I just can't keep it together these last few weeks. It could be the uteri acting up, as they are wont to do every month. (Yes, I am aware that my anatomy does not contain multiple uteri, but it sounds funny. Also, do you know that puppies grow inside uterine horns? Is that not the weirdest image - imagine a friendly little uterus wearing a viking helmet.) It could be the promotion proposal I asked for last week, and still haven't heard anything about. (Yes, the HR director has been out of the office the whole week due to a death in the family, and my boss must discuss it with her prior to acting. Yes, I have good timing.)
Still, it's like i'm constantly doubting myself and on the verge of tears. I am crying too much - over weird things. It's bringing out all sorts of weird emotions in me. I thought I had my shit together a little more than this. Apparently not.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Grillin' Machine
We just moved into a new apartment with two very, very important features: a large outdoor deck (score one bajillion points for obtaining our own private slice of the outdoors in the city) and a spanking-new grill (score one point per use and we've racked up about 10 in the last two weeks). Pants said it best - having a grill and a deck changes your whole outlook on summer. I personally can't think of a better place to be than sitting in the sunshiney outdoors, smelling meat sizzling on the grill, with a freshly opened Oberon (or Sangria...I'm not picky) in hand. That's my definition of paradise, within the city limits anyways...
Having a whole new appliance gives this amateur cook a whole new set of ideas and experiments, the latest of which was pizza. Yes, grilled pizza - by no means my own idea, but my own first attempt at it. We have a gas grill (we have a wooden deck, and though I love the flavor of charcoal, I'm lazy, and don't like deck fires). What did I learn? First, high is too high - medium still achieves a nice char without turning too much dough black (I happen to like all the burnt, charred bits, whether pizza dough, cheese, true bbq burnt ends...anyplace where that magical carmelization happens). My standard pizza dough is stout enough to handle the heat (1.5 C flour, 1 t salt, 2 t yeast, 1/2 C warm water, 1 T honey, 2 T olive oil - proof yeast in water and honey, stir in oil, stir into flour/salt; let rise one hour, punch down, roll) - but next time I'll roll the dough thicker than i do when using oven/pizza stone - the dough's gotta have some body to withstand the direct flames. Throw small rounds on grill for few minutes, flip, top, close lid to heat through, move to warming rack and repeat with new rounds. Have all your ingredients ready to go - did somebody say mise en place? Be sparing with toppings - the grill is not the venue
for overstuffed pizza. Pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozz are particularly delicious. I had roasted some cherry tomatoes with garlic, shallots, and panko, and used these and some smoked gouda for another delicious combination (inspired by a Food & Wine recipe).
And one day I'll have the foresight to take some food porn photos for the blog - that really is my goal here, I suppose. But I still have my blog training wheels on. Plus, when you approach food like I do, sometimes you don't have time to grab your camera.
Having a whole new appliance gives this amateur cook a whole new set of ideas and experiments, the latest of which was pizza. Yes, grilled pizza - by no means my own idea, but my own first attempt at it. We have a gas grill (we have a wooden deck, and though I love the flavor of charcoal, I'm lazy, and don't like deck fires). What did I learn? First, high is too high - medium still achieves a nice char without turning too much dough black (I happen to like all the burnt, charred bits, whether pizza dough, cheese, true bbq burnt ends...anyplace where that magical carmelization happens). My standard pizza dough is stout enough to handle the heat (1.5 C flour, 1 t salt, 2 t yeast, 1/2 C warm water, 1 T honey, 2 T olive oil - proof yeast in water and honey, stir in oil, stir into flour/salt; let rise one hour, punch down, roll) - but next time I'll roll the dough thicker than i do when using oven/pizza stone - the dough's gotta have some body to withstand the direct flames. Throw small rounds on grill for few minutes, flip, top, close lid to heat through, move to warming rack and repeat with new rounds. Have all your ingredients ready to go - did somebody say mise en place? Be sparing with toppings - the grill is not the venue
for overstuffed pizza. Pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozz are particularly delicious. I had roasted some cherry tomatoes with garlic, shallots, and panko, and used these and some smoked gouda for another delicious combination (inspired by a Food & Wine recipe).And one day I'll have the foresight to take some food porn photos for the blog - that really is my goal here, I suppose. But I still have my blog training wheels on. Plus, when you approach food like I do, sometimes you don't have time to grab your camera.
Everything I Say is Boring....
So you can tell that I at first tried to be all serious, trying to imply that I'm concerned with all these timely, relevant issues and have numerous thought provoking, insightful comments about them. But I'm not, and I don't. I'm a goofball, a joker, silly, immature (in a good way, like I'm eternally 11 years old. well, it's a good way for me). I like to tell offensive jokes, assign off-color meanings to everyday phrases, and i can't help but giggle hysterically at puns. So maybe I want to come off as more serious and intelligent and BLAH sometimes, but I'm not really serious. I'd rather laugh, be a goof, and have fun. Besides, when you really start to look at things it's harder to laugh at the little stuff, and we've all got enough to be concerned with right now. Choose your pet issue, be it global warming, the war on terror, economic hardships, our pitiful educational system, or the categoric destruction of arts and music programs throughout the country. They're all vital, pressing, important issues that must be addressed. But man do I get bummed when I start to think about them, because then they all start spiraling around and become suddenly overwhelming. I'm not advocating ignoring the problems, but I think we can all make conscious efforts to do our part to address them. Besides, a bill in congress isn't going to fix depleted fish populations or deforested rainforest, but maybe thinking twice about what you're having for dinner will, especially if you can convince your neighbor to do the same. Getting mad everytime I see somebody driving a hummer, especially alone, isn't lowering gas prices, but maybe walking home from work a few days a week will - again, especially if you can get your friends to walk with you. Small motions in the ocean (i also love rhymes) start big currents, and huge movements begin with a single step. So start stepping. And laugh along the way.
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