Whatever happened to the words "please" and "thank you"?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
enjoy Star Wars she will
Perhaps it's the large-screen tv, my anticipation of virtually visiting Endor in Return of the Jedi, or the fact that two of my roommates can answer any question (and then some) I have regarding all six of the movies, but I'm beginning to love Star Wars. I used to nanny for this rad little dude named Charlie who was obsessed, and I mean obsessed, with Star Wars. He taught me Jedi skills and trained me in the art of light saber duals. He even quizzed me on all things Star Wars. I miss that guy. But that's not the point. The point is that I am beginning to see the light. Understanding why people dress up as Obi-Wan Kenobe and Wookies for conventions is still beyong me, but let's just say I'm giving it a fair chance.
Yoda: "I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience."
Obi-Wan: "He will learn patience."
Yoda: "Hmm. Much anger in him, like his father."
Obi-Wan: "Was I any different, when you taught me?"
Yoda: "Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the force. But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side of the force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Yoda: "I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience."
Obi-Wan: "He will learn patience."
Yoda: "Hmm. Much anger in him, like his father."
Obi-Wan: "Was I any different, when you taught me?"
Yoda: "Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the force. But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side of the force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
kombucha
First kombucha brew tonight. Looks like it should look. Smells like it should smell. I'm off to a good start. Less than two weeks until this refreshing, healthy drink is ready to sample.
How to make your very own kombucha:
1. Find a 1 gallon jar and clean the heck out of it. I used a pickle jar my roommate was recycling. He really likes pickles. If it still smells like pickles or whatever was being stored in the jar, pour a little distilled white vinegar in there and give it a good shake.
2. Get a mother kombucha for free from a nice lady on Craigslist, just as I did. It doesn't need to be refrigerated.
3. Boil a 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of filtered water in a large pot. Turn off heat source.
4. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved.
5. Add 4-6 bags of tea and let steep for 10-15 minutes. Take tea bags out and throw away. I used 5 black tea bags this time. You can get fancy and try a combination of green and black, green and fruit flavored, or fruit flavored and black. Or you can risk it all and put in 2 green, 2 black, and 2 fruit flavored tea bags. That's your call. I suggest playing it safe the first time. No sense disappointing yourself.
6. Pour a 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of room temperature/cold water into the gallon jar. Then pour the sugar/tea/water mixture into the jar.
7. Once the gallon of liquid has cooled off to between 75-85 degrees carefully place (with clean hands!) the mother kombucha in the jar. Make sure the translucent, lighter side is facing up. Why? I have no idea. Do it anyways.
8. There should be about a cup's worth of starter liquid (previously made kombucha) that gets poured into the jar with the mother kombucha. If you don't have enough of that, distilled white vinegar should be fine. 1 tsp (teaspoon for all you lazybones who don't cook, ever) to every liter of liquid. I added 2 tsp for good measure, though I had starter liquid to add. Better safe than sorry, that's my motto. You can also buy a $3.50 kombucha from the store and pour a little in for the homies.
9. Place a cheese cloth, coffee filter, paper towel, or the like over the opening of the jar. Tie in place with a rubber band, yarn, sewing thread, or anything similar to keep covering in place. Write down the date you brewed the kombucha somewhere it won't be thrown away.
10. Take a photo of your jar and send my way.
11. Let ferment for 7-10 days. I'm not quite sure how you will know when it's ready to consume, but give it a taste after 7 days and see what you think. If you get violently ill, chances are you did something wrong.
How to make your very own kombucha:
1. Find a 1 gallon jar and clean the heck out of it. I used a pickle jar my roommate was recycling. He really likes pickles. If it still smells like pickles or whatever was being stored in the jar, pour a little distilled white vinegar in there and give it a good shake.
2. Get a mother kombucha for free from a nice lady on Craigslist, just as I did. It doesn't need to be refrigerated.
3. Boil a 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of filtered water in a large pot. Turn off heat source.
4. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved.
5. Add 4-6 bags of tea and let steep for 10-15 minutes. Take tea bags out and throw away. I used 5 black tea bags this time. You can get fancy and try a combination of green and black, green and fruit flavored, or fruit flavored and black. Or you can risk it all and put in 2 green, 2 black, and 2 fruit flavored tea bags. That's your call. I suggest playing it safe the first time. No sense disappointing yourself.
6. Pour a 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of room temperature/cold water into the gallon jar. Then pour the sugar/tea/water mixture into the jar.
7. Once the gallon of liquid has cooled off to between 75-85 degrees carefully place (with clean hands!) the mother kombucha in the jar. Make sure the translucent, lighter side is facing up. Why? I have no idea. Do it anyways.
8. There should be about a cup's worth of starter liquid (previously made kombucha) that gets poured into the jar with the mother kombucha. If you don't have enough of that, distilled white vinegar should be fine. 1 tsp (teaspoon for all you lazybones who don't cook, ever) to every liter of liquid. I added 2 tsp for good measure, though I had starter liquid to add. Better safe than sorry, that's my motto. You can also buy a $3.50 kombucha from the store and pour a little in for the homies.
9. Place a cheese cloth, coffee filter, paper towel, or the like over the opening of the jar. Tie in place with a rubber band, yarn, sewing thread, or anything similar to keep covering in place. Write down the date you brewed the kombucha somewhere it won't be thrown away.
10. Take a photo of your jar and send my way.
11. Let ferment for 7-10 days. I'm not quite sure how you will know when it's ready to consume, but give it a taste after 7 days and see what you think. If you get violently ill, chances are you did something wrong.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
new plan
Meet rich man, get engaged to rich man, register for every item in Martha's kitchen collection at Macy's for the wedding, marry, divorce, and collect fully stocked kitchen in divorce settlement. Hey, what's a poor social worker to do?
Today I went to Macy's to decide which KitchenAid mixer to buy. As I went about gazing at all the wonderful colors such as majestic yellow and pistachio, I noticed a guy, perhaps around 25 years old, looking at them as well. He was inspecting the Artisans for a while and then headed over to the Epicureans. I figured we shared a common fondness for these mixers, so I said to him, "Are you as in love with these things as I am?," to which he responded in a thick German accent, "These are just for the ladies." On his heel, he turned around and left the KitchenAid section. How awkward.
Today I went to Macy's to decide which KitchenAid mixer to buy. As I went about gazing at all the wonderful colors such as majestic yellow and pistachio, I noticed a guy, perhaps around 25 years old, looking at them as well. He was inspecting the Artisans for a while and then headed over to the Epicureans. I figured we shared a common fondness for these mixers, so I said to him, "Are you as in love with these things as I am?," to which he responded in a thick German accent, "These are just for the ladies." On his heel, he turned around and left the KitchenAid section. How awkward.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
productivity
Yesterday was Nicki's 20th birthday. We wined and dined up on her roof, dressed in our Sunday best. A beautiful night for a beautiful view. She asked if I would make cupcakes so naturally I agreed. I made lemon curd-filled vanilla cupcakes with coral (her fav color) colored buttercream frosting and coconut flakes sprinkled on top. For the special birthday girl I made this mini layer cake. Filled with a layer of lemon curd, it too is decorated with buttercream frosting and coconut flakes. Needless to say the cupcakes and cake were a bit hit and I couldn't have been happier to have been the party's dessert lady.
This morning I awoke to my first seedling sprout. The marigold must have been quite eager to emerge through that top layer of soil and out into its new world. And in just 5 days! What a lovely start to the day, I must say. Later I found myself at 24th & Castro with a bus 50 minutes away, so I walked. All the way back home. An hour long walk. A 2.2 mile walk. It was perfect. Perfect. The rain was light if present at all and the colors of the victorians popped.
I worked up quite an appetite, so my friend Mai and I used her food processor to make a Mediterranean dinner. We made falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, toasted pita, chicken strips, and greek salad. Such a feast. We couldn't be more proud of ourselves!
This morning I awoke to my first seedling sprout. The marigold must have been quite eager to emerge through that top layer of soil and out into its new world. And in just 5 days! What a lovely start to the day, I must say. Later I found myself at 24th & Castro with a bus 50 minutes away, so I walked. All the way back home. An hour long walk. A 2.2 mile walk. It was perfect. Perfect. The rain was light if present at all and the colors of the victorians popped.
I worked up quite an appetite, so my friend Mai and I used her food processor to make a Mediterranean dinner. We made falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, toasted pita, chicken strips, and greek salad. Such a feast. We couldn't be more proud of ourselves!
Friday, March 20, 2009
maine coon
My favorite cat is the maine coon. They have the best disgruntled faces, look like mini lions, and can grow into massive beast-size beings.
Here are some facts about these furry felines:
•official state cat of Maine
•second to the persian for favorite cat breed in the world
•known for their intelligence and gentle personalities
•it is theorized that they descended from the matings of semi-feral domestic cats and raccoons, or the former and bobcats (which may explain why Elliott looks like a bobcat)
•the longest cat, according to the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records, is 48 inches long and weighs 35 pounds
Here are some facts about these furry felines:
•official state cat of Maine
•second to the persian for favorite cat breed in the world
•known for their intelligence and gentle personalities
•it is theorized that they descended from the matings of semi-feral domestic cats and raccoons, or the former and bobcats (which may explain why Elliott looks like a bobcat)
•the longest cat, according to the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records, is 48 inches long and weighs 35 pounds
Monday, March 16, 2009
seedlings
Brad's ever-growing plant collection has inspired me to grow my own garden. I have this amazing balcony and fire escape right out my bay windows that are just perfect for my own collection of little green beauties.
I've decided to grow a mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. No luck finding strawberry seeds, but here are the plants which, if everything goes according to plan, will be popping their little heads out of the soil in a couple weeks:
•sugar sweetie cherry tomatoes
•long standing batavian lettuce
•red ridinghood lettuce
•red russian kale
•rosemary
•italian large leaf basil
•mint (spearmint)
•california poppy (white linen)
•jupiter's beard (centurion shield)
I've decided to grow a mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. No luck finding strawberry seeds, but here are the plants which, if everything goes according to plan, will be popping their little heads out of the soil in a couple weeks:
•sugar sweetie cherry tomatoes
•long standing batavian lettuce
•red ridinghood lettuce
•red russian kale
•rosemary
•italian large leaf basil
•mint (spearmint)
•california poppy (white linen)
•jupiter's beard (centurion shield)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
new hairdo
Never before have I seen a hairdo like this one. Phil said he looks like a troll, and that the hairdo isn't helping. Hope he doesn't mind me sharing that one, but what he doesn't read can't hurt him.
On another note, do you ever worry about something happening a certain way, only for it to happen another way? Yeah, that happened to me today. I laughed pretty damn hard. What a waste of energy!
On another note, do you ever worry about something happening a certain way, only for it to happen another way? Yeah, that happened to me today. I laughed pretty damn hard. What a waste of energy!
one can only dream
of having a kitchen like this:
By the way, I found Martha Stewart's 1995 Cookbook at Goodwill yesterday for only $3.50! This cookbook is amazing, I must say. There are basically a zillion recipes and the index is organized by main ingredient. Brilliant!
By the way, I found Martha Stewart's 1995 Cookbook at Goodwill yesterday for only $3.50! This cookbook is amazing, I must say. There are basically a zillion recipes and the index is organized by main ingredient. Brilliant!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
cupcakes
I love cupcakes. I love cats. Why not combine the two? No, no cat baking. But cat cupcake decorating!...I was bored at work, ok?!?
Monday, March 2, 2009
locomotion
I've come to realize that I don't like the word "panties". I associate it with Law & Order: SVU, and though I like this show a whole lot, I don't particularly care for sexual deviants, rapists, or child pornographers. Want to see how many registered sex offenders reside in SF? Gross.
Another word I don't care for is "dollop." I realized this yesterday when my friend Brad and I were making meyer lemon raspberry cupcakes from a Martha Stewart recipe. She wanted me to decorate the top with a dollop of buttercream frosting, but I refused. So I made them look like magical pink and white swirl lollipops instead. Brad wanted me to make an American Flag cupcake and I forgot to. I suppose I'll have to make an "America, Fuck Yeah" sheet cake for Fourth of July instead.
By the way, I baked a raspberry pear pie for Valentine's Day. This is it! Photo by Luke Goodman.
Another word I don't care for is "dollop." I realized this yesterday when my friend Brad and I were making meyer lemon raspberry cupcakes from a Martha Stewart recipe. She wanted me to decorate the top with a dollop of buttercream frosting, but I refused. So I made them look like magical pink and white swirl lollipops instead. Brad wanted me to make an American Flag cupcake and I forgot to. I suppose I'll have to make an "America, Fuck Yeah" sheet cake for Fourth of July instead.
By the way, I baked a raspberry pear pie for Valentine's Day. This is it! Photo by Luke Goodman.
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