skfl and i changed things up a bit last friday (after realizing we ate at our favorite mexican restaurant two nights in a row the weekend before) and treated ourselves to a delicious meal at albany’s finest vietnamese restaurant.

we had a great view of the fast food restaurant next door and i was totally fascinated by the number of people rolling up for a quick meal. one guy even got out of the passenger side to go inside (i’m guessing to hit the bathroom) and another guy got his soda in a plastic bucket! i didn’t mean to share my excitement with the rest of the dining room, but couldn’t help it. the high-brow customers were less than thrilled, and it was a perfectly balanced dining experience for me.

most days i feel like i fall in-between two worlds. it could be the curse of the 30-something. oh wait a second, that was a television series (that i must admit to watching back in the day)! i would really like to re-watch those to see how my life compares. does it matter? not really. i’m pretty happy not being able to finish a thought because my attention has moved on to other things. that’s probably why i take a lot of photos – i’m afraid to forget. interesting…

i love the self checkout area at the supermarket. i always have more than the maximum of 15 items, but really feel like an efficient faux employee. i get to fulfill my longtime dream of being a supermarket clerk. the only downside is that i have to chat with myself about the intended use of everything in the basket. that’s usually when the strange looks come rolling in. i don’t even care, because it is so much fun separating and organizing my groceries into different bags (what stays in the car for the afternoon and what goes in the fridge at work). it’s my little bit of joy during the lunch hour.

i was thrown off guard today when the machines were out of order. the regulars and i didn’t know what to do. we stood there for a second looking at the out of order signs, wondering if we should put our items back on the shelves and try to make it to the other market across town (okay, so maybe that was just me). i decided to get in line and patiently wait. i didn’t even grab a magazine, just took a few deep breaths and tried to strike up a conversation with my fellow people of the line. no one was biting. when it was my turn, the friendly clerk chatted me up about the price of grapes. it was wonderful! i even thought about it being okay that the machines were out of order, and i would totally survive if they were never fixed. that only lasted for a few steps into the parking lot when i realized the forgotten burrito shells for tonight’s dinner (i make taco shells at this point in my cooking life, and haven’t worked up to burrito shells yet). there was no time to return.

this is when the story gets really boring, so i’ll just end it here and go get some sleep.

oh wait you are still here, and really care about what happens next?

okay!

i sent skfl a text message (well three, none of them went through – hey, i had to really make sure) and then called him. he went to a different market for the shells and i made burritos with fake meat (that story will be saved for another post), sassy salsa (lately, it’s being made once a week), black beans from scratch, roasted poblano peppers (a new staple in this house) and cheddar cheese.

good times.

sometimes it terrifies me (not in the way that dark night of the scarecrow does) that so many of you are reading this blog. thanks! i promise to continue working through those fears (by not reliving my pre-teen obsession with horror movies).

i’ve gotta hand it to those old wives and their tales. it has always been in the back of my mind that you are not to bake while having a ladies day because the food would be a disaster. (someone recently commented on my very public life, so i guess it’s normal that you know all about my cycle)

i thought a nice batch of snickerdoodles would go well with the snowstorm that hit the northeast today. i returned to my careless old ways and failed to have the ingredients ready to go. i was dancing around the kitchen and somehow misread the recipe and left out a cup of flour. the batter didn’t seem right and i kept adding little bits of flour, but was afraid to overdo it. i tried to blame the fake shortening substitution, but after a few bites, it was clear what went wrong.

at least i didn’t attempt something more time consuming, with really expensive ingredients. skfl ate a few and was horrified when i said the rest would be thrown away. he thinks they are work appropriate. maybe if they were left outside all night to freeze. hmm.

jim henson once said “i don’t know exactly where ideas come from, but when i’m working well ideas just appear. i’ve heard other people say similar things – so it’s one of the ways i know there’s help and guidance out there. it’s just a matter of our figuring out how to receive the ideas or information that are waiting to be heard.”

sometimes tuning in to the appropriate frequency is the most difficult part of the process. how many times has a solution or an idea presented itself, and you moved right past it in search for something else? the answers always seem to be there, whether we like them or not.

luckily, my dinner answer was right there (with the help of a certain loved one pointing it out). a halved recipe for tamale pie that used up the rest of the black beans, spinach, sassy salsa and cheese. oh and a fairly new to me approach for cooking broccoli – roasting! (right along side that tamale pie in the oven) will i ever post this magical tamale pie recipe? one day, dear readers. one day.

getting to see my broiler in action

handmade pasta from the place down the street

an overpriced cookie from a chain eatery

mae’s gray muzzle

the last of the bittersweet before the ice storm

an unexpected and important reminder appeared on the fax cover sheet cluttering up my desk today – “it’s not what we have in our life, but who we have in our life that counts.” – j.m. laurence.

it’s something to keep in the back of my mind as the holiday gift making/shopping spree ramps up this weekend. hey, if someone doesn’t like their gift, i could always hit them with this quote. verbally of course! nice, nene.

here are five (of many) reasons to visit the electric city:

the best bread you will ever have in your life. it’s crusty on the outside, and perfectly dense and chewy on the inside.

cheese, george! cheese!

the hard to locate sausage store with the very helpful and sometimes cranky cast of characters behind the counter.

the cherry danishes (that have become less cherry and more danish) .

vale cemetery. the vandalism and violence are up at night, but peaceful walks are in full force during the day.

i made corn muffins over the weekend and decided to put everything in its place before getting started. i usually enjoy dancing around the kitchen like a fool while searching for ingredients. it makes the baking process so much more fun. (and usually adds a little bit of the stress, like when i realize we are out of vanilla extract) i’ve got an awful cold and have been making a real attempt at taking it easy. (by baking first thing sunday morning? that’s right.)

the muffins i made last weekend turned out much better. i combined a few recipes to see what would happen. sadly, i didn’t write down the improvisations that transpired. i’m having a tough time figuring out what the most recent batch is missing. probably more cheese. either way, these unhealthy little buddies are working out well as a mid-afternoon snack – a few minutes in the toaster, then topped with a dab of butter and some honey.

every morning i enjoy a traditional breakfast consumed in a non-traditional way. ugly oatmeal while driving to work. for some reason it takes me a really long time to eat in the morning and ugly oatmeal travels well. why the name? take a look at the stuff! it’s so thick and delicious, you could turn the bowl upside down and it will stay put.

i’m going to share with you my process for making it:

ugly oatmeal

-serves 2-

3 cups water

1.5 cups rolled oats (i buy them in bulk from the market or health food store – they are nice and thick)

4 pinches salt (don’t forget the salt – it brings so much life to this dish)

i don’t measure the following ingredients. they get sprinkled in until it looks like enough.

dried cranberries

frozen blueberries

ground flax seed

wheat germ

sliced almonds

something sweet like brown sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar

bring the water two a boil, add the salt, oats and dried cranberries. turn the heat down to medium low (or it will spill over and make a giant mess) and cook for roughly ten minutes (a good amount of time for applying make-up and ironing work clothes). when the water is almost absorbed, throw in the frozen blueberries, wheat germ, ground flax seed and sliced almonds. stir in your sweetener and enjoy.

if someone tries to tell you that it looks gross, say “i know! it’s called ugly oatmeal!” and if they want to think you are nuts for cooking your oatmeal on the stove instead of opening up a packet of flakes and adding water from the cooler at work, let them. your meal is way healthier than theirs and you made it yourself! high five.

i wanted the feeling of living somewhere else, so we hopped in the car and headed toward my old stomping grounds – the capitol of new york state! yeah, i totally drive to work in albany everyday, and we eat at our favorite mexican restaurant there once a week. but this was different, i wanted to feel like a tourist. it worked!