Monthly Archives: March 2012

Blahbity Blah

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You know when you get into a fight with a friend… and they are just flat out wrong but they refuse to apologize. Instead they do one of those faux-pologies where they say something like, “I’m sorry that you thought I was behaving that way” or “I’m sorry that you thought that.” You know? In my opinion, those faux-pologies are even worse than just not apologizing at all. It’s fucking (sorry ma, but this needs an F-word to describe my feelings) irritating and it’s annoying and it’s F-ing rude. Normally, after I cool off, I can see the other person’s perspective, but it’s been a week and I’m still ticked off. I’m not one to hold grudges either, so I know for a fact that I’m not being crazy or weird. He tried again to make up with me and then promptly got drunk at brunch and blew me off for dinner. Talk about adding insult to injury. So all I hear when he talks right now is… blah blah blah. rwor blah blah rwor snore. blah. 

Anyway, while I was stewing last week about how pissed off this friend makes me, I made these meatballs. And my soul immediately felt a bit better. There is nothing like a patient and methodical couple hours of patting meatballs together, baking a couple pans of cookies, and letting the pieces fall back into place. Peacefully!! 

I’ve interpreted this recipe from Health-Bent, and excellent website for healthful and fun recipes. 

Thai Basil Meatballs (adapted from Health-Bent) ~ I left out the almond flour (because I didn’t have any) and roasted red peppers (because I find them just really slimey and gross)

  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced finely
  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce (I only had a deeply flavored Korean kind, which I know to be very salty, so I scaled this back and only used 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 1 bunch of basil, chopped
  • 1 lime zested
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F
  2. Mix together all of the ingredients and pat the meat into golfball sized meatballs
  3. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil
  4. Arrange the meatballs on the cookie sheet
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. 
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Fennel

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I love fennel. It’s mildly sweet, just barely licorice flavored. It’s crunchy and refreshing. My favorite way to eat this frondy vegetable is thinly sliced, tossed with some salt, truffle oil, and a squeeze of lemon. I tossed some darkly roasted almonds on the top of this salad this weekend and enjoyed it with dinner.

You may choose not to add the lemon, but the truffle oil and salt are a must. The black truffle oil adds a dimension and luxurious quality that pairs beautifully with this crunchy salad.

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Oh March…

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I have so many delicious things to share with you… but March has been kicking my ass. So many things to do and such limited time… and there are just so many things I NEED to do… and so many I WANT to do….

Be back with some recipes soon.

 

xoxo

 

Good Riddance February

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Today, I woke up and for the first time since the beginning of February, I felt better about everything. My apartment is still a walking disaster, and smells mildly weird, but I felt great. And? It feels like winter today. It’s frigid and I saw a couple flakes of snow. And… I love LOVE the kind of cold weather that takes your breath away and makes your eyes tear. It hurts and it’s amazing.

Anyway, as I was sitting reading for class I thought…. Good riddance February. I’m glad we’re moving on. I was totally and utterly ill at the beginning of February, and just as my fever and cough started to get better, my poor puppy went and got some stomach problems. After a week of vile and bloody stool, she is finally feeling better. She’s playing and even cuter than normal because she finally feels better. I felt awful for her while she sat around listlessly feeling miserable, so I’m even happier that she’s so playful. The medication and the food she has to eat is pretty gross, but anything to see her grab a dryer sheet and maul it like it’s alive… Does anyone else’s dog do this? Boo will go crazy for a dryer sheet… used or new, it doesn’t matter. She loves them.

What did I learn in February?

  1. To appreciate every single thing I have. Boo has been healthy and issue free since I got her 4 years ago, and this was the first time she was sick. So for that, I am thankful. I am thankful she is a healthy little trouble maker.
  2. To take myself seriously. I try not to stress about anything – because life is good. But I think I need to take myself just a bit more seriously.
  3. Family is the best.
  4. The friends that can listen to you freak out about your dog and watch you bite your nails, and put up with your hysterics about your dog? Those are the ones to keep. My best friend Kara? She was absolute gold this last week when I was losing my mind over my sick puppy.
  5. Goat butter is absolutely revolting. Maybe it was the kind I bought, but I was curious and instantly not curious anymore after tasting it. It’s gamey and tastes mildly of furry beast. And it’s an unnerving white. It’s more like lard texture. And… I just don’t like it.
  6. Homemade mac and cheese has nothing on Velveeta. Sorry, for all you folks that go through the trouble of making it from scratch… but that shit is disgusting. I reviewed over 100 recipes before settling on one that everyone said is the best. I bought exactly the right cheese and following the instructions to a T. The result? It smelled like Play-Doh and tasted doughy and awful. It was a waste of 2 pounds of expensive cheese and time. Never again. NEVER.
  7. Coconut oil, the virgin kind, is possibly the best thing ever. It makes fried onions taste delicious and adds just that perfect exoticness to boring sautéed vegetables that are otherwise boring. I dab it on my feet before I go to sleep, and those cracked heels are suddenly just a bit smoother. So, it’s excellent.
  8. Middle of the night crazy… the kind where I wake up at 3:00am and get my work done? Those are the best nights. And, I have decided to go with my internal clock… the one that tells me to wake up and get stuff done, even if it is crazy.
  9.  I absolutely abhor re-heated meat. I dislike anything frozen too. It just loses the flavor and I end of picking at it with a disgusted look on my face.
  10. I love burgers and cheese. Just. LOVE them.

So. Cheers to March, a new month and a clean slate. This is going to be the best month yet, followed by even better months.