"May you build a ladder to the stars, and climb on every rung"
Forgive that this is a Pepsi commercial, y'all. This made me cry.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A healthier version of something you love.
This is officially my first foray into food blogging. And it's not something I'll do a lot. But as mentioned a few posts down, cooking is what keeps me sane right now. It's melodic. By the time my dissertation and this weird transitional time in my life are over, I'll have a pretty full repertoire of recipes to pull from. My beautiful friend Meredith reminded me tonight that I should grow in these new ways precisely because one day I will meet someone who'll they'll make perfect sense to. In other words, want a second helping ;)
This is a VERY healthy version of macaroni and cheese that I developed just tonight by perusing several blogs and recipes online. I wanted comfort food, but I also wanted to give myself vitamins and flavors. It's got tons of carrot going on here, so if you hate carrots, leave this page right now.
It's really easy! In one large pan, boil a package of baby carrots (roughly chopped) with salt, pepper, and the juice of one orange. After it reaches boiling, turn the fire to simmer and let it sit for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 350 and start boiling some penne pasta (about one 7-serving box).
After it's simmered, pour everything in the carrot pan into a food processor with a couple of cloves of raw garlic and a tablespoon of cumin. Grind it down into a creamy paste!
After that, piece of cake. Drain your pasta, but put it back into its boiler with a few tablespoons of hot water with the fire on medium. Add the carrot mixture to it, stir it up. Add a tablespoon of butter, stir it some more. Then add about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese...and stir some more. Add a tiny bit more salt and pepper to taste. Then pour all of that into a baking dish. Top with a few more small handfuls of cheese. And bake for about 15 minutes.
It's on the sweet side, because of the orange and carrot flavors. It would go wonderfully as a side to...well, basically any fall or winter meal.
I don't actually expect too many of you out there in the ether to make this. Hell, maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, mostly I'm blogging to share my life right now--my experiences, from the tiniest ones like this to the big ones like...
Nevermind that for now. Peace!
Happy Sunday
The day for lazy, the day to dream.
To any of you non-dreamers out there, well, good luck. These days I'm eating non-believers for breakfast. I've got a KILLER week ahead, during which major decisions about my future will at least partially rely on my ability to communicate myself and my passions with confidence and ease.
Let me resurrect an important Kanye moment from a couple of years ago now (from the Austin power station I adore, no less):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeFGaXCYktg&ob=av2n
You've got too many Urkels on your team, that's why your Wins-low.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Plants and no more animals
So I don't want to make some cyber speech about why I just went vegetarian. Most of my friends have been, quote, "I don't get it, why the hell would you stop eating meat after 27 years of enjoying it?"
My reply has been mostly this: that I want to challenge myself in a unique way. And if I'm challenging myself, I might as well be improving my health at the same time. I can't bear going vegan, but I will say that my main goals are to eliminate most animal fat, all animal meat, and most processed sugars as well as base my diet around plants. It's no secret that I'm embarking on a year full of stress (finishing a dissertation so I can walk across a stage in a weird robe), and I realized recently that cooking offers me a sense of stability. After a long day in front of the computer screen (I will probably be blinded in a few years' time), there is something so randomly but beautifully calming about pattering around a kitchen with one purpose--to make something taste good. Today I had kind of an off day, so I relished in spending an hour constructing some very involved black bean and spinach enchiladas. Maybe I will start posting some recipes. The thing about other people's recipes, though, is that the next person is destined to change it for their own better.
Okay, I'm tired.
Picture of the day: Bumper the cat, the only animal in this house (none of them mine, but I do live in a mini zoo) who lounges around in a sophisticated manner instead of scratching things and begging for food.
My reply has been mostly this: that I want to challenge myself in a unique way. And if I'm challenging myself, I might as well be improving my health at the same time. I can't bear going vegan, but I will say that my main goals are to eliminate most animal fat, all animal meat, and most processed sugars as well as base my diet around plants. It's no secret that I'm embarking on a year full of stress (finishing a dissertation so I can walk across a stage in a weird robe), and I realized recently that cooking offers me a sense of stability. After a long day in front of the computer screen (I will probably be blinded in a few years' time), there is something so randomly but beautifully calming about pattering around a kitchen with one purpose--to make something taste good. Today I had kind of an off day, so I relished in spending an hour constructing some very involved black bean and spinach enchiladas. Maybe I will start posting some recipes. The thing about other people's recipes, though, is that the next person is destined to change it for their own better.
Okay, I'm tired.
Picture of the day: Bumper the cat, the only animal in this house (none of them mine, but I do live in a mini zoo) who lounges around in a sophisticated manner instead of scratching things and begging for food.
Word count
I hit 50,000 words on my dissertation yesterday. That's 169 pages. I have so much more to write, but I'll tell you--that felt so good last night. I should have asked someone to have a toast with me over it. Well, coffee toast to myself.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Please tell me I got here at the right time.
At 12:07 last night, I got into my car and took a long drive around Athens. I had gone to a NYE bonfire with some close friends, but I didn't feel like drinking anything. The evening was clear, and cold, and lots of things seemed to make sense. I'm not one of those people who puts all their faith into a number. January 1st started just like the 364 days that had preceded it. But because I was on such a journey last year to find direction, there just have to be some markers I can use to feel new and feel confident.
Today is one. I made coffee before I went to the grocery store and stocked up on some amazing ingredients. Nothing special, though, right? But I did it with an added swing in my step. And when I got back home I cleaned the whole house to the soundtrack of a Martin Page album from the 1990s. He has this song called "In the House of Stone and Light" that I used to fall asleep to when I was 12. "It's been too long, my spirit's been at war." Heady for a preteen, huh? I was looking for some things then. And I'm looking for the same things now. I just finally understand how to get them. Mostly by just being myself.
Some revelations: This year I will graduate with my PhD in American History. It may not be the best dissertation anyone ever wrote. And I may not get the best job ever. But I'll finally have "Dr." in front of my name--just like my mother predicted when I was three years old. I feel like there's going to be a cluster of good things to come this year if I allow myself to enjoy them. I want to travel. I want to start reading books again. I want to cook, a LOT. I just became a vegetarian. I want to take care of my mind and my body in new ways. Lessons I learned last year? Leave the past in the past. If there's a glitch in the system, try to fix it quickly. If it breaks again, jump ship. Some things sneak up on you. And leave you tongue-tied. And suddenly you spend a random hour on a Sunday thinking about how many banana slices someone likes in their cereal.
Screw it. I'm going for it all this year. After all, as I told my very brilliant advisor Steve (who knows all the right questions to ask at precisely the right moments) last night: my favorite number is two.
Today is one. I made coffee before I went to the grocery store and stocked up on some amazing ingredients. Nothing special, though, right? But I did it with an added swing in my step. And when I got back home I cleaned the whole house to the soundtrack of a Martin Page album from the 1990s. He has this song called "In the House of Stone and Light" that I used to fall asleep to when I was 12. "It's been too long, my spirit's been at war." Heady for a preteen, huh? I was looking for some things then. And I'm looking for the same things now. I just finally understand how to get them. Mostly by just being myself.
Some revelations: This year I will graduate with my PhD in American History. It may not be the best dissertation anyone ever wrote. And I may not get the best job ever. But I'll finally have "Dr." in front of my name--just like my mother predicted when I was three years old. I feel like there's going to be a cluster of good things to come this year if I allow myself to enjoy them. I want to travel. I want to start reading books again. I want to cook, a LOT. I just became a vegetarian. I want to take care of my mind and my body in new ways. Lessons I learned last year? Leave the past in the past. If there's a glitch in the system, try to fix it quickly. If it breaks again, jump ship. Some things sneak up on you. And leave you tongue-tied. And suddenly you spend a random hour on a Sunday thinking about how many banana slices someone likes in their cereal.
Screw it. I'm going for it all this year. After all, as I told my very brilliant advisor Steve (who knows all the right questions to ask at precisely the right moments) last night: my favorite number is two.
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