It's been a while...

So...yeah. long time no read eh? not a funny joke. I know.

I am a liar. I said I'd do all these bloggy things and I didn't. My bad. I swear I am not normally a flake. Just a flaky blogger. Forgive me, dear followers.

Today I alternate between being really excited for school and something close to Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2. It's intense. I'm just not ready for the kind of academically-inflicted monasticism that my schedule and ambition demands of me. Why can't I be a slacker?

Also- microfilm. Who scans that stuff? I want to know who signed off on the scans of The Examiner 1824-5. Because that ain't legible and that ain't cool. Way to be, UMI. Fail.

Other than that- summer is awesome. So awesome I don't want to give it up (hence the Pink Floyd). You WILL get an update on my summer as a whole. When summer is over. Which will be next Thursday or Friday. Or Saturday, depending.

Until then- I will continue to blast the tunes, be semi-irresponsible with my time and money and catch the last few rays of freedom-I mean, sunshine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is Helen Keller's birthday. This video is for her.

Sunday Soiree #2

Okeydokey. This past Sunday, A, C and S joined me for Sunday dinner.

Menu:

Leek and Parmesan Risotto

Worcestershire Meatballs

Steamed Green Beans and Radishes

Homemade (round) Bread

Concord Grape Juice

Amy brought yummy cinnamon rolls for dessert.

I'll admit, the meal didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I'd never made risotto before and it wasn't as creamy or whatever as I thought it would/should be. This may have been because, as I realized hours later, I forgot to add the Parmesan cheese. DANGIT. But everybody had nice things to say and there were no leftovers. So I guess I can't really complain.

I'd also never cooked with radishes before. The day before, C and I went to the Farmer's Market, and she persuaded me to buy some. I originally planned on serving them with sugar snap peas, but at almost $5/lb. that wasn't happening. So there you go. I discovered that I don't really like radishes that much.

I was really pleased with the bread--it's my go-to, never fail recipe. And the meatballs turned out pretty well too.

Now for my peeps. A was going to bring her beau, but he had some family obligations instead.

Fair enough- family always trumps. But that's fine, we had some good girl talk, some good Gaga talk and I realized that certain people (A) want to live through me vicariously. Enough to get all sparkly eyed and giddy over probably non-existent possibilities. I had no idea... But we discussed some really important topics, like A doesn't really think Robert Downey, Jr. is all that attractive (shocking, I know) and how that might change our friendship. Just kidding (about the friendship part, not the Robert Downing Jr. part). As for the rest, I don't think I'm allowed to share those topics with the blogosphere. Sorry homies!

Next week: The G Family, K and maybe NT.

Here are the recipes:

The risotto recipe I got from the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book. Here it is:

1 medium onion; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 tbl olive oil; 2 tbl butter

1 C uncooked arborio rice; 2 14-oz chicken broth

1/2 C finely shredded Parm. cheese; 1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions: In lg. suace pan cook onion and garlic on hot oil and 1tbl of butter until onion is tender (read: translucent). Note: I used about a cup of chopped leek instead of the onion and garlic. Add rice; cook and stir over med. heat until rice begins to brown.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring broth to boiling, reduce heat a simmer. Slowly add broth to the rice mix, stirring CONSTANTLY. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 C. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add in the rest of the broth 1/2 C at a time until all the broth is absorbed. (This should take about 15 minutes). DON'T STOP STIRRING

Stir in the remaining butter, the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Serve.

The meatballs came from allrecipes.com. Except I added about 1-2 tbl Worcestershire sauce.

The green beans were steamed about 7-8 minutes, the radishes about 4. I then tossed them in butter, salt and pepper.

My go-to recipe for bread. Here is the original recipe. But because this can make a really sweet loaf, I only used about 1/4 C of sugar and I only ever use 5 1/2 C flour, kneading in the last cup or so. Using all 6 C results in a heavy, crumbly loaf.

There you go peeps!

Sunday Soirée (#1)

So, this past Sunday, I invited three people over for Sunday dinner. One was my new roommie, P/T, one was my FHE bro, J, and the third was his roommate (my FHE Dad) M. The food was vaguely French themed and I tried out 5 new recipes.

I tried taking pictures, but apparently my camera needs batteries. I promise to hit you up next time.

Menu:

Lemon Tarragon Asparagus

Classic Vichyssoise

Homemade French Bread

Pound cake with Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries and Whipped Cream

For fun, I served Raspberry White Grape Juice in wine glasses. Swanky.

Okay. I'd never cooked (or even heard of) Vichyssoise before. Basically, it's a potato and leek soup, served cold. It was super flavorful, with basil, marjoram and thyme. And although the recipe only called for 1/4 cup cream, I put it 1/2. Creamy. Just another excuse to add yummy calories.

French bread wasn't that hard- except without any fat in it, it was really difficult to knead. Maybe that's why people are intimidated by it-they're afraid it might break their wrists off.

Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries. Unsettling, I know. Especially since the recipe calls for freshly ground pepper. But it was actually really good. It complimented to flavor of the berries- mellowed out the tartness and provided an interestingly earthy background.

So that's the food- now for the people. It was nice to be able to sit down and talk to my new roommate, especially in the context of non-roommates. I had met J before and chatted with him some, so I got to know him better. I'd never met M before, and he was a nice surprise. He's from my home state and seems like a lot of fun. Gets sarcasm. We bonded.

So, new food and new people. Maybe not a rip-roaring good time, but still a good time.

Next week: A., her beau, and S.

(Note: all recipes were from allrecipes.com)

School's Out

I would like to apologize for my long, unexplained absence from the blogosphere. I'm sorry. But to make up for it- I'm starting two series for the summer! Please, contain your excitement.

The first is a summer reading series. I'll read a book, then post my thoughts for discussion. I'll also announce the next book I'll be reading. The second is more cooking themed. Every week, I'll invite some friends over for Sunday dinner. I'll try to invite different friends and try different recipes. Then I'll post pictures and links to recipes/the recipes themselves and stuff.

These two projects have lots of purposes. First, they will force me to blog more consistently. Second, they will force me to read more AND come up with something to say about what I read. Third, I'll have to be social and network. Last, I'll try new recipes and stretch as a cook. Sounds like a plan, right?

So here we go, and stay tuned.

Skinny Jeans and Life Lessons

Once upon a time, I railed against skinny jeans, saying things like "they're too trendy," or "they make your hips look super-wide" or "they make your butt look flat." I absolutely refused to buy skinny jeans. I liked my boot-cut and my trouser-cut jeans just fine, thank you.

Last Thursday, I became a sell-out. At the whopping price of $14.50, I purchased my first pair of skinny jeans. I know. I'm ashamed of myself too... But I've been wearing them recently and here's what I've learned.

First of all, these jeans are insanely comfortable. They're easy to move and groove in (evidence: Friday night's dancing with K). On the down side, you know how after the first wearing, jeans start to get all lose and junk? Yeah- these jeans do that too. This is day 3 and they're loose in the waist, butt and thighs. In fact, the only place they haven't loosened up is the calves. My calves are still feeling nice and snug. But that explains why I thought the fit made other people's butt's look flat--it was probably the second, or third wearing of that particular pair. The flat-buttedness of skinny jeans wearers wasn't inherent necessarily the jean's fault or the result of the specific cut of the jeans--just the fact that fabric stretches during use.

I could go on, but I won't because I hate it when other people have really long blog posts. And just because I'm judgmental doesn't mean I can be a hypocrite. But here is what I learned from less than a week of skinny jeans ownership: don't knock it 'til you try it. I made judgements on skinny jeans and of skinny jeans wearers without an experiential understanding. This isn't a mortal sin or anything but I think it's indicative of how easy it is to judge without understanding, which is problematic (to say the least).

I know I am guilty (far too often) of making a quick, superficial judgement that I later have to drastically revise (sorry D.R.). What about the quick judgements that I never revised? What about the people that I've completely written off because of those unrevised impressions? But lets not dwell in the past, because that is neither healthy nor helpful. Instead, I plan on using this lesson in the future-- I'll try harder not to judge someone without walking a mile in their pants...Or something like that.

It's called "Oxbridge"

I love the smell of books. love Love LOVE. I love walking into a bookstore (especially used book stores) and inhaling that sweet, sweet smell of old pages and non-biodegradable ink. It's the best smell in the world.

Well, I've always said that if someone were to bottle that smell, and then a man would wear that cologne, I don't care if he has a face like a mailbox, I'd be all over him. Well, it's happened (but not the all-over part).

In a particular class, I sit next to this particular guy. He does not have a face like a mailbox. He actually has a very nice face. But the other day, I turned in his direction and BLAM! hit in the face with that wonderful old-books smell. Whoa. I don't know why (or how) he smells like old books, but I am now even more attracted to him. But that's not the point. The point is I was right. A cologne that smells like old books is the key to my heart, or at least, to my attention.