You say you want a resolution...update?
Mar. 23rd, 2010 06:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coffeesnob318*100 Books
3. Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull
Although this book took me freakin' FOREVER to finish, I enjoyed it. I like books that inspire me to want to take up new habits. This one inspires me to want to have people over to dinner more often and dress nicely all the time. It also inspires me to attend a dinner party in Paris, as small talk is apparently not required or desired at such occasions, a practice of which I am in favor.
The writing is good enough for a memoir, which is what this is, so success!
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Well written and an easy read. The imagery was my favorite thing about it.
5. Family Affair by Caprice Crane
Great characters. Crazy, but great. I have never read a Caprice Crane book that I haven't liked. I'm looking forward to her next!
6. Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way by Ruth Reichl
I loved it. It's a succinct account of one woman's story that actually is a lot of women's stories from that era.
7. Cold Feet by Elise Juska, Tara McCarthy, Pamela Ribon, Heather Swain, and Lisa Tucker
I picked this book up because Pamela Ribon's Why Girls are Weird is one of my favorite books, and it includes one of her short stories. These stories were mostly good, with one exception. Heather Swain's was my favorite.
*100 apartment changes
6. New shower curtains up in each bathroom.
7. Coat rack on the wall in my bedroom (replacing the very fancy nail-in-wall system I had going).
8. Replaced shower curtain rings in guest bathroom.
That's it. That's all I accomplished. I have a to-do list that is so long. It just seems to take a lot of energy and time that I would rather spend sleeping. I guess after you've already done the set-up-house-by-yourself thing the first time, it loses some of its appeal.
*100 miles
Nope. None so far. The knee is so much better. I went for a test walk today. The sun felt great, and the sky was so blue. I'm excited to start running again.
*100 firsts
3. Applied for a job in another state. I have never seriously considered moving out of Texas before. But this is the year I try new things, right? I love the company. I've had a phone interview. This week I find out if I have made it through to the next round. I'm torn. We'll see.
4. New restaurant - Rise and Dine in Ft. Worth. In honor of Michelle's birthday, we went for breakfast at a new place near to her. It was ok. Not so impressed with the hollandaise, and the service was a bit off. Also, there was the weirdest looking kid I have ever seen sitting a couple of tables away from us. But it was good to hang out with Michelle and Steve, so it was worth it.
5. New coffee shop - Zera Coffee Company. Quality-wise, this may be the best coffee shop I've ever been to. The first time I went, I ordered a French Press...and I got it. Timed to perfection. And they were slow, so instead of just throwing the rest out, he kept it warm for me in a press coozie (!!! *need*) until I was ready for it. So I had two large bowls of really strong coffee. I was up for a very long time. The next time I went, I ordered a macchiato and added caramel to it. The guy was like, "Um...are you sure? It's just espresso and foam." Heh. I guess he's used to people coming in and ordering a caramel macchiato, expecting that travesty that passes for it at Starbucks, which is not a macchiato at all but rather a cappuccino with extra espresso. I think I won points with him when I replied, "Yeah, I want a real one - none of that nonsense that Starbucks does." He smirked. I like him. And I approve this coffee shop. I approve the hell out of it.
6. New restaurant - Andaman. Well, new to me, anyway. I've always planned to visit this Denton Thai place, but never have until recently. They just moved to a new location. Their pad thai was a little sweet for my taste, but other than that, it was ok.
7. Another new restaurant (I'm using these so often, I'm beginning to think of it as cheating. Must branch out beyond food) - Villa O in Dallas. On Monday nights, as a thank you to their customers, they give you a two course meal. Basically, the whole meal except for drinks, appetizers, and dessert is on them. Great deal. I mean, I still spent a lot of money because it's North Dallas, which is always a crowd around which I feel socially awkward, so I had a couple glasses of wine. And there was an appetizer involved (see next item). The food was only ok. I don't know that I would pay full price for it. But it was all organic and locally grown when possible, which I like. And they have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays with great drink deals, so we may go back to that.
8. First time to eat mushrooms and like them. At Villa O, our appetizer was portabella fries. Just strips of fungus, seasoned, battered, and deep fried. As long as I didn't look at them and get reminded of the slime that was beneath the crispy exterior, they were amazing.
9. First time since I turned 21 that I did not go out drinking on St. Patrick's Day. I went to my sister's house for dinner instead. It was so low-key. And dinner was delicious.
10. Used a drill. I've had an electric screwdriver. But for my birthday, my dad upgraded me to a drill. And two days later, I put up my coat rack, using my new toy. It wasn't kidding about the noise. But fun!
*100 lj posts
This makes 15!
*100 new recipes
I call this round Adventures with Butternut Squash (aka A Bitch to Peel). Also, I'm starting to perfect my roux-making.
I would also like to take this moment to pimp http://foodgawker.com/ .
7. Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Thyme (originally from Camilla Saulsbury's Enlightened Soups and adapted by Eralda from thesplitpea on blogspot) - Rating 4.
See recipe
I did not use the sage, because I did not want to break into hives, but the rest was pretty much to the recipe. It was good. Still sweet, despite Eralda's claim that it was not, but good.
8. Roasted Butternut Squash with Mustard Vinaigrette (Real Simple) - Rating 4.
See recipe
I love this vinaigrette. Also, I got a new peeler, making the peeling of the squash much, much easier.
9. Mac and Cheese for Grown-ups (Vegetarian Times) - Rating 4.
2 c. whole-wheat penne
1 lb. spinach leaves, trimmed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. flour
2 c. fat-free milk
1/2 c. + 2 T grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t. nutmeg (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x11 pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta and spinach; drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat and whisk in flour. Add milk slowly to make a bechamel.
4. Remove from heat and add to pasta and spinach, along with 1/2 cup Parmesan, garlic and nutmeg. Stir until well-coated (I added pepper at this point).
5. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, until top is browned.
Great dish. If you are looking for it to satisfy a cheese craving, sadly it will not. But if (and this is my favorite part), you are looking to eat something really bad for you, it will satisfy that craving WITHOUT actually being that bad for you. A 1 1/2 cup serving is only about 320 calories and hold 13 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Of course, if you use this information to justify eating a large piece of chocolate cake afterwards (as I did), it doesn't really help you. But the dish itself is pretty low calorie.
3. Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull
Although this book took me freakin' FOREVER to finish, I enjoyed it. I like books that inspire me to want to take up new habits. This one inspires me to want to have people over to dinner more often and dress nicely all the time. It also inspires me to attend a dinner party in Paris, as small talk is apparently not required or desired at such occasions, a practice of which I am in favor.
The writing is good enough for a memoir, which is what this is, so success!
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Well written and an easy read. The imagery was my favorite thing about it.
5. Family Affair by Caprice Crane
Great characters. Crazy, but great. I have never read a Caprice Crane book that I haven't liked. I'm looking forward to her next!
6. Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way by Ruth Reichl
I loved it. It's a succinct account of one woman's story that actually is a lot of women's stories from that era.
7. Cold Feet by Elise Juska, Tara McCarthy, Pamela Ribon, Heather Swain, and Lisa Tucker
I picked this book up because Pamela Ribon's Why Girls are Weird is one of my favorite books, and it includes one of her short stories. These stories were mostly good, with one exception. Heather Swain's was my favorite.
*100 apartment changes
6. New shower curtains up in each bathroom.
7. Coat rack on the wall in my bedroom (replacing the very fancy nail-in-wall system I had going).
8. Replaced shower curtain rings in guest bathroom.
That's it. That's all I accomplished. I have a to-do list that is so long. It just seems to take a lot of energy and time that I would rather spend sleeping. I guess after you've already done the set-up-house-by-yourself thing the first time, it loses some of its appeal.
*100 miles
Nope. None so far. The knee is so much better. I went for a test walk today. The sun felt great, and the sky was so blue. I'm excited to start running again.
*100 firsts
3. Applied for a job in another state. I have never seriously considered moving out of Texas before. But this is the year I try new things, right? I love the company. I've had a phone interview. This week I find out if I have made it through to the next round. I'm torn. We'll see.
4. New restaurant - Rise and Dine in Ft. Worth. In honor of Michelle's birthday, we went for breakfast at a new place near to her. It was ok. Not so impressed with the hollandaise, and the service was a bit off. Also, there was the weirdest looking kid I have ever seen sitting a couple of tables away from us. But it was good to hang out with Michelle and Steve, so it was worth it.
5. New coffee shop - Zera Coffee Company. Quality-wise, this may be the best coffee shop I've ever been to. The first time I went, I ordered a French Press...and I got it. Timed to perfection. And they were slow, so instead of just throwing the rest out, he kept it warm for me in a press coozie (!!! *need*) until I was ready for it. So I had two large bowls of really strong coffee. I was up for a very long time. The next time I went, I ordered a macchiato and added caramel to it. The guy was like, "Um...are you sure? It's just espresso and foam." Heh. I guess he's used to people coming in and ordering a caramel macchiato, expecting that travesty that passes for it at Starbucks, which is not a macchiato at all but rather a cappuccino with extra espresso. I think I won points with him when I replied, "Yeah, I want a real one - none of that nonsense that Starbucks does." He smirked. I like him. And I approve this coffee shop. I approve the hell out of it.
6. New restaurant - Andaman. Well, new to me, anyway. I've always planned to visit this Denton Thai place, but never have until recently. They just moved to a new location. Their pad thai was a little sweet for my taste, but other than that, it was ok.
7. Another new restaurant (I'm using these so often, I'm beginning to think of it as cheating. Must branch out beyond food) - Villa O in Dallas. On Monday nights, as a thank you to their customers, they give you a two course meal. Basically, the whole meal except for drinks, appetizers, and dessert is on them. Great deal. I mean, I still spent a lot of money because it's North Dallas, which is always a crowd around which I feel socially awkward, so I had a couple glasses of wine. And there was an appetizer involved (see next item). The food was only ok. I don't know that I would pay full price for it. But it was all organic and locally grown when possible, which I like. And they have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays with great drink deals, so we may go back to that.
8. First time to eat mushrooms and like them. At Villa O, our appetizer was portabella fries. Just strips of fungus, seasoned, battered, and deep fried. As long as I didn't look at them and get reminded of the slime that was beneath the crispy exterior, they were amazing.
9. First time since I turned 21 that I did not go out drinking on St. Patrick's Day. I went to my sister's house for dinner instead. It was so low-key. And dinner was delicious.
10. Used a drill. I've had an electric screwdriver. But for my birthday, my dad upgraded me to a drill. And two days later, I put up my coat rack, using my new toy. It wasn't kidding about the noise. But fun!
*100 lj posts
This makes 15!
*100 new recipes
I call this round Adventures with Butternut Squash (aka A Bitch to Peel). Also, I'm starting to perfect my roux-making.
I would also like to take this moment to pimp http://foodgawker.com/ .
7. Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Thyme (originally from Camilla Saulsbury's Enlightened Soups and adapted by Eralda from thesplitpea on blogspot) - Rating 4.
See recipe
I did not use the sage, because I did not want to break into hives, but the rest was pretty much to the recipe. It was good. Still sweet, despite Eralda's claim that it was not, but good.
8. Roasted Butternut Squash with Mustard Vinaigrette (Real Simple) - Rating 4.
See recipe
I love this vinaigrette. Also, I got a new peeler, making the peeling of the squash much, much easier.
9. Mac and Cheese for Grown-ups (Vegetarian Times) - Rating 4.
2 c. whole-wheat penne
1 lb. spinach leaves, trimmed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. flour
2 c. fat-free milk
1/2 c. + 2 T grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t. nutmeg (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x11 pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta and spinach; drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat and whisk in flour. Add milk slowly to make a bechamel.
4. Remove from heat and add to pasta and spinach, along with 1/2 cup Parmesan, garlic and nutmeg. Stir until well-coated (I added pepper at this point).
5. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, until top is browned.
Great dish. If you are looking for it to satisfy a cheese craving, sadly it will not. But if (and this is my favorite part), you are looking to eat something really bad for you, it will satisfy that craving WITHOUT actually being that bad for you. A 1 1/2 cup serving is only about 320 calories and hold 13 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Of course, if you use this information to justify eating a large piece of chocolate cake afterwards (as I did), it doesn't really help you. But the dish itself is pretty low calorie.
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 12:26 pm (UTC)...and that was my rant.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-26 03:47 am (UTC)