Realizations

So it's Sunday and I have just survived Hurricane Irene. I decided to go over to my parents' place, rather than be along in mine should the worst happen, but honestly, with the exception of the constant TV news footage blaring in the background and infiltrating my dreams, this just felt like a normal storm.  Anyway, it was before and during this storm that I had a bunch of realizations.

It's almost September.
I got my train pass in the mail and couldn't believe that September is a few days away.  I'm no longer in school, but September always feels like the "start." It also means that I need to get my fall vacation plans in the works.

Cooking is not so bad.
I do like trying recipes...shocking. Forcing myself to cook every week made cooking easier.  I'm experimenting and cooking (not just baking) for others. I've made dinner for daddy a few times and earlier this month I made a balsamic marinade, which I used on chicken breast that I then grilled and prepared a BLT pasta salad for a picnic date...yes, a date DATE.

I like watching food shows, but I think I'm tired of celebrity chefs.
The way that people talk about celebrity chefs is really too much.  I watch shows on Fox, Food Network, Bravo and I think the amateur/not known chefs and contestants are talking about how great these celebrity chefs are and know they haven't tasted their food.  And let me say, I've been to a few restaurants owned by celebrity chefs and rarely have been WOWed.

I think wearing thongs/g-strings with jeans is ridiculous.
I saw a woman at the gym and she was slipping on her jeans over a thong. Why do women do that?  Denim is the one fabric that is so tough that you don't even really need to worry about panty lines.  Denim is so tough that if you have a wedgie it's hard to pull out. BTW, I think g-strings and thongs basically should be called wedgies because that's how they feel.  And denim is so tough, that stitchings create bumps that could cause friction. Friction is not good and a little ol' thong provides no barrier, and may cause some other issues...ladies, I think you get my drift.

I feel embarrassed for the people who have to stand behind public officials during press conferences and briefings.
With the additional conferences from mayors, governors and other elected officials about the Hurricane, I've been noticing the people who stand behind them. For some reason, I just feel embarrassed for them.  I don't know why I feel embarrassed, but I do. I just imagine myself having to stand there and look interested and not scratch an itch or cough, knowing that I'm not going to say anything. I also imagine that they feel excited to be on TV and then I feel bad that they are excited by that. Sometimes it's clear who they are, for example the fire commissioner and the police commissioner. But who are are the other people? Why are they there?  Who tells them where to stand?  And if there are more than two or three standing back there, why? Do ten people need to stand huddled close together behind the public official? The official needs that much back up? Embarrassing.

So there you have it...five realizations courtesy of Hurricane Irene and only one semi-related to the great Hurricane.

Amateur Bakers' Code of Ethics***

One of the custodians at work was going around the office selling his cupcakes for a dollar. And I must say, as someone who bakes and brings in my goodies as a treat for my co-workers, I was turned off by his impromptu bake sale. 

First he started off by giving us a sample. Not a whole cupcake or a mini cupcake, but a 1/4 of a cupcake...Carrot/Apple Cake with a Maple Cream Cheese frosting.  I'm not one to pass up a free sample, but it didn't wow me. The cake was fine, but the frosting was too thin and I couldn't taste the maple flavoring, and I gave him this feedback.  He informed us that from now on, Friday would be "CUPCAKE FRIDAY"!

Friday rolls around, he comes up to my floor and starts bellowing, "Cupcake Friday...get your cupcakes!"And people bought them!  I was shocked.  I couldn't believe that people would just pay a dollar for this man's baked goods.  A dollar that wasn't benefiting a charity or his daughter's school, but was just going into his pocket. The next week he brought cupcakes on Thursday, in addition to Friday. This time the cupcakes were strawberry and people raved, said the frosting tasted like ice cream. Then on Friday he made blueberry ones that weren't baked very well and he knew it AND he said it, so he reduced the price to 75 cents. And my co-workers STILL bought them.  They complained about the taste and everything...so I had to say, "Why did you buy them?!? He said they didn't come out the way he intended."  No response from my co-workers.  I think Cupcake Friday carried on for a few more weeks and then it fizzled without a peep, probably because his sales weren't more than his expenses.

Here's what I feel.  I think Amateur bakers should not, on the whole, charge for their treats.  It's one thing if someone asks you to make a cake for a special event or bake a pie for a holiday, but charging for a cupcake (or any small baked good) is just inappropriate and ridiculous to me.  Bake and share because you you were experimenting and want feedback.  Bake and share because you have more than you need to eat.  Bake and share because you just want to give your colleagues a sugar boost.  But please fellow amateur bakers, don't just charge to make a quick buck off your colleagues.

***I started this post in April and am just finishing in August. Better late than never!

I'm cookin'!

As I mentioned a few months ago, I bought a place for myself and I'm living on my own.  This is the first time in six years that I've been by myself.   Being by myself isn't a problem.  I'm an only child...I know how to amuse myself and not feel lonely.  But for six years I didn't have to cook!  My mom made dinner most of the time.  The only thing I handled was my lunch and meager breakfast.  If I wanted to cook I could, but honestly the motivation wasn't there.  Occasionally I would put together a meal and I had no problem baking, but when I came home from work, there usually was something in the house for me to eat and the most I had to do was warm it up.

So I find myself in my new place and I have to cook.  I'll be honest, the first few weeks I started staying here, I ate my meals at my parents' place.  I didn't even want to plug in the refrigerator or stove because if I wasn't planning to cook, then those appliances didn't need to be sucking up electricity.  Eventually, the time did come for me to make a meal and I made quesadillas and guacamole. GUACAMOLE!! Yes, I made an item on my Resolution list.  Admittedly, it wasn't the best.  I didn't have anything to properly mash up the avocados, but the flavor was there and I ate it. ha!

Since then I've really been impressing myself.  I made coconut curried chicken with pineapple served over rice that was DA BOMB!  I tasted it and was shocked by how good it was...it was restaurant quality y'all!  And again, this was an item on my Resolution list.   

But I've noticed that even the scraps that I've been throwing together taste pretty good. Just today I had a very simple meal that consisted of a salad, a piece of Texas toast and something that I'll just call turkey stuff. LOL  It was crumbled ground turkey breast with onions, garlic and red peppers, then I added some tomato sauce. The meal was simple and yet so flavorful and satisfying! 

I'm no one's Top Chef, but I can hold my own in the kitchen and the more I do cook, the better I get. Soon I'll invite y'all over for dinner.  ;-)

Ok...I've got a Resolution

So I've been thinking about my New Year's Resolution, or rather I've been trying to come up with a resolution for 2011.  Last year my resolution was to make a new dish each month, and up until October, I did!  My items included a Pepper Steak, Spinach Stuffed Zucchini, Black Beans and Rice, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Two Pasta Dishes, and Mashed Potatoes.  Even though I didn't make something for the final three months of 2010, overall, I did cook more.  I actually make Black Beans and Rice on a pretty regular basis now.  So with that I mind, I've decided to focus on food again for 2011. 

This year, I will learn to cook dishes that I love to eat, but obviously, don't know how to make.  I'm not going to force myself to cook one of these each month, but the overall goal, before 2012 rolls in, is to cook all of the following:

1. Creamed Spinach
2. Pulled Pork
3. Guacamole
4. Macaroons
5. Tres Leches Cake
6. Coconut Curried Chicken
7. Enchilada Suiza
8. Tiramisu
9. Carmine Pizza (I'm determined to figure out a version of Bertucci's pizza that I can make for myself)
10. Baked Potato Soup

If you've got any recipes for any of these delectable items...send them my way!