going to a high school football game tonight. doesn't that sound fun??? and after a great day off. not really a relaxing day, per se, but a ME day. an artist's date, as they say in the "artist's way" book that i love so much. after my dentist appt, i went to lawrence and had my first voice lesson in maybe 6 months or more. i LOVE my teacher. he is a genius. everything he says makes me feel better instantly. i always leave the 90-minute lesson feeling more refreshed vocally than when i came in. really good stuff.
then i walked the cute downtown area, enjoying the gorgeous weather, had mediterranean food, which was awesome, looked at fabric in a beautiful store, bought some german food in an import store i love, and treated myself to frozen yogurt. amazing day!
of course, i had to come home to a barrage of e-mails dealing with students and lessons and blah blah blah. i wish i could set up office hours. you are only allowed to e-mail/text/call me on mondays through thursdays. fridays, saturdays and sundays are my sabbath. since i don't get a whole day off ever, isn't that fair?
maybe i'm just being whiny.
oh yeah, i just had a novel thought. turn off your phone dummy.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
BRRRRRROWNIES.
brrrrrrr. mmmm.... oooo. la laaaaa....
did you know that europeans don't have brownies? when i was a nanny, i made brownies for my two little darling german kids i watched, and they were totally confused by this manna from heaven. the 10 year-old boy reviewed the brownies with, "not bad." and the 2 year-old ate the entire thing in seconds flat, and, wearing some of it on her face, left the table, saying, "i don't yike it."
yeah right.
i ask you ~ who on earth doesn't like brownies?
i have been testing healthy desserts for months, even years, trying to substitute honey for sugar, whole wheat flour for white, etc. i will continue to do that, but i came across an amazing recipe in my book that i have been dying to try. "orange blossom brownies". (kacey ~ remember you found this recipe in your book in miami and you copied it for me??)
welllll, i'm making them this morning. my whole apartment smells like a chocolate paradise! i've been experimenting with healthier dessert recipes for so long, and this recipe obliterated any healthy guidelines i had been following! it was so hard to put THREE cups of sugar and SIX eggs into the mixing bowl. and then, it turned into true decadence on an otherwise-boring thursday morning. i giggled with joy when i looked into the bowl and saw all of that refined, white sugar swimming in the eggs.
when you sin like this, make it big.
i put them in mini muffin tins, will frost them later (the sinning continues) and will take them to my old church job choir rehearsal, to treat them for being so wonderful last year when my father died. i'm leaving the job this year to pursue my HEALTHY food biz. har har har.
i just bit into one of these little heavenly treats. OMG. brownies from scratch. they're chewier and softer at the same time, and you can almost feel the crunch of sugar. and the orange zest is divine.
i have decided ~ i will make these just once a year. and not feel guilty in the slightest.
did you know that europeans don't have brownies? when i was a nanny, i made brownies for my two little darling german kids i watched, and they were totally confused by this manna from heaven. the 10 year-old boy reviewed the brownies with, "not bad." and the 2 year-old ate the entire thing in seconds flat, and, wearing some of it on her face, left the table, saying, "i don't yike it."
yeah right.
i ask you ~ who on earth doesn't like brownies?
i have been testing healthy desserts for months, even years, trying to substitute honey for sugar, whole wheat flour for white, etc. i will continue to do that, but i came across an amazing recipe in my book that i have been dying to try. "orange blossom brownies". (kacey ~ remember you found this recipe in your book in miami and you copied it for me??)
welllll, i'm making them this morning. my whole apartment smells like a chocolate paradise! i've been experimenting with healthier dessert recipes for so long, and this recipe obliterated any healthy guidelines i had been following! it was so hard to put THREE cups of sugar and SIX eggs into the mixing bowl. and then, it turned into true decadence on an otherwise-boring thursday morning. i giggled with joy when i looked into the bowl and saw all of that refined, white sugar swimming in the eggs.
when you sin like this, make it big.
i put them in mini muffin tins, will frost them later (the sinning continues) and will take them to my old church job choir rehearsal, to treat them for being so wonderful last year when my father died. i'm leaving the job this year to pursue my HEALTHY food biz. har har har.
i just bit into one of these little heavenly treats. OMG. brownies from scratch. they're chewier and softer at the same time, and you can almost feel the crunch of sugar. and the orange zest is divine.
i have decided ~ i will make these just once a year. and not feel guilty in the slightest.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
food, tango and travel...
it's wednesday morning, a little after 9:30, and i have already been to the grocery store, made a new soup and worked out! YESSSS!! this is the answer to peace. i'm serious. what was i thinking, getting up at 8 every morning? as my mother always says ~ "i'll sleep when i'm dead". geez, mom. there's a die hard morning person for you. well, i'm sold. by the time my students start arriving, i will have practiced, cleaned up my place, put on something cute, and probably piddled around, doing something fun and frivolous. sono contento!
this morning i am listening to a tango cd i just love, and thinking of my friend kacey, a tango specialist, y'all! how freakin' cool is that? she is truly a world traveler. i mean, i have probably been to more countries at this point than she has, but she has the true world traveler personality. she IS the eat, pray, love girl. i'm pretty sure she can stuff a shoulder bag with some eclectic, colorful clothes, a tube of toothpaste and some burt's bees chapstick, and go anywhere. this is something i want to say i am, but not so much. i will blame it on my high-maintenance mane of hair, but really. i'm not.
i do have a little bit of that in me, though, so since i'm grounded in kansas city until i can afford another extravagant trip to some foreign country, all i can do is cook exotic foods.
i have created TWO recipes! one last night, by total accident, and it is the best asian food i've ever made. and this morning, i found a recipe in a magazine, which was created FOR the eat, pray, love girl (elizabeth gilbert), who didn't get a chance to really learn much about the food in india. the recipe looked good, but i wanted something more savory, mixed with sweet, so i gave it a complete overhaul. i have no idea if it's good, because it's still chilling in my fridge! i'll let you know the verdict after lunch. :)
here is the asian noodles recipe. all healthy!
prepare some whole grain spaghetti noodles (broken in half ~ easier for chopstick use!)
in a skillet, add a touch of olive oil, chopped shrimp, green onions, carrots, one poblano pepper (so good!), garlic, grated ginger, whatever veggies and asian type stuff you have on hand! cook until the shrimp is almost done, then add a couple dollops of hoisin sauce and some soy sauce. add the pasta, a squirt of lime juice, and some chopped cilantro.
if you like peanut butter, add that. if you like sesame seeds, add those. anything goes, but don't forget the poblano pepper. it makes the dish taste like that spicy, peppery flavor you get at a chinese restaurant. yum!!!
here is what i'm calling the eat, pray, love soup...
Bring one can of chicken stock to a simmer and throw in the following veggies, or whatever you have in the fridge: Peas, carrots, celery, garlic, poblano or jalapeno pepper, green onions, and salt and pepper. Once they’re all in, move the pan off the heat.
In another bowl, add a honeydew melon, zest and juice of one lime, zest of one orange, mint and basil, some grated fresh ginger, a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of cinnamon, and two squirts of honey.
Add the stock and veggies to the bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
Food process the whole thing and add plain yogurt. salt and pepper to taste.
i'm going to have my soup today with garlic nan bread, grilled on my stove top. oh man, it's only 10:00. how am i going to wait two hours for that? gotta stop talking about food!!!!
added at 12:20pm ~ the soup is incredible! try it on a drab weekday, when you need a little perk.
this morning i am listening to a tango cd i just love, and thinking of my friend kacey, a tango specialist, y'all! how freakin' cool is that? she is truly a world traveler. i mean, i have probably been to more countries at this point than she has, but she has the true world traveler personality. she IS the eat, pray, love girl. i'm pretty sure she can stuff a shoulder bag with some eclectic, colorful clothes, a tube of toothpaste and some burt's bees chapstick, and go anywhere. this is something i want to say i am, but not so much. i will blame it on my high-maintenance mane of hair, but really. i'm not.
i do have a little bit of that in me, though, so since i'm grounded in kansas city until i can afford another extravagant trip to some foreign country, all i can do is cook exotic foods.
i have created TWO recipes! one last night, by total accident, and it is the best asian food i've ever made. and this morning, i found a recipe in a magazine, which was created FOR the eat, pray, love girl (elizabeth gilbert), who didn't get a chance to really learn much about the food in india. the recipe looked good, but i wanted something more savory, mixed with sweet, so i gave it a complete overhaul. i have no idea if it's good, because it's still chilling in my fridge! i'll let you know the verdict after lunch. :)
here is the asian noodles recipe. all healthy!
prepare some whole grain spaghetti noodles (broken in half ~ easier for chopstick use!)
in a skillet, add a touch of olive oil, chopped shrimp, green onions, carrots, one poblano pepper (so good!), garlic, grated ginger, whatever veggies and asian type stuff you have on hand! cook until the shrimp is almost done, then add a couple dollops of hoisin sauce and some soy sauce. add the pasta, a squirt of lime juice, and some chopped cilantro.
if you like peanut butter, add that. if you like sesame seeds, add those. anything goes, but don't forget the poblano pepper. it makes the dish taste like that spicy, peppery flavor you get at a chinese restaurant. yum!!!
here is what i'm calling the eat, pray, love soup...
Bring one can of chicken stock to a simmer and throw in the following veggies, or whatever you have in the fridge: Peas, carrots, celery, garlic, poblano or jalapeno pepper, green onions, and salt and pepper. Once they’re all in, move the pan off the heat.
In another bowl, add a honeydew melon, zest and juice of one lime, zest of one orange, mint and basil, some grated fresh ginger, a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of cinnamon, and two squirts of honey.
Add the stock and veggies to the bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
Food process the whole thing and add plain yogurt. salt and pepper to taste.
i'm going to have my soup today with garlic nan bread, grilled on my stove top. oh man, it's only 10:00. how am i going to wait two hours for that? gotta stop talking about food!!!!
added at 12:20pm ~ the soup is incredible! try it on a drab weekday, when you need a little perk.
Monday, August 23, 2010
oh boy. monday. performed all weekend. rehearsed in between the performances. so much singing. my voice ~ OUCH!!!! i am exhausted. my kitchen is messy. my apartment needs cleaning. i need cleaning. and in a little over two hours, i will be teaching. using this poor little larynx for five straight hours.
the singing i did this weekend should have earned me a day at the spa and $3,000 in my pocket. and that's on the low end. but it didn't. this music is WAY harder than anything that some pop singer eeks out, with the help of a microphone and voiceover. and hot, gay, shirtless backup dancers to distract you from impending vocal errors. nope. just me, a cavernous church, and total reliance on good vocal technique.
but it's such great music. spiritual, sexy, classy, gorgeous. i'm so lucky.
teaching will definitely suck today. most definitely. but mama needs to pay rent, so here we go!
your healthy food tip for the day:
did you know that baby food is delicious? and it has no extra anything in it. just pureed veggies or fruit. all the fruit varieties are really good. lots of fiber and they really fill you up. and they're so quick and easy. i've also discovered that the mac n cheese one is delicious with pasta! just add to pasta, and a little bit of the pasta cooking water, maybe some parmesan cheese, some salt and pepper and you have quick mac n cheese that's not as bad for you.
huh!
the singing i did this weekend should have earned me a day at the spa and $3,000 in my pocket. and that's on the low end. but it didn't. this music is WAY harder than anything that some pop singer eeks out, with the help of a microphone and voiceover. and hot, gay, shirtless backup dancers to distract you from impending vocal errors. nope. just me, a cavernous church, and total reliance on good vocal technique.
but it's such great music. spiritual, sexy, classy, gorgeous. i'm so lucky.
teaching will definitely suck today. most definitely. but mama needs to pay rent, so here we go!
your healthy food tip for the day:
did you know that baby food is delicious? and it has no extra anything in it. just pureed veggies or fruit. all the fruit varieties are really good. lots of fiber and they really fill you up. and they're so quick and easy. i've also discovered that the mac n cheese one is delicious with pasta! just add to pasta, and a little bit of the pasta cooking water, maybe some parmesan cheese, some salt and pepper and you have quick mac n cheese that's not as bad for you.
huh!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
pixy purchase
to put myself in the mood for this amazing feat i am undertaking ~ the PIXY WAGON lunch biz, that is, i decided to buy shoes. that isn't as impractical and frivolous as it sounds, actually. i ordered some chef's clogs, in cranberry ~ size 5! adorable! they're really work clogs made by "croc", but many chefs, the most famous one being mario batali, wear them to keep their feet pain free. i don't think my feet will be completely pain free, but i'm looking for anything to help. i also put down my yoga mat in the kitchen.
anyway, aren't they cute? i feel super motivated now to go and conquer the kitchen!
bon appetit!!!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
i just picked up a REAL SIMPLE magazine at the grocery store that has 26, count them, 26 recipes for dishes that only require THREE ingredients!!! fantastic! that's bound to be cheaper, and better for you. fewer ingredients to possibly jack up the old weight watcher points. not that i follow them. but you get the idea.
anyway, it's the august issue, if anyone's interested. it just inspires me to make more simple dishes. the cover has a simple watermelon/mint/onion salad that looks mouth-watering. they just add salt and pepper, which is good enough for me, but i make a yummy vinaigrette. lemon or lime (i would use lime this time) with a little stone ground mustard and olive oil. i bet that would be really nice with that. and FETA! okay, now the whole point of a 3-ingredient dish is obliterated. i just can't leave anything simple, can i?
i feel sorry for the man who marries me.
anyway, it's the august issue, if anyone's interested. it just inspires me to make more simple dishes. the cover has a simple watermelon/mint/onion salad that looks mouth-watering. they just add salt and pepper, which is good enough for me, but i make a yummy vinaigrette. lemon or lime (i would use lime this time) with a little stone ground mustard and olive oil. i bet that would be really nice with that. and FETA! okay, now the whole point of a 3-ingredient dish is obliterated. i just can't leave anything simple, can i?
i feel sorry for the man who marries me.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I HAVE AN ANONYMOUS REEEEEEADER!!!! wow! so cool! i feel so special! anonymous reader and commenter: please don't tell me who you are. you are probably my mother, disguising herself as another reader. or my boyfriend, checking to make sure i'm not writing things he disapproves of.
like that dangling participle ~ he would be so upset with me.
anyway, don't tell me who you are. not knowing who you are inspires me to be more profound and more prolific. like OMG! this is so haaaaard!
well, i happen to have a very profound story to tell, and then a recipe.
it's all about balance.
i went to the movie "eat pray love" on friday and i loved it. it was understatedly special. like if you haven't read the book you might be a little disappointed. that's perfect because you should read the book. it's lovely. it might not also be that awe inspiring to you if you've never had a bad relationship or have never traveled. or have never wanted to travel. who on earth would that be, you ask? well, there are people. there are people who have never left their home towns and don't plan on it either. and while my wanderlust has definitely subsided, i still melt when i see any movie set in another land, especially the ones i have visited. can't help it.
so, all that to say ~ i picked up the book again, to reacquaint myself. when i read this book, i was going through a divorce, was dating a guy who's heart was always just beyond reach, and i was painfully lonely. happily lonely sometimes as well. but i had so much to give someone. and no takers.
i poured a bath midday on a sunday and opened up the book. while reading the first chapter, a piece of paper slipped out of the back of the book and landed in my bath water. it was an old business card of mine, with my old address, which made so many memories flood back. i flipped it over and there was a note written on the back. a note written by the afore-mentioned boyfriend who's heart was just out of reach? the note mentioned something about thanking me for mending his sweater. ewwww. i cannot believe i would ever give my heart to someone who couldn't give theirs to me. why would i waste my time, let alone mend his sweater for him?
because that's what you do when you are trying. trying to make it work. throwing the fishing line out there and just seeing what will come up.
quick words of wisdom, ladies: if he wants to give you his heart, he will. if he's holding back and hesitating, GO AWAY. wait for someone who can't wait to call you. you think you won't find a guy that'll feel that way about you? of course you don't. you're too busy trying to get the unavailable to like you. that's full-time job, chica. move on.
back to the story.
then ~ something ELSE fell out. an old ticket stub for a flight to denver. i think it was an audition. i don't honestly remember. but i do remember flying all the time. always putting a flight on my credit card, to sing a gig or try my luck with an audition. always going going going.
these two little memories were huge to me. i sat there in the bathtub, taking in such tangible reminders of where my life was headed just a few years ago. it was lonely and confusing and i hated singing. it had such negativity to me.
now i'm in love and happy and stressed because i have so much in my life that i almost can't handle all of the good. good stress. still stress. but good stress.
UGH! okay, here's that recipe...
LIFE-CHANGING SALSA VERDE
tomatillos
white onion
garlic
poblano peppers
rub it all down with a little olive oil and roast it in the oven until a little brown.
let cool and throw in the food processor, with a dash of vinegar, salt, pepper, cilantro and lime juice. probably cumin too.
it is so creamy and delish. i think you could do anything with this. you could put it on top of grilled chicken, or mix with tuna for a spicy tuna salad. or you can make a great black bean soup with it. i don't know. i could drink the stuff.
and salsa makes you drink more water! it makes you drink other things faster too. so be careful. :)
anonymous reader requesting healthy recipes ~ i will definitely start putting recipes on here! i have so many.
and to my friend stephanie: i'm so glad to see you on here! did you move? i heard that you moved. i hope that's a rumor.
having a little pool party/bbq tonight. last sunday of summer. i'm ready.
like that dangling participle ~ he would be so upset with me.
anyway, don't tell me who you are. not knowing who you are inspires me to be more profound and more prolific. like OMG! this is so haaaaard!
well, i happen to have a very profound story to tell, and then a recipe.
it's all about balance.
i went to the movie "eat pray love" on friday and i loved it. it was understatedly special. like if you haven't read the book you might be a little disappointed. that's perfect because you should read the book. it's lovely. it might not also be that awe inspiring to you if you've never had a bad relationship or have never traveled. or have never wanted to travel. who on earth would that be, you ask? well, there are people. there are people who have never left their home towns and don't plan on it either. and while my wanderlust has definitely subsided, i still melt when i see any movie set in another land, especially the ones i have visited. can't help it.
so, all that to say ~ i picked up the book again, to reacquaint myself. when i read this book, i was going through a divorce, was dating a guy who's heart was always just beyond reach, and i was painfully lonely. happily lonely sometimes as well. but i had so much to give someone. and no takers.
i poured a bath midday on a sunday and opened up the book. while reading the first chapter, a piece of paper slipped out of the back of the book and landed in my bath water. it was an old business card of mine, with my old address, which made so many memories flood back. i flipped it over and there was a note written on the back. a note written by the afore-mentioned boyfriend who's heart was just out of reach? the note mentioned something about thanking me for mending his sweater. ewwww. i cannot believe i would ever give my heart to someone who couldn't give theirs to me. why would i waste my time, let alone mend his sweater for him?
because that's what you do when you are trying. trying to make it work. throwing the fishing line out there and just seeing what will come up.
quick words of wisdom, ladies: if he wants to give you his heart, he will. if he's holding back and hesitating, GO AWAY. wait for someone who can't wait to call you. you think you won't find a guy that'll feel that way about you? of course you don't. you're too busy trying to get the unavailable to like you. that's full-time job, chica. move on.
back to the story.
then ~ something ELSE fell out. an old ticket stub for a flight to denver. i think it was an audition. i don't honestly remember. but i do remember flying all the time. always putting a flight on my credit card, to sing a gig or try my luck with an audition. always going going going.
these two little memories were huge to me. i sat there in the bathtub, taking in such tangible reminders of where my life was headed just a few years ago. it was lonely and confusing and i hated singing. it had such negativity to me.
now i'm in love and happy and stressed because i have so much in my life that i almost can't handle all of the good. good stress. still stress. but good stress.
UGH! okay, here's that recipe...
LIFE-CHANGING SALSA VERDE
tomatillos
white onion
garlic
poblano peppers
rub it all down with a little olive oil and roast it in the oven until a little brown.
let cool and throw in the food processor, with a dash of vinegar, salt, pepper, cilantro and lime juice. probably cumin too.
it is so creamy and delish. i think you could do anything with this. you could put it on top of grilled chicken, or mix with tuna for a spicy tuna salad. or you can make a great black bean soup with it. i don't know. i could drink the stuff.
and salsa makes you drink more water! it makes you drink other things faster too. so be careful. :)
anonymous reader requesting healthy recipes ~ i will definitely start putting recipes on here! i have so many.
and to my friend stephanie: i'm so glad to see you on here! did you move? i heard that you moved. i hope that's a rumor.
having a little pool party/bbq tonight. last sunday of summer. i'm ready.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
morning pages
i have to get back into writing every day. it makes me sane. saner. ooh! saner is a word? i had no idea! i didn't get a little squiggly line after i wrote it, telling me i had a typo. anyway, writing every morning gets all the kinks out and clears the worries and those little nagging anxieties that hide in the corners of your brain. and you wonder why you can't get anything done because you feel so unfocused but you don't know why. well, that's usually why.
it's 8:48 on tuesday morning, and i have until 3:00 to do whatever i want. i am thrilled to have some time to myself. sam will be at work all day and i can just focus on my things.
school starts next week for everyone and i can go back to my school year routine. teaching later and having more time to myself. also, having a LOT more on my plate. but that's okay. if i can take the rest of this month and organize for the whole year, i will do just fine. there is a lot of music to learn, but as long as i have it all in a binder, ready to go, i can practice a lot more. and the pixy wagon meals will already be planned out a month in advance. this is important too. it seems like a lot of work, but i'm feeling really good about it. i'm actually much more worried about the long teaching days. but the extra money will help tremendously, and i will feel some freedom to take time off when i need to.
i definitely spent some money this summer and i feel good about taking on any and every money making project at this point.
is this the year of the locusts? is it still every seven years? or do we get these bugs every year now? i live in an area with a lot of trees, so i'm hearing them more than before, and they are kind of driving me crazy. it's so hot out and it's august and they sound like sirens to me. like anxious, expectant, "here comes fall so get it together" calls. interesting.
that's all for now. is anyone reading this blog anymore?
it's 8:48 on tuesday morning, and i have until 3:00 to do whatever i want. i am thrilled to have some time to myself. sam will be at work all day and i can just focus on my things.
school starts next week for everyone and i can go back to my school year routine. teaching later and having more time to myself. also, having a LOT more on my plate. but that's okay. if i can take the rest of this month and organize for the whole year, i will do just fine. there is a lot of music to learn, but as long as i have it all in a binder, ready to go, i can practice a lot more. and the pixy wagon meals will already be planned out a month in advance. this is important too. it seems like a lot of work, but i'm feeling really good about it. i'm actually much more worried about the long teaching days. but the extra money will help tremendously, and i will feel some freedom to take time off when i need to.
i definitely spent some money this summer and i feel good about taking on any and every money making project at this point.
is this the year of the locusts? is it still every seven years? or do we get these bugs every year now? i live in an area with a lot of trees, so i'm hearing them more than before, and they are kind of driving me crazy. it's so hot out and it's august and they sound like sirens to me. like anxious, expectant, "here comes fall so get it together" calls. interesting.
that's all for now. is anyone reading this blog anymore?
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