Pint night!

I'm officially hopping on the Green Monster train, albeit minus very many supplements, for now (though I do have my dad out on a flax-procuring errand). This one is a banana (frozen, because I never manage to eat the whole bunch when they're fresh), half a small can of crushed pineapple (an artifact from when we used to have roommates), about a cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze, and a couple handfuls of spinach (it was a shockingly-low $1.99 at the Lucky near my parents' house). It is delicious! I love that I am able to get a whole mess of fruit/veggie goodness and freak GP out simultaneously, and the fact that it is a tasty and cold treat is just the icing on the cake (oh, cake...I miss you, cake!).

What strange-looking but delicious foods are you a fan of? Any suggestions for my next GM iteration?

Whip It Up! "Guilty" Pleasures

So, friends, here is the thing: I am getting married in exactly three months. It is exciting and sort of terrifying, but the reason that I am mentioning this is because, well...even though my dress fits now, I am basically in full-on freakout mode as far as diet and exercise are concerned. As such, there is very little room for actual guilty pleasures (chocolate, cheese, wine...how I miss them!)-- I just have to be satisfied with healthful versions of things I usually gorge myself upon, at least for the time being. This led to a Facebook-status APB about healthified guilty-pleasure foods, and a friend-recommended recipe for "healthy" potato skins (disclaimer: I probably could have made this even healthier, but a girl needs some parmesan and real bacon every now and then, right?). The recipe is from some show on Lifetime called "Cook Yourself Thin"-- I've never seen it and probably never will, but do appreciate their selection of online recipes!

Healthy Potato Skins
Makes 2 servings


Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bag baby spinach
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 slices turkey bacon [I used real bacon...but it was center-cut, so there was slightly less fat]
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk [subbed with a nonfat milk/white vingear concoction-- a handy kitchen stand-in when you don't want to buy some ingredient that is totally single-use]
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil [skipped. Probably not necessary, but lube up if you like.]
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Process
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and onto an oven rack. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until fork-tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a deep saute pan heat the olive oil and cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the entire bag of spinach and scallions, cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.

[I have to share these pictures because I feel like wilting spinach is just. So. Magical.]

[Right?]

4. In another saute pan cook the turkey bacon until crisp and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces and reserve.

5. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool for 5 minutes. Carefully slice each one in half and scoop out inside of potato into a bowl. Add cream cheese, buttermilk, salt and pepper, and mash together until smooth.

6. Using a pastry brush, coat the outside of each potato skin with the vegetable oil. Fill each of the shells with the filling and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Transfer each skin back to the baking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the skins are crispy. Top with bits of turkey bacon and serve.

[Guess which ones are mine, and which ones are GP's. Now imagine my face when he asked me what "else" was for dinner. A big plate of shut up, that's what else!]

Now, the all-important WIU questions:
Was the recipe easy to follow?
Yep! The fact that the potatoes are baking while other prep is going on makes me feel like a kitchen maestro.

Did the dish taste good?
Even GP was satisfied-- and this man likes his meat! Meat-scantiness aside, I was really pleased, and didn't really find the bacon to be that necessary for the overall quality of the dish. It was really filling, and wonderful in the way that sweet potatoes always are (and believe you me, this new "being healthy" thing means that I eat a ton of sweet potatoes).

Would you make it again?
Sure would! I feel like this is a recipe that lends itself to endless variation-- in fact, I felt a little silly using a recipe in the first place, as I feel like dressing up a potato is best done free-form. But this case proved me wrong, as it was a great jumping-off point to what I imagine will be numerous versions of this dish.

Whip It Up! Holiday Food

When I initially started thinking "holiday food," there were definitely thoughts of turkey-cranberry-stuffing sandwiches dancing in my head (yeah, I get the holiday itch every midsummer), but soon after realized that, hello! There is this whole holiday right here in front of me! I love the Fourth of July-- the fireworks, the barbecues, the endless Sousa marches playing eeeeverywhere... We grilled with friends today, and here is what I made, via SparkRecipes.com (oh-- and our awesome meal was deliciously completed by a certain raspberry tart. So. Good.):

Black Bean Veggie Burger

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Notes: I used yellow bell peppers, because that's what I had on hand-- and I used the remainng half to top the burgers. Also, I ended up with seven patties, which seems a little crazy, given the stated yield in the recipe...but I am ok with the leftovers! Oh, and remember to spray whatever surface you're cooking on, because there was definitely a good deal of "Aw, crap, it's going to be destroyed!" going on.

Now, for the WIU questions...

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Certainly. I mean, you mush and mix and form things. There is a good deal of stickiness, but the instructions are clear and it is easy to prep.

Did the dish taste good?
Oh, yes! I am attempting to do this thing where I have only one "meat meal" per day, in an attempt to push myself into healthier food-- different proteins and whatnot, more colorful veggies, so I thought that this would fit the bill. I was pleasantly surprised that the "burgers" had a good amount of spice and, while they certainly didn't try to taste like meat, I think that makes me respect them more. Yeah, I respect the black-bean burgers. Shut up.

Would you make it again?
Sure would! We grill so rarely that I think it would probably be easy to bake or make these on the stovetop, so I imagine that future outings will only be more successful. (I ended up freezing four of the seven patties, so there are certainly more of these in my future-- GP is not buying into the "less meat" diet idea.)

Just another commute...

"...you know, drivin' back over the hill from Santa Cruz. Man, these winding mountain roads are so relaxing. Not at all treacherous or anything! And I'm sure none of the other drivers mind me swerving into their lanes-- it's like I'm just swinging by to say hello! Ahh, nothing like putting my foot out the window on a sunny summer Thursday to dial down that work-week stress..."

You guys. This moron nearly killed me today. Please keep both feet in your car when you're driving, even if you're driving an automatic and technically only need one.

The Way-Back Machine

Do you want to know a poorly-kept secret? I have been blogging for nearly seven years. Yes, sometimes sporadically, sometimes multiple times per day, all because I believe the world needs to hear what I have to say. Or, you know, read what I write. Whatever. This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers! "Looking Back," according to the 20Something Bloggers, means that you are to "flip out your blog and pick a post from your first 2 months in blog-land that shows your mentality and outlook from the onset of your blog." Because I have had four (yes, count them, four) blogs, including this one, through the course of my blogging life, I feel compelled to chart my sometimes-humiliating "growth" as a blogger. And so, in the name of community participation, I give you a look back...don't say I didn't warn you. (And hey, seriously, you might need some ice cream or a good, stiff drink when you're done. Thanks in advance, B&J!)

The olde-timey-est of them all was Someday We'll Know, started in the fall of my freshman year of college. It began auspiciously, with a one-sentence post:
"If Britney Spears and Fat Bastard were to have a kid, I'd like to think that this child would resemble Anna Nicole Smith."
It quickly became about much else, but mostly is a pretty good representation of who I was when I was 19 years old. It is mildly terrifying to think that that was nearly seven years ago.

Next came the Xanga, around the time that I realized not having any readers or commentors sort of sucked. Also around the time that I began to date the first Big Love of college (who, spoiler, completely destroyed me about sixteen months later). There was quite a bit of "squee!" as well as a good deal of our friend passive aggression. Witness:
"Ok, so I got to work until 1 today, but it's not as horrible as it sounds. I would have been up this late anyway, and Patrick came to walk me back, just so I wouldn't be violated as I trekked back to the dorms along Gayley. Good times, and I got to take some sandwiches back with me (yay for free food!)...oh, and I think I got titled tonight. It was kind of something that was understood, I think, but it's always nice to have clarification. And now, to climb up onto Cloud 9 (hehe, Erika...) and go to blissful, blissful sleep..."
and...
"Did you ever feel like, when certain people pop online and don't IM you, and you don't want to IM them because you're not sure if you'll get verbally decapitated, it feels like a staring contest? Think about it... Oh, and of course I have an individual (or two) in mind, but I'm much too passive-aggressive to name names."

Somewhere in the middle of the Xanga run began Tragic Maturity, a blog name that came out of an inside joke, and that I sort of regret not currently having (or at least posting on...it still exists, so whatever). Maybe I'll go back. Who knows. TM started around the beginning of Big(-ish) Love #2 of college, the fall of my junior year. This was the second year I was living in my sorority house, so here is a fun glimpse of how I felt about Greek life and technology (aw, remember when Facebook was just for .edu people?). Oh, and fyi-- it's pronounced PREEE-sents, and not like the ones under the Christmas tree.

"Presents and other debauchery

Last night was Presents, which is generally kind of debutante-sounding, even though the cutesy little part at the house during the day is followed by the most insane date party of the year. It's like this every year-- all the girls put on their black or white dresses (yeah, we're cult-y, but every house does it...so I guess that makes it ok) and pack onto too few school buses, get to the venue, and proceed to dry-hump their dates. Of course this year was no exception-- there were only two buses, so we had to triple up (or, in the case of my seat, quadruple. Not, fun, especially given that my and Mike's seatmates were making out and groping each other already.) The place was really cute, and a good deal of quasi-espionage had to be done to ensure that we got back into the Coolest Couch/Chair Thing Ever (ha, like putting your jacket on a seat will keep other, possibly intoxicated people from sitting there? Idiot.) Two Red Bull and vodkas and a gin and tonic later, I was just about ready to be home (not even necessarily mine, just someone's so that I didn't have to watch other people make out)...the "early" bus left a little after midnight, and I was on it.

Woke up before my "alarm" at 11 (ha, I got more than three hours of sleep last night!) and had semi-breakfast made for me (yes, I'm counting a bagel as breakfast. He made me an omelette the other day, so there.) Watched some thing about killer whales and seals and penguins on the National Geographic channel, felt old. I feel a little guilty about making him go out last night when he has a midterm today, but am really glad that we got to go-- I'll make it up somehow, I promise.

Technology is so fucked up. Last night I heard one of the girls talking with her date about how she's going to change her "relationship status" on her FaceBook profile to "in a relationship with ___" now because they're official-- as if the FaceBook profile is the thing that makes their relationship valid or legitimate. Even things like blogs (hello, Xanga, I believe you've become a little passive-aggressive, yet I'll still continue to update because I'm so OCD) have become this whole other dimension of relationships, making shit that was already confusing even more so. No one can be completely honest in a blog about a relationship, especially when the interest might be reading. How do you get around the "Ohh, I like him so much!" when that's a big part of what's going on at the moment? Ok, off to the land of truth-- the paper journal, which no one is allowed to read, although several have made attempts. Argh."

Which brings us to the Tea and Cake Time. Ready to create (or reflect, rather) my new post-college persona, I started semi-lamely, with a meme. Things quickly picked up, as I revealed myself to be quite the reflection of Stuff White People Like, encompassing at least NPR and Being Offended:

"Why I listen to NPR

Not just because I'm a bleeding-heart, West Coast-living, registered Democrat with a crush on Ira Glass...but also because on local radio, especially in the morning, one's ears are treated to scintillating segments (sorry for the alliteration, it flares up when I'm annoyed) such as, "Is It Gay?" Debate is then held over whether things like having personalized checks or being a male cheerleader is gay. Not that these people are social scientists, but I'm going to have to point out here that correlation is not causation. Thank god for Morning Edition!"
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A jaunt into Memory Town is always fun, so get on board, friends! Embarrass yourself in the way that only Past You can-- all, ultimately, in the name of ice cream!

Divorce, marriage...and tv

I was twelve-- nearly thirteen-- when my parents divorced. When they sat down with me and my brother on the deck of our house, whatever warm late-summer evening it might have been, telling us that they had decided to end their marriage after seventeen years, I was not surprised. More than anything, I was relieved. I'm sure there was a time when my parents liked each other, probably even loved each other, but that time had since passed, and now my dad had taken to sleeping on the couch. It was upsetting to watch them constantly be at each others' throats, and worse yet that the arguments managed to continue even after they weren't even in the same place-- there was a lot of under-the-breath commenting in the laundry room, in the car on the way to school, as one watered the lawn and the other, each just wanting out.

I write these things, of course, from the perspective of someone who has lived roughly half of her life with divorced parents. And I will repeat-- I was relieved. I knew, even then, that the marriage wasn't making either of them happy, and that it was beyond the point of being salvaged. I was relieved then and feel pretty lucky now that everything that followed went the way it did: my dad moved out, but never missed an opportunity to be around for me and my brother; my mom eventually remarried a man who makes her happy and truly cares about us, all of us, as a family; my once-broken and now reformed (mutated?) family that includes me, my mom, my dad, my stepdad, my brother, and a stepsister, regularly splits holidays and attends special events together, with no ruffled feathers or raised voices. I am incredibly lucky.

As GP and I move closer and closer to our wedding date, I am thinking more and more about the ideas I was presented about love and marriage growing up: love is a leap of faith, and marriage requires constant attention and nurturing. We are not religious people, GP and I, but we believe in love as if it were a prayer, an altar, a relic. I am not daunted by what my parents went through-- I am hopeful that I have learned the lessons available to me on both what to do and what not to do. I will be the wife that I want and need to be...minus the occasional disagreement over taking out the trash (boy chore!) or washing the dishes as a team (just leave me alone, it gets done faster that way!).
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And yes, of course I have to comment on the media-saturated divorce of Jon and Kate (of "Plus Eight" fame). I became a fan within the last year, but loved to watch all! those! cute! kids! Also, sometimes Kate would remind me of my mom, all Type-A and whatnot. It was easy to see how their marriage would be challenging-- twins before even a couple years of marriage, and eight children before either of them was thirty would be enough to drive any couple apart. It was hard to watch last night's "special announcement" (which-- come on, there is the internet now, how are we possibly going to be surprised by this news?) episode because, in separate interviews, neither of them took any of the responsibility. "I'm here for the kids," each said. And me? Well, Jon and Kate, I am here to call bullshit. I would have loved to have seen them at least attempt to talk about their problems together (hey, like grownups!), and am sort of dreading the episode when they tell the kids about it (you know it's coming! It's going to be awful!). Did you watch? What did you think?

Summer adventure!

Summer cooking is a tenuous topic in our house-- GP has some sort of hereditary mandate to be constantly on top of the temperature of the apartment, and as such is pretty grumpy about some of my cooking methods. Coupled with the fact that we are not allowed to use the perfectly good grill that occupies a good quarter of our balcony (stupid county fire code!), this means that I have to be pretty crafty about our summer dinner menus. Enter an old friend-- Whip It Up! You may remember that, last summer, a sizable group of bloggers began the challenge of cooking and sharing meals...and it's coming around again! Details? I has them.

This year's challenge will run from June 28 to August 22, and just in case you've slept since last year's challenge, here's a reminder of the rules!

• Cook! Each week you must cook one "new to you" dish. As we did last year, we will have a theme for each week, however, the themes are a suggestion only. Feel free to run as far as your imagination will take you. The only hard and fast rule remains that you must never have cooked the dish before!

• Post! Post your recipe, a photo and a wrap up on your blog. The post can be as short as you like, just remember the three basic questions. Was the recipe easy to follow? Did the dish taste good? Would you cook it again?

• Email us! Email your permalink to [whippingitup at gmail dot com] so you can be included in the wrap up. Wrap ups will be on Sunday this year instead of Fridays in order to allow everyone to get their entries in.

There will be prizes again this year too! Everyone who successfully completes the challenge will be entered in a raffle to win one of 3 prizes.

So, you guys, even if you haven't before...get in on this! Sign up by June 22 by emailing the address above, and then get to the WIU headquarters to grab a badge, join the photo pool, etc.