Hello?

Is there anyone still out there? With the frequency of my blog updating I am guessing this maybe includes 4 people (and I believe that maybe an optimistic estimate). Did everyone have a nice holiday? Does anyone even remember their holidays? I do realize it was sometime ago.

I personally had a great holiday; it consisted of the following:

(1) skiing, skiing and more skiing- except for the day it rained. Oh and the one where the high for the day was 2 F.
(2) eating way too much
(3) drinking just the right amount

(4) seeing my totally awesome friends and family

Personally, I could have used another 3 weeks of that. I suspect that most people would jump on that bandwagon with me.

For Christmas I got a couple of incredibly cool kitchen items, so hopefully, if I remember to start taking pictures again, there will be some more Cook this today and FfNl for your viewing pleasure. What did I get, you ask?

Well this:

The real miracle is that I found a home in my kitchen for the gleaming beast. I also got this:

This nakiri knife is seriously the sharpest blade I've ever used. Thus far I've managed to keep all my fingers intact (knock on wood), much to the relief of my sister.

I also got this really cool cookbook.

Well that is it for my grand return! More to follow in the next few days... but i wouldn't hold your breath just in case I'm a lying liar who lies.

See you soon

Muppet love

And now for a little christmas cheer:


And on a related note:

and the ghost returns...

Hello out there... have you missed me? I've missed you. I swear I have! I've been a little crazy, but that is really no excuse. But just to show you I still exist, you can see evidence of me here. Thanks for the push Gary!

I'm afraid to admit this, but I've fallen prey to my blog reading. I guess I should be as good about posting I am about my reading. Actually, I really should be better, but at least I can give you the fruits of my labor.

So here it goes:

Isn't this robot awesome?! Find Nerdbots here. Seriously, I want one. (thanks boingboing!)

FfNl: A few of my favorite beers...

Okay, so this evening I went to my favorite grocery store for one simple thing: Ball jars. I am making a tasty treat involving pumpkin and maple syrup from a recent ISIE item (just in case there is any doubt, it is in item #3). Now if you are nice to me you might actually get some of this tasty treat- just something to keep in mind.

Anyway, I got my ball jars, but as I wandered around Wegmans, I came to the sad realization I drank my last beer Monday night. For some reason, recently I have a new-found appreciation for the post-work brew. Maybe it has something to do with 6+ years in grad school? Or perhaps it is the unique thirst-quenching properties of beer? Any guesses?

Now as I stood in the beer section, which incidentally had been expanded in the last year to make it entirely too tempting, I was struck with a horrible quandry. Do I buy the mixed pack of the rather fabulous Great Lakes Brewing's finest or my pet favorite beer, Magic Hat's Roxy Rolles? I have a newish infatuation with Great lakes, but I'll just say that last winter I hunted down all the Magic Hat's Feast of Fools (winter) mixed twelve packs I could find, just for the 3 Roxy Rolles. Most notably, I bought what might have been the last winter twelve pack Easter weekend along with the last stash of Cadbury mini-eggs in a gas station 3 hours from where I live. It was like hitting the jackpot!

Yes. I am crazy. As if there were any doubts.

So what do I pick? Both of course. There isn't anything wrong with storing beer in one's bedroom, is there? I mean, it isn't my fault my kitchen is the size of a bathtub.

What you should take away from this post: Feeling thirsty? Go get either (or both) of these- you won't be sorry. Just don't blame me if you develop a new obsession.

kidnapped...

Okay, well, no not really, but I'd like to pretend I had that good of an excuse for my lapse in blogging. I'd apologize again, but I think you all might believe I'm a bit insincere, with my monthly apology for bad blogging manners. I am sorry, but no more apologies, it seems silly to repeat myself over and over. I'll try to be better, but I'm easily distracted. I blame my most current lapse on the following (in no particular order):

1) I was training for my half marathon- and yes I did finish it, and I ran the whole thing, albeit rather slowly. Yay me!

2)Pottery classes- they are fun to to teach, but I swear they suck the life out of me. My last class was Tuesday, so we can pretend I'll be full of energy and life now that I have all this extra free time.

3)The never ending move of my lab up two floors to the sixth floor. I swear a good portion of my time is wasted on and off the elevator as I am constantly still pressing 4.

4)Beer. I don't think I need to elaborate on that one.

5) I caved and bought an ipod touch. I did a really good job at convincing myself that it was a reasonable purchase- being delusional really helps sometimes. I now waste hours playing pointless games.

6) NetNewsWire and my ever-growing blog reading list.

The list goes on, and none are really very good excuses on their own, but together they have conspired to take over my life and hold me hostage from this little blogging space. Now it is a new month, and I'll make my best effort to get back here more frequently (but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath- I wouldn't want any of you out there to turn blue).

Next time I might actually post pictures... talk about progress.

Cook this today (no. 11)

sweet

Currently I'm going through a struggle in my kitchen. Yes, the dishes are one thing, but also I just have so much food. I collect fun and interesting things I want to try out, but when this gets added to all the other food I use on a daily basis, my petite food prep area kind of explodes. Last weekend I started (or I should rather say renewed) my efforts to go start using up the ingredients crammed into my kitchen. It might explain why I've had hot cocoa every night for a week. It is also what prompted the making of the above recipe. I had frozen bananas, buttermilk and a bit of brown sugar and I was going to make something out of them. You may notice I subbed slivered almonds for chopped walnuts- hey, I'm trying to use up the stuff I have not buy more things. I have to say the results were delicious. Definitely give this recipe a go.

Dishes

Okay.

Yes, I fully admit it. I am a blog-slacker.

Well, actually I am a slacker at a lot of things. I probably shouldn't just limit myself to just blog-slacking. I'm more of your jack-of-all-slackers; you name it and I can put it off, shove it aside or bury it under a mound of excuses. But eventually, even I have to pay the price. In this case, the guilt and fondness for my little blog here have forced me to post again (hallelujah!). In the case of my seemingly always messy kitchen, I was eventually forced to create a mountain of dishes:

Yes, that is an entire sink piled with dishes, with a very flimsy dish rack that should have been retired 2 years ago. I'm fairly certain every spoon I owned was at the bottom of the pile and that the three flexible plastic cutting boards provided sound structural support to my creation. It is a work of slackerish-beauty. In fact, it was so nice I left it there in all its glory for 2 whole days. Yep, I told you I was a slacker.

I think this can safely be filed under random. What says you?

Cook this today (no. 10)

Last night I managed to get one of the many things accomplished on my list yesterday: I cooked some of the vegetables threatening to take over my refrigerator. So I'll call it a successful evening (oh and I did have that G&T, so it was made even better). I made Thai Carrot Soup, a recipe from the rather fabulous Temple of Zeus on Cornell's campus. All there soups are delicious and most are vegetarian or vegan. On their website, they post their recipes but I warn you some are large quantities so you may have to do some math. Here is the Thai Carrot reprinted for your convenience. Enjoy!

Thai Carrot Soup

1 spanish onion
6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped (I just used a bunch that I had, I didn't really measure)
1 jalapenos(or chili pepper of your choice)
grated ginger root, to taste
1 cup peanut butter
juice of 1-2 limes
1 can coconut milk
cilantro
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp coriander
Salt, soy sauce, or fish sauce to taste

Saute onions until translucent; add ginger, carrots, peppers, coriander and cumin. Saute briefly, 5-10 minutes, stirring to keep from sticking, then add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Keep at a low boil for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Transfer to blender or food processor, adding peanut butter, coconut milk, and lime juice. Blend until smooth, return to pot, and reheat. Add cilantro and salt(soy sauce or fish sauce) to taste.

I think it is the fresh cilantro that really makes it.