kcobweb: (Default)
* I am sick. This sucks. The first symptom was general malaise and total brain-dead-ness. I've been staring off into space a lot. Now it's mostly a terrible sore throat.

* The timing is particularly bad, because classes just ended and my brain left just before everything was due. Fortunately, I'd done the bulk of the work already, so most of my final review process consisted of "well, these all seem to be complete sentences, so I guess I'm probably good to go." ::click submit::

* I am now done with my first quarter! Vacation!

* [livejournal.com profile] galagan left today to go to Las Vegas with [livejournal.com profile] boylawyer and his lovely wife and [livejournal.com profile] elklad and a few other somebodies? I don't begrudge him the trip at all, but I'm really not in the right frame of mind to be fulltime single parenting. See above re: sick. I have about a thimbleful of patience right now, and it's being continuously overturned by a whiny child. So to speak.

* I am making a beef stew, because I was randomly craving something like that last week, and the departure of the house vegetarian means it's time to cook meat! I never cook meat, so I feel like such a clueless idiot whenever I do. Wait, is this right? Is that? Aaaagh. So far, it smells lovely though, so I'm calling it good.

I'm sure there are other insightful and pithy comments I could make or updates I could update on, but my brain is at the dribblin' down da brain level, so I'll wrap it up. Back to watching bad TV and playing silly games.
kcobweb: (EK-3y)
* We went to Pennsylvania last weekend and it was fun. We got to hang out and Elena wasn't too awful, and the drive was very pretty.

* Mom and I made feta!! We were determined to make cheese, and then I realized that I didn't have all the proper stuff for a simple mozzarella - so we went for feta instead. It took nearly twice as long as the directions implied (read: all day), and ended up pretty soft, but it has good flavor. It's like thick cottage cheese, and I think we'll just be drizzling it on everything for a while. :) (And now I've got the citric acid I need to make mozzarella too.)

* Mom left this morning - it was a long visit, and I enjoyed it, but I'm also ready to get back to my regular life and to establish some kind of a student routine.

* OMG, I'm a student. :)

* I got my new computer!! (Can't you tell that these words look extra-shiny?) I still need to transfer a few things over, but it's been *great* and I am so pleased!

* Elena is reading, bit by bit. A week ago, she looked up at my Rosie the Riveter poster on the wall, and said (unsolicited) "Can. Can do it. We can do it." That's not something I've been reading to her. We just got the book Ten Apples Up On Top, and after a couple of readings, she sat down and started her way through it. Then we realized that she really was reading and not just reciting, because she was carefully going word by word, and when she got to a word she didn't know, she'd sort of hum: "Ten apples up on top. We are not *hmmm* to stop." [going] I told her she could ask me, and then she'd ask about words she didn't recognize - sometimes adding, "You already told me that word!" It was pretty amazingly cool. She hasn't read another book (or even that book) like that in front of me, but it was great to watch her do that.
kcobweb: (onions)
For dinner, I made a Phyllo-Crusted Goat Cheese and Lentil Pie which was fabulous. There is now an apple crisp in the oven. And I'm snacking on almonds covered in toffee and dark chocolate. My life, she is yummy today.
kcobweb: (Default)
* did laundry (I'm going away for a long weekend, so I need clean clothes)
* sent my itinerary to my mom again
* picked basil and made pesto
* cooked chickpeas and made hummus
* printed out a letter and resume for a job opportunity that has been presented to me (nothing exciting - just a few hours, low pay - it's basically just for the glory. More to come if I actually get it).
* helped [livejournal.com profile] galagan muck around on the roof - seeing if there are any visible problems that could have caused the leak the other night (not particularly), plus cutting some branches that were overhanging the roof and sweeping leaves and shit off.
* got an email from Drexel that they got my online application, and now I just need to send them X, Y and Z. And transcripts from my colleges - which were sent weeks ago.
* have heart attack
* call Drexel and get it all straightened out (I think) - they seem to have them, just they were laying about somewhere else.
* eat lunch (still in progress)
* see that my sister's boyfriend has changed his status on Facebook from "In a relationship" to "engaged". I knew this already (of course) - this is just the most public announcement I've seen thus far. They are keeping it very cool and on the down-low. Not going to have a big fancy wedding. Still! My baby sister! :)

Next: errand-running and volunteering at the library
kcobweb: (onions)
[livejournal.com profile] muliebrity has asked for my aloo gobi recipe, so you all get to see one of our favorite dinners under the cut. )

([livejournal.com profile] muliebrity (or anyone else, too), if this version is too spicy, I have another version somewhere, which is sweeter. I think it has apple juice. Let me know.)
kcobweb: (onions)
I made this Roasted Potato and Green Salad last night and it was very very tasty. But far too oily - if you try it, cut the oil in half (at least). Do others find that when you make a recipe for the first time, there's way too much oil, and so everything's a greasy mess? Or is it just me?

Also, refrigerator pickle recipes below the cut )
kcobweb: (Default)
* I am clearly in a cooking *mood*. Last night I was craving some sort of grain salad, and couldn't find a recipe that fit what I was imagining, so I made up a recipe from thin air, which I practically never do. I am usually tied to the words written down on paper. Anyway, it is bulgur, canned white beans, steamed green beans, bell pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lots of lemon zest and is super-tasty. And now I am bringing a brine to a boil, which will then cool overnight, and tomorrow will be put into jars with dill and garlic cloves and cucumbers: Cold Brine Dill Pickles! Yay!

* I did a bit of practice for the icky GRE writing section. It did not totally suck. I just need to remember how to write coherent grammatical statements, yo.

* Mmmm, how did it get to be the end of June already? That's just crazy talk.

* I also realized that I haven't done an Elena post in a while, so the rest goes behind a cut )
kcobweb: (onions)
I made falafel for dinner - I've never made it before. Last night we made Indian: a curried veggie dish that was just okay, plus a dal that is a standby favorite for us. Last week we made pad thai. This kind of thing isn't too unusual for us.

But sometimes when I idly comment to someone that we're having pad thai for dinner, they assume we're going out, and get *very confused* when I say I'm making it myself.

How about you? How often do you cook ethnic foods (oh hell, defined for these purposes as food that's not from your family's culture, or the one you grew up in, or unfamiliar foods you didn't necessarily grow up with)? Are there ethnic foods you would never attempt (it's just too hard, or you can't get the ingredients, or it's just not as good as the professional version)?
kcobweb: (Default)
* Beautiful fabulous weather out there. Yeah. I've been out there pulling dandelions and weeds, and planting seeds, and brutally clipping back the nasty bushes I hate.

* We are making the effort to be more organized with our weekly menu planning (as in, actually doing so) and thus we're actually cooking every night (instead of making shit up at the last minute) and have uncovered some new recipes. This week I just dug in my recipe box for some new ideas and pulled out a whole stack. Tonight's was a fabulously yummy Shrimp and Chickpea Pasta, which we all loved. Yum.

* Elena has started playing a new game: she runs into our bedroom and gets up on the bed and pulls the blankets over her head. Then she pops out. Over and over. We call her name, or we poke her and say "What's this lump?" or we tickle her.... But the best part of it is the name - she calls it "going to Texas". Sometimes "I am going to Texas on vacation." (We're really not sure why.) This leads to many amusing conversations and statements, like "You may only go to Texas two more times, and then we need to put your pajamas on."

* For the locals: I am singing in a concert on Sunday, and you should come hear it. Very small chorus: there are only 10 of us altogether. Thompson Chapel, 2 p.m., Haydn's Missa Brevis de St. Johannis and a couple of fabulous dark and broody Bruckner motets. It should be gorgeous.

* I'm sure I had another bullet point, but I guess I'll have to save it for another day.
kcobweb: (onions)
I have lately been craving a soup I used to buy from the hospital cafeteria, back when my office was across the street and we so regularly crossed the street to buy soup for lunch that we usually got the employee discount..... It was ham, cabbage and potato soup - very tasty. Anyway. That hospital is 2000 miles away, and well, it's just not feasible to make a trip there this week just for soup. So, I thought I'd make my own vegetarian version. We'll call it White Bean Cabbage Soup.

First I sauteed an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic in olive oil. Then I dumped in half a shredded cabbage and a couple of cubed potatoes. Enough liquid to cover generously. One can of white beans. Salt, pepper, some thyme and one bay leaf. Let it simmer a while. That's it: YUM.

I don't think of myself as a really great instinctive cook. My sister has always been good at looking at something (or tasting it) and saying, "Hey, I could make this. I'd start with...." I kind of thought I was missing that gene. So it feels like a special victory to me, that I was able to sense what would work and just run with it.

So if you have some leftover cabbage, try the above. And if you wanted to add some cubed ham in? I'd say Bravo. :)
kcobweb: (E-2yrs)
I have a Big Girl here, did I tell you? After months of discussion, recitation of key bits of the video Potty Power (on her part), realizing that some of her cool friends were doing it ([livejournal.com profile] rivka, your Alex's visit was timed very well), etc. etc., Elena has voluntarily peed in her potty several times. Even without prompting, today!! We are by no means out of the woods, but I can tell that there is a path, and we'll get there.

Also, she has a Big Girl Bed!! Mattress and box spring on the floor - just the perfect height for her to climb up on. She slept in it 2 nights now (and one nap - working on Nap #2 as we speak), and it's been fine. No problem. She's still so excited about it that every time we walk into her room, she yells "I have a Big Girl Bed!"

I've started putting her hair in a single ponytail on the back of her head - she requests it as her "special new hairstyle", and it makes her look older (and her hair look like 8 feet longer).

All her peers are starting to turn 3 years old. Wow.

And she'll come out with the most interesting things to say. She saw some rope in the garage, and started talking about jump-rope. Where'd she get that from? (It occurs to me now, while typing, that Sesame Street has shown jump-rope snippets a time or two. That must be it.)

..... So, what should I make for dinner tonight? Mushroom barley soup, or this?
ETA: [livejournal.com profile] galagan voted for the soup, and his is the vote that really counts, so I guess we'll have nummy tofu-and-brussels-sprouts tomorrow.
kcobweb: (onions)
I am:

--on my own for the next 4 days - [livejournal.com profile] galagan left this morning for Seattle. He runs in the morning: think of him then. I will *seriously* need a break by the time he gets back - I really depend on him coming through the door at 5 p.m. or so and helping out. Hopefully I can maintain my sanity and my calm till his return.

--making turkey soup from leftovers. Soon there will be *matzo balls* to add to it! Yum! (I've got lots of ideas for things to eat in the next few days that are non-galagan-compliant/friendly. Another is an old family favorite called Potato Sausage Supper.)

--herding cats: in my own little corner, in my own little way. I have charts and tables! :)

(Interruption: There's a commercial on right now for some video game - Assassin's Creed, I think - and the music is the same as the theme from House. Anyone else notice this? Every time it comes on, I think it's for House, and then, no such luck. Anyway.)

--about to felt a couple of Goodwill sweaters. Whee! New projects!

--so glad Elena finally fell asleep for her nap.

Items

Nov. 21st, 2007 03:46 pm
kcobweb: (onions)
--I looooove food catalogs. I love browsing through them, in a window-shopping kind of way. I never buy anything from them. We had a Harry & David catalog the other day; today's mail brought a Wolferman's catalog. I used to be on Dean and Deluca's mailing list - all those cured meats and fancy cheeses! Yum, food porn. I find myself especially drawn to the basket o' varied goodies that these places do. Those things just look like yummy fun.

--I am having great difficulties with automated systems this week, but I think I finally got everything straightened out. I hope.

--I am recuperating from my admittedly minor cold, but everyone else in the house is coughing a lot now. Elena is majorly crabby. [livejournal.com profile] galagan is running a *marathon* in less than a week, and needs his health and his full lung capacity, please.

--Yes, a marathon. A full bloody 26 miles. In Seattle on Sunday. Is he crazy? You decide.

--I am finally learning how to knit, and am doing enough to make it stick in my brain. I like to learn by doing, and I have to figure it out myself (who's stubborn? whatever do you mean?). Because I'm stoopid, I'm using sub-par yarn with too-big needles, but I like the way it looks, and so I'll tell everyone that I meant for that to happen. :) Sub-par yarn is because it's recycled from an ugly child's sweater vest that I didn't want to put on Elena - so I unraveled it. Because it's unraveled, the plies are all coming untwisted and all that. Whatever. Like I said, I like the way it looks, so that's okay. And I'm just making a simple scarf, because I figured that if I knitted a million rows over and over that would be good practice for the general form. I've got knitting down, but haven't figured out how to hold the needles and the yarn and do everything at once while I'm purling, without a handy-dandy third hand. I can never hold things the way books tell you to. :)

--I have cubes of bread drying in the kitchen. I'm making stuffing from *scratch* this year! Woohoo!

--I will also be making green bean casserole, because that is our do-or-die Thanksgiving dish here. Tomorrow happens to be the.... 11th anniversary of our first date, which in 1996 was a Friday. Thanksgiving was the following Thursday, and [livejournal.com profile] galagan showed up at our door with a green bean casserole. He and I have had it every year since. :)
kcobweb: (booksnob)
books! )

In other news - I made bread today, and it smells yummy (I hope the texture matches the smell and appearance - I'm new to this, and unsure about my kneading and rising and baking times *grin*). Soup is now being made to go with. Whoo.

Coolness

Sep. 6th, 2007 08:52 pm
kcobweb: (onions)
We were out for a little while this evening, and when we came home, there was a whole bag full of tomatoes and peppers hanging on the doorknob. Presumably from our neighbor who we got veggies from yesterday. I'm going to make gazpacho tomorrow - yum - but what can I do to thank her? I was thinking about making some cookies to take to her. All I know is that she's an older woman, and married, and has a garden to keep herself busy (that's what she told me the one time I met her). Cookies? Or something else?

Meanwhile - gazpacho!!!!
kcobweb: (onions)
At the toddler's insistence, we went out for a pre-lunch walk around the block. And one of our neighbors - who has a huge gorgeous garden - has a small table on her driveway, covered with veggies and a sign saying "Free to a good home". We took a yellow squash, a green pepper, and a beautiful tomato. (I may have to go back for more tomatoes - she had tons of them.) I think I'll make them into pasta primavera for dinner. Yay - fresh and (very) local veggies for dinner!
kcobweb: (Default)
It's been a lovely weekend. )

And now I'm *still* trying to decide what to make for dinner. Any suggestions? Must be veggie-friendly. Major points if it's made from ingredients that are already in our possession. *grin*
ETA: It's gonna be Chickpea Stew. Why o why do I always have such difficulty deciding what to make? I'm a looooooser.
kcobweb: (Default)
It's been a nice weekend thus far. Yesterday we had lunch with old college friends C and C, who are in town for the theater festival. I hadn't seen them in forever (their wedding, maybe?), so that was nice.

I spent much of yesterday frantically reading a recent 700-page fantasy novel. No, not that one, this one. Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey is book 5 in that series, and it's just okay. (I really liked 1 and 2, but I think they've been uneven since then.) Both 4 and 5 seem to be two books in one - first half, lots of sex and intrigue; second half, lots of violence and mayhem. Personally, I like the sex and intrigue better, which means I finish the book on a downhill slide. She should break these up better, or, um, learn to integrate those parts of the story better. And, for those who are looking for it, I thought this book had much less sex (and was far less kinky) than the earlier ones. This book did have some parts I really grooved on (this world's version of Celts and Picts! woohoo for the Picts!), but overall, eh. The pacing really really dragged in the second half (see above, re: not-so-interested in the violence and mayhem section), which was, in part, a function of the plot - I'm sure the protagonist felt the same way. I may have to go back and reread book 1 and 2, just to remember why I liked them so much, and see if they still are as good as I remember.

Today we all slept in! (Until *gasp* 8 o'clock - that was heaven.) And then went for a short drive, east and north of here (right past the decommissioned nuclear plant, though we didn't see it). Now I'm making peach cobbler, which makes me think of my grandmother, whose recipe it is. Mmmmm, cobbler. And I'm reading Mansfield Park, to get caught up in the community I just joined.
kcobweb: (Default)
Everyone's a-twitter about Potterdammerung spoilers, so I availed myself of the opportunity and peeked. Don't worry - I have no interest in spoiling anyone. Each to her own, I say. I found, with Book 6, that spoiling myself on the Big Stuff meant that I could actually read individual pages of the book and enjoy it, instead of hurling myself headlong through, skipping most of, well, everything. After peeking, I realized that even if what I saw was a fake, it doesn't matter, because now I *think* I know, and therefore, I can read more calmly. *shrug* I won't even be getting a book on Saturday (because I own most of them in paperback, so I'd prefer to wait till that's issued) - though I did put a hold on a library copy. We'll see how long that takes / how far down the list I am.

I made peach cobbler this afternoon, which is all [livejournal.com profile] allthatjazmyne's fault. It was a bit of a comedy of errors with the topping: the Bisquick had bugs in it; found the Joy of Cooking, which says you should use half a recipe of biscuit dough; had plenty of trouble cutting the butter into the flour, and then when I was done with that step, paused to wonder if I halved the butter, or put in the full amount? Either way - the topping seemed fine (a little extra butter never hurt anyone, right?), and I just tasted it and it is yummy. I kept thinking that my grandmother (whose cobbler recipe it is) would be *laughing* at me: silly girl, can't even make biscuits??

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