2009 Archives
Coq Au Vin
December 27, 2009
Funny how I often think about posting on here, but often fail to. Nonetheless, I'd like to post a few recent happenings that I've really enjoyed, mainly my foray into French cooking. And it happened innocently enough: my family was coming over to my house for dinner and I wanted to break down the meat and potato walls and make something, well, delicious.
During my search for deliciousness, I stumbled across a recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook for Coq Au Vin, "chicken cooked in wine". Phenomenal.
Sure there were some nasty bits, cutting the skin off of the chicken parts and tossing out gizzards, but the phenomenal taste, sting from the pearl onions, and multiple hand washings, helped keep those nasty bits a distant memory. The featured herb was marjoram and the supporting players were thyme and parsley (more for looks than anything). Ant it was great to cook with these, as let's be honest, sometimes food cooked by those of German decent isn't exactly flavorful.
I bought some Pino Noir, tossed in some vegetables with the chicken, poured the wine and such over the food and let it simmer into a warm, wine-colored goodness. I served it with some Gruyere cheese (my new favorite) and crackers on the side and finished diner off with some dark chocolate cake made with crushed cocoa beans from Tobago, apparently purchased at the bottom of a waterfall by my roommates.
Second, I'd like to take a moment to type out "Gruyere" again, for it is worth recommending to all to eat. Check out the Gruyere, Switzerland website for the goodness of Gruyere. Yes, a commercial website focused solely on cheese. This is a good place.
Last, I found some teeth marks in our butter yesterday morning, which officially started our War on Rodents in my house. I guess it was just a matter of time that a mouse got into our house, as our house is so old with who knows how many cracks and holes. Amid my despondency and thoughts of the plague, my roommate reminded me that we never recycled, despite my multiple attempts, this "humane" mouse trap that I got as a freebie at the Living Green Expo last year at the fairgrounds. And so, it is now out on the counter with peanut butter inside. If we catch the little bugger, I have plans to walk it over to the State Fair Grandstand in some sort of circle-of-earth, circle-of-freebies act to pay respect to the place that kept him alive. And let's be honest, a half-a-mile walk pretty much guarantees that he won't return to our house.
November Spring
November 7, 2009
Ah, what a glorious day; a warm gift in the midst of plummeting temperatures and the inevitable approach of winter. I started off the day, like hundreds of others, walking with a friend around Lake Calhoun and a coffee in hand. I fully support walking as a vehicle to catch up with friends.
Now it's mid-afternoon, sunny and 64°F outside. Beautiful. Speaking of warm weather, there's a slight chance that I'll be traveling again soon. I may be going to Puerto Rico for 2 weeks in March on an assignment through my master's program. I say any class that includes traveling to tropical climates in the dead of a Minnesota winter is worth the extra airfare and such on top of tuition. At any rate, I have to admit that I think I'm officially a World Traveler--I get a kick out of it whilst doing it and can't wait to do it again when I'm not.
Nonetheless, I hope you have wonderful plans in store for you this weekend and something great to look forward to on the horizon.
Another Key Word Roundup
October 23, 2009
Ah, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. There's nothing like unicorns and squirrels after all. Here, once again, are the highlights of the key words people have typed into Google and have clicked through to my website as a result from mid-August until now. It's short, but always a good read:
- napkins with squirrels (a fair enough request)
- real pictures of unicorns and squirrels (ha! like you're going to find an actual picture of a squirrel around)
- recipe squirrels (not sure if they meant squirrel-meat recipes or squirrels who dispense recipes)
- trains from Amsterdam to Schermerhorn (take a car)
- why do squirrels lie down (is it "lay" or "lie" down?)
- why sky squirrel heidy (sic) (I ask the same question! "why sky squirrel!?")
- international shipping for Muller Corner yoghurt (contact me--we can work out a deal)
- heidi schermerhorn price (not sure how much I'd bring in at auction)
- 06 "epiphany cellars roussanne" (it's great--get some!)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Back At It
October 17, 2009
Wow, 2 weeks have passed already since I got back from Europe. The first few days were a very weird adjustment, including, but not limited to, utter confusion as to my whereabouts in the middle of the night. The last couple of weeks have been good, enjoying the same-old-same-old with a bit of a new perspective. Which really, isn't that what traveling is all about--broadening your worldview?
A few things I appreciate about traveling:
- I really liked being the minority--the one who is different.
- It's a joy to try to assimilate into a new culture, from figuring out how people cross the street--which belive me, it's a big deal--to understanding how to pay for items in department stores, to scouring grocery store shelves for something familiar, it's all an enjoyable challenge!
- Trains, planes, and autos all sound the same wherever I am in the world. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles do not. (German ambulance sirens are easy to dance to.)
- I love throwing caution to the wind when ordering food off a menu in a foreign language
- The miracle that German speakers understand what I'm saying, and even more so that I understand them!
- People are friendly everywhere, even if you don't speak the same language.
- I have nothing to fear except fear itself; fear of the unknown is no excuse to hold you back from traveling.
And a few things I loved about Europe that I'm incorporating into my home life:
- I'm leaving my car behind and walking. Who knows how many miles I hoofed while abroad. 8-10 miles a day? Probably. So now back home, I'm walking any place that's 3 miles or closer--which is pretty much my daily radius anyway.
- I'm shopping locally. Sure, I'll have to go to Target eventually, but if I can get it at my neighborhood market instead, I'll do it.
- Taking the bus. I haven't done this yet, but the bus--and who knew--goes directly to my place of employment! $6.00 a day, and a longer commute, but I can concentrate on other things besides driving and get more walking in, too!
Europe Travel Blog
September 13, 2009
Halfway through my European holiday, I realized I haven't posted anything on this website about my travel blog. Feel free to visit my travel blog (or click on World Travels in the upper nav bar) to have a little glimpse into what I'll be doing for the next couple of weeks as I explore Europe with new friends, old friends, and yes, my brother!
Cheers!
Meat Sale
August 26, 2009
While the hubbub continues to swirl around about the Minnesota State Fair, this afternoon I inconspicuously walked over to the Andrew Boss Meat Science Building at the University of Minnesota to peruse their weekly Meat Sale. Yes, friends, a butcher shop on campus. I'm not one to indulge in pounds of meat, yet I had to check it out for:
- It's local, mere yards away from my house
- It's inexpensive, pennies to the dollar for what these bits and bobs of cuts of meat cost in grocery stores
- It's educational, for the animal science students are learning about different cuts of meat AND sausage making (they sell almost 20 types of sausage!)
- It's experimental, as I shall try new cuts of meat and new animals (lamb roast with mint jelly for Thanksgiving, perhaps?)
- It's reality, as one must walk by the doors that lead to the very facilities that had just been used to, uh, cut the meat. Sobering, but hey, at least I know where my food came from
- and, there's ice cream for sale upstairs!
Finding new places in my community to frequent and explore make me warm inside. Oh. Oh, that's actually the beef tenderloin I just ate.
Successful Fete
August 23, 2009
What a glorious evening for an outdoor party! My roommates and I hosted about twenty of our friends for an al fresco, backyard wine and cheese party last night. It was simply phenomenal to be outside underneath the shadows of our oak trees, wining, dining, dancing, and chatting to our hearts' content...well, until we got too tired at least.
The end of our Wine and Cheese Fete is the official beginning of Packing Week for me as I get ready for my trip to Europe. It's hard to believe that I'll be off in only 11 days to traipse around Europe for 30 days. I'm really looking forward to spending time with friends that I haven't seen in about a year and a half and exploring more of this world via trains, Chunnels, planes, bicycles, and mopeds.
In other great news, the State Fair starts this Thursday! Don't miss your opportunity to see live spay and neutering demonstrations and Princess Kay's bust etched in butter; eat tater tot hot dish on a stick and cheese curds; smell an eclectic mix of animal, people, and food aromas; and hear some great music (R.E.O Speedwagon anyone?!). Enjoy!
Travelin' Man (or Girl)
August--August!--12, 2009
I've been putting off on purchasing a bunch of train tickets for my trip to Europe until today. Mostly because it's quite crazy to figure out how to make it from London to Liskegard before dark and without missing a train, yet getting through customs and trusting that my luggage will arrive with me and in a timely manner. That's the biggest challenge--the rest I'm just lazy about.
Anyway, I've really come to love traveling abroad; It's fun struggling with redefining how I interpret reality. All of a sudden distances are in kilometers, not miles. Warmth in Celsius, not Fahrenheit, time coming at me as 15:06 instead of 3:06pm, and money, well, who knows what that will bring or buy me.
Here's my general Itinerary:
- 2 weeks in England with some time in Liskegard and Harpenden
- A few days in Paris, France
- A few more days in Brussels, Belgium
- A handful of days in Amsterdam, Nederlands, exploring my heritage
- Many days in Deutchland here and there throughout the country
- Then back home just in time to cheer on the Twin Cities Marathon
In other news, the left-handed-writing is coming along swimmingly. While writing left-handed, I picked up calligraphy with my right hand. It's fun to see the lineage of the fonts I use today in the fonts I'm practicing for calligraphy.
The practicalities of being ambidextrous
June 19, 2009
There have been moments at work where I wish I had learned to write with both hands years ago. Moments where my pen has been more accessible to my left hand than my right hand. Many times I use my right elbow and wrist to prop my chin up. Why unprop myself from my right hand in order to write something down if my left hand is already accessible to my pen and paper? Or, if my right hand is on the mouse, why waste time and effort to take it off to jot a note down if my left hand is free and can do the writing? Knowing how to write with both hands just makes good practical, ambidextrous sense. It's not laziness, but pure ingenuity.
And so, I find myself with a box of eight large Crayola crayons and two "Beginning Alphabet and Numbers" workbooks. For this summer, I plan on learning how to write effortlessly with my left hand--for no more of a reason than to be practical.
It's easier the second time around to learn how to write; I already know the lines and the shapes, but it's much more frustrating because the rhythm and control is so much worse than what I've been used to the past twenty-some years with my trusty right hand.
I've made it through the letter D and I challenge you to write a better lower-case a with your non-dominant hand than me. It isn't easy, my friend, it isn't easy. So, these next few months, I ask for your understanding as I am entering a tough phase of skill and endurance training this summer. If I pass you a note with lowercase a's, d's, and g's looking the same and Capital C's and D's that couldn't even pass as a third grader's handiwork, I ask for your patience. I also ask for your encouragement if you notice one of my letter sheets hanging up on my refrigerator. Lastly, if you are a guy and you ask for my phone number this summer, let us make sure to forgo the pen and paper; no need to mess that up.
Saturday
June 13, 2009
What a day, albeit filled to the top with procrastination. I talked to my brother for about 40 minutes this morning about our September European rendezvous and Baxter, our parents' dog. Right now we're thinking about meeting up in Paris around the 15th and then heading over to Germany, up to Amsterdam and Schermerhorn, Netherlands, back to Berlin for Oktoberfest, and a few other things in between. It was great to talk about it because it solidified that it is really happening. (My credit card also solidifies that it is happening, but I'm still having to remind myself daily that I really am going to Europe for a month.)
I'll have a little less than two weeks on my own before we meet up in France and hopefully I can keep busy with all things England. It'd be nice to squeeze in a side trip to Spain with my manchego-loving English friends, but that's still to be talked about among us.
After talking to my brother I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was a great way to postpone homework by three hours. Afterward, I transitioned to the porch again with my books, computer, and analysis in hand and I...napped. It's becoming a habit, hanging out on the porch all weekend long, listening to the neighbors' lives happen while I'm sitting inside reading and writing about environmental communication, which is so unjust.
It really isn't unjust, but here are a few things that are, at the very least, unfortunate:
- In the US 10 calories of carbon energy are used to produce 1 calorie of food
- The US uses 25% of the world's oil, but only has 2% of the world's oil reserves
- The worldwide demand for oil is about 30 billion barrels a year
- Gasoline is one of the most inexpensive liquids, at about $3.00 a gallon whereas coffee is about $50 a gallon
Makes you kind of want to start fueling your body with gasoline and your car with coffee, doesn't it?
Uh, yeah, I have a blog
June 6, 2009
Whoops. 30-some days have gone by since I last posted something. I apologize for keeping the four people that read this in unnecessary suspense. Suspense no more! Here's a few goings on that are fit for sharing:
- It is going to rain today--I can see it coming on the radar. It hasn't rained much at all the last few weeks. In fact, I'm a little disappointed that I haven't been able to enjoy some severe weather yet. (I can't remember a spring during which we made it to June without a single clap of thunder in the sky)
- I'm taking a 7-week environmental communications class. At the beginning I wouldn't have expected to say that it has by far been the most interesting, though-provoking, confusing, and frustrating class I've ever taken. I love it!
- I also love the environmental communications class because it was just revealed to me that I have only one paper, not the two papers I thought I had been procrastinating on, to write in two weeks.
- Perendinate is a transitive verb meaning to "put off until the day after tomorrow." From Anu Garg's Wordsmith.org, "Mark Twain once said, 'Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.' In other words, why procrastinate when you can perendinate?"
- I'm fully immersed in ultimate Frisbee. It makes me so happy.
- It was just confirmed at work that I can take the whole month of September off to travel around Europe. I bought a round trip ticket to London, with a month between arrival and departure. It is hard to believe that I actually get to do this, so most days I get excited to see old friends and catch up with my brother while on his World Tour and, well, tour a bit of the world with him. I am really looking forward to planning this trip!
- After being healthy all winter long, I got a cold last Tuesday. In June. Who's tonsils blow up like wet packing peanuts in June besides small children and the elderly? I felt unfashionably late perusing the cough and cold medicine at the store yesterday. So awkward.
Oh, Spring, you are so lovely.
Keyword Roundup II
May 7, 2009
It's time again to post the best keyword searches that have brought people to my website. Enjoy!
- who is heidi the squirrels
- unicorns don't like squirrels
- schermerhorn, chocolate
- heidi sloth iowa
- beef connsome [sic]
- get a wriggle on
- marketing mix chocolate heidi
A Year & Beverages
May 6, 2008
I, like you, tend to separate my life in yearly segments. Which makes the past year of my life pretty unique, considering where I've been and what I'm doing now. Last year on May 6th, I was in Maasai Land, a general term for being somewhere in the desert of Tanzania. I've started reading my journal from my time there just to remind me of the crazy places I've been, wild things I've done, and odd things I've seen.
So, I thought I'd share this:
It smells and feels like the morning of a hot summer day in Minnesota. The air is damp, but quite cold for summer and I can smell wood fires as the wind switches and picks up. It's about 6:30am and I was told I just missed the best part of the sunrise, just a little east of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is true. I saw it out of my bedroom window and wasn't quite ready to get up and out for the day.
I feel like I'm not here in Africa. I feel like I'm on the morning of a bluegrass festival or a day with friends camping. I'm so glad to be here. There is this elusive bird that I've been trying to photograph. Last night I enjoyed a Fanta passion fruit under the watchful eye of Mt. Kilimanjaro and had a banana for dessert under a carpet of the southern stars.
I'm still partaking in crazy, wild, odd things today, just different, especially since there isn't any Fanta passion fruit or wild giraffes around for thousands of miles.
In other wonderful, wonderful news, last year around this time, my friend Janet and her husband were a family of two. On May 4th, 2009 I got to visit their hours-old daughter Bailey Elizabeth. What a joy! What a difference a year can make!
Jai Ho--2009 Running Season!
April 19, 2009
I had one of the best runs of my life this evening. Not super fast or super far by any means-- just 4 miles in 40 minutes--but it just felt good. Every thing felt good, which doesn't always happen. Side aches, a bad attitude, bony knees, too hot, too cold, chances are that something will bother me. But not today.
Today I ran with my ipod and discovered that I have a few songs that are perfect for keeping my pace up, hoofing it to the beat.
And so, I share with you the short, but appropriately fast playlist:
- Jai Ho by A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah and Mahalaxmi Iyer
- Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beoncé
- Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix) by Nina Simone and Felix Da Housecat
- The Obvious Child by Paul Simon
- Hey Ya! by OutKast
Yes, I just saw Slumdog Millionaire" last night (ahem, indeed for the first time), which is why I wrote "Jai Ho!" I can't get enough of saying it either, "Jai Ho!" It looks like it more or less means "may victory be yours." I am pleasantly surprised that I've only been running a few weeks and I'm already beyond 3 miles. Jai ho, I'll be well-prepared for victory in the half marathon early this coming August.
Jai ho to you, in whatever endeavors you're undertaking this spring and summer!
Europe 2009
April 13, 2009
Sure, sure, I don't know if I'll get the time off to be able to do this, but I can dream, right? I didn't know when I'd be able to get back to England to visit my YWAM friends, but it looks like there's a very feasible chance that I can take most or the whole month of September off to do a grand tour of Europe. This time with an actual budget for more than just Muller Crunch Corner Yoghurt and the occasional coffee (non-instant of course).
Right.
At any rate, here's my tentative plan that was originally written out on authentic A4 paper:
- England
- Visit friends in Harpenden and Blackpool
- Eat Muller Crunch Corner Yoghurt (3-plus packs a day)
- Eat streaky bacon sandwiches
- Take the train to St. Albans
- Spend a few pounds at Primark
- Netherlands
- Ride bicycles
- Visit the town of Schermerhorn
- Switzerland
- Eat chocolate
- Visit the United Nations
- Get confused, hearing French, English, German, et al on the streets of Geneva
- Italy
- Eat
- Drink wine
- Spain
- Eat manchego cheese
- Drink wine
It's quite handy to have friends who live in England and even handier that my brother will be in Europe at the same time, on the back end of his World Tour. There is great potential for international shenanigans.
50 Boring Weeks
March 25, 2009
It was 30°F (-1°C), but it's March 25. It's spring, people. I am going out and about in my spring jacket. With the flip of the seasons, tonight was the night I explored my neighborhood. It was finally the night run through the Minnesota State Fair.I know, "Heidi, enough about the State Fair."
But, I can't stop thinking about it. When I was younger, I had an (ir)rational fear of closed-for-the-season
amusement parks (and empty swimming pools). Driving down 169 to pick apples in October and seeing the motionless rollercosters at
Valley Fair in
the distance was pretty eerie to me. My gosh, just looking at it on Google maps brings about feelings of saddness. (Click, zoom, and scroll, on this map
to see what I mean!)
View Larger Map
Just look at that parking lot--completely empty! Look at the sidewalks--empty! Look at the swimming pools--ack! Empty!
I have these feelings because "National Lampoon's Vacation" was--and is--one of my favorite movies. When they went to Wally World and it was closed for the season, I was crushed. They had missed out on so much fun. (They made their own fun with a BB gun and John Candy, but that's beside the point.)
That's what I really see when I see closed, run-down, decrepid, or closed-for-50-weeks-of-the-year parks and fairgrounds. Not John Candy, but I see missed opportunities for fun. Like walking into an empty ballroom smelling perfume, seeing empty plates and glasses on the table, and hearing the band talk as they pack up their instruments, you just missed the party when you come across Sweet Martha's Cookies in March. Such is life though, and as an adult, I've learned a little more about the concept of time and finally understand that 5 months is a fathomable length of time to wait for that glorious once-a-year order of cheese curds.
It was still a little eerie seeing the Sky Glider without chairs on it, the Channel 5 booth without tchotchke giveaways, or Machinery Hill without any machines. But, it was cool to have the whole place to myself. But this time, when I heard the music and fun from summers past, I was happy and excited for the summer ahead.
50 boring weeks are worth the wait for 12 days of fun at the fair.
Notes and Observations
March 23, 2009
Just a smattering of weekend notes and observations to relay to you:
- I played 5 tennis matches in 2 days in the local Corporate Tennis challenge and am enjoying the subsequent aches and pains.
- I witnessed an epic squirrel melee in my backyard, much akin to "West Side Story" (although a different soundtrack).
- I noticed the Minnesota State Fair Police patrol my neighborhood. Though I don't know why, I only assume there's not much action there the other 50 weeks of the year.
- I had a blast giving a presentation at my school about my job, complete with props and a beeping pacemaker. I realized I really enjoy passing things around while I talk. Napkin?
- The tan that was burned into the top of my feet from spending 6 weeks in Tanzania has finally disappeared after 9 months. Pole sana. Still no progress on my Fanta Passion Fruit importing business.
- I discovered the delicious textual sensation of Kashi Go Lean Hearty All Natural Instant Hot Cereal with Clusters
- I started seeding a vegetable garden on my windowsill so I can learn how to can this summer and fall.
All of this during the sunniest, warmest weekend of the year to date.
It Goes Both Ways
March 6, 2009
It's pretty interesting to see what people offer up about themselves on the internet. Sometimes you find out too much, such as those "friends" on Facebook who feel compelled to post hour-by-hour updates of their sinus infection. Sometimes you can't find enough when you've heard rumors of a friend of a friend leading a double life as a secret agent.
But, what's even more compelling, is the information you can get about visitors as a web master. Yes, people, I know who you are...kind of.
If I were an actual web master master I'd probably gear my marketing or adjust my parameters based on my user data to increase my ROI, but I'm not a web master master. I also don't have a marketing campaign* and don't really know what my parameters are, let alone know how the word "parameters" applies to the internet. So, instead I like to just look at the facts.
I get to find out facts like:
- 169 people have visited my website in 2009
- People from 10 countries have visited since I started tracking in September (so what if only 1 person in both Sweden and Tanzania each visited only once and never came back!?)
- 23 states in the US are represented, most of the hits coming from Minnesota and Iowa
- Visits tend to last around 4 minutes on average
- Some have found my website by typing into a search engine--and I kid you not--
- "success, not just for survival, schermerhorn"
- "when bald eagles bread [sic]"
- "heidi st paul"
- "bible verses with squirrels"
I like to pretend that I know everyone who visits my website. "Oh, that's so-and-so from Scottdale, Georgia! Hey, I hope they're enjoying the warm weather!" and, "Look, the so-and-sos from Wichita, Kansas--they never did send me a Christmas card last year." But, that doesn't exactly happen all the time. There's only so much information that Google Analytics can gather and I certainly don't have 466 friends that have each visited at least once since September.
So, just know that as I willingly divulge information about my parents' dog, my likes, and the soirees in my life, you're unwillingly divulging information about your internet connection speed, browser, and network location. See? The internet does go both ways.
*I've made $4.35 through Google AdSense on this website. Not just in one day or in one month, but $4.35 in one year. That's one large skim caramel latte!
Internet and Smatterings
March 2, 2009
My roommates and I have been without internet for 6--yes, 6!--days, but today we were beautifully reunited. Really though, it was a fun break from the internet vortex. Maybe our break didn't result in more productivity as it perhaps should have, but that's okay, day light saving time starts next Sunday. That's when productivity will increase exponentially.
At any rate, it turns out our cable line had water in it, causing a poor connection. Actually, a pretty funny connection: When the water froze, our connection would go out. When the water would melt, our internet would return. With our cable coming out of the west side of our house, our connection would most likely come on around 3 or 4pm, depending on how strong the sun was. And since the cable guys always came in the afternoon on sunny days, if they weren't astute enough, they'd see a working cable line and dismiss it.
Little obstreperous cable line, you!
Also, chek out your local community education offerings. I just took a 4-week photography class that upped my camera knowledge and, ahem, exposed me to some great photography concepts. Checkout the Minneapolis or Roseville community education programs if you're in the Twin Cities.
In other news, March 1st marked the 2nd aniversary of my delayed appendectomy. 2 years! Sheesh, it seems just like yesterday I was enjoying daily CT scans, ice, and beef connsome.
March. Man, that's neat.
Mug Cake
February 22, 2009
My friends were astonished when I made chocolate steamed pudding on the stove top a couple of weeks ago, which got us talking about what the word pudding means and other quirky baking methods. After discussing the misnomer "pudding," My friend Arlene mentioned that if you combine 1 package of your favorite cake mix with one package of angel food cake mix in a bowl, you're set for dozens of mini cakes whenever you need them. Just mix up a bit with water and put it in the microwave.
We were fascinated by this--so easy and so obvious! Though is where I lament that I didn't take more food science classes in college, I'm pretty sure the reaction of the dried egg whites (an emulsifier)with water, and the reaction of baking soda (a rising agent) to the water and heat is key to making cake in one minute.
(I read a book called Twinkie Deconstructed and really liked it. It's food science for people who don't invent cereal at General Mills.)
At any rate, I tried it today and laughed as I watched it rise up and out of my mug, for it worked, and it was silly to eat cake out of a mug. But, no matter. Here's the recipe:
Mug Cake
Base Cake Mix
- 1 box of angel food cake mix
- 1 box of your favorite cake mix
Whisk together the above in a resealable container.
Individual Mug Cakes
- 1/4-cup of base cake Mix
- 1/4-cup of water
Mix the cake mix and water in a microwaveable mug. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove and garnish as you see fit. Eat, and enjoy.
Store that base cake mix in the kitchen cabinet for whenever you need a last-minute dessert for friends or a little sweetness for yourself.
Seriously. Mug cake. The art and science of cooking is so simple sometimes!
White and Red
February 10th, 2009
I heard about the coolest thing last month: fancy wine delivered to your door for a fraction of the price that the wine would usually cost. No, no. No Ponzi or pyrmiad scheme here, simply The Accidental Wine Company.
They buy the bottles that are misprinted, mislabled, sticky, or in some other way odd and sell it for, well, you get it--cheap.
I've just started to really enjoy wine, but am pretty overwhelmed in wine shops, always relying on an employee's recommendation or the design of the wine bottle label. Through Accidental Wine, you you get a menagerie of wine, different every time you order, and a surprise every time until you get your shipping confirmation.
So much fun!
Here's what they're sending me:
- 2006 Epiphany Cellars Roussanne
- 2004 John Alan Meritage
- 2006 Laetitia Pinot Blanc
- 2003 Joseph Drouhin Vero Chardonnay
- 2005 Jacuzzi Family Pinot Noir
- 2004 Secco-Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso
Most of them retail for around $17 dollars. One was on sale for $12, and another was regularly $28, but with shipping and handling included, I paid about $13 each. The cool thing is, you can go even fancier or even cheaper; it's really a great way to explore the world of wine.
Write it off as a tax-return splurge, throwing caution into the wind, or just wanting an excuse to have a wine and cheese party, it is very exciting however you slice it.
Party of the Century
February 1st, 2009
People don't realize that we have to frequently host parties at our house in order to keep the air temperature up and our thermostat down. So last night my roommates and I held our official house warming party with about 60-plus in attendance. The house was shaking, and it was fantastic. Fantastic because everyone was having a great time.
For instance, I had a great time welcoming people, grabbing drinks, hanging up jackets, passing out food, announcing door prizes, and chatting with new and old friends. One of the things I really enjoy about being in this house is our house-wide intenionality of being hospitable. We all have an eye and a heart to see the need and meet the need of our friends and roommates' friends. Which is why last night was so fun; each of us were in our element, with good friends, good food, good wine, and good music.
After the festivites died down and only empty bottles remained, we sat around until 2am talking about what a joy it was to host this inaugural party and got out the house social calendar to plan a few more. It is so fun to have friends over, even if a hundred and twenty shoes and boots are blocking the main exit, which would be disastrous in case of an emergency. We're working on that for next time.
St. Anthony Park Bald Eagles
January 17th, 2009
It'd be funny if this were a post about how the St. Anthony Park Bald Eagles junior high basketball team faired in their game against the Falcon Heights Falcons, but alas, there are no such things. Instead, it's about the lone bald eagle I spotted right outside my house, which is pretty funny in itself, since on first thought, this seems like such a strange place to find such a friend.
To commemerate this sighting, here are a few facts about bald eagles:
- Bald eagles live about 20 to 30 years
- They can see 3 to 4 times further than humans
- Female bald eagles typically weigh 30 percent more than male eagles
- Bald eagles like to fish
- Bald eagles are monogamus and mate for life
- They used to be an endangered species, but now they're multiplying again
- There's a year-round gathering of bald eagles down in Wabasha, Minnesota
- They, too, like to travel
Wind Chill Advisory & Winter Weather Advisory
January 12, 2009
I headed to Europe for warmer weather last January to avoid this exact winter debacle in which I now find myself. As I write, I'm wearing a down vest, tucked under two blankets, using my laptop to keep my hands warm.
Winter is a lot like pain; we forget just how much it hurts. February is historically the coldest 4 weeks of the winter in Minnesota and each day we inch closer and closer to breathless temperatures. Today the high was 13°F (-11°C). Tomorrow, we wake up to -35°F (-37°C) windchill. It hurts to breath. Cars strain to start. And snot freezes in 2.8 seconds. My gosh.
Hope:71 days until spring.
The New Year
January 4, 2009
I had a great time ushering in the new year through running in the Polar Dash on New Year's day. After trying out this little celebratory run, all of a sudden, I can see all of my 11 paid holidays off from work filling up with festive, holiday-themed runs. (Anyone know of a Martin Luther King Junior day run? Seriously.)
It's funny, sometimes, the people for which others mistake you.
On the starting line, I compulsively decided to join the 5k crew as the rogue 10ker among the 5kers instead of the 10k crew that I signed up to run with. So that put me struggling up the half-mile hill with my blue 10k bib at the same time as all the other gold 5k bibs, technically putting me as the first female 10k runner in the eyes of the spectators and officials. I celebrated with my 5k comrades upon the return to flat land and the sight of the Guthrie Theater and eventually, the finish line. (For we all know the finish line means Caribou Coffee soon thereafter for me.)
Except I was the only one ushered to the finish with "10k to the right! TO THE RIGHT! You, to the 10k chute!" Ah, how nice, they all think I'm fast. I replied, "no, no, I just did the 5k today," while achy, and mildly exhausted. Then, as I was walking through the 5k chute, someone in the crowd responded to me by yelling, "Hey, way to be honest!"
I mean hey, even if I'm not really fast, at least I look fast.