I saw this on another blog and it reminded me of those forwards I used to fill out all the time... remember the ones where you answer questions like "what's your favorite drink?" and "who will fill this out first?" I secretly loved filling those out.... gulp, don't judge.
I Always...
...wash my face before bed
...eat breakfast
...intend to workout
...am in the mood to shop
...wish I was at the beach
...sing in the car
...love the Christmas season
...strive to do better
...over analyze things
...watch the weather forecast in the morning
I Sometimes...
...get up on time
...count calories
...want to move to a far away place, just for a little while
...want to take photography classes
...wash my car
...fold my tshirts
...watch live TV (can't live without the DVR!)
... text while driving (I think that may be my new years resolution next year...so dangerous)
...have trouble feeling content with what I have and with what I do
I never....
...make my bed
...brew decent coffee
...eat seafood (although I have tried it on some occasions)
...get used to getting up so early for work
...watch reality TV
The "I never" was harder than I thought. It's hard to name things you never do, since you never do them. Makes sense.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Baking Wisdom and Banana Bread
One of the best gifts I ever received from my mom was an accordion file of recipes. She gave it to me when I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment in college because there I would have a kitchen. (**note- I have only recently made a lot of them, because let's be real, in college I was not spending my time slaving in the kitchen every day, I was ... studying, uh em, that's right....studying.) Not only did she pass down favorite recipes from my childhood, she also collected many from my family members as well. Probably because most of my mom's meals growing up came from a box. My brother seriously thought microwaving food was called "gourmet cooking" since that is what my mom would always say when she "zapped" something. We love you Mom!
Any way, my mom is a creative woman, not only did she think to gather these family recipes from past generations, she photocopied them so they are in my relatives' original handwriting. I have come to appreciate this gift more and more and have enjoyed making them. Now I like to ask for others' recipes in their original pen, so as to add to my keepsake. My dad's are pretty entertaining... whenever I can gather a large army together, I'll make his roast recipe.
One of my all-time favorites in the bunch is the Hawaiian Banana Bread from my great grandmother.
On the ingredient list, it originally called for 2 cups of sugar, but in my mom's handwriting, the 2 is crossed out and a 1 was added. It definitely needs more than 1 cup. You should never mess with a proven masterpiece.
I made this once a few years and ago and it did not turn out good at all. I have since discovered why. I have gained this tid bit of cooking wisdom, that most people probably acquire naturally -- follow the recipe exactly when baking.
See baking wisdom here:
In this recipe you mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. I explicitly remember thinking, that's dumb, it all goes in the same baking dish so why does it matter?? (That was in college, I probably had a much better place to be at the time...like, uh em, the library...) Needless to say, at that time, the banana bread turned out less than scrumptious and I've had a personal vendetta with banana bread recipes ever since.
Today I won. (minus the needed extra cup of sugar, but I'm not taking blame for that one... c'mon Mom!)
No one was present to witness the perfectly browned breads as I lured them out of the oven. I even remembered my oven mits this time, because similar to my impulsive clothes shopping, I forget things are freakin hot in the oven. I just get excited! No one was present to see my "I'm the best baker in the world" pose and scream either... yep, I have one of those.
As a kid I always peeled the crispy part off the top of the bread. Since this is a traditional dish, I had to keep up the tradition. Delish.
July 23rd 2009 is the day my banana bread battle is over. Thanks to my great grandma who passed down a tasty banana bread recipe to her daughter, who then passed it to her daughter (who extracted a necessary cup of sugar), and then passed it on to her daughter (who will re-add the cup of sugar) and pass it on to her own daughter some day. Probably when she graduates from college.
Any way, my mom is a creative woman, not only did she think to gather these family recipes from past generations, she photocopied them so they are in my relatives' original handwriting. I have come to appreciate this gift more and more and have enjoyed making them. Now I like to ask for others' recipes in their original pen, so as to add to my keepsake. My dad's are pretty entertaining... whenever I can gather a large army together, I'll make his roast recipe.
One of my all-time favorites in the bunch is the Hawaiian Banana Bread from my great grandmother.
On the ingredient list, it originally called for 2 cups of sugar, but in my mom's handwriting, the 2 is crossed out and a 1 was added. It definitely needs more than 1 cup. You should never mess with a proven masterpiece.
I made this once a few years and ago and it did not turn out good at all. I have since discovered why. I have gained this tid bit of cooking wisdom, that most people probably acquire naturally -- follow the recipe exactly when baking.
See baking wisdom here:
In this recipe you mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. I explicitly remember thinking, that's dumb, it all goes in the same baking dish so why does it matter?? (That was in college, I probably had a much better place to be at the time...like, uh em, the library...) Needless to say, at that time, the banana bread turned out less than scrumptious and I've had a personal vendetta with banana bread recipes ever since.
Today I won. (minus the needed extra cup of sugar, but I'm not taking blame for that one... c'mon Mom!)
No one was present to witness the perfectly browned breads as I lured them out of the oven. I even remembered my oven mits this time, because similar to my impulsive clothes shopping, I forget things are freakin hot in the oven. I just get excited! No one was present to see my "I'm the best baker in the world" pose and scream either... yep, I have one of those.
As a kid I always peeled the crispy part off the top of the bread. Since this is a traditional dish, I had to keep up the tradition. Delish.
July 23rd 2009 is the day my banana bread battle is over. Thanks to my great grandma who passed down a tasty banana bread recipe to her daughter, who then passed it to her daughter (who extracted a necessary cup of sugar), and then passed it on to her daughter (who will re-add the cup of sugar) and pass it on to her own daughter some day. Probably when she graduates from college.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Trying things on
Phew! There should be an intro to blogging course in college just to hatch one of these suckers. Making a blog is like making a website! Somehow I didn't put the two together...
I am a speech pathologist in a public school therefore I have a lot time in the summer. Thus, I have plenty of time to do all types of "projects"... which is what I want this blog to be about. Cooking, traveling, DIY home updates, trying new things, etc. That is where I will start at least, we'll see what direction it takes me.
So here I am, trying on a blog for size. I hope it is not like trying on clothes. Trying on clothes is a very frustrating experience for me and any one around me. First of all, I rarely remember to check the sizes before I go into the dressing room, so I'm constantly having to put my clothes back on to run and get the correct size. It is as if I get hypnotized by the apparel and have to try it on immediately without any regard for fit. Then I slowly stare at myself in the mirror and reposition myself as to see every angle. If I am shopping alone and still unsure about the outfit, I ask a stranger's opinion. I am not above asking complete strangers how it looks, but I prefer having a honest friend by my side to tell me to quickly return an item to it's original place on the hanger and to, of course, check my sizes. Shopping alone is still something I'm working on. Camera phones have decreased my approaching strangers... bless my poor friends.
Now that you have taken a brief look into how my mind works (my brother told me I should name my blog "Blab Blab"), bare with me, because I'm going to try this blog on and see if it fits.
I am a speech pathologist in a public school therefore I have a lot time in the summer. Thus, I have plenty of time to do all types of "projects"... which is what I want this blog to be about. Cooking, traveling, DIY home updates, trying new things, etc. That is where I will start at least, we'll see what direction it takes me.
So here I am, trying on a blog for size. I hope it is not like trying on clothes. Trying on clothes is a very frustrating experience for me and any one around me. First of all, I rarely remember to check the sizes before I go into the dressing room, so I'm constantly having to put my clothes back on to run and get the correct size. It is as if I get hypnotized by the apparel and have to try it on immediately without any regard for fit. Then I slowly stare at myself in the mirror and reposition myself as to see every angle. If I am shopping alone and still unsure about the outfit, I ask a stranger's opinion. I am not above asking complete strangers how it looks, but I prefer having a honest friend by my side to tell me to quickly return an item to it's original place on the hanger and to, of course, check my sizes. Shopping alone is still something I'm working on. Camera phones have decreased my approaching strangers... bless my poor friends.
Now that you have taken a brief look into how my mind works (my brother told me I should name my blog "Blab Blab"), bare with me, because I'm going to try this blog on and see if it fits.
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