Woohoo

Holy spicy red lentil curry batman! Yum!

I have this theory that learning any new occupation is really only a study in a foreign language, which, luckily I've done a few times.

Excited for Dev and Paul in Kenya!

I am tuckered out. In that nice satisfying way that being tuckered out can be sometimes.

23 March 2009

I'm waiting for my brain to fill up. Lots to study between now and Thursday. And, yes, that was me that you heard complaining in lab the other night that I'm disappointed that we only have to learn 33 muscles. Ridiculous.

My first attempt at homemade, from-scratch pumpkin bread didn't turn out quite as well as I'd liked, but considering that I tweaked the recipe a bit (only used 2/3's the sugar, used canned pumpkin and forgot to add extra cinnamon), it's pretty good. Thanks, Alton!

I think the 8K helped me break through my 2 mile barrier! And, I think I can already tell a difference after the addition of some upper body strength training. I read once that it really helps make running feel easier and I think it's true. Hm.

Must. Make. Progress. On. Manual. At. Work.

A note about seasons. I'm noticing how some events in Charlottesville are seasonal and I'd not noticed that before this year... like the MJ8K and Wordplay and The Big Read... I remember them all from last year so vividly. Anyway, that's all I'll say about that for now.

Mushroom & Pea Risotto

Only a few months ago, I was a complete risotto virgin. Now, I've made it about a half dozen times, and I'm starting to notice a little pattern. Start with finely chopped onions or shallots, saute in butter and oil until very soft. Add short grained rice making sure to get the rice nice and hot and fully coated with the oil. Then, add flavor with dry white wine, letting it simmer until it evaporates. Next, add warmed broth a cup and a half at a time, letting the broth be fully absorbed before you add the next cup, until all of the broth is gone. Turn off the heat, stir in Parmesan cheese. That's the backbone of risotto as far as I can tell.

Today, mid-grocery shopping, I decided that I'd try a mushroom and pea risotto, so I brought home three portobello mushroom caps and a bag of frozen peas. I googled a recipe and found this, which led me to this, both of which gave me the clues I needed to make a risotto with ingredients I'd never used before. First, add the mushrooms early on - after heating up the rice, and before adding the first cup of broth. Second clue: cook the peas separately using part of the heated broth, and add at the very end, just a few minutes before turning off the heat.

Now, apparently, there is a lot more to risotto than I ever imagined, but for now, my inexperienced efforts have always resulted in the rice being perfectly cooked and the overall flavor being nicely balanced. I've found that adding something green (like parsley or peas) adds a nice visual freshness. And, while I've tried several different store-bought broths, I think my favorite so far is Swanson's Organic Vegetable. Overall, I'm finding that risotto is the perfect comfort food for me: creamy, warm, and I can eat it with a spoon from a bowl. Yum.

French Toast

Hm, an old favorite, but this time even better. I used a recipe from my favorite tv chef, Alton Brown. The ingredients are simple, but there are two tricks that make this a step up from your Mom's basic French toast (or at least these were two things that I needed to have Alton explain to me before I understood the subtle art of french toast). First, you should use slightly stale bread, and give the bread plenty of time to soak up the custard mixture. The second trick is putting the toast in the oven for about 5 minutes after browning it in the pan. It solves the problem of having uncooked egg on the insides and the bread puffs up quite nicely while in the oven.

But the best part of this breakfast is that it had a significant amount of local ingredients. The bread, eggs, strawberries and maple syrup all came from my Horse & Buggy shares. And, it was very tasty.

Attitude Up-do

Clothing swap t-shirt score.

Getting a recap of 600 years of Jewish history, along with a few Mel Brooks references, so that I now understand why Susan didn't want to take any cake home from supper club.

Orzo with Artichokes and Pine Nuts is a hit. A few hints: squeeze the artichokes to remove excess water, add the juice of the lemon along with the zest, add sundried tomatoes, top with goat or feta cheese.

Mindless entertainment.

Walking to work twice this week - it's 14 minutes door to door - mostly because I'm so sick of driving around and around and around the parking garage.

Faithiness

My first try at risotto is successful! Creamy, lemony, comforting, delicious.

Wondering if (accidentally) freezing wine ruins it.

A brief list of plugs, some of my favorite things:
* I love Honest Tea as much for the taste as for the witty, insightful quotes on the bottle caps.
* Stonyfield Farms organic whole milk strawberries and cream yogurt. The cream is heavenly.
* Weehah! greeting cards for all my friends! Locally made, and simply expressive.
* National Geographic Magazine, because from it, I learn about fascinating places like Bhutan.

Starting anew

Working on letting go of bad addictions and reclaiming good ones.

Two mornings in a row of early-to-rise-early-to-work. And, remarkably productive today.

After-work run, and filling out the 10 Miler Training Program questionnaire - it looks a lot different this year than it did two years ago! Ready to get back in the groove after what's turned out to be an entire year off.

First ever attempt at homemade soup: take two. Adding crushed tomatoes and organic vegetable broth saves yesterday's near disaster! Sweet potato, carrots, kale!, corn, onion, salt, pepper, and a hint of cayenne pepper. Yum.

Googling my grandmother's name uncovers history. Asking about history, Mom sends me a long story about her growing-up years. So glad to read about it.