blue artichoke

Geez, I'm getting tired of blogging. That's what happens when I get lazy and fall behind when there's a deadline looming. I had a New Thing planned that fell through, and really wasn't that exciting to begin with, so I'll make the final New Thing something from Vegas. I wasn't going to tell you about it, because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I suppose it's OK just this once.

GC and I have stayed at several of the less-expensive casinos in Vegas, and in general, I think you get what you pay for. On our last trip, we stayed at the Tropicana, an old-school Vegas casino. It was decorated with Rat Pack memorabilia from the Golden Days of Vegas. The best part, though, was our room. It was small and kind of dingy, but had mirrors on the wall next to the bed, behind the bed and on the ceiling. It was so kitchy, it was awesome.

It's surprisingly difficult to sleep under a mirror, and startling to open your eyes in the morning and be staring at yourself. GC and I laid in bed, talking, and looking at each other in the ceiling mirror. Have you ever watched your own facial expressions while you talk? It's rather disconcerting.

Sleeping in a bed surrounded by mirrors is more fun than I imagined, but also sort of creepy, weird, startling and mesmerizing. I highly recommend it.

So, there you go. C'est tout.

The 30 New Things I Did While I Was 30

1. Roast a duck
2. Make glass beads
3. Swim in underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Face an irrational fear
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, tank top and thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a spa
16. Get a pedicure
17. Use a cookie press
18. Learn to text message
19. Found the Christmas spirit
20. UFC 79
21. Meet celebrities
22. Gamble in Vegas
23. Snort Something
24. Ate sushi and sashimi
25. Drank coffee
26. Frequent Flyer
27. Push-ups
28. 30/30
29. 24-Hour Fast
30. Mirrors on the Ceiling

Whew.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you all know, I'm pretty interested in nutrition and have been reading a lot about it lately. One idea that I keep coming across is that when you eat is almost as important as what you eat. I think the concept of grazing (small meals spaced throughout the day) is the most well-known, but I've also read a lot about fasting, which is pretty much the opposite of grazing. Grazing keeps your body in a constant state of digestion, thought to rev up your metabolism. Fasting follows the famine-then-feast eating patterns of our cavemen ancestors, where a period of undereating is followed by a period of overeating. Some people prefer daily fasts, allowing only a small window of a few hours for eating the day's nutritional and caloric needs. Others prefer longer 24-hour fasts once a week or so. Others go crazy and fast for several days or make up their own personalized fasting patterns.

I've been a grazer for quite a while, but I thought I'd give fasting a try. I started out with a few short fasts, which meant I skipped breakfast a few times. I think a 15-hour fast was the longest I achieved. Yesterday, though, I completed a 24-hour fast.

GC took me out to eat on Tuesday night to the Culinary Cafe, the restaurant of the MU cooking school (part of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program). The theme for the night was chocolate. We started with white chocolate-wasabi shrimp tempura with a white chocolate sauce. As GC pointed out, it was an interesting progression of flavors, beginning with the immediate sweetness of chocolate and ending with the spicy burn of wasabi. I thought it worked well. Next was a mixed greens salad with dried cranberries, apples and almonds in a white chocolate-citrus vinaigrette. GC really liked this one, but I wasn't so impressed. I think perhaps my vinaigrette wasn't as well-balanced. The citrus tang overwhelmed any chocolate sweetness, making it a bit too biting for my preference. For the entree, I ordered venison osso buco braised in chocolate stout, served with rice pilaf and asparagus. It was rich and meaty, and though there was chocolate in the braising liquid, it was too subtle to be tasted. GC ordered chocolate-chipotle glazed pork loin medallions with polenta and a corn and black bean salad. We traded plates halfway through, and after the unadorned meatiness of my osso buco, his spicy pork was quite a surprise. It was just as spicy as I could handle, any more would have been too much for me. Again, the chocolate was too subtle to be identified, which I think is a good thing for both of these dishes. We each ordered a dessert and split them. I ordered a German chocolate cheesecake, which was sort of weird in that it was layered. The bottom layer was cheesecake, the middle layer was like a dense chocolate cake or cheesecake, and the top layer was the coconut-caramel topping. It was very rich, and very dense. GC ordered the white chocolate-raspberry creme brulee. Though the texture was a bit off and the burnt sugar on the top had softened, it was by far the superior dessert. The only course that didn't include chocolate was the intermezzo, a lime-citrus sorbet, which was fantastic as well. We were each sent home with a pair of truffles, which we're saving for dessert tonight.

I really enjoyed the dinner, as much for the food as for the experience of being a diner in a cooking school restaurant. It was kind of weird to be on the other side of the food preparation. Watching the servers (almost one per table, the dining room was teeming with them!) congregating near the kitchen and talking about their tables made me miss cooking school.

After such a feast, I thought it a good time to begin a famine. I didn't think of it until yesterday morning, after I had worked through the morning, forgetting breakfast. I drank water throughout the day, and kept busy. I got hungry only twice, but a glass of water quickly quelled the grumblings. I did my usual activities, even exercising twice (one a high-low intensity cardio circuit, the other a shadow-boxing workout). I didn't notice flagging energy or crankiness. I did get a lot accomplished. By dinner time, though, I was ready to eat again.

I might add an occasional fast to my diet, but maybe only after a particularly gluttonous feast. I don't think it will become a regular thing.

These last few months of experimenting with diets and eating habits have produced a significant lifestyle change for me. I haven't been baking much at all, my cooking has been basic and now I'm skipping meals. A big difference for someone who loves to bake, cook fancy meals and eat! I like benefits I'm seeing (and some that I can't see: I lowered my total cholesterol by 63, triglycerides by 56 and LDL by 43. I was in the healthy range to begin with, so now I'm in the ridiculously healthy range). But I miss baking and cooking. I need to find a better balance, where I don't bake as much as before, but I'm not deprived of one of my favorite pastimes.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I set a goal a year ago to lose 30 pounds while I was 30 years old. It was a lofty goal, and a bit overzealous. I needed to lose weight, but not 30 pounds. And I didn't lose 30 pounds, but I came awfully close. I had already started exercising a few months before I turned 30, because I had reached my heaviest (again). When I turned 30, I decided it was time to start getting serious about taking care of myself, and started exercising regularly and eating a healthier diet. It took a lot of experimenting to find a diet/exercise balance that was both effective and easy to follow. I am today 33# lighter than my heaviest, but still several pounds away from my 30/30 goal. But that doesn't really matter. I'm down 3 clothing sizes from a year ago, and have had to get rid of almost all of my clothes. I really wish I had taken measurements when I started this, instead of deciding that the scale was the only important number. I probably have lost 30# of fat, because I have gained a lot of muscle over the past year. Though I didn't make the 30/30 goal, I am much stronger and leaner than I was a year ago, and am very pleased with my progress.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A year ago, I could rack up girly push-ups into the teens, but a man's push-up? Fuhgeddaboutit. I couldn't do even one. At the beginning of this month, I could do one, maybe two, full push-ups, so I made it my February resolution to be able to do two sets of 10 full push-ups with good form. As of yesterday, I can do two sets of eight, with declining form (my last ones in each set aren't pretty). But I can do them now. I'll keep working to fulfill the February goal; I have quite a ways to go until I can do them with grace and ease. But I've come a long way already. Those lady American Gladiators better watch out.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There will be a lot of 30 New Things over the next couple of days, because I have only a couple of days to complete the list. I've done most already; I've just fallen behind in reporting them. Brace yourself for the flurry.

I love to travel, and it's always been a goal of mine to do as much of it as possible. When I got my last passport, I tried to fill up every page with foreign stamps before it expired. I almost achieved that goal, but a few uncooperative countries no longer stamp passports, so even though I passed through immigration, I have no proof in my passport. I just renewed my passport, so I have a clean slate from which to start again. The goal is the same, to fill up my passport before it expires in ten years.

I have been traveling a lot as a 30-year-old, but mostly domestically. I have frequent flyer points from just about every airline, but because I'm more cost-conscious than loyal to a particular airline, I have only a few points with many airlines. Not even close to earning a free trip. Except that, this year, I did travel enough on one airline to earn a free round-trip ticket. Woohoo!

This is significant because it means that I've been doing a lot of something I love. Traveling. I'd like do more international traveling, but that requires money, time and a good travel partner (who also has the money and time). Achieving all three is a bit tricky and doesn't happen very often for me. (There is a trip to Machu Picchu in the works where I've found a good travel partner, but finding the time is proving to be a major obstacle). There are plenty of places to see and friends to visit scattered about the U.S., so though it won't put a stamp in my passport, domestic travel is just as exciting and satisfying as international travel. And now I've earned a free trip!

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press
18. Text Message
19. Christmas Spirit
20. UFC 79
21. Meet Celebrities
22. Gamble in Vegas
23. Snort Something
24. Ate sushi and sashimi
25. Coffee
26. Frequent Flyer

Getting to Know All About You:
Part 1: What is your favorite travel destination?
Part 2: What is your dream travel destination?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm, right now, draining the last of my very first mug of coffee. Yes, I've lived 30 years (almost 31) without ever drinking an entire cup of coffee. I've had sips and tastes here and there, only to reminded that, nope, I don't like coffee. I know this concept will be unfathomable to many of you.

Here's why I have avoided coffee:
1) It's addictive. I know so many people who say they can't function until they get their morning cup of coffee. They get crabby and irritable without their daily fix. And it rarely stops at just one cup.
2) It's expensive. How much do you spend at Starbucks? A 20-oz. diet Coke rarely runs more than $2.
3) It's a cult. People can get fanatic about coffee. Weird.
4) It's bitter. I know good coffee made properly is significantly smoother than cheap coffee, but it's still bitter to me.
5) It's fattening. In order to mask the bitterness, I'd have to add so much sugar and cream, making it very caloric. If I'm going to ingest that much sugar, I'd much rather eat dessert.
6) It gives you nasty breath. After drinking this one mug of coffee, I feel like I need to brush my teeth, pronto. I can feel a film growing on my tongue. Ick.
7) It's bad for your stomach. The high acidity of coffee can wreak havoc on your stomach and intestines. I have an iron stomach, so I don't think coffee would bother me. Perhaps I have an iron stomach because I haven't ingested an acid bath several times a day for the past 15 years...

Here's why I would like to enjoy coffee:
1) It's potent. I like caffeine, and coffee has a lot of it.
2) It's natural. Diet soft drinks contain so many chemicals and artificial ingredients. I worry about how much artificial sweetener I ingest, though not enough to stop drinking diet soft drinks. I am looking for one sweetened with Splenda, or sucralose, as I think that is not quite as bad for me as aspartame.
3) It cleans you out. I think you know what I mean.

I've recently spent a lot of time with two fanatic coffee geeks (namely, my husband and my brother), so I've been involved in many conversations about coffee. They have discovered the secret to the perfect cup of coffee (Peet's coffee made in an Aeropress), and are involved in tweaking factors on the margin (water temperature, steeping time, number and speed of stirs, etc) to improve on perfection. My brother asked me about my aversion to coffee and said bitterness is not a valid reason, as this perfect cup of coffee is smooth. So, I decided to try it. I didn't think I'd like it, because I dislike even sweet coffee-flavored things (mocha chocolate, coffee ice cream, etc.).

And, I was right. I could drink this cup of perfect coffee, but I still find it bitter. It wasn't as distasteful as I anticipated, but I don't foresee a coffee addiction in my future.

By the way, I drank my coffee black.

Getting to Know All About You: Are you a coffee addict?

3:45pm UPDATE: About 30 minutes after finishing my cup o' java, I headed to my Muay Thai class. I thought I'd kick ass (literally) being so jacked up on caffeine. Not so. I felt twitchy and shaky, and a bit unsteady, which makes it difficult to kick someone in the face. I don't know if this was caffeine-related, but I was exhausted by my burn-out, which usually leaves me tired and out-of-breath, but I usually recover quickly. Not so today.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was introduced to sushi in Vancouver. I love it, as long as it is without fish or other sea creature.

My favorite is an avocado roll. Last night, GC and I went to a new sushi restaurant. We ordered gyoza (pork dumplings) to start, then I had an avocado roll and tamago (egg omelet sushi). GC likes to order the Chef's Choice sushi and sashimi plate. And, for the first time ever, I tried some raw sea creatures. I had a bite of unagi (eel sushi) and the non-salmon sashimi (being chef's choice, we rarely know exactly what is on GC's plate). It was a white fish that I tried. The unagi tasted like the sea, sort of salty and briny and fishy. The white fish sashimi tasted like fish, but not overwhelmingly so. I'd never order either one on my own, but if I were served either, I could eat it. Probably.

I also drank some sake, which I've had before, but this one I liked. It was infused with Asian pear.

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press
18. Text Message
19. Christmas Spirit
20. UFC 79
21. Meet Celebrities
22. Gamble in Vegas
23. Snort Something
24. Sushi & Sashimi

Getting to Know All About You: Favorite kind of sushi?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When you read that title, how many of you thought I'd developed a taste for blow? And decided to blog about it!? Sadly, this is not nearly as exciting. I snorted Afrin. I've been sick for the past few days, with the bulk of the storm in my head -- clogged ears, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes in my neck. Sneezing was followed by the sound of squealing fireworks. Breathing sounded like creaky doors.

I usually try to let my body sort itself out when I'm sick, not because I have anything against science or pharmaceutical companies (I love them both), but because I have a rockstar immune system and I like to give it a chance to impress me (although, if I'm sick already, it's already fallen of the pedestal I keep it on). After one sleepless night and with another looming, GC convinced me to try snorting Afrin to open up my nasal passages so I could breathe. I was skeptical. If I couldn't breathe, how was I supposed to inhale medicine? I've always been apprehensive about purposefully propelling something up my nose, but I tried it, and it was awesome. It took a few squirts, but within minutes I could breathe clearly. I'm a convert. I've used it the last three nights before bed. GC has opened up a whole new world for me. Soon I'll be prowling the house looking for things to crush up and snort.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I know, I know, it's sacrilegious to go to Vegas, sin Mecca, and not lay down a wager, but I'd been three times without ever playing a table game. The first time I went was with Red Momo. After driving through beautiful national parks and the California coast, perhaps Vegas was too bright and shiny for our blinking eyes. I think we both dropped a quarter in a slot machine and called it a day (RM: our trip is a blur, punctuated by several clear memories. Vegas falls in the blur. Please correct.) I dropped a few dollars worth of quarters into a slot machine on my second visit, but only as camouflage as Blue Grilled Cheese and I spied on GC's poker tournament. I don't really consider slot machines to be gambling because the odds are so against my favor. It's not a "gamble," it's a sure loss. I look at it as a cheap way to get free drinks and people watch. I didn't gamble at all on my third visit, even foregoing my seat at the family poker tournament. But the fourth time, buddy, the fourth time's the charm.

GC is the blackjack wizard (though he couldn't compete with my beginner's luck on this trip), so he taught me his "system" on the plane. We found a $5 table with an empty spot, so I sat down and promptly forgot all of his coaching. No matter. Coach GC hovered over my shoulder and helped out when I made bad decisions. There was another couple of beginners to my right, an old pro who was teaching the game to her sister on my left and a helpful couple at the other end of the table who also joined my coaching staff. I played for about 45 minutes, then suddenly wasn't feeling it anymore. I just simply didn't want to play, so I left the table $25.50 richer. GC took my spot and ran into some trouble. The beginner couple also busted, as did the lurker who jumped in to take their place.

Looks like I know when to fold 'em.

Here's what I've accomplished so far:

30 New Things Recap:
1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press
18. Text Message
19. Christmas Spirit
20. UFC 79
21. Met Celebrities
22. Gambled in Vegas

Getting to Know All About You: What's your biggest gambling payoff?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continued from yesterday:

We saw all of the fighters taking part in UFC 79 at the weigh-ins, but we also saw them (and others) just walking around the casino. I know this probably isn’t very exciting to most of you, but to see the people I pay good money to see on pay-per-view just wandering around like ordinary people was quite thrilling. And, this leads me to another New Thing…

They may be only niche celebrities, known only to those who are into mixed martial arts, but I think I was probably more excited to meet them than I would be to meet any NFL football player, NBA basketball player, or other sports celebrity. These are the people I met: Manvel Gamburyan, Dan Henderson (PRIDE heavyweight and light heavyweight champion), Jason “Mayhem” Miller, John Hackleman (Chuck Liddell's trainer), Tim Sylvia (former UFC heavyweight champion), Eddie Bravo, Jason Lambert (who knocked out my fighter crush), Dean Lister, Joe Lauzon, Josh Burkman, Mac Danzig and Roger Huerta. I saw Clay Guida at the weigh-ins, and spotted these fighters just wandering around Mandalay Bay: Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell (former UFC light heavyweight champion), Wanderlei Silva, Melvin Guillard, current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Rampage Jackson, James Irvin, Roan Carneiro, Keith Jardine, Scott Smith, trainers Greg Jackson and Sol Solis, and referee Herb Dean. And, the one most of you will recognize, Joe Rogan (UFC commentator, comedian and host of Fear Factor).

I was pretty shy at first, but as I saw more fighters wander past, I got bolder and started approaching them. Most, I just shook hands with, but a few I grabbed for pictures. In a rather awkward encounter, I ended up holding hands with Tim Sylvia. I first spotted him at the weigh-ins, looking rather awkward and lonely as he hunkered down in an empty row of seats and ate a sandwich. There were lots of people around, but no one paid him any attention. He balled up the plastic wrap from his sandwich and threw it at Mike Goldberg (commentator). It fell short, so he tried it again with greater success, but Goldberg ignored him. He’s a good fighter, but has had rather lackluster performances in his last few fights. He’s socially awkward and difficult for the UFC to market, so he doesn’t have a lot of fans. In fact, he gets booed a lot. I felt sorry for the guy. In my post-weigh-in nap, I dreamt that I ran into him, took his hand and went shopping. After that we were BFF and he came to visit me in Missouri. I wanted to take him to my Muay Thai class, but was afraid he would cause a riot if he walked in the front door of the gym, so I was trying to arrange an entrance through the emergency-exit door by my classroom. Then I woke up. Later that afternoon, I spotted him walking purposefully through the casino. He’s huge and had on his mean face. I was intimidated, but we were BFF, right?, so I walked right up, stuck out my hand and said, “Hey!” He was holding a drink, so stuck out his left hand. I grabbed it and was so flustered that I forgot to let go. He never slowed down, so I walked alongside him for a few steps holding his hand. When I realized what I was doing, I let go and fell back in his wake. Weird and awkward.

Most of the other fighters I met were very nice. The most personable was Eddie Bravo. The funniest was Mayhem Miller, who told GC that he was his favorite pro wrestler after GC told him that he was his favorite slap boxer. I was only dissed twice, first by Chuck Liddell, which was understandable because he was heading to the gym and trying to cut weight for his fight, and then Rampage Jackson, who was there to do publicity and watch the show. Rampage saw us approaching, turned and walked away. Dismissed. I like the guy, but I have to admit that he’s gone down a bit in my estimation.

The only "celebrity" there I wanted to meet, but didn't even see, was Michael Malice, author, editor of Overheard in New York and self-proclaimed supervillain.

Getting to Know All About You: What celebrities have you seen and/or met?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The time frame for my 30 New Things is dwindling, but I was able to add several things to the list over the holidays. After Christmas, GC and I went to Las Vegas with my brother and his girlfriend. I’ve been twice in the last year or so (first for Blue Grilled Cheese’s 30th birthday and again for my generation family reunion), so that wasn’t new. But going to Las Vegas to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight is new. GC and I have been to several small mixed martial arts shows, but even those couldn’t prepare me for the Big Show. It was so awesome that all other sporting events pale in comparison.

During the two co-main events, I curled my hands into fists, tensed every muscle in my body and sat on the edge of my seat, leaning forward to shout ("oh!" or "yah!") because I was incapable of stringing together multiple syllables. GC said I clapped so hard that I hurt his ears. It was amazing, a thousand times more exciting than watching at home. After the fights were over, my whole body was shaking from sitting tensed up for almost a half hour. I had to grip the railing to make it down from my seat, my legs were so rubbery. But still I had so much nervous energy that I felt like sprinting around the arena just to calm down a bit. We went for a late dinner and I was too excited to eat much, which was a shame because my food was really good.

I think sitting down watching a UFC fight live is an excellent cardio workout. I wish I had worn my heart-rate monitor, to see if my heart was racing as fast as it seemed to be. Ah, my heart is racing now just thinking about it. I've got to go shower; I'm getting too sweaty.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've just been going crazy this week, doing all sorts of new things. Do you want to know why? It's because, for the first time, I've had a very relaxed and stress-free holiday season. Our Christmas travel schedule is quite hectic, true, but that's because GC and I are getting to see both of our families, plus spending a few days in Las Vegas. How awesome is that? (Answer: very!) Because we're flying all over the place, I tried to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, so I could take the gifts with us then and leave them at GC's parents house. I still had a few things to buy after Thanksgiving, but most things I was able to order and have shipped. 99% of my Christmas shopping was finished, wrapped and delivered by December 1, leaving me in the unusual circumstance of having time to relax and enjoy the season. That's the first part of this New Thing, finishing shopping early and taking time to relax and enjoy the end of the year.

The second part is using some of this newfound free time to watch Christmas movies. I've never been one for sappy or sentimental movies, which most holiday movies are, so I've never bothered to watch most traditional Christmas movies. I do watch A Christmas Story every year, but I'd never seen It's a Wonderful Life and had only seen bits and pieces of Miracle on 34th Street. I watched It's a Wonderful Life this morning and will watch Miracle now. I'm still not much of a fan of the traditional, sentimental Christmas movie, but I'm glad that finally I will have seen them both. And I'm really glad that I had time to spend watching Christmas movies all morning, instead of running around crazy trying to finish shopping, wrapping and packing before GC and I leave tonight.

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press
18. Text Message
19. Christmas Spirit

Merry Christmas!

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?

Update: I can't actually watch Miracle on 34th Street today because something is wrong with our OnDemand cable. It won't play any movies. I will watch it, though, just as soon as I can. In the meantime, I think I'll take this opportunity to exercise a bit, before the holiday feasting begins in earnest.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Nothing makes me feel quite as old as I do when I have to respond to an email and ask what LMAO or IMHO means, not even shopping the sale rack in the geriatric section of Dillard's. At least then I can convince myself that the other old birds fighting over the same pair of slacks have a surprisingly modern sense of style. But the new vernacular made up of acronyms and shortened words are just beyond me. And so far, I've fought it. This language is fine for kids who sit in class and text message their friends instead of passing notes, but what use do I have for it? So, I let myself become a 30-year-old Luddite. Not only did I not embrace this new technology, but I went to the Sprint store and asked to have a text block placed on my phone line! Talk about a miserly old woman! I didn't want to have to pay 20 cents to receive a text when someone could just call me.

But, I started to feel left out. And I began noticing a few opportunities when I wished I could send a text to someone, when I had a quick question or reminder but didn't have time for a full conversation, when I wanted to tell something funny about someone in the room but didn't want to be overheard, or when I was stuck in a very slow-moving line and was bored. Maybe someone like me did have cause for texting. So, earlier this week, I went back to Sprint and had the text block removed from my phone and added a text message package to my line and to GC's line. Now we can sit on the couch and text each other! I sent out a few messages. The first one took 7 minutes to figure out how to navigate through the phone menu and type out a message with 11 characters. The next one was easier and faster. Turns out I have nimble fingers. Anyway, each text I sent was immediately followed by a message saying that the recipient chose not to accept my message. What!? I didn't think all my friends were similar crotchety old ladies who took the time to put a block on their phones, and I knew for sure that I'd seen Blue Grilled Cheese text, so I emailed her to find out why she blocked my message. She never got it. I went back to Sprint, who said the network had been down, and I tried again. With success. So, now, at age 30, I have sent 3 text messages and received 2. That's a start!

Getting to Know All About You: What's your position on text messaging?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Delicate or specialty-shaped cookies intimidate me. It seems like a lot of effort goes into hand-crafting perfectly shaped cookies, especially considering that the cookies will last a few days at best, before ending up in a grateful belly. Who has the time or patience?

Well, I thought I might. I liked every aspect of food preparation in cooking school - chopping, grating, blanching, sauteing, cooking, grilling, mashing, baking, frosting, and so on - but I really loved plating, garnishing and presentation. The squeeze bottles full of reductions and coulis that we used to draw designs on the plates or food, the arrangement of dried vegetables into sails or petals and the artful combination of colors and textures on the plate, those were the parts I looked forward to the most. So, I suspected that I would also like making artful cookies. I wanted to try using a cookie press. It didn't seem like it required a whole lot of talent or training, and, once I got the hang of it, I would be able to churn out dozens of beautiful cookies, assembly-line style. Still, I was a bit hesitant to use one. What if I sucked at the cookie press? My dreams would be dashed. I had no excuse for avoiding the press; I have had my grandmother's for years. It's old, considered vintage on eBay, and hails from the days when cookie was spelled cooky.

No excuses. I'm 30. Time to man up and face the cookie press. I had a few stinkers at first, as I learned how much I had to turn the cookie press screw to push out dough, but I quickly got the hang of it and pressed out row after row of beautiful Christmas trees. The recipe is a basic shortbread butter cookie, simple but really delicious. I sprinkled the trees with red, green and white mint sprinkles for some extra flair. The recipe called for a few drops of green food coloring, but I learned in the great Key Lime Pie debacle that I don't handle food coloring well, so I opted to omit this step.

Here's the recipe, for all those who have conquered their fear of the cookie press:

Christmas Trees

1 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2-1/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. almond extract (I used butter flavoring and vanilla extract instead, 1 t. of each)
Green vegetable coloring

Cream shortening, adding sugar gradually.

Add unbeaten egg, sifted dry ingredients, flavoring and a few drops of vegetable coloring. Mix well.

Fill a MIRRO cooky press. Form cookies on ungreased aluminum cooky sheets, using the tree plate. Decorate with tiny candies.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: 6 dozen.

Yum!

I'm a convert. I love the cookie press! I feel like I'm ready for an even greater cookie press challenge, such as layered cookies, lady fingers or éclairs.

30 New Things Recap:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage
16. Pedicure
17. Cookie Press

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I'm finally emerging from my Thanksgiving stupor. What a great holiday!

Anyway, I promised the second part of my spa story, and here it is. This counts as a separate entry on the 30 New Things list because, while happening in Mexico, this took place at a spa at a different resort the day after my foot massage. The resort where we stay is part of a cluster of resorts owned by the same company, and we have free access to all of the amenities offered by any of the related resorts. The spa I went to for the foot massage was part of a newer resort, and was very upscale. The "spa" I went to for a pedicure was part of our resort, and resembled an inner-city Mexican hair salon. It was in a basement, down a dark hallway, past what looked like the resort's laundry room. The room was small and cramped with hair salon chairs and chairs for waiting, a far cry from the clean, light and airy spa from the day before.

My pedicurist waved me over to a chair in the corner underneath a wall-mounted tv. She filled a bucket with water and indicated I should put my feet in. After a few minutes, she smacked my knee and pointed to her lap, so I put my wet foot on her lap. She started clipping my nails at an alarming pace. I had just read an article about how you should always cut your toenails straight across and avoid rounding the edges to prevent ingrown toenails. I've endured several ingrown toenails and surgeries, so I was quite concerned when I noticed she was cutting straight down on the nail edges. What could I do, though, she had already done one foot and spoke no English.

Done with the first foot, she set it back into the tub of water and smacked my other knee. When she finished clipping the nails, she took a metal pick and went to town scraping my nails. I have some scar tissue along one side of my big toe from the ingrown toenail fiasco, and she was hellbent on removing that tissue. That's a tender area, and I kept jerking my foot away. She waved over an interpreter who told me I had an ingrown toenail, did I want her to dig it out? I said no, it was scar tissue, not an ingrown toenail, and please tell her to stop jamming metal picks under my nail. Mind you, my pedicurist has not said a word to me this whole time, and barely looked in my direction. She dried off my feet, waved a pumice stone in the general direction of my feet and said, "color." I was disappointed that she didn't take her frustration out on the callouses on my feet; that was the whole reason I wanted a pedicure. I don't like painted toenails (or fingernails either -- too much work to keep looking nice), so I said no. She drizzled a coat of clean polish on my toes and sent me on my way. I felt bad leaving a tip for her, as she did not even deserve a thank you, but I felt bad stiffing her. I think I left something small enough to express my displeasure at the experience. And that, folks, was my very first pedicure. I can't imagine ever going through that ordeal again. I think I'd prefer more ingrown toenail surgeries. In fact, my toe where she kept jabbing the metal scraper did get a little bit infected and tender, but cleared up a few days later.

I only have a few months to complete my list. I'd best get crackin'!

1. Roast a duck

2. Learn to make glass beads

3. Swim in an underground river

4. Sea-Trek

5. Touch a sea turtle

6. Make a chocolate meringue pie

7. Eat collard greens

8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka

9. Make ice cream

10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy

11. Learn to post pictures on my blog

12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public

13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League

14. Begin Muay Thai lessons

15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage

16. Pedicure

Getting to Know All About You: Tell us about your disastrous pedicure/manicure/spa or salon visit.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's been quite a while since I've done anything new to add to my 30 New Things list. My visit to a spa wasn't recent, last March, actually, but I neglected to tell you about it and forgot to add it to my list. The spa was in Mexico, and a birthday present from my brother. My mom and I went together, first for a foot massage. Neither of us are the pampering sort, so it was probably quite comical how uncomfortable and awkward we were. Given a key to a locker, we were ushered into a silent and wooden locker room. Unlocking the locker, we found a robe and a pair of slippers. Did we have to get all the way undressed if we were only having a foot massage. We whispered back and forth, trying to figure out just how many clothes we needed to shed. Luckily, another lady came in and we asked her what to do. I can't remember her answer, but I think I took off my pants. I might have left my shirt on. Anyway, we were led to a waiting room with low light, quiet spa mood music and candles. Other ladies were there, all dressed in robes, some reading, some meditating and some snoozing. From this waiting area, a glass door led to the showers where, from my seat, I could watch nude ladies scamper about from shower stalls to other changing areas. A small Mexican lady came around a corner and whispered my name. I've forgotten her name, but I liked her immensely. She was concerned because I wrote on my form that I didn't want smelly creams slathered on my feet. I'm allergic to a lot of fragrances added to lotions, so I was hoping to avoid a post-massage itchy allergic reaction. She opened several bottles and had me sniff each one, very concerned that I pick the right one. I picked the lightest scent. Relieved, she laid me on a massage table, put a warm towel over my face, massaged my head for a minute, then got to work on the feet, ankles and calves. She had very strong hands, not painful, but very firm and relaxing. I probably could have fallen asleep, but I was too afraid that I'd drool or, even scarier, kick her in the face in my sleep. The massage lasted 30 minutes, and was amazing. And no allergic reaction.

Foot massages always seemed silly to me. I can rub my own feet. But now that I've had a professional spa-quality foot massage, they no longer seem silly. They're decadent. Every 30-year-old should have a foot massage.

Here's the list so far:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons
15. Visit a Spa and Got a Foot Massage

Next week I'll tell you about Part II of the Mexican Spa Adventure: the pedicure.

Getting to Know All about You: What do you do to relax after a difficult day?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've never really been a "joiner." Neither is GC, and that's one reason we get along so well. I might have joined Y-teens in middle school, the International Club in high school and the Outing Club in college (not to mention a rather disastrous year in a sorority), but my membership in those organizations was either calculated or half-hearted. I'm just not a group person. I'm a lone wolf. But this week I joined two groups. The first is a ladies' disc golf league. I enjoy playing disc golf with GC, but more for the company and exercise than a love of disc golf. I don't hang out with a group of girls very often though, so thought I'd give ladies' league a whirl. Let me tell you, girls talk about the weirdest things. It would be too girly for me to repeat them here, but I had fun, wasn't the worst one in the group, and will go back again next week.

The second group I joined was a Muay Thai class. For a long time, I've wanted to learn how to drop someone with a kick. It's a good skill to know for self-defense, and for general bad-assery. My class is for beginners, ages 8+. I was afraid I'd be the only adult, but there is a lady older than I am, a dad, his two sons and another boy, age 10. We do circuits, and I've learned that I suck at push-ups but can churn out a surprising number of sit-ups/crunches. But my favorite part is hitting the heavy bag and working the mitts with my instructor. We just worked on punches today, but get to learn kicks next week. I already feel like a Thai warrior.

Both of these new activities go on the 30 New Things list:
1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Make ice cream
10. Eat lunch with a down's syndrome guy
11. Learn to post pictures on my blog
12. Wear shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public
13. Join a Ladies’ Disc Golf League
14. Begin Muay Thai lessons

Because both of these new groups are in the evenings, this means a lot of make-ahead and crock pot meals that can be put on the table soon after I get home. We had a chicken and rice crock pot meal tonight that was less than spectacular. Last night, though, we had a great make-ahead dinner. Oat cakes. Not oat pancakes, but oatmeal cakes. You make a batch of oatmeal, using the super-good-for-you-and-cholesterol-lowering-but-long-cooking steel-cut oatmeal, put it in a 13x9" pan and let it cool and harden, cut into squares and pan-fry. Here's a more detailed recipe:

Griddled Steel-Cut Oatcakes

3 1/2 cups (or more) water
1 3/4 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup plus additional for serving
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Melted butter (for brushing)
2 pints strawberries, hulled, sliced

Butter 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan or rimmed baking sheet. Bring 3 1/2 cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add oats and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until oatmeal is tender but still firm to bite, stirring often and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 30 minutes. Add cream, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla; stir until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Spread oatmeal in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Cut chilled oatmeal into squares or triangles. Heat griddle or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush griddle with melted butter. Cook oatcakes until golden brown and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Divide oatcakes among plates, drizzle with maple syrup, spoon strawberries over, and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

Bon Appétit | September 2007

Yum! I served it with sausages, making it a breakfast-dinner. Had I used turkey sausages, it would have been a healthier meal, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite make-ahead meal?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

BA: Is that my pie?
BGC: No, it’s a bush.

Blue Grilled Cheese, Purple Pasta and I have returned from our weekend in Atlanta, and have discovered how old-ladyish we have become since high school. Or maybe just since we all turned 30. I won’t tell you how many conversations turned to topics such as bunions or ironing, but I will tell you that we spotted our 80-year-old future selves, clutching purses and smuggling snacks into the Atlanta aquarium. I love aquariums, including the Atlanta aquarium, but I think the Chattanooga aquarium is better. I’ve been to one super awesome aquarium with my friend Bubba, but I can’t remember where it was. Baltimore?

We took a slight detour on our way out of town to stop by Your Dekalb County Farmer’s Market, which is sort of a misnomer because the produce comes from all over the place (shockingly, the peaches were from New Jersey!). I like the big tubs of dried beans and exotic grains; look forward to reviews of purple polenta.

The trip wasn’t all swollen ankles and wicker (“Oh, baskets!”). I managed to work in a few things to add to my 30 New Things list. All related to clothing, though, so they’ll be counted as just one new thing. I wore shorts, a tank top and a thong on purpose, all day and in public. I haven’t worn shorts socially since high school; the only tank top I can remember wearing in a nonathletic setting was one I borrowed from Blue Grilled Cheese during middle school spring break in Panama City. We played putt-putt, and I have the pictures to prove it. I’m just not the type to reveal my limbs; I prefer the mystery of sleeves. And the thong? I think I bought it during college but never got drunk enough to actually wear it; I found it a few weeks ago in a bag full of pantyhose. I decided to take all three garments to Atlanta, and that’s all I packed (besides pjs and a bathing suit). No opportunity to chicken out. Surprisingly, none made me feel uncomfortable or self-conscious; I guess it was just hot enough for me to appreciate the extra ventilation. I’m not saying that I’m going to cut the sleeves off of all my t-shirts now, but I may occasionally venture forth from the house dressed a bit skimpier than usual.

Getting to Know All About You: Aquarium or zoo?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I've been curious to try out this recipe for a while, but had been unable to find tamarind puree. Tamarind is a tropical tree native to east Africa but prolific throughout Asia, Australia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It produces a seed pod full of fruit pulp and hard seeds; it is the pulp that is used in cooking, and as a spice ingredient in Worcestershire sauce and Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce. It is most often used in Indian cooking, and can be found in Indian grocery stores. Or, in my case, the local international foods grocery store.

Dried tamarind

I first tasted tamarind in the form of a powdered juice packet, bought in Mexico along with other "exotic" fruit juice flavors such as guava, hibiscus, coconut, mango and peach. All the juice flavors tasted similar, though, rather like watermelon (except the coconut, which tasted like cinnamon milk), so I really had no idea what tamarind tasted like going in to this recipe. As it turns out, it tastes sweet-tart, and is difficult to describe. Here's the recipe:

Picadillo Con Carne de Res (Potato-and-Beef Hash)

2 pounds small red potatoes, cubed
1/2 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Tamarind Purée
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Tangy Tamarind Sauce

Place the potato cubes in a Dutch oven; add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set potato cubes aside.

Cook meat, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in pan over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in potato cubes, Tamarind Purée, chopped cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve with Tangy Tamarind Sauce.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 230 (27% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 2.7g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 11.3g; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 44mg; SODIUM 236mg; FIBER 4g; IRON 3.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.8g

Cooking Light, APRIL 1995

Tamarind Purée

1 (8-ounce) package wet tamarind pulp
2 cups hot water

Combine tamarind and hot water. Let stand 1 hour; then using your fingers or a fork, break tamarind into small pieces while it is still in the water. Let tamarind soak an additional 3 hours.
Press tamarind mixture through a sieve, reserving liquid; discard seeds and fibers.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Cooking Light, APRIL 1995

Tangy Tamarind Sauce
Serve this sauce with Gallo Pinto (rice & beans), grilled meats, chicken, or fish, or use it as a marinade.

1/2 cup Tamarind Purée
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
1 garlic clove

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Yield: 1 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

CALORIES 5 (0.0% from fat); FAT 0.0g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 3mg; SODIUM 74mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.1g

Cooking Light, APRIL 1995

The meal was good, but rather potato-heavy. I used slightly less than 2# potatoes, in a mix of red, yellow and purple. I halved or quartered them, but should have cubed them smaller to mix in better. I also used a whole pound of extra-lean ground beef because 1/2# seemed rather paltry with all those potatoes. It was better with the Tangy Tamarind Sauce. I probably won't make this recipe again. It was good, and interesting, and a nice introduction to tamarind, but I just wasn't wild about it. I do have 1/2# of tamarind puree left over, so I'll try to find a good use for that soon.

By the way, did you notice the tamarind picture? That's the very first picture I've put on my blog, because I've been too lazy to learn how. It's much easier than I anticipated. Look forward to seeing more.
30 New Things #11: Learned to post pictures on my blog.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This may not sound notable, but for me, it is. For as long as I've been able to tell the difference between crazy and sane, I've been afraid of mentally unstable people. I call them "wobbly" and this fear extends to old people who are possibly senile, retarded people, high-strung people who I think might snap any second and some extroverts. I can't think of any particular personal experience that led to this fear*, but I have a typical physical fear reaction when I spot one. I know this makes me shallow, callous and a terrible person, but the potential for unpredictable behavior sets me on edge. So, it is quite notable that today I shared my lunch table with a guy with Down's Syndrome. He seemed to be a happy guy, eager to talk, but he also banged on the table and kept saying something that sounded like "pontoon." I made some awkward conversation, finished my sandwich and left without lingering. I felt proud of my accomplishment, and a bit lucky, like I had faced danger and walked away unscathed.

*I can, however, think of an example that reinforced this fear, which was already entrenched when this happened. In cooking school, I identified a wobbly classmate early on (Yellow Sugar, for those who remember those days). I was usually on guard around him, but in a busy kitchen it's difficult to keep your eye on someone. One busy day during dinner service, I was hurrying from the sink to my work station, following Yellow Sugar, when he suddenly whirled around and jabbed a knife at my eye, for no other reason than he thought it might be fun. I narrowly avoided being blinded; it was really close. That's the sort of irrational and erratic behavior that puts the fear in me.

So, here's the list so far:
1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka
9. Made ice cream
10. Ate Lunch with a Down's Syndrome Guy

Getting to Know All About You: What's your strangest fear?

Note: I edited this post because it came out too mean as originally posted.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I told you about all the delicious pork we ate over the weekend, and the chess pie, but I didn't tell you about our other dessert: homemade ice cream. We received a Kitchen Aid attachment ice cream maker as a wedding present; I think that was the one gift that GC was most excited about. I started collecting ice cream recipes, but the maker stayed in its box on the top shelf of our kitchen gadget nook. The problem has been a lack of freezer space. That freezer bowl is big and our freezer just never seemed to make room for it. However, after being out of town for the last several weekends in a row, I didn't do much cooking on those few days home between trips. We ate a lot of leftovers, and I didn't add anything to the freezer. So, finally, I made ice cream, for the first time ever.

I made vanilla, which isn't difficult for someone who has made countless batches of pastry cream and egg custard in culinary school. The ratio of ingredients vary, but the process is the same. The mixing part was a bit messy, ok, very messy, but I've learned what not to do and think the next time will go a bit smoother. The final product was really good, though more egg custardy than vanilla ice creamy. GC liked it OK, but said it isn't nearly as good as the homemade vanilla ice cream his granddaddy makes. It's difficult to compete with the nostalgia of summer days spent running through the sprinkler, playing in the grass and eating your grandfather's fresh, hand-cranked ice cream. I'll have to get his recipe.

Frozen Vanilla Custard

2 c. milk
8 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
2 T. vanilla
½ t. salt
2 c. whipping cream

Heat milk in a large saucepan over med-high heat just until bubbles appear; don’t boil. Remove from heat. Whisk together yolks and next 3 in a large bowl until thick and pale. Gradually whisk warm milk into yolk mixture; return to saucepan.

Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until milk mixture thickens and reaches 160, ~5 minutes (If you don't have a thermometer, or are, like me, too lazy to use one, it's ready when small bubbles begin to form at the edges and the milk starts steaming a bit). Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Cool, stirring occasionally. To cool it faster, place the bowl in another larger bowl with ice and water. Make sure the water doesn't splash into the ice cream mixture. When cool, stir in 2 c. whipping cream; cover and chill 1h.

Pour mixture into freezer container of an electric ice-cream maker; freeze as directed.

Makes 1 ½ quart.

Southern Living Cooking School, Summer 2006.

Though I used skim milk in this recipe, the ice cream is almost too rich and creamy for me. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but I can't eat a whole lot at one time. I suppose that's for the best, considering how fattening this ice cream is. Next time, I'm going to try to lighten it up a bit somehow, perhaps using half-and-half in place of the whipping cream, and maybe try peach or strawberry. Or, my favorite, mint chocolate chip. If I can keep space in the freezer, that is...

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite kind of ice cream?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I was first introduced to Cirque du Soleil by the PBS station when I lived in DC. There always seemed to be a show playing when I flipped through the channels, and, since I didn't have cable, I watched quite a few Cirque shows. Since then, I've wanted to see one in person. And I finally did, last weekend in Vegas. We saw Ka. I must admit that if I had not read about the story beforehand, I probably wouldn't have known exactly what was going on, but the story doesn't really matter. The theater was amazing, with catwalks and cages all around, and the seats had speakers in the headrests. The fight scenes and acrobatics were awesome; my favorite was the human Plinko scene. I can't do it justice in my description, but I'll just say that it was truly fantastic, and I'll definitely see another Cirque show whenever possible.

30 New Things Recap:
1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens
8. Cirque du Soleil: Ka

I wish I could add to my 30 New Things list "Played in a poker tournament in Vegas," but I can't. I wussed out. The family poker tournament began at midnight (2am my time), and I had been awake and traveling since ~7am. I was exhausted and jittery from too much caffeine, and I didn't think I could make it through an entire tournament. I went to watch, though, and as soon as the betting began, I got a second? third? fifth? wind and regretted sitting out. The players were a mix of serious players and ones who had never played before. It was casual, and quite amusing to watch. I made it through the end of the tournament, and even went out to other casinos afterwards. Most people regret something they did in Vegas; I suppose it's better to regret something you didn't do.

Getting to Know All About You: What, if any, Vegas shows have you seen?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I missed this blog. This is an odd relationship. This blog is sometimes a burden, amusement, mental exercise, excuse, routine or project. Then, suddenly, it’s gone. I can’t see it, I can’t read it, I can’t post entries. I didn’t mind at first; it was a brief respite from thinking of topics and freed up extra time in my day. I kept thinking of things to write about, though, and jotted down ideas or wrote entries in Word to post later, if I ever recovered home access to the server. And I kept cooking, some truly awesome dishes. Here’s one of the best:

Ham-And-Greens Pot Pie With Cornbread Crust

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 15 min., Cook: 24 min., Bake: 20 min.,
Stand: 10 min.
Make the cornbread batter while the ham-and-greens mixture is simmering to ensure the cornbread cooks evenly and thoroughly.

4 cups chopped cooked ham (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped collard greens
1 (15.5-ounce) can jalapeño-and-bacon-seasoned black-eyed peas, drained
1 (12-ounce) package frozen seasoning blend*
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 (7-ounce) packages MARTHA WHITE Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix

SAUTÉ ham in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until broth begins to thicken.

BRING mixture to a boil. Add collard greens and next 3 ingredients; return to a boil, and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

PREPARE cornbread batter according to package directions (do not bake). Pour batter evenly over hot ham mixture.

BAKE at 425° for 20 minutes or until cornbread is golden and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

* 1 onion, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; and 1 celery rib, chopped, may be substituted for frozen seasoning blend.

Recipe from Southern Living Cooking School 2005

I used the last of the leftover Maple-Glazed ham from Easter, but don’t let a lack of an Easter ham in your freezer keep you from making this. Have the deli at your grocery store cut some thick slices of ham for you. I couldn’t find frozen collard greens around here, so I used a fresh bunch, washed really well, ribs removed and coarsely chopped. I also couldn’t find the frozen seasoning blend, so I sautéed a chopped onion, celery rib and green pepper with the ham before adding the flour. Though the recipe calls specifically for Martha White cornbread mix, any true Southerner (and independent researcher) knows that Jiffy is the only cornbread mix worth using.

Not only is this dish fantastic, it was my very first taste of collard greens (I know, I know… perhaps I’m not a true Southerner). This was a significantly monumental occasion to make my 30 New Things list:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens

I liked the collard greens and this dish so much that I’m making collards again this week, braised with bacon and brown sugar. Everything’s better with bacon; this dish doesn’t stand a chance of being undelicious. Of course, you won’t get to look forward to it as much as I will; my future is your past. Huh. Wrap your head around that.

Getting to Know All About You: What food have you always wanted to try?

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Learning a new skill sometimes involves learning a whole new language. Last month I took a class for making my own glass beads; it looked fun and I thought a sackful of handmade glass beads would be a good birthday present for my mom, a frugal jewelry maker who would never pay $10 for a single bead. There was one other person in the class, a guy who had bought his own bead-making kit a few weeks prior and had made, oh, maybe 30 large beads already. He hopes to graduate to glass sculptures. I'm happy sticking to beads. But, because he had read up on the subject and already had some experience, he and the teacher talked beads. I felt like they were speaking Spanish; I recognized the words they used, but the context was unfamiliar. I'm a quick learner, though, so after two hours, I had a handful of beads to take home with me, and a bead making kit of my own. For the next two weeks, I made about 10 beads a day. My early efforts are a bit lopsided, but I progressed to making more-or-less round beads. The ones where I made mistakes, though, turned out to be the neatest looking ones. I like this hobby; even mistakes look cool! Now that I'm comfortable with the basics of bead making, I'm thinking about taking an advanced class.

I can add making glass beads to my list of 30 New Things to Do/Learn/Try while I'm 30.

Here's the list so far:
30 New Things:
1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle

Getting to Know All About You: What is the newest skill you've learned?

By the way, a "hot head" is a type of welding torch we used to make glass beads. The "sweet spot" is the proper distance within the flame for melting glass.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When talking to a friend yesterday who called to wish me a happy 30th, she told me about another friend who had done 30 new things over the course of her 30th year. I think that sounds like a good idea, even if it wasn't mine, so I'm going to do that too. Starting with roasting a duck.

I made duck a' l'orange in cooking school, but we started with nice, trimmed duck breasts that we only had to cook and sauce. That was enough of a challenge itself at the time, but that's my only attempt at cooking duck. GC loves duck, so I thought I'd make duck for our Valentine dinner. I intended to get duck breasts and go from there, but apparently no one keeps duck breasts on hand. They have to be special ordered, and two days before Valentine's day is too late. So I got a whole duck and decided to wing it. Duck has a similar anatomy to a chicken, but smaller legs, longer and leaner wings and a much fatter breast (so it can float). And it comes with its long neck attached and tucked inside it's body cavity, which is kind of gross. I hacked off the neck and kept it and the giblets for a duck stock or broth or something later. I cut off the extra flaps of fat and threw them away, though in hindsight, I should have kept and rendered the fat for frying potatoes. Oh well. So, with the duck thus cleaned and prepared, I followed a recipe for Roast Duck with Lavender and Honey. I come across an A+ recipe rather infrequently, but this is definitely one. The skin browned and crisped, the fat absorbed the spice rub and was so flavorful and kept the breast meat moist even though I overcooked them a bit trying to get the legs fully cooked too. If you ever turn thirty and decide to roast a duck, this is the recipe to start with. It's super, and not difficult.

Roast Duck with Lavender and Honey

· 4 tsp. fresh, or 2 tsp. dried, lavender blossoms
· 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
· 1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
· 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
· 4 Tbsp. lavender honey or orange flower honey
· 5-to-6-pound duck

Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind 2 teaspoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, thyme, sea salt and peppercorns in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Remove fat deposits and giblets from duck cavity. Trim excess skin and fat from neck area. Rinse inside and out; pat dry. Cutting through skin and fat (but not flesh) of duck breasts, score in crisscross pattern. Rub inside and outside of duck with herb mixture. Place duck, breast up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast 2 hours.

Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Transfer duck to plate. Pour pan juices into 4-cup glass measuring cup; spoon off fat. Return juices and 1 tablespoon fat to pan. Return duck to pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons honey. Roast duck 20 minutes, basting once with pan juices.

Brush with 2 tablespoons honey; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender. Roast duck until deep golden and thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F., about 5 minutes longer.

My roasting pan seems to drink up all the juices, or I choose birds that don't give off a lot of juice; either way, I had barely enough to fill a 1-cup measuring glass after the first 2 hours. I just left it all in the pan, juice, fat and all.

While the duck was roasting, I made Wild Rice with Dried Cranberries and Hazelnuts. This was just OK. The recipe called for juice of half of an orange and zest from 1 orange, which I think was a bad call on the part of the recipe creator. The citrus was all wrong. It would have been much better with just the dried cranberries and hazelnuts. GC and I liked it enough to eat what was on our plates, but neither of us were looking forward to leftovers, so we threw the rest out. I'll not share the recipe with you, because you deserve better. I will, however, share a different recipe, one that I made a few weeks ago that was another A+ recipe. Had I served it with the duck, this would have been the perfect meal, but perhaps entirely too delicious.

Bay Leaf and Thyme-Scented Roasted Winter Squash and Garlic

Cooking Light, October 2004
I used one medium butternut squash and peeled the garlic. The squash had browned crisp outside and mushy, sweet inside. Great flavor and smell. Easy to make.

10 c. cubed (2”), peeled butternut squash (~3#)
1 T. olive oil
¾ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
8 fresh thyme sprigs
6 bay leaves
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine all of the ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a greased jellyroll pan. Bake at 450 for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring after 20 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves before serving.

Serves 6.
131C, 2.5g fat, 28.6 carbs, 303mg sodium

Along with the wild rice side dish, I served Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Thyme. I used to say that deep-fried and grilled were my favorite food preparation methods, but I'm going to have to add roasted to that list. I love roasted asparagus. It's so easy to make, and tastes great. I threw in some extra garlic to roast along with the asparagus, too. Mmmm....

Oven-Roasted Asparagus With Thyme

1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears
1 large garlic clove, halved
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Snap off tough ends of asparagus; remove scales with a knife or vegetable peeler, if desired. Set aside.
Rub cut sides of garlic over a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; place garlic in dish. Add asparagus; drizzle with oil. Sprinkle asparagus with salt, thyme, and pepper; toss gently. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, stirring once.

Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 62(38% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 42mg; SODIUM 297mg; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.3g
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 1997

And, for dessert, of course there was dessert!, a flourless chestnut chocolate cake. GC came back from his recent skiing vacation raving about a flourless chocolate cake he had for dessert at one of the resort restaurants. I've made one or two flourless cakes before, and thought I'd give it a try again. I've had a can of chestnut puree that I picked up somewhere and have been waiting for the opportunity to use. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got it, so I can't help you find a can of your own, which is too bad, because this cake is awesome.

No-Flour Chocolate Chestnut Torte

I made this a day in advance, because flourless cakes are generally better the next day. I used Baker's semisweet chocolate squares. I omitted the glaze because I thought it would be too rich, and I used up most of my whipping cream making something else and was too lazy to go out to the store for more. The cake was not nearly as dense and rich as I had expected; it was almost like a thicker baked mousse. I sprinkled powdered sugar on top, which I think was better than the glaze would have been, because it wasn't so rich that I couldn't go back for a second piece!

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 (15 ounce) can chestnut puree or chestnut cream
4 ounces unsalted butter or unsalted margarine
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream or brewed coffee (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with a circle of baking parchment.
3. Cake: Prepare melted chocolate.
4. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Using a whisk or in an electric mixer, blend chestnut cream or puree with butter or margarine.
6. Add vanilla, egg yolks and melted chocolate.
7. Blend well.
8. In another clean bowl, with clean dry beaters, whip the egg whites with the salt, just to break up and foam slightly.
9. Gradually, while increasing mixer speed, dust in sugar to form stiff glossy (but not dry) peaks.
10. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into chestnut mixture and work in well to loosen.
11. Gently fold in remaining 2/3 of egg whites in 2 installments, blending well but taking care not to deflate the mixture.
12. Spoon into prepared pan and bake until done, 35-45 minutes.
13. Cake rises somewhat and looks dry and slightly cracked on top when done.
14. Middle should be soft but firm.
15. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.
16. Glaze: Bring the whipping cream (or coffee) to a boil and add the chopped chocolate all at once.
17. Remove from heat and stir briskly, using a wire whisk, until all of the chocolate melts.
18. Invert cake on a wire cake rack placed on a cookie sheet.
19. Pour glaze over cake, using a metal spatula to spread.
20. Serve with a dollop of cinnamon-scented whipped cream, or pureed raspberries, or garnished with chocolate shavings, or dusted with sifted confectioners' sugar.

14 servings

http://www.recipezaar.com

So, there you have our Valentine's dinner menu. Except for the wild rice, which was just OK, this was a spectacular meal. And I roasted a duck for the very first time.

Getting to Know All About Those with a TypeKey Account Who Can Leave Comments: What's something that you've always wanted to do, but haven't had a chance to yet?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)