Realization

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V-Day, Cookies, and Chaos

So, V-Day. Valentine's Day. The day I'm SUPPOSED to be miserable and single and all that. But, I'm seeing this guy and we went to a vineyard in Malibu, which was pleasant. Nothing ushy-gushy. Good bottles o' wine, some good jazz, and back home.

Monday, I went to cook for some family friends.

Turkey Meatloaf (using TVP for filler. I wonder how it tastes!)
Chinese Chicken Salad (Salted Cabbage base, with Marinated Chicken!)
The Brilliant Eggface Cheesecake
I also chopped up a ton of veggies for 'em, and made 2 batches of cookie dough to make hamantaschen with. It's your basic cookie dough recipe. However, in order to keep it non-dairy, I had to use MARGARINE. Ugh. Trans-fat central. But whatever, I do as asked.

I did however, make 3 more batches of it today. And for two batches, I accidentally put two TABLESPOONS of baking powder, instead of teaspooons. On Tuesday, I'll make one more batch sans baking powder and mix 'em together. Whoopsie-daisies.

I got called in last night to teach preschool this morning (Wednesday) and through the rest of this week. I had to rearrange SO many things, but everyone's understanding (sans my trainer, who's charging me anyway, but even so), and I need the work!

I keep realizing how expensive my food intake is. I don't eat much. I don't. But what I DO eat is really GOOD food. Grass-fed beef and chicken, raw milk, organic vegetables, the best protein powder ever, and fresh mozzarella cheeses. Stupid stuff adds up. I'm trying to eat more at home, and pack my lunch because it's still cheaper than eating out. I'm trying to cut corners where I can. Not that I'm good at it, but trying is the operative word here.

Staying at my Mom's for a few days because work is *that* much closer. Hey, an extra 15 minutes of sleep and less traffic? I'll take it.

Mom & I had the spicy beef stew, veggies, and I had a protein ball for dessert. Seriously, these things are the shit.

Viande and Verite

Hmm, I don't have les accents francaises, but whatever. My written French sucks.

Anyway, life has been stressful. Some shit I never expected came back to haunt me, but that's okay. So tonight, I cooked. I'm a fairly neat chef, so it's not a war zone, but I could use some people to eat. And by eat, I mean nibble. I get protective of my vegetables after I've spent so long chopping, salting, and roasting. Wouldn't you?

So tonight's stress-out cooking included:

Spicy Beef Stew (in zee slow cooker, with a beef knuckle bone. YUM. I think). Hence, the Viande.

Roasted:

• Asparagus
• Eggplant
• Carrots
• Butternut Squash

We also have Mashed Turnips. Note to self: Go back to Rutabaga. They LOOKED like Rutabaga, but oh, I was wrong!

Pickled Beets. Well, they're not "pickled" yet.
5 Minute Chocolate Protein Cake I tripled it. Why, I'm not sure, but I wanted to make it big enough for a container I bought. That I can't find a picture of. Eh. So a lot of protein cake on me is good because it fills me and makes me pretend I'm eating chocolate bread.

I went to the farmer's market (no, really? With some crazy shit happening in my kitchen?), got spankin' new brakes, and then came home to cook. I thought about going out, but I'm tired.

Tomorrow I'm packing a picnic, and so far the menu looks like this:

Roasted Eggplant, Peppers, and Mozzarella on Sourdough
Asparagus
Arugula dressed with lemon and parmigiana.
Oranges

Hitting up a winery, I'll definitely need food.

I'm thinking of making a barley salad, but I think I might be getting tired. But I feel like I should have another "side" dish. Eh, I'll see.

I think I'll go hard boil some eggs and finish the carrots.

Update! The beef stew is YUMMY. And spicy. I mean, it called for one jalapeno and 1 tbsp of curry powder. But I use this Maharajah Curry Powder, and it's incredible. Also, I put in black pepper. I put in some flour, it's thickening a titch as it cools down, to be placed in a zillion portions in the freezer and fridge. Which reminds me, I need to eat the Chicken Provencal I made the other day.

Observation! So, as many of you know, I live in a weird world. But it works. So he invites his friend Sid over for dinner and to play chess. I think he and Sid have dinner and hang out often because they're so old. Sid is 90, I believe, and my father will be 79 in March. Sid's definitely...eccentric, but whatever, they have companionship.

So the situation is this. See that menu up there? It's what I've been DOING while they sit and talk and argue. We don't really interact TOO much, which works for me.

Anyway, I put some veggies in the oven to roast...and the buzzer eventually goes off. Now, from my room, I can sometimes hear it. It's faint. If you're in the kitchen, where they are, it's LOUD. OBNOXIOUS. BUZZING. Worse than an alarm clock, trust me. And they aren't even AWARE it's going off. At all. When I come in to turn it off, they got no clue. They're so immersed in their chess and lives, they have no awareness.

BUT, get this. Then I come in and take the top off the stew. Two minutes.

Sid: What's cooking?

Amazing. Three buzzers, lots of fussing in the kitchen, NADA. Maybe there's something to be said for the olfactory sense being the most instinctual and tied to memory!

5 Chocolate Day

No, really. I had 5 different types of CHOCOLATE, not including my Rocky Road protein bar, because that would just ruin the concept.

In order:

3:25 Got free sample of "Choklat Crunch" at Vitamin Shoppe. Yummy. Not the best (hey, it's a fake barely nutritious chocolate bar), but TOTALLY will satisfy my next chocolate craving.
8:00 Mole Chicken Tamale @ an amazing restaurant called "Guelaguetza". Amazing. Yay for leftovers tomorrow!

9:00 At Artwalk LA I feel in love with two pieces of art. I also tried a raw cacao/gogi berry "truffle". Eh. But good try!

10:30: 1 mini cupcake from Big Man Bakes/(and I mean MINI. Like, the width of a quarter). Just the right amount.

11:00 Jeff gives me a bite of chocolate to try. Lindt's Pear and Almond. Nice try, Lindt, but getting that over the top pretentious chocolate into stuff I can buy at a drugstore. RUINING unique chocolate pairings!

Can't wait to have the mole again tomorrow!

The 5 AM Update

So I'm really making it a point of getting in bed before midnight these days, thanks to long days of...life. And sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the sleep cycle. 7.5 hours. I'll get another 2 in, but still.

Anyway, yesterday might have been a crash/burn type of day, but I'm pleased to say that despite a bit of stress in the morning, I survived.

Backstory: I needed tires. Not one, not two, but THREE. So, if that's the case, you may as well get 4 and suck it up. I've been playing the "pray it doesn't burst and fill with air every day" game at the gas station in Westwood.

So yesterday, I decided to drive Frida (my car) down to Pep Boys. She didn't make it. One tow later, and more money than I can humanly comprehend, I have 4 new tires and a new spare. I feel like I might have been "taken", but my even my Mom was like "Shira, suck it up. You need TIRES, this is a safety issue, and frankly, it's a valid purchase". I just get frustrated when I have NO CLUE what's going on. I knew what kind of tires I needed...and that was it. Balancing, aligning, rotating....I don't get this stuff! Next up on Saturday? Brakes. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. However, given some previous history, if they need replacing, I need to replace them. Goodbye, money.

The personal chef thing went over well. Except for the fish. Me and the woman who hired me, Linda, LOVED it. Everyone else thought it stunk to the high heavens. So maybe botija olives were overkill? Who knows.

I'm completely addicted to Kay's Protein Cookies. Um, YUM! And that is all. Enjoy the BUZZ.

New Music Fave

Download and Listen:

Tamar Korn and the Cangelosi Cards. Actually, I don't think she distinguishes herself, but she's amazing and gorgeous.

The sound is 1920's Edith Piaf Andrews Sisters Bluegrass.

I can't...there was a crowd of 5 of us, 2 couples. 3 of us bought CD's. Just stunning.

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/krq9s4

Personal Chef, Plan....

Barley & Apricot Salad
Baked Chicken Thighs
Smoked Paprika and Tomato Chicken
Shelly's Ricotta Cake
Salted Cabbage Salad
Roasted Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, and Eggplant