30 and Counting

Taking Stock

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:52:00 +0000

It may seem like soup season is over. Spring has sprung pretty much everywhere by now.
Sunshine and flowers not withstanding, the other day while cleaning the apartment, I found myself making a big pot of vegetable stock. Maybe it was nesting, maybe it was insanity - it was 80 degrees in Los Angeles - but it felt good to have something cooking while I worked.

There's no denying that a good stock can deepen the flavor of even the simplest of dishes. The workhorse of the stock world is your basic Chicken Stock. It cures the common cold, makes frozen peas taste like a delicacy. Throw in some noodles and you've got everyone's favorite comfort food.

For those of us who cook without meat, finding a good substitute can be daunting. I find most store-bought vegetable stocks to have an odd sweetness or spice to them that often overcomes the flavor of the food it's supposed to enhance. Good stock should be like a killer back-up singer - it makes the main ingredient look like a rockstar but is gracious enough to stand just outside the spotlight.

A few winters back, I set out to make my own. What I arrived at, after a little Google-ing, is a nice, basic stock that does the job of a chicken stock without the chicken. Easy to make and easy on the wallet, this stock is a great way to maximize the flavor of any soup, sauce, or boiled veg. You can make additions or subtractions, as you like. Mushrooms might be good for something more akin to 'beef stock'; tomatoes if you prefer a red stock. I've added the green end of leeks when I've got them on hand. Improvising won't hurt here.

A little tip: I find that salt often brings the stock together, so don't be discouraged if at first taste it doesn't immediately ring your bell, salt it and then see what you think.

Once the stock has cooled, I put some in the fridge in an airtight jar for use during the week. The rest I freeze in quart or sandwich sized baggies for the weeks to come. It's a lifesaver to have on hand and the product you get far outweighs the effort (and $) required!

Don't worry that your stock will go to wase with summer fast approaching. A few baggies of frozen stock in the freezer will come in handy all year long. I thaw it out and use it to thin gazpacho or as a base for other cold soups. Swap stock for water next time you make rice or quinoa, it's a great way to add a little extra flavor and maybe break the monotony!

Veg Stock

6 carrots
1 celery heart (about 7 stalks)
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp peppercorns
salt (to taste)
2-3 bay leaves
10 cups water
olive oil

Rough chop carrots, celery, and onions. (or don't! You can actually just throw them in whole if you've got a big pot) Put a little olive oil in the bottom of your stock pot** over medium heat.

Add the onion and a little salt to get a good sweat on. Once you get a little brown color on the edges of your onion, add the celery, carrots and whole garlic cloves, sauté for another minute or two. (I find that sautéing the veggies first gives a little extra bit flavor. If you're short on time, feel free to skip this step and leave out the oil all together. Boiling alone works just fine.)

Next, add 10 cups of water, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Cover and leave over medium heat to slowly bring water to a boil. Let the stock boil, covered, for about 45 minutes, until vegetables become soft and there is a noticeable darkening of the water. Turn off your burner and let the stock stand, leaving vegetables to 'steep' until the liquid is cool.

When you're ready, scoop out the vegetables and discard (all their flavor is now in your stock, so don't feel guilty about sending them straight to the compost pile!). Pour stock through a mesh strainer to catch all the leftover pulp and peppercorns. Freeze or refrigerate as desired.

(If you're in a pinch or prefer to buy veg stock, I recommend Imagine Brand 'No Chicken Stock'. It absolutely does the trick and runs about $4.00 a quart at most grocery stores. Making your own is cheaper, but do what you gotta do!)

**It should be said here that I did not own a stock pot, or anything resembling a stock pot, for the first year of my efforts to make my own stock. My dear friend Erica was kind enough to loan me hers every other Saturday until I got a pot big enough to fit 10 cups of water. Thank you, Erica!

Thank you, Canada!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:14:00 +0000

Thanks for the love, Friends to the North!

I can't believe it's been a year since the Thanksgiving Family Feast. I am so thrilled that we are still reaching people, especially those trying to figure out what to do for their vegetarian friends and loved ones on such a 'meaty' holiday.

In response to Denise's question (so sorry for the late response!), I use the standard tofu block as a measure in the I Can't Believe It's Not Turkey Tofu Loaf. Generally, that means 15.5 or 16 ounces. In metric terms, that would be 454 grams or just under a half kilogram. Now, I have never been grocery shopping in Canada, so I'm not sure how that translates into shoppable terms, but I hope it helps.

Anyone who can jump in and speak to this, please do. I would love to know more about Canada's Thanksgiving, so please feel free to send some info my way.

Happy Eating!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

30 and counting....on Fresno.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:52:00 +0000

In Fresno, there is a place where you can get homemade popsicles. La Reina de Michoacan They come in all flavors, some of which are tough to convey in English. Mamey and nanche and chongo. Mango-chile-pineapple-cucumber, pistachio, strawberry, cantaloupe, walnut, bright blue bubblegum, and the list goes on. They come in either cream or water and they are that perfect wide flat popsicle shape. $1.50 a piece, although pricing seems to be a somewhat fluid enterprise. We got two dozen for far less than what it should have cost, and when the man behind the counter was unable to identify the flavor of a bright pink, raisin-laced pop he let us see for ourselves for free. (by consensus - Rum Raisin)

As far as weekend plans go, “I’m going to Fresno,” doesn’t exactly draw the envy of strangers.

“Fresno?”

I answer that my boyfriend’s family lives here. Family seems to be a strong enough justification for willingly heading up the Grapevine for the farmlands of the Central Valley.

What strikes me most about Fresno, is not the desolate downtown or the empty storefronts. Not the lack of nightlife (check out The Olympic Tavern, formerly ‘Club Fred’), not the overwhelming heat, or the seeming lack of culture (there’s a dinner theater, just down the street from The Olympic Tavern). What strikes me is the bounty. Everything you can imagine grows here. Oranges, figs, arugula, almonds, citrus fruits, peaches, tomatoes, squash of every variety, beans, peppers, grapes, olives. Everything. It is a tiny Garden of Eden. You can live and eat and thrive here in a way that I’ve never seen close up. For all of us trying our best at farmer’s markets and fruit stands, Fresno is the Mecca. It’s where everything in our re-usable bags comes from.

I happen to love it here. Maybe, because I didn’t grow up here. Maybe, because getting out of Los Angeles to just about anywhere feels good. Maybe it’s being a part of a family. I love it because it feels self-contained. It offers up everything you need, straight from the ground. God or someone made it this way. Blessed with plenty, blessed with the balance of the earth to make it so.

On a famous bridge over the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey, there is a huge sign that reads ‘Trenton Makes, The World Takes’.

It’s tough to reconcile the run-down buildings and the gang violence with the rolling farmland. It’s tougher still to realize that a life here may not yield much in the way of opportunities for a future. Fresno makes, the world takes.

Here, though, you could have things – a garden, a house, a dog. Give up some of the buzz of the city take on the quiet nights and mosquitoes. Settle down and spend time doing what you love, simply because there is nothing else to do.

Plus, there’s popsicles.

30 and counting.....on lentil, er, balls.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:42:00 +0000

This is the text I got from Erica in the middle of a workday afternoon:

what bean goes with basil?

My reply:

white beans cannelini great northern emailing you a recipe

I sent her this link to this Tuscan bread soup I remembered by Rachel Ray. I remembered it because it has day old bread and stewed tomatoes in it (two kind of gross things that end up tasting really good), in addition to white beans and basil.

On the phone later that night, I asked if she'd tried the bread soup to solve her beans/basil issue. She hadn't, she'd actually been thinking about trying to make 'meatballs' out of beans - beanballs, if you will.

And the wheels started turning. Lentils. I kind of knew I needed to start with lentils. (Although, now that lentils worked, I'm formulating a white bean ~~meat~~ball recipe to try, too.) So, jumping off of my lentil burger recipe, I came up with this:

Lentil ~~Meat~~balls

1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water (salted)
1 med. onion - finely chopped
1/2 a red bell pepper - finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 carrot - (you guessed it!) finely chopped
2tsp dried basil
2tsp dried oregano
6tbsp oat bran (or rolled oats you've pulsed in your food processor)
olive oil
vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Bring your 2 cups of salted water to boil, add lentils, return to boil then simmer with a lid on until water cooks out and lentils are tender. (I cook lentils like I cook rice, feel free to do it your way.)

While lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onions, saute alone for a minute or so, then add carrots, garlic, and red pepper. Saute for 5 min, until all vegetables have softened, then stir in basil and oregano and cook for another minute. Remove vegetables from heat and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Once lentils are cooked, add them to the sauteed vegetable mixture. Combine the lentils and vegetables, adding a little olive oil to coat and salt and pepper to taste. (At this point, if you'd like it to taste a little more 'italian', feel free to up the basil and oregano.) Add oat bran, one tbsp at a time, mixing as you go. Once all 6 tbsp of oat bran are in, whip out your potato masher and give the whole mixture a good mashing. This will help all your ingredients stick together when it comes time to form the ~~meat~~balls. (You should still be able to see individual lentils, the idea is a course meal, not a puree or paste.) While the mixture is still warm, form into ~~meat~~balls, about 1-2in in diameter, as you like. Once all your balls are formed, let them stand for 15 minutes.*

Heat canola oil in your favorite frying pan, enough to coat the bottom. Place your lentil ~~meat~~balls in the hot oil, one by one, allowing space to flip them once they brown. Use a spoon to gently roll them over in the pan, some lentils will jump ship, but the ~~meat~~balls should remain intact. Brown them on all sides and then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

We ate ours with a kind of chunky sauce with diced tomatoes and olives. Don't get me wrong, it was really tasty, but ideally, I think I would serve the lentil ~~meat~~balls over any kind of spaghetti pasta (wholewheat, spelt, rice, whatever your fancy) with a smooth red sauce like marinara.

This same recipe could be used to make italian-style lentil burgers. Buon apetito!

*It may help to refrigerate them, but in this initial run, I didn't have the time so I can't vouch for the results.

30 and Counting.....on giving up coffee.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Just about every other day, I swear that I am giving up coffee. It's more an exercise in voluntary torture than a smart decision to give up caffeine an it's evil side effects (icky skin, stained teeth, heartburn!, etc). So, when my lovely sister-in-law sent the recipe below, it put a big smile on my face. I'm always a cold-turkey-switch-to-herbal-tea kind of gal. Maybe a healthier, trick-me-into-thinking-it's-coffee substitute would be the way to go.

Here's Kristina's tips/recipe for Iced Non-Coffee:

*When I went to the health food store, I found two "versions" of a product called Cafix (an all natural coffee substitute). The first version was a very fine grind and has ground figs in it. The second version consisted of larger pieces that had the appearance of Sanka or something like that and did not have the figs. I bought the second version simply because it was cheaper. I bet the other kind is just as good- just adjust the recipe according to taste if you use the fine grind.

*On the Cafix label it instructs you to add 1 cup very hot (not boiling) water to 1 teaspoon of Cafix granules. I always double this when I drink it hot (2 teaspoons to 1 cup water).

Iced non-coffee

Fill a large cup with ice (if you are using glass, be careful! Only use a very thick heavy glass or it may shatter- I used a tall plastic cup) Measure 2 cups of water in a measuring cup. Pour into a pan and bring to a boil. Pull off of heat. Measure out 8 or more teaspoons of Cafix (depends on your taste) into the now empty measuring cup. Pour the hot water back into measuring cup (be careful!). Stir this mixture and then sweeten to taste with agave syrup. Pour this mixture into the cup filled with ice. Stir until ice is mostly dissolved and add more ice if needed. Add rice milk to taste. Enjoy!! :)

30 and counting....on cooking for one.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:31:00 +0000

I love cooking dinner more than just about anything. Breakfast is fun - all that baking and egg cracking, lunch can be interesting - all those sandwiches, but dinner is my favorite. Dinner is where I get things right. Not my recipes, but my life. Inevitably, there are things in my day that I can't control, can't change, can't get done before the clock runs out. Even if it is just for me, even if it doesn't turn out well, like tonight's improvised dijon-quinoa-spinach-mustard patties, I cook. And it's all that I am, and all that I need, just to stand at my stove and salt and pepper and stir. I stop replaying and rehashing. I tune out the noise of my life and the only thing I think about is how my dish would be judged if I were to present it to the judges on Top Chef. It is my best hour. I may go to bed with a belly too full, but my mind is at ease, and the house smells like someone lives here. Someone who likes to cook.

30 and counting on....Valentine's Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Sometimes other people say it better. Happy Valentines Day....

http://thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1231

30 and counting.....on someone else to make dinner.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:03:00 +0000

I have been known to be somewhat of a control freak when it comes to cooking. I like to do it myself. I like to be the sole proprietor. I like to take all the credit. It's kind of 'my way or the highway'.

Lately, in an effort to not die alone in my kitchen, I have eased the white-knuckle grip on the apron strings. So the other night, my man friend made us dinner. It was really, really good. And it was fun to watch him work. He stroked my ego with cooking questions throughout and even let me 'bat clean up' and put on some finishing touches. He may be something of a saint. Below is the recipe (in his words, in the spirit of my blog). Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome, my first ever guest chef, Mr. Cody Henderson........

Vegetable Risotto...Paella?...Risotto

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 white onion
3 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 cups brown jasmine rice
1 cup white wine
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbs. tomato paste
2 cups veg broth, more or less
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
1 diced scallion
salt & pepper

"Saute chopped onion in olive oil in a risotto pot or dutch oven until tender. Add chopped celery. Cook another couple minutes. Add chopped red and green peppers and garlic. Cook more. Add mushrooms. Cook a minute more. Add rice, stir and saute with vegetables for a minute. Add white wine. This cools it off so let it heat up again. Add tomato sauce and paste, stir well. Turn down heat slightly and cover and simmer for a little while, 5-8 minutes. Check it frequently to make sure there's plenty of moisture. When the rice is just starting to soften, slowly add the vegetable broth, a little at a time, and stir gently, pretty constantly as the rice absorbs the moisture. When it starts to get dry, continue adding splashes of broth and stirring until the rice is tender. If you haven't salted and peppered yet, this is a good time to taste it and adjust. NOTE: You may not need all the broth. Once it's done, turn off the heat. Add a little extra olive oil for texture and shine. Stir in the butter. Then the cheese and scallion. It's done.

We like this served with fried plantains and arugula salad. And good hoppy beer. Not wine. Okay, you could have wine. Wine goes with everything. I made the mistake of having 2 gin and tonics."

30 and counting on....sauce.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:07:00 +0000

A recipe this week! You deserve it! Thank you for reading thus far. I do so appreciate it.

The recipe below is for a great alternative to Bolognese or any meat sauce. Sure, sausage is tasty. Sure, I wish there were vegetables that tasted like bacon. But this sauce is a good substitute in terms of being filling and hearty without harming any animals in the process. It's also a great short-cut meal. It's all done in the food processor, which we like, right?

Now that I think of it, pepper flake might be a good addition to the ingredient list. Customize and feedback as you will! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

olive oil
1 med onion
3-5 cloves of garlic (as you like)
broccoli (about one cup raw)
carrots (a good handful of baby carrots or two grown-up carrots)
1 red or orange pepper
1 or 2 zuchini or yellow squash (optional - they're good for filler)
crimini/portobella mushrooms (one cup, also)
fresh basil
tomato sauce (2-4 cans depending on how sauce-y you like it. Last time I made this, I used Trader Joe's canned marinara in the big cans and it was hassle-free and good.)

Finely chop the onion. Put the vegetables, one at a time, separately, into the food processor and pulse until they are coarsely chopped - fine, but not too fine. Chopping everything ahead of time makes this much easier, so get it out of the way.

Put lots of olive oil in a big frying pan (more than you would normally use to sautee something) over medium heat. Saute the onion for 2 minutes or so, once it starts to turn translucent, add carrots, then peppers, then broccoli, then squash waiting about a minute or two between each ingredient. Mushrooms go in last. Saute until all ingredients are tender. Add sauce to coat. The less sauce, the more 'meaty' it seems, but add as you like it. Salt and pepper to taste. The last thing to add is fresh basil, chopped into ribbons.

Serve over spaghetti or your pasta of choice.

30 and counting....

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:40:00 +0000

It has been a busy year, 2010. In the last two weeks, I have shot a national commercial, performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (twice), been hired for a real-grown-up-9-5 job, stuck my toes in the waters of a new relationship, and said goodbye to my sister, who now officially resides on the opposite coast. It seems to me that there would be something in there to write about. It's just not that easy. Life right now is a little like walking on the moon: so much uncharted territory.

Below is what I could muster a few days ago. I just can't seem to wrap it up. It lacks a good last paragraph. I think we are both too much at beginnings right now to bother with endings, so I am posting it anyway. Endings to come when everything isn't so....new:

I think that by taking care of my sister, I thought that I was helping her to grow up. I was giving her tools that I was sure she didn't have. Ways to survive, ways to enjoy life, ways to make things easier for her by learning from my mistakes. I wanted her to know three things:

1. How to cook for herself.
2. How to manage her finances.
3. That to err was the right of her 20's, and nothing but the dawn of her 30th birthday could take that away from her.

Truth be told, I think she could already cook. She just let me 'teach' her things. As for her finances, it's really our brother who handles that. Him and Dave Ramsey. Number 3, though, was definitely my territory. I tried to teach her that a glass of wine will cure stress (more than one glass will cure just about anything). I tried to show her that boys are idiots (sorry, boys) and that your 20's are for figuring out just what level of idiocy you can accept in another human being. I tried to teach her that being scared never gets anybody anywhere.

As my Mom would say, "The thing of it is...." The thing of it is, I didn't actually teach her anything. I simply postponed my own growing up by focusing on hers. So now she gets to go her own way without my (often too loud) voice in her ear, and I have to face what I've been ignoring these last few years:

30 and counting....on your forgiveness.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:46:00 +0000

Well, I went and did it. I promised a new blog every Sunday in 2010. I resolved it, as a matter of fact. But we all know what a new year means......

That's right: high hopes and broken promises.

I missed last week. This week is a bit of a bust as well. I'm here. I'm writing. I'm plugging away. One Sunday done, one Sunday missed, and 50 more Sundays to go before the year is through. New job, new home, good bye to my little sister, hello to my grown up life. Please stay tuned.......

30 and counting.....on becoming a runner.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:55:00 +0000

Today, I went running. I've never been a runner. My best friends all run. They run miles, they run marathons. I have always been more casual about it. I can run. I just don't.

My sister has this thing about how your life is your 'story'. What kind of story do you want to tell? What story suits you? Are you aware of the story you're actually telling? She read it in a book. Unlike me, she is quiet about what she thinks most of the time. So when she opened up about this notion of 'story', it stuck with me. I never thought of it that way. It's so simple. Today, I thought, I'd like my story to be about a girl who runs. So, I ran.

At the Silver Lake Reservoir, you can run in one of two directions. One way around, you go up the hill; one way around, you go down the hill. I chose the path that leads up the hill and off I went.

I smiled at other runners. I dodged dogs and strollers. I kept going when I wanted to stop and walk. I sang tunelessly the way you do when you're wearing headphones and can't hear your own voice. I felt the warm sun of Southern California in January. I felt how happy putting one foot in front of the other could make me.

I ran at the perfect pace and when I got to the hill, I pushed and pushed all the way up. I made it to the top, and a memory struck me. I remembered what it was like to run down big grassy hills in bare feet. I remembered what it was like to take your foot of the brakes and just go because the worst that could happen is falling down and having to roll the rest of the way. So, I turned around. I let gravity take me. I let my feet hit the pavement too hard, I let my body fall forward. I stopped running uphill and remembered how good it felt to run down, to let the earth give you speed you'll never reach on your own. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like the story of a girl who runs.

30 and counting.....on things to change.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:24:00 +0000

They sell boxed wine in a single serving portion. 3 glasses in one re-sealable bottle-box. I stopped in at the store for tea and rice milk. Standing in the Tea/Coffee/bakeware aisle, I felt restless. Like sleep wouldn't come without a little help. Like the worry lines in my forehead were getting deeper. I wanted a little wine to relax it all. I intended to by one of those airline sized bottles of Sutter Home - for medicinal purposes, no need for quality or good taste tonight. They were all packed in six packs. Can you just take one of those little bottles and not buy all six? There was no one around to ask, so I settled for the solo (cardboard) alternative.

At home, searching for some little snack to have with my wine, I found a can of smoked oysters. How smoked oysters got in the cabinet, I can't quite say, but there they were. They seemed like a classy thing to eat with my ever-so-dignified box o' cabernet, so I stood at the kitchen counter at almost midnight, eating smoked oysters and drinking wine.

Here's the thing. Here's what's itching and driving me to the wine aisle at Ralph's. Why do things keep changing? I set myself on these straight an narrow paths and I hit only dead ends and curves. Instead of sleeping soundly on a bed of security and happiness, I am sitting up eating oysters from a can and feeling tipsy from wine sold in a shoe box.

I'm beginning to believe that there isn't a time down the road when it all settles down. I'm starting to think that it never does. There's always something, isn't there? No rest for the weary. No sleep 'till Brooklyn.

"Seems it never rains in southern California. Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before. It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya, it pours, man it pours."

30 and counting....Spicy Butternut Squash Soup with Texas Pecans

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:42:00 +0000

It's cold. Yes, 'cold' may mean 57 degrees here instead of 47 degrees, but my thin blood says it's winter. To cure the cold, please gather the following ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1generous tbsp of olive oil
1clove of garlic, chopped
1 16oz. bag of frozen butternut squash (I was skeptical, too. It was on sale and turned out to be a big timesaver!)
1 qt Imagine Brand No-Chicken Stock
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (you can of course use less, a dash will work fine)
1 tbsp of butter (because it's winter and you deserve butter. we all do.)
salt and pepper to taste

Get the oil hot in the bottom of your soup pot over medium heat. Sautee the onion with a pinch of salt to make them sweat, 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and sautee until the onions become nice and translucent. Next, add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir till they coat your onions. Add the bag of squash (no need to defrost). Let this cook until the squash thaws and gives up some of its water. Pour in the No-Chicken Stock and stir, making sure to get anything that's stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and get out your immersion blender. (a regular blender will work as well) Blend until smooth, then add butter and cayenne and blend them in. Salt and pepper to taste.

I garnished mine (even though I was home alone and there was no one to be fancy for) with toasted pecans from Texas. My Aunt Linda lives in San Antonio. She gave me some pecans at Thanksgiving and they are fantastic! I put them in the oven at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet or in whatever pan I can get my hands on and toast them till they turn darker brown and start to smell good.

30 and counting....how close is too close?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

"Are you purple or blue?"

Silence from behind the shower curtain.

"Bec, purple or blue?" I said with a hint of urgency.

"I'm the one on the right. I've been using whatever one is on the right."

"Right is not a color."

Purple is on the right. I am feeling more and more sure that I was purple when this whole thing started. I remember thinking, "Becca's color as a baby was purple. It's my turn to be purple."

Finally, poking her head out of the shower, she said, "I think I was the blue toothbrush. But now, I'm on the right. The right is purple. I think that means we've switched."

30 and counting.....I Can't Believe It's Not Turkey!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Here are the last three recipes from our Food Network Challenge roster. They are all 3 vegetarian, and can easily be made vegan if you sub out the butter (and use vegan marshmallows).
Send us your Thanksgiving recipes and your thoughts on ours! We're always looking for a way to make it all better. To good eating and good health! Happy Thanksgiving!

(I have had so many requests for this recipe. I hope it lives up to all your meatless hopes and dreams. Improvements and suggestions welcome!)

‘I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT TURKEY’ TOFU LOAF**

5 blocks extra firm tofu

1 cup panko

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp dijon mustard

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 vegetable boullion cubes, dissolved in
¼ cup boiling water

1 tbsp olive oil

Ground black pepper to taste

Press tofu blocks between clean dishtowels and press with weighted cookie sheet for at least 1 hr.(even overnight if you have the time and inclination) While tofu is draining, in a small bowl, whisk together herbs, Dijon, red wine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and boullion. Set aside. Once tofu has drained, place blocks into food processor (as many as will fit, this can be done in stages.). Whip until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese, smooth and blended. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the set aside marinade over the tofu and fold until thoroughly combined. Then fold in panko and nutritional yeast. Transfer tofu mixture into greased loaf pan. Refrigerate to set at least 1 hour (again, overnight would work, too). Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. (Tofu can be baked longer to achieve desired dryness)

For vegetarian gravy:

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp chopped dried onions

3 cups Imagine brand ‘no chicken’ stock

Salt, pepper to taste

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Add flour stir until completely combined with the butter. Cook 1 minute. Add stock and stir until butter-flour mixture is completely dissolved. Add garlic, poultry seasoning, and dried onions. Let simmer while stirring until it thickens to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

**I ‘invented’ this dish after a lot of online research on ways to make tofu taste like meat. It’s by no means perfect. I am revamping it for this year’s Thanksgiving meal, and I will post the recipe as soon as it’s ready. Already, I know I would substitute ground rolled oats for the panko. They bind better and keep the recipe gluten-free. I have to say, it was a very proud moment when the loaf came out of the pan on national TV and looked absolutely gorgeous. The show focused so much on Tofu vs. Turkey. Big deal! I think they can co-exist peacefully on any Thanksgiving table.

BECCA’S WORLD FAMOUS SPICY PECAN SWEET POTATO
CASSEROLE **

Spicy Candied Pecans for topping:

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

1 ½ cups pecans

2 tsp sugar

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

For casserole:

4 large sweet potatoes

½ cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 stick of butter

½ cup soymilk creamer

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 bag mini marshmallows

Spicy Pecans:

Sift together 2 tsp sugar and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. In a skillet, melt butter. Over med-low heat, add pecans and cook, stirring often until the nuts brown (5min). Sprinkle sugar-cayenne mixture
over the pecans and stir until the sugar dissolves. Empty pecans onto parchment paper. Let cool. Chop into med-small chunks. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Drain and mash with fork or potato masher until all potatoes
are broken down. Add egg, sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla and combine. Once combined, beat with an immersion hand blender until whipped and fluffy.Pour mixture into greased casserole dish and bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and coat with mini marshmallows and chopped spicy pecans. Return to oven and bake 5-10 more minutes until topping is golden.

**This dish is always billed as ‘the one thing Becca can cook.’ She’s such a good sport. She’s actually quite
capable in the kitchen. John Besh said he wanted to eat a whole pan of her sweet potatoes. (I’ll save for another day the story of the time she managed to both burn Mom’s birthday dinner and shatter several pyrex dishes all in one evening.)

PUMPKIN RISOTTO**

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin

1 cup Arborio rice

4-6 cups of Imagine brand ‘no chicken’ stock

¼ tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper to taste

Flour to sprinkle

¼ cup soymilk creamer (if desired to add creaminess to
finished dish)

1 bunch of fresh sage, sliced into ribbons, 1 tbsp butter for
garnish

Combine stock and pumpkin puree in a medium saucepan and keep hot, but not boiling, over a low flame. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan, add onion and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and thyme. Add
in rice and sauté for 3-5 min, not allowing it to brown, stirring frequently. Next, add 2 full cups of stock, stirring constantly until all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add stock a ½ cup at a time, until all stock is absorbed, always stirring. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil (and/or soy creamer if desired) stir until smooth.

For sage garnish: melt 1 tbsp of butter in small sauté pan, sauté sage until thoroughly browned and crispy.

**We made ‘risotto cakes’ on the show. They didn’t work! In the judging segment (the portion they didn’t air!) Michelle Bernstein (whom I adore) recommended that we form the cakes on a baking sheet, without the flour, and refrigerate them for 30min-1hr and then flour them just a tiny bit and pan fry. It changed the way I cook. It’s so simple. Now, I don’t make a burger/patty without allowing time for them to set in the fridge. Thank you, Chef Michy!

30 and counting.....Fall Apple Slaw and Pumpkin Pizza.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:04:00 +0000

FALL APPLE SLAW**

4 fuji apples

3 granny smith apples

2 11 oz cans of mandarin oranges, drained

½ cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup canola oil

3 tbsp pomegranate infused red wine vinegar

For dressing:

Whisk together oil and vinegar, set aside. Whisk again just before dressing slaw.

For slaw:

Chop apples into matchsticks using knife or mandolin slicer. Add pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries. Pour dressing over fruit and gently toss until completely coated. Once the slaw is dressed, gently toss in mandarin oranges. (they’re very fragile and tend to fall apart with too much tossing)

**We came up with this dish as a way to add something raw and fresh to a predominately heavy, savory meal. It’s absolutely beautiful. You could just toss all the fruit together and leave it at that. It almost doesn’t need a dressing. I’m thinking of adding toasted walnuts. We had to fly with our own pomegranate seeds. We ‘imported’ them in a lunchbox and nearly didn’t make it through security.

PUMPKIN PIZZA**

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

8oz chopped pecans

For cookie crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla, stir well and add to crumb mixture. Stir with a fork until moistened. Shape into a ball and chill at least 1 hr. Spread flat onto a lightly greased pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 min, until golden brown. Let cool before adding topping.

Pumpkin “Fluff” Topping:

1 15 oz can of unsweetened pumpkin

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 8oz container of whipped topping

White chocolate for garnish

Combine spices and pumpkin and set aside. Next cream 1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese and whipped cream with mixer, beat until smooth. Fold in pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 min. to set.

Spread fluff on cooled cookie, garnish with white chocolate shavings. Cut like a pizza!

**The 'Fluff' stands alone as a great dessert. It can be served with graham crackers to dip. Or you could put it in those tiny tart pie crusts. Just be sure to label it on a buffet. We once had a guest at a Christmas party think it was hummus and try to dip a chicken skewer in it. Sheesh.

30 and counting.....Turkey and Oyster Stuffing (ok, not vegetarian, but still tasty)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

MY MOM’S BEST TURKEY**

For the Brine:

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

5 bay leaves

2 tablespoons black pepper corns

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon rubbed sage

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

Dissolve brine in 2 qts. Boiling water. Once dissolved, add in 1-2 qts. more water (depending on size of bird. Place turkey in a large Ziploc storage bag or baking bag, and when the brine is cool (you can add ice cubes to speed process) pour over the bird and make sure it is entirely covered. Let bird sit in brine for 12-24 hours. Remove, rinse and roast normally.

Roast in roasting pan or bag for 4hrs at 325 degrees.

For Gravy:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet, add 2 tablespoons of flour, stir until blended and begin adding, liquid from turkey and follow with stock from giblets. (Giblets cooked by covering with water and adding about 1 small chopped onion, salt and pepper) Stir gravy until thickened over med/high heat. Reduce heat, add chopped meat from neck of turkey, salt and pepper to taste.

**Just so you know, the judges said that Mom’s was one of the top two turkeys of the day. Take that, deep-fried-burnt-turkey-winning family.

OYSTER STUFFING ala BRENDA**

2 bags of soft cubed stuffing mix

1 pt. of fresh oysters chopped

1cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped onion

2 tsps ground sage

1 tsp. ground thyme

1 cup of butter

1 cup stock (chicken, turkey, or vegetable will work)

Melt the butter in a large frying pan, sauté celery and onions until clear and softened. Add the cubes to the mixture and the sage and thyme, turning it over and over until coated, add the oysters and liquid, stir up well and add water if needed for moisture, Mixture should be soft but not mushy cook for a couple of minutes and when the cubes begin to brown, transfer mixture into the turkey to stuff,

Place the remaining stuffing in an 8 x 8 sq. pan and cook for 35 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees.

**John Besh LOVED this stuffing. Go, Mom! Funny story: We forgot to put the oysters on our ingredient list for the Food Network to shop for us. (There was and INSANE amount of paperwork and very little time to complete it all.) We realized at 11pm the night before the competition. Chef Dan, head of catering for the day, came through - in spite of a debilitating, potentially fatal shellfish allergy - and somehow got us perfect oysters in lovely, landlocked Denver, CO.

30 and counting.....Vegetarian Green Bean Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:36:00 +0000

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has watched Food Network Challenge: Thanksgiving Family Feast. The response has been overwhelming. I can honestly say that for my mom, Becca, and me, it has been one of the most fun and rewarding things we have ever done. Who knew that those 3 days in Denver would turn out to be so amazing. Forget Christmas, forget my birthday, I am a Thanksgiving girl forever more.

Our recipes will appear hear over the next few days. Make them your own and eat them in good health! Happy Thanksgiving!

VEGETARIAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE**

For the topping:

4 Leeks, thinly sliced

6 cups canola oil

For the casserole:

2 tbsp + 1tsp of kosher salt

1 lb fresh green beans, washed, ends snapped, halved

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

12 oz crimini mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 cup vegan ‘no-chicken’ stock

1 cup soymilk creamer

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Topping: Heat 6 cups of canola oil. Deep fry leeks until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Casserole: Bring 1 gallon of water and the 2 tbsp of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Blanch beans for 5 minutes. Drain and place in ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside for later.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat. Sautee mushrooms, 1 tsp of salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and nutmeg. After a few minutes, sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour over the mushroom mixture. Stir and cook for another minute, then add ‘no-chicken’ stock. Let simmer 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat down to med-low and add soy half and half. Let thicken, stirring occasionally, 8 or 9 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add a portion of the leeks, leaving enough to sprinkle over the top after baking (about ¼, as you like it) Bake until bubbling, 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining leeks. (The leeks will be extremely ‘fragile’, so there is no need to bake them on top. Feel free to make extra to have on hand to sprinkle as desired.)

**This is based on Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole. I vegg-ed it up and swapped his onions for leeks. It really is fantastic. You may never go back to the canned stuff!

Happy Thanksgiving Family Feast, Food Network!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:54:00 +0000

Back in June, I was laid off suddenly. I was told on Friday not to come back to work on Monday and in the frenzy of feared unemployment, I got online to look for anything I could possibly do (within reason) to make money. I stumbled on a posting for Food Network Challenge. They were looking for interesting Thanksgiving stories. I sent them the following email, and the rest is history:

Hello, Food Network Challenge! (I'm a big fan! The worst part, by far, is having to move those gigantic cakes to that darn judging table. Sheesh.) Here's my Thanksgiving story (pictures attached) :

When I was a kid, I remember getting into the car and trucking up to Culpeper or Flint Hill or Front Royal, Virginia to have Thanksgiving dinner with my great aunts and uncles on my Dad’s side, The Cooks. These dinners are all kind of a blur of Uncle Bob, who had a glass eye, several small dogs and cousins, and my Grandma & Granddaddy, whom I adored. There is a ‘famous’ picture of me as a tiny girl, sound asleep down my Granddaddy’s chest, while he’s reclined in a Lazyboy, watching the TV at one of these get-togethers.

As we grew older, we had Thanksgivings with my Mom’s side of the family and at our own home. We always ate at 2pm, sharp. I remember my brothers and sisters, disappearing every year to nap, leaving me to do the dishes. In the early 90’s, my parent’s divorced. From that point on, my siblings and I spent Thanksgivings mostly with Mom. One year we had a huge shrimp feast to break up the monotony.

I went off to college in Syracuse, New York, and made the trip home for Thanksgiving every year, driving 8 hours down Interstate 81 to eat with the fam. In 2001, I moved to New York City. I literally have not been home for Thanksgiving since. I have spent the holiday with friends, as we city-dwellers do, eating someone else’s version of turkey dinner. I have cooked for myself, my roommate at the time and her boyfriend, dinner for 3. (I think I cheated and made a chicken that year instead of attempting a turkey in our tiny 6 floor walk-up, where the kitchen, living room, and dining room were one in the same.) I spent a few with a long-time boyfriend’s family, eating Swedish variations on traditional T-day foods.

Two years ago, I moved to sunny Los Angeles with my younger sister, Becca. Thus began the Sisters Cook Thanksgiving Tradition. So far, Thanksgiving for us means green bean casserole (with the French’s Onions on top. Once, Becca ate half a can that I had reserved for the topping while I wasn’t looking.), mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch, and sweet potato soufflé. Our first year in LA, I made an herbed turkey breast. I have since become a vegetarian and my focus has shifted to the all important side dishes, attempting cornbread, homemade stuffing, salads, etc. And of course, we make pumpkin pie for dessert.

I make the green bean casserole, usually from canned green beans and canned mushroom soup. This year, I made Alton Brown’s AMAZING Best Ever Green Bean Caserole, and I will never go back! (It was a big hit.) I also make the mashed potatoes and gravy, using real butter, roasted garlic, and ‘no-chicken’ broth. Becca is in charge of sweet potatoes. She is the queen. It is her signature dish, one of the only things she can cook, and she always knocks it out of the park. The secret is in the whipping of the sweet potatoes (and in the enormous amount of marshmallows on top). We top it all off with canned cranberry sauce. I am fully capable of making the real deal, but Becca loves the shape and the amazing ‘Schlllllup’ sound it makes when it’s released from the can onto the plate. Who am I to deprive her of that?

Our first year in LA, it was just the two of us. Last year, we ate with our dear friends, the Caskeys. The point for us, food aside, is to be together. We are a little satellite branch of our big family, all the way out here in California. It can be very lonely to be so far from home, especially on holidays. But, we have each other, and that has proved to be our biggest blessing. One tradition we keep from our childhood Thanksgivings is to go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. I’ll tell you now, I am thankful for my sister and her willingness to jump in with me and create our own story, our own traditions. I’m also thankful that she’s around to eat the leftovers. Trust me, thanksgiving recipes don’t come small, we cook for two and eat for ten. Thank heavens, I don’t have to face it alone.

Thanks for your consideration!

Sincerely,

Sarah Cook, Older sister - The Sisters Cook

***The recipes from our episode will be posted this week. Check back!

30 and counting.....on God knows what.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:33:00 +0000

Call it a good imagination. Call it creative visualization. Call it any ‘–ation’ you want, I have somehow backed myself into a corner here.

I love a good gut instinct. I love a sense of certainty. Fate. My God, if I had a dime for every silly poem I’d written between the ages of 15 and 17 about Fate, I would not have needed student loans. I took 5 years of Latin. The Three Fates were my favorite part of it all.

I have made big decisions based on the tugging of my gut. I have suffered from going against her. The times in my life when I’ve been most unhappy, I have known deep down inside that I was miserable because I wasn’t listening to what she was telling me.

In the past, she led me to great things. Love, success, opportunity. However, as I’ve gotten older, and life has not presented me with all the things my gut said it would, I have begun to….supplement her whispers. I have tried to take the reins myself.

I have created a monster.

You name it; I can convince myself that I want it. Not only do I want it, but I want it with the kind of bone-deep certainty that can only come from, you guessed it – Fate. Long lost loves on foreign continents – go for it. Move across the country, and back again – yes, brilliant idea. Become a doctor, lawyer, Indian chief – it’s what was you were meant to do. On an average morning’s commute, I am able to create the most perfect lives for myself. I am so convincing that I can’t tell where reality ends and fantasy begins. And when whatever I’ve convinced myself of doesn’t materialize it’s, ‘Oh, well. On to the next destiny, I’ve got plenty.’

Now, when I really need clarity based on fact and reason, there is no reason to speak of. Who knows what I really want? Who knows what’s right?

I know what you'll say. You'll say, 'Don't be so hard on yourself.' ‘We’re all in the same boat.’ 'Go with the flow.' 'It’ll all work out in the end.’

Well friends, the one thing you can't say anymore is, 'Go with your gut.' My gut has left the building.

30 and counting….verification nation.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:04:00 +0000

When I post links to my blog, I have to type in one of those internet verification codes. Usually I just hurriedly type the nonsense words and get on with my posting.

Call it another way to procrastinate, call it too much time spent online; but, the day ‘trinity misdeed’ popped up in my security box, I started to pay attention. Just who writes these things? ‘trinity misdeed’? Is this a
Da Vinci Code reference? ‘sandbank Mass’? Does someone need a vacation?

I began to picture a guy, large and clammy, bent over a desk littered with stacks and stacks of papers. There are empty cups and coffee rings on every surface. His shirt is yellowed with sweat and desperation. It’s dim and dank with only a buzzing fluorescent tube for light. Sweat beads on his upper lip as he mumbles to himself and relentlessly cranks out some sort of broken memoir/manifesto. He’s more than just the CAPTCHA guy, damn it, he’s got something to say to the world. The following is a list of the insanity/inanity that has followed:

cherished debtor

herd maharishi’s

Gauguin Studio

aborted Maxwell

cubist lair

nonwhites penknife

loves lyme

Amanda at

Sylvia trip

shepherd cabin

porcine Rosenblatt

gripping new

Based on my analysis, we are dealing with a fallen Catholic (‘trinity misdeed’, ‘herd maharishi’s’) art-loving racist (‘Gauguin Studio’/ ‘cubist lair’ + ‘nonwhites penknife’) anglophile (‘loves lyme’) who may or may not want to kill himself (‘Sylvia trip’=Sylvia Plath + ‘shepherd cabin’, i.e. heaven, as Jesus was a ‘shepherd’= possible self-harm, if you follow my logic). I’m not even going to touch ‘aborted Maxwell.’ Is ‘porcine Rosenblatt’ a dig at a heavy-set Jewish boss?

I’m sure that CAPTCHA’s are computer generated. I’m sure that my sweaty recluse does not exist outside the walls of my procrastination fantasies. Still, how can you re-type ‘untruth L.I’ and not take a moment to wonder……

*thank you, Erica.

30 and counting....Recession Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

It’s no secret that my sister and I live on a budget. Dave Ramsey is something of an icon at our house. So, as I’ve mentioned before, each week we head to the farmer’s market with our $20 allowance for vegetables and fruit. Lately, we have been getting squash for $1/lb. All kinds of squash: zucchini, yellow squash, satellite squash, little Italian squash, you name it.

The other night, due to budgetary constraints, I was faced with a few onions, a few cloves of garlic, and squash. There was literally nothing else. (Ok, there was peanut butter and one can of chick peas. Not the most inspiring ingredients.) What to do, what to do? Sautéed squash all by itself didn’t seem like enough. Turning the oven on seemed like a waste of time and energy. Should we eat it raw? No thank you, too sad. So, with thoughts of the Great Depression and stone soup on my mind, I got out my biggest pot.

First, I chose a large onion from the bunch and chopped it up. Knowing that all good things start with an onion sweating in a pan, I threw them into the pot with a heaping tablespoon of olive oil. Next, a clove of garlic. Once the onions started to soften up, I threw in all the squash I had (about 2 lbs, chopped into manageable chunks). I cooked the squash with the onions and garlic for longer than I normally would when making soup. Since I didn’t have vegetable stock on hand, I didn’t want to have to boil too long with plain old water. So, I cooked the squash until it was nice and soft, letting everything get a tiny bit of brown color even. Finally, I poured in enough water to just cover the squash/onion mixture. I added salt and pepper, covered it all, and let it boil for about 10 minutes. I took it off the heat, and busted out the immersion blender. I added 2 tsp of dry thyme to give the soup some sort of point of view, and I finished it off with a little more olive oil (about a tablespoon) to make it smooth and creamy without the cream.

It was great. We ate every bit. Necessity is the mother of invention, as is poverty sometimes. It probably cost about 3 bucks to make, total. Thank god, because sometimes 3 bucks is all we have. I’d be willing to bet you could make soup out of anything this way. Water, onion, and a little ingenuity. Ah, Recession Soup, food for the starving wallet.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1-2lbs squash (any variety), chopped into medium chunks

1 clove of garlic, chopped

Water to cover

Olive oil to sauté and finish

2tsp dry thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

30 and counting....how to get a second date.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:33:00 +0000

I was on a date last week*, and my dining companion asked me, “Are you SAG?”

Totally normal question. We live in LA, we’re all actors, no big deal.

However, what I heard in error was this: “Are you sad?”

No big disconnect. Sad/SAG, very similar in sound, just that subtle difference in the final consonant.

Here’s the kicker: “Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

Yes, I am sad, thank you for asking. Luckily, I caught myself pretty quickly and said, “SAG? I’m sorry I thought you said sad. (insert nervous laughter here) No, no, I’m not in SAG.”

Are you sad? And if that’s what I heard, why didn’t I try to cover? I mean, I want this guy to like me, right? I thought maybe he was going to say something about how if I was sad this certain movie would make me happy, or maybe he thought I, as a sad person, would especially appreciate this certain book.

I am not sad. I am……in transition, perhaps. I am not sad. I went to Las Vegas and danced last weekend. Sad girls do not dance.

I think it has something to do with default settings. Somewhere along the line, I picked up the notion that sad is better. Sad is cooler. Sad sees the world in a way that other ‘happy’ people couldn’t possibly. When I was a kid, I was as dark as a girl in the marching band getting straight A’s could be. I reveled in the ‘My So-Called Life’/‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ brand of angst.

I carried this idea with me to college, gained 40 pounds, slept away 2 years, cried, and died my hair that awful eggplant color of girls lacking a real identity. I moved to New York and was shocked to find other girls crying in subway cars. I always thought I was the only one.

In hindsight, I think 90% of it was self-perpetuated. I wanted to be that girl. I wanted to feel something more. I wanted to be special. What else did I have? I wasn’t rich, I wasn’t particularly successful, I didn’t have a lot to show for myself. I had ‘sad.’ I couldn’t see my way around it.

At the end of my twenties, I shed all that. Several self-help books, a little heartbreak, and a cross-country move later, I consider myself a happy person. Now that I’m all grown up, I find that I am only truly sad when I go against the grain. When some part of me knows I’m doing something I shouldn’t. I don’t mean, ‘I’m sad when I say curse words’ or ‘when I eat ice cream’. I mean that I’m sad when I am in the wrong place. I’m sad when I know I’m not doing what’s right for me.

Am I SAG? No, I’m not. Am I sad? Nope, I’m not that either. See, now, wasn’t that easy?

* This blog in no way reflects the author’s opinion of the date itself. She went on to have a lovely time and hopes to have another date in the near future, should he decide to ask her out again. She promises not to exploit their every conversation on the internet.

30 and counting....radio cures.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:45:00 +0000

This morning while I was running, I heard Kanye West’s ‘Homecoming’ (featuring Chris Martin). My sister put it on a mix she made for us to drive around LA to. I like it fine, as I like all the stuff I’ve heard by Mr. West. (My Mom actually does a pretty great rendition of ‘Golddigger’) But, I’d kind of dismissed it as just another song about a hip-hop girlfriend. I usually think more about Chris Martin when I hear it. So handsome, sigh. Anyway, you see how I could have missed the song’s intended meaning.

Today, I was tuned in I guess, because when I heard Kanye say ‘my name is windy and I like to blow trees,’ it hit me. The song is about the windy city…..CHICAGO! His home town! Suddenly, I’d found someone who was lonely for home just like me! Oh, Kanye!

(Call me crazy, but in passing I’d always thought that the line about blowing trees was some sort of marijuana reference.)

I know this revelation is probably something of a ‘Duh’ to anyone else who’s ever heard the song. I mean, he starts out by saying ‘Chi-city’ like nine times. But I haven’t bought a cd since the days of the discman, and most days I listen to NPR or the country station.

I kept listening as I ran. He raps about Chicago like it's his childhood girlfriend. “I met this girl when I was three years old and what I loved most she had so much soul.” In spite of all his impulse control issues, I gotta give him credit. That's good stuff. I laughed, I got a little teary-eyed, and it kept me running. It takes a good song to accomplish all those things.

I know, I know, he’s no John Lennon. I’m aware that music today is in a sad state and it’s probably a stretch to find significant meaning in any of it. Maybe I’m just homesick and seeing everything through that filter. I have to say, though, there is nothing like a perfectly timed pop song to take what you're feeling and say it in stereo.

Next up: How Matchbox 20 saved my marriage