An evening of nothing-- kind of.

I know that I haven't blogged much about things outside of edibles, and I kind of like keeping it that way. Not because I'm afraid to open up (I am an open book, foreal), but because this is the va foodhead blog. Still, I wanted to take some time to tell you what happened today.

Which is nothing.

Well, I guess that's only partially true. I didn't go out nor did I do much around the house, but I spent today thinking in silence. Now that I think about it, I haven't spoken a single word today, and it's 6:45pm. At first, there was a part of me that felt extremely restless as I was lying on my bed and the sun went down. But I wanted to use today to ponder various matters in soledad: how I'm almost halfway through undergrad, what I've achieved, what I've lacked, how easy it is to forget the One who works so mightily in my life, my family, my shortcomings as a sister, daughter and granddaughter. I thought about my childhood and how the world is so different and technologically-crazed now.

My friend Christy posted about a hectic but eye-opening time at the airport right before Christmas, and what she wrote made me took a good look at myself. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own "woe is me"s and in today's ways of "connecting" with people: facebook, myspace, twitter, and yes, even blogging. I do see the value in and advantages of these avenues, but I, like many others, end up getting addicted to the sites for all of the wrong reasons. Creepin on people, complaining about trivial things for the world to hear, reading the latest statuses about people we 1) could get to know better by actually talking to them in real life, or 2) will never actually know or talk to in real life.

While I won't swear off blogging (because, yes, it can be a good way to jot down what's been on your mind, or get caught up with people who are out of reach *coughCHRISTYIMISSYOUPLEASECOMEBACKcough*), I have chosen to take a break from facebook. I'd become a huge creeper, wasted a lot of time when I could've studied or spent time with loved ones, and my mind was so full of junk. When it comes to blogging, I want to make a more conscious effort to write about things that will make myself or someone out there think, smile, remember, or question. Not necessarily something serious, because we all need a lil silliness in our lives. I guess it could be seen as a new resolution, along with being more joyful, more considerate, and less idle. These are my new year's lifelong resolutions.

I know I will surely slip up along the way,

but I'll try not to status update all about it :)

Who says you can't post about peppermint bark after christmas? I used some leftover peppermint bark to make these meringues.

My family enjoyed these very much :) I love baking for and eating with them. Smiles and noms are my fave. These were airy, crunchy, chewy, and sweet. Who else loves fellowship through feasting? Raise yo hands.


No random food fact today :( parents just came home early as a surprise and it's time to eat dinner!

Cheers,
trish

Snow, family, and noms.

Whassup, hooligans?

Long time no blog! My sincerest apologies to the very small number of people who actually read this sad excuse for a site (SARA I KNOW YOU CREEPIN. COMMENT HAEJWO)... For the past few weeks, finals have rocked my world (in a bad way). 5 tests and 3 papers later, I am done for the semester, yezzirrrr. Thank God for pulling me through and always blessing me with so much more than I deserve. I got back to Richmond a few days ago and not a moment sooner because as of last evening it has been snowing nonstop.

I bought a lb of yeast from king arthur flour, which is a GREAT site. For $12 ($5.95 for the yeast itself), you bet I'm saving a lot by not having to buy those tiny packets at the grocery store. I strongly encourage purchasing SAF Red Instant Yeast if you bake a lot of yeast goods, and even if you don't; this stuff keeps in the fridge/freezer for years. Wowwww, tangent!

Sorry. I used some of that yeast to make an adjusted version of these cinnamon rolls for the family, and it couldn't have been easier. Even though I'm not much of a sweets person, these really hit the spot and weren't cloyingly sweet. Well, that's because I cut down on the filling's sugar by half, and it still tasted great. I also decreased the butter. Aaannnd instead of 12 rolls, I rolled them thin enough to make 18 servings so you don't feel as guilty eating one. Instead of cream cheese icing, I just combined a little confectioner's sugar and milk. The recipe calls for a bread machine, but I just did everything by hand. You can do it too!

This one was a little wonky but still DUHLICIOUS!

Cinnamony, soft, chewy, slightly gooey and iced, and unravel-able as any good cinnamon roll should be. Look at these photos and tell me you ain't want some too?

Before I finish, let's play catch up for a second.

Just because I don't blog frequently doesn't mean I don't make food during that time... A lot of the time I'm too hungry or too lazy to whip out my crap point and shoot. I always have my cell phone around, however, and sometimes I snap a pic if I remember. Here are a couple things that have been tickling my fancy:

Baked kale chips. Try it! Super crispy, light, and healthy. Has a nori flavored end-note

Sauteed kale (I was on quite a kale kick) with garlic! Ate it for dinner with ham and egg on baguette.

Cinnamon caramel popcorn

Salted caramel sauce (this was way after and unrelated to the popcorn :| )

I also made some rose-shaped dinner rolls for Thanksgiving..

And my new ink...
Ever since my last entry, I'd been working on this huge description of my tattoos. What memories they stand for, the contemplation surrounding them, why I got them where I did, etc. Then I realized I had written over 3 pages single-spaced, and decided you don't need to know AWL dat. I got a knife and fork on my left and right upper inner arms, respectively. They were done by Mike at Salvation Tattoo here in Richmond, and he is an amazing artist. They don't mean I regard myself as a great cook, because I don't. It's nothing of the "I earned this tattoo" variety. The tattoos remind me of my memories from childhood to recent days, mainly having to do with the food/cooking of my family (this is the part that made my initial draft a NOVELLL). It's more than food. It's about fellowship and thankfulness, love and emotion. Corny sounding, but true to me. My fork's on my right and my knife's on my left (opposite of how most of us would hold them when using both) for specific reasons that take too long to explain.. And for those of you who don't care for tattoos, that's cool too, but expressing that strong dislike to me won't benefit anyone, so spew that somewhere else yo

Random food fact: A standard cinnamon roll from Cinnabon has over 700 calories. The recipe I used had a lot less (so try it).

Cheers,
T


P.S. I'm in the process of switching over to Wordpress, so hold on to your hats.