So, it's been a long long time since I've posted. But I have lots of excuses. Engineering projects, moving out of one apartment and all that headache, backpacking on an Assateague Island (otherwise known as the land-before-time-island-with-wild-ponies), moving into a farmhouse and all that awesomeness, cultivating a blooming acting career (ha), and starting a totally strange experience otherwise known as the internship.
Those are pretty good excuses, no?
I don't think so. Sounds like the typical humdrum of adult life where everyone's too busy for whatever; when really you're only too busy for the things you don't want to do. Maybe it's something you want to do, but darnit, you just can't afford the time. So here's the question: why do moments pass faster as we age? Is it because we do more of the same things more often (so the days move quicker because there's less to distinguish one day from another), or is it because we have actually just been alive longer? (Think: an 8 year old spending a day at the zoo: 5 hour of zoo trip out of 70080 hours of life VS a 30 year old spending a day at the zoo: 5 hour zoo trip compared to 262800 hours of life.
8 year old zoo trip = .007% of life
30 year old zoo trip = .0019% of life
So.... zoo trip as a 30 year old goes 'faster'. Relativity anyone? Although to be honest, .0019% of a 30 year old life seems like an oddly big percentage of his/her life to me. Did I calculate this right? I guess every moment is not insignificant, for sure.
Anyway, is this a food blog or is this a food blog?
To make up for not posting anything about food for a long long time, here's a quick photo journey of some of my food related experiences in the meantime.
Making pasta for a leaving Philly dinner party.On the menu:
Antipast: Cannonelli bean dip
Prosciutto with melon
Ciabatta bread
Main: Fettucini al profumero al tartufo (Fettucini with mushrooms, asparagus, and truffle oil -thanks to a friend)
Dessert: Grapefruit with Honey Zabaglione (fresh honey whipped cream of sorts)
My favorite new thing to make (seemingly always after 10pm):
Avocado, mango, crab, and spicy mayo roll. (We couldn't find sushi grade fish at the hour. Otherwise, my newest favorite is the tuna, avocado, mango, crushed cashew, spicy mayo roll.)
When moving was too much, and I was really hungry, nothing could fix my yearning for that sweet, salty, spicy, creamy, smooth, crunchy, juicy, fried, and fresh dish like the infamous "Chaat House". Oh man is it an experience. I HIGHLY recommend a trip here.
The guys behind the counter are nicer than nice. You never quite know what you're ordering even though you had a full 3 minute conversation with the chef about it, and you never quite remember what you ordered in the past - just that it was good. Sounds like a trip huh? If you're bored, tired, hungry, looking for adventure... get to 42nd and Baltimore.
Why pay 5 bucks for a tiny box of granola, only to go through it in a few days when you can make pounds of customized granola for way cheaper? Well, for one thing, you're too busy. Except wait, it only takes 30 minutes! Too long? Doesn't beat out the 2 minutes it takes to shake a cereal box or microwave an oatmeal packet, you argue. Well, all I have to say is this: it tastes better if you made it yourself... and if it has no high fructose corn syup or BHTs for freshness, or coloring.... all things you have to pay more for to NOT have. It's ironic how we pay more for food that has less THINGS in it. Ok, I'm done ranting... I really just loving homemade granola, I can't help it. It's like baking cookies, except you eat this in the morning, and it's pretty healthy.
My latest variation is: 3 cups rolled oats, 1/3 cup flaxseed tossed with a few spoonfuls of Sunnutbutter (the best nut spread ever IMO, thanks Julia!), a thick, crisscrossing, trail of local honey, a small palmful of brown sugar, shakes of cinnamon, a pinch of sea salt. Bake to toast for 50 minutes taking it out to rake the edges of granola to the center and tossing the oats around every so often (aka 15 mins). Then toss with chopped candied ginger, and sprinkle with black currants (like mini raisins). I usually buy a large box of regular bran or wheat flakes or rice chex to mix with the granola.... a bowl of straight granola is too calorie dense for a sit down 9-5 job. But it's great for backpacking!
Ah, and the finale: Strawberry Jam.
It's berry season, and PA happens to be pretty close to "God's Country" otherwise known as New Jersey. It's the state of juxtapositions: farms and industrial plants share municipalities, Ocean Spray keeps its cranberry fields in the state park, and you have to go right to go left if you're driving pretty much anywhere that has lights and two lanes.
Well, the point of the story is that it has farms. Strawberry farms in fact. Picking strawberries
with your own two hands is a lot more gratifying than I thought. Plus, there's just no
comparison between small farm strawberries and Driscoll's styrofoam excuse for strawberries. I took them home, ate/shared one flat of them, and made strawberry preserves with the other flat. My final product was a little stiff from an unavoidable incorrect ratio of fruit to fruit pectin. (I ate too many strawberries before leaving me with a little bit too much fruit pectin.) But it's sweet, and delicious, and fresh, and I'll probably do it again. I'll go into detail the next time.
Well, today is officially Colorado's bike to work day, and I think I'm going to celebrate it unofficially here in PA... so I've gotta ride!
