Hey! We're going to a picture show!

KP and I do this thing where we go see a movie, like Bridesmaids or Harry Potter 7.2, and bring our own snacks.
It looks a little something like this:

Hummus and Pita Chips, Cheese sticks, Green Beans, Carrot Chips, Mango, Berries, Pineapple

As much as I love popcorn, movie popcorn usually makes me feel blimp-like after 3 or 4 handfuls. But somehow I'm able to gorge myself on fresh produce for hours.

Experiments. Delicious, delicious experiments

I got a little.... carried away.

My relationship with baking is tenuous at best. When I am cooking, I tend to never follow a recipe. I am the proverbial bull in the culinary china shop; I just blow through, smashing everything into the pan without regard.

When I'm baking, I research a recipe, measure out all my ingredients, and begin my well intentioned mixing.

Halfway through, I don't see things coming together in any desirable way and I start to panic.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. How can I fix this?

Then I try to over correct.

Then I just end up with a mess on my hands.

I feel like there's a "That's what she said" joke involved there. 

So, for more than one reason, it's strange that I would pick one of the hottest weekends of the year to suddenly decide that I needed to bake.

But I just needed to create something; to try something I had never tried before. Something slightly challenging.

It started out pretty simple:

Olive Oil Flatbreads with Pecorino, Thyme, Sea Salt and Honey

(I can't take credit for any part of this recipe. My roommate likes to entice me with recipes and this is one she sent me that marinaded in my brain. The flatbread was simple: it didn't require any leavening, it baked in less than 10 minutes, and is versatile enough to be topped with just about anything. I used pecorino (My favorite cheese!) and fresh thyme (my second favorite herb!) and some sea salt, then positively drown them in some local honey I found at the market. Nutty, spicy, sweet and salty. It was like a carnival. I have all ready repeated this dish more than once.)

Then it escalated:

Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Instead of a tablespoon of vanilla extract, I used half a cup of bourbon.) 

Then it just got out of control.

Chana Dal Masala. With plain yogurt and cilantro.

(Indian cooking frightens me. I don't really know what spices to use and the process seems really tedious. But I bought a bag of Chana Dal beans in a hers and hers specialty grain order with K a few weeks ago and was eager to spread my wings. So I have a whole container of cardamom pods now that I need to decide what to do with. This is a very very good option.)

Not pictured is an extremely unsuccessful attempt at peanut butter swirl brownies. I followed the recipe to a T and still managed to make the outsides burnt and the insides completely molten. The only saving grace was that K came over while I tried to rectify these atrocious treats and we watched Viva Las Vegas, since we both idolize Ann-Margret. There are worse things to do on a Saturday than ruin a pan of brownies.

The day ended well, I made my way on foot to Highland Park and enjoyed an unbelievable cookout with Kelly, Thrill, Aaron, and many more. We grilled, made bourbon sweet tea from the mint Aaron grew, and basked in the beautiful sunshine.

Yes.

The Land of the (Gluten) Free

And the home of the Braves... Er, Indians.

This year, I proved that I'm not actually a horrible daughter.

Let me explain.

I have no idea when my dad's birthday is. I have a general idea, but I've asked every year, and it never seems to be the same answer twice, so I just sort of wing it. Compound that with the fact that for the past 2 years, I have forgotten every single birthday in my family, despite having written them in every calendar I have, I haven't been doing so great. So this year, I decided, things would be different.

I am also, as it happens, horrible at buying gifts for Chip. For the life of me, I have no idea what that man ever wants. That is until this year, when I decided to buy him tickets to New Yankee Stadium.

Ok, so it turns out I cant afford tickets to New Yankee Stadium. But I what I can afford is a weekend in Pittsburgh and tickets to Progressive Field to see the Yankees play the Cleveland Indians on the Fourth of July. Which, if you ask me, is way better.



We spent a lot of time in the kitchen

Chicken Florentine with Tabouli, Goat Cheese Frittata, Movie in the Park Picnic

And we spent a lot of time exploring

Natural History Museum Owl, LuLu's Noodles Pork Lard Nar, Croissant French Toast at Pamela's

We did not eat the Owl. I just think it's an amazing picture.

Speaking of amazing pictures.

We are goobers.

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.