Yum!

Tantalizing, no?

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Cut 2ish chicken breasts into strips; coat in crumb mixture (1 cup crushed soda crackers, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper); dip in eggs (beaten); coat again in crumb mixture; fry in 1/4 cup oil for 4 mins (flip halfway); remove to baking sheet; bake for 10 mins at 450º F; remove to platter; drizzle in sauce (2 tbsp melted butter, 6 tbsp hot pepper or buffalo wing sauce); eat delicious food.

Yum!

Pasta Fresca

As promised (on Twitter), here are some pictures of yesterday’s cooking adventures.

For this recipe, you’ll need fresh basil, spinach leaves, cherry or grape tomatoes, bacon, pasta and cheese. I’m not specific about the last three items because you can choose whatever kind of bacon you’d prefer (turkey, reduced salt, regular, whatevs), whatever kind of pasta you’d like (I chose fusilli), and whatever kind of cheese (the recipe called for Parmesan, but I chose Gruyère After not using it last time around, I decided I wanted to give it a try. Very good. I enjoyed it.)

You’ll want to chop 3 cups of spinach leaves, chiffonade 1/2 cup of basil leaves and cut in half 2 cups worth of tomatoes.

Set some water boiling for the pasta,

And cook the bacon. Once the bacon is cooked and the pasta water is boiling, you’ll want to throw the pasta in: 1 and 1/2 cups worth.

As the pasta is cooking, wilt the spinach. I’m not 100% sure how to do this, but I shifted as best I could. I put the chopped spinach in a different pot (yes, there are four on the elements. I only used three. But I’d like to cite this picture as the (hopefully) only reason my mom doesn’t like me taking over her kitchen. Oh wait, no, this

and the pots and pans are hopefully the only reasons.) Then I added just a splash of water (enough to keep the spinach from burning) and set the pot over very low heat. I left it there until the pasta was ready.

Drain the pasta and allow its pot to cool a little bit. Place the oil in the pot (I used canola oil and added garlic salt to taste; the friend from whom I got the recipe agrees on this step. Garlic-flavoured olive oil is expensive and smells strongly of garlic, but doesn’t taste of it as much.) Then add the pasta back in, along with the bacon (chopped into bits) and toss together.

Add in the spinach (if there is left over water in the bottom of the spinach pot, be sure it isn’t added to the pasta), the basil, the tomatoes, and if the pot/ingredients have cooled a lot, place it over low heat. The final step is adding the cheese and you want it to melt into the rest.

Ooh, looks so good! Just need to add the cheese.

Mm, finished product! Yummy!

We didn’t have any leftovers.

After cooking notes? I would just add more cheese. I thought the flavour of the Gruyère was delish, but wasn’t prominent enough. I wouldn’t add a lot more, but maybe 1/2 a cup instead of 1/3.

Best meal EVER (hyperbole noted)

I promised a report of the meal I made after the super busy/fun weekend with my friends was done, so here it is. I made scalloped potatoes and chicken tenders for dinner Friday night. Sounds simple/boring, but seriously? De-lic-ous.

The recipe for scalloped potatoes was passed on to me and can be found here.

The chicken tenders I made based on a recipe I found on the same website, but I modified it for what we had in the pantry. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures of the process or the finished product, so that will have to be saved for next time! For now, I give you the recipe for the breading I used.

1 cup crushed soda crackers

2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine the above in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat two eggs.

I used three chicken breasts, but might recommend less. I found I was thin on breading by the end.

Using one strip at a time, coat in breading, dip in the eggs and then coat again.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat. Place the coated chicken strips in the oil and cook for 5 or 6 minutes each side.

Things I would change for next time? Less cayenne pepper. They were quite spicy. Deliciously spicy, but a touch too spicy for the audience I made them for. Also, they ended up being too crisped. I would keep a better eye on the cooking process next time.

The scalloped potatoes turned out perfectly. The only change I made for that recipe was to use a mixture of Parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella instead of Gruyère, in part because that is what my recipe-sharer suggested, in part because it was cheaper that way. (Parmesan was cheaper than Gruyère, and when I brought it home, I discovered the cheddar and mozzarella we already had, so decided to mix them).

Despite the substitutions, the meal was delicious. The flavour and texture were incredible and it was just one of those very satisfying meals. It always feels like such an accomplishment to try making something you never have before and for it to end up tasting so good.

PB & J

I discovered this today, scribbled on a scrap of paper in with many other notes of a similar kind:

I’ve learned that strength and dignity are not lost through displays of weakness.

A silly example is when I confess to a friend that I cannot open a jar of jelly. I feel… laughably weak doing so, especially when this friend takes the jar and in one motion, twists off the lid. But to use this as a metaphor (ah, metaphors), in a very simple way, this is how the Body of Christ should look. I am strong in some areas, but I am also weak in others. If I readily display my strengths, but hide all of my weaknesses, two undesirable things happen. First of all, assuming everyone else is also hiding their weaknesses, my strengths become completely irrelevant. As far as I can tell, there isn’t anyone who needs what I have to offer. No one is weak, so what does it matter how strong I am? And the second problem is that we have all sorts of weaknesses, frayed threads, weak links, crumbling walls (whatever other image you’d like) and none of these areas are being addressed. No one is saying, “hey, I’ve got a leak in the dam over here, can anyone help me patch it up?” and so it continues leaking and eroding, growing weaker, spilling over, spilling out, and eventually breaking, sometimes in catastrophic ways. But when we confess our faults to one another (a trusted one another), when we admit our weaknesses, we find people who are strong in those very areas.

“Yea, I can’t open a jar of jelly, but I can whip up a mean grilled pb & j sandwich.”

And my friend says, “I can certainly open a jar of jelly *twist*, but grilled pb & j? I have no idea how to make that, but I sure am hungry.”

And there we are, filling each others needs, complimenting each others’ strengths and weaknesses and building each other up. When that is how we seek to live, our lives become inextricably intertwined, balancing each other out and becoming greater than we were just as ourselves.

Hopefully my metaphor can carry the point I am trying to make, despite being (as I’ve already admitted), a rather silly example

And just for the record, grilled pb & j is for real. And mighty tasty, especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth. If you can help me get this darn jar open, I could be persuaded to make one for you

Overheard at dinner

M: “You called me stupid!”

J: “I said you weren’t stupid. It was a compliment.”

D: “Well, that depends where you put the comma.”

J: “Ha. I said you weren’t, stupid.”

After dinner report

Mom: Josh, you spilled ice cream everywhere…

Josh: (contentedly eating ice cream) No I didn’t.

Mom: (getting up and dabbing up little globs of something) Yes, yes you did. It’s all over the floor. And my chair.

Josh: Okay, that isn’t possible. How could I have spilled ice cream when there is nothing on the outside of my bowl and nothing on me?

Mom: Well, you must have. Where else would it have come from?

Josh: Here, let me see.

(Both get up and examine a droplet on the floor)

Josh: That’s not ice cream. That’s butter. From my english muffin.

* * *

Supper was a complete success. It was very gratifying to me to make a dish, to put all of the effort into it and to see it greatly enjoyed by my family. Everyone (except Matthew, my 11-year-old bro) had second helpings, and comments of “That was delicious” and “This is really good” and “Mmmm” punctuated our conversation. It was a chicken pot pie-esque meal. Shout out to Sarah, the friend from whom I got the recipe (Thanks, hun!). I’ll post the recipe in the next couple of days.

And I think that I can now say that I know how to cook. I once read somewhere that cooking is more than simply following a recipe. It is understanding how ingredients work together and being able to work on the fly. The author then told the story of a friend of hers who ordered meat for a dish she was making, but was given the wrong parcel. Desperate, and without the proper ingredients, she then whipped up one of the best pasta dishes her guests had ever tasted, simply with the ingredients in her pantry. And so that has been my measure of someone who can cook: someone who knows their way around the kitchen well enough that, even if things go very wrong, they are still able to make a delicious meal. Granted, I have not reached this level of mastery, but I have reserved saying “I can cook” until I at least registered on this imaginary scale I created after reading that passage. So… I can cook. Woot.

Anyone have any favourite dishes to recommend?

Wednesday

My muse is gone.

A friend teased me several weeks ago that I was too much of a perfectionist with my writing. And it’s true. I get into certain moods where, if I don’t have something terribly profound to write for my blog, I won’t write anything. This post is an exception. I know that it has nothing to do with my writing ability or the profoundness of my thoughts (I really don’t mind writing nonsense); I’ve simply hit a wall, so I am forcing myself to write. It could have something to do with the constant hammering outside my room. The neighbours across the street are having their roof done, and I find that kind of staccato, percussion noise very difficult to ignore. White noise I can ignore (I do prefer something with more variety to it, such as rain or low-level air), but anything that has a distinct sound to it is difficult for me to block out.

That random tangent to explain why I am less than inspired to write today.

Also, I’ve just finished two grueling weeks, so I am perhaps seeking rest rather than writing.

Last week at this time (4pm), I was just beginning to write my last exam of the term. And of the year. And of my undergraduate degree. An hour before that, I had just finished my second last exam, and 23 hours before that, I was writing my third last exam. I only had three exams this past term, but had to write them in two days, due to the scheduling of them. And then I spent the evening after my last exam, and the following morning packing up my things from my apartment preparing to move home. Almost as soon as I arrived home, I decided to take on the project that has consumed me until now, and have been working steadily (except on Sunday) to get everything finished. Glorious day, it is finally done, but ah me… so tired.

The project, for those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter (you don’t!? *shock* *gasp*), was to completely clean out and organize my room. This involved emptying my closet, drawers and things from under my bed, sorting it all, deciding what to keep, what to give away, what to throw away, and then organizing it and putting it all back. So much work! But things are so much nicer. They are clean and organized and I feel relieved.

My next project is to cook dinner for my family. I was telling one of my former roommates that, as much as I thought I would have enjoyed not having to cook, I actually missed it. So I asked my mom if I could cook tonight. It will be an adventure, though. I forgot to copy the recipe from a friend before I left my university town, so I will have to make this based on how I remember the recipe to have gone. Hmm… But I have confidence in my abilities. We’ll see how it turns out. I am off to begin preparations. Wish me luck!

I’ve learned…

This is a part of the speech I was preparing for. I gave it last night at the residence supper.

—————————————————————————-

I’ve learned…

…that it’s okay to be wrong.

…that sometimes it’s good to act like a kid.

…that it is better to ask and look foolish for a moment than to remain silent and likewise remain foolish.

…that different perspectives mean different interpretations of situations.

…that just because someone thinks differently from you doesn’t automatically make them wrong.

…that sometimes when someone thinks differently, they are wrong.

…that we won’t always know the difference between the two, but it is important that we strive after wisdom so that we can.

…that a wrong turn is either a mistake or an adventure depending how you look at it and it’s your attitude towards the situation that often dictates how satisfied you will be with your life.

…that every mistake is a learning experience.

…that the joy of growing older comes through maintaining the delights of childhood.

…to never stop being impressed, by new knowledge, by achievement, by beauty.

…that nothing beats going home.

…that new things are the fruit of life. No matter how strange they may look, or how difficult the skin is to break through, once you’ve done it, its sweetness is well worth the effort.

…to never be afraid to try something new.

…that it’s okay to say ‘no’, whether it’s to something you’re uncomfortable with, something you don’t want to do, or (and especially) when you have a big paper due the next day and you’ve only written the introduction.

…that procrastination is so much better with a friend.

…that the unplanned conversations are always the best.

…to always make time to be spontaneous.

…to keep a journal. It sounds lame, but oftentimes, it’s the reality check that you need, a place to release your thoughts, and when you look back on it, it is a record of where you were. With it, you can see just how far you’ve come.

…to find people who think the same way you do, who are on the same page you are, who have the same values and views of the world that you do and keep them close. They will be people who will encourage you and people you can lean on when you need it, people who can keep you centered when you’re feeling off-balance.

…to find people who think differently than you do. They will keep you sharp, give you a chance to think thoroughly about your ideas, and make you question whether you are holding onto them for the right reasons. They will be the ones who will throw you off-balance so that you can see whether the ground you are standing on is firm or not.

…to always maintain a healthy balance between the two. We need the challenge of difference, but also the support of the same. Too much of one or the other, and whether the ground is solid or not, we could topple over.

…that it’s okay to need help and that there are always people willing to give it, if only you ask.

…that you can know someone and love them and still be mad at them

…that forgiveness is sweeter than anger

…that forgiveness, even though it feels like it is for the other person, is actually for your own sake. “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and to discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis Smedes

…that the price of staying up with a friend who is struggling is small compared to the price of knowing they were struggling and you didn’t (or couldn’t) help.

…that honesty is better than false reassurance, and that honesty mixed with a heavy dose of love is better than both.

…that sometimes the best of friends are made in the most unexpected ways.

…that everyone deserves a chance, that everyone, no matter who they are, has something of great value to offer those around them, even though it sometimes takes a great deal of patience to get at that something.

…that offering our own something to those around us is of the greatest satisfaction and relief.

…that if you are willing, you will always be surprised by life and the people around you.

Mini-wheats

They are among the more satisfying of treats/snacks/meals. That you could place them in any one of those categories makes them even better. I am currently snacking on them. But they are also almost automatically a treat because of the sugared frosting on them.

The only problem is that whenever I eat them, I get this song stuck in my head. I defy my readers to avoid getting it stuck likewise .