SteakFest: Parts I, II, and III

Though I haven't gone back to confirm the exact wording (mostly out of shame), I think I may have previously made a statement on this blog along the lines of:

"I don't eat a lot of red meat"

My humblest apologies, but I must revise that statement, to the following:

Steak!

Steak Steak Steak!
(said in the style of Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock)

"They" say you shouldn't eat steak all the time. But when someone *cough* K *cough* sends you a bunch of steak recipes that all make your mouth water, what's a girl to do?
Make them on adjacent Saturday afternoons, right? Right.

Part I

Flankjacks

Topped with Avocado Relish

Before Ann and Chip arrived for our gluttonous and amazing Fourth of July weekend, we made two huge piles of perfectly medium rare broiled steak and smothered it in avocado, tomato, red onion, and lime juice. Super light and refreshing.

Part II

Similar, but with several important additions

"California" Steak Salad with Plum Vinaigrette

Because anything with sprouts is automatically "Californian"

This plum vinaigrette is a game changer. It's just equal parts plum sauce and red wine vinegar, some minced garlic and a little oil. That's it. Nothing else. I've started putting it on everything. Grilled Chicken. Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad. I'm even toying with the idea of savory pancakes that I can use this as a sort of "syrup". But let's focus on the plate at hand.

Carrots, Green Onions, and Guacamole along with the vinaigrette on top of these piles of sprouts and steak and goodness.  I liked this one because these are elements I never would have combined all together.

I originally thought Steakfest as over at this point, until:

Part III
This one is a doozie.
Very possibly the best steak I have ever had.

Filet with Honey Carrots and Buttermilk potatoes from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

It originally came with two HUGE prawns on top, which I wasted no time devouring.

(Disclaimer: this is a picture of a carry out container. It didn't seem like a super smooth move to take a picture of my food in the middle of an upscale steakhouse midday, so I squirreled half of it away and ate it at my desk in the afternoon. Some days, it's difficult to convince myself that I don't have some sort of eating disorder.)

I have several bosses, all of whom are amazing and just a teeny bit goofy. CW is a little tightly wound but also hilarious, Big B is self-sufficient (and he calls me BA, which I LOVE), Little b is like the little brother I never had. And C is just a laid back North Dakota boy who tells me just about every single day how much he appreciates me.

Remember that big project I was finishing at work? 

It's finished.

And it went VERY well. 

C asked me to go for lunch as a thank you for finishing the project, and suggested Ruth's Chris. 

Oh. Hell. Yeah.

I have never been in a place as nice as as that, let alone on someone else's dime. 

I ordered it medium rare, and the waiter warned me that they tend to cook it more rare. 

I said "BRING IT ON". 

He smiled. Most likely out of mockery, but I was too busy salivating over the visions of filet dancing in my head.

I didn't even need a knife for the steak, it practically cut it self. 

It was the perfect lunch: I love great food and I love to hear how wonderful I am. 

Given the choice between steak and misery, I'll take steak. Every time.

Simplicity: Another thing to put goat cheese on

I had this blueberry vanilla goat cheese that I wanted to eat. I didn't have crackers, and I'm not quite at the point in my life where I can eat a log of goat cheese straight up and not be completely ashamed of myself.

I did have a pear, though. 

Try it.

You and Me and the Soup'll make three. Or more.

Work has been sort of rough.
I'm on the cusp of completing my first major project, which involves a lot of me yelling at my boss "Help me to help you!"(playfully, mostly). I won't bore you with the details.
So I've been going in early, and staying late, and developing a flat spot on my forehead where I constantly bang it against my desk.

So here's what K and I do to unwind: a midweek shopping and soup date

Chicken Noodle Soup at P.F. Chang's

Our waitress looked like Joan of Arc.

(Side Note: I love this soup so much that I've almost perfected its replication, but still can not capture the original in all its sodium-filled glory. Tangy, spicy, salty with mushrooms, tomatoes, and pin rice noodles that are completely impossible to find anywhere. It really is delightful. and I can eat it for 3 meals because they bring you a literal vat of it)

Or  revive an old favorite with a new, protein packed twist

Chicken Kebabs with Tzatziki

Or we make a Fake Hofbrauhaus meal on a lovely Sunday afternoon

Chicken Brats, Yogurt Smashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli, Double Chocolate Stout

(We've been planning this for months, as a way to avoid Hofbrauhaus' atrociously expensive and calorically outlandish fare, as well as the general patronage of Hofbrauhaus. Success.)

Or we just get some coffee, thoroughly confuse a very well-intentioned barista with our homanticism, sit outside, and make very awkward punny conversation with a lonely Jewish man in Squirrel Hill while surveying the spoils of our wildly successful CD Exchange excursion:

Sound of Music (VHS), Mary Poppins (VHS), Bottle Rocket, Seasons 1 and 2 of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and TLC's CrazySexyCool

(Once upon a time, I really enjoyed the show How I Met Your Mother, and bought the first four seasons. After a recent viewing of HIMYM, I realized that I'd really rather have money and more shelf space than continue to own 4 seasons of a show that I can't stand anymore. So I packed them up and brought them to the CD exchange where I got almost $40 in store credit. Hence the haul you see above. A classic 90s album! A Wes Anderson movie! Cartoon food! Julie Andrews in not one but TWO horrible wigs! Who wants to come over and watch some of these gems with me? Eh? EEEEEEEEEHHHH???)

It's easy for me to allow myself to get overwhelmed. Instead of doing that, I think I'd rather focus on moving towards these moments of deliciousness.

K says that the secret to happiness is being happy. 

So Here I am. Being Happy.

Simplicty: Good Morning

In the spirit of doing something different, I've been waking up early.
For this:

I sit on my porch and  have a cup of Steel Cut Oats with blueberries. Lately I've been adding flax and cinnamon too.


It's just a delicious little thing.

The Good Run

You know how sharks have to keep swimming all the time, or else they die?

That's kind of how I feel recently.
And by "swimming" I mean "driving to Philadelphia for a weekend to eat myself into a coma"
This one was pretty epic.


Philly Take Two:

A Running Club (is that really the name of this band?) gig at the Gryph

(look how happy that drummer is)

Followed by!

Local Burgers from Christopher's

I'm beginning my journey towards locavorism. True, it doesn't make much sense to drive 5 hours to get a local hamburger, but you have to start somewhere, and I prefer to start at Christopher's. This is one of the best burgers I've ever had (Sorry, BRGR), and the perfect follow up to a great gig by some of my favorite musicians. It didn't hurt that I paired it with an Allagash White. Beeeee-autiful.

So, O is pretty amazing. He's jumped on the running bandwagon (after having initially scoffed at me DON'T WORRY I'M NOT HOLDING A GRUDGE OR ANYTHING), and has lost a ton of weight. He looks incredible. And I am super proud of him. He does have this bad habit of totally indulging me, though (which, honestly, I totally love), which results in things like:

Assorted truffles from Eclat including Single Malt Scotch Truffles.

(You should probably stop what you're doing and find a way to get to West Chester right now for some of these. UNBELIEVABLE. We stopped and got this box while taking a lovely sunny stroll through the town. Honestly, I've not a person who craves chocolate very often, but I havent been able to stop thinking about these. Everything is made in house on the premises.)

And 

White Pizza at CPK in the King of Prussia Mall

(We used to tool around the KoP Mall a lot in college, and it turns out we haven't kicked the habit. I'm not complaining. Though I did have a supremely awkward encounter with the salesclerk at the Gap. She told me I have pretty eyes?)

Oh, And

Teikoku

So we got a little carried away. But life is for the living, and this place was stupid good. I don't regret a single bite.

Here's the run down:

Ginger Martini. Kobe Beef on a Hot Rock, Crispy Duck Breast (the other breasts in the picture are decidedly not crispy), Shrimp Tempura and Spicy Tuna roll with Aioli, Green Tea and Tahitian Vanilla Gelato, and Summer Fruit Fondue. And one very happy banana leaf.

I don't really know if there's anything else I can say about this. So I won't say anything.

The next day, before heading home for traditional family dinner (see my previous Kebab post), I had dinner with other people who make me feel like family, Mom, Pops, G, L

And Toby, the wonderCorgi

(The hummus is from the Mediterranean Deli in Forks Township and it is better than any hummus you have ever had. Ever. Guaranteed. I had my first sour ale, which is a problem, because it's all I ever want to drink now. And other assorted deliciousness.)

I've never lived in Philly, but it always feels like coming home.

I can't believe that I am sharing a kebab with the most beautiful girl I have ever seen with a kebab

Firstly:

  Secondly:

Scallop Kebabs with K

Marinated in soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger

Seared to perfection on the newly christened Foreman Grill

Thirdly:

 Chicken Kebabs for Family Dinner

Yucca, Eggplant, Teriyaki Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Red potatoes, Roasted Peppers

On the newly christened family Brinkman Grill

I had a craving for kebabs. Everything is better on a stick, and when you don't bother with a starch on the side you can eat a metric fuckton of them. Which, as you can see by both of these pictures,

 I DID.

Let there be deliciousness. Forever and Ever.

Amen.

5 (chickPB panca)K(es)

I had to have a very honest conversation with myself. And honest conversations with myself are not exactly my strong suit.

For months, I've been setting my alarm clock for 5 AM, with the intention of getting up and running before work. And every morning, I've been snoozing until 6:20, usually end up feeling shitty, and have to rush to get to work in time. I have a quiverful of excuses: chronic insomnia, general malaise, protecting my vocal chords from harm; I am a champion at talking myself into staying in bed. One Friday morning, my alarm chirps at 5 AM, and I reach to snooze it, as always.

Bethann, the Universe says, more softly than I would expect the Universe to speak to me.

Bethann, do you want to continue to break the promises you've made to yourself?
That is a very difficult question to answer first thing in the morning.


The only person you're hurting is yourself.
I understand, but it would be very convenient for me to go back to sleep right now.


Bethann,
don't you want things to be different?


At which point, I got up, put on my running shoes, and tore through 3 miles before work.
So the Universe has decided for me: The theme of Summer 2011 is DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Considering that I have been shamefully out of shape my entire life, running a 5k was never an option. I've had many brief cycles of interest in running and exercise, but never managed to get more than a mile at a time, and never in less than 12 minutes. Last summer, while working an incredibly unsatisfying and draining job in the Hill District, and inspired by K's then-new-found healthy lifestyle, I decided to start running in the mornings. And it helped. For a little while. Obviously, it didn't last long. The weather turned, I was afraid of hurting my voice with the harsh cold, I started rehearsing for Lucia and Verdi's Requiem, I wanted to sleep, blah blah blah. When spring finally rolled back around again, I was eyeball deep in Puccini, and running was not near the top of the priority list. Then KP asked if I wanted to run a 5k with her. Well, why not? I had just had an honest conversation with myself about change. This was something I had never asked of myself before.

We chose to do the Obadiah Cole Father's Day 5k because we both had that weekend free. (Also, my father had prostate cancer a few years ago, so I chose this as an opportunity to support him in some small way. Call me sentimental. This one was for you, Chip.)


KP, I should mention, is an amazing motivator. My relationship with food is neither healthy nor informed, and she is constantly bestowing her knowledge of nutrition on me, a subject on which I am largely ignorant (except in the case of fiber, about which I am totally and inexplicably obsessive). She tells me what I need to hear when I'm being stubborn and whiny. She's honest, unboundedly loving, and a stellar baker. She's also been running a lot longer than I have and helped me not to kill myself in my first attempt at a 5k. I could not, would not, have done it without her.

I finished in 29:34, placed 436 out of 1200 or so. And as mediocre as that is, I'm wicked proud of myself.

Please excuse the fact that we both look slightly addicted to drugs. It was stupid early.

No one is more supportive of my (comparatively small) successes than K. She invited me over after the race to nourish me, and greeted me with a beautiful bouquet

and invited Pras over to help us consume

VICTORY PANCAKES

Vegan Gluten Free Peanut Butter Pancakes with Bananas, Whipped Cream, and Chocolate sauce.

We don't see eye to eye about running, but we do see eye to eye about pancakes. These little beauties (and the bellinis, too, after a "family" trip to the liquor store) made me so happy. Made with chickpea flour and peanut butter, protein-y to the max, filling but not heavy. Sweet and a little crunchy, because they had flax in them (yeah fiber). And Bananas. And chocolate syrup. And yum. I may have emerged victorious after the 5k, but K left both Pras and I in the dust in the 2 (pan)K.

I feel very different these days. As if I'd been clenching my fists trying to fight for what I wanted, but am now opening my hands to catch the bubbles of glitter that are falling from the sky. It's true that there was a very specific plan for my life that fell to pieces quite quickly after I moved out here, and rebounding from that has been a slow, painful process. It was like starting from scratch.  And I didn't realize until that morning 5 AM when the universe urged me to get off my ass that starting from a scratch is an opportunity, not an indication of failure. I am now building a world that is my own. It is a little silly, often misunderstood, and I honestly have no idea what it is supposed to look like in the end, but it is mine. And it is filled with magic and passion and deliciousness.

I want to keep building.