She's Going The Distance

Fin

2012-07-23T22:29:00.001-07:00

While I've enjoyed creating this blog (and many of the yummy things within) it's time to move on.

I have been incredibly busy with my first year of grad school and have an even busier one ahead! Those of you who've read along with me must have noticed the drop off at some point. This also stopped being a silly little food/recipe blog somewhere along the way too. I just don't think I can keep up with it.

I'm sure another blog will come around in the future, with another fun theme to get me posting weekly. But for now, French poetry, German and Spanish in addition to life in general, is calling me away.

Thanks for reading! :)

International Summer

2012-06-24T16:31:00.003-07:00

This summer, unbeknownst to me, has turned out to be quite the international affair.

In April, I resigned myself to staying in the boiling Arizona heat all summer. Though, I was planning on driving back to California for a friend's wedding, then I figured I'd keep going up north to my parents' house for a week or so.

Well, in came May and I found myself in Puerto Rico with Paul's family, practicing my Spanish and (re)discovering that I love fruity island cocktails.

Then, two days later, moved! And then, a week later, crashed my car and had to turn the title over to the towing company... Now taking public transit and seeing a therapist for my back post-accident (which was very minor, thank God), I quickly realized I'd need to book a flight to the wedding, and my parents' house, and also... Portland for a long weekend. Talk about being a blur, everything has happened so quickly this summer, I've barely had time to breathe.

And then, a week after my accident, I got a call from my dad that my 103 year-old aunt in France passed away. My parents and aunt were planning on flying out to France the next day! By the end of the afternoon, I, too, suddenly owned a round-trip ticket to France leaving the following morning. I barely have had time to comprehend what has gone on this summer, but it's been a whirlwind.

We were able to attend the funeral in France and served as the only family present at the service. I got to practice my French a bunch, and picked up reading materials to use with my students in the fall. But more importantly, I got to speak (well, read a Psalm) at the Catholic funeral. It was beautiful and moving, as was the burial that followed. I am glad we all had the opportunity to go and be present. Ever since I was little, my family and I would go visit her every two years or so. That continued on until 2008, and unfortunately that was the last time any of us saw her. We waited four years too long to go back.

Another nice part of the trip was the amount of work some family friends put into the final arrangements. That gave us two days to get out and revisit some of our favorite spots in the South of France. My favorite part, however, was organizing all of our aunt's affairs and seeing everything she did in her lifetime. She had some amazing pictures, documents, travel brochures and trinkets.

I picked out two things I wanted to keep to remember. One is a scarf with her name on the back (standard procedure for the retirement home where she lived, and I fully intend on keeping it on the back!). I didn't realize until I unpacked at home that it was a Hermès. The other is a small, beautifully-decorated champagne box. It is smaller than a champagne bottle, but I think it might have been for corks, wine bottle openers or handkerchiefs? Either way, it is cute and serves as a nice paper/note holder on my desk in the French office. Something I can always look at and remember.

Even at 103, life is short. Cherish the time you have with your family. Even if you live on opposite ends of the globe. They're never less than a day away. And if you can, travel with your family! It's important and is something you'll never forget. 27 years later, I remember nearly every single trip I've ever taken with my family. And it's made me the person I am today; the girl who is living on one continent, and constantly dreaming about the next. I have every member of my family to thank for that, since they've shown me a deep appreciation for travel, family history, languages and the ability to move your family for the promise of a better future.

(P.S., I'm seriously learning German and plan on taking courses at ASU in the fall/spring)

Woody at the Weenie Races!

2012-05-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here is Woodstock's professional racing debut :) I'll let you see how he did...

...It was such a fun event; a bunch of friends came to cheer Woody on and help him run! We'll definitely come back next year :)

2012-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, I'm basically trying to skip a level of Spanish over the summer. I took an accelerated 101/102 hybrid class this semester and normally should enroll in Spanish 201 in the fall. However, if I take 202 in the fall, I can audit the Spanish conversation/composition classes in the spring and be considered "proficient" in a third language by the time I complete my Master's!

That said, with the help of some of my favorite linguaphiles, I've begun another blog. Each day (or semi-regularly), I'm researching 12 words in at least three different languages: 12 Daily Words

Check it out, tell your friends. And if you know any of the languages, please leave comments or suggestions for some of the vocab lists!

Baseball and Writing

2012-04-25T00:36:00.001-07:00

Baseball and Writing
by Marianne Moore

(Suggested by post-game broadcasts) Fanaticism? No. Writing is exciting and baseball is like writing. You can never tell with either how it will go or what you will do; generating excitement-- a fever in the victim-- pitcher, catcher, fielder, batter. Victim in what category? Owlman watching from the press box? To whom does it apply? Who is excited? Might it be I? It's a pitcher's battle all the way--a duel-- a catcher's, as, with cruel puma paw, Elston Howard lumbers lightly back to plate. (His spring de-winged a bat swing.) They have that killer instinct; yet Elston--whose catching arm has hurt them all with the bat-- when questioned, says, unenviously, "I'm very satisfied. We won." Shorn of the batting crown, says, "We"; robbed by a technicality. When three players on a side play three positions and modify conditions, the massive run need not be everything. "Going, going . . . " Is it? Roger Maris has it, running fast. You will never see a finer catch. Well . . . "Mickey, leaping like the devil"--why gild it, although deer sounds better-- snares what was speeding towards its treetop nest, one-handing the souvenir-to-be meant to be caught by you or me. Assign Yogi Berra to Cape Canaveral; he could handle any missile. He is no feather. "Strike! . . . Strike two!" Fouled back. A blur. It's gone. You would infer that the bat had eyes. He put the wood to that one. Praised, Skowron says, "Thanks, Mel. I think I helped a little bit." All business, each, and modesty. Blanchard, Richardson, Kubek, Boyer. In that galaxy of nine, say which won the pennant? Each. It was he. Those two magnificent saves from the knee-throws by Boyer, finesses in twos-- like Whitey's three kinds of pitch and pre- diagnosis with pick-off psychosis. Pitching is a large subject. Your arm, too true at first, can learn to catch your corners--even trouble Mickey Mantle. ("Grazed a Yankee! My baby pitcher, Montejo!" With some pedagogy, you'll be tough, premature prodigy.) They crowd him and curve him and aim for the knees. Trying indeed! The secret implying: "I can stand here, bat held steady." One may suit him; none has hit him. Imponderables smite him. Muscle kinks, infections, spike wounds require food, rest, respite from ruffians. (Drat it! Celebrity costs privacy!) Cow's milk, "tiger's milk," soy milk, carrot juice, brewer's yeast (high-potency-- concentrates presage victory sped by Luis Arroyo, Hector Lopez-- deadly in a pinch. And "Yes, it's work; I want you to bear down, but enjoy it while you're doing it." Mr. Houk and Mr. Sain, if you have a rummage sale, don't sell Roland Sheldon or Tom Tresh. Studded with stars in belt and crown, the Stadium is an adastrium. O flashing Orion, your stars are muscled like the lion.

(I just had my LAST class today, and I forgot to ever mention that we read this a few months ago in my Modern American Poetry class)

Summer (2012) is here!

2012-04-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

...almost.

Only one more paper stands between me and summer break! Although, it already feels like summer in Arizona, since it was 105 today (!!!!). I'm not ready for this. But I am ready for my summer break. This has been once of the busiest 9-month periods of my entire life. Grad school, teaching undergrad classes, plus two other jobs and I'm auditing Spanish classes in order to pass proficiency levels in a third language at the end of my master's program.

How am I doing all this?! Alcohol, coffee and sodas are not the answer. I've cut waaaaay back. Adrenaline perhaps?

In lieu of writing my final 8-10 page paper (I'm at a 6-page "English" outline), I'm going to talk about my first experience eating Chilean food. Today we had "completos italianos" a Chilean dish so named because all three toppings are in order of the Italian flag: tomatoes, mayo and guacamole. However, I opted for spicy mustard instead of the mayo and plopped it all inside a whole wheat bun.

Oh yeah, it was also my first time cooking/eating a tofu dog.... and it tasted pretty much like any other hot dog I've ever had before! Being semi-vegetarian/pescetarian has really opened my eyes to a lot of new flavors and products over the past five months.

COMPLETOS ITALIANOS (DE SOYA)

tofu dogs
whole wheat buns
1 tomato
1 avocado
mustard/mayonnaise

Grill the tofu dogs and season with salt and pepper, they will cook on the stove in less than two minutes. Toast buns and chop veggies in small, bite-sized pieces. Mash up the avocados. The correct serving order goes as follows: spread mayo/mustard on the bun before placing the hot dog inside. Then top the dog with guac, mayo/mustard spread and finish with the diced tomatoes.

Bon appétit.

I guess I should get to my final French paper, shouldn't I...

I can't keep a secret

2012-04-01T15:30:00.001-07:00

Excuse the absence, it's been so hectic for me teaching undergrads and working on a master's lit degree at the same time. I feel like I've been doing nothing but that since August (which is mostly true). But now that only 17 days stand between me and the end of my first year, I'm hardcore putting off writing my final French papers (three to be exact). I'll spare you the gory details about the comparisons I'm researching between French Symbolist poets and their American avant-garde counterparts.

So in the meantime, I have to let you in on a little secret. I want to move... back to Europe. So I'm looking at applications for the 2013-14 academic year. Number one on my list is currently teaching at a university in Bruxelles (où on parle français, parmi d'autres langues), and then next I guess would be teaching English in France, again. Whether or not I get in, and if so, whether or not I accept, it doesn't hurt to dream. I've never been to the Kingdom of Belgium before, and I'd like to visit, soon!

...P.S. this is in no way an April Fool's joke. Nor are these:

I'm getting very anxious awaiting the arrival of my birthday present, pink Vibrams!! Running is sort of back in my life again, I'd like for us to be friends once more :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day... wieners need love, too :)

Hope it was a good one! I'm 1/3 of the way through my second semester, after taking two three-hour exams the past few nights. Yay, grad school :)

Night xx

I'll be home for Christmas

2011-12-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

After two days of driving (logging a total of 13 hours in the car) I've safely returned to California! It's funny, I've done the Arizona-California drive about five times now and it seems to be less and less of a bother each time. God, I hope I'm not becoming one of those people who enjoys long car rides...

What I did enjoy, however, was the opportunity to bond with my sleepy little dog and break up the trip at my old stomping ground -- Santa Barbara. A few good friends still live near the beach so I stopped in for some time at the harbor, dinner, a late-night dip in the sap, brunch and serious time catching up with old friends! It was also Woody's first beach trip!

While I busy myself today with laundry, lounging and finishing up my remaining Christmas purchases, I leave you to enjoy various pictures I took from my short stay in Santa Barbara. College seemed like ages ago -- I would give anything to be able to live there again. Future PhD prospect, perhaps?! :)

P.S. I took all of these photos from my iPhone on DECEMBER 20!!! The weather was gorgeous, much nicer than Arizona's current temperatures, and it made me long to be back in California. At least I have until January 1 in my former home state! That should tide me over until my next holiday break.

Soft Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

It looks like all this "free" time over the holidays is lending itself to baking! I've been working collegiate basketball games, dedicating time to language-learning, reading and of course, playing piano.

The most recent recipe I stumbled across was for soft and chewy pumpkin cookies! I know it's the wrong season for pumpkin now, but after Thanksgiving I purchased a reduced-price can of pumpkin purée and this week, it finally occurred to me what to do with it.

Soft Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The recipe yielded around 20 massively large cookies. I was using a table spoon to shape my cookies, like suggested in the recipe, but eventually switched to the teaspoon because they were so huge! The cookies never became crunchy, since this is a soft cookie recipe, but more retained the texture of something akin to pumpkin bread. Perfection :)

So who cares if it's not pumpkin season anymore... dig in and enjoy some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

I'm learning...

2011-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Remember earlier this year, as part of my 52 new weekly resolutions, how I tried to teach myself guitar? I was doing alright, but massively struggling. Before I really started to get the hang of things, I snapped a few of the strings and they've been collecting dust ever since.

But now I have lots of access to pianos, and for the heck of it, have been tinkering around. I'm not going to go so far as to say I'm learning how to play piano, because I'm not. But I am getting super frustrated playing around with them, and am such a perfectionist at everything I do that I continue trying each day.

When I go home for Christmas next week that will stop. There are no pianos to be found near my parents' house. But there is my old clarinet I haven't played since the end of middle school or beginning of high school. Who knows, maybe I'll pick that up again... just like riding a bike.

I highly doubt it, seeing as how the hardest part about playing piano right now is reading sheet music. I used to be REALLY good at that back in the day and am pretty bummed I let that skill fade into the oblivion.

Here's to trying! And here's an embarrassingly terrible video of me "playing" piano :) This wasn't off sheet music or anything, I just kind of thought of it and put it together -- more like the song was stuck in my head all day so I had to try it out. If we're being honest, you should just skip the first minute. I'm pretty bad. But can only get better, right?? :)

P.S. Apologies for the French radio station playing in the background!

Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes

2011-12-06T10:04:00.001-08:00

Now that it's Christmas, I'm back to my old baking ways. Or maybe that can be attributed to my lack of motivation to study for finals.

Either way, I am DONE with grad school for the semester and have an entire month to ~~do nothing~~ create my lesson plans for the spring semester. We have a party in both my classes today, since it's the last day of class before finals week.

My contribution to the class party was not related to international languages or studies, as we are a multitude of international and foreign students. Instead, I had to go with the Christmas theme :)

Remember those mint chocolate chip cupcakes I made inspired by my favorite ice cream flavor? Well let's just say the only thing I love more is PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM. It's a tragedy such a flavor only exists from November to January. Try it if you haven't yet, you'll thank me later.

This ice cream essentially inspired my in-class treats this time around (I feel like I'm in elementary school again baking goodies for class parties, NOT grad school).

Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes (semi-homemade)

1 box of white cupcake mix
1 T vanilla extract
1.5 T peppermint extract
oil, eggs and water as stated on package directions
vanilla frosting
5 candy canes, crushed

Essentially, I just made regular boxed cupcakes (lazy, I know, but it's finals week!) and then added my own vanilla and peppermint extract. Cook according to package directions. When they cooled, I frosted the cupcakes and then garnished with crushed candy canes.

I can't wait for the class party to try these little guys. I've been so good -- for once! ...Is it 3:00 yet!?!?!

P.S..... Based on my limited income and cholesterol/blood sugar related levels, I am seriously considering following a vegetarian or pescatarian diet as soon as I finish all the meat in my fridge. AKA when I return from Christmas break. How's that for dropping a bomb at the end of a post?! :)

40 books and counting...

2011-11-20T21:12:00.001-08:00

I recently discovered that before obtaining my master's (and in addition to writing a minor thesis) I will have comprehensive exams to pass.

The exam doesn't seem so bad because we have to pick a list of books that interest us and submit it to the French department. From that list, they will draft three essay questions that we'll have six hours to answer. The only minor problem is that my book list will be quite extensive. I need to include 40 (!!!!!) titles on that list.

Being the student I am, I've already begun thinking about my list. I haven't read books in French for nearly five-plus years at this point, so I literally will need to get on this. My area of emphasis is modern/contemporary literature, but most French classes focus on the Medieval period to the 18-1900s. I've only read a handful of books that could fit under my area so I've certainly got a mountain of work looming ahead.

Which is why during Thanksgiving/Christmas break I've picked my first read: Marcel Proust.

I've never read any of Proust, but when I took a French Existential Lit class as an undergrad, he was referenced immensely. Rememberance of Things Past, however, will be quite the undertaking. The version I have (in English, let's be honest here) is over 1180 pages and that's just the FIRST VOLUME. It's a very, very vast piece of work. Who knows if I'll even be able to understand it.

For this reason, I'm begging anyone familiar with French literature for help. Any suggestions on authors/titles I should plan to add to my list or I should check out from the library? I'll take anything from the 1800s-onward. Doesn't really have to be relevant, I just need to come up with 40 books and be able to discuss them at length in the next two years...

....What have I gotten myself into?! :)

2011-11-17T10:15:00.001-08:00

At UC Santa Barbara I was fortunate enough to meet many (dare I even say hundreds?) of amazing people from all walks of life.

One of the first few people I met in the dorms was Lindsey. We ended up majoring in English together, taking similar classes and even writing/editing for the same two newspapers! Our paths even continued crossing post-graduation. Hers was one of the first blogs I'd ever read consistently. We both were avid travelers who spoke two languages and trying to find our places in the world. We really did have a lot in common.

When she moved to Chicago and a work trip took me out there in 2007, I was able to visit and hear about her life in the Midwest. But that's kind of where the story ends. After living in Europe, traveling and working the non-stop life that is sports, I got so busy I stopped following her blog. Then one day, I went to look back and realized she stopped blogging.

A shame, I though, that such a talented writer wouldn't have the time/desire/energy to do so anymore. I learned through Facebook that she finally moved back to California, sent a quick message and found out she was in grad school. I know first-hand that grad school is a MAJOR time commitment.

But then yesterday, I finally found out why I hadn't heard from her in a long time (other than my own time constraints).

I ran across this on the Internet/Facebook:

To say I'm astonished would be an understatement. So I dedicate today's post to you, Miss Miller. You are one of the most talented, genuine, strong, creative, ambitious, adorable people I know! I look forward to following your journey and I am actively following social media to see if you get your response from him!

My thoughts are with you every day. You literally are one of the strongest people I know, and this is not an exaggeration when I say I've always been impressed by you. Even as undergrads working late hours at the newspaper. When you moved back to Southern California, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you made it. Well, here you are. Do us all proud enjoying your dance in the limelight :)

(Read about her offer, here!)

French Friday...night

2011-11-11T23:19:00.001-08:00

I made a fantastic discovery tonight. It all happened because I believed there to be a Sun Devil volleyball game at 7 p.m. this evening. I was scheduled to work the game, planning on making dinner when I got home, but upon arrival realized the freakin game got pushed back to 8 p.m.....

My blood was boiling. I arrived so early and no one told me?! Determined to make something of my evening, I went wandering near the ASU campus in hopes of finding dinner. Even penny-pinching grad students need to eat, you know.

That's when I decided to stop in at a Middle Eastern restaurant and grocery I walk past almost every time I'm on campus. When I lived in France, I used to LOVE North African pastries and Middle Eastern cuisine. Understatement.

Anyways, I sat down, ordered the Falafel Deluxe Pita -- hummus, tabbouleh, falafel and tons of fresh mint with a large side salad -- and a bottle of guava juice before the waiter started chatting me up. I never know what language I'm thinking or speaking in anymore... it doesn't help that I'm about to start taking German next semester either.

He asked me where I come from originally and then what I was doing in Arizona... when it came up that I'm a French TA on campus. He FLIPPED OUT and immediately began speaking to me in French. It came up that he's from Morocco, I shared that I had lots of family in Morocco and we chatted on and on in French for a bit.

Long story short, he told me I had to come back and the next time I was not to speak to him in any English whatsoever. We're only going to converse en français from here on out... I also noticed my bill was much less than it should have been, by the way. In all, a fabulous outcome from what seemed to be a bleak-looking evening. It literally changed my entire mood around. And I will be back. The food was incredible! I could eat Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food every day of my life.

Granola French Toast: A breakfast worth the wait

2011-11-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while, but my "52 new things" have basically fallen off the face of the planet. Blame it on grad school, I guess. I have been keeping up a little bit, but definitely not as well as I was before week 30ish. Maybe in the future I'll update that page with my new adventures since grad school.

In the meantime, I've got a fantastic new recipe to add to my home made chocolate granola experiment! It's Chocolate Granola French Toast, one of the most amazing breakfasts I've made in a while. Click the link for the recipe if you're curious, but it basically just entails making regular French toast and then dipping it in a thick cover of granola. Cook away as usual. Just be careful not to burn the face of the bread...

Here is how the French toast looked the minute I finished cooking it on the stove:

And then I topped it with Greek yogurt, figs and blueberries (my inability to spell "fig" in English still plagues me even now, I keep wanting to spell it à la français (figure). Oh well, trust me, this was HEAVENLY, especially with the chocolatey granola:

And even still, I had granola left over for weeks! I ate it plain and of course, I ate it in copious amounts of breakfast parfaits. Especially after buying cute little mason jars <3

I'm definitely going to have to bake my own granola again soon. With colder weather approaching Phoenix (as in, 60-80 degree weather), it's time for hot coffees and warm breakfasts!

Nonsense

2011-10-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered an AMAZING French website. A German TA actually introduced us :)

I've shown several of these videos to my students, so enjoy!

C'est en faisant n'importe quoi qu'on devient n'importe qui (It's by doing anything that we become anyone.)

WHAT?! She lives?!

2011-10-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

Oh man, it's been sooooo long since I've blogged, watched tv, worked out, cooked, etc....

I'm up to my neck in full-time grad school, teaching French classes, MLB PLAYOFFS and working collegiate athletics. Oh and the non-stop revolving door of meeting new people :)

I love it. It's totally what's been missing in my life since moving to Arizona. But I did have a second of free time a few weeks ago. Of course I chose to spend my moment baking, this is me we're talking about here :)

The dish of experimental choice was Hefeweizen Cupcakes with Fresh-Squeezed Orange Cream Icing! ...semi from scratch! Although the "buttercream frosting" was extremely drippy and runny, it set nicely in the fridge for a crunchy top layer with a huge punch of orange zest.

Apologies for the tiny pictures, I'm a Mac user now so no more Windows Live Writer :(

For the cupcakes, it couldn't have been easier! I merely followed instructions for a box of white, vanilla cupcakes (egg whites, water, etc.) and subbed a cup of Shiner Hefeweizen for the water, and then added in a few tablespoons of orange zest. That was the difference-maker.

And here is a recipe I found for the orange zest buttercream. It didn't set for some reason on my end -- perhaps I can blame that on the 100+ degree weather -- but a quick pop in the fridge did the trick.

These cupcakes were absolutely delicious! Beer cupcakes complete me :)

French Friday: My brain is fried

2011-08-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

For the past few days and over the course of the next week, I'm knee-deep into grad school and TA orientation. During the academic year, I'll be teaching introductory French courses and pursuing a master's in French Comparative Literature (maybe modern/contemporary literature through the Italian and English departments as well).

Orientation is going very smoothly. I'm FINALLY meeting people. Foreign people. International students. Multi-lingual people. And it's making me so, ridiculously giddy. I've been speaking a strange mix of franglais (English-French hybrid). My brain doesn't even know what language to speak. I'm accidentally speaking French to the German and Spanish TAs and vise-versa.

IT.IS.AWESOME.

So, I leave you with some scenes from mon film favori: Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Enjoy!

@+ (à plus...or see you later),

Quick trips to Brazil & Sweden

2011-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Let’s talk international travel for a minute. I’ve done a bit of it myself and am highly addicted. However, I haven’t had the chance to travel nearly as much as I’d like, but it’s a start. While I am fortunate to speak French and visit family living in France, I’ve only ever been to Europe – France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland to be exact.

I’d LOVE to see other continents or continue exploring new European countries one day. Anyone wealthy want to fund my journeys? I’ll let you join me! :)

While I’m out of frequent flier miles and underemployment is keeping my finances stretched thing, my travel these days is limited to culinary journeys and armchair travel. Travel Channel, you are my best friend and also my biggest enemy! At least my mental “to see” list is growing.

This summer, for example, I have been to Sweden, Brazil and the African Sahara.

For J.D.’s birthday, he REALLY wanted to go to Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse. So we went and it was wild. Literally, I’ve never stuffed myself with so much meat in my life (that’s what she said).

The “salad bar” to start the meal with was exquisite. There were ridiculous aged cheeses, realllly old balsamic vinegars and the first cuts of meat we’d see all day. The veggies were crisp and fresh and I wanted to go back for seconds, but at $45 a person I was saving my appetite for the meat course(s).

Then when you’re ready, you take that little red disc and flip it over to the green side. Then you’re fair game for all the meat servers. They had about 16 different cuts and types of meats, and I felt awkwardly like I was in the middle of some foreign market. People with accents were shouting at us, trying to get us to taste their goods. At times, I felt bad turning one down in anticipation of what was coming right behind him.

But there were steaks, sausages, duck, lamb, chicken, you name it. It was all there. And on our plates. I couldn’t tell you how many times we had them come refill our plates!

And then before we knew it, we were full. I didn’t want to eat meat ever again. I wanted to become a vegetarian.

…But we all remember how I baked bacon cupcakes for his birthday. However, we couldn’t leave before the complimentary birthday dessert. Yeah, it’s not Brazilian, it’s French. But it never fails to please.

It was excessive, and delicious and wonderful. Just how a birthday smörgåsbord should be! Saved for special occasions, no doubt.

And speaking of smörgåsbords, you realize that is a Swedish word, right?! And speaking of Sweden, let’s talk IKEA. Do I really have to be so stereotypical?

Yes, yes I do. Two reasons: we made Swedish cuisine from a cookbook free from IKEA and I recently read and enjoyed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a book written by a Swede. One of my friends and I joked we’d make a drinking game for every mention of IKEA in the damn book. Clearly, he refers to it often.

On to the food. It didn’t look pretty, but it was delicious! I’ve also decided – and I can say this because J.D.’s family is Swedish – that most Swedish food doesn’t sound or look super appealing, but it’s tasty.

From the top, clockwise: coleslaw with carrots and cucumbers (vitkålssallad med gurka), baked cod (ugnsbakad gädda) and egg and cucumber baked rice. The fish is actually supposed to be stuffed with the rice, but we only had small pieces of cod and not large fillets of pike the recipe called for.

And now about the book. As I’ve already mentioned, I LOVED reading Dragon Tattoo. I’d recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat, with the caveat that it does get graphic. And bear in mind the original Swedish title is “Men Who Hate Women”, so that probably sets the tone for what you should expect when reading. I plowed through it in two days. Seriously.

And then I watched the Swedish movie version. It was horrible. It loosely followed the book and they skipped out on a lot of incredibly important details. But it was fun to watch a Swedish movie with subtitles. I still would like to see the English version which comes to theaters during Christmas. I really hope it follows the book more closely than the original Swedish version did.

While we’re on the subject of literature, I have one final recommendation for you. Read The Alchemist. It’s another book I devoured in two days that is less than 200 pages.

It mostly takes place in southern Spain and northern Africa. I think the reason I was so wrapped up in this story was due to the ongoing travel. Something my heart longs for as well. And it’s full of super cute one-liners and quotes.

The tale was so enchanting and well-written, that I was instantly transported to far away places and felt as if I were seeing many of the same scenes with my own eyes. As a lover of travel, that to me is an amazing book! The story is all about following your heart and dreams, no matter where they take you. I think that is a message anyone can support. And we shall finish full circle since the author, Paulo Coelho, hails from Brazil.

Now you understand how I’m getting my sense of travel and culture these days. Anyone care to join me?

Next time I’ll see you in Cuba, amigos!

…You know I don’t speak Spanish.

Shark Week is HERE!

2011-08-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, in honor of SHARK WEEK, I bring you memories from college:

For the record: I didn’t just drink in college. I did make Dean’s List all but two quarters ;)

I also regret my hair/fashion choices circa 2006. The puka shells were a nice touch. I remember wearing red for the occasion though…

Woodstock’s Pizza (no, my dog is NOT named after the restaurant) in Isla Vista and off the campus of UC Santa Barbara used to do a special tribute for Shark Week. At the beginning of August, the place would be adorned with large inflatable hanging sharks, red streamers, big screen TVs playing Discovery Channel 24/7, and of course, $2 “Blood Buds”. Amazing.

I think the campus of UCSB had some weird infatuation with shark. Must be due to the overarching surfer culture prevalent on our little beach college. During welcome week, the first meal they served us in the dorms was shark. I opted for the pasta and salad bar instead. Looking back, I think that was a smart choice.

Seeing as how I haven’t been to the IV Woodstock’s since 2007, does anyone happen to know if Shark Week happy hour is still going on?! :)

Happy watching!

Week 30: Infused alcohol

2011-07-30T15:58:00.001-07:00

Prior to this week, I’d never cut a pineapple. Others have done it for me and I’ve eaten pre-cut pineapple, but I never got my hands dirty while doing so. It scared me.

This week, I rolled up my sleeves and got down to business. Silly me, I didn’t even realized pineapples had seeds under their spiny skin! Fun fact for the day.

Once I had several pineapple spears, I cut them down farther and set out to infuse my own tequila. Yes, I started making pineapple tequila!

Infusing alcohol is pretty easy. Especially since luck would have me randomly purchasing small mason jars just the day before. In my quest to come up with something new, I browsed many crafty blogs and found a recipe for grapefruit vodka from Not Martha. Won over by this simple idea, I knew I could kill two birds with one stone and a.) cut my very first pineapple and b.) infuse my very first jar of alcohol!

All I did was fill the jar with pineapple spears and then topped off with lots of tequila (tequila and I aren’t really friends anyways, so why not make it taste better?). Note: When infusing alcohol, make sure to use the best quality you’ve got on hand. The fruit is only going to give it a hint of flavor, it’s not overpowering. In my case, the bf would have FLIPPED if I used all of our Patrón, so instead I went with a mélange of our remaining José Cuervo and then topped it off with Patrón ;)

As a tip for mild-flavored fruits (such as pineapple), most recipes I browsed said to leave the pineapple in the alcohol for up to two weeks. Then when ready, strain the liquid and use to your tastes.

After two days, I couldn’t wait to try it. I was so excited. So as soon as I woke up the second day, I took a spoon to my jar and tasted. What a horrendous idea that was. Even though it smelled like pineapple, it straight up tasted like tequila. I almost spat it out. Clearly it needed more time!

So four days later, I wanted to test it out in a beverage. My remaining pineapple was close to the end of its life and I honestly couldn’t wait any longer. So that pineapple tequila turned into this:

Yes, that’s a piña colada margarita! No I didn't have any mini drink umbrellas. Leave me alone for a few seconds while I pout.

Although it ended up being a lot more watery than I would have liked, the margarita tasted pretty darn delicious. And now that my curiosities have been satisfied, I still have 4/5 of the jar left to soak up more pineapple flavor. Then I can really enjoy it next week (though, who really enjoys tequila anyways?!).

Piña Colada Margarita

2 shots (4 oz) pineapple infused tequila
1/2 c fresh pineapple
1/2 c coconut milk
ice to thicken up
salt to rim the glass

Enjoy the warm weather this weekend!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2011-07-27T21:12:00.001-07:00

Yes, you read that right.

No, it wasn’t my birthday… but it should have been.

I freakin’ LOVE mint chocolate chip ice cream. And it’s got to be the green kind, not the cop out white minty variety (you can tell I’ve had a lot of experience eating mint chip ice cream before). In fact, if it weren’t for the holiday peppermint candy cane ice cream, mint chip would be the very top of my list. Thank God that stuff can only be found two-to-three months out of the year.

But I digress… let’s get back to my obsession with mint chocolate chip!

For the past week or so, I searched and searched for a decent cupcake recipe. After the success I had tweaking base recipes with peanut butter and lemon cakes, the mint thing couldn’t be that hard, could it?

Yes it could. The major problem I encountered with every recipe was that they were all chocolate-based cakes with mint flavoring and green mint frosting.

What I really wanted was green cupcakes that looked exactly like little scoops of ice cream. So I took matters into my own hands:

You’re lying to yourself if you don’t think those look like ice cream cups :)

Eventually I found a base for mint cupcakes (from the Sprinkles cupcake bakery!) and added my own touch.

I present to you:

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting

(yields 14 cupcakes)

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, sifted

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c skim milk

1 1/2 t peppermint extract

1/2 t vanilla extract

1/2 c (1 stick) butter

1 c sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 mini chocolate chips

green food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk and extracts; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture and food coloring; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended. Finally, by hand, fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

For the frosting:

3 c powdered sugar
2/3 c cocoa
1/2 c butter
1 t vanilla
1/3 c milk

Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Melt butter. Add butter and vanilla to sifted mixture. Stir. Add milk to get desired spreading consistency. If more milk is required, add by tablespoon at a time. Can store up to 3 months in the freezer.

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There you have it! Mint chocolate chip cupcakes that taste EXACTLY like the ice cream – only better because they didn’t melt. Not like I’d let them sit around long enough to melt, please!

Other than that, I really can’t tell you how freakin’ good these were. You’re just going to have to make them yourselves :)

Just send me some in the mail… I “gave some of mine to friends and coworkers” and ate the other half of the batch myself in less than a week.

(P.S., I didn’t realize at the time, but I accidentally bought gluten free graham flour instead of whole wheat flour. So, there, these just so happen to be gluten free cupcakes too. And they still came out exactly like I’d hoped!)

30 Books You Should Read Before 30

2011-07-26T21:02:00.001-07:00

Before I get into it, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

I'm in a slump. My "new things" are coming to a slow crawl. I feel like most of the things I've got left involve cooking or baking. While I knew my financial resources would be limited this year, this certainly wasn't what I had in mind!

Now that's out there, does anyone have any suggestions of things I could do that sound fun and interesting for the remaining five months this year? The cheaper, the better!

What I've got on my list:

go to a shooting range
donate blood (so scared, I always pass out even when I get my cholesterol tested)
buy something from a vintage shop
read Anne Frank's diary
make something crafty?
vlog (I don't actually have a camera... so that may be difficult ha)
try a hookah lounge

Like I said, it's my mid-year slump! Any non-cooking ideas would be much, much appreciated :)

Now on to the 30 before 30 list! (Maybe making some headway on this could be one of my goals?) I've got 4 years to go... think I can tackle it?

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
1984 by George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Rights of Man by Tom Paine
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The Republic by Plato
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Getting Things Done by David Allen
How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Bolded are the books which I have read in my 26 years of life... what a short list! If you want the full, gory details about the books I've read, check out my Goodreads profile!

(Need more? How about 100 books you should have read by college: I've made a major dent in this list! Thank my English and French literature degrees for that one.)

Week 29: Home made chocolate cranberry & toasted coconut granola

2011-07-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Every week in 2011, for 52-straight weeks, I hope to try something new and blog about it here. This is the 29th post in the series, when I finally made my own granola at home. Here you can find a list of all my weekly adventures thus far.

I’ve always loved granola. Especially when it’s incorporated into trail mixes with nuts, fruit and chocolate. But mostly chocolate.

One of my best friends from home always makes granola, and she makes it look so easy! When I visited her at UCLA one summer I was still at UC Santa Barbara, she made honey nut granola and we ate it like there was no tomorrow.

Since then, I’ve been telling myself I’ve always wanted to make granola. But, something about it scared me. And I have no idea why, because it’s one of the easier things a person could possibly make.

Chocolate, Cranberry & Toasted Coconut Granola

Adapted from Blog Critics

4 c rolled oats
3 T cocoa powder
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/4 c coconut flakes
1/4 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped nuts
1/3 c honey
3 T maple syrup
1/2 c almond oil
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Combine until oats are totally coated. Spread in a thin layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until a spoonful left to cool to room temperature is crunchy. Stir every 15 minutes for evenly cooked granola or leave unstirred for chunkier granola.

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Although I’ve been semi bed-ridden today, all I could think about was a bowl of this granola. For breakfast I dished out a bowl of plain Greek yogurt, sliced up strawberries and included a generous heaping of granola. I may have also grabbed a few handfuls to snack on.

So there you have it! Beautiful, chocolatey granola with a healthy serving of fruits and nuts. The cocoa powder is sort of subtle, it’s not overly chocolatey, but every now and then you get a bite of a white chocolate chip and it adds another layer of chocolate! If you’re crazy like I am, you could also throw in mini chocolate morsels prior to baking. Let’s be gourmet and call it triple chocolate granola then, instead of exposing it for the sugar overload it really is…

But come on, do you blame me?! I mean, I have been bed-ridden after all :)

Besides, I have grand ideas for this granola!