Day 130-- Trader Joe's Pumpkin Muffins recipe

Prologue:

Ok, yes the weather outside was a warm 81 degrees in San Diego today, but damnit, I was determined to make it a Halloween kind of day.   I went down all the festive aisles of Target imaging the house in cobwebs, orange lights, plastic skeletons and pumpkins, and at the bookstore today I bought a mystery thriller by Andrew Klaven. 

[as a sidenote, my book fetish has gotten worse with all of these books sales.  I've bought 13 books in two weeks].

My roommates have also been getting the Halloween itch and we're planning out when we want to go to a pumpkin patch, which slutty costumes to be this year, which days to go clubbing and which day we want our Halloween dinner.  We've also had this pumpkin bread mix lying around the past week and decided tonight was the night bust it out.  Here's the recipe via Trader Joe's.

Pumpkin Muffins via Trader Joe's

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Cook time: 18-24 minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 box Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread Mix

2 large eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil (we used canola oil which is really similar) 

1/2 cup water

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile mix off of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

2.) We don't have a bread pan but we do have a muffin pan (dark aluminum).  To be honest, I love things in muffin form, like brownies and rice crispie treats because it's the perfect size and I like crispy edges.  It also cuts down the time of baking.  Anyway, pull out a muffin pan and spray the cups with some non-stick spray like Pam.

3.) Personally I tend to put muffin cup liners in only half of the pan.  As long as you spray Pam or whatever inside of the cups they slide right out so I prefer not to use liners most of the time.  However, when I take a muffin in the morning for work, it's easier to have a liner/wrapper.  To each his own.

4.) Fill each cup with your pumpkin butter.  Fill to the top of the cup where it levels off.  When it bakes, the muffin top with pop up.

5.) Bake for 18 minutes and poke through with a toothpick to see if it's done.  If the stick comes out clean, then it's ready.  If not, bake for 4-6 more minutes.  Enjoy!

Review:  

Holy fuck, these were good.  They smelled like pumpkin pie going into the oven and they came out like the best kind of muffin--firm, sweet, a little chewy, and makes you sad when you finish it.  We paired ours with chocolate/vanilla ice cream (a surprisingly good match), and some milk for me, white wine for one of them, hemp oil for the other.  We put on Charade with Audrey Hepburn, lit some candles, and had a fine October night.  Happy October to you all, and happy cooking!

Day 126-- "Secret Solo Habits"

Tonight, as it edges closer to 2am and I'm still working on this grant research for my presentation tomorrow as everyone else in the house is asleep, I'm remembering an episode of Sex and the City about "secret single behavior"--the things we do when we live alone or have the place to ourselves.  For the past 5 months I've been living with my boyfriend and roommates who are around all the time so I've been too busy noticed how I miss my "secret solo habits".

Here are my top 10 things I do when I have the house to myself.

1.) Pace

I am a massive pacer.  I love nothing more than listening to some chill music (I love The XX) while pacing around an apartment or house alone in my thoughts about the world at 1am. Most people find pacing annoying or weird, so I try to keep it to a minimum fidget. 

2.) Take off my "I Hate T.V." shirt.

Around people, I'm nearly 100% anti-television.  It's not like I don't like certain shows or the medium itself, but I hate couch potatoes and I've met WAY too many.  So when people are around I like the tv off (or if it has to be on, a movie instead).  When I'm alone though I can sit and watch the Food Network or History Channel or reruns of CSI: Vegas or Law and Order: SVU for hours and hours and hours.

3.) Cook at midnight

Sometimes I'm genuinely unhungry until rather late.  In dating someone we try to eat together, so that's anytime between 6-8 when we're home from work.  Something though, I do miss my 10pm-to-midnight schedule.  Oh, and then there's the problem with making noise while cooking, so when I make hot chocolate before bed tonight I'll probably use the stove instead of the microwave.

4.) Fall asleep with the blinds open and lights on.

When I have an early morning I find that it really helps having the blinds open for the sunshine and a light on (only occasionally) when I wake up.  Not ok with a sleeping boyfriend though.

5.) Examine my pores.

Thanks to Sex and the City for reminding me of this one.

6.) Watch a movie, then watch it again with the director's commentary

If I'm working on homework or a project, a familiar movie in the background on repeat helps to keep me awake.  One night I watched Girl, Interrupted three times, once normal, once on commentary, and one more time normal.

7.) Clean for real

The only time I like to deep clean is when everyone's gone.  That's when the Comet, Windex, and Swiffer comes out.  I mean, it's hard to bleach a sink when people want to use it every 10 minutes, and I don't to feel like a maid mopping when people are around (though they do offer to help).

8.) Write letters in my head

If I know you, I have probably written a letter to you in my head.  Letter writing is my favorite form of organizing my thoughts and depending on who I'm "writing" to I might focus my thoughts more on an analysis of relationships, or jobs, or the past, or humor.  I also like making up lesson plans in my head in case I go for a PhD.  Daydreams are also frequent.

The other day I "wrote" to my favorite professor telling her thank you and what I learned in her class to help me in life.  I also "lectured" a lesson plan about voodoo literature and "wrote" out on the board the difference between religions with Buddism, Ancient Egypt, Christianity, The Easter Bunny, Hindu, Harry Potter, Catholicism, and Voodoo all next to each other, following a discussion about "magic" in religion and literature.

I've gotten better at actually writing letters.  I have one more to write and I can officially cross it off my New Years Resolution 2011.   

Thanks all for now.  Night, everyone.

Day 124-- Life updates, first fall post-college

I figured it was time for a general life update.  Here were my goals for my first year post-college and this is how I'm doing:

1.) Get a job. Preferable a good one.

Well, this one has been good and bad.  I have been working (as an unpaid internship) at a book publisher for the past 2 months and have really loved what I do.  I help with author signing, do social media promotion, find venues for book reviews, and read manuscripts.  I've also spearheaded a contest to get one San Diego high school student published.  It's more or less everything I want to do for my career in life. 

However, there is no room for another employee there so I'll be handed a letter of recommendation but no job.  I'll be applying to publishing houses for a job by the end of the week, but I think there may only be two in the area.  If I don't get a job with them, I want to focus on getting my fiction stories published and some freelance articles published and try again at those jobs at the beginning of the year.

For money I've been stripping.  No, no, just kidding.  I've been working front desk at a hotel downtown which has been more or less as awful as I thought it would be.  I love the guests, and what I do isn't that hard aside from the occasionally fussy customer.  But.  But the management just sucks.  All of them are 40-something overweight, unattractive, stuck in marriage women who hated me when I first got there because I was skinny and 23.  It's gotten better but I get no social interaction except for the bosses, and I NEVER go home on time because they are always late or take smoke breaks right before I'm off.  Hopefully I get a publishing job and I'll quit the hotel.  Otherwise, I'll stay till the end of the year when I'll try again or look for a new job entirely.

2.) Live in a cool house

I've been living with my boyfriend and two girl roommates for the past few months and have really loved it. 

I can't tell you enough how much fun it's been dating the bf in the same town after 4 years of long-distance.  I love cuddling up next to his warmth in the morning and going for walks holding hands, and we dance in the kitchen together as we cook.  I'm not sure if I'll be living here next month though.  I'm in the guest-who-pays-utilities-and-a-little-rent middle ground and it may be best to get my own place for a few months to have that space and time for me, meet some more people, and if I do move back it will be on an official basis and not temporary guest thing.

3.) Make friends

I was working 56 hours a week with no day off for 4 weeks, so it's been hard to make friends.  I've hung out quite a bit with my cool roommates, so that's been really fun.  Still, I would like to get my own circle outside of the house.
 

4.) Eat things besides Mac&Cheese and pizza

My diet has massively improved.  I cook or my boyfriend cooks with me a few times a week.  This month I'm making soup, soup, and soup throughout October.  This week alone I made French Onion Soup and steam broccoli (while the bf bbqed steak), and am planning on making Mexican Black Bean Chili closer to the weekend.  We also have ingredients for chicken fijitas, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken pasta primavera, turkey sandwiches, and a frozen Safeway combination pizza.

5.) Do yoga at least twice a week and jog a few times a week

I only have one day off a week and I tend to get home around 8pm-12am (and I'm not a huge fan of exercising in the morning) so this goal has not been happening at all.  When my schedule opens up next month I was thinking of joining a gym. 
 

6.) Make a financial investment 

I've been thinking about this one lately, but haven't gotten to it yet. So far most of my money has gone to books, food, and parking tickets.

7.) Have better style

I just bought a yellow coat and some sexy brown boots so it's a start.  I finally got into the leggins trend and ballet shoes.  I really need help in my tops though.  It's really hard to find shirts that fit my tiny size so shopping requires more patience that I usually have.  I think I need to have a 1 new item a week goal to make it happen.

8.) A year from now, be able to be proud of something I've made and become.

So far I'm pretty proud of what I've been up to.  I'm really excited about my publishing contest and it it does work I'll know that I made a difference in someone's life.  If it doesn't work, it was my publishing house who dropped the ball, not me (I'm only going to be there one more month unless they hire me).  If I get published this year I'll be proud of that too. 

And really, I can tell you how impressed I am by this wonderful city by the beach and the truly interesting people I've met here, not to mention how much in love I've really fallen with my boyfriend.  We can do the romantic thing by him surprising me at my work dressed up and taking me out to a fancy dinner or me surprising him while he shaves in the morning by making him breakfast.  We can do the sexy thing with making out against the refrigerator as we cook or have sex against the wall with nips and bites as the shower stays on forgotten.  And we can do the typical thing of us both on our computers looking over to each other every once and a while to smirk or touch hands. 

San Diego has been really good for me so far and I have really high hopes for the next few months. :)

Day 123-- French Onion Soup recipe

Prologue:

For this month's soup challenge I wanted to start with a classic: French Onion Soup.  Onion soups have been around since the Roman era, and through they centuries they have often been associated with poor classes due to the easy accessibility of onions.

The current version of French onion soup with a dash of cheese has been around since the mid-19th century, and has been a staple in America since the 1960s when French cuisine surged in popularity. It's a really simple dish and pairs very well with steak.

French Onion Soup

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

21/2 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup butter

2 can of 14oz beef broth

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

*optional 1/4 cup dry white wine

4 slices of French bread

1/4 cup grated cheese, Swiss, Gruyere, or Monterrey Jack are fine.  

Directions:

1.) In a large pot cook and simmer the butter and onions for about 20 minutes or until the onions are golden.  Stir occasionally.

2.) Stir in the broth, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and (if using) the dry white wine [more on that later].  Cook all together for about 15 minutes.

3.) Preheat the oven to broil and place your French Bread slices on aluminum foil. Sprinkle the slices with your grated cheese.  Place in the oven until melted.

4.) Ladle your soup into 4 soup bowls and place your bread slices on top of your soup to be absorbed. Done!

Review:

A rather funny non-wino success.  The soup with absolutely fantastic aside from one little thing: I (whose alcohol consumption pretty much stops at jello shots) thought it tasted way too much like wine, whereas my boyfriend and roommate couldn't taste the wine at all, lol.  

Overall, I liked the simple onion-broth soup for it's full flavor without the heaviness.  I've never had a soup with soaked bread inside and I was surprised by the fun texture it gave to the soup as I'd break off chunks with my spoon.  I would definitely make this soup again.

We paired it with top sirloin steak and steamed broccoli.  My boyfriend and I were dancing in the kitchen to Kings of Leon (and a lil making out again the fridge;) as he cooked the steaks on the grill and my soup was simmering.  Pour yourself a glass of white wine and happy cooking!

Day 121--Soup challenge October

As the weather chills down to something more cozy-coat-and-old-books it's the perfect time for soup.  

Confession: I'm really not a fan of soup.  I like chicken noodle; I like miso soup.  Yeah.  That's pretty much it.  Which is why I bought a soup cookbook!  I figure that if I take the time to buy the ingredients and cook it, I have a far more invested interest in expanding my palette. 

Each week I hope to make a new soup and post the link back to this page (as well as stand-alone posts).  This week I'm planning on French Onion Soup and Mexican Black Bean Chili.  Happy cooking!

1.) French Onion Soup recipe 

A sweet onion-beef broth soup, perfect for something filling but light, and a great side to a steak dinner.

Day 116--Running into the ocean at 3am in a little black dress

And so I ran across the sand and into the ocean with my little black dress on and my black heels in hand, and let the 3am calm coolness hit me as my feet made it into low tide.  Never in my life have I seen the ocean more beautiful.  It was a slightly overcast sky that meshed well with the mellow waves, making that edge beyond the white crests look like the most peaceful place you could ever reach.

I thought for a moment that it was the absolute perfect place for a surrender.  

It was one of the best moments of my life, without exaggeration.

We were there on a whim of my roommate's boyfriend.  We were partying in Pacific Beach for a friend's birthday and after being kicked out of the bar at 2 we wandered the streets looking for some Mexican food place that was his favorite back in the day.  We found it eventually and I thought to myself that it was some crazy happenstance that we were sitting on a concreted tiled bench surrounded by pretty drunk twentysomethings along the sidewalks, with cabs and chatter just a bit too loud to hear the ocean a block away, with a broken neon sign saying Bicycles replacing the stars.  

He wanted to walk along the beach which seemed like a strange request at 2:30 in the morning with a belly full of cheap burrito but we went along anyway--his girlfriend, my boyfriend, and I.  It wasn't a cold night by any means, and the cool sand felt incredible on my 2-inch-heel-ached feet.  

We stopped near a ramp leading back to the sidewalk when the guy decided to walk down to the water's edge.  My boyfriend and roommate were talking about something or other when the sudden ferocious urge to be in the water leaped upon me, and with a quick, "Hey, let's go to the water" to them behind me, I fucking sprinted as fast as I could to the beautifully opaque and calm Pacific.  

The low waves hit my toes, and ankles, and I splashed in deep enough to my calves.  My boyfriend and roommate soon joined.  My roommate got out her camera, and though a lens can never capture the nighttime ocean's muted glamor, we took pictures anyway and walked along the water's edge.  My boyfriend twirled me, my roommate shared the awe of the scene with me, her boyfriend joked around about former his skinny dipping experience and losing his underwear, and I enjoyed all of the reasons why I moved to San Diego and why it's now my home.

I'm not a writer and I could never do a moment justice by depicting it to you with words or grainy pictures, but I hope you know that I wish you were here tonight at 3am, rolling up your nice jeans or dress to get your city feet wet in the pacified waves and feel completely at home in a warm but overcast night with people you only really just met but hope that you'll know for a lifetime.  Goodnight.