exploring the tide pools |
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| handsome birthday boy! |
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| seahorses. forever. |
7/31/10
slip sliding away
i am a little bit shocked that it is the last day of july already...how did this happen?
i admit my blogging has fallen to the wayside, but i want to get back on the wagon! my lack of a camera keeps me from posting pictures, and therefore recipes, of all the fabulous summer meals i cooked and adventures upon which i've embarked, but never fear. there is still the entire month of august left.
this weekend we are headed up to new york to visit jordan's family. my parents are away in canada and left us with the dog, max. he is a very well-traveled and cosmopolitan canine, as he feels equally comfortable on the front porch of my parents' home in maryland as he does taking over the streets of alexandria, virginia when he visits my mom there. i am hoping he is as calm in new york as he is in his other homes, that he makes nice with the leitner's cat and doesn't go pee somewhere that isn't on a bush...
have a great weekend!
i admit my blogging has fallen to the wayside, but i want to get back on the wagon! my lack of a camera keeps me from posting pictures, and therefore recipes, of all the fabulous summer meals i cooked and adventures upon which i've embarked, but never fear. there is still the entire month of august left.
this weekend we are headed up to new york to visit jordan's family. my parents are away in canada and left us with the dog, max. he is a very well-traveled and cosmopolitan canine, as he feels equally comfortable on the front porch of my parents' home in maryland as he does taking over the streets of alexandria, virginia when he visits my mom there. i am hoping he is as calm in new york as he is in his other homes, that he makes nice with the leitner's cat and doesn't go pee somewhere that isn't on a bush...
have a great weekend!
6/15/10
monday night meal.
i have noticed that lately the direction of my blog has strayed from its original intention: to share all things about food: recipes, tips, mishaps in the kitchen. this is partly due to my eagerness to share other happenings in my life, and also due to the fact that while pursuing other avenues, i honestly haven't had much time to cook a whole meal, take pictures, upload pictures, blog, etc. etc.
i know, blah blah blah. but the point is, i'm BACK. with a RECIPE. that you should make immediately because it is DELICIOUS.
israeli couscous with pine nuts and portobello mushrooms.
ingredients:
-1 package israeli couscous (rounder and fatter than traditional couscous...they look like tiny pearls)
-1 large shallot, diced
-2 tbsp butter, plus maybe a little more
-1 3/4 c. water, chicken or vegetable stock, plus more for mixing
-2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
-handful raisins
-handful pine nuts
-cinnamon, salt, and pepper to taste
-pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, grated to taste for serving
-1 large shallot, diced
-2 tbsp butter, plus maybe a little more
-1 3/4 c. water, chicken or vegetable stock, plus more for mixing
-2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
-handful raisins
-handful pine nuts
-cinnamon, salt, and pepper to taste
-pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, grated to taste for serving
method:
in a large saucepan, slowly melt about 2 tbsp butter. once the butter is melted, add diced shallots and saute until wilted. add the couscous, cinnamon salt and pepper (and perhaps a bit more butter if most has been absorbed into shallots) and saute one to two minutes, stirring attentively, until the couscous is golden brown.
add water (or any kind of stock, either vegetable or chicken...just know it will increase the sodium content) to saucepan, bring heat to high, allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat and cover until the liquid is absorbed. (it is good to do a few taste tests during this part of the process, to ensure that the couscous is not overly dry or overly mushy).
when the couscous feels like it is getting there, add the box of raisins, the pine nuts, and the sliced portobellos. continue to mix until the raisins are plump and the mushrooms have begun to lose some of their firmness.
and that's it!! serve with some freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano, and a salad of field greens, figs, and goat cheese.
we ate outside, on a glorious summer night, with no humidity, no mosquitoes, and no rain! rare for the east coast in june, but perfectly enjoyable.
buen provecho!!
6/7/10
tattoo you
so i accomplished one of the things on my list that i posted back in january.
and it was one thing i never, ever, evereverever envisioned myself doing. but, whaddayaknow, i up and got a tattoo last month, and i am already designing my next one. my tattooed friends and co-workers were right when they said that once you get one, you can't stop!
it all started back in january when my boyfriend and i were in costa rica visiting a friend. we were closing out a two week adventure with a two night stay in montezuma, a really hippie-dippie beachside town on the west coast of the country. while sipping a couple of pilsens, listening to terrible reggaeton and people watching, my gaze became fixated on a group of guys sitting on the benches at the table in front of ours who were absolutely covered in tattoos. i mean, their skin was completely lathered with ink, mal'ahk from the lost symbol style.
"that is so WEIRD," i said out loud.
"what?" asked jordan and justin.
"do you see all those tattoos on those guys? i mean, what are they, crazy? i would never do that."
welp, three or so months later, i find myself eating my words. delicious words at that. i got a tattoo, and i just LOVE it.
while we were talking, i surmised that i might want to get something one day, but i would have to think about it so that it would be something that was meaningful, mature, and not a cartoon character on my lower back, a fairy, or any type of tribal symbol/asian lettering. since i consider myself classy and soft-spoken, i definitely wanted a tatto to match (read: no ex-lover's names scrawled along my arm).
suddenly, very suddenly, i was struck with my tattoo idea. simple, small, and hidden, it would not be in everyone's face (i'm thinking of my grandmother giving me the stink-eye if, say, on my wedding day, she happened to catch a glimpse of some kind of inky design peeping out from behind a strap). a tattoo is very personal business, as i discovered while watching an entire season of "l.a. ink" to psych myself up.
and so i came up with the perfect little tattoo for myself. i thought of the musical symbol of a fermata.
when you come across one written above a note in a piece of music, you are to hold the note out for longer than its written value. i like what the fermata means symbolically, though: when i see it on my body every day it reminds me to be still, to hold on, to absorb what is around me and to take a moment to breathe for a little bit longer than i might normally let myself do. fermatas are signs for flexibility, for serenity, for composure. and aesthetically they are simple but beautiful!
mine sits on my right hip, about the size of a silver dollar. you can't see it unless i show it to you, so it's not in your face. it's just for me, and i like it that way.
and it was one thing i never, ever, evereverever envisioned myself doing. but, whaddayaknow, i up and got a tattoo last month, and i am already designing my next one. my tattooed friends and co-workers were right when they said that once you get one, you can't stop!
it all started back in january when my boyfriend and i were in costa rica visiting a friend. we were closing out a two week adventure with a two night stay in montezuma, a really hippie-dippie beachside town on the west coast of the country. while sipping a couple of pilsens, listening to terrible reggaeton and people watching, my gaze became fixated on a group of guys sitting on the benches at the table in front of ours who were absolutely covered in tattoos. i mean, their skin was completely lathered with ink, mal'ahk from the lost symbol style.
"that is so WEIRD," i said out loud.
"what?" asked jordan and justin.
"do you see all those tattoos on those guys? i mean, what are they, crazy? i would never do that."
welp, three or so months later, i find myself eating my words. delicious words at that. i got a tattoo, and i just LOVE it.
while we were talking, i surmised that i might want to get something one day, but i would have to think about it so that it would be something that was meaningful, mature, and not a cartoon character on my lower back, a fairy, or any type of tribal symbol/asian lettering. since i consider myself classy and soft-spoken, i definitely wanted a tatto to match (read: no ex-lover's names scrawled along my arm).
suddenly, very suddenly, i was struck with my tattoo idea. simple, small, and hidden, it would not be in everyone's face (i'm thinking of my grandmother giving me the stink-eye if, say, on my wedding day, she happened to catch a glimpse of some kind of inky design peeping out from behind a strap). a tattoo is very personal business, as i discovered while watching an entire season of "l.a. ink" to psych myself up.
and so i came up with the perfect little tattoo for myself. i thought of the musical symbol of a fermata.
when you come across one written above a note in a piece of music, you are to hold the note out for longer than its written value. i like what the fermata means symbolically, though: when i see it on my body every day it reminds me to be still, to hold on, to absorb what is around me and to take a moment to breathe for a little bit longer than i might normally let myself do. fermatas are signs for flexibility, for serenity, for composure. and aesthetically they are simple but beautiful!
mine sits on my right hip, about the size of a silver dollar. you can't see it unless i show it to you, so it's not in your face. it's just for me, and i like it that way.
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