recipe review: rosemary chicken

y'know how sometimes, after a (long) weekend, you look in the fridge/freezer and realize that you don't really feel like cooking for the rest of the week? you find yourself coming up with basic dinner plans b/c you already know you're not going to the store for any extra ingredients and the thought of expending any more energy than you absolutely have to is just enough to send you over the edge?

yeah, that was me last night. "let's see...boneless skinless chicken breasts...frozen pizza...um, i think there's a box of mac & cheese in the pantry...yeah, that'll work." tonight was chicken night. actually, it was supposed to be leftovers and/or chicken night, but a last-minute remembrance of just how long the leftovers had been in the fridge crossed them off of the list. luckily i'd already finished making this.

a few substitutions on this one: i used 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary instead of fresh, and about 3/4 of a tablespoon of minced garlic instead of chopped, b/c that's what was on hand.

verdict? somewhere b/t meh and nom. i marinated the chicken for 4-5 hours, give/take 30 minutes in either direction. i think i overcooked it a little bit, but in my defense, these chicken breasts were ginormous even after i cut them in half and i was trying to err on the side of caution.

would i make it again? probably. if i'm organized enough, i might even make the arugula and white beans, instead of the salad & mashed potatoes we had tonight.

hope y'all had a good weekend. :-)

dream journals?

any of y'all down with the whole "write down what you remember of your dreams as soon as you wake up" thing? b/c i think i really need to start. i was in the middle of a really disturbing dream and i actually had to wake myself up to snap out of it. at 5am. once i managed to calm myself down, aka stop shaking and borderline freaking out b/c it was only a dream and hopefully none of that shit will actually happen irl, i was wide awake until 6 or so. of course, one of the twins decided to start waking up just as i started to doze off.

the last dream sequence i remember before i woke up again? i was in philadelphia, riding around with someone. i have no idea who that someone is/was. we'd just dropped someone else off (again, a mystery) and i'd just gotten back in the car. i'd put my seat belt on, but took it off b/c i was wearing a heavy coat and it was warm out and therefore i didn't need it. i strapped myself back in and started singing along to this:



(note: i kinda miss having the ability to hit some of those high notes. i'm pretty sure my voice teacher would say that i still could if i really wanted to, but that's neither here nor there.)

so anyway - i'm in the front passenger seat of this car, singing my heart out, and the car's moving backwards through this parking garage. did i mention that i'm the only person in this car? and i'm too busy singing along to notice the backward movement, let alone grab the wheel? the car somehow exited the garage and was about to back into traffic when my alarm went off.

weird, right? by the time i dragged myself out of bed 15 minutes later (thank god for snooze options), this song was stuck in my head:



i was sober for all of this, btw. i have no idea what my dreams would look like if i was drinking on a regular basis (again), and i'm not entirely sure i want to find out. this is not to say that i don't want to drink on a quasi-regular basis, though. wait. that doesn't sound right. y'all know what i mean, though. i hope.

happy saturday. :-)

recipe review: slow cooker barbecue chicken

believe it or not, there are some folks out there who think that slow cookers should only be used in the winter. they're probably like that guy in those stove-top commercials who thinks that stuffing is only for thanksgiving.

not me. slow cookers and stuffing never go out of season for me. that said, when i was flipping through my files for ideas on what to make with the pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts i'd taken out for tonight's dinner, i came across this recipe. a quick search confirmed that yes, i had everything i needed, and so here we are.

(side note - i've become that person who has hundreds of recipes saved on their computer. let's not even talk about the folder of recipes currently on my desk. or the binders of recipes packed away in a box. what'd i say last night about food pr0n? yeah...)

back to the recipe, though. i started the crockpot around noon and by 3:30, my stomach was growling and the house smelled all nice and barbecue-y. by 5, the chicken was ready to be shredded and yes, the sauce actually thickens like it's supposed to when you add the cornstarch/chicken broth mixture. i had my doubts about this b/c cornstarch and i have had a contentious relationship, even when i mix it with water/broth/whatever as a thickening agent. but it worked, and the chicken went back in the crockpot for just about 40 minutes or so. oh, and i seasoned the chicken with a little bit of black pepper at the beginning, but that was the only substitution/addition i made.

verdict? nom. would make again. my thinking is that the italian dressing added just enough of a vinegar taste to balance out the brown sugar and the bbq sauce. i definitely see this recipe making a comeback during football season (hopefully in my own place), b/c i don't think it'd be a problem to double or triple this recipe for a crowd.

win some, lose some

today? today goes in the win column.

no, i didn't get a job. money didn't magically appear in my bank account, although i haven't checked my paypal since this morning, but i won't hold my breath there. i didn't stumble on a way to be back in chicago full-time (yet!), i didn't win the lottery...nothing really earth-shattering happened. it was all about life's little victories, combined with my #humpdayhustlin, that led to today being a win.

in no particular order:

--e-mail from lane bryant saying they're offering 50% off their entire site, and me having just enough in the bank to order a new bra, which was perfect timing b/c i just had to toss one of my old ones in the trash. and shipping was free b/c i'm having it sent to a store, and it should be there by the time i'm back in the city.

--applied for at least a dozen jobs.

--accomplished 4.5 things on my to-do list, including reconnecting with someone i worked with back in my grad school days. potential professional networking hookup? yeah, maybe. we'll see.

--had enough downtime today/tonight to apply for the aforementioned jobs, make 2 phone calls (which account for 2 of those 4.5 items on my list), and pretty much finish my freelance project for this week. ok, so the project as a whole will probably take me until labor day to finish, but this particular phase of it? pretty much done. i hope. if all goes according to plan, i will have monies while i'm in the city next month. woo!

--won a twitter contest. mmm...free nomz...

--found out that l & j's satellite provider now offers cooking channel. i actually did a little dance of joy when i discovered this. yeah, i spend an inordinate amount of time watching food shows and reading about food and looking at food pr0n. fight me.

like i said...nothing earth-shattering or stupendous, but i was excited and happy and can you really blame me for running with that? i didn't think so.

actually, this whole week so far (*knocks wood*) has been pretty solid. on monday, i found a pair of shoes that i've been searching for since january. my backlog of magazines? done. my chocolate stash has been replenished and i need to lay off of it a bit, b/c last week's stress eating=this week's acne. you'd think that my system would be well-acquainted with my affinity for chocolate and therefore would behave accordingly. oh well.

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and now for something completely different - wtf are people doing for memorial day? clearly i can't host anything (sigh), but if someone's gonna grill and/or ply me with alcoholic beverages, i'm in. i might even make brownies, assuming that i get a chance to go to the store and buy the necessary ingredients. i feel like the holiday kinda snuck up on us. that, or i missed a memo somewhere. if something's happening this weekend that resembles a get-together, please let me know so i can start planning transportation and crashpad options.

hope y'all are having a good week. right now i'm resisting the urge to watch penguin cam b/c i really need to go the fuck to sleep. sweet dreams and all that. :-)

i thought i'd be back by now.

first of all, i can't believe that we're already halfway through may. second of all, i can't believe that i'm still in "suburban sojourn" mode. honestly, when i made the decision back in december to do this whole "barter childcare/household help for a stable place to sleep" thing, i figured i'd be back in a few months. definitely in time for spring. maybe summer.

now? i'm hoping to be back in chicago in time for football season, and i'm not even sure if that's going to happen. it's depressing as all hell, really. it's not as if i haven't been trying to move back, what with all of my job hunting and interviewing and babysitting and freelancing and other hustles. but, here i am, still unemployed with no regular income aside from my food stamps and still technically homeless.

i am trying not to complain. i know how good i have it, relatively speaking. i could be in a shelter or riding the red line all day and night with a suitcase or god knows what else. i'm lucky to know folks who would do whatever they could to make sure i didn't end up in a shelter or a permanent cta passenger. and at least i have 'net access so i can apply for jobs and post updates here and on twitter. and my cell phone is still on (barely) b/c of those babysitting and freelance gigs and donations. i get it. i'm blessed. no need to remind me.

and yet...it'd really be nice to take off this damned cape and let myself wallow for a bit. double bonus if there was someone who'd be willing to take some of this proverbial weight off of my shoulders. that's not how i am, though. like the other day, when a heat-and-hormonal induced migraine hit and i tried to keep moving through it, knowing that the best thing for me would be to take my meds and go the fuck to sleep. yeah, but since i only have a few meds left and am trying to save those for my really severe migraines, i popped a couple of tylenol instead and went on with giving the twins their dinner and cleaning up and whatnot until l basically demanded that i go upstairs and go to bed. so i did...for maybe an hour or so, until my stomach decided to join the migraine party and add nausea to the mix.

back downstairs i went, even though i knew i wasn't 100% better and probably looked as wobbly as i felt. didn't matter to me, though, b/c there was still "work" to do and i was still "on the clock" since the twins were still awake. (no, i'm not getting paid and no, i'm not punching in - this is all in my head. yes, i know i'm crazy.)  even though l and her mom and j when he came home from work were all giving me that "why tf aren't you in bed?" look. 

i did come back upstairs eventually, after making myself eat a pb&j and some sun chips (mmm...sun chips) and cleaning up the kitchen and loading the dishwasher and i forget what else.

why do i do this to myself? b/c my type a-minus personality won't let me be lazy and procrastinate all the time. b/c i'm a overachiever. b/c this isn't my house. do i live here? yes, for the moment, but it isn't mine. i'd feel a lot more comfortable doing a whole lot of nothing if i only had to be responsible for myself. if part of the deal didn't involve taking care of the kids and helping out around the house. but that's the deal, and damned if i'm gonna welsh on it.

and now i've forgotten where the hell i was going with this. oh, right - i'm not back in chicago full-time yet, despite my best efforts, i'm tired and thankful at the same time, and i'm looking forward to summer anyway b/c i'll be in the city for a couple of weeks off and on. and, y'know, if you ever wanna visit me here in the lovely north 'burbs, feel free. and there were probably at least two other points i wanted to make, but the twins will be up from their nap soon and i should wrap this up while it's still relatively quiet.

yeah. happy hump day.

music diary - the end

ok, so i didn't watch nearly as much vh1 soul as i thought i would this weekend. i didn't even flip to music choice. so, yeah, these last two entries are super-short.

saturday may 12

be happy - mary j. bilge

o hai vh1 soul!

seven whole days - toni braxton

blessed - jill scott

what they do - the roots

sunday may 13

more vh1 soul!

let go - lalah hathaway

baby don't cry - lalah hathaway

don't stop your love - keith sweat

down here in hell (with you) - van hunt

this could be the night - zo!

candy girl - new edition

who do you love - bernard wright

and there you have it. this was a fun experiment. leave a comment if you participated - i'd love to see your lists. kthx.

music diary 2012 - may 11 edition

friday may 11

sweet dreams (are made of this) - eurythmics

and now we switch to the folder of 500+ songs i've played at ddpp…

addictive - truth hurts

shame - evelyn champagne king

i need more love - robert randolph & the family band

take me out - franz ferdinand

doowutchalike - digital underground

everything - p-money feat. vince harder

funky town - pseudo echo

poison - bell biv devoe

(don't) give hate a chance - jamiroquai

don't stop the music - rihanna

walk with me - mob

paradise - change

mistadobalina - del tha funky homosapien

linus & lucy - george winston

all for love - bilal

west end girls - pet shop boys

hurt - johnny cash

a change is gonna come - sam cooke

everyone nose (all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom) - n*e*r*d

sweet sonora (original mix) - nuboy & sebastien gamboa

good luck - basement jaxx & lisa kekaula

ride like the wind - christopher cross

remember the time (roforo remix) - michael jackson, fela kuti

back to the regular shuffle now…

cherish the day - sade

show me what you got - jay-z

turn me away (get munny) - erykah badu

the pressure, pt. 1 - sounds of blackness

all cried out - lisa lisa & cult jam

my lists from this weekend could be interesting, if i stick to my current plan of catching up on vh1 soul while in the city in addition to my itunes listening. we'll see what happens. :-)

music diary 2012 - wednesday/thursday

wednesday may 9

no you girls - franz ferdinand
up jumps da' boogie - timbaland & magoo feat. aaliyah
the fact is (i need you) - jill scott
mercy - duffy
yes he is (reggie burrell mix) - track & feel events
horse with no name - america
all day - girl talk (i cued this album up around 8:45pm b/c i needed something to keep me awake while i caught up on email and settled in to work on job apps)
black and yellow - wiz khalifa (sometimes listening to girl talk makes me want to listen to other songs that i really shouldn't like. this is one of them.)
single ladies (put a ring on it) - beyonce
i'm bad - ll cool j
whatever that's mine - tanya morgan
you - raheem devaughn
not like crazy - jill scott (i almost always listen to these 2 songs back-to-back. i wish someone would create a quality mashup of them.)
i want you - erykah badu
get gone - fiona apple
take me out - franz ferdinand
one time - the roots
knock power (ll cool j vs. justice) - the hood internet

thursday may 10

got to be there - chaka khan
hear my call - jill scott
get me bodied (extended mix) - beyonce
million dollar bill - whitney houston
full moon - armand van helden feat. common
love ballad - l.t.d.
already mine - dance floor plans
15 step - radiohead
touch it/technologic - daft punk
living in confusion - phyllis hyman
hey young world - slick rick
nothing compares 2 u - sinead o'connor
corners of my mind - nikka costa
honey - erykah badu
sunshower - dr. buzzard's original savannah band
strawberry letter 23 - shuggie otis
skyy, can you feel me - raphael saadiq
sometimes - bilal
ex girl to the next girl - gang starr

feel free to leave a comment if you're participating in music diary 2012, or if you got here via the music diary 2012 site and just wanna say hi. :-)

music diary 2012 - may 8 edition

i watched "smash" this morning and i suppose i could count whatever songs were covered in that episode as part of today's listening, but then i'd have to include any other songs that come up during my tv watching (outside of vh1 soul or music choice, that is) and i don't know if i feel like going that far. that said, here's my playlist from tonight:

don't gotta work it out - fitz & the tantrums
l.o.v. - fitz & the tantrums
rich girls - fitz & the tantrums
moneygrabber - fitz & the tantrums
breakin' the chains of love (brand new karate world remix) - fitz & the tantrums
in case it wasn't obvious, i downloaded a free ep from fitz & the tantrums and decided to give it a spin. you can get your own copy on their site.
(and now, back to the shuffle. actually, i cued up "sideways" 1st b/c it's been stuck in my head all day, thanks to a headline i saw about rommey's criticizing obama for running the country "sideways or worse.")
sideways - suntan feat. citizen cope
adam - me'shell ndegeocello
gold - prince
rock superstar - cypress hill
walk on by - aretha franklin
sunrise - simply red
express yourself - diplo feat. nicky da b
one time - the roots
jump in the line - harry belafonte
got to be there - michael jackson
runaway love - linda clifford
everything - p-money feat. vince harder
sinceran - nina simone
prototype - andre 3000
pastime paradise - stevie wonder (i will never listen to this song, or anything else from the "songs in the key of life" album, the same way again thanks to this book. go read it if you haven't already.)
i'm not in love - 10cc
ain't no fun - snoop
bitter sweet symphony - the verve

music diary 2012 - the beginning

while catching up on some of y'all's pages, i found out about this project. (proverbial tip of the hat to sjb) it sounded cool enough to me - keep a running tally of what i listen to this week. sometimes i tweet about what's playing anyway, so i figured this wouldn't be much of a stretch.

my plan is to post a daily list of what i've been listening. given my recent track record of posting (or lack thereof), it's entirely possible that some days will be combined. my itunes library is set on shuffle, so usually i'll start with whatever comes up and then skip songs until something else catches my ear. if a certain song gets stuck in my head, then i'll cue that up and resume shuffling once i'm done with that selection.

for the purposes of these posts, assume that i did all of my listening via my itunes library on my laptop. i will try to add notes in if another listening method presents itself.

and now i present day one of music diary 2012:

makin' happy - crystal waters

read a book - bomani "d'mite" armah

after the love is gone - mint condition

double pump - girl talk

inside my love - minnie riperton

the getaway - little brother

sexyback - justin timberlake

les fleur - minnie riperton

you & i - rick james

that's right - girl talk

make my heart - toni braxton

pastime paradise - stevie wonder

bright lights bigger city - cee-lo

countdown - beyonce

light & day/reach for the sun - the polyphonic spree

that's the way love is - ten city

one more time - daft punk

come & talk to me (rmx) - jodeci

love's gonna last - jeffree

get right - jennifer lopes

work it out - monie love

peanut butter jelly time - buckwheat boy

all these things that i've done - the killers

controversy - prince

this is it - kenny loggins

because we can - fatboy slim

proud mary - tina turner

i fail at life*

* - by life, i mean blogging. specifically posting on this blog. fuck. i'm sorry. i've been trying to catch up on my piles of magazines and library books, so between that and keeping my other site sorta kinda up-to-date, that pretty much eats up my larger chunks of free time. i mean, right now, i could be working on one of the post ideas i have on my to-do list, but i'd much rather read more of this james brown biography, so that's what i'm gonna do.

my bad, y'all. maybe i'll start working on posts during my metra commutes, since my ipod is dead (note to self - add "new ipod" to the list of things that will hopefully be in my life this year) and i don't feel nearly as nervous about working on laptop on the metra as i would on the cta. i don't think i've ever pulled out my laptop on the cta. sometimes i'm paranoid like that.

anyway...something that resembles content coming soon. i don't even have any recipe reviews for y'all b/c i haven't tried anything new lately. of course, now that i've typed that, i'll suddenly go on a recipe testing spree and then have a backlog of those posts. whee.

but y'all are good though, right? everyone's doing relatively well?

me? that's another post that i'll probably never get around to writing. :P