I am not the type of person who relishes the idea of going on vacation alone. When I have vacationed alone, I have gone to visit out of town friends. I consider an unshared experience a lesser experience. I prefer to see movies and plays with people so we can talk about it after the lights come up. I like the idea of book clubs so that when I finish, say, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, I have other people who know exactly how wonderful Mindy Kaling is.
And so, my dear readers, I give you the following recommendations with my full heart, hoping that you have already experienced the wonders of these things and can gush with me.
Looper
I guess the other thing I should tell you is that I get nervous about watching movies I haven't already seen because my brain works this way: if I don't like it, I will have wasted my time watching it. Some would argue that by rewatching movies a million times I'm wasting my time in a much more despicable way. I counter that at least I know I will have an enjoyable couple of hours. Potayto Potahto. Because of this I am usually about 6 months or so behind pop culture. I know I am behind on Looper but now it's all I can talk about. Absolutely well done, fun, exciting, awesome. Have you seen Looper? Let's email about it and talk about time travel and how improbable it is that Bruce Willis is still a stone cold fox.
Three Things You Should Know About Peggy Paula by Lindsay Hunter
Go read this now. Just go. It's so so so wonderful. Did you finish reading it? Okay, let's go get some iced tea and talk about writers who make you hold your breath and how sometimes a short little snapshot of a piece can make you feel like sunlight is pouring out of your fingertips.
Dogojolo
I've been pushing this fairly inexpensive red wine on friends ever since my friend Candace (who lives a double life as a wine snob and a pin up goddess) recommended it to me for my 30th birthday. Now I'm pushing it on you. The label is pretty, the wine is tasty, the price is right. Do you want to have some wine? I'll be there. Just let me know. We can talk about Looper and how I never recognize Emily Blunt in any movie ever.
Water with fruit in it
Dudes. My roommate makes raspberry lime water. It's heaven. And pink. Pink heaven. I die. Want to come over and hang out with me and Liz and drink water? She's a delightful person and I will try to make you laugh.
Okay, now it's your turn to sell me on something you love and want to talk about. Go!
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Mean Brain VS. The Wall
My dear readers, I have finally hit a Wall. You know the Wall - it's the wall that says, "Oh, hi - you can no longer pretend that pizza is a health food." The Wall also says, "Remember how you found out a few years ago that working out is a good thing? Let's try that again." The Wall is not a bad thing.
The bad thing is my Mean Brain. My Mean Brain says things like, "Eh. You're fine," and "Seriously, if you work out at lunch time you're going to be all gross and sweaty and what if you run into someone you know on the way to rehearsal?!" My Mean Brain also calls my body really nasty words all the time.
You guys! I'm sick and tired of those nasty words! I'm also sick and tired of not wearing some things in my closet and feeling sort of worn out and old. So guess what? I'm embracing the Wall.
Mean Brain wants pizza and candy and lots of sitting down. Wall wants kale and yogurt and pilates. Mean Brain wants to come home from rehearsal and have a couple of beers and a good laugh. Wall wants to come home from rehearsal and have some peppermint tea and a good laugh. At least we can all agree on laughing.
Let's talk about the kale for a second, okay? It sounds SO BORING. And it takes a little bit of work. But I actually really like it (and not just because it's trendy). I feel good when I eat it. I feel full. I like how it tastes. I like the kale salad my friend Jeni told me about. Here it is!
Jeni's Kale Salad
* a bunch of kale cut up small
* some quinoa
* some nuts or whatever you like (I'm doing sunflower seeds)
* some dried fruit (I'm doing dried cranberries)
Make some quinoa - it's 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. I usually just make about a half a cup at a time and then split that between two servings of the salad.
Okay, the kale: apparently to make it not gross and hard to eat you have to massage it for a couple of minutes. This step really did not excite me until I did it - YOU GUYS. When you massage it, the kale turns bright green and it's pretty thrilling! Also I find that doing this helps separate the stems from the leafy goodness and then I don't chomp into a piece of kale spine and hate my life.
So massage the kale. Then add in the quinoa and your other things. BOOM. You are done. I don't even think this needs dressing. Go for it if you like, but I think the sweetness of the fruit is enough.
I'm not going to pretend that vegetables are as delicious as cheese or bread or anything else that isn't all that good for you. I'm just saying that if I can override Mean Brain long enough to actually start putting good stuff into my body, I find that I enjoy the good stuff. You guys all probably know this but it's something I have to learn again and again.
I have goals about overriding Mean Brain and embracing the Wall. They are quantifiable and attainable. They are also constructed with full knowledge that there will be days the Mean Brain wins. Goal #1 concludes on my birthday and we are calling it Better at 33 Than 23. Goal #2 concludes in the beginning of September and we are calling it Operation: Pants Off Dance Off. Goal #3 concludes at the end of the year and we are calling it Strong and Steady.
For funsies, here are a few photos from roughly a decade ago.
Better at 33 Than 23 is GO. Screw you, Mean Brain. I can do this.
The bad thing is my Mean Brain. My Mean Brain says things like, "Eh. You're fine," and "Seriously, if you work out at lunch time you're going to be all gross and sweaty and what if you run into someone you know on the way to rehearsal?!" My Mean Brain also calls my body really nasty words all the time.
You guys! I'm sick and tired of those nasty words! I'm also sick and tired of not wearing some things in my closet and feeling sort of worn out and old. So guess what? I'm embracing the Wall.
Mean Brain wants pizza and candy and lots of sitting down. Wall wants kale and yogurt and pilates. Mean Brain wants to come home from rehearsal and have a couple of beers and a good laugh. Wall wants to come home from rehearsal and have some peppermint tea and a good laugh. At least we can all agree on laughing.
Let's talk about the kale for a second, okay? It sounds SO BORING. And it takes a little bit of work. But I actually really like it (and not just because it's trendy). I feel good when I eat it. I feel full. I like how it tastes. I like the kale salad my friend Jeni told me about. Here it is!
Jeni's Kale Salad
* a bunch of kale cut up small
* some quinoa
* some nuts or whatever you like (I'm doing sunflower seeds)
* some dried fruit (I'm doing dried cranberries)
Make some quinoa - it's 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. I usually just make about a half a cup at a time and then split that between two servings of the salad.
Okay, the kale: apparently to make it not gross and hard to eat you have to massage it for a couple of minutes. This step really did not excite me until I did it - YOU GUYS. When you massage it, the kale turns bright green and it's pretty thrilling! Also I find that doing this helps separate the stems from the leafy goodness and then I don't chomp into a piece of kale spine and hate my life.
So massage the kale. Then add in the quinoa and your other things. BOOM. You are done. I don't even think this needs dressing. Go for it if you like, but I think the sweetness of the fruit is enough.
I'm not going to pretend that vegetables are as delicious as cheese or bread or anything else that isn't all that good for you. I'm just saying that if I can override Mean Brain long enough to actually start putting good stuff into my body, I find that I enjoy the good stuff. You guys all probably know this but it's something I have to learn again and again.
I have goals about overriding Mean Brain and embracing the Wall. They are quantifiable and attainable. They are also constructed with full knowledge that there will be days the Mean Brain wins. Goal #1 concludes on my birthday and we are calling it Better at 33 Than 23. Goal #2 concludes in the beginning of September and we are calling it Operation: Pants Off Dance Off. Goal #3 concludes at the end of the year and we are calling it Strong and Steady.
For funsies, here are a few photos from roughly a decade ago.
Better at 33 Than 23 is GO. Screw you, Mean Brain. I can do this.
Monday, July 23, 2012
This is about food, not sad and scary world events
Oh my god, you guys: the summer of lard has reared its ugly head. One of my dearest friends of all time, Mr. Mike, was visiting Philly this weekend and we decided that we'd do our best to pump as much fat and sugar into our systems as possible to celebrate.
Friday Night: epic happy hour at Farmicia + dinner at National Mechanics
Lessons Learned: Um, Pimms Cup is delicious? Who knew?
Unfortunate Event: I may or may not have flashed my bra but NO ONE WAS LOOKING except my friends.
Saturday Morning/Afternoon: Federal Donuts fried chicken + donuts. All the donuts. All the fried chicken.
Lessons Learned: That shit is delicious, y'all. Za'atar rub for the win.
Unfortunate Event: We ate all of the fried chicken and all of the donuts and then were full for the rest of the day into the night.
Saturday Night: Gianfranco's pizza, a lovely green salad, Doritos, pretzels, beer, wine, jello shots ('cause we're all in our 30s now?), homemade pickles, and fresh cherry tomatoes
Lessons Learned: It's possible to snarf a jello shot and have it spray all over the walls. I didn't snarf it, I just cleaned it up.
Unfortunate Event: Polishing off the bag of Doritos between 3 people before anyone else showed up.
Sunday Afternoon: Backyard cookout with hand-formed burgers and homemade tomato jam, ballpark franks, cucumber tomato salad, Suddenly Salad (my favorite food from a box), homemade salsa, hummus and veggies, white sangria. AND THEN MIKE MADE THESE AMAZING TRIPLE CITRUS CUPCAKES THAT WERE AMAZING.
Lessons Learned: Apparently, it was possible for us to continue eating.
Unfortunate Event: Serious gas.
Sunday Evening: Rita's Water Ice
Lessons Learned: Sometimes you just want soft serve and that is okay.
Unfortunate Event: Soft serve for dinner to cap off a trulydisgusting delicious weekend of eating.
Friday Night: epic happy hour at Farmicia + dinner at National Mechanics
Lessons Learned: Um, Pimms Cup is delicious? Who knew?
Unfortunate Event: I may or may not have flashed my bra but NO ONE WAS LOOKING except my friends.
Saturday Morning/Afternoon: Federal Donuts fried chicken + donuts. All the donuts. All the fried chicken.
Lessons Learned: That shit is delicious, y'all. Za'atar rub for the win.
Unfortunate Event: We ate all of the fried chicken and all of the donuts and then were full for the rest of the day into the night.
abandon all waistlines, ye who enter here
(photo by Sara)
Saturday Night: Gianfranco's pizza, a lovely green salad, Doritos, pretzels, beer, wine, jello shots ('cause we're all in our 30s now?), homemade pickles, and fresh cherry tomatoes
Lessons Learned: It's possible to snarf a jello shot and have it spray all over the walls. I didn't snarf it, I just cleaned it up.
Unfortunate Event: Polishing off the bag of Doritos between 3 people before anyone else showed up.
Sunday Afternoon: Backyard cookout with hand-formed burgers and homemade tomato jam, ballpark franks, cucumber tomato salad, Suddenly Salad (my favorite food from a box), homemade salsa, hummus and veggies, white sangria. AND THEN MIKE MADE THESE AMAZING TRIPLE CITRUS CUPCAKES THAT WERE AMAZING.
Lessons Learned: Apparently, it was possible for us to continue eating.
Unfortunate Event: Serious gas.
Sunday Evening: Rita's Water Ice
Lessons Learned: Sometimes you just want soft serve and that is okay.
Unfortunate Event: Soft serve for dinner to cap off a truly
Mike's on his way back to Chicago today and I will miss him for sure. So far today I have had a cup of coffee this morning and a big salad for lunch. And I went to pilates class. And I'm making salsa chicken in the crock pot for dinner. Back on track!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Rules you can actually use
My dear readers, I hope you had a lovely mid-week holiday. My lovely roommate and I ventured out last night for a very American dinner at one of our local mexican restaurants. Nothing says Independence Day like a pitcher of margaritas and some awesome salad. While we were there, we heard the servers complain in astonishment about a couple who ran out on a $75 check and we witnessed a drunk man a) fall asleep at his table, and b) walk down the street carrying a glass of iced coffee that the waitstaff made for him. A real glass. He just took it and walked down the street. His server decided it wasn't worth the trouble to chase him.
This made me think of one of the earliest lessons my dad ever taught me: do not fall asleep on/at the bar. Perhaps not an appropriate lesson for a 7 year old, but it has served me well since then. I thought that I would impart some other lessons to you, my dear readers! Think of this as The Rules if The Rules was actually helpful to your life.
* Do not fall asleep on/at the bar. You will be kicked out and it's really bad form.
* NEVER dine and dash. How can you live with yourself if you do this? Seriously. If you don't have the money to go out, don't go out.
* If you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to drink. That's it. There is no way around this.
* Not that this ever happened to me* but if you manage to get yourself thrown out of a bar, do not argue, do not fight. Go quietly. You may not return to that bar or restaurant for a full 2 weeks AT LEAST.
* If you return to a bar you were thrown out of, be as quiet and courteous as possible. Tip heavily. Be nice. Don't bring it up.
* Know what you want to drink before you start speaking to the bartender. There are probably lots of people waiting for drinks and your hemming and hawing is not cute. It is one thing to ask what beers are on tap, it is an entirely different thing to stand there being like, "Hrmm, what do I want? What. Do. I. Want. Do I want a gin rickey? Noooo....Maybe a glass of wine? Um, come back to me..." That bartender is never coming back, my friend.
* Similarly, know where you are. Don't order a margarita in a brew pub. Don't ask for a lager at a wine bar. If you're not sure, pay attention to what everyone is drinking and let that help you make an informed decision.
* But it's okay to get suggestions sometimes if you are stymied and the bar isn't jam packed.
WRONG: "What do you like to drink here?"
RIGHT: "I really like dark beers, especially porters. Do you have anything close on tap?"
* Brew pubs or places with interesting draft lists that constantly change are the best places to ask for a taste or a sample so that you know what you're getting before you order a full glass.
* No more than 2 samples, though. Seriously. That's just rude.
* There is never any need to make a big deal out of not wanting alcohol in a bar. Just order your club soda and leave it at that.
* Oh! Bartenders and the like are on your side! A few years ago my friend found out she was pregnant but wasn't ready to tell the world. Unfortunately, she had a number of occasions of going out with friends who would know something was up if she didn't drink. So she conspired with the bartender to give her a seltzer and cranberry juice with a lime in the same glass it would be served if that seltzer was vodka. The bartender thought the game was fun and the friend got to keep her secret until she was ready to announce.
* Always be nice and engage with your bartender but never be fooled into thinking a cute bartender is going to make out with you. They are not. (USUALLY. That is another story for another time.)
* Tip well, smile, be polite, have fun!
*Bachelorette party 9 years ago. Cuba Libre. I've never been back.
This made me think of one of the earliest lessons my dad ever taught me: do not fall asleep on/at the bar. Perhaps not an appropriate lesson for a 7 year old, but it has served me well since then. I thought that I would impart some other lessons to you, my dear readers! Think of this as The Rules if The Rules was actually helpful to your life.
not pictured: the drunk dude just to the left outside the frame.
* Do not fall asleep on/at the bar. You will be kicked out and it's really bad form.
* NEVER dine and dash. How can you live with yourself if you do this? Seriously. If you don't have the money to go out, don't go out.
* If you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to drink. That's it. There is no way around this.
* Not that this ever happened to me* but if you manage to get yourself thrown out of a bar, do not argue, do not fight. Go quietly. You may not return to that bar or restaurant for a full 2 weeks AT LEAST.
* If you return to a bar you were thrown out of, be as quiet and courteous as possible. Tip heavily. Be nice. Don't bring it up.
* Know what you want to drink before you start speaking to the bartender. There are probably lots of people waiting for drinks and your hemming and hawing is not cute. It is one thing to ask what beers are on tap, it is an entirely different thing to stand there being like, "Hrmm, what do I want? What. Do. I. Want. Do I want a gin rickey? Noooo....Maybe a glass of wine? Um, come back to me..." That bartender is never coming back, my friend.
* Similarly, know where you are. Don't order a margarita in a brew pub. Don't ask for a lager at a wine bar. If you're not sure, pay attention to what everyone is drinking and let that help you make an informed decision.
* But it's okay to get suggestions sometimes if you are stymied and the bar isn't jam packed.
WRONG: "What do you like to drink here?"
RIGHT: "I really like dark beers, especially porters. Do you have anything close on tap?"
* Brew pubs or places with interesting draft lists that constantly change are the best places to ask for a taste or a sample so that you know what you're getting before you order a full glass.
* No more than 2 samples, though. Seriously. That's just rude.
* There is never any need to make a big deal out of not wanting alcohol in a bar. Just order your club soda and leave it at that.
* Oh! Bartenders and the like are on your side! A few years ago my friend found out she was pregnant but wasn't ready to tell the world. Unfortunately, she had a number of occasions of going out with friends who would know something was up if she didn't drink. So she conspired with the bartender to give her a seltzer and cranberry juice with a lime in the same glass it would be served if that seltzer was vodka. The bartender thought the game was fun and the friend got to keep her secret until she was ready to announce.
* Always be nice and engage with your bartender but never be fooled into thinking a cute bartender is going to make out with you. They are not. (USUALLY. That is another story for another time.)
* Tip well, smile, be polite, have fun!
*Bachelorette party 9 years ago. Cuba Libre. I've never been back.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Summer of Lard
My dear readers, this has been declared the Summer of Lard. Why? Well, mostly because the first Philadelphia location of Shake Shack opened yesterday. I have been excited about this since it was first announced almost a year ago. My partner in lard, Sara, and I have been holding an intense countdown for the past week. Was the line insane? YES. Was the person in front of me in line one of the most obnoxious men I've ever encountered? YES AGAIN. Was the food awesome and totally everything I had hoped? YES TO THE THIRD POWER!
Seriously... the line was crazy.
Luckily I had my Lard-ners in Crime...
Once we got inside, it was even more of a madhouse!
Eventually, we were able to order our food. The cashier looked utterly exhausted. They'd had a nonstop stream of people since opening at 11 AM. This was 7:30ish. I got my little burger buzzer and made multiple jokes about the Outback Steakhouse.
We managed to find a table in the back (no small victory) and sat down to enjoy our lard! I had a Single Shack Burger, cheese fries, and a chocolate shake.
It was delicious and everything I had hoped it would be. Unfortunately, this is what I looked like after dinner.
It's gonna be a great summer!
Seriously... the line was crazy.
Luckily I had my Lard-ners in Crime...
Pictured: Sara and Jen.
Not pictured: Elle and Gigi who took one look at the line and went out for Chinese.
Once we got inside, it was even more of a madhouse!
Eventually, we were able to order our food. The cashier looked utterly exhausted. They'd had a nonstop stream of people since opening at 11 AM. This was 7:30ish. I got my little burger buzzer and made multiple jokes about the Outback Steakhouse.
Also, I could use a manicure.
We managed to find a table in the back (no small victory) and sat down to enjoy our lard! I had a Single Shack Burger, cheese fries, and a chocolate shake.
It was delicious and everything I had hoped it would be. Unfortunately, this is what I looked like after dinner.
It's gonna be a great summer!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Seriously one of the best meals of my life
I love food. I love to make it, I love to eat it, I love to talk about it. I glory in a perfect meal enjoyed with friends. My hips and thighs will back me up on this point.
--SIDEBAR--
Sometimes I get down on myself about my body but when I think of my shapely legs as the product of burrata and pork belly, I cannot help but feel better about them.
--/SIDEBAR--
This past weekend I had one of the best meals of my life, cooked in front of my eyes by one of my dearest friends. Rosey and I have been friends pretty much since the first day of college. We lived on the same floor freshman year and I quickly came to think of him as a friend I would keep forever. Yeeeeears ago he brought this awesome woman to see a show at the theatre company I co-founded and I immediately knew I needed to be friends with her as well. Luckily for me, they got married. Even better, they invited me over to their new house for dinner this past weekend with our friend K. K and I were buddies in college who lost touch until last year but now we're back and deeply in love with each other and our renewed bond. This is all to say that the company certainly enhanced the meal enjoyed - especially since they are all fantastic eaters!
Rosey has an entire bookcase of cookbooks and is one of the only people I know who actually uses them. I can't remember which ones he used for these meals, though I think something came out of Momofuku and something came out of Top Chef. Whatever, let's get on to this meal!
First course was sake marinated salmon with wasabi crème fraiche, served in a martini glass with pickled red onions and fresh tarragon. HOLY SHIT. I don't know where Rosey got this salmon but it was absolutely perfect. This dish was light with just the perfect amount of heat.
Second course was homemade seafood sausages (shrimp, scallop, halibut) served with a spicy jicima slaw and chimichurri sauce. WHAT!? When I arrived at the house, Rosey was poaching the sausages, formed and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and my head exploded. He made a honey-chili glaze and baked (or broiled... could have been broiled...there was much wine) the glazed sausages right before serving. The slaw was spicy and crunchy and the perfect complement to the delicious seafood sausages.
And then? And then. And then there were chinese-style pork belly buns. PORK BELLY BUNS. Hoisin sauce, scallions, homemade pickles. You know, homemade pickles...like you do. I cannot emphasize enough how delicious these were, how perfectly the pork belly was prepared, how much I love buns. (Insert joke about "unless you got buns hon".) (Now you have Sir Mix-A-Lot in your head.) (You're welcome.)
So, at this point in the evening, we're all dying from the intense deliciousness that is this beautiful meal. Oh, but there are two desserts. TWO. A cold chocolate soup (WHAT!?) with fresh whipped cream and chocolate-covered cocoa puffs. This was amazing, obviously. And then? Oh, you know, just a couple of batches of homemade marshmallows, one half dusted in cinnamon sugar and the other in peanut butter powder. Peanut butter powder, I should add, made by SCIENCE.
There was only one thing left to do after such an incredible meal: collapse on the couch, tell each other how much we love each other, and watch a tv show called Too Cute about adorable puppies being adorable. I hope you all get to have a meal like this sometime soon.
--SIDEBAR--
Sometimes I get down on myself about my body but when I think of my shapely legs as the product of burrata and pork belly, I cannot help but feel better about them.
--/SIDEBAR--
This past weekend I had one of the best meals of my life, cooked in front of my eyes by one of my dearest friends. Rosey and I have been friends pretty much since the first day of college. We lived on the same floor freshman year and I quickly came to think of him as a friend I would keep forever. Yeeeeears ago he brought this awesome woman to see a show at the theatre company I co-founded and I immediately knew I needed to be friends with her as well. Luckily for me, they got married. Even better, they invited me over to their new house for dinner this past weekend with our friend K. K and I were buddies in college who lost touch until last year but now we're back and deeply in love with each other and our renewed bond. This is all to say that the company certainly enhanced the meal enjoyed - especially since they are all fantastic eaters!
Rosey has an entire bookcase of cookbooks and is one of the only people I know who actually uses them. I can't remember which ones he used for these meals, though I think something came out of Momofuku and something came out of Top Chef. Whatever, let's get on to this meal!
First course was sake marinated salmon with wasabi crème fraiche, served in a martini glass with pickled red onions and fresh tarragon. HOLY SHIT. I don't know where Rosey got this salmon but it was absolutely perfect. This dish was light with just the perfect amount of heat.
Second course was homemade seafood sausages (shrimp, scallop, halibut) served with a spicy jicima slaw and chimichurri sauce. WHAT!? When I arrived at the house, Rosey was poaching the sausages, formed and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and my head exploded. He made a honey-chili glaze and baked (or broiled... could have been broiled...there was much wine) the glazed sausages right before serving. The slaw was spicy and crunchy and the perfect complement to the delicious seafood sausages.
And then? And then. And then there were chinese-style pork belly buns. PORK BELLY BUNS. Hoisin sauce, scallions, homemade pickles. You know, homemade pickles...like you do. I cannot emphasize enough how delicious these were, how perfectly the pork belly was prepared, how much I love buns. (Insert joke about "unless you got buns hon".) (Now you have Sir Mix-A-Lot in your head.) (You're welcome.)
So, at this point in the evening, we're all dying from the intense deliciousness that is this beautiful meal. Oh, but there are two desserts. TWO. A cold chocolate soup (WHAT!?) with fresh whipped cream and chocolate-covered cocoa puffs. This was amazing, obviously. And then? Oh, you know, just a couple of batches of homemade marshmallows, one half dusted in cinnamon sugar and the other in peanut butter powder. Peanut butter powder, I should add, made by SCIENCE.
There was only one thing left to do after such an incredible meal: collapse on the couch, tell each other how much we love each other, and watch a tv show called Too Cute about adorable puppies being adorable. I hope you all get to have a meal like this sometime soon.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Eat Real Food and Move More. Yup.
I just had lunch with my lovely boyfriend. We always pack our lunch and meet at 30th street station, which is somehow the shortest distance between our workplaces (that is, if I take the subway and he walks). This was the first time I've seen him THIS YEAR and in the past 10 days he's had earful after earful of my self-deprecating jokes about there being more of me to love. At lunch he said, "I don't know what you've been talking about. You look fantastic."
He's a sweet man. Also, I'm wearing control top pantyhose.
--SIDEBAR--
Um, one of my BFFs told me recently that pantyhose aren't cool. WTF!? I love pantyhose. I will always wear them, world without end, amen.
--END SIDEBAR--
Back from lunch, I went to refill my water bottle and wash my hands. One of my coworkers was cooking a diet microwave meal and it occurred to me that it has been years since I ate one of those things. I've been doing Weight Watchers on and off for approximately 30 years (slight exaggeration) so I have experience doing it a bunch of ways.
The first time around, I ate Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones and fat free cheese and Skinny Cow ice cream and all manner of things like that. I ate diet pizza for chrissake. I walked on the treadmill. I didn't actually change that much about the way I ate except that everything was now processed to take out the fat. Guess what? I didn't see a ton of difference.
Even with the recent holiday pudge, I have had much better results this time around. I was able to get down to very, very close to my goal weight with little fluctuation for almost a year. I'll be back there again soon, if will power can be trusted. (Spoiler alert: it can't, but I'll try anyway.) And here's the major things I've done differently that I think made a difference:
* I walk more. I walk to the theatre from my day job (1 mile). Sometimes I walk home from day job (about 2 miles). I get up early and walk to the theatre from my house if I have to be there for rehearsal or something (1.5 miles).
* If there are non-scary stairs, I take them. This sometimes causes me to be short of breath. That's a good reminder that I can't be lazy.
* I ride my bike in the late spring, summer, and early fall for transportation. Saves me time and money to boot!
* Yoga. Pilates. Dancing whenever possible. Picking up babies (just randomly on the street - try it!) (that was a joke - don't do that!). Carrying heavy groceries home on foot. All of these are far more engaging forms of exercise than logging 45 minutes on the elliptical.
* Listen, I got some workout pants that I really like. They are comfy, I think they look cute, and I like to wear them. It helps.
* Logging 45 minutes on the elliptical. To Beyonce.
* Eating actual food. I started making my own soup instead of buying gross cans of wilted vegetables. It's not that hard, either, especially if you have a crock pot!
* Eating fruits and vegetables. Like, for real. I found out that a banana and a cup of coffee will get me through most of the morning with no issue.
* Goodbye, dressing! Vinegar: YES. Lemon/lime juice: YES. Sea salt and cracked pepper will get you very far on a salad. Seriously, invest in some really good salt and pepper and really good vinegar. Game changer.
* Not starving myself, not depriving myself. I love cheese. So I eat cheese. Real cheese that tastes amazing. Real pizza. I have given myself permission to eat things I like, as long as it's balanced in the course of a week. For every double pizza day, there must be a double salad day.
* Rethinking salad. Look, I don't love lettuce. But I do love spinach. Add some beets and a little goat cheese? Boom! Solved! And all for 2 points!
* Tricking myself sometimes is very important. If I have a glass of wine with dinner, I will always want another one after dinner. If I have seltzer water with some lime in a wine glass with dinner, I am just as fancy, have spent far less points, and am actually quenching whatever thirst arises.
Basically, my main plan is to eat real food and move more. And it turns out, it's not that hard. Maybe you have some other pointers or some other tricks?
Oh, and here's a super easy crock pot recipe that turned out DELICIOUS (from A Year of Slow Cooking with some tweaks):
Get your crock pot.
Put in there:
1 package of chicken thighs
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 jar salsa
1/2 cup or so of frozen corn
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes for The Spice
cook on low about 7 hours. I then portioned it out into 6 servings and removed the skin from the thighs. 6 points a serving. BOOM.
He's a sweet man. Also, I'm wearing control top pantyhose.
--SIDEBAR--
Um, one of my BFFs told me recently that pantyhose aren't cool. WTF!? I love pantyhose. I will always wear them, world without end, amen.
--END SIDEBAR--
Back from lunch, I went to refill my water bottle and wash my hands. One of my coworkers was cooking a diet microwave meal and it occurred to me that it has been years since I ate one of those things. I've been doing Weight Watchers on and off for approximately 30 years (slight exaggeration) so I have experience doing it a bunch of ways.
The first time around, I ate Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones and fat free cheese and Skinny Cow ice cream and all manner of things like that. I ate diet pizza for chrissake. I walked on the treadmill. I didn't actually change that much about the way I ate except that everything was now processed to take out the fat. Guess what? I didn't see a ton of difference.
Even with the recent holiday pudge, I have had much better results this time around. I was able to get down to very, very close to my goal weight with little fluctuation for almost a year. I'll be back there again soon, if will power can be trusted. (Spoiler alert: it can't, but I'll try anyway.) And here's the major things I've done differently that I think made a difference:
* I walk more. I walk to the theatre from my day job (1 mile). Sometimes I walk home from day job (about 2 miles). I get up early and walk to the theatre from my house if I have to be there for rehearsal or something (1.5 miles).
* If there are non-scary stairs, I take them. This sometimes causes me to be short of breath. That's a good reminder that I can't be lazy.
* I ride my bike in the late spring, summer, and early fall for transportation. Saves me time and money to boot!
* Yoga. Pilates. Dancing whenever possible. Picking up babies (just randomly on the street - try it!) (that was a joke - don't do that!). Carrying heavy groceries home on foot. All of these are far more engaging forms of exercise than logging 45 minutes on the elliptical.
* Listen, I got some workout pants that I really like. They are comfy, I think they look cute, and I like to wear them. It helps.
* Logging 45 minutes on the elliptical. To Beyonce.
* Eating actual food. I started making my own soup instead of buying gross cans of wilted vegetables. It's not that hard, either, especially if you have a crock pot!
* Eating fruits and vegetables. Like, for real. I found out that a banana and a cup of coffee will get me through most of the morning with no issue.
* Goodbye, dressing! Vinegar: YES. Lemon/lime juice: YES. Sea salt and cracked pepper will get you very far on a salad. Seriously, invest in some really good salt and pepper and really good vinegar. Game changer.
* Not starving myself, not depriving myself. I love cheese. So I eat cheese. Real cheese that tastes amazing. Real pizza. I have given myself permission to eat things I like, as long as it's balanced in the course of a week. For every double pizza day, there must be a double salad day.
* Rethinking salad. Look, I don't love lettuce. But I do love spinach. Add some beets and a little goat cheese? Boom! Solved! And all for 2 points!
* Tricking myself sometimes is very important. If I have a glass of wine with dinner, I will always want another one after dinner. If I have seltzer water with some lime in a wine glass with dinner, I am just as fancy, have spent far less points, and am actually quenching whatever thirst arises.
Basically, my main plan is to eat real food and move more. And it turns out, it's not that hard. Maybe you have some other pointers or some other tricks?
Oh, and here's a super easy crock pot recipe that turned out DELICIOUS (from A Year of Slow Cooking with some tweaks):
Get your crock pot.
Put in there:
1 package of chicken thighs
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 jar salsa
1/2 cup or so of frozen corn
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes for The Spice
cook on low about 7 hours. I then portioned it out into 6 servings and removed the skin from the thighs. 6 points a serving. BOOM.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Holiday pudge
My dear readers, my biggest fear about the holidays has come to pass: I straight-up gained 7 pounds in 2 weeks. This is probably because there were a good four days in a row that I ate nothing but potato chips, cheese, and wine. Seriously. If you are wondering why you can't find any potato chips in the tri-state area, it's because I ate them all.
But a distant memory...
So we're back to vegetables and soups and beans and fish and, you know, actually moving instead of napping. I started back up with the yoga and pilates classes but it's also time to get back into the gym. I haven't been in a while because my sneakers were BUSTED and made my feet bleed. By the grace of Santa I have new sneaks and I'm very excited to see what kind of elliptical damage they can do.
I'm going to spend a little time tonight putting together a playlist for the gym so that I can rock it out after work tomorrow. I tend toward a mix of crappy pop and riot grrrl music when I'm working out. It always makes me laugh to hear what comes on in which order. Firework + Rebel Girl? Helllllll yes.
The sad thing is that I know this holiday pudge won't come off as quickly as it went on, but at least I know what to do about it. And fries aren't the answer.
ps- I'm going out to a nice dinner tonight with some friends (we call ourselves Yum Club), so expect a big ole food post tomorrow. I am nothing if not contradictory.
But a distant memory...
So we're back to vegetables and soups and beans and fish and, you know, actually moving instead of napping. I started back up with the yoga and pilates classes but it's also time to get back into the gym. I haven't been in a while because my sneakers were BUSTED and made my feet bleed. By the grace of Santa I have new sneaks and I'm very excited to see what kind of elliptical damage they can do.
I'm going to spend a little time tonight putting together a playlist for the gym so that I can rock it out after work tomorrow. I tend toward a mix of crappy pop and riot grrrl music when I'm working out. It always makes me laugh to hear what comes on in which order. Firework + Rebel Girl? Helllllll yes.
The sad thing is that I know this holiday pudge won't come off as quickly as it went on, but at least I know what to do about it. And fries aren't the answer.
ps- I'm going out to a nice dinner tonight with some friends (we call ourselves Yum Club), so expect a big ole food post tomorrow. I am nothing if not contradictory.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Subtle Ways to Be a Total Juicebox
Thanks to reader Alison for posting this on her Facebook wall yesterday:
Top 10 Subtle Ways to Tell Her She's Getting Fat.
Oh yes, it's real. I'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Okay, here's the list:
10. Buy her clothes that are too small.
9. Sign her up for yoga under the pretence [sic] of "stress relief."
8. Set out on your own weight loss plan.
7. Serve her unsatisfactory portions.
6. Improve your own diet.
5. Playfully grab her love handles.
4. Ask her to wear an old dress.
3. Schedule a formal date. [The original #3 was Sabotage her chair, but apparently THAT WENT TOO FAR.]
2. Leave "now" and "then" photos lying around.
1. Take her to places where she has to wear a swimsuit.
You know, askmen.com, why stop there? Why not combine a few - make her wear a swimsuit on a formal date with unsatisfactory portions and then grab her love handles? Wouldn't that be most effective? Oh, and if you really want to destroy your girlfriend's self-confidence, be sure to ask talk openly and often about how hot her skinny friends are! It's a surefire hit!
For number 7, here is the actual text: "By making her ask for more food, you might succeed in shaming her into an acknowledgment of her recent weight gain, and hopefully to instigate a conversation about what she’s going to do about it." SHAMING HER INTO AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT!
Look. We know when we've put on weight. Even if we don't weigh ourselves regularly, we know how our clothes fit. This isn't something that ever needs to be pointed out to us, not ever. Most likely we are already thinking about it often and aren't feeling too great about it. If a partner tries to shame us into losing weight, there are a few things that might happen: A) Partner is now single, B) "Fat" girlfriend loses self-confidence and perhaps also LIBIDO, C) eating disorder city: population 1. I swear to god, if anyone ever playfully grabbed my love handles, he would be missing a hand. At the very least.
You know what? Fuck this article. You are beautiful and you deserve satisfactory helpings of guacamole.
Top 10 Subtle Ways to Tell Her She's Getting Fat.
Oh yes, it's real. I'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Okay, here's the list:
10. Buy her clothes that are too small.
9. Sign her up for yoga under the pretence [sic] of "stress relief."
8. Set out on your own weight loss plan.
7. Serve her unsatisfactory portions.
6. Improve your own diet.
5. Playfully grab her love handles.
4. Ask her to wear an old dress.
3. Schedule a formal date. [The original #3 was Sabotage her chair, but apparently THAT WENT TOO FAR.]
2. Leave "now" and "then" photos lying around.
1. Take her to places where she has to wear a swimsuit.
You know, askmen.com, why stop there? Why not combine a few - make her wear a swimsuit on a formal date with unsatisfactory portions and then grab her love handles? Wouldn't that be most effective? Oh, and if you really want to destroy your girlfriend's self-confidence, be sure to ask talk openly and often about how hot her skinny friends are! It's a surefire hit!
For number 7, here is the actual text: "By making her ask for more food, you might succeed in shaming her into an acknowledgment of her recent weight gain, and hopefully to instigate a conversation about what she’s going to do about it." SHAMING HER INTO AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT!
Look. We know when we've put on weight. Even if we don't weigh ourselves regularly, we know how our clothes fit. This isn't something that ever needs to be pointed out to us, not ever. Most likely we are already thinking about it often and aren't feeling too great about it. If a partner tries to shame us into losing weight, there are a few things that might happen: A) Partner is now single, B) "Fat" girlfriend loses self-confidence and perhaps also LIBIDO, C) eating disorder city: population 1. I swear to god, if anyone ever playfully grabbed my love handles, he would be missing a hand. At the very least.
You know what? Fuck this article. You are beautiful and you deserve satisfactory helpings of guacamole.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Cookies!
Nothing says the holidays like cramming as many cookies as you can into your mouth and pretending you won't gain any weight. To help you with this task, I am sharing with you the recipe my parents sent me when I asked for a snickerdoodle recipe. For the uninitiated, snickerdoodles are the simplest and best cookie in the entire world.
The Famous Oodles of Snicker-Doodles Recipe and Handbook
Preheat oven to 400º. Put 1 cup of butter on the table. Take some time for a drink.
Get the ingredients before you drink more.
2¾ c sifted flout
3 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 c soft butter
1½ c sugar
2 eggs
4 T sugar
4 t cinnamon
Mix the next drink, but only take a taste.
Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
In separate bowl, cream butter and gradually add 1½ cup of sugar
Cream mixture until fluffy, add beaten eggs, and mix well
Add sifted dry ingredients gradually and mix.
Chill in refrigerator while you have your nicely chilled drink.
Mold dough into small balls using 1 T of dough for each ball.
Roll dough balls and boys in mixture of 4 T sugar and 4 t cinnamon.
Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cooking sheet
Insert in HOT, HOT, HOT oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
Drink while you wait.
This recipe yields approximately 5 dozen cookies and at least 3 opportunities to enjoy Christmas cheer.
The Famous Oodles of Snicker-Doodles Recipe and Handbook
Preheat oven to 400º. Put 1 cup of butter on the table. Take some time for a drink.
Get the ingredients before you drink more.
2¾ c sifted flout
3 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 c soft butter
1½ c sugar
2 eggs
4 T sugar
4 t cinnamon
Mix the next drink, but only take a taste.
Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
In separate bowl, cream butter and gradually add 1½ cup of sugar
Cream mixture until fluffy, add beaten eggs, and mix well
Add sifted dry ingredients gradually and mix.
Chill in refrigerator while you have your nicely chilled drink.
Mold dough into small balls using 1 T of dough for each ball.
Roll dough balls and boys in mixture of 4 T sugar and 4 t cinnamon.
Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cooking sheet
Insert in HOT, HOT, HOT oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
Drink while you wait.
This recipe yields approximately 5 dozen cookies and at least 3 opportunities to enjoy Christmas cheer.
Friday, September 30, 2011
The Worst Vegetarian
On this final day of September I am celebrating my final day of vegetarian month. I appreciate the cookbooks friends gave me and the recipes that were sent along. I will cap off the month with my first shot at ratatouille tonight! I did a good job on the month, only cheating once very early on. But...
OH MY GOD I WANT A BURGER.
Things I have learned from this month:
* Morrissey will never be my friend.
* It is actually possible to conquer cravings, but they will drive you insane.
* I am a person who dreams about sushi.
* And lamb.
* I eat far too much pizza.
* I will put cheese on just about anything.
* Even as a vegetarian, I can go a full 2 days without eating any fruits or vegetables.
* I feel better when I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
* Citrus avocado salad is the greatest salad ever invented.
* ... tied with cobb salad.
God, I want a cobb salad. And a burger. And some rare tuna. And a buffalo cheesesteak. And shrimp shumai. And turkey curry.
OH MY GOD I WANT A BURGER.
Things I have learned from this month:
* Morrissey will never be my friend.
* It is actually possible to conquer cravings, but they will drive you insane.
* I am a person who dreams about sushi.
* And lamb.
* I eat far too much pizza.
* I will put cheese on just about anything.
* Even as a vegetarian, I can go a full 2 days without eating any fruits or vegetables.
* I feel better when I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
* Citrus avocado salad is the greatest salad ever invented.
* ... tied with cobb salad.
God, I want a cobb salad. And a burger. And some rare tuna. And a buffalo cheesesteak. And shrimp shumai. And turkey curry.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Temporary Vegetarian!
I am going vegetarian for the month of September. I did this once before, maybe last year? The year before that? I don't remember. I have noticed myself eating more meat lately and I'd like to break that down a bit, so I'm going to veg it up a bit this month and hope that makes me more conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth.
Of course, the last night of August I had to have an enormous cheesesteak just to scratch that itch before delving into a meatless month. Oh buffalo cheesesteak, how I love you. And hate you.
I posted a request for vegetarian recipes and wow! I have a ton of things to try out this month. I have cookbooks and websites and plenty of recipes from friends that say things like "not too cheese-y, but cheese-y enough." Fantastic! Thanks, everyone!
But to begin, I'm sticking to a couple of favorite things and I'd like to give you the recipes right here, right now. Both of these require time... but not time that you have to actually really do anything, so they are totally easy. AND DELICIOUS.
Corn and Beet Salad
I basically try to get everyone to make this salad all the time. It's so good! My dear Gigi found this in Martha Stewart Living last summer, I believe and it's become a staple in my house. I'm going to give you the quantities I used yesterday, but you can futz with it - add, subtract, whatever. You will need...
3 big beets! (or a bunch of small ones -so tasty)
2 ears of corn (or a bag of frozen) (or a can)
some olive oil (maybe 2 tsp)
a big ole handful of fresh basil
Boil your beets for like 45 minutes. Cook your corn. After the beets are done boiling, cool them down and wipe the skin off. Seriously: the skin just wipes off. It's the coolest thing. Chop them up into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl. If you're using fresh corn, take it off the cob. Add corn to bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir everything together. Rip up the basil (or chop it, whatever you like) and stir it all together.
You can eat it hot if you like. I prefer it cold after a few hours in the fridge so the corn turns pink. This will make about 4 servings. 3 WW points per serving. (If you go crazy over it and it turns into only 3 servings, it is 4 WW points.)
Butternut Squash Soup
This is ridiculously easy on the front end, kind of annoying at the end, but still easy and delicious. You will need...
1 butternut squash, whatever size will fit in your crock pot
2 potatoes
vegetable broth or stock (you can use chicken stock if you want)
1 onion
salt + pepper
EITHER curry powder OR cinnamon
Put your squash and the potatoes in your slow cooker. Add a little bit of water to the bottom, enough so you don't feel like you're going to burn down your kitchen. Set on HIGH for 6-8 hours. (I usually set this up at like 11 PM and wake up to delicious smells.) Dice up an onion and cook it until it gets soft. I like to char mine a little bit for depth of flavor, but that's also because I tend to like burnt onions. Diff'rent Strokes.
Now take the squash and potatoes out of the slow cooker and split them in half. They will be soft and HOT AS HELL. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous bits - we're not using these in the recipe.
Now here's the thing: we're going to scoop all of the flesh out of the squash and also put all of that good potato and onion in with it and blend it up. I don't have a food processor or immersion blender, so I have to do it in the blender-blender, which requires me to do half at a time. It's kind of annoying. I take the skins off my potatoes, but you can throw those in if you want.
In whatever you are using to mix this all together, combine the squash flesh, the potatoes, the cooked onions, and as much or as little broth/stock as you want. I prefer a thicker soup, so I add less stock. Then, once it has all blended together, add salt and pepper to taste and EITHER curry OR cinnamon to taste. I prefer curry and I dump a lot in. The cinnamon is lovely in this too, but I like savory things better than sweet things.
This will yield about 5 servings, depending on the size of your squash. Here are the points values with variables:
If you use Idaho potatoes and cook your onions in 1 tsp of olive oil: 3 WW points per serving.
If you use Idaho potatoes and cook your onions in just a hot pan, no oil: 2 WW points per serving.
If you use sweet potatoes, either with or without cooking the onions in oil: 2 WW points per serving.
Enjoy the weekend everyone. Come back next week for a very special VIDEO treat on WTS!
Of course, the last night of August I had to have an enormous cheesesteak just to scratch that itch before delving into a meatless month. Oh buffalo cheesesteak, how I love you. And hate you.
I posted a request for vegetarian recipes and wow! I have a ton of things to try out this month. I have cookbooks and websites and plenty of recipes from friends that say things like "not too cheese-y, but cheese-y enough." Fantastic! Thanks, everyone!
But to begin, I'm sticking to a couple of favorite things and I'd like to give you the recipes right here, right now. Both of these require time... but not time that you have to actually really do anything, so they are totally easy. AND DELICIOUS.
Corn and Beet Salad
I basically try to get everyone to make this salad all the time. It's so good! My dear Gigi found this in Martha Stewart Living last summer, I believe and it's become a staple in my house. I'm going to give you the quantities I used yesterday, but you can futz with it - add, subtract, whatever. You will need...
3 big beets! (or a bunch of small ones -so tasty)
2 ears of corn (or a bag of frozen) (or a can)
some olive oil (maybe 2 tsp)
a big ole handful of fresh basil
Boil your beets for like 45 minutes. Cook your corn. After the beets are done boiling, cool them down and wipe the skin off. Seriously: the skin just wipes off. It's the coolest thing. Chop them up into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl. If you're using fresh corn, take it off the cob. Add corn to bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir everything together. Rip up the basil (or chop it, whatever you like) and stir it all together.
You can eat it hot if you like. I prefer it cold after a few hours in the fridge so the corn turns pink. This will make about 4 servings. 3 WW points per serving. (If you go crazy over it and it turns into only 3 servings, it is 4 WW points.)
Butternut Squash Soup
This is ridiculously easy on the front end, kind of annoying at the end, but still easy and delicious. You will need...
1 butternut squash, whatever size will fit in your crock pot
2 potatoes
vegetable broth or stock (you can use chicken stock if you want)
1 onion
salt + pepper
EITHER curry powder OR cinnamon
Put your squash and the potatoes in your slow cooker. Add a little bit of water to the bottom, enough so you don't feel like you're going to burn down your kitchen. Set on HIGH for 6-8 hours. (I usually set this up at like 11 PM and wake up to delicious smells.) Dice up an onion and cook it until it gets soft. I like to char mine a little bit for depth of flavor, but that's also because I tend to like burnt onions. Diff'rent Strokes.
Now take the squash and potatoes out of the slow cooker and split them in half. They will be soft and HOT AS HELL. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous bits - we're not using these in the recipe.
Now here's the thing: we're going to scoop all of the flesh out of the squash and also put all of that good potato and onion in with it and blend it up. I don't have a food processor or immersion blender, so I have to do it in the blender-blender, which requires me to do half at a time. It's kind of annoying. I take the skins off my potatoes, but you can throw those in if you want.
In whatever you are using to mix this all together, combine the squash flesh, the potatoes, the cooked onions, and as much or as little broth/stock as you want. I prefer a thicker soup, so I add less stock. Then, once it has all blended together, add salt and pepper to taste and EITHER curry OR cinnamon to taste. I prefer curry and I dump a lot in. The cinnamon is lovely in this too, but I like savory things better than sweet things.
This will yield about 5 servings, depending on the size of your squash. Here are the points values with variables:
If you use Idaho potatoes and cook your onions in 1 tsp of olive oil: 3 WW points per serving.
If you use Idaho potatoes and cook your onions in just a hot pan, no oil: 2 WW points per serving.
If you use sweet potatoes, either with or without cooking the onions in oil: 2 WW points per serving.
Enjoy the weekend everyone. Come back next week for a very special VIDEO treat on WTS!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Fictional food all up in my brain!
Because of this totally awesome post on The Hairpin about foods in movies and literature, I found out there is actually an Anne of Green Gables Cookbook. I obviously have to get that immediately. RASPBERRY CORDIAL!
Back to the original article, I agree with co-writer Emily that just once I want to try a Cheesy Blaster. It sounds kind of disgusting but also kind of awesome. Kind of like a Philly Taco, which is not at all a crude term for a vagina that boos at sports teams. A Philly Taco is when you go to South Street and wrap a cheesesteak from Jim's (which is really the best cheesesteak in Philly, don't let anyone tell you differently) in a slice of pizza from Lorenzo's down the street. Some people also throw a soft pretzel in the midddle of there too. I am hesitant to indulge in this taste sensation because I don't like Lorenzo's sweet tomato sauce. Oh right, also because it's like a million calories. That too.
My dear 6 readers, do you ever have the experience when you're eating something and you float outside of your body and think, I know I look so disgusting right now. Okay, I'm going to out myself. I live very close to Cheesesteak Alley and if I'm coming home late on a weekend night, I will totally stop at Pat's and get cheese fries. I will then pump the cheese fry cup full of ketchup, grab a napkin and a fork, and complete my walk home. It takes me exactly the same amount of time to walk to the corner of my block as it does to consume the ketchup-y cheese fries. And there is a trash can on that corner, so cleanup is very efficient! But let me tell you, I just know I look absolutely gross eating this delicious treat. Because it's Whiz and ketchup and I definitely only do this when I've had a couple of beers so sometimes I miss my mouth and slam the fries directly into my face. And then sometimes the napkin gets all gross with Whiz and so I'm not actually doing anything much more than just wiping MORE Whiz on my cheek. And then I get home and I'm like, why do I have a belly ache? And then I go directly to bed. And the greatest thing in the world for your body is to hibernate immediately after consuming about a billion calories. The other greatest thing in the world for your body is spending 8 hours with processed cheese sauce on your skin.
In a related story, when I was a kid and a teenager, adults used to tell me all the time that I was incredibly mature for my age.
Back to the original article, I agree with co-writer Emily that just once I want to try a Cheesy Blaster. It sounds kind of disgusting but also kind of awesome. Kind of like a Philly Taco, which is not at all a crude term for a vagina that boos at sports teams. A Philly Taco is when you go to South Street and wrap a cheesesteak from Jim's (which is really the best cheesesteak in Philly, don't let anyone tell you differently) in a slice of pizza from Lorenzo's down the street. Some people also throw a soft pretzel in the midddle of there too. I am hesitant to indulge in this taste sensation because I don't like Lorenzo's sweet tomato sauce. Oh right, also because it's like a million calories. That too.
My dear 6 readers, do you ever have the experience when you're eating something and you float outside of your body and think, I know I look so disgusting right now. Okay, I'm going to out myself. I live very close to Cheesesteak Alley and if I'm coming home late on a weekend night, I will totally stop at Pat's and get cheese fries. I will then pump the cheese fry cup full of ketchup, grab a napkin and a fork, and complete my walk home. It takes me exactly the same amount of time to walk to the corner of my block as it does to consume the ketchup-y cheese fries. And there is a trash can on that corner, so cleanup is very efficient! But let me tell you, I just know I look absolutely gross eating this delicious treat. Because it's Whiz and ketchup and I definitely only do this when I've had a couple of beers so sometimes I miss my mouth and slam the fries directly into my face. And then sometimes the napkin gets all gross with Whiz and so I'm not actually doing anything much more than just wiping MORE Whiz on my cheek. And then I get home and I'm like, why do I have a belly ache? And then I go directly to bed. And the greatest thing in the world for your body is to hibernate immediately after consuming about a billion calories. The other greatest thing in the world for your body is spending 8 hours with processed cheese sauce on your skin.
In a related story, when I was a kid and a teenager, adults used to tell me all the time that I was incredibly mature for my age.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Why Everyone Should Eat More Pork Belly
Because it is DELICIOUS.
This morning I posted to Facebook a query of what I should talk about on WTS today. I got a few suggestions, including the title of this post. Let's go through them, shall we?
My favorite pork belly dish in the city was at Chew Man Chu, which has sadly closed its doors. I had an amazing bahn mi with pork belly a few months ago but I can't remember where and that is KILLING ME. The 10 Hour Pork 'Kakuni’ at Morimoto is a real can't-miss. And my friends Anthony and Rosey have both been experimenting with their own pork belly adventures. That exhausts my knowledge of pork belly - but not my enthusiasm!
Here's the thing: I don't mind ironing but it's a hassle. What I try hard to do is get the laundry out of the dryer immediately and then put the things that wrinkle hardcore on hangers in my closet as fast as possible. That's not always practical, which is why I usually am dragging a tshirt into the bathroom with me before a shower. This morning I was torn between 2 shirts to wear with my black pencil skirt: a green v-cut stripey shirt and a white classic t. I put them both on hangers and hung them outside the shower curtain and closed the window. I took a steamy shower and decided that the white shirt had relaxed more wrinkles than the green, so that is what I wore today. Fashion decisions! Obviously, I had to jazz it up a bit so today I am experimenting with a tucked in shirt under pencil skirt and a gigantic green beaded necklace. I think it's working for me.
I can tell you that at the very least I know one person who will be very glad to have Casey Novak back in the courtroom on SVU. I am completely devastated that Chris Meloni is leaving the show, though I suppose that will give him more time to fondle his sweaters and hump his fridge.
In other pop culture news, I watched Access Hollywood last night for about as long as I could stand it before my brain leaking out of my ears. They were doing a feature on stunning celeb transformations featuring Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Sara Rue, and Kelly Osborn. After basically showing footage of all of the women in bikinis (except JHud because she is classy like that) they went on to exclaim over how much weight each woman lost in a way that really sounded a lot like "CAN YOU BELIEVE WE LIKED THEM EVEN WHEN THEY WERE FATTIES!?" I turned it off when the pre-commercial teaser promised they would come back with the verdict on who had the MOST stunning transformation. I think all of them were hot before and after and I can't figure out why it has to be a competition.
That said, the vintage bathing suit Sara Rue was wearing in this "feature" was absolutely adorable and I covet it. Also her hair. I covet her hair.
Yeah right, as if I know. When I went to Chicago I was not prepared for it to be 40 degrees and raining the whole time. Here is a photo of me putting on socks ON THE STREET to wear with my OPEN TOED SHOES so I could be warm.
Not the highest fashion moment of my life.
This morning I posted to Facebook a query of what I should talk about on WTS today. I got a few suggestions, including the title of this post. Let's go through them, shall we?
Pork Belly
My favorite pork belly dish in the city was at Chew Man Chu, which has sadly closed its doors. I had an amazing bahn mi with pork belly a few months ago but I can't remember where and that is KILLING ME. The 10 Hour Pork 'Kakuni’ at Morimoto is a real can't-miss. And my friends Anthony and Rosey have both been experimenting with their own pork belly adventures. That exhausts my knowledge of pork belly - but not my enthusiasm!
To iron or not...
Here's the thing: I don't mind ironing but it's a hassle. What I try hard to do is get the laundry out of the dryer immediately and then put the things that wrinkle hardcore on hangers in my closet as fast as possible. That's not always practical, which is why I usually am dragging a tshirt into the bathroom with me before a shower. This morning I was torn between 2 shirts to wear with my black pencil skirt: a green v-cut stripey shirt and a white classic t. I put them both on hangers and hung them outside the shower curtain and closed the window. I took a steamy shower and decided that the white shirt had relaxed more wrinkles than the green, so that is what I wore today. Fashion decisions! Obviously, I had to jazz it up a bit so today I am experimenting with a tucked in shirt under pencil skirt and a gigantic green beaded necklace. I think it's working for me.
Pop culture. Anything celebrityish.
I can tell you that at the very least I know one person who will be very glad to have Casey Novak back in the courtroom on SVU. I am completely devastated that Chris Meloni is leaving the show, though I suppose that will give him more time to fondle his sweaters and hump his fridge.
In other pop culture news, I watched Access Hollywood last night for about as long as I could stand it before my brain leaking out of my ears. They were doing a feature on stunning celeb transformations featuring Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Sara Rue, and Kelly Osborn. After basically showing footage of all of the women in bikinis (except JHud because she is classy like that) they went on to exclaim over how much weight each woman lost in a way that really sounded a lot like "CAN YOU BELIEVE WE LIKED THEM EVEN WHEN THEY WERE FATTIES!?" I turned it off when the pre-commercial teaser promised they would come back with the verdict on who had the MOST stunning transformation. I think all of them were hot before and after and I can't figure out why it has to be a competition.
That said, the vintage bathing suit Sara Rue was wearing in this "feature" was absolutely adorable and I covet it. Also her hair. I covet her hair.
How to pack for a 10 day trip...
Yeah right, as if I know. When I went to Chicago I was not prepared for it to be 40 degrees and raining the whole time. Here is a photo of me putting on socks ON THE STREET to wear with my OPEN TOED SHOES so I could be warm.
Not the highest fashion moment of my life.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Food news you may or may not be able to use
Oh man, you guys. Yesterday I finally went to Denise's Soul Food truck over outside of 30th Street Station and it was everything I ever hoped it would be. I ordered a small platter of jerk chicken with greens and mac and cheese. At $7 for a small platter, you may think Denise's is a bit expensive, but it's an absolute bargain for the amount of excellent food you get. The portions are INSANE, definitely enough for at least 2 meals. I am trying to be good and get a third lunch out of it, but that probably won't happen. Yesterday around 4:30 PM I heard the siren song of mac and cheese calling my name. Suffice it to say my lunch today had no mac and cheese. My lunch tomorrow will be lucky to have greens. I love all greens, but I am desperately butt-crazy in love with these. West Philly! You are winning me over!
In other news, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WE'RE GETTING A SHAKE SHACK!!!!! It won't happen until next year, but HOORAY. There are a few reasons for this hooray.
Reason 1: I went to Shake Shack for the first time a few months ago and it's awesome.
Reason 2: Shake Shack will be opening one half-block from the home of my theatre company.
which means...
Reason 3: Shake Shack all the time.*
So, at one intersection we will have Village Whiskey, Capogiro, and Shake Shack. Food heaven, thy name be 20th and Sansom.
Okay, and the last thing in food news is that my dear friend Anthony attempted to fashion steak into a möbius strip, mostly because he is the awesomest nerd in the world. And because he has access to meat glue.
* Yeah right. I am holding steady at my initial weight goal and would not like to see those numbers go bye-bye. MODERATION IS THE KEY. Shake Shack almost all the time.
In other news, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WE'RE GETTING A SHAKE SHACK!!!!! It won't happen until next year, but HOORAY. There are a few reasons for this hooray.
Reason 1: I went to Shake Shack for the first time a few months ago and it's awesome.
Reason 2: Shake Shack will be opening one half-block from the home of my theatre company.
which means...
Reason 3: Shake Shack all the time.*
So, at one intersection we will have Village Whiskey, Capogiro, and Shake Shack. Food heaven, thy name be 20th and Sansom.
Okay, and the last thing in food news is that my dear friend Anthony attempted to fashion steak into a möbius strip, mostly because he is the awesomest nerd in the world. And because he has access to meat glue.
* Yeah right. I am holding steady at my initial weight goal and would not like to see those numbers go bye-bye. MODERATION IS THE KEY. Shake Shack almost all the time.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
And oh! As I fade away...
Lots of big changes happening for me! Physical relocation at work, a new bed, a Patti LaBelle-esque new attitude... but how this adds up for you, my dear 6 readers, is that today's post is not all that great. I'm going to do the laziest thing possible and give you a bunch of links. Maybe you've seen them, maybe you haven't... here's to your last hour of the East Coast work day.
First! The title of this post is from my favorite Blind Melon song - "Change". I know you're all like "Um, I was unaware that there was more than one Blind Melon song." You guys, prepare to lose your mind over the sweetest three minutes of alt-hippie mandolin music you've ever heard. (PS, I had never seen this video before. RIP, Shannon Hoon.)
Second! I would like to direct your attention to 50 Nerdy Things to Do Before You Die from the now (sadly) defunct Park Bench. I was a contributor on this list, as were some of our dear 6 readers. It's pretty awesome if I do say so myself, even if it is a little dated now with all that talk of the yet-to-be-made Harry Potter theme park. Obviously, I cried the tears of girly joy mentioned in #43.
Third! You guys read Hyperbole and a Half, right? If not, OH MY GOD GET ON THIS IMMEDIATELY. It's pure, unadulterated genius. But obvs you all read it already, so we're just going to go back to a surefire highlight, The God of Cake. "I would eat all of the cake or I would evaporate from the sheer power of my desire to eat it." I cannot wait until the Hyperbole and a Half book comes out.
4! (switching it up on you there) Every snarky girl's pretend other best friend Mindy Kaling (first pretend best friend is always Tina Fey) (other other pretend best friend is Wanda Sykes) is coming out with a book! Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? won't come out until November but an excerpt of the book is available online! Here's something from Best Friend's Rights and Responsibilities that I obviously need to pay attention to, since Mindy Kaling is my pretend other best friend.
5! This is Philly Beer Week and that is fantastic! Even better? My theatre company is hosting our First Annual Flashpoint Brewfest this coming Saturday at 2PM at Noble American Cookery (they of the plate of purple food). Come one, come all! Get your tickets here! Bonus: I am a judge, which means I will be dressed up like Nina Garcia, Fashion Director for Marie Claire Magazine.*
*no I won't
First! The title of this post is from my favorite Blind Melon song - "Change". I know you're all like "Um, I was unaware that there was more than one Blind Melon song." You guys, prepare to lose your mind over the sweetest three minutes of alt-hippie mandolin music you've ever heard. (PS, I had never seen this video before. RIP, Shannon Hoon.)
Second! I would like to direct your attention to 50 Nerdy Things to Do Before You Die from the now (sadly) defunct Park Bench. I was a contributor on this list, as were some of our dear 6 readers. It's pretty awesome if I do say so myself, even if it is a little dated now with all that talk of the yet-to-be-made Harry Potter theme park. Obviously, I cried the tears of girly joy mentioned in #43.
Third! You guys read Hyperbole and a Half, right? If not, OH MY GOD GET ON THIS IMMEDIATELY. It's pure, unadulterated genius. But obvs you all read it already, so we're just going to go back to a surefire highlight, The God of Cake. "I would eat all of the cake or I would evaporate from the sheer power of my desire to eat it." I cannot wait until the Hyperbole and a Half book comes out.
4! (switching it up on you there) Every snarky girl's pretend other best friend Mindy Kaling (first pretend best friend is always Tina Fey) (other other pretend best friend is Wanda Sykes) is coming out with a book! Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? won't come out until November but an excerpt of the book is available online! Here's something from Best Friend's Rights and Responsibilities that I obviously need to pay attention to, since Mindy Kaling is my pretend other best friend.
WE SLEEP IN THE SAME BED
If we’re on a trip or if our boyfriends are away, and there’s a bed bigger than a twin, we’re partnering up. It is super weird for us to not share a bed. How else will we talk until we fall asleep?
5! This is Philly Beer Week and that is fantastic! Even better? My theatre company is hosting our First Annual Flashpoint Brewfest this coming Saturday at 2PM at Noble American Cookery (they of the plate of purple food). Come one, come all! Get your tickets here! Bonus: I am a judge, which means I will be dressed up like Nina Garcia, Fashion Director for Marie Claire Magazine.*
*no I won't
Monday, June 6, 2011
Salads and Natural Accessories
Sorry for the lack of post on Friday, my dear 6(00) readers. I had a terrible migraine all day and just couldn't face the computer screen. But! This weekend was chock-a-block with good things and I have plenty to share with you today.
Salads
You guys, I made awesome fruit salad. It's peaches and banana and blueberries and strawberries. I wanted to get in on the last few moments of strawberries for the season and boy howdy, is this delicious. I opted to skip the citrus, as I have been eating a lot of citrus avocado salad lately and I'm a little burned out on oranges. Also, since this was my fruit salad, I decided against the BS grapes and apples component. To me, that's filler. And apples aren't very good right now, are they? I wanted to have pineapple in there but I didn't want to carry a pineapple home from the grocery store. Next time.
In other salad news, I made a quick cucumber, grape tomato, basil salad with a little bit of red wine vinegar. Booyah! Delicious. What feels better in the summer than eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Natural Accessories
I had the good fortune to play dress up with two of my dear friends this weekend. Clarification: they played dress up, I played fashion police. MY FAVORITE GAME. Both ladies did an absolutely amazing job of finding exactly the right outfit and they'll both look phenomenal when they wear these out. AND! Both ladies had little touches that completely transformed one look into two or three. The difference between a pewter strappy sandal and red faux-suede heels can truly transform a dress. The same top in a different color can take a look from date to office. These are all really great things to keep in mind. I honestly felt a little superfluous in the "styling salons" of friends' homes this weekend but look out world because a couple of hotties are going to be perfectly dressed and looking for love!
A couple of things came up, though, that we haven't touched on here. So let me share with you what was discussed this weekend.
1. Don't be afraid of your boobs.
So you usually wear higher cut necklines and aren't used to seeing the girls in a deep V-neck? That can make even the most confident woman think twice about wearing that low cut dress. Take the most objective look at yourself you can: sexy or trashy? If the answer is the former, be bold and steel yourself to make the entire city fall to its knees. If it's the latter, maybe try a camisole underneath and see if you can split the difference. And if you're really not comfortable but love the dress or shirt, see what a well-placed safety pin can do. Also: double stick tape is your friend.
2. Tattoos as accessories.
We haven't talked about this! Your sweet ink can take the place of a necklace or bracelet! If you have an amazing chest piece, ditch the necklace. Awesome arm tattoos certainly don't need to be cluttered up with a chunky cuff. But you can also use accessories to accentuate your ink. If you have something gorgeous or tuff on your forearm or wrist, a bunch of jangly bangles will draw attention to your permanent self-expression. Same for the menfolk: cool tattoos + leather cuff/neat watch = DAAAAAAAMN.
Go forth and use your natural accessories!
Salads
You guys, I made awesome fruit salad. It's peaches and banana and blueberries and strawberries. I wanted to get in on the last few moments of strawberries for the season and boy howdy, is this delicious. I opted to skip the citrus, as I have been eating a lot of citrus avocado salad lately and I'm a little burned out on oranges. Also, since this was my fruit salad, I decided against the BS grapes and apples component. To me, that's filler. And apples aren't very good right now, are they? I wanted to have pineapple in there but I didn't want to carry a pineapple home from the grocery store. Next time.
In other salad news, I made a quick cucumber, grape tomato, basil salad with a little bit of red wine vinegar. Booyah! Delicious. What feels better in the summer than eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Natural Accessories
I had the good fortune to play dress up with two of my dear friends this weekend. Clarification: they played dress up, I played fashion police. MY FAVORITE GAME. Both ladies did an absolutely amazing job of finding exactly the right outfit and they'll both look phenomenal when they wear these out. AND! Both ladies had little touches that completely transformed one look into two or three. The difference between a pewter strappy sandal and red faux-suede heels can truly transform a dress. The same top in a different color can take a look from date to office. These are all really great things to keep in mind. I honestly felt a little superfluous in the "styling salons" of friends' homes this weekend but look out world because a couple of hotties are going to be perfectly dressed and looking for love!
A couple of things came up, though, that we haven't touched on here. So let me share with you what was discussed this weekend.
1. Don't be afraid of your boobs.
So you usually wear higher cut necklines and aren't used to seeing the girls in a deep V-neck? That can make even the most confident woman think twice about wearing that low cut dress. Take the most objective look at yourself you can: sexy or trashy? If the answer is the former, be bold and steel yourself to make the entire city fall to its knees. If it's the latter, maybe try a camisole underneath and see if you can split the difference. And if you're really not comfortable but love the dress or shirt, see what a well-placed safety pin can do. Also: double stick tape is your friend.
2. Tattoos as accessories.
We haven't talked about this! Your sweet ink can take the place of a necklace or bracelet! If you have an amazing chest piece, ditch the necklace. Awesome arm tattoos certainly don't need to be cluttered up with a chunky cuff. But you can also use accessories to accentuate your ink. If you have something gorgeous or tuff on your forearm or wrist, a bunch of jangly bangles will draw attention to your permanent self-expression. Same for the menfolk: cool tattoos + leather cuff/neat watch = DAAAAAAAMN.
Go forth and use your natural accessories!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Greetings from Chicago!
Sooooo many people are wearing leggings as pants here.
My dear 6 readers, in discussing this blog with reader #4, Marsha, it has come to my attention that I haven't been terribly clear about my thoughts on necklaces. I'm going to come right out and say it: I rarely wear necklaces in day-to-day life. I am a fan of the big earrings and I think we can all agree that big earrings + necklace = TOO SHAY.
I am very much pro-necklace with formal wear, especially on strapless dresses and ESPECIALLY on stars of stage and screen. Here's why: many of them are skinny minnies and wear these low strapless gowns. This opens up a lot of real estate between chin and dress and for many of these women, their clavicles could use some decoration. My other reason for wanting to see more necklaces is simply because I, average lady of the world, do not have the opportunity to borrow two million dollars worth of diamonds from Cartier and I feel that it is unfair of those who have that opportunity to turn it down. I want to see these girls dripping in jewels (non-conflict jewels, of course) just so I can imagine what it would be like to wear ten pounds of rubies.
In day-to-day life? I say do what feels comfortable, dear 6 readers. I would never jump out from behind anyone's cubicle and criticize their outfit or accessories. Not unsolicited, anyway.
That said, should you have a formal event to attend, I am available for consultation. I am also available for the eating of Chicago hot dogs because oh my god they are so good.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A fine sandwich in our fair city
My friend Maggie has been trying to take me to Paesano's for the past few months. Finally, on Saturday, we went! We visited their new "original" location in the Italian Market. To be honest, the ambience is a bit lacking - it is for real just a sandwich shop with some stools. But! What is lacking in ambience is more than made up for in DELICIOUS SANDWICHES. Maggie immediately ordered a Paesano (beef brisket, horseradish mayo, roasted tomatoes, pepperincino, sharp provolone & fried egg) but I had a harder time deciding. I eventually chose the Giardina (roasted eggplant, roasted fennel, caramelized peppers & onions, fresh mozzarella & basil pesto) and hoooooo buddy it was delicious. The fennel gave the sandwich a lovely sweet flavor and the eggplant was hearty. Though I don't generally like eggs, I had a bit of Maggie's sandwich and it was pretty awesome. While it seemed impossible to choose on the first visit, I know that I'll be back and most likely will eat my way through most of the menu. I just have to space it out because this is one of those places where you intend to save half of your sandwich for later but end up eating the whole thing because it is so good. I basically rolled out of there like Violet Beauregarde.
Paesano's
Italian Market
1017 s 9th street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Northern Liberties
152 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Paesano's
Italian Market
1017 s 9th street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Northern Liberties
152 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sometimes I talk about my weight
So, I do the Weight Watchers. Well, it's more accurate to say that I've been paying for online WW for a number of years and mostly I just ignore it. But I have changed eating habits quite a bit in recent years and no longer think my 5'4 frame can get away with pizza and french fries for lunch 4 days a week without consequences like needing to buy new pants.
Yesterday I was delighted to discover that I am a mere 2 lbs away from my initial goal. Here's how weight goals work in my head: the initial goal is the first touchstone and ultimately where I think my body should live. I'll be straight up with you - initial goal is 135. This is 20-25 lbs less than I weighed in college and I've been working toward it for actual years. My "ultimate goal" is 130. I would like to touch that number, maybe for a week or so. But my brain is organized so that I can touch that number and then slide back to initial goal without feeling like a failure.
--SIDEBAR--
Look, I know numbers are silly. We should just go with how our body feels, right? And never get on a scale! And judge when it's time to stop already with the ice cream by how our pants fit! And cut the tags out of our clothes so that it's not about numbers! That's really a great and beautiful plan, but the truth is I am a woman living in America. I want to lose weight, I like quantifiable results, and I am going to continue stepping on a scale once a week. That doesn't mean I get depressed if I go up a pound or two. Usually I know exactly why that happened (beer/pizza) and can make reasonable adjustments to get back on track.
--END SIDEBAR--
Last night I was starving. When contemplating the food I would eat, what I wanted was all the cheesefries. And maybe some mozzarella sticks. And broccoli bites. You know how in Mermaids Cher's character only ever cooks appetizers? That's how I want my life to be, except they all have to be deep fried. But then. Oh, but then my dear 6 readers, I thought about that goal. And I realized that I also wanted a beer. Maybe two beers. So I went for moderation and got a salad. It was fantastic and satisfying and that completely surprised me. In the end, I had this salad and two REGULAR beers and it added up to fewer points than cheese fries and no beers. Win-Win.
Let's try to make it at home, shall we? I don't know how to make the dressing that was on it, but here are the ingredients.
Romaine lettuce
avocado
jicama (sliced into matchsticks)
orange sections
radishes
almonds
chile vinaigrette (no idea)
I think you could probably use any old vinaigrette on this and those are super easy to make at home. All you need is dijon mustard, vinegar of your choosing (but use a really good balsamic, you'll thank me), maybe a little garlic or shallot, salt, pepper, oil. Whisk whisk whisk DONE. Here is the Mark Bittman recipe, if you need it.
Back to our salad, the jicama is KEY. That totally made it for me. I found that with that nice texture in there I didn't need the radishes, but they added a little bit of color. I always feel that nuts on a salad are kind of optional, and I could go either way on these almonds. This is a light, delicious salad that is easy enough for a weekend lunch and fancy enough to serve for company. Oh, and here's what jicama looks like so you can go find it.
I love you, jicama.
Yesterday I was delighted to discover that I am a mere 2 lbs away from my initial goal. Here's how weight goals work in my head: the initial goal is the first touchstone and ultimately where I think my body should live. I'll be straight up with you - initial goal is 135. This is 20-25 lbs less than I weighed in college and I've been working toward it for actual years. My "ultimate goal" is 130. I would like to touch that number, maybe for a week or so. But my brain is organized so that I can touch that number and then slide back to initial goal without feeling like a failure.
--SIDEBAR--
Look, I know numbers are silly. We should just go with how our body feels, right? And never get on a scale! And judge when it's time to stop already with the ice cream by how our pants fit! And cut the tags out of our clothes so that it's not about numbers! That's really a great and beautiful plan, but the truth is I am a woman living in America. I want to lose weight, I like quantifiable results, and I am going to continue stepping on a scale once a week. That doesn't mean I get depressed if I go up a pound or two. Usually I know exactly why that happened (beer/pizza) and can make reasonable adjustments to get back on track.
--END SIDEBAR--
Last night I was starving. When contemplating the food I would eat, what I wanted was all the cheesefries. And maybe some mozzarella sticks. And broccoli bites. You know how in Mermaids Cher's character only ever cooks appetizers? That's how I want my life to be, except they all have to be deep fried. But then. Oh, but then my dear 6 readers, I thought about that goal. And I realized that I also wanted a beer. Maybe two beers. So I went for moderation and got a salad. It was fantastic and satisfying and that completely surprised me. In the end, I had this salad and two REGULAR beers and it added up to fewer points than cheese fries and no beers. Win-Win.
Let's try to make it at home, shall we? I don't know how to make the dressing that was on it, but here are the ingredients.
Romaine lettuce
avocado
jicama (sliced into matchsticks)
orange sections
radishes
almonds
chile vinaigrette (no idea)
I think you could probably use any old vinaigrette on this and those are super easy to make at home. All you need is dijon mustard, vinegar of your choosing (but use a really good balsamic, you'll thank me), maybe a little garlic or shallot, salt, pepper, oil. Whisk whisk whisk DONE. Here is the Mark Bittman recipe, if you need it.
Back to our salad, the jicama is KEY. That totally made it for me. I found that with that nice texture in there I didn't need the radishes, but they added a little bit of color. I always feel that nuts on a salad are kind of optional, and I could go either way on these almonds. This is a light, delicious salad that is easy enough for a weekend lunch and fancy enough to serve for company. Oh, and here's what jicama looks like so you can go find it.
I love you, jicama.
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