2011, in review

So, all my previous attempts at writing a year 2011 wrap-up stalled out.  Instead of a couple posts on my year, behold - the year in list! (In no particular order)


- I got married to Mr. Aaron-man, who constantly amazes me with how creatively loving a person can be.  And where one's love is located.  The metatarsal was the latest location of his love for me.    


- I surpassed my goal of reading 26 books in a year by two books.


- Some dear friends and family passed away.  Tim, Amy, and Nanny are dearly missed.


- Favorite dessert I did not make: Honey and Sea Salt Pie at Piebird


- Favorite dessert I made and can remember: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  It is AB's vanilla ice cream with a box (yes, a box) of crunched Oreos


- Favorite meal out: Tie between the Fried Shrimp Gnocchi at Top of the Hill and Chicken Saltimobocca at Tupelo Honey Cafe.  I totally won in ordering food while on the honeymoon.


- Favorite meal I made: Corn and Cheese Chowder...ooh, and Panko-crusted Salmon


- Least favorite meal I made: Any time I made chicken noodle soup.  I am beginning to think I just do not like chicken noodle soup. 


- Favorite book I read: Matterhorn, without a doubt. Even now when I am looking at the shelves for the next book to read, I pause on this one, tempting myself to read it again.


- Least favorite book I read: Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer.  This book, by an author whose work I love, made me so angry.  Krakauer let his personal opinions and beliefs cloud the story and Pat Tillman kind of seemed like a jerk.


- Favorite food find: Gyoza sauce from Trader Joe's


- Product obsessions: Aveeno lotion and Mighty Leaf Tropical Green Tea


- Kitchen tool addition of the year: My blender...and my mandolin...and my salad spinner...wedding presents are the best!


- Household addition: Aaron (duh!)...and our awesome bed of awesomeness, the Tempurpedic. 


- I have too many... Dish towels, wooden spoons, and blankets


- I do not have enough... Things to wear, comfy reading places


- Favorite spot: Caribou Coffee with Aaron after geocaching


- Cutest moment: Haydie-bug flirting with Aaron over Thanksgiving.  (It may have been my BIL being the flower girl at the wedding when Haydie-bug got stage fright, but I was waiting in the wings, and thus unable to see.)


- Least favorite place: Schmacy's housewares department - over and over again


There are probably large chunks of my 2011 year I am missing here, but I think I hit most of the high notes.  2012 is going to be another big year of big changes - graduations, new jobs, maybe new cities, and a whole lot of "who knows" thrown in!

Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potato

Welcome to 2012, long time no see.  Aaron and I are still working out who uses the computer when, so my postings have faltered of late due to that...and becoming mildly entranced with a silly Facebook game (thanks, Fliss).  However, sometimes a dish is so good, even silly Facebook games take a backseat.  Such is the case with Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Potatoes.  


In order to imbue our meals with a little something different, reach that goal of a new dish every month, and because I like trying new things, at the end of every month I pull out all the magazines I have for the next month (end of January, pull out February mags) and check out the recipes.  If something looks tasty, I make a note on a post-it with dish and page, and slap it on the front of the magazine.  At the end of December I went through this routine while most likely watching football and uncovered this treasure of a recipe.  Healthier than most chili, sweet potatoes, and slow cooker.  The only things that would make this recipe more enticing are bacon and avocado, which you are welcome to add on top.


The chili has a great balance of spicy (both heat and spices) with a little sweet kick from the sweet potato.  I also made some great cornbread (secret's in the buttermilk) and added a dollop of sour cream and crunched tortilla chips.  On the chili, not the cornbread.  Perfect football food, perfect cozy winter food.  Even though Aaron would argue it is not winter if there is not 2 feet of snow on the ground.  Fine, perfect below 60 degrees food.  

Oatmeal Obsession

Both Aaron and I enjoy a good breakfast.  For proof  you need go no further than our wedding rehearsal dinner - eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits from Flying Biscuit.  We are breakfast people.  However, weekday breakfasts suffer from a shortage on time.  For awhile I made a smoothie every morning, but with the weather attempting to turn colder, a warmer breakfast was called for.  Enter the oatmeal!  I'd make a serving of oatmeal in the evening - 1/2 cup oats, dash of salt, handful of dried cranberries, and a bit of brown sugar - and add a little water at work to to cook it the following morning.  Unsurprisingly, my taste buds grew rather dull of the same thing day in and day out.  And then I found my oatmeal nirvana - baked oatmeal.

As a general rule in my kitchen, the first time I make a recipe I try to make it by the book.  Unless, of course, I am missing an ingredient or five, then I improvise.  However, I had to change this recipe from the outset - no bananas or pecans for me, thank you very much.  (Sorry Aaron.  But at least you will never have to share your banana nut bread with me.)  The first time I made this oatmeal, I used thawed peaches and blackberries with sliced almonds for crunch.  Very tasty, very purple.  Second go 'round I stayed with the peaches and blackberries, and threw a few blueberries in.  Sadly, this batch contained a small "oopsie" on my part when I did not let the butter cool enough and it scrambled the eggs a little.  

But this last time, oh this last time, baked oatmeal bliss!  I maintained my base of peaches, but upped the amount to about half a bag of thawed peach pieces and remembered to let the butter cool a little before it was introduced to the eggs. And, I used cherries.  They are bursts of tart, flavorful joy in my mouth.  The oatmeal baked perfectly, so it is a little crunchy and a little creamy depending on what area and strata of the oatmeal I got.  (I am still not sold on the almonds, but cannot think of anything else to substitute.  Any ideas?  Pecans and walnuts are not welcomed guests in my mouth.)

I usually bake this up Sunday afternoons and it probably makes 4-6 servings, depending on who is doing the serving.  Boys eat a lot.  This recipe has the potential to be permanently affixed to the fridge through these winter months.  And oh the possibilities.  Apples and cranberries, berries galore, maybe even banana nut for Aaron one of these times.  

Dip, Dip Hooray!

My church had a cookout a couple weekends ago, and I decided to deviate from my normal cookout offerings of desserts and make something savory.  This, of course, to the chagrin of "Weischedad" (a church friend and avid sweets eater), who did not fail in telling me that my spiritual gift is desserts, not vegetables, and that I was in sin because I denied who I am.  Or something.  In truth, making a savory dish was the only chance I had at more than one person (Weischedad) eating what I made. 

I had come across a recipe for Cowboy Caviar a bit ago and kept it one of the filing cabinets of my brain to hopefully use at an appropriate time.  Thankfully, unlike many other things I file in my brain, I was able to recall this one.  One of the things that caught my attention with this was it reminded me of a salsa I have bought at the Farmer’s Market before from Yah’s Best. 

I did not expect the reaction this side would have, and I think it is one of my most highly praised creations.  And I did not even have to cook anything!  People raved about this stuff, asked for the recipe, told me they could just eat that as a meal.  Which I am pretty sure Aaron has done at some point this week.  I am not tooting my own horn, but loudly blasting the horn of this dish.  Seriously, aside from Weischedad the veggie hater, everyone seemed to like it. 

Cowboy Caviar

3 Bell Peppers, Diced

1 Red Onion, Diced

2 Tomatoes, Diced

1-2 Jalapenos, minced (or however much spice you like)

1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

About 24 ounces Zesty Italian Dressing

Chop all that needs chopping (bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro), drain and rinse what needs draining (corn and beans), and mix all the veggies in a big bowl.  Add enough Italian dressing to coat, but not drown, the veggies.  I learned this lesson after my veggies took a swim instead of a wade in dressing.  Chill if not serving immediately. Make sure to buy some tortilla chips as a vehicle for the dip!

31 Before 31

Another year, another list!  This list was fairly quick to put together, in part because there are some repeats from last year that I did not quite get to.  There are a few new ones as well, along with a couple that will be on the list perennially.  More of the items on this year's list will require planning and/or an ongoing effort, which makes it more challenging, and even better when I accomplish it.  So, without further ado, the list!

1. Ride a roller coaster

2. Go to either a professional football or basketball game

3. Go camping with Aaron (in a tent camping) for at least two nights...baby steps

4. Make creme brulee

5. Read 3 books from my compilation "100 Best Books" list

6. Visit a state I have never been to

7. Take the Amtrak with Aaron for a weekend getaway

8. Follow RunTex or Couch to 5K training and run in a 5K (try, try again!)

9. Make Grandmommie's rump roast for a group of friends

10. Throw a movie-themed party, where the food and fun are thematic of the movie we are watching (e.g. Cowboy Spaghetti and playing horseshoes for a spaghetti Western)

11. Figure out how to play Wii Golf (It's my Wii nemesis)

12.  Watch 4 films from my American Film Institute Top 100 movies list

13. Go to the Outer Banks

14. Read the Old Testament in a year

15. Read biographies of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson

16. Spend Christmas and Aaron's birthday with Aaron - for the first time!

17. Eat dessert at Hayes-Barton Cafe

18. Try one new recipe a month

19. Read 26 books over the next year

20. Have people over for dinner 4 times

21. Floss regularly

22. Reach 75 geocaches found (currently at 45)

23. Make different homemade breads 6 times

24. Figure out a workable monthly budget for groceries

25. Put together a jigsaw of more than 1000 pieces

26. Give blood (This is easily the scariest item on the list for me)

27. Visit the Farmers Market once a month for fresh, local food

28. Make a dish with mussels

29. Aaron's choice:  Aaron would like me to write a 6,000 word short story where a key plot point involves a chair.

30. Make paella

31. Create an Easter Egg Hunt for Aaron (He suggested it, I loved it, and so it is)

As with last year, I will make a separate page on the blog to track how I am doing, and post some of the items as I finish them.  

30 Before 30: A Year in Review

When I thought of my list of things to do before I turn 30, I was a little naive in thinking I would accomplish most, if not all, of the items. However, a few things came up that were not on the list that took my time, including a couple I wanted to place on the list but was afraid to. Namely – get married. Yes, I had an inkling that it would occur prior to my birthday, due in small part to a certain “ultimatum” I may have given. Little did I know how unwontedly topsy-turvy my life would become planning said wedding. Not that the wedding planning is to blame for my uncompleted list. There was a small to large degree of laziness and distraction on my part. Which is why I am happy to have a 31 Before 31 list to work on (coming soon!). I still hope to complete all of it, but I now go in with the understanding that life gets in the way at times, and that is okay.

Of the uncompleted items on my list, I am most disappointed in not reading the Bible through. I really wanted to do this, but I pushed it to the side a few too many times, and spending a Saturday once a month playing catch-up was not in keeping with the attitude of the goal. So, I will amend it this coming year in hopes of accomplishing it. There are also a few goals that will show up again for the coming year – running a 5K, visiting a new state, and seeing the Outer Banks, to name a few.

Although I did not complete all the goals, I realized how much I enjoyed planning for them, working to accomplish them, and crossing them off the list. Goal-setting is a process that has challenged me to think outside my comfort zone, and push myself further where I do feel comfortable. It also forces me to look at the smaller steps I need to take in order to reach a greater goal. I am still working on my 31 Before 31 list, but I hope it comes out a nice mix of fun, comfort zone stretching, and challenging.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Without question, Matterhorn is the best book I have read all year. And I am debating whether it beats out last year’s favorite East of Eden. Focused on Second Lt. Mellas and Bravo Company’s actions on and around a small Vietnamese mountain named Matterhorn during the Vietnam War, Karl Marlantes unceremoniously drops the reader into the fray with Mellas as his eyes are opened to what war, politics, home, and the future are in the face of a war with no end in sight.

Matterhorn is a crushingly painful and painfully raw book to read. Good men die, bad men make wise decisions, and the ravages of war show no care as to who it takes or how. Beyond the tension of war itself, there are tensions between race, class, and rank. There were times in the book I became so angry at some of the enlisted men and officers for decisions they made. In one instance, a commanding officer volunteered Bravo to extend their mission, knowing full well they had no food and were low on ammo and would not get more of either in the foreseeable future.

I do not have detailed knowledge of the Vietnam War. It is difficult for me to discern if any of the scenarios Marlantes lays out is absurd or not, but they seem all a little too real from my point of view. The progression of the book is so seamless; I did not realize the subtle changes in perspective until well into it. As I read the book, much like Mellas, I began understanding how things worked and why, and feel the same swing from hope to hopelessness with Bravo Company. Marlantes knows when to gradually part the curtain to some awful truth, and when to rip the bandage off in the most painful fashion.

This is a book that I will continue thinking about far after I finish it. And it is one, too, that will remain on my bookshelf, ready to be reread, for many years to come.