BAD Blogger!

I disappeared. I know it's lame, but as soon as school started again, any desire I had to write (or really, THINK) anything more than absolutely necessary kind of flew out the window. Woops. Such is the life of a grad student, I suppose.

I turned on the television yesterday morning to watch a bit of 9/11 anniversary coverage, and was a little bit disturbed to find that MSNBC was playing their exact coverage from that morning, starting at 7:45a.m. I knew that watching this couldn't really bring about anything productive, but I found myself riveted and moved to tears again as I re

lived the fear and shock that we all experienced that day. If I felt that way, I can't even begin to fathom what it is like for New Yorkers, let alone survivors and family members of the victims, to have to relive that all the time. Having worked on a study of survivors, and having interviewed many family members of survivors, I know that for many, the wounds haven't healed.

As I listened to the announcers speculate over who may have done it, whether other planes were being hijacked and directed to other potential targets, and whether the death toll would be 200 or 500 people (little did we know it would reach 2500 or so), I couldn't stop thinking about how strange it was to watch as people tried to figure out the details of that day that we all know now has literally changed the course of our country, history, and the world. Did 9/11 shock me as much as it did the rest of America? Of course. Am I proud to be an American? Absolutely, and having lived in a country that is oppressive to its people in unthinkable ways, I know how much I take for granted sometimes. But do I wish that, perhaps, we had responded a bit differently to this attack? That we hadn't set off a chain reaction that prompted an endless war and a lot of hate for a people (or 99% of them) that just wants peace and a chance to live life as much as we do? Probably. It's sickening to think about the lives that could have been saved both here and around the world (i.e. Iraq, etc.) if we just could have had a tiny glimpse of what was to come, or if we had had the foresight to wait and get all of the facts before we shot back with our bombs and our guns (Cranberries reference, anyone? Zombieeeee). We say God Bless America, and I'm okay with that, but why can't we say God Bless the World, too?

But sadly, that's not how life works, and we have to do the best we can with what we've got. Not really sure where I'm going with this, but I do think it was important yesterday to reflect on that day and how different the world might look today if it hadn't occurred. And of course, we have to remember the people who risked their lives and lost them, and those who have answered what has been asked of them since then...I am thankful for them, and I'm not sure if I could be that brave.

The Episode of A Salad Gone Very, Very Bad (apparently)

Thursday night, we went to some friends' for a happy hour get together thingy, and then we went out to dinner afterwards (the place shall remain nameless because I have had otherwise great experiences there). Little did I know, the Wrath of Evil Effing Food Bacteria (that is the medical name, I found it in one of Scott's textbooks) was about to clench me in its terrible claws and keep me there for two days. Seriously, I have never been that sick. So sick that I was on the couch for 2 days and did not even want to play Rock Band. Yikes.

However, it was a very productive bout of food poisoning, as I cleaned out my DVR of all Sex and the City episodes (a.k.a. like 15 or something), watched the season premiere of Project Runway (yay, it's back!), finished The Time Traveler's Wife (I'm not sure it met my admittedly high expectations given all the hype, but it was a good read for sure), and became very well acquainted with the lovely to-go people at Panera (as soup in a bread bowl was the only thing that I could even think about eating). Yesterday, I felt human enough to venture out of the house, socialize, and yes, even play Rock Band.

So here I am, back from the depths of food poisoning, well-hydrated, and completely, 100%, totally sworn off salads.

Love ya bye.

I Like...Movies About Food

I am loving Scott's family medicine rotation because it equals stress-free weeknights and totally free Saturdays, yay (HINT, HINT, HUSBAND). Just kidddiiiing. Friday night, we went out for our friend's "birthday slash going away to Dallas for two months party," hitting up the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and Rococo for drinks afterwards (their crab cakes are for a whole different post, I promise). We had lunch with my parents in Norman on Saturday, at which point we decided it was time for an afternoon movie. The 'rents loved Julie & Julia, and being the foodies that we are, we decided that nothing is better for a shape-up diet plan than going to see a movie about butter, cheese, and souffles. Mmmm...

If you haven't seen the previews, the plot centers around Julie, who finds herself feeling quite aimless and unaccomplished on the verge of her 30th birthday. To remedy this situation, the obvious solution is to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in one year and start a blog about it. While Julie is doing this, we also get to see how Julia Child became Julia Child the Celebrity Chef, starting with her new life in post-war Paris as the bored but hilariously spunky wife of a diplomat. Being that I am of a younger generation than Julia's original audience (Scott and I were most definitely the only people in the theater under the age of 45, but what else can one expect at a 4:30 matinee about Julia Child?), I am not extremely familiar with Julia's show, but from what I have seen, Meryl Streep's portrayal is spot-on. Her goofy, self-deprecating humor is beyond funny, and I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a while (okay, maybe in the Hangover, but for different reasons).

If you like movies, laughing, or food, you must go see this. In the midst of "films" like 2012 and Sorority Row that look truly, truly, gut-wrenchingly awful (WHO on Earth would pay money to go see a movie about plane crashes and bombings and the end of the world right now? For serious, people!), this movie is exactly what movies are supposed to be: engaging, heart-warming, and able to take you to a place full of pies, Paris, and omelettes being tossed about. Warning: it will make you very, very hungry, and it will make you seriously consider a career change in favor of attending culinary school. Go get your $40 together or whatever it costs nowadays for a ticket and move your bum to the theater this second, because you'll love it.

Bon Appetit!

I Like...Excuses

So Wednesday was the marker of my return to gymland after an impromptu, short little 1.5 MONTH vacation. I was doing SO well - going to the gym 5-6 times a week, swimming like that 40-year-old Olympian beast lady, eating delicious, yet healthy meals, and feeling so much better in general (and losing almost 10 pounds). But then I just...stopped. Woops. I know, I know, it's all about "self-control" and "perseverance" and "determination." WhatEVER. Here are some of my excuses:

- Scott was studying for boards like 26 hours a day, plus me working full time, plus getting ready to leave for 2 weeks = too much stuff to be done around the house, errands to be run, etc.

- We went to Dallas and then Mexico for almost 2 weeks. Dallas = Corner Bakery and i Fratelli, nuff said.

- While in Mexico, we stayed at an all-inclusive, amazing resort with gourmet food. Seriously, people, all-inclusive = you paid to eat anything, literally ANYTHING you want, and the food there was so good you just had to eat more than any human should ever eat in a day. We were just being responsible and getting our money's worth.

- Booze included. Micheladas (my favorite beer-related drink ever), rum punch, and dirty monkeys (they sound crazy but they are DELICIOUS so don't diss the name), delivered to your chair, forced into your hand, thrown at you in the pool, they literally POURED THE DRINKS DOWN MY THROAT PEOPLE, it wasn't my fault!!! Ok, that's a lie. But still.

- Being on this 2-week gorge-fest really erased any motivation I had to come back and hit it hard again. Really, I think it triggered some sort of switch in my frizzy head that made me go from "must eat healthy" to "I need spaghetti now" and "take me to eat Freddy's Frozen Custard or I will cut you." There is scientific evidence for this sort of phenomenon, I believe.

- Thennnn, summer school started, and I was literally gone from 7:30a.m. to 10p.m. I suppose I could have gotten up at 5:00 and gone to the gym before work, but that class was so brutal that I think that would have just been wacky.

- Summer school ended and we were bombarded with many dinner engagements, friends coming into town, parents taking us out to eat, and birthday parties. GEEZ, we're so popular, we just can't help it. (just kidding). I knowww, I have to learn to make wise choices in social situations, but when social situations include creamy artichoke dip, pork tenderloin, $3 burger night, cake, and all-around delicious yummy, it's harrrrd.

So here we are. I had to get those lame excuses out of my system, because when I got on the bike on Wednesday and tried to do my usual level 8, 45-minute hill workout, I died. The only time I wasn't groaning inwardly and thinking about how much pain I was in was when I got distracted by the dude a few machines down DROOLING all over his elliptical. Literally...But that's another story. The point is, I am getting back on the train. I have to. So if you see me running away from the gym or careening out of control towards Cuppies and Joe, please stop me. I am getting back on the train...After my friend's birthday dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory.

Much love.

Song Obsession of the Week

Clearly, you can tell I heart Ingrid. Can't wait for her upcoming album!

I Like...Wankers

Note to self: Don't friend your boss on Facebook then write crazy I-hate-my-job-my-boss-is-a-wanker status updates. I mean, I'm sure it's easy to forget that the person who controls the fate of your livelihood can see anything you do or say and then go batsnap crazy and put it on the Internet for all to see. To prevent this, you might not add that person, OR you could just not be a psycho. That would PROBABLY be a good idea. Maybe.

Please read this, and let me just say...bahahaha.

I Like...Food Parties

We had the perfect Saturday this weekend: sleeping until we felt like getting up, breakfast and coffee, bought Rock Band for $57, poured through cookbooks, did some leisurely grocery shopping, cooked, and had a fantastic outdoor dinner at the home of some great friends. We cooked up a trio of dips to go with grilled French bread and roasted garlic, and Scott made some of his delicious risotto to go with the pork tenderloin, grapefruit & avocado salad, and sangria that J-Lo made. It was fun to have a variety of apps to snack on, and I thought I'd pass along the recipes:

Lemony-Tarragon Crab Dip

This is an easy but elegant, tasty, and cool summer recipe. Definitely use fresh crab if possible or else the yummy dill, pepper, and cucumber overshadow it.

- 8 oz. fresh crabmeat, well-drained

- 1/4 cup cream cheese @ room temperature

- 2 tbsp mayonnaise

- 3 tbsp chopped red onion

- 3/4 tsp dried tarragon

- 2 tsp chopped, fresh dill

- 1/4 cup chopped cucumber

- 1 tbsp plus 1 and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Combine cream cheese, red onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, and chopped herbs in a bowl. Stir in the crab and cucumber. Season with kosher salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Note: I added quite a bit of pepper and some extra dill and cucumber to make it extra delish. Chill, and serve later with bread, bagel bites, or salt and vinegar potato chips.

Recipe courtesy of one of my very favorite cookbooks.

Charbroiled Eggplant Dip

Kind of like baba ganoush, but not. A little more summery, especially with the peppery, blackened flavor you get from grilling the eggplant beforehand.

-1 tsp cumin

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 large eggplant

-1/2 cup plain yogurt (we used Greek yogurt and it was delish)

-juice of one lemon

-2 scallions

Slice the eggplant and coat both sides with cumin and olive oil mixed together, along with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill eggplant until blackened/charred but not burned (duh). This can also be done in the oven/broiler, but the smokey flavor from grilling is yummmyyyy. Mix eggplant (works best if it has cooled down a bit), scallions, lemon juice, and yogurt together, add any extra seasoning you need, and serve on toasted pita.

Recipe from Easy Appetizers.

Artichoke and Green Onion Dip

A yummy twist on traditional artichoke dip...I added extra onions and lots of Parmesan to make it even more flavorful.

-2 cans (14 oz each) water-packed artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped

-1 and 1/2 cups mayonnaise

-1 and 1/2 cups finely grated high quality Parmesan cheese

-1/3 cup, plus 2 tbsp sliced green onions

-2 tsp minced garlic

-1 and 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 3/4 tsp dried thyme

-1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

-1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine artichoke hearts, mayo, 1 cup of parm, green onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square glass baking dish or a ceramic dish similar in size. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover and bake until heated through, 10-15 minutes. Increase heat to broil and cook until top is bubbly and golden brown, 2-3 minutes more. Garnish with green onions.

This recipe also courtesy of one of my very favorite cookbooks.

Eat with yummy bread or other carb and ENJOY!