In Praise of Recipes and Lack of Writing Skills

Approve: Cristina’s new blog.
Disapprove: My lack of posting on this blog, and my lack of seeing Cristina.
Disapprove: My kitchen; it’s mice and the lack of dancing. Maybe I could train the mice to dance with me? To be honest, most of my cooking recently has been in Eric’s kitchen and I SERIOUSLY approve of that kitchen. It’s a little small for dancing, but I proved yesterday that my choreography is creative enough.
Approve: Cooking adventures
1)Basil Coconut Chicken Curry
I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever actually followed an epicurious recipe. If the results promise to be like this, I will definitely do it again. Shamelessly copied:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are more flavorful)
1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
Hot cooked rice
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder, and tumeric. Set aside.
Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.
Add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.
Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn startch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.
2) A batch of Magic Apartment Pasta Salad.
3) A four layer vegan chocolate cake with fudge cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting. And decorated with black eyed susans piped out of ziplock bags. I finally got round cake pans, and I learned to split layers for double the filling possibilities.
4) Citrus Fruit Salad of GLORY
I’ve made this one twice, so I’ve already included several changes. I’m copying without feeling too bad.
2 large ruby pink grapefruits
3 oranges
5 kiwis
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Put the honey, lime, and cardamom in a sauce pan and heat it until it simmers, then put it in a bowl and let it cool until it’s room temperature.
Peel and chop the fruit really well so there isn’t much membrane. Put it in a bowl.
Pour the sauce onto the fruit and chill it in the refrigerator. Try to wait until it’s cold to eat it.
Approve: Hosting Mr.Coley’s birthday party, giving him a rather successful haircut, and learning to play a new board game, Carcassonne.
Disapprove: Itching for a whole day after getting hair everywhere. Is this the life of barbers and beauticians? I’ve never paid for my own haircut, but when I finally do, I will tip well.
Approve: A successful Sunday school class. While teaching the Golden Rule the class kicked each other and bickered making for some great real-life examples, it was actually effective!
Approve: Deciding to go bra shopping in order to feel grown up and wear fewer tanktops under shirts.
Further Approval: Finding the best fitting bra of my life, it was on sale, and I got two.
Disapprove: I was focused on the fit, upon arriving home I found that my bra of choice appears to be a “Teen Bra” by the brand “Personal Identity.” Now, I don’t feel all that grown up sometimes, but I know who I am, with or without a bra. Seriously, Sears!
Approve: Ice Cream Sandwiches. Nothing argues with Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Approve: Chatting with other Save-A-Lot fans. I miss our grocery trips so much!
Disapprove: Realizing that Hyde Park is the only really walkable neighborhood on the Southside, and HPP is mad expensive.
Approve: Making my best batch of playdough ever.
Approve: Dental insurance in five months minus four days.
Disapprove: Chewed up inner cheeks from unintentionally overzealous wisdom teeth.
Approve: Finishing all the W-2 forms at Strive. I wrote out over 50 forms on paper where you have to push super hard because you're making six carbon copies. And, the calluses from the endeavor are gone.
Approve: Eric surprised me after work one day by revealing that he had called nearly all of the restaurants in Greektown to inquire about catering.
Double Approve: I think we found our wedding food.
Triple Approve: It tastes like my Yiayia's cooking. Get excited!
Approve: Keeping my room clean for a week.
Disapprove: The desire to make by bed when I wake up… it’s freaking me out. Have I morphed into someone else?
Approve: Indigo Girls, Little Perennials, http://youtube.com/watch?v=wrMaK2uMXbE, I know you all miss my music. Okay, maybe not.
Additional Youtube approval: Clips of Square One TV! Looking at the show again, Mary, I'm not surprised you found it scary back in the day. There's a haunted house music video about probability and it's really really freaky. I guess I have a selective memory. My favorite is "8% of My Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDqrW85RECE&NR=1, and my family still quotes "Less Than Zero" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0-DCA5uJg&feature=related
Approve: Brunch in Pierce!
Disapprove: Awkward. Very awkward.
Approve: Attending a very fun baby shower. We puff painted onesies. Now, I know I may be the only obnoxious baby lover in the MA, but I also know that none of us can pass up puff paint, so I'm sure you understand. It was a second baby so everyone was supposed to bring diapers.
Disapprove: Not buying diapers because the Ida Noyes building manager (who I know from IV coordinating AND wedding coordinating) was in the diaper aisle with me and it was way too weird.
Further Disapproval: Feeling like a chicken on account of failing in said diaper purchase.
Approve: Hot lemon water. Sasparilla root tea.
Disapprove: Being asked questions about “my friends” and having to explain that most of them moved away. (Cristina, I will get off my butt and up to the northside soon. AND, in the future I plan to have a job, instead of jobs, where I don’t work every day of the week and I can stay out late(ish)) ☺
Approve: I have intentions to call all of you soon.
Approve: Paper for wedding invitations comes in the mail tomorrow.
Disapprove: None of you have sent me your addresses yet. Yes, if I really searched I could probably find Cristina and Laura's. But really this is just saying that I think ya'll should email. That's not to say I'm not way behind in the land of email and phone calls.
Disapprove: I'm exhausted.
Approve: I'm going to bed.

Ankle Update

So...I've been meaning to post all week, but now that there is a wonderful vegan mocha cake warming in my oven, for the wonderful occasion of, well...I really wanted to make a cake...now I'm ready to post. So...almost two weeks ago, Keith came home with a Pretty Awesome Ankle Brace. I worked all last week with a severe limp, but at least I could make it up and down the stairs. This week my limp was barely noticeable, except right after I stood up until I got used to walking on it correctly, or right after I inevitably banged it on something. I was never this uncoordinated in my previous (read: unmarried) life. I think Keith has somehow cursed me with his generally risky behavior and indifference to pain. So the first week I had my co-worker put together my Honda skid for me everyday (which involves moving and stacking either 21 or 28 boxes each weighing between 4 and 28 lbs. and putting labels on them). But other than being at least twice as slow as normal and having at least 5 people (I really think it was maybe closer to ten, but i didn't keep track...) I'd never spoken to before around the plant ask me what had happened and make all sorts of awkward comments to me, work wasn't so bad. I think yesterday I was nearly at normal speed. Every once and a while I step the wrong way and am reminded of why I should slow down. When not at work I've been trying to keep off of it.
Keith and I have been spending more time at Acacia so far than last semester. This mostly includes eating dinner and watching Jeopardy. Also we watched the super bowl there, which, by the way, was FANTASTIC! Especially since I watched football almost every week this fall and developed a serious hate for the New England Patriots (the NY Giants beat them in a HUGE upset, ruining their drive for a perfect season. yay!). Also, I live in New York now, so I can be happy for them. Also we stayed really late Tuesday watching election results. It was super fun, cuz everyone watching was rooting for Obama, and I really appreciated not being in school, as everyone else there would periodically groan about all the work they were putting off, and i could think fondly on my days of procrastination in college. And laugh at their misery. Bwa ha ha ha ha!!! yay for evil laughs. and the great movies containing them.
Coming up next: My parents are coming to visit next weekend. The writer's strike is maybe ending soon? (Please? I need more Office!) And Keith and I might go to the Acacia Valentine Formal on Saturday (although i fear footwear may become an issue, perhaps even a deciding factor, my poor ankle).
I was so glad to hear from all of you. You make me happy.