when i was in the 8th grade, i remember spending a weekend at a friend's house. it was something i, like every other 13 year old girl, always did. but this particular sleepover wasn't my choice, but rather, my parents arranged it so i would have some company while they were gone for the weekend.
i spent 2 sleepless nights away from home while my mom and dad spent the weekend at mercy hospital in baltimore, where my mom underwent a biopsy for a suspicious lump in her breast. i remember getting sick to my stomach that whole weekend because i was so scared. my mom was a symbol of my life, my strength, and she was my best friend. the thought that she might succumb to something bigger than me or than any of us was terrifying.
thankfully, she emerged from the surgery just fine, the doctors proclaiming the happiest word in the cancer lexicon, "benign". we all breathed a happy sigh of relief, but, unfortunately other families don't always receive such good news.
we all want to find some way to cope with the devastating effects of breast cancer. my strategy is to be preventative. i believe that being conscious of what you put into your body, how you treat your body, and what you do with your body can affect its health. eat delicious, nourishing food. go for a walk or do yoga. STOP SMOKING. (it's been almost a year since i've quit, and it's been the best thing i've ever done for myself!) go to your ob-gyn every year for a check up. i know women my age who have never been! it's a daunting thought, but what's worse: having to put your legs up in some stirrups for a couple of minutes, or having chemotherapy, losing your hair (or worse, a breast) due to putting off preventative, maintenance checkups? the latter, natch. tell your sisters, moms, moms-in-law, best friends, cousins, wives, grandmothers, aunts, EVERYONE to be vigilant, be smart, and be healthy.
love your body, love your boobies, and take care of yourself.
xoxo,
m.
10/6/10
9/30/10
mexicali blues
ok. so this just happened:
then, this happened:
aaand then, this happened.
here's how you, too, can make this happen.
equal parts red and white quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, lime juice.
and that's it. and then you eat it and it tastes really good and you feel happy. the end!
ps
anyone want to get me a sweet new camera for xmaskkah? thankssssss.
 |
| mexicali red and white quinoa |
then, this happened:
 |
| plated with organic blue corn chips, fresh avocado and organic salsa |
aaand then, this happened.
 |
| clean plate club!!! |
here's how you, too, can make this happen.
equal parts red and white quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, lime juice.
and that's it. and then you eat it and it tastes really good and you feel happy. the end!
ps
anyone want to get me a sweet new camera for xmaskkah? thankssssss.
9/26/10
what to make when the cupboard is bare, part II
i spent the weekend at my parents' house in maryland. i enjoyed a much needed break from thinking about, talking about, and being around all things grad school related.
when i came home late this afternoon, i was so high on my wave of weekend serenity that i dreaded the thought of having to go shopping for dinner ingredients. feeling the frugal fairy on my shoulder, i suggested that rather than spend 25 bucks on takeout to first assess the items already in the pantry and fridge to see if we couldn't invent something ourselves. here's what we came up with:
ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 can chick peas
raisins
1 apple
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
cinnamon
method:
combine quinoa and water and cook according to method you're using (we use the rice cooker, so it's just 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.)
while quinoa cooks, mince 3 cloves garlic. set aside. core and dice one medium apple and red pepper and set aside. drain and rinse chick peas and put in serving bowl. add handful raisins, apple, and garlic to bowl.
rinse cooked quinoa quickly, drain and add to bowl. stir to combine all ingredients. season with juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste.
the addition of cinnamon was a very last minute idea. i was searching through the spice rack for something "green", but i knew basil, oregano or dill might taste weird. the cinnamon kind of spoke to me, and it was a delicious decision, albeit one that was unexpected.
next time, if we have a little more green-age in the crisper, i would think of adding sprouts, arugula, or even some sauteed kale or spinach. i'm starting to really love using quinoa, and i'm sad that we ended up devouring all of this dish, so now there is none left over to have for lunches this week!
p.s.
for part one, go here.
when i came home late this afternoon, i was so high on my wave of weekend serenity that i dreaded the thought of having to go shopping for dinner ingredients. feeling the frugal fairy on my shoulder, i suggested that rather than spend 25 bucks on takeout to first assess the items already in the pantry and fridge to see if we couldn't invent something ourselves. here's what we came up with:
ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 can chick peas
raisins
1 apple
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
cinnamon
method:
combine quinoa and water and cook according to method you're using (we use the rice cooker, so it's just 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.)
while quinoa cooks, mince 3 cloves garlic. set aside. core and dice one medium apple and red pepper and set aside. drain and rinse chick peas and put in serving bowl. add handful raisins, apple, and garlic to bowl.
rinse cooked quinoa quickly, drain and add to bowl. stir to combine all ingredients. season with juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste.
the addition of cinnamon was a very last minute idea. i was searching through the spice rack for something "green", but i knew basil, oregano or dill might taste weird. the cinnamon kind of spoke to me, and it was a delicious decision, albeit one that was unexpected.
next time, if we have a little more green-age in the crisper, i would think of adding sprouts, arugula, or even some sauteed kale or spinach. i'm starting to really love using quinoa, and i'm sad that we ended up devouring all of this dish, so now there is none left over to have for lunches this week!
p.s.
for part one, go here.
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:
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| the poole's |
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| periwinkles and pebbles |
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| expert navigation to seal island |
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| friendship jam |
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| Add caption |
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| 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. |
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