Monday, January 23, 2012

The Great American Monstrosity

A quick update on the past few months:
1) Thanksgiving with boyo's parents up in L.A. Had a delicious brined turkey that was juicy and everything a turkey never manages to be.
-Speaking of, did I mention I've begun eating meat again? Yeeah. Unfortunate, I know. On a semi-regular basis, mainly at home and mainly to try different cooking styles and, ah again, Julia- or at the very least french styled cooking. I really want to get back into vegetarianism and most likely will. Let's call it a reprieve.
2) Christmas! At my mom's, my grandparent's, and boyo's parents. It never seems to be that grand of an occasion anymore, though I do try. Decorating, getting a tree, making hot chocolate... yumm! Did receive a pizza stone and it's seeing it's fair share of usage! Oh pizza stone, I did not really know pizza until you came around. Now it will never be the same.
3) Haven't been shooting, haven't been writing. Catching up on books and having odd little adventures like breaking into the trunk of an old BMW with large flathead screwdriver to keep occupied while boyo scouted under the hood for usable parts. Also! Found a later version of my car sitting around with the doors open, so we climbed inside, took the tape player, led clock and I learned the basic workings of my car.
Before you call the cops, please understand our situation! It was perfectly legal all the way around. Being in a junkyard and all. =P We did manage to find an N-600! It looked to be in pretty good shape, too! Save for the roof rear which looked like an elephant sat on it, just enough to bend the rear window frame. *sigh*

Alright, now to the main story:

Yesterday, a great american monstrosity was created. It sat coated in thick red goo on our kitchen counter, protruding the retched stank of many a childhood meals of sweet deliciousness and dreaded moments. How could I do this to us? What have I done?!

It all began the night before. Boyo mentioned he'd like a burger, so off we went to the local deli to fetch the necessary ingredients for such a fine fatty feast. I escaped to the produce to procure onions, tomatoes, garlic, avocados, pineapple slices, and more while boyo finagled the meat. Hungry and beyond time to eat, we raced home and I immediately began to work. Some part of the back of my mind registered that there was no way two measly people could consume all of that giant bowl of now prepared patties. Not humanly possible! However, hell bent on making as many burgers as Boyo could consume, I ignored logic and pressed onward!

After actually cooking 4 patties, I opted out of making sweet potato fries and decided we must eat, now!

The 4 burgers were enough, but what was left, was about 1 lb of prepared meat... What to do the next day? Meatballs? Maybe. Freezer? Ick.

Instead, I did something I pretty much swore off when I signed up to be a vegetarian and leave my family home. Never would I recreate the dishes of my youth! Not that they were terrible, they were just ordinary! Pot roast with rice, beef stew (which I am currently making), corned beef hash, clay pot chicken, meatloaf.

There, I said it!

Meatloaf.

Does anyone ever really miss meatloaf? I didn't. It's not awful to eat, not too bad, actually. Perhaps it's just the thought of ground beef drenched in ketchup that bogs my mind. Not good enough? Put ketchup on it and don't worry about it, it will be fine.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my Mima's (grandma) growing up. It was a treat! Just one that I've always sought to avoid. Why? To be honest, it's easy. It lacks complexity, depth. It's not 3 hours worth of creating an orgasmic explosion of creamy, rich, decadence that rolls over your tongue and makes your eyes close.

Like this asian chicken recipe I've modified called "Tso Yummy Chicken" =P But that's another story.

Alright, it's not really so bad.

But man, that chicken recipe was a tough act to follow and, meatloaf? Didn't quite cut it.

Friday, October 14, 2011

An obvious Failure.

Hello Readers,
If any of you have managed to hang on, I must say I'm honestly surprised. I have not been the most devoted blogger, which doesn't surprise you by now, I'm sure. I've been managing a restaurant lately, and as the title says, failing miserably.

To be honest, managing doesn't really trip my trigger. At all. The funnest part of my day isn't dealing with people anymore, it's drawing on our chalkboards... I haven't really been cooking because, let's face it, standing, bending, lifting, and making hot drinks all day from anywhere from 7-12 hours really does a number on the body. Especially when it's 2-3 weeks between "days off". (Please note the "", because honestly, calling me and working from home on the computer because I simply don't have the time to do these things at work, doesn't really count as off.)

My energy level has dropped to a mere 2/10 by the time I finish with work. Let's just say, biscotti hasn't been made in my home for a long time. In fact, dinner is a rarity. Poor Boyo has been forced to fend for himself out of our deprived refrigerator. Not having the energy to cook really limits grocery shopping.

Sitting here writing, I realize, I miss writing. I enjoy it. I enjoy eating. Cooking. Being out in the sunshine. Having days off. Having Weekends off to go places! To spend the entire day with Anthony, even if it's just walking around.

Right now, there's a disconnect between the world and myself. I haven't been able to think there's so much stress and need for things to be done. It's overwhelming.

Sorry, dear readers, I've turned into a whiney, egotistical bitch.

Moving passed:
Ate, for the first time at Blind Lady Ale House.
Had a marvelous Moules Frites; fresh mussels steamed in a white wine, then slathered in a wondrous fennel, leek, oregano, thyme, cream, and whole mustard sauce with slivered sweet onions that had been blanched in the sauce. The mussels were finely prepared, not overcooked and tough, and well washed. Just the mussels, steamed as they were, made my eyes close. The sauce, I felt, should have been thicker, richer to match, but it was watery and light. The flavor was nice, but you had to use the shell to scoop some out of the bottom of the bowl if you really wanted to taste it. Highly recommended at a mere $14.50 a bowl with the frites; salty and crispy on the outside with a variety of 3 sauces to dip in, a curry catsup, a white sauce of some mayonaise-lemony descent, and a tart thousand island colored one that, in comparison to the other two, was very mild and seemed to lack flavor, save that initial tartness.

We also helped ourselves to a Butternut squash Pizza. Also excellently prepared with a bechamel sauce, roasted squash, shitake mushrooms, fontina cheese, it's own herb medley, and fresh lemon zest for a clean, mildly sweet finish. It was delectable. The melding of the pungent shitake mushrooms with the creamy butternut squash and the bechamel hit all of my senses in a smooth wave of flavor. Priced at $16.50, it alone was the perfect size for two and very moderately priced for such a delicacy.

I had a Heavenly Hefe to accompany the meal and the light, cleanness kept the meal crisp and went well with the pizza and frites. The mussels weren't bad with it, either, but it didn't compliment as nicely.

+1 for Blind Lady. Besides being bicycle friendly, having goldsprints, and great beer selections, the food wows my senses.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Dear, well, You.

As you may have noticed, this blog hasn't been getting as much attention as, say, Voir L'amour's. It turns out, a lot of finding my passion stuff is about trying new things that would be cool to photograph! Well, alright, that's a lie, but it's keeping the blog post numbers up there, which is good, seeing as it's our photography business.

It's not that I don't want to post here, but they would be duplicates here and there, so I've been cleverly avoiding this blog. =[


Yoga:

I'm not flexible. In fact, I'm so stiff today I'm sore in random parts (like the ring finger on my right hand and my hips.) I found this amazing podcast awhile ago called YOGAmazing and it truly is amazing. =] It's about 10-30 minutes and is broken down into cute "lessons" like "Yoga for Runners" or "Yoga for Flexibility"... Today, I did "Yoga for Toning" thinking, "Yeah! I'm going to be a tough chick and do this tough yoga session while I'm so out of shape it literally hurts! Yeaah!"

Well, I did do and finish it, but let me tell you, fit I am not! Yoga, is fantastic. It centers me, grounds me, and whoops my butt. Into shape, that is.

With the podcast, it's there when I need/want it (even at 12:13am) and doesn't cost anything-- Wait. What?! It's free?!! Heck yeah!! <3

So, sore and energized, I'm going to do another episode. =]

Peace inside! And outside!
 

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