cold and sleeping beauty

It almost seems inevitable that I would take a few days off after MoFo.  I love MoFo, but there is something about "obligatory" blogging that wears me out a bit.  Obviously, I chose the obligation, and there weren't really any rules about blogging every single day, but when there's such a good chance new eyes will find your posts, you don't really want to skip a night.  So anyway, sorry about all that.  I'm back!

Fortunately, some fun and exciting things (as well as self-deprecating moments of wallowing in near existential crisis) have been happening in my absence.  Why don't we pick up where I left off - Wednesday.

Wednesday, if I recall, became quite cold by the lightless hours.  This only helped me appreciate more the lovely present awaiting me on the kitchen table when I returned home from work that night: my brand new, 3rd of the limited run, Audrey coat from Vaute Couture!  I don't know if I ever mentioned that I ordered it (back in August, which got me the coat at a 45% discount), but I have been anxiously awaiting it, especially as October drew to a close and I began to anticipate and experience the bone-chilling winds of November.

This picture actually shows the Hepburn coat (big difference, I know).  The huge difference between the two is probably about 6 inches.  While the Hepburn is more similar to the coat I replaced - a wool pea-coat that stopped just above my knees - the Audrey travels to mid-calf.  This will result in an increase of warmth I probably can't even fully recognize just yet.

I haven't worn my new coat out yet because it's been quite temperate since it arrived (go figure), but it has some serious lining, so I'm sure it will live up to the claims of being wind-proof.  This was one of the deciding factors - I think the coats are gorgeous, and it's almost a rite of passage for the underground diva in me to own a couture coat, but truly, I'm just tired of shivering through a wool coat in a Philadelphia winter.

I was supposed to attend a Dia de los Muertos party Wednesday night and I spent a decent bit of time preparing for it by daydreaming about the sugar skull make-up I wanted to try for it.  Unfortunately, I forgot I was old until after I'd made, eaten, and cleaned up dinner.  By then it was 10pm, it was cold, and I had grown just enough common sense to recognize that it was too late to safely ride the El to West Philly and back.  I think the only reason Mister did not expressly forbid me to go was that he isn't my father.

Because I am a nice person, to use the words of a new boss, I agreed to work the later shift at work last night so another colleague could work early and attend an event after work last night.  As such, there were no fun dinner stories, aside from Mister and I taking turns heating up leftovers.  We ended up sitting at the table together, though, and discussing Occupy Philly, theology, and race relations until almost midnight.  He drank coffee, I drank champagne, and together we put a small dent in the bag of Halloween candy my father gave me on my way to work.

Today, after sleeping past noon and taking our time waking up, Mister and I were happily ensconced in our Day Off Routine of drinking coffee and playing on the internet when there were two short buzzes from the "doorbell."  Ordinarily, we ignore the doorbell since it's right on the street and sometimes hoodlums walking down the street think it's funny to ring a doorbell as they walk past.  Today, though, I yelled to Mister (who was fully dressed already), "Hurry, it's my present!"

Mister jumped up and ran out the door - Philly mailmen don't leave packages and don't wait more than a few seconds before deciding you aren't there even though they know full well you probably have to unlock two locks, run down two flights of stairs to unlock two more locks and run down the small alley to the street...  Regardless, because my former athlete still has it, he returned a few moments later (albeit a bit winded), smiling and holding a perfect white box with my name on it.

I hope I'm not the only woman who buys herself presents.  Maybe I should start following my dad's lead and saying they're from Santa to me.

"Santa" sent me an early Christmas gift (because I'm a really good girl) - a shipment of e.l.f. cosmetics:

• a palette of 100 shades of eyeshadow
• 12 cosmetic brushes
• eyelid primer (just in case these colors don't have the pigment or staying power to match MAC)
• "porcelain" foundation
• a 4-shade "shimmer" palette
• two eyeliner pencils and a pen (Mister said I should save money and just use a Sharpie - he doesn't realize it costs less than a Sharpie)
• make-up remover wipes (we'll see how they stand up to my Neutrogena wipes)

That was all the provocation I needed to finally get in the shower and start my day - I couldn't wait to paint my face up with all that PETA-approved, cruelty-free makeup.

this is kinda what Heaven looks like to me

I hardly knew where to begin.  Look at all those gorgeous colors!  I watched a couple online makeup tutorials for color inspiration and got to work.  I started with some black, mainly to test the intensity of pigment I was working with and I was absolutely astonished at how dark it went on with only a little dab on my new brush.  Oh, that's another thing - I have been working with the same 3-4 shapes of MAC brushes for the last 10 years (and also, all the make-up I got today costed the same as one blush brush from MAC).  It amazed me what a difference some of these new brushes made.

In the end, I was feeling like a pretty, pretty princess, so I went with a violet-fuschia shade with carbon black in the crease and some silvery-white highlighting just beneath the eyebrows.  I had a bit more trouble than I anticipated filling in my eyebrows, which made me wish I had gone ahead and included the brow pencil in my order.  There's always next time.

You can believe there will be a "next time."  Probably a lot of them.  I'll be honest - I was not expecting the quality I've seen so far.  Do me a favor - head back up to that first shot of all the items I got.  You back?   Good - now, all that stuff?  It was $36.  Last time I went to MAC I spent a little more than twice that amount and came away with 2 eyeshadows, blush, lipstick and liner.  If I had replaced my blush brush like I needed to, I would have taken that total over $100, which is actually all too standard for me.

Totally worth it.  I can barely wait to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again.

You may be thinking, "Um, yeah, so this is great, but what about the food?"  Patience, dearies - here we go!

 

After discovering that it was quite cold and windy outside during our trip to Whole Foods, I couldn't think of a better way to warm our innards than with a big pot of slow-simmer stew.  Good thing the last item left of the menu was Vegetable Lentil Stew from Vegan on the Cheap!

It was every bit as savory as I remembered it and it went well with the rustic, sour Pain de Campagne from Whole Foods I served alongside. 

Wednesday night's dinner was fun and special, but this nonsense has gone on long enough, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that.  Let's look at what's coming up this week!

1. Pasta E Fagioli from Veganomicon, AKA My Favorite Pasta e Fagioli recipe so far.

2. Savoury Shepherd's Pie from How It All Vegan, AKA Mister's Favorite Winter Dinner.  It has been far too long since I've made this and Mister was mourning that there are no good vegan imitations of Pub Food when we were looking at a menu at an Irish Pub/Restaurant the other day.  Eventually, this will result in me trying to make a vegan version of Bangers and Mash, because that is what he truly wanted, but when I told him I put this on the menu, he was pretty darn excited.

3. Pasta Con Broccoli from Appetite for Reduction, because apparently I want to use all my cookbooks in this week's menu.  Also, because broccoli is awesome.

4. Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini, also from Appetite for Reduction.

5. Mediterranean Bowl from the Construct Your Own Bowl chapter of Appetite for Reduction.  As we know, I love bowls, so it was only a matter of time before I decided to try one of these.  Since they're so simple (not really a structured recipe), I have skipped these and the Sammiches/Wraps section, but we're gonna give it a go (and now you have Lady Marmalade stuck in your head.  You're welcome.).

6. Tanya's Asian Delight from The Garden of Vegan.  I feel sorry for this cookbook.  I never use it.  It looks brand new.  I just can't get into a lot of the recipes these two crazy Canadians come up with in it (really, WHY would you put diced pickles - AKA relish - in Sloppy Joes?  WHY???).  One thing that I find completely charming in that "not gonna serve it to anyone I want to impress" kind of way is how quirky and down-homey the names of most of their recipes are.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to YouTube - magical videos of makeup applications and Evanescence/P!nk are calling me.

sticks and stones... in my soup

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I'd like to call BS on that for two reasons.  First and foremost, words can hurt a lot.  If you don't believe that, you were never a 7th grade girl.  Second, planks and rocks might break bones, but sticks and stones probably won't even bruise you.  Someone got it backward.

Sticks and stone will probably break your teeth, though, should you find them in your Homey Vegetable Stew with Dumplings (from The 30 Minute Vegan).

If you remember the first time I made this, you'll probably notice the dumplings look a little different from the way they did then.  A little...browner?  A little less cohesive?  Kinda gross-looking, actually?

The recipe calls for Spelt flour, but I was plum out - it's not one of those things I just keep around the house.  I was going to use plain ol' wheat flour, but when I grabbed the bag down from the cupboard, I saw a special little jar hiding behind it - the mesquite flour my sister had ground for us from the pods of the mesquite tree in her backyard!

I pulled it down and measured out 3/4 cup to start making the dumplings, but I noticed there were some pebbly looking spots.  In the interest of evening things out, I put the flour through my sifter.  Good thing, too!  When the flour had drifted dustily down into the bowl to be mixed with soymilk and canola oil, I looked into the sifter to see little bits of sticks and seeds and possibly stones (?) hanging out there.

Considering we don't have dental insurance right now, I'm glad I decided to sift before Mister broke a tooth.

When I set down the bowls, the dumplings smelled a little like gingerbread.  They were sweet and a little mealy, but not in a bad way.  I will probably do this in the future, but I will cut it half-and-half with "normal" flour because the mesquite flour did not hold the dumplings together all that well, and I think they were a little sweet for Mister's tastes.

I thought they provided a great, if not unexpected foil to the very salty-savory broth of the chunkier-than-I-remembered-it stew.  It was just right for this first truly chilly fall day, though.

"fortune" teller

I love when I can see just a little glimpse into the future...enough to allow me to make a good decision. 

I was about halfway through yesterday when my throat started getting a little sore, so I wrapped a scarf around to keep it warm (I don't know why warm is supposed to battle sore, but follow me) and puttered through the rest of my day.  By the time I got home, I was frozen and just wanted to make Vegetable Lentil Stew from Vegan on the Cheap for all its warming comfort.  I'd actually skipped over this the first few times I went through the book because I know Mister prefers food he can chew on for dinner, but this time around I said, "It's February, it's snowing, and I want a warm, homey stew."

It's not a terribly attractive picture, but since I snuffled my way through preparing the stew and was pretty sure I was getting sick but still in a state where I could turn it around with enough vitamin C, detox tea, and sleep, I just didn't have the energy or investment to take a picture in the nice, bright light of the stove.

Despite all appearances, this soup is a real winner.  I would have rambled on about it all last night but I went to bed so soon after dinner that I didn't even clean up the dishes (thank you, Mister).  I'm glad I didn't write about it last night, though, because after sitting in the fridge overnight and then being reheated by my loving hubby after I woke up from the four-hour nap I took when I came home early from work today (which is a whole other story for a whole 'nother time), it was nothing short of heavenly.  With a rich, smoky broth made up of crushed tomatoes, bouillon, and some secret herbs and spices and packed with good-for-me veggies, I could eat this stew all day long...and I may need to if I don't shake whatever has claimed me.

On that note, I think it's time to reconsider my 2-hour Awake Spree.

delicious surprise

Longer ago than I want to admit, in what feels like a different lifetime, I was hopelessly addicted to Star Search.  Does anyone remember that?  Every weekend, I would park myself in front of the TV to watch America's youth compete against one another to see who was the best - kind of like American Idol, but without all the drama and caustic wit.  I won't deny that as I watched Ed McMahon introduce the acts and congratulate the winners, I harbored a secret hope that one day, I would appear on that show and take home top honors.

When I was 14, my love affair with Star Search ended.  That may have been the year it went off the air, but it was definitely the year I lost interest in watching it - you might call it the beginning of becoming jaded.  My family went to the shore for a week, and although we programmed the VCR (with a VHS tape and everything!) to record my favorite show, something went awry and when I popped in the video, full of anticipation after a week at the shore, all I saw was TV snow.  This was disappointing beyond the feeble reach of language and I'll tell you why.  For about 13 weeks, I had watched with something akin to pride as this funky late teen named Beth Hart swept, week after week.  You couldn't touch her; she had Star written all over her - she had a great look and the confidence of a rockstar, strutting around the stage, interacting with the audience.  Better still, she knew it - at the end of every song she performed, you could tell she knew she nailed it.

The weekend I missed was the weekend she won.  I never got to see her winning performance or celebrate for the girl I had tuned in specifically to see for 13 weeks straight.  I turned on the TV the week after and she was nowhere.  I stopped watching.

So, that was kind of a bummer way to start, huh?  The point is I stole my post title from one of her songs - one more flashback and I promise I'll stop.  God only knows how many years after all this, possibly during college, I heard this amazing song on the radio and then the announcer said a name I hadn't heard since the beginning of my adolescence - apparently, Beth Hart went on to make it pretty big.  I went out and immediately bought Screaming For My Supper, which had a song called "Delicious Surprise," with spicy lyrics like "If I won me the lottery, I'd dance naked in the streets with a top hat full of money.  You'd wanna get to know me, if I won me the lottery."

I had two delicious surprises tonight.  The first was dinner (appropriately): we had Quinoa Bulgur, Kale, and White Bean Stew from Appetite for Reduction.

The title could lead a person to believe it would be a thin, anemic soup, which is probably where Mister's lack of enthusiasm came from.  A person would be wrong, though - want to know what's propping up all that glorious kale?  Cups and cups of diced potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and leeks.  This stew was so flavorful, it didn't even matter I was one clove of garlic short.  It starts with a generous herb blend: marjoram, thyme, and the mystery spice, the thing that makes you go "hmmm?"  Crushed Fennel Seed.  It's so subtle, you don't even notice it until you pause for a sip of water and you think to yourself, "what is that sweet, anise-y taste, lingering along the sidelines of my mouth?"  It enhances the overall flavor of the stew without ever drawing attention to itself.  That's something I really like about Isa's soup - I have probably 100 soup/stew recipes, but hers are always amazing and I think the reason is because she always incorporates a little something that throws your tastebuds for a loop and makes your brain shake itself off for a second look.  Tarragon in lentil stew, fennel seed with kale and potatoes, the mellow warmth of roasted garlic.

I'm going to go enjoy my second delicious surprise while I craft the new menu.  My Beaujolais-Villages is already poured and "breathing" and I found a dessert-sized chunk of Vivani dark chocolate in my cupboard.  Bon appetit!

new year, new adventures

Last night was kind of exciting - more so than New Years Eves past.  I saw more people than I've seen... since the last day I was at work.  Speaking of which, I really can't say I'm enthusiastic for Monday - AKA the day I return.  Regardless, Mister and I had a short visit from an old friend and then I travelled by bus, foot, and taxi to spend some time at another friend's party before rushing home to kiss my sweetie at Midnight.

We've had some interesting Midnight Kisses through our years together.  I think the most memorable (not intentionally, that's for sure) was the one I got on the side of a highway.  Mister had played a show that night, things had gone a little late, so we were speeding through the relatively traffic-less night to get to my friend's house (yes, same friend) before people were too wasted to remember we even showed.  I was also trying, in vain, to get there before Midnight, but no dice.  So, as the clock turned to 12:00, Mister poked me and told me to pull over so he could give me a proper kiss.  So there you have it: Romance on Rt 422 Eastbound.

Mister is recovering, but still "relapses" if he exerts himself too much.  He had been trying to get himself together all day so he could attend the party with me and be in as good of spirits as he can be when he's been sick for more than two weeks and is now taking medication that reduces his already short fuse, but in the end, we decided I would go solo and return for my kiss.  I had a ball at the party (no pun intended), and was a little late leaving, which resulted in me bursting through our door, all full of New Years Cheer (or Beaujolais) at exactly Midnight. 

So, happy new year.

I thought of doing a round-up post, but felt like it would be more boastful than introspective.  Instead, we'll flash ahead to my first First of 2011.

I made seitan!  It was really good, too!  (click here for recipe) Mister said it tasted kind of like the lamb-turkey sausage-jerky they put on those huge spools for Greek restaurants to shave off small bits and make gyros (pronounced YEE-rohs).  Considering how much we both liked gyros when we still ate Mary's Little Lamb, I consider it a success.  Also, I couldn't stop pulling off little pieces to chew on while I prepped our dinner. 

Segue, anyone?  For dinner, I made the Irish Stew with Potatoes and Seitan from Appetite for Reduction.  It was nice and thick and savory.  I will stop one breath short of saying it was hearty, because although it was utterly delightful, it was not so inside-out warming as other stews I've made.  The flour slurry definitely enhanced the thickness of the stew, but didn't make it quite as thick as the aptly named Homey Vegetable Stew w/Dumplings.

Mmm... look at those big chunks of homemade seitan....  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself, and I can already see the savings over pre-made seitan racking up on my internal budget calculator.  As far as I can tell, I'll save at least 50% by making my own.  Besides, it wasn't that hard and I only burnt myself once.

I'll be excusing myself shortly to construct a new menu and corresponding grocery list.  I'll be back to work, thus out of time, come Monday, so tomorrow I'll have to shop for the week.  Additionally, Mister found his Hungry last night, so I "whipped up" Isa's Potato-Spinach Curry before I went to the party.  Actually, now that I have proper knives, the whipping up goes much faster, so it really didn't take me long at all to make dinner last night, which is good, since I was heading out afterward!

I used Whole Foods 365 Organic Chopped Spinach, which was an amusing addition to the curry and potatoes already in the pot.  One thing I really love about potatoes simmering in any small amount of liquid is how the potato starch escapes and blends with the liquid, thickening it and making an involuntary sauce.  It was fun to shock that saucing process with the addition of little frozen nuggets of chopped spinach!  The only complaint Mister and I registered was that the curry spices overwhelmed the tiny bit of salt I added, per the recipe.  I'll make this again, but when I do, I'll increase the salt to a full teaspoon.

Back to the whole New Years thing for a moment; I didn't consciously make any resolutions.  This may very well be the first year.  I'm trying to figure out if that displays apathy or if it is evidence that I am at peace with myself.  Previous resolutions have included:
1. reducing debt (yes, me and everyone else)
2. being content and living in the now
3. accepting that people love me and not asking why

I still have debt, but not as much.  Being content and living in the now is a constant struggle, but present on my mind, so I didn't feel like I needed to set aside specific energy for that.  I haven't had self-esteem problems in years, so number 3 is moot.  Aside from continuing to reduce my debt and work toward other financial goals, I can't think of any promises to make to myself.  What about you, dear readers?  Have you made any promises to yourself this year?