In Case You Were Wondering...

...What I've been doing since August, well here's the rundown you're dying for!

Cooking

The Airman likes to eat out. I like to stay in (stop the giggles, sometimes I do like to stay in). So the compromise (in my head) has been that I cook restaurant quality dishes at home!

Here's a list of some things I've made:

Lobster Mac and Cheese
Molten Chocolate Cake
Chicken Curry
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Beef Borgiugnon
Coq au Vin
Garlic Shirimp with Couscous and Snow Peas

This is just 2013...I can't remember all the yummies from 2012

Knitting

Socks!
Scarves!
Fingerless gloves!
Hats!

Teaching

Fiction Writing to high school juniors and seniors
We read: Barry Hannah, Joan Didion, ZZ Packer, Tobias Wolff, Bret Anthony Johnston, Annie Dillard, Raymond Carver, Anne Lamott, Justin Torres, Joan Silber, Jeffery Eugenides, Russell Banks, Stuart Dybek, Chris Offutt, Edward P. Jones, Dorothy Allison, Joyce Carol Oates, Andre Dubus, Jamaica Kincaid, George Saunders, Denis Johnson, and Ann Rushton

Literature of the Middle East
We read: Midaq Alley by Naugib Mahfouz
We are reading: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal el-Saadawi
We will read: Selections from Tablet and Pen edited by Reza Aslan

I've also been teaching knitting classes at Lovelyarns here in Hampden, Baltimore!

What I've become obsessed with?

Nail Polish!

What I have become REALLY obsessed with?

Subscription boxes.

This may be a good reason as to why I'm always broke. But the Airman get so many packages in the mail! I wanted packages too. I really only subscribe regularly to PopSugar, Birchbox, and Ipsy. Yuzen is new to me and it's only quarterly so I don't feel quite as bad. I got a really cheap intro price for Glossybox so it's not likely I'll keep it after this first one. I've limited myself to $50 a month in boxes. Which is what I'd spend on going out for a night.

Note: I'm including links. If you subscribe through my links I might get some kind of credit. I apologize in advance for making you obsessed too...

PopSugar Must Have
Birchbox
 Ipsy MyGlam
Yuzen


What I've Read:

See above under teaching and tack on a whole lot of high school essays.
Also:
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
And I recently re-read The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer.

The Next Big Thing or The Next Thing

My friend Ann Rushton, yes, that lovely and talented Ann Rushton, tagged me on this writerly project and I promptly dropped the ball. I'm finally picking it up today. Expect a couple of posts throughout the day.

According to Ann:

(This is my limited understanding of this phenomenon: Writers are tagged and asked to write about their current projects and then tag other writers to do the same the following week. Surely you’ve seen this. If not, I am sad to report that googling may not be helpful, as I’ve also seen this project referred to as The Next Big Thing and other questions have been asked of other writers so maybe ultimately this has turned into a version of an internet telephone game.)

Okay. So here it goes. I'm going to answer some questions about my novel-in-progress.   Expect this to be awkward and vague. I'm (not really) sorry.

TNBT: What is the working title of the book?

What We Have Lost
            What We Have Found

I totally imagine that this is how the title will look on a book cover one day. Or maybe not. I don't know.

TNBT: Where did the idea come from for the book?

When I graduated from college I scribbled a lot of paragraphs about a couple named Sherry and Roger and domestic misery. At the time I was writing a lot about Sherry toying with the idea of committing suicide. The scene I wrote had her packing a suitcase as if she were going to take a trip, and then sitting in her car in the garage while the engine ran. She would stop the car when she felt a little dizzy and then go back into the house and unpack the suitcase. Those scenes have all been cut (maybe they'll come back??) but around that idea I give S. and R. a family. It's more fun to write a family self destructing. I've also been inspired by numerous people I've encountered, stories I witnessed and stories that have been told to me.
 
TNBT: What genre does your book fall under?
 

Literary fiction.  Domestic fiction. Fiction.

TNBT: What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Ugh. I have no idea. I went on a House of Cards bender last weekend and I think the actress who plays the young journalist would be good for Claire, she's young, ambitious in all the wrong ways, and pretty but not stunning. I would cast Michael K. Williams in everything. I would even change the lead male into Omar if I could be friends with him. But he's a little too young. 

TNBT: What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

  

A kid dies, a family self-destructs, let's all talk about race and class!  

TNBT: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

General wonderment and curiosity.

TNBT: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Adultery! Race! Class! Teen pregnancy! Guns! Summer houses! And then somebody gets married!!
What's not to love?

TNBT: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Well, first I should finish writing it. I hope some agent will take an interest and represent the work. I'd like to think that if I can complete something I'm proud of, it will have a life outside of my computer's hard drive.

I'm going to tag May in the Bay maybe she'll have some time??

Keeping it Simple

I'm not sure how I feel about re-entering the blog world. I have not been doing a great deal of writing. In fact, the only writing I've done in the last 6 months has been the multitude of letters of recommendation I am required to write for my students. I don't mind writing them, some of them are challenging while many others are quite easy to pen. I take pride in those letters, after all, I spend hours crafting each one. But let's be clear, it's not fiction.

For a long time I haven't really had the desire to write. I thought I would get inspired by having one of my Iowa classmates living in the same house with me. It might have inspired a little jealousy ( I wish I had mornings to write--technically I do--I have the five o'clock hour, I just lack a lot of motivation). I thought having a boyfriend (The Airman) remind me that I could be writing, when I say that I am bored, would be a motivation. I mean, who wouldn't want a boyfriend that was super supportive of your artistic endeavors? He's great but, sometimes it's easier to just turn the television on.

I had great plans to write over the winter break. I was looking forward to it, I even set a goal. I would finish the novella I started two years ago, thus completing a major part of my novel. Then my car got stolen and I learned that I didn't have enough insurance to cover the repairs when it came in (I still don't have my car but it's going to the shop on Monday!!) Car-less and semi-broke=depression which =no writing which=more depression. This spring break, without a car has kind of felt the same.

Yesterday, I wrote. I hopped in a taxi and I met a colleague from school at a local coffee shop and  from 8 in the morning until about 11 we wrote. It felt good to start thinking about my characters again, to give them a voice when they've had none for five months or more. I didn't put out the highest word count but I looked over the novella and started writing the end of the first half of the book. To be honest, the ending has eluded me for a long time, but yesterday it started to fall into place.

So I'm writing again. I think a morning session and a blog post constitutes as "writing again".  I will do a little work this afternoon before the Airman comes home today. I think he'll be happy for me. I'm happy for me.

I'm on a recipe roll!

The Airman's sister knows I like to post photos of the food I cook on Facebook  so she invited me to join a group where people do exactly that. I'll admit that I was pretty standoffish for for the first few months definitely a lurker more than anything. Then, for some unknown reason I got kind of competitive. The more I looked at other people's postings the more I thought, "My dinner is better than that!" What can I say, I'm kind of an asshole. So, I started posting me meals this past week. I'm a pretty good cook and lately, recipes on the internets have not been satisfying my taste buds. Earlier this week I posted my recipe for Spicy Pork Stew and Cheese Grits. Today I give you Moroccan Spiced Chicken with Toum.

Food and Wine  had a recipe for Moroccan Chicken that was way too busy (I'm sure it's delicious). So I cut out all the steps except for the  mixing the butter and all the spices together and then coating the chicken with the mixture inside and out. I also, for good measure, put a lemon in the cavity of the chicken. I have this terrible habit of basting my chicken with melted butter. So there's that too. I don't use too much--no need to clog all the arteries but I also like to put a last coat on the bird when it comes out of the oven.

Toum on the other hand, is something I was taught to make by my good friend and wifey extraordinaire, Manal.

I could eat this stuff all day. In fact I only made the chicken because of the Toum. Toum is a a Lebanese dipping sauce and to be honest I have no idea what the exact amounts of any ingredient used so I'm giving approximations.

Labna (in English, it's often written as Labni) is a Kefir cheese (basically a really think yogurt) Toss the entire contain in (i think the one I got was 16oz) a food processor.

Start with 5 cloves of garlic, peel them and toss them in.

Add a teaspoon of salt and a a tablespoon of olive oil.

A squeeze of lemon juice (I forgot this last night and no harm was done)

Blend until smooth.

Taste: It should have a spicy garlicky kick and it should not taste overwhelmingly like yogurt. This is probably not the best way to describe the flavor because I know other places online will say you can use any old Greek yogurt...Trust me, you can't. So if it's still tasting like yogurt add some more garlic and salt to taste.

Serve with the chicken and pita. It will change your world for the better.

My first recipe: Spicy Pork Stew with Cheesy Corn Grits

I'm not an expert cook but I can follow a recipe.

Yesterday morning I woke with a taste for spicy pork stew. I've never made spicy pork stew....I've never even had spicy pork stew. But that's what I wanted! So I spent a good hour in the morning (and a little bit of time at the end of the day at work) looking for a recipe.The Food Network, Food and Wine, Williams-Sonoma, and Martha Stewart all had some good recipes but nothing stood out. That, and my local market didn't have any tomatillos. So....I did what any self-respecting lady would do. I made it up.

Here are your ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs of boneless pork. ( I used boneless pork ribs because they were on sale and because they are delicious)
1 cup of corn grits (I like the Bob's Red Mill brand. You can find it in the natural foods aisle of the market)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 tbs of half and half
4 medium sized red potatoes diced
1 can of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom (i just tossed in a cardamom pod because again, that's all I had)
16 oz of canned tomatoes Muir Glen is my preferred brand.
4 garlic cloves minced
1 small red onion minced
1 -2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
vegetable oil
flour to coat the pork
1 cup of stock

Step 1: Cut your pork into medium sized cubes and pour the cider vinegar over the pork to cover. Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.

Step 2. While the pork is marinating cut up your potatoes, onion, and garlic

Step 3: Heat some oil in a pan, then cover your pork with a light dusting of flour. Shake off the excess flour and brown the meat in the pan. Remove the pork and set aside

Step 4: (if you want, you can de-glaze your pan with a little bit of red wine) I added a little more oil to the pan and then added in my garlic and onion. Let it cook until fragrant and then add in your spices. Mix well before adding in your tomatoes.

Step 5:Add your pork back into the pan. Mix well. Add in your cup of stock, the chipotle chillies and  your potatoes.*I used veggie stock but I would have preferred to use chicken stock but I forgot to buy it.

Step 6. Cover and let it simmer over a medium hear for about an hour and a half.

I tossed in a little bit of salt and extra cumin but you should add seasonings that you  prefer.

I was going to serve this with jasmine rice but....my roommate took that with him when he moved out (it's okay, it was his). Then I was going to use regular old white rice but.....I think it had been in the cabinet for a long, long time. So I used corn grits instead. Cheesy corn grits to be exact.

Cheesy Corn Grits

Cook according to package instructions when they're done add in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of half and half.

YUM.


Sorry that there aren't any pictures. It was delicious.

Take Your Novel to Work Week

The header says it all. It's officially Take Your Novel to Work Week. Gonna. Get. It. DONE!


That's all.

Hello Knitting!

For some reason, knitting has taken a backseat in my life this last year. I think this is in part to the incredibly challenging year I had balancing teaching with college guidance work. Partly because I'm in love (and no, I have not knit for him. I believe in the sweater curse....), and lastly I've felt uninspired. But then people I know started having babies (lots of babies, like four people impregnated in the last year...must be something in the water). Of the four people we/I know, I've knit for approximately 1 baby. Needless to say, I'm far behind. To get out of my knitting slump, I went to my LYS Lovelyarns in Hampden and asked if I could teach a class.

First, let me say that I love this shop. It reminds me of the places back in Iowa City where I spent so much of my time (and money). The people who shop there are wonderful, the owner, Sue, is awesome, and it's exactly the kind of place where you would want to sit for a few hours and knit.

Sue agreed to let me teach and voila! I'm knitting again! And I'm remembering how much I loved to knit in the first place. My class is over but I'm still knitting. I had amazing students (One brought muffins. MUFFINS!) and we had a great time. I'm teaching the class again in September and with any luck I'll be teaching a Fair Isle class come winter timer.

I have some knitting goals: Finish three baby sweaters (one for my niece, one for Jen and Patrick's baby, and one for Alyssa and Jay's baby). I need a warm weather knitted item for a Baby Waika in Los Angeles. It must be uber-fashionable because he lives in L.A. and babies there are incredibly fashionable.  I also need to finish a scarf I began making two weeks ago and a scarf I started two years ago....I'll post pictures when they're all complete. I'm working on three of these at once but it's nice to move back and forth. Keeps the knitting love alive!