48 posts tagged “month of blogging”
So, I didn't really make NaBloPoMo. It happens. It's been a busy month in my life, and December is about to be much, much worse.
I'll leave you with an image of my favorite comfort food of 2007. Have you ever had spanakopita? I don't mean the spanakopita that's kind of dry and awful that you get at your local Greek takeout place. I mean spanakopita carefully crafted by a Greek grandmother that's been making it for decades. I am the closest to a Greek grandmother that most of my friends are going to get, so they deal with mine. I hesitate to share the recipe with you, because it's my go-to food when I need to impress someone in under ten minutes. We're all friends here, so I've decided to give it up.
Most spanakopita is sold in triangle shapes, but I'm sort of lazy. My version comes in a 9x13 casserole dish, and it's cut into squares. It's delicious, easy to make, and not terribly expensive.
I honestly think this is a recipe to experiment with, though many people will probably disagree with me. My basic recipe is a little adapted from my mother's: two bricks of frozen chopped spinach, a pound of crumbled feta cheese, eight ounces of cream cheese, two tablespoons of minced onion and three eggs. Mix it all together (defrost the spinach and drain it first), and put it between about 16 sheets of phyllo.
My basic phyllo technique requires defrosted phyllo. You can try to buy it and use it the same day, but that never works for me. You can find phyllo in your grocery store with all the frozen pie crusts. Throw it in your fridge and it'll last for months. (Three or four, to be exact.) Melt two sticks of butter, and get a pastry brush. Brush the inside of a casserole dish, then lay down two sheets of phyllo. Brush those with butter and lay down two more sheets. Repeat until you've got about eight sheets on the bottom, pour in the spinach and cheese mixture, and repeat with the sheets on top. Put as many sheets on there as you like, really. I do about eight, but with how delicious the buttery phyllo was last night, I'm about to upgrade it to twelve.
It takes ten minutes to throw this together. Bake it about 35 minutes at 350, or until the phyllo is golden and crispy. Reheat it, share it with your friends - it's a recipe for everyone.
Happy NaBloPoMo, everyone. It's been a pleasure seeing many of you succeed. We'll keep our fingers crossed for more success from me next year.
I'm sitting at my desk today, working diligently as per usual, when an email came that would change the course of the next two weeks of my life. Office restructuring? Much more important than that. A new project? Well, sort of. This email, my friends, refers to a cupcake challenge.
A CHALLENGE. A competition. About. Food.
Now, I'm not much of a baker, but I am a fabulous cook, and I don't like to lose. Cupcake time is on.
I don't even particularly like cupcakes. I'm in it for the power.
So, folks, you might be seeing a whole lot of cupcakes from me over the next couple of weeks. The challenge is on December 14th. I've got some interesting ideas in the works, but tonight was all about simplicity and technique. A simple chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Sure, it's not the best cupcake I've ever had, but that's why I'm doing some practice runs. With great power comes great responsibility, and today I was granted the power of cupcakes.
So, I gave up. I had planned to do NaBloPoMo, and then I didn't. Best-laid plans, et cetera.
The reasons are many, notably that my mom came to visit me and I decided to go on a week-long computer hiatus. Mom came in Wednesday night and we proceeded to spend four days away from a computer. With the exception of the things I have to do to keep my job, I've managed to stay relatively computer-free.
It's hard to adjust back to a constantly connected life, though. My phone has been on the charger for three days, unanswered. (I'm really sorry to all of you that I haven't called back. I literally have not touched it.) I have unreturned emails for the first time in my life. When I get home, I just want to hang out with my husband or play with the cat or go shopping. I don't want to instantly jump on the computer. The computer is work to me right now - I need to detach from it.
I've been rekindling my romance with paper, though, which is nice. I've been subtly dropping hints to my husband that I want a super cool planner for 2008. Something I can write all over and be creative with. I've been sketching more at work.
My professional life is going well, though it's a little bit complicated. Last week I started to go through all of the projects from my undergraduate career and figure out what might be good portfolio pieces down the line. I'm sure everyone goes through this at one time or another in their educational career, but man - I wish I could take all those classes over again, knowing what I know now. I'd be awesome.
Sorry, guys. Life took over. I'll get back in the swing of things eventually. Good luck to the rest of you bloggers out there that are still giving it your best shots!
Today was not an easy day at work, for reasons that are simply unimportant (and confidential, of course). The one high point of my day was a "town hall" meeting in our lobby. This is a somewhat rare event where everyone in the company is invited to come up for an hour or so while the heads of the various studios give presentations and discuss the business they've been doing lately.
The head of my studio was the one that really hit the spot for me. He talked about the new American Girl store we opened, and how little girls were camped out to be the first ones inside. How happy they were when they saw all the toys. This is what we all got into this for, he remarked. And he's right. Sometimes I feel like the job I'm doing right now isn't quite why I got into design. I wanted to help people. I wanted to make changes in people's lives. I worry from time to time that all I'm doing is figuring out how to make people spend more money so the companies are happy.
It's hard in our world today to find something that's purely good, something that's only about helping people with no negative aspects. Steve's right - this is what we got into it for. We're making money for American Girl, sure. We're getting parents to spend more money. But ultimately, we're making little girls happy. That's how we get to win, even if there's an additional cost or two.
My mom's going to be here in two days. I'm sure I'll talk about the other kind of retail therapy then.
I originally wrote this for My Wine Education, where I'm guest-blogging this week, but it took so long that I'm a little bit spent as far as my daily writing goes. I'm going to cheat and paste it here as well.
There are people out there that live for the week between Christmas and New Year's. Hot chocolate or mulled cider on Christmas Eve while you stare longingly at the presents under the tree, seeing the joy on your loved one's faces as they tear into the boxes on Christmas morning to find exactly what they were hoping for, and getting to be with all your friends to share a glass (okay, three) of champagne a week later. I see the appeal of this week, but for me, the holiday season is all about the food. If you've got to have a completely over-the-top holiday, make mine Thanksgiving.
Many people are overwhelmed by Thanksgiving, and rightfully so. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that's always orchestrated by the grownups. No one really knows how these people came to be so knowledgeable about how it all comes together, but somehow a feast just appears while the rest of the family watches football. A few years ago, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I would single-handedly craft my own Thanksgiving meal, a meal to beat all others. I'm lucky enough that I have my husband's mom to make a delicious feast on Thursday, while I cook for friends on Friday so we can recount all the great stories from the day before.
If you don't have decades worth of turkey feasts under your belt, here are some pointers. These are the things I wish I would have known years ago. I'm sure I'll regret giving up some secrets, but I firmly believe everyone deserves a beautiful feast. Happy eating!
The Turkey - You'll inevitably know your family's eating habits much better than I do, but the general rule is to estimate somewhere around a pound of bird for each guest. I always estimate a little higher, because we all love our turkey - and I like to be able to send guests home with enough to make a sandwich the next day. If that's your philosophy, go for about two pounds or so per person.Making the big bird is great, but if it's a feast for a small group, consider just buying a turkey breast or two. They'll cook up much easier and faster and you can slice them so no one will be the wiser. Of course, you'll lose the presentation factor and the drumsticks, but it might be worth the trade-off.
Don't be intimidated by carving the turkey. You can use an electric knife if that works best for you, but I'd suggest using a regular, very sharp knife with a thin blade to do the initial prep work. There are countless visual guides out there (google "carving a turkey" and you won't be disappointed), but here's the basics: separate the thigh and drumstick from the body, then separate the two from one another. Cut the meat into small slices and arrange them on a platter. Separate the wings from the body. After all the limbs are separated (dark meat will stay moist longer than light meat), slice the breasts. Try to stay parallel to the body to preserve the flavor of the meat. That's it! Oh, and be sure to sample lots of the meat along the way. Quality control is important.
The Sides - Decide on how many side dishes you want to cook based on how many people will be there - or how much you like to cook. My feast inevitably has way too much food and people end up taking a whole lot of leftovers home, but I like to err on the side of variety. Consider your heavier dishes versus your lighter ones. It's easy to load up on casseroles, but just make sure you've got a little bit of contrast in your dishes. I love having mashed potatoes and gravy, and I have a particularly special stuffing recipe, but that's as much starch as I like to put in my meal.
Adding a little something to your standard dishes gives Thanksgiving a special spin. My mashed potatoes have horseradish and roasted garlic in them, I add sage sausage and apples to my stuffing, and the secret to my cornbread is a mixture of cornbread and yellow cake. It's not too innovative, but it's just enough to make the meal feel special.
Cook ahead when you can. Casseroles can usually be done ahead of time, and desserts are okay to do on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'd save things like veggies for the day-of, and there's not much you can do for the bird. Save time where you can - it's definitely less stressful on Wednesday than when your guests are already there on Thursday!
The Guests - People will inevitably ask you what you'd like them to bring. I always have guests bring drinks so I can focus on the food. Don't forget about little things like paper napkins, as well as plates and cups if you don't have enough. Something simple like fresh bread can be found at a grocery store along the way, and it's a big timesaver for you. Your guests will be able to contribute to the meal and make life a little easier for you, but you still get to have the spotlight (and obsessively plan your menu, if you're anything like me).
Also, there's something to be said for potluck. Many people have a special holiday recipe tucked away for occasions just like this, so if someone asks what they should bring, ask them what their specialty is. If they've got a stuffing recipe that's been handed down for five generations, let them share it with you! It's less effort on your part and you'll get to try something new.
Most importantly, don't get too stressed. Thanksgiving is a fun holiday, and like all others, is about getting together with your loved ones and sharing a special occasion. It will be special because you're all there together, regardless of whether or not you use those special turkey-shaped napkin rings. Have fun and take time to enjoy this time with your friends and family!
I'm sure I should be embarrassed by this statement, but I'm simply not: I am one of those self-righteous jerks that regularly turns my nose up at chain restaurants. This rule, as with most "rules" of mine, is not without exception. I legitimately like the fajitas from Chili's. I love the roasted garlic sauce from Romano's Macaroni Grill. I order pizza from Pizza Hut fairly often, I really love Chipotle burritos, I've had a couple great meals from the Cheesecake Factory and I ate at Panera Bread so much in high school that I probably own a part of the company.
With all of these exceptions, though, it seems like I don't have a real rule. The rule comes from the fact that I am usually disappointed with chain restaurants. The photos on the menu lie to you, don't they? Everything looks so great and sounds fantastic and then it gets to you and it's just a disappointment. I've been drawn in by their comparatively lower prices (I can't get a 10 ounce sirloin at a steakhouse for $10, but I can probably find one at Applebee's for close to that), but the quality is rarely at a level I appreciate. It's standard food. I don't remember the last time I was blown away by something at a chain restaurant - until yesterday.
Do we all remember a week or two ago when I was whining about my lunch options around my office? How I really wanted pasta but couldn't find anywhere to get it? All of that changed yesterday, when I was introduced to the lunch menu at McCormick and Schmick's. If you live in a larger town, you might have one of these. A new one recently opened in Cincinnati on Fountain Square. They specialize in seafood - the menus are paper because they change based on what's fresh that day. John and I decided we wanted to sit down to a nicer lunch to celebrate the end of a difficult work week, and the sit-down choices around our offices are mostly food court mall food or unbelievably expensive food. McCormick and Schmick's was our best option.
And boy, was it ever. Fettucine alfredo with scallops and shrimp - I know it's not the most innovative dish in the world. It's four ingredients. But those four ingredients were cooked perfectly, and that's the kind of food that really gets me going. The scallops were so tender, they simply melted in your mouth. The alfredo sauce was rich and creamy. I couldn't have asked for a better lunch - and it was $13. I am convinced that I couldn't have found a meal within half a mile of my office that hit the spot as much as my lunch did yesterday. John had the tilapia, which was great, but I'm partial to mine. I'm sure he understands.
While M&S wasn't enough to make me totally re-think my "rule", it did confirm that I should still give the occasional chain restaurant a try. I couldn't have been more impressed, and I'm unbelievably excited to try their $1.95/3.95 happy hour menu sometime soon.
So, I've now missed three or four days out of the 15 so far, and it's a little sad. I'm pretty sure this means I fail. Last year, I managed to master all but two days - one because it was before I decided to do daily posting, and the second because I was moving from New York to Cincinnati. I'm pretty sure both of those are excusable.
My excuse for missing so many days so far? Being in Kansas City on vacation. Forgetting how to post and leaving something open on my office computer all night. Karaoke at the Comet last night, which resulted in a couple (okay, four) drinks that made me come home and go to sleep. No excuse, people. None.
But really, there's the writer's strike. It's taking its toll on my television viewing. I've already talked about that. There's cooking. I've done a lot of it but I feel guilty talking about it without showing pictures, and I've been too lazy to post them.
So, internet, I'd try to find something inspirational for you, but I just can't find it. There are lots of things to talk about, so I'll let you discuss amongst yourselves. Take Derek Shepherd dating my least favorite character on Grey's Anatomy, or the fact that two of my favorite characters on the same show love each other so much and should be allowed to be happy. Talk about my job and how I convinced myself today that none of my projects were ever going to be as good as I want them to be. Talk about me rocking the shit out of one of my favorite songs at karaoke last night and being congratulated by my co-workers the next day. Talk about anything, but honestly, I'm pretty sure I've hit that daily posting moment where you run out of things to say. I plan on reviewing last year's entries tomorrow so I can figure out how I got over the writers' block then.
Oh, as a side note - for the first time in my life, I'm officially published. Taste Magazine was kind enough to offer me an article for their winter issue, so if you'd like to know my thoughts (tainted with a little bit of history) on chestnuts, and you're in the Cincinnati metro area, pick up a copy. Anyone else that would be interested in reading, I'll see what I can do about sending you a copy of the article. I'll be writing for them for the next four issues. I've also been graciously offered a chance to guest write on My Wine Education, so I'll be posting a thing or two there for the next week. Check them all out.
As I'm sure almost all of you know, Hollywood is currently turned on its head thanks to a writers' strike. For anyone who hasn't been keeping up on their local news lately (and there are no late-night writers, so The Daily Show can't help you here), here's the basic idea. Hollywood writers have gone on strike in response to not being paid for their material that's being used online. Networks like NBC and ABC are selling ads that run on their shows offered online for free, and the writers aren't seeing any of those profits. The issue is, of course, more complex than that, but you can read more in your favorite newspaper if you'd like more information.
The writers strike affects all American television watchers because television shows are quickly going to stop showing new episodes. Take The Office, one of my favorite television shows. The actors are supporting the writers' strike (and many of the actors on this particular show are also writers), so no new episodes can be filmed. The last new episode will be playing this Thursday, and then we're done.
One of my co-workers said yesterday that they'd be back, that we don't have to worry about anything, that everyone just wants to get paid. While that last part is true, it's a major principle that everyone's fighting about here. It's the sort of thing that people like me who work in the design industry spend a lot of time thinking about. How do we adapt to the constant demands of new media?
It's not just affecting the writers, you see. They have - and are using - the power to completely stop a major industry in our country. Without new scripts and without being able to film, thousands of crew members are off work as well. Everyone seems to be on the side of the writers - except the people who are capable of making decisions that could end the strike.
I suppose it hits close to home because it's going to start putting people like me out of work. Animators across the country could start losing their jobs. We work on things so far ahead of time that it'll take awhile to really affect us, but if we face another 22 week strike like the last one in 1988, it could happen. (I say "us", but I work in architectural animation. Unless there's an architect's strike, I'm okay. The animation community as a whole is who I'm referring to here.)
I support the writers, wholeheartedly. Sure, I really hate that I'm not going to get new episodes of my shows - that the season could actually be over - but I'll get over it. It's entertainment for me, but it's defending their work for other people. Good for them, I say. I only hope that a compromise that benefits everyone is reached quickly so that everyone comes out on top.
My first experience with Guitar Hero happened at Ian's house sometime last year. I knew I wasn't going to be good at it. I am rarely good at video games. But, I tried it, because I don't like to be a downer. Sure enough, I'm not very good. We have an unspoken policy in our circle of friends where we don't like to make fun of the people who are entirely pathetic at video games, because we really just like to have people to play them with. For a very long time, my husband wasn't good at Call of Duty, a video game that we played at least three hours every single day. It's more fun with more people, though, so we always encouraged him to play.
I'm not a big video game person. We own a Nintendo Wii, because it's really the only game system that appeals to me. I'm not a big gamer. Despite being employed in the 3D graphics industry, the graphics really don't make a difference to me. The Wii is fun. And recently, Guitar Hero was finally released for it. I bought it Friday night.
The thing is, I'm really ridiculously pathetic at it. That's not to say that I'm the worst player I've ever seen - I can name people who are much worse than I am. That doesn't mean much. I am, however, terrible. I can't beat it on easy. There is a stupid Slayer song that I have spent hours practicing to beat it on EASY. Guitar Hero is my Everest.
So, if I'm a little more absent than usual, that's why. I've got all the things in the world to pay attention to (thanksgiving, family, my mom coming to visit in a week and a half, being a homeowner, writing articles), but right now, it's me and a little white plastic guitar. It's taking over my life.
Is there anything more awkward but surprisingly fun than the office party? Even if you don't really know your co-workers so well, you still end up having a good time. I might attribute part of that to the open bar, but I can't be sure.
So, there will be no real post from me tonight, because the drinks at the office party were very strong. I don't usually mean "vodka with a splash of orange juice" when I ask for "vodka and orange juice", but I'm not complaining. Viva la office party. Thanks to FRCH and the Westin for hosting such a beautiful, enjoyable event.
