Grades

I got an A in history!! History is the bane of my existence. I understand its importance and I'm all for learning basic history but studying it in detail and writing a historiography has to on my list of least favorite things to do, ever.

Looking back, this class was fun and I actually felt like my final paper clarified some important things for me. The one class where I was convinced I was going to get a B, I got an A!

Of course, in the interest of Karma, the one class where I thought I was guaranteed an A, there is a strong possibility I'm going to get a B. Figures. And my other two classes are completely up in the air. I have no idea how I'm going to do.

I'm crossing my fingers and if worse comes to worse, I'll quit school and open a cafe. Not really. Well, maybe. No just kidding. Kind of.

Coconut Soup Revisited

I've been craving Thai food but out East it is apparently extremely difficult (or expensive) to find Asian products besides the ubiquitous soy sauce and peanut dressing. For example, two little pieces of Lemongrass are $2.99 at Whole Foods! That's ridiculous. Ginger, too, is excessively expensive when it's actually a cheap product to grow (I just found it reasonably priced at Trader Joe's, thank goodness!). Forget about Kaffir limes or Thai chilis. Most groceries have never even heard of the stuff. So this recipe is basically me throwing everything Thai in my house into a pot.

Ingredients
1 garlic clove, chopped or crushed
1 tsp red curry paste (or to taste)
2 tsp chili sauce (or to taste)
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 can coconut milk
1 small package mushrooms, sliced in half or quarters
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Dash of lemon juice or lime juice

Directions
1. Mix everything together in a pot
2. Bring to a boil and simmer until mushrooms are slightly cooked (You don't want to overcook them because the flavor starts to dissipate and then they become very chewy. You want them to be tender)
3. Pour into a bowl, add the citrus juice and enjoy! (Lightly chopped cilantro is also a good garnish)


Note on Coconut milk: get a Thai brand!! I've been using Whole Foods brand but I bought a case of a Thai brand at Costco (I got my first Costco Card, yay!) and it is amazing! There is a noticeable different in taste and quality. And don't ever get low-fat coconut milk. If you're going to make something with coconut milk, a huge part of the flavor comes from the coconut fat. If you want low-calorie food, make something else.

Mashed Potatoes

For those of you who don't know me, I have strange eating habits. I'm an environmentally conscious eater but I love meat, so I'm almost always a vegetarian and then occasionally I'll pick up some locally grown, grass-fed beef and make fajitas.

On top of that, I'm trying to limit my dairy intake because I think it's causing my sinus allergies. Apparently it is a common problem among Mediterranean peoples. I went without dairy for two weeks and it my sinuses totally cleared up. I seriously wasted hours and dollars visiting doctors and specialists and none of them could tell me what was wrong. Then I read something somewhere and cured myself! Amazing.

That being said, I have a serious weakness for dairy. And meat. And desserts. Any kind of food, really. So you will see recipes on here from time to time that include meat or dairy (or both!) but I promote environmentally friendly and locally sourced food, always and that's always what I use.

With that disclaimer out of the way....
MASHED POTATOES!
I love red potatoes and I love mashed potatoes. This is hands down the best recipe I've ever made. Ever.

Ingredients
2.5 pounds mashed potatoes, quartered (it's like 4-6 medium-large potatoes)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated


Directions
1. Put potatoes and garlic in a pot and cover with water
2. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 25 minutes
3. Drain potatoes and garlic.
4. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and mash.
5. Enjoy!

Note: If you use an immersion blender or food processor to blend it, it becomes this thick and creamy sauce. You can puree half and mix it in with the rest for a smoother mashed potatoes, or puree all of it and serve it as a base underneath some steaks or pork chops.

P.s. I love mashed potatoes with fresh cranberry sauce. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! The Cranberry Sauce at Trader Joe's is excellent, but it's seasonal so get it while they still have it. Only, I recommend excluding the cheese if you're going to eat it with the cranberry sauce. They do not go well together.

Dog Continued...

So, My roommate's dog was ridiculously sick last week and one of her victims included a sofa cushion. We found a cleaner nearby that said he would clean the sofa cushion for $25. Awesome. My neighbor and I went to deliver the cushion (my neighbor has a car and my roommate had work).

We kept driving around the area and could not find the darn place! I called my roommate who has the place's number but she didn't pick up the phone so I finally called my neighbor on the other side and asked her to google the place. So she googles them and we are technically right in front of where the store should be but it's not there! I know it exists because we talked to someone on the phone. It's not like they disappeared overnight.

Finally I got the number and called the man. He's actually miles away! Nearly half an hour by car. Turns out the google listing was wrong!! So we came back to try another day.

Google: You should be ashamed of yourself.

Procrastination

Hi All,

I'm writing the final draft of my final final paper. So of course I'm not actually working on it. I just found this website where you enter all the foods and spices in your pantry, and then it matches up recipes you could make. It shows what percent of the recipe you have (i.e. if it has five ingredients but you only have 4 in your pantry, it says you have 80% of the ingredients) and it also lists what more you would need. It's really flipping cool!

Here's the address, check it out: www.recipematcher.com


Over and out.

Sick as a Dog

That phrase is no joke. When a dog gets sick, it gets REALLY sick. And dogs don't know where to barf, so they just do it everywhere. My roommate's dog got sick the other day when I was supposed to be writing my final final paper and my roommate was at work. It got sick everywhere. And the smell was so nasty, I kept gagging and had to escape into the hallway.

She got the carpet, the sofa, her crate and the bathroom (after I finally caught her and locked her in there). It was disgusting. I called my roommate and begged her to leave work early, which thank the lord she did. I managed to clean one up before I could not take it and spent the rest of my time working on my paper in the hallway.

At one point the mailman came in and looks at me and goes, "Apartment A, right?"
And I was like, "yeah".
He goes, "What are you doing working out here?"
"You don't want to know..."

In the meantime I've stocked up on loads of scented candles and carpet freshener. My house has a lovely baking soda and apple spice smell to it now...

Weather Update!

Forecast: Snow

Not Even Funny

I just got my first assignment for next semester, and I'm still not done with my last paper for this semester!!! That's not even funny.

Politician Sighting!

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton came to campus to speak. I had finals so I did not go, but I watched her get out of her car on my way to turn in final papers #1 and #2 (out of 4). I do believe she is the first major American politician I have seen in person...considering I've seen the chancellor of Germany, the president of Turkey, and the former presidents of Latvia and Poland, that's pretty sad.

You don't see that very often...