You all know this Facebook note that was popular a few years ago: write 25 things about yourself that nobody knows. I did this note on February 4, 2009. Many things have changed since then in my life. I'm inspired to do this after reading a friend's and learning things about her, and also after watching a few episodes of If You Really Knew Me. I agree that you may not care about these things, but one of my new years resolutions was to live honestly and openly. Read on if you want, and if not, that's ok.
If You Really Knew Me, You'd Know That...
1. I am single and have been for close to 18 months. I'm a relationship person for sure, but for 6 months now I think I've found my groove and am content on my own. However, I always think fondly of past relationships and wonder if anything as awesome will ever happen again. In short, I accept.
2. I'm recently vegetarian and despite how much I get made fun of for it by coworkers and some family members, I'm happy with my new lifestyle. I feel more balanced, healthier and more knowledgable about what I eat.
3. I don't own a TV, but instead shamelessly stream and download the following TV shows from the internet: Glee, ANTM, House, Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, HIMYM and Jersey Shore. When the season airs, I watch The Bachelorette with one of my girlfriends every week.
4. If I wasn't in grad school for biochemistry, I'd be in culinary school.
5. I've been practicing yoga for 8 months and it has changed my life. If under a year I can achieve what I've achieved, I can't imagine what I'll be able to do in the years to come. This challenge both intimidates and excites me.
6. Despite my best meditative efforts, the same thoughts run through my head on a regular basis: Do I look ok? What do people think of me? Did I eat all my vegetables today? Did I exercise today? Did I forget to do anything in the lab? Did I miss any appointments today? When I can I go yoga next and am I improving? Am I really happy with what I've learned over the last few years?
7. I am slowly coming to terms with the way my body was made and will always be, but I have two sore points that I am constantly checking in the mirror. My stomach is flat for the top "4-pack" but bulges out funny at the bottom, such that shirts look funny on me and pants don't quite fit me right. My breasts are too big for my figure, and I get stared at a lot and it makes me uncomfortable. I have seriously considered breast reduction surgery.
8. My favourite parts of my body are my eyes and smile, my calves, the top of my stomach and my shoulders. I get lots of compliments on my smile and it makes me happy.
9. I have no idea what I'm going to do after my grad studies are over, so much so that I'm staying in Kingston for a few more years to complete a PhD. Ideally, I'd like to find a job that will pay well enough to sustain a comfortable lifestyle, and I'd like to become a mother one day. If I can do this and produce happy children, then I'll be happy too.
10. I sometimes feel that my world moves more slowly than the world of others around me. Many friends of mine are out travelling, working abroad, starting "real" jobs and getting married. I believe it's "grad school syndrome" but I feel I have achieved none of those things in the same amount of time. I feel much less accomplished than I did in high school, which I realize now meant very little in the grand scheme of things.
11. I miss my violin. I used to play in concert halls...with orchestras...I used to teach...work on the grandest pieces. My violin is under my bed, and I have my memories.
12. I am proud that I've managed to remain friends with almost everyone I've had shortcomings with. Relationships, "relationships," fall-outs with friends, unfortunate misunderstandings with groups of friends... the common thread is that I initiated conversations in an attempt to apologize and heal the situation, I emailed and called, and I lost sleep over the potential loss of my friendships. I am grateful that 95% of misunderstandings have smoothed themselves out, and I am slowly realizing that the other 5% were never meant to. I am proud of myself for not giving up on my relationships and wanting their memories to endure in a positive way for everyone involved.
13. I wish I was a better dancer. If I had realized how much I love to dance earlier in life I would have taken lessons. I want to take a hip-hop class this semester, and I not-so-secretly love those silly Step Up-type movies.
14. I have dance parties alone at home all the time. I put on my favourite tunes and pretend I'm in a dance movie and or a Beyonce music video. I'm not embarrassed.
15. I know I will have cancer some day. I've started to mentally prepare myself for what is to come. This is part of the reason I have recently started taking good care of myself and my body. This body will not be healthy forever, so I'm nurturing it now.
16. I feel that my life would be rendered meaningless if I found out I was reproductively challenged and could not have children. I would lovingly adopt but I am in awe of the female body and what it can do, and I want to be able to make life in this way.
17. I would love to be able to complete one of those intense solo survival expeditions as part of a character-building outdoor camp. This would be a great accomplishment for me.
18. If I could play any instrument other than the violin, it would be the cello or the double-bass. Yo-Yo Ma is exceptional and his music makes me super emotional.
19. I am terrified to TA my first lab tomorrow. I love to teach and would adore for the students to want to learn from me and ask me exciting questions.
20. I'm a passionate foodie, but I'm not great at making a lot of recipes (especially gnocchi. I've failed twice at making it now). For Christmas I'd like a copy of The Joy of Cooking so I can learn basic skills. I want to be like one of those wonderful Italian mothers who cooks everything from scratch and derives the most joy from feeding her family.
21. I am a work in progress. I think I'm on the right path towards who I will become, but I am in a transition phase right now. There is no better word to describe how I feel about a lot of things these days than "limbo."
22. For lunch tomorrow I really want an avocado, roasted pepper, and tzatziki pita. I fear this may not be possible since my avocados are refusing to ripen. Dinner will likely be perogies and salad.
23. My sleep patterns have dramatically changed over the summer. It's 10pm and I will be asleep within the hour, and I have set my alarm for the comfortable hour of 6:30am. Most days I wake up by 6:00am. In undergrad and last year, I wasn't in bed until at least midnight and was up around 7:30am, sometimes 8:00am. Yesterday I got to sleep in comfortably until 8:30am, but only after I got up at 4:30am to feed my crying kitten.
24. If I could choose the colour of my bedroom walls, I would pain them light asparagus green. Accent colours would be white and black. There would be black and white photography on the walls and beautiful candles and vases everywhere. I would have a white duvet and 500 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. The floors would be hardwood and I would have a nook near a bright window for reading.
25. My biggest dreams for the foreseeable and attainable future:
- complete my first unassisted free-standing headstand in hot practice. no walls. no help.
- properly write up and defend my mini-MSc and pass my PhD comp exam
- walk up on stage in 4 years wearing that beautiful red silk robe...ahhh that magical red PhD robe from the university that I love. It is prize upon which I've set my eyes on and its vision is what gets me up every morning.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Drowning in work but never forgetting you all
I'm alive! Yes it's true...I haven't posted in a long time, but alas, "school" has started back up. I'm TAing a lab, my supervisor is demanding perfect prompt yields and the students back in town exhaust me. For those of you who might understand, I share this gem:
That being said, on with the food! I've made a buttload of new things over the last little while, but unfortunately my camera is not always on hand and I'm not always able to write things down. On that note, here are a few recent successes I'd like to share!
Otsu
1 small piece of grated ginger (about a cubic inch)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. vinegar
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
12 oz dried soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
12 oz firm tofu
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1. Cook the noodles until al dente. Drain. Set aside.
2. Drain and dry the tofu thoroughly, then slice into pieces about the size of a small post-it.
3. Cook the tofu in a tsp of oil for roughly 3 minutes on either side, until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a small blender, combine and blend the ingredients for the dressing (from ginger to sesame oil).
5. Combine cooked pasta, cooked tofu, dressing, cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds in a large bowl and toss.
Serve cold for a refreshing and filling snack or meal based on the traditional Japanese cold noodle dish..
Yves Veggie Products - A Review
Recently I was invited to my first BBQ as a vegetarian and I opted for veggie dogs. I love hot dogs, didn't have enough time to make sweet grilled veggie sandwiches, etc., so I went on a search for yummy veggie options. I came across Yves, which I'd been told is a great brand with lots of tasty stuff.
For those of you out there (including my pre-veggie self) who think that the only alternative to meat is tofu, you are wrong! This company has a whole line of meat-less products, including cool stuff like meat-less lunch meat, meat-less stuffed chicken, meat-less italian sausages, and meat-less pizza pepperoni.
So far I'm rather impressed with these products! I've tried the tofu dogs and the pizza pepperoni...
The dogs are GREAT! I'm impressed that for a product with ingredients like tofu, wheat, etc. that Yves managed to retain the flavour and most of the texture. Yes, the texture is a bit unlike meat (aka. a tad chewier, and these dogs are oddly flexible...), but you'd never know by looking at it that it wasn't a regular hotdog. PLUS, these things have a fraction of the fat and garbage that regular hot dogs do, so you can feel decent about having a few. They're also great on their own dipped in mustard, but that's just me.
The pepperoni takes some adjusting to. While the taste and overall look of these little slices is pretty close, the texture of this pepperoni is WAY off. While regular pepperoni is chewy and oily, this stuff is gritty and falls apart pretty easily. I ripped a few pieces trying to get them apart and they look pretty dry compared to their meat counterparts. Clearly they are WAY healthier, but unlike the dogs, here you are definitely sacrificing taste for nutrition.
I used these on pizza and while the taste was great, I missed the ridiculous salty oil that normal pepperoni brings to a slice of cheesy pizza. As the photo hopefully shows, one immediately noticeable difference between meat and meat-less pepperoni is that this stuff really dries out in the oven (this isn't surprising since cooked tofu is slightly crumbly and dry). So while my pizza tastes absolutely delicious, the texture just isn't right, leaving Yves pizza "pepperoni" a bit lacklustre, literally.
A few other random things:
- Work is picking up hardcore so please be patient with me on updates. I'll be posting as often as I can but with the little time I have left to myself after work I always find things to do (I chose to write this instead of cleaning my bathroom)
- Happy Birthday Michelle, the most amazing yoga instructor ever <3
- I'm taking a really healthy veggie approach to solving the issue of an ensuing cold. I don't usually believe in herbal supplements and things of the like (it's like they published studies on their efficacy in important scientific journals or something!) but I'm all about ginger tea and echinacea, plus antioxidants like strawberries, raspberries and cranberries. Regular vitamin C and unfathomable quantities of water and veggies never hurt anyone either. Updates on whether this works or not later...
That being said, on with the food! I've made a buttload of new things over the last little while, but unfortunately my camera is not always on hand and I'm not always able to write things down. On that note, here are a few recent successes I'd like to share!
Otsu
1 small piece of grated ginger (about a cubic inch)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. vinegar
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
12 oz dried soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
12 oz firm tofu
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1. Cook the noodles until al dente. Drain. Set aside.
2. Drain and dry the tofu thoroughly, then slice into pieces about the size of a small post-it.
3. Cook the tofu in a tsp of oil for roughly 3 minutes on either side, until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a small blender, combine and blend the ingredients for the dressing (from ginger to sesame oil).
5. Combine cooked pasta, cooked tofu, dressing, cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds in a large bowl and toss.
Serve cold for a refreshing and filling snack or meal based on the traditional Japanese cold noodle dish..
Yves Veggie Products - A Review
Recently I was invited to my first BBQ as a vegetarian and I opted for veggie dogs. I love hot dogs, didn't have enough time to make sweet grilled veggie sandwiches, etc., so I went on a search for yummy veggie options. I came across Yves, which I'd been told is a great brand with lots of tasty stuff.
For those of you out there (including my pre-veggie self) who think that the only alternative to meat is tofu, you are wrong! This company has a whole line of meat-less products, including cool stuff like meat-less lunch meat, meat-less stuffed chicken, meat-less italian sausages, and meat-less pizza pepperoni.
So far I'm rather impressed with these products! I've tried the tofu dogs and the pizza pepperoni...
The dogs are GREAT! I'm impressed that for a product with ingredients like tofu, wheat, etc. that Yves managed to retain the flavour and most of the texture. Yes, the texture is a bit unlike meat (aka. a tad chewier, and these dogs are oddly flexible...), but you'd never know by looking at it that it wasn't a regular hotdog. PLUS, these things have a fraction of the fat and garbage that regular hot dogs do, so you can feel decent about having a few. They're also great on their own dipped in mustard, but that's just me.
The pepperoni takes some adjusting to. While the taste and overall look of these little slices is pretty close, the texture of this pepperoni is WAY off. While regular pepperoni is chewy and oily, this stuff is gritty and falls apart pretty easily. I ripped a few pieces trying to get them apart and they look pretty dry compared to their meat counterparts. Clearly they are WAY healthier, but unlike the dogs, here you are definitely sacrificing taste for nutrition.
I used these on pizza and while the taste was great, I missed the ridiculous salty oil that normal pepperoni brings to a slice of cheesy pizza. As the photo hopefully shows, one immediately noticeable difference between meat and meat-less pepperoni is that this stuff really dries out in the oven (this isn't surprising since cooked tofu is slightly crumbly and dry). So while my pizza tastes absolutely delicious, the texture just isn't right, leaving Yves pizza "pepperoni" a bit lacklustre, literally.
A few other random things:
- Work is picking up hardcore so please be patient with me on updates. I'll be posting as often as I can but with the little time I have left to myself after work I always find things to do (I chose to write this instead of cleaning my bathroom)
- Happy Birthday Michelle, the most amazing yoga instructor ever <3
- I'm taking a really healthy veggie approach to solving the issue of an ensuing cold. I don't usually believe in herbal supplements and things of the like (it's like they published studies on their efficacy in important scientific journals or something!) but I'm all about ginger tea and echinacea, plus antioxidants like strawberries, raspberries and cranberries. Regular vitamin C and unfathomable quantities of water and veggies never hurt anyone either. Updates on whether this works or not later...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Christmas in September
I'm feeling very homey and warm and cozy today. I had a wonderful quiet peaceful yoga practice later in the evening, enjoyed some mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt watching a bit of House, and I'm about to sit down and make the veggie lasagna for a special dinner guest tomorrow night. You can find the recipe for this lasagna in "I Can't Believe It's Not Beef" on August 12th's post.
I am also feeling Christmasy all of a sudden. It's been cooler out, very windy and dark, and I felt the rush of special dinner preparations today while I was buying lasagna supplies. The switch to almond spice body wash didn't help (I ran out of papaya whatever-it-was-called and this was the only one left...purchased on a whim last winter during a huge sale). I decided to bust out my extra special Christmas-only lotion and rub a little bit on. The Body Shop makes this wonderful vanilla spice body butter that I am utterly in love with. I got a tub of it a few years ago and have been rationing it out carefully ever since. I'm going to last until this year, but thought I'd indulge a bit tonight as I unwind on this one day to myself this week.
Listening to Frank Sinatra's Christmas carols pushed tonight's baking into the holiday cookies realm. I got some beautiful juicy pears at Metro earlier and thought I'd try using this fruit in a baked concoction. I make a killer cobbler with pear and/or peach, but I'd never attempted a delicate fruit cookie. I therefore propose the following:
Spicy Pear Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 350degF.
2. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar untill smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger; mix into batter. Stir in chopped pears, chopped nuts and raisins.
3. Drop about two inches apart by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center springs back when lightly touched. Remove to wire racks to cool.
4. Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spoon icing over cookies.
Love these cookies! They're super soft and tender, and they have the right combination of sweetness and spice. The pears make them moist and lightly flavoured for that perfect sweet-but-not-sickening bite. I really recommend these as an alternate to your traditional chocolate chip or fudge cookie.
I forgot to take a picture and after bringing these to work, I'm certain there won't be any leftover for the photo shoot...
I am also feeling Christmasy all of a sudden. It's been cooler out, very windy and dark, and I felt the rush of special dinner preparations today while I was buying lasagna supplies. The switch to almond spice body wash didn't help (I ran out of papaya whatever-it-was-called and this was the only one left...purchased on a whim last winter during a huge sale). I decided to bust out my extra special Christmas-only lotion and rub a little bit on. The Body Shop makes this wonderful vanilla spice body butter that I am utterly in love with. I got a tub of it a few years ago and have been rationing it out carefully ever since. I'm going to last until this year, but thought I'd indulge a bit tonight as I unwind on this one day to myself this week.
Listening to Frank Sinatra's Christmas carols pushed tonight's baking into the holiday cookies realm. I got some beautiful juicy pears at Metro earlier and thought I'd try using this fruit in a baked concoction. I make a killer cobbler with pear and/or peach, but I'd never attempted a delicate fruit cookie. I therefore propose the following:
Spicy Pear Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 350degF.
2. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar untill smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger; mix into batter. Stir in chopped pears, chopped nuts and raisins.
3. Drop about two inches apart by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center springs back when lightly touched. Remove to wire racks to cool.
4. Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spoon icing over cookies.
Love these cookies! They're super soft and tender, and they have the right combination of sweetness and spice. The pears make them moist and lightly flavoured for that perfect sweet-but-not-sickening bite. I really recommend these as an alternate to your traditional chocolate chip or fudge cookie.
I forgot to take a picture and after bringing these to work, I'm certain there won't be any leftover for the photo shoot...
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