Giving Food a Complex

I frequently read Andrew Zimmern's blog on MSP MAG's website. He is a local chef\food critic\blogger here in the Twin Cities. You might have seen him on Leno or The Today Show. If you watch the Travel Channel, you would have seen him on his tv show called, Bizarre Foods.
Anyway, today on his blog he has a link to the hottest foods nominated by chef's through the National Restaurant Association. Anyway they do an annual "What's Hot What's Not" chef's survey. I know that these are food items that chef's are using to serve to the growing palete's of Americans, but it made me think about how the food feel about all of this. So right now if you are a pomegranate you are top dog if you are let say a lowly orange you're nada! Or let's say you are the new uber-trendy edamame, you're feeling pretty swell coming in at #7 on the veggie list, but what about good ol' brocoli? How does that make him feel? Or imagine if last year you were at the top of your game and this year, due to food snobs everywhere, you didn't even make the list! You ask what is the hottest food right now, Bite-sized desserts! Hello petit-fours! However, are you giving grandma's homemade apple pie a complex??? Pie did make the list, albeit at a loser 185 on the list. What was their last pick, the one that barely made the list: Soda\Carbonated beverages. Hello people, it's all about flavored water! DUH!

No shopping for a year?

After sitting down and looking at what i spent last year... i found that i spend so frivolously at times. And yet, I don't think anything of it, because it is just a lipgloss here, or a funky pair of socks there. What is $3 in the grand scheme of things? Actually it adds up to a lot! I try not to think that I buy into the whole consumerism thing, but I really do in little ways. Yes, I am good at shopping the clearance sections of Target, and I try to never spend full price on clothes and misc... it really is those darn little things that i purchase in a moment of weakness. So I was thinking about stopping and maybe taking a break from it. Ok, so stop freaking out, you will all get your stinkin' birthday presents! But I mean shopping for myself. However, shopping for others, making homemade items, freebies and bargains are all on the OK list.
Funny thing, on the front page of the Star Tribune there was an article all about No Shopping for a year, or really, not buying anything new for a year. People have made a pact not to buy one new thing this year, except for food, underwear, personal products and misc household supplies. They can still buy things, but not brand spankin' new. Sounds good to me! But even then, for me it's not about buying new, i mostly shop sales anyway, but it all goes back to those $3 mini purchases that add up for goodness sakes! Oh and this also includes fast food for me. I find that on most days, its quick and fast to get a cup of chili at Wendy's than it is to pack my own lunch. Or maybe just a burger at burger king once in awhile. What is $2.00 here and there? What is a subway sandwich or some chipoltle when i'm lazy... well it's a lot of money over a year! Yes, I went through my itemized bank statement just to see how much I spent last year on take-out.. and it added up well into the hundreds! It really does add up, and I had no idea until now. So this year will be fast-food take out free! The exception is eating out with friends, that is ok. But lattes and bagels and double decker taco's are off limits! I think this will also make a dent in my debt reduction and my waist line!
Well ok, I forgot one thing. When St. Patrick's day rolls around, I be slurping my Shamrock Shake at McDon's... That I will not say NO to!

Babies 'R Us!

I have been immensely enjoying these last few days before i go back to work. Yesterday was a very leisurely day of doing not much of anything. Last night i went over to Ellen & Sarah's place for a game night party. It was a good group of people, many of whom I just met this past year. Which is pretty fun, considering this time last year I knew none of the people at the party. I am really big on remembering where i was at a certain point in the past. Some people say I might live a little too much in the past. But really, It is a good way to see where you were and mirror it to where you are now. Sometimes I am in the same place, many times I find myself different. I admit, I am nostalgic, remembering dates and places and moments. Maybe I'm just a really big "moments" person more than anything. I try not to live in the past, but I like to keep the good memories and learn and grow from the bad ones.

Anyway, last night we played Apples to Apples and then we played Fact or Crap. Both are not very competitive games, but they both make you think. By the end of the night we played 2 Truths and a Lie. Which basically you tell 2 true things about yourself and one made up one and then people guess which one is the lie. Some of my truths and lies were:

1. I have a row of mini-teeth behind my big teeth

2. I was a wrestling cheerleader in High School

3. I have my pilot's licence

Can you guess which one is the lie? :)

Today I met two really swell gals at Nina's on Selby Ave. I really like that place, it is right next door to one of my favorite restaurants, W.A. Frost. (Get the Duck!)

The ladies I am speaking of are Sarah and Megan, again 2 people I did not know a year ago. How fun is that! And now I consider them some of my goodest friends. We chatted for a couple of hours and it was lovely. I am so excited for Megan and the birth of her daughter! She will be soon adopting a baby girl... could be any day! We have been praying for Megan and her hubby Jake for about 7 months now as they began their adoption process, and it is amazing to see God giving good gifts of a baby girl! (I love alliteration!) Anyway, I know that Megan is going to be a wonderful mother and I told her that she would be receiving endless 'Hot dishes' from me! (Casseroles for you non-Minnesotans) But I will make them yummy and not weird, and of course no jell-o dishes either (Kelly has taught me well!)

Actually God is really answering prayers in the baby department. In fact, my friend Jeanelle and her husband are due to have a baby in June and my BFF Rachel got pregnant very easily this time around and is due in July! God does answer prayers, they are all evidence of this! Gotta love them prego momma's and their little buns in the oven. :)

Here is a blast from the past: Me, 5 years ago at the age of 26! I think I looked older at 26 then I do as I am turning 31? What gives? Maybe I am one of those people who ages backwards? Which I guess when I am 60 I will look like a babe, literally! :) My old roommate Holly Wood (and yes that is her given name) took this of me, but I can't remember why? Maybe for something to do with my student I.D. card for travelling through Europe? Anyway, 26 was a good year and a great time in my life, very few worries and a happy heart. For fun I just got done reading my journal for the year I was 26. These were the highlights: I FINALLY finished my bachelor's degree, I travelled throughout Europe, My best friend Rachel got married, I took my first road-trip with Kyle and Kelly, and Kyle actually said more than 2 words to me! I really really liked 2 boys, "B" & "D" and had a fun time chillin' with both of them, even though I was majorly confused it was a blast. I met my future boyfriend "J", and have good memories of meeting him and being friends before any drama happened years later. I liked my job, I loved my house I lived in and my neighborhood. And I had good friends, and the world was my oyster and anything was possible. At least that is the impression my journal gave me. Oh to be 26 again!

Time for some Love!

It is time to take down the Christmas decorations and move onto the next holiday; Valentine's Day. My place looks rather bare without the garland and the trees. But Life must go on, and so Valentine's it is.

Yesterday, Kelly and I brought some lunch over to Heather's place. It was a lovely day chatting with these great girls, talking about JUNO and life. Kelly made an awesome Thai Pizza, YUM! We also had a great time when Heather left to go pick up her son Miles at Pre-school. As she was going out the door, I heard a rather strange noise coming from little Asher. And I must admit Heather went out the door quite quickly after that, hmmmm? :) Well it turned out that Asher had a diaper blow-out, so Kelly and i set to work looking for new diaper and clothes. Team Work! Asher is such a sweet baby that it's not a big deal at all to clean up his poop!

Well my vacation is quickly coming to an end. Only three more days of freedom. Kyle asked me the other night if i was getting bored on my vacation and if I was anxious to get back to work. AS IF! I am never bored being at home, having the freedom to come and go as a please and of course staying up very late every night and sleeping in every day! What Rapture, What Joy! Me Bored? NEVER!

Sewing and Soup

Today as I was out and about, enjoying another wonderful day off of work, I decided to go into a Hancock Fabrics store. There I got lost in the isles of fabric and trim. I used to be an avid sewing lover, making all sorts of blankets, dresses and purses. But in the recent past, I have put aside my sewing machine and moved onto knitting. However, walking around all the fabric inspired me to make some pillows. I always find that pillows are so darn expensive, and making them yourself is so much cheaper. So I opted for a red and white flower pattern that was in the clearance bin, $1.00 for 3 yards! And some white fur dot pattern that was 50% off! Gotta love the deals! I also learned this neat little trick for making little pinwheel appliques.

When I am finished with a bunch of them, i will sew them onto another pillow. So for $20 I made 3 pillows! Not bad! It's a great feeling to work with my hands... And although I have tiny hobbit fingers, I do marvel at what i can do with them. Fingers are amazing! After sewing, I set to making a pumpkin soup for my cousins. I invited them over as a way to thank them for the wonderful pumpkin soup tureen and bowls.

I made some Tastefully Simple Beer Bread, Spicy Homemade Brownies and of course the Pumpkin Soup, which was a Thai-Spiced. mmmm! Delish! The recipe can be found here, but i cheated and used 2 cans of pumpkin, much easier that way! Kelly looked cute as a bug with her new hairdo, and since she wouldn't let me take a photo, she looked a lot like Deb from Napoleon Dynamite!

I have been having many requests about my NEw Years Eve festivities, what I did, where I went, who i kissed... I will tell you that I stayed home and didn't go out.... Just Kidding! I was with my HS Home girls whooping it up. There was Chinese Food and Jason Mraz and a Party in Prior Lake. Shannon wins the award for best outfit!~ What a Fashionista!

It was a great night, I met a lot of people, and had a total blast. ;)

Happy 2008!

New Year's Eve

This is it, the last day of 2007. In a way I am very happy to put this past year behind me and forge on to a new year. I suppose I could wax poetic about everything that has happened to me this past year. Or i could just say that I didn't just survive this year, but I lived it! That is a good feeling. Although, the first part of the year was the hardest, and saddest... I went through a break-up that should not have been unexpected, but it really caught me off guard, broke my heart and changed my life. The first few days and weeks that followed were like baby steps, teetering and tottering about, falling down and trying to get back up, and man I was so scared. What could the future hold? Could God possibly see this silly sad girl and not only help her but heal her? So many uncertainties! I read yesterday on Nothing But Bonfires about how she was so scared to uproot her life, but what she found was better then what she left behind. I love what she says here and how so very true:
"The thing is, when you’re bracing against something, when you’re resisting it so hard, when your expectations of how it’s going to be are the worst you can possibly imagine: well, something happens. It’s never really that bad."

Oh the truth in that is astounding. What i was most afraid of, and what i thought was going to be the worst time of my life, turned out to be the best time of my life. Filled with happy happy moments with friends new and old and new experiences. And most importantly a time to sit with God and talk and let Him love me and take care of me. It is by His grace that I am where I am... I still have a long (very long) way to go, but the beauty of His never ending love & grace is amazing! A few verses from the Bible, that absolutely got me through the dark times were, Psalm 126 & Zephaniah 3:14-20 .
Well I made it, and I expect to make it through next year and Lord willing the next and next years. I have no New Year's Resolutions. The things I should already be doing like eating healthy and exercising more are things that i continually need to work on. But this year I hope to strive for having less and giving more. Being continually thankful and hopeful for everything God has in store for me.
Happy New Year to you All! I hope this new year finds you blessed and living life to the fullest!

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Snow Bunnies

Somehow between Friday and Last night, I was invited to a random party and somehow i agreed to go. Not that i am against a good ol' party, but this party was at a girl's house that i only somewhat knew from high school. Cindy assured me that it would be fun and that i should go. But as yesterday wore on, Cindy would call me with more details about the party, "Oh did I tell you that you are supposed to bring a white elephant gift?" Ahhh No. And then a few hours later, "Did I tell you that it was going to be a sledding party?" AHHH what? and No?

Nevertheless, I still thought it would be more fun than cleaning, and cleaning all day can get pretty old. So I met up with Cindy, Mike, Shannon, Jaime and John for dinner. We laughed, we laughed more, we had merriment and then we went to the party.

The party was a kitchen party, because for some reason the festivities were centralized to the kitchen, must be a Carver County thing. I didn't really recognize anyone but the host, Jen and that was only because i had seen a recent picture of her. She had quite the assortment of friends, very friendly, very (very) interesting. I wonder if more people recognized me then I them, because Jen was a few years younger than me in school. And typically you remember the people in the grades ahead of you then you do the grades below you. Case in point, I said my name, as just Sabrina, and this guy across the room goes, Sabrina R? and i said, "Yes that is me", (I not really sure who he was) and he just said, Nice. Which I am not entirely sure what "Nice" meant. Although, as we talked I realized that he is married to a sister of a friend from high school. But I also wonder if my reputation had also proceeded me? I wasn't a total rebel in school, but i surely was no saint. You wonder what people remember about you. I hope more good then bad???

We geared up to go sledding, walking an odd number of blocks to a church at the edge of town with a wicked good hill. We laughed, and sledded and watched the boys do crazy death defying tricks, and took swigs from the Santa flask filled with peppermint schnapps. Which was purely used medicinally as a way to keep warm.

I can't remember the last time i went sledding, but I had fun going down the hill with shannon and laughing and screaming. You forget how fun the simple pleasure of sitting on plastic, flying a million miles per hours down a steep snow covered hill. Man life is sweet.

We eventually, tired and frozen walked back to the house of the party, ate some snacks, told some stories and laughed harder and harder over silly things.

I also simultaneously at about midnight got a call from from my crazy kookie cousins kelly and kyle on their way to the casino. (How's that for alliteration?)

We talked about joining them down at "Mistake" Lake, but we were having so much fun, and plus it was almost time for the White Elephant gift exchange. There was a lot of really cool white elephant gifts and you would think maybe i could get one of them. I did have in my possession a 1977 Charlie's Angel's board game, but someone stole that from me. I ended up with a really weird object that i can't quite say for certain if it was what I thought it was, but I think I have an idea of the silliness factor. It was really weird. People are strange!! Hotpockets all of them!

All is well that ends well, around 1:30am I headed home, and when I got home at 2:00am I texted Kelly to see if they won the jackpot, her response was, "No, but hurray for vacation!"

I couldn't agree more!

Tomorrow is the last day of the year. I'm sure i will be in hardcore reflection mode, so be prepared for some deep thoughts from Sabrina.

Best wishes to everyone, Happy New Year!