no more wrinkles

work sells dermalogica products: yippie for me AND for my skin.

newest obsession? dermalogica multivitamin power firm. smells like sweeTarts, and protects my eye skin from wrinkles.

to-do list

as of about 25 minutes ago, i will never have to take another GRE again. in celebration, here is a list of things i want to accomplish between now and april when admission decisions come around.

-make curtains

i was given a sewing machine for christmas...which would have been quite useful about three months ago when i sewed, by hand, curtains for our living room. they turned out quite well, but were definitely a labor of love. now that i have a sewing machine, coupons for fabric stores, and time to spare, i can not only mend the crooked stitches my hand made, but dress all the remaining windows in the house!

-FINALLY get my shop up on etsy.

i've been talking about it for a year now. it's time to cut the crap and get it going. more to come. buy something.

-get effing organized

closets, drawers, shelves, painting, everything. i've got vision AND a gift certificate to the container store.

-run 3 miles/day

i did it in college. now, i don't have the excuse of hours of studying the library to hinder me from doing so anymore, so, honestly, there is no excuse. plus, all this cooking, and subsequent eating, is starting to show since my pants are just a teensy bit tighter than they used to be...

miscellaneous things i am potentially doing in 2010:

-getting a tattoo*

-getting into graduate school**

-becoming a full-blown vegetarian

-driving across the united states of america

*mom, please don't panic. it will be very small. and it will fall under the 7-year rule, so you actually won't get to see it until i am 29. and i probably will have gotten it removed by then.

**and stop changing my mind so damn much. the third time/school's a charm...

sincerest apologies.

last night, my boyfriend, in his casual, loving way, gently inquired, "isn't your blog due for an update?"

i paused, and had to stop and think a moment. blog? what's a blog? do i even have one of those?

and then i remembered, why, YES, i've had one for a year now, and YES, it is painfully overdue for an update. think of all the wonderful meals i've eaten, cooked, and shared over the past two months that have not been photographed, documented and acclaimed on my humble little share of the internet real estate.

i am sorry.

now i have a zillion excuses, all of which are valid, and all of which lead me into a new direction with my vision for this blog. i like cooking, i like writing, and i like lots of other things, too. rather than starting a whole entirely different blog (which would make me feel bad about updating one and not the other; i was the kid who slept with 76 different stuffed animals in the bed because i couldn't pick just one without thinking that the others would get their "feelings hurt"), why can't i just write about ALL the things i like...recipes, traveling, theater, music, clothes, diy projects, jewelry, yoga, everything?

and blogging about everything means more blogging in general. i say, that's a brilliant idea if i ever heard one.

giving of thanks

t minus ONE WEEK until my most favorite holiday in the whole wide worrrrrrrrrlllllddd!

i am lucky because i get to celebrate it TWICE in the same year.  two beautiful meals with wonderful people i am glad to have near to me.  perfect.

aaand this year is the first time that i get to host a thanksgiving at my own house!  thanksgivings past have been always with my mom and dad and nuclear family, either at my grandmother's house, my childhood home, or with friends out of state.  i would enjoy the few days off from school, catch my breath and catch up with my family and friends who were in town for the holiday as well. 

however, this year is the first thanksgiving that i have not been a student, and in job world, having "time off for the holidays" means "you get one day off for thanksgiving".  one day??!  one measly day to drive home, eat my meal at an uncomfortably rapid speed, then turn around and drive back to be at work at 7:30 the next morning?  ehh, i'm not exactly a fan of this idea.

solution?  make family come to me.  mom and dad, who all have wonderful school administrator and retired person schedules, suggested the idea, and i was more than happy to acquiesce.  my brain kicked in to high alert menu-planning mode, and this is what i came up with, for a small, quiet, almost-but-not-quite traditional thanksgiving meal.

romertopf chicken

a thanksgiving consisting of four people, two of whom aren't exactly enthusiastic carnivores, on top of a very small kitchen, might consider a 37 pound turkey overkill.  solution?  the romertopf clay pot, a wonderful culinary invention that has been a favorite in my family for years, yields the most incredible roasted chicken you've ever known.  and it's stupid-easy to use, which means less time worrying about multi-step cooking, and more

time for playing parcheesi and watching the macy's parade.  

mashed potatoes and stuffing

no brainers, really.  one year my family was so overwhelmed and actually FORGOT about making mashed potatoes altogether.  needless to say it was, like, the worst thanksgiving EVER.

cranberry chutney

a hearty alternative to canned cranberry sauce.  the recipe makes a ton, has such a unique flavor, and goes on everything, from bagels with cream cheese to pork roasts to apple slices.

roasted shallots

roasting them makes them sweet, and, my, don't they look so pretty and purple nestled in a white ramekin!

carrot souffle

this was an addition to the thanksgiving table last year, replacing the beloved sweet- potato casserole so near and dear to us.  but after the infamous blazing marshmallow topping mishap of a few years ago, the souffle is a decidedly safer alternative. 

brussels sprouts

method is still TBD... the oven is going to be getting a great workout, so the kitchen might be overheated with any more roasting.  hmmm...

apple custard tart

pumpkin pie is great and all, but sometimes a little change is nice.  my mom suggested this new recipe... and if it turns out to be anything less than delicious i will be completely shocked.  

comfort.

brunswick stew.

a cherished recipe passed on to my mom from her dearest friend barbara.  in the coldest and saddest months of wintertime, this simple and hearty soup warms you to the core, body and soul.

ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6-8 c. chicken broth

1 large onion

3-4 red potatoes, peeled and diced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bag frozen corn

1 bag frozen lima beans

salt and pepper

dash vinegar

dash tabasco sauce

fresh herbs, of your choice, to taste

method

in a large pot, cover chicken breasts with water.  add salt, pepper, and celery stalks.  cook chicken for 15-20 minutes.  remove from heat, cool, and shred.  set aside.

in another pot, heat chicken broth.  add a dash of vinegar, sugar, herbs, and hot sauce to season broth.  add chopped onion, potatoes, and tomatoes.  boil gently for 15 minutes.  add more seasonings to taste, chicken, lima beans and corn.  simmer for about 20 minutes until ready to serve.

oh, beans!

around the end of october when the leaves are blazing vibrantly against a crisp blue autumn sky, there always seems to be a good week's worth of wind and rain that strips the trees bare and makes you wish you were taking a nap in front of a fireplace.

when this happens (and it inevitably does), i know it's time to make chili. it's easy, it's foolproof, it's easy to experiment with, and it makes so much that you don't have to worry about dinner for the rest of the week when it's too nasty outside to go to the store.

my recipe varies each time i make it, but here are the basics that go into mine.

recipe-less chili.

ingredients
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (although i always end up using about half...use more if you like heat)
1 bag frozen sweet corn
olive oil
1/2 c. red wine
cumin
chili powder
salt and pepper

method
dice the onions and garlic. in a large pot heat olive oil and add onions on a medium heat. sweat onions for 5 minutes until tender. add garlic and saute 5 minutes more.

add peppers and apple and saute while adding spices (to taste). then add red wine, tomatoes, and beans. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until ready to serve. (keep adding spices to taste).

five minutes before serving, add corn. (if using frozen, the chili will cool slightly. wait until it is hot all the way through before serving.)

serve with whatever sides you like. shredded cheddar, warm bread, tortilla chips, rice. perect.

breaking the rules

only on very rare occasions do i break my no-pork-products-of-any-kind rule.

one is for north carolina pulled pork sandwiches from em-ing's, my favorite hometown spot.

the other is for the following recipe.

tuscan bean soup

ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced

2-3 large cloves garlic, minced

4-5 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. sweet italian sausage

2 quarts chicken broth (i use the low-sodium, msg-free kind)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3-4 handfuls spinach

oregano

rosemary

fennel seeds

salt and pepper

thyme

(all seasonings to taste)

method

bring a large pot of water to boil.  add sausage links, cook for 10 minutes.

as water boils, in a large soup pot, heat olive oil.  add onions and sweat for about 5-7 minutes.  

remove sausage links from water, slice into pieces, and add to the onions and oil along with the garlic cloves.

continue to saute, stirring regularly, until sausage is cooked through.  add broth and stir over a medium heat.  add drained tomatoes and seasonings.  bring to a boil.

add beans, then reduce heat to low.  let simmer about 10 minutes.  after 5 minutes of simmering, add spinach.  serve hot once spinach has wilted.

ladle into soup bowls and grate parmesan cheese over the soup.  serve with fresh bread.