Mother of Invention

November 11, 2009 in Lunch | Leave a comment

A friend of mine sent me this link, which pretty much changed my entire morning outlook today. You need to read these. Really, you do. You know how how I am about sap and feel good links, so go over there now.

I thought I’d include my favorite sign from the bunch, the one that really resonated with me.

This quote ties into something I’ve been thinking about: how to answer Leslie’s question about my grandparents’ farm and its influence on my life/blog/outlook. (You’ll see the connection – I promise). I’ve been writing about days on the farm more frequently for a number of reasons, but I think it’s because I’ve carried a number of philosophies and ideas from that time period into my current life. In recent months, I’ve been more self-examining and thus, I can notice certain traits in myself.

Let’s start with food.

My grandparents taught me the importance of not wasting food, and that’s how this meal (or rather, “invention”) was prepared last night. Old ingredients (still fresh enough) and the usual spices, and I have a belly hug indeed.

We didn’t waste, and we always ate leftovers. That’s how it was. In addition -my grandmother also bakes constantly. Every day (even now, at age 92) you can find a fresh batch of cookies or bread or gobs on her counter.

And if she burned them, it would never get her down – because that’s what she created with her own hands.

I could share a million stories about the farm, but suffice it to say this: we were left to our own devices. We were forced to create, to think creatively. We didn’t watch TV. We built slip and slides out of old tarps and dishwashing soup. We built tree houses out of “Corn for Sale” signs. We were inventors.

So how did the farm influence me as a person/writer/blogger?

1. I appreciate well-made food and natural ingredients. I understand the time it takes to cultivate. I know not every dish will be perfect, but it may still be enjoyed. I am free to experiment in the kitchen.

2. I am a hard worker. I know things don’t come easy. They are not there “for the plucking.” Everything in my life is an invention, an extension of me.

3. I reinvent stories. I retell stories based off real life. I create fictional stories based on things I feel. I want to share the human experience through language.

This is a long-winded answer, but I hope it resonates.

Three Berries in a Peel

November 11, 2009 in Oatmeal | 15 comments

I feel like every childhood is marked by the “three peas in a pod” expression. Either you’re one of three, and you’re a pea in the pod. Or you’re waiting to be part of the three, waiting outside, thinking of ways to get in.

Growing up, my cousins and I were of a different breed when it came to the three peas in a pod mantra. I like to think of us as three berries in a banana peel.

I was reminded of this bond over the weekend when my cousin Marissa and I swapped stories on the way to Ohio. She and I were inseparable during our youth. She has a younger brother – Ryan – who we are now close with. During childhood? Thats another story. Even though we belonged to the same peal, our alliances were not the same.

Brothers and sisters fight, and girls always gang up with girls. That sums up childhood for the three of us in one sentence. It was Marissa and I who ate cake icing straight from the can in my grandmother’s pantry. And it was us who left notes for each other under knick knacks above the piano. The bond with Ryan didn’t come until later - much later – when the three of us were teenagers at least.

No matter how close we were and when, I feel a unique bond with Marissa and Ryan unlike two other people in the world. They grew up with me. We made discoveries together. We began figuring out the world together. We got into trouble together.

The best part? Getting to relive and tell the stories into adulthood. I love when a sentence starts with.. “I can’t believe that was 15 years ago….”

Who are your three berries in the peel? peas in the pod?

Chickpeas and Greens Stuffed Squash

November 10, 2009 in Dinner | Tags: chickpeas, mustard greens, squash | 13 comments

Why has squash not made an appearance on my blog this fall? Maybe I’ve just been waiting for Heather to make this dish to inspire me a little. A stuffed squash should be on the plate of every person at least annually.

I was going to visit the grocery store to buy new ingredients, but I thought I’d challenge myself by using up some pantry items. I was just complaining earlier about my budget, so I thought I should adhere to that – besides, I have a lot of food that needs to be cooked in this place.

The squash was the first thing to go in the oven. I baked it at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. I simmered some rice and then worked on the stuffing ingredients.

Ingredients from my pantry:

chickpeas (of course!)
mustard greens
olive oil
capers
fresh basil
salt
pepper
loads of garlic

Just as that was done cooking, the squash was ready. Perfect timing. I think I may have burnt my pan for good.

Then it was time for dinner. While cooking, I took advantage of the time and cleaned up my “mail center,” threw in two loads of laundry and scooped the cat’s litter box. I feel productive already!

Dinner was had while watching Grey’s Anatomy. Hey, it’s solo date night. I’m allowed to eat dinner in front of the TV

I tried really hard to figure out my camera tonight. I’ve been reading tutorials online, and I’m slowly but surely understanding all these functions. I think this learning process may take me a while – as I’m much more “hands on” than “study, read about it and know.” I could never really learn from a book well.

I should note that this isn’t exactly a lobster placemat. But instead a lobster napkin

Tonight’s solo date involves more reading. I have another 100 + pages due for class tomorrow and it’s hard reading, so I better get started.

I may or may not bake something tonight too.

Have you eaten squash this season?

Making Time for Food

November 10, 2009 in Lunch | 20 comments

Today’s lunch is the epitome of a lazy one. I went to the deli to buy a tuna wrap (my favorite, swoon) and when I saw the mile-long line, I decided to buy a pre-made wrap instead. (This is a reminder to me that I must always make time to prepare my own food!)

It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it wasn’t awful either. Pretty filling.

I also sort of splurged on these.

Sun Chips will be the end of me. I know it. I have been buying them too much. I’m pretty good about sticking to the serving size though, so that makes me feel slightly better. But still – this meal is totally missing fruits/veg. I will make up for that tonight, for sure.

b Daily

Oh, and guess what else? A coworker stopped by to tell me that my picture was in the paper yesterday.

I wonder if they could have gotten any closer to my face??? This picture was taken during our berry picking adventure with Rob and Kate over the summer. I forgot that I had sent it, along with many others, to the b Daily. Looks like they decided to run it yesterday! How fun.

Making Time for Food

This lunch and some of my meals as of lately have reminded me that I haven’t been making as much time for food. I find myself wrapped up in homework in the evenings, then some TV watching and then before I know it – it’s time for bed, and I haven’t made anything for lunch. Then I just go to bed and figure, “It’ll be more convenient for me to buy something at the deli tomorrow.”

Well. This logic is flawed. It’s a double whammy. It hurts not only my well being but my wallet too.

The new plan? Make lunch everyday for a week. Or at least pre-make it on Sundays. I am pretty good about doing this most days, but I want to recommit in a more serious way. I want to get those fruits and veggies packed into my lunch again.

Do you ever find yourself taking the easy way out when it comes to food?

Old Fashioned Oats

November 10, 2009 in Oatmeal | 13 comments

All I wanted this morning was a tasty bowl of oatmeal. Nothing too silly or even too fancy. Just an ordinary bowl of oatmeal for a normal Tuesday.

For the first time in longer than I can remember, I made oats the old fashioned way on the stovetop. I’ve been microwaving lately to save time – but I think it really only saves me three minutes max – and it doesn’t taste better. I prefer the texture of stovetop, most definitely.

I added a banana to the mix this morning and used Kristin’s style of cutting – right inside the peel. I’ve been pretty jazzed about this idea since I read it on her blog.

From an artistic perspective, I sort of like the lines it creates in the peel. I like how dark they get

After stirring for about five minutes, I decided to throw this all together in one ordinary bowl. I can’t remember the last time I used this bowl for oatmeal.

For old time’s sake, I added PB to my spoon.

And you know how I feel about berries on oatmeal.

A normal, ordinary but so so tasty bowl of oatmeal. I always love doing things the old-fashioned way and getting back to basics.

What about you – do you do anything the “old-fashioned way”? If so, what?

Baby Shower in Ohio

November 9, 2009 in Away from Home | 14 comments

I had an absolutely fantastic weekend. After our fun-filled Saturday with the family, we got up nice and early for the shower on Sunday. In addition to being pregnant, my cousin Crissy also just celebrated her 30th birthday, so my other cousin Marissa (more like a sister to me) and I went and bought her a basket of fun gifts and surprised her before the shower:

Marissa was all about posing with the basket in her farmer plaid:

I loved spending time with this girl over the weekend. It’s been much too long.

Crissy asked me to take pictures during the shower, so I snapped a few of the place.

I loved the way they decorated the front. Crissy received some baby clothes as a gift a few days before the shower, so they used those as part of the decor.

The queen’s chair. She sat here for a LONG WHILE opening up gifts because she had so many.

Ironically (and not planned), the cake matched the theme.

The food was not too shabby. We played games while eating.

I won a prize in a dice game! I’m sure these bubbles will come in handy.

But even better than the bubbles and my cousin Marissa was seeing my 92-year-old Grandma. She doesn’t look a day over 75, in my opinion. (PS: She doesn’t pose well for photos)

The one of her and Marissa turned out better, I think.

The shower lasted for a couple hours because Crissy had so many gifts, like I said. She ended up getting so many handmade blankets, which I thought was really nice.

And because it was her day, she was most definitely allowed to stick her finger in the cake

What a beautiful weekend with some of the people I love most in this world!

Day 1 in Ohio

November 8, 2009 in 1 | 15 comments

Greetings from Wadsworth, Ohio! I had a few minutes of relaxation at the hotel and thought I’d give an update of our Saturday.

I left bright and early – around 8:30 a.m. to drive up to Pennsylvania, where I was hitching a ride with my stepmom to Ohio for the baby shower. Along the way, I chewed on some peanut butter bread.

The ride was super enjoyable. The weather was perfect, and I got to chat with one of my favorite bloggers on the phone. That made the drive pretty nice

I got there around noon, and we left for Ohio around 1 p.m. Along the way, we stopped at a pizza shop where I got this monster pickle sandwhich.

The drive was really fun. My cousin Marissa (who we call “Moo”) rode along with us, and we ended up just swapping stories from our childhood. My dad drove us, and I think he may have learned more about Moo and I’s childhood then he needed to know. That’s OK

When we arrived in Ohio around 5 p.m., we checked into the hotel and relaxed for a while – then went to Bob Evan’s for dinner. I started with this salad.

And then I got chicken pot pie, which I forgot to photograph because I was talking and talking.

After dinner, we headed over to my cousin’s house – Crissy – the reason we’re all here! She’s 6 months pregnant and doesn’t look that big to me.

We spent the night eating pie, catching up and playing pinnacle. I’m not sure I’ve ever brought this up on the blog before, but my family is HUGE on pinnacle. It’s a family tradition.

I snapped a photo of Moo’s hand:

If there’s one thing this girl loves it’s cards. Oh – and tractors.

I sipped on coffee while everyone threw their cards around.

These team names should show you how mature Moo can really be:

After a few hands, we realized there was an extra card in the deck and everyone threw it in.

Then we moved the pile around and around. I like this picture.

Then things got a little silly. I’m not sure why or how this happened, but I told Crissy about my back problems, and she brought out this strange massager that looked straight out of the 90s. A few jokes later, and the massager turned into something else completely. I don’t know about the minds of my family members.

And just so you can REALLY feel like you were there… We took a video. I can’t even get over the laughter. This is what it’s like to hang out with these folks.

Yep, we really laugh that much.

Welp, I’m off to get some breakfast at the continental breakfast bar. Catch you later!

Friday Night Picnic

November 6, 2009 in Dinner | Tags: Indian food | 16 comments

You know it’s going to be a good Friday night when it starts off like this:

You know me. And my love for good wine on a Friday after the work week is through.

You may also know boyfriend Bill:

… and his love for good beer. In 6-pack form.

You may also know we have a small guilty pleasure, and it involves Indian food. But this time, we classed up the joint and decided to eat – picnic style in the living room.

Bill ordered Lamb Vindaloo, and I went with my usual Chana Masala. There was naan galore and also two veggie samosas.

My bowl, full and waiting to be in my belly:

The veggie samosa was super indulgent and greasy. I enjoyed every last bite, even though it may not look like it.

The whole gang got ready to watch eat dinner and watch a movie.

You should rent this one; it’s a gem.

Now it’s time for me to watch a war movie and pass out on the couch I’m going to a baby shower in Ohio this weekend for my cousin, so I’ll be MIA for a few days. Catch you again soon!

Loafing Around

November 6, 2009 in Breakfast | 17 comments

I may have fallen in love with a bread product this morning. Again.

It’s no oatmeal, and so – it will never fully capture my breakfast heart – but almost. Almost.

This was close to the perfect morning meal. Cinnamon bread, one sliced banana and crunchy peanut butter. Oh, and I can’t forget the OJ. Talk about belly hugs and smiles.

The lobster placemat was proud to be sporting such a good meal.

Do you have a love affair with bread?

I’m not a huge bread/carbs addict, but I like a good slice. I like my bread hearty, dense and filling. I don’t like fooling around with loaves that won’t feel me up or satisfy an empty belly.

Why do you exercise?

November 5, 2009 in Lunch | Tags: lentils | 24 comments

Lentils have been saving the world. I’m not sure if you’ve heard. They calm your fears, they give you belly hugs. They just love you back.

So, lunch was on the somewhat lame-o side today (minus the lentil lovin’, of course), and I’ll admit that. I’m just happy I packed and am saving my wallet a bit. Just a regular turkey sandwich with some melted string cheese (that didn’t exactly melt) and a pile (oh a pile) of ketchup.

Then, of course, there were these beauties.

Hello, magic healer. You make all the bad stuff go away so well.

An ordinary but filling lunch!

On Exercise

Dudes, I’m starting to get down in the dumps. I haven’t ran in a very long time. I think I’m starting to miss it like a family member.

I’ve been doing some stretching/yoga throughout the day, and it seems to help my back temporarily, but then it goes back to a crink (that’s my word for what my shriveled body has become). I’ve been walking more often, but I’m still in pain.

I’m having a hard time figuring out my physical limitations. I know the x-ray will probably help (I hope). In the meantime though, I’m getting anxious. You see, I use exercise for more than just staying in shape and being healthy.

I use exercise to:

destress
feel positive
zone out (sometimes)
think, write and feel

I’m still trying to do those things in other formats, but running is the way for me. Without it, I feel really… just… blah.Like I’m here, but not completely here. Do you know what I mean?

Why do you exercise?