recipe review: red rice with sausage and peppers

happy tuesday! well, it wasn't so happy for me this afternoon/evening, b/c i was felled by a migraine just as i was leaving work and didn't manage to approach a sense of normalcy until damn near 7:30. i'm pretty sure my original plan for the evening was to work on job applications and then make dinner, but since i was actually quasi-hungry and since i knew i'd be spending at least a couple of hours "working," i decided to make dinner first.

there was a sale on smoked sausage at jewel and i knew i'd be buying 2 packages of it. one's in the freezer for the next time i decide to make smoked sausage and broccoli, and i decided i wanted to try something new for the other package. unsurprisingly enough, most of the recipes on my hard drive that involve smoked sausage are some variations of jambalaya or other rice-based dishes. i didn't want to go overboard with buying extra proteins like shrimp or chicken, so when i found this recipe, i figured i was on to something.

here's what i did: i made the rice last night b/c i had a bit of downtime and i knew i could just put it in the fridge until tonight. i used about, oh, 3 teaspoons of minced garlic. i cheated when i went to the store and bought a pre-chopped celery and onion mix, b/c i wasn't interested in buying a whole bunch of celery when i only needed one stalk. let's say that i used anywhere between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the celery/onion mix; i didn't measure it b/c i was just spooning it in from the container. i used regular diced tomatoes with the juice, and instead of salt/pepper, i used seasoned salt...maybe a tablespoon? i tend to eyeball when i'm adding seasoned salt.

verdict? decent enough. i might make it again if i had some leftover rice and some smoked sausage on hand. we'll see how i feel about the leftovers later this week. :-)

week in review, all december everything/celebratory happiness edition

ok, so the bears lost (sigh) and northwestern's mens' b-ball team lost to uic (double sigh), but fun was still had. as planned, i went to ellen's holiday party and then went to karaoke last night. holy crap i drank a lot of tequila. i still can't believe i woke up sober this morning. i mean, i started with costco tequila, so you'd think that would equal instant pain and suffering and all of the regrets, but no. hm. maybe i just need to drink more tequila? i think i can handle that.

anyway - saw a lot of folks at karaoke that i hadn't seen in months, and folks sang songs that they knew would make me laugh and/or entertain me to no end, and i'm totally counting those serenades as birthday presents. my manager at work actually gave me my first b-day present of the year on friday, which was unexpected and happily surprising. 

oh, and i found $10 while i was at karaoke last night, and i found a quarter while i was at work today. i win all of the things!

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

it's (almost) all december everything time!

i was going to post this on saturday, but then i realized that some of the celebratory-type things i'm doing are actually happening on saturday, and therefore i figured it'd be nice if y'all had a bit of a heads-up so you could plan schedules accordingly.

here's a partial list of events i have on deck for the next few weeks. i'm sure there will be updates/changes as december progresses, so stay tuned for details. if you'd like to join me for any of these shenanigans, please let me know so i can be on the lookout for you. wanna suggest something else? i'm open to that as well. most of these events are free (woo!) unless otherwise noted.

saturday 12/1 - if you're not already going to ellen's (insert holiday of your choice here) party, then you should join the karaoke-based fun at third coast comics that night. karaoke starts around 7, and i'll probably be there around 9-ish b/c i'm stopping by ellen's party first. yes, i actually sing at this karaoke party. i also drink as if i don't have to work the next day, but i do, so if you want to ply me with tequila that night, i'm cool with that. yes, i've already decided that tequila will be my drink of choice on saturday. blame rick bayless' new book - i read it yesterday and have had margaritas on the brain ever since.

monday 12/3 - i know nothing about cigars, and i know enough about scotch to know that i like drinking it, and that's why i'll be at this tweetup on monday evening. no, you don't have to actually have a twitter account to attend, but it helps. think of the new people you can meet! the cigars you can sample! and, of course, the scotch. mmm...scotch.

i should also note that radiothon 25 (!!!) starts on monday night. i have a message somewhere with more details and links for listening online and such, so let me know if you want/need that info.

thursday 12/6 - my friend veronica is working towards yet another degree, this time at the school of the art institute. she has an exhibit opening on thursday from 5:30-7p at the saic's sullivan galleries downtown.

saturday 12/15 - i'm having brunch with bff and a few other folks, but the rest of my afternoon and evening is free as of this writing. i heard a rumor about some sort of "night of 1000 santas" party/bar crawl happening that night, so i should probably buy a santa hat or something if that actually happens and i actually go.

sunday 12/16 - bears/packers. working on sundays has really cut into my football viewing this season, which is why i made sure to request this day off weeks ago. i don't know where i'm watching the game yet, though. i'm open to ideas that don't involve me ending up at a packers bar. :P

thursday 12/20 - i have a ticket for "the world of extreme happiness" at the goodman. tickets are still available as of this writing if you want in on some free theatre action.

you'll notice that my actual b-day (12/17, for those of you who might be new to this) isn't on the list. my current plan is to take myself out to dinner at primehouse (mmm...steak...) that night, and that's as far as i've gotten. i might (ok, probably will) need to recover from that weekend's shenanigans, so taking it easy is probably the wisest thing i can do. which, of course, means i will somehow plan on doing 29 other things that day.

recipe review: chicken and orzo skillet

i got a later-than-planned start on dinner tonight, but since i'd gone to the store yesterday and sketched out what i wanted to cook this week, i wasn't that worried. the menu for tonight called for a chicken and orzo skillet. i was dreading waiting for the water to boil for the orzo, until i realized that the house i'm living in right now has an electric kettle and therefore i had boiling water in about 5 minutes. woo!

of course i made a few changes/substitutions to my version: 1 large-ish tomato instead of 2 medium ones; 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts (i had four and they were about 4oz each) instead of chicken breast halves; regular tomato paste instead of no-salt-added b/c i didn't specify the latter on my grocery list and just bought regular; a 6oz bag of baby spinach instead of 3 cups b/c there's no such thing as too much spinach, given its wilt factor; and a 4oz container of crumbled feta instead of the 3oz called for in the recipe b/c, well, feta is delicious.

verdict? as weird as this sounds coming from me, given my relative intolerance for spicy foods, the crushed red pepper saved this dish. as i was mixing in the spinach and feta at the end, i realized that the chicken wasn't seasoned and therefore i was worried about the flavor. i shouldn't have been. the red pepper added just enough kick to make this palatable. i'd probably make it again, but i'd use a larger skillet - i think i had a 10-inch skillet tonight and mixing in the orzo and spinach w/o having half of it spill out was challenging at best. and maybe i'll add some garlic, b/c, well, garlic also is delicious. just sayin'.

this week in celebratory happiness, post thanksgiving edition

gobble gobble! hope y'all had a relaxing thanksgiving weekend. me? i was catsitting and took myself out for thanksgiving dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, and then watched football and way more "trapped in the closet" than any sane person should admit to. seriously. i've been laughing damn near nonstop at r. kelly in triplicate singing "oh shit" since thursday. friday night, i saw one of my favorite musicians in concert, and i got to hang out with one of my favorite sisterfriends/concert-going buddies.

oh, and northwestern won, and michigan lost (and y'all know it felt weird as all fucks to be rooting for ohio state on saturday b/c oh how i hate ohio state) and the bears won, and green bay lost, and there was much rejoicing in the land.

here's hoping the coming week doesn't suck. :-)

this week in celebratory happiness

remember last week when i said i wanted to try to do at least one thing per week to celebrate my birthday? this week, i got my hair cut for the 1st time in who knows how long, and damn near cried when my stylist refused to take any money from me. i finally upgraded my phone last weekend and am still getting accustomed to this touch screen keyboard hotness. funny thing to say in 2012, i know, but it's true. and tonight i'll be kicking off the holidays with some former co-workers, which is almost always guaranteed to be a good time. so, yay!

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

edited at an insane hour on (technically) sunday morning to add: i almost forgot to mention my twitter-based win from this week: free shoes from dsw! and i definitely forgot to include the free grub i won from grubhub in last week's post. my bad.

mmm...smile juice...

oh, internet. this smile juice post from animals talking in all caps knows my life and wins all the things. that is all.

it's the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year!

yes, i am talking about my birthday celebration/season. y'all should've seen that coming from 4359 miles away. i knew it was going to start sometime in november, but i was honestly waiting to see how election night panned out first. now that that's over (woo!!!!!!!!!), the festivities can begin. and like four years ago, i plan on celebrating from now until inauguration day. my slightly ambitious plan is to do at least one thing per week for myself, like a mini-birthday present. this week i ordered my 2013 le petit prince calendar. i'm also planning to upgrade my phone, which, as you know if you've seen my phone, is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay overdue.

i have no idea what year 36 is going to look like. (also, 36? jfc i am getting old.) i can't bring myself to make a wish list yet, seeing as how my 2012 wish list still has most of its original entries on it. i also can't bring myself to write out a full reflection on how year 35 played out, b/c holy shit i did not anticipate things panning out the way they did. am i still slightly dazed and confused as to how it all came about? damn straight. am i thankful? absolutely.

speaking of being thankful...if you're in town for thanksgiving and don't wanna cook, let me know. i'm taking myself out for thanksgiving dinner (yup, as part of my b-day celebration) and you're welcome to join me.

for now, though, i'm going to continue decompressing from this work week. hooray for dvr'd shows and chocolate. :-)

and speaking of november

if you haven't voted already, i hope you have plans to do so, either today or on tuesday. i will be hosting election night shenanigans this year - if you'd rather not sit at home by yourself watching the returns come in, you should stop by. i don't know if i'll be drinking in celebration or out of sheer misery, but either way i'll be unsober. if you didn't get an invite via email, let me know & i'll forward you the details. kthxbai.

holy crap it's november

on my way home tonight, i was prepared to do a post about how utterly insane things have been at work yesterday and today. i mean, really insane. a co-worker & i had to threaten to call security on some assclown this afternoon and then i had to remove myself from the situation before i chased after said assclown. and yesterday, a soon to be former co-worker got physical with a supervisor (hence the "soon to be former" part) to the point where the supervisor had to seek medical attention. yes, i work at a library. no, you wouldn't normally expect this kind of behavior at a library. i told you it was crazy.

that's the cliff notes version, though. my original plan was to go into slightly more detail about those incidents and how some folks at work, self included, were reacting to/coping with things.

after dinner, i was going through some files and came across something i'd written a while back:

"...i'm not as concerned about the destination as i am about the journey. if only i could be as zen about the rest of my life."

 i don't know why that struck a chord with me tonight, but it did, and i decided to share it here and not get bogged back down into the details of work-related insanity. happy friday.

circles and cycles

there's a jewel w/in walking distance to my current abode. to get there, i take a shortcut that passes by a junior high school. not just any junior high school, though...the same junior high school that served as a campsite for day 2 of the breast cancer 3-day i walked in back in 2004. the same junior high school i decided not to sleep at that night b/c i was so tired and so close to home that i asked troy in advance to get someone pick me up from the school and drive us home so i could shower and pass out. the same junior high school where the sweep van deposited me and some other walkers b/c we were damn near delirious with exhaustion and there was a storm coming and they were worried about our safety and i sobbed all the way back to that junior high school b/c i hadn't technically finished the mileage for that day even though at some points i literally fell asleep while walking. i was probably still crying when i saw troy and kim and nick and i think curcio was there too and maybe some other people i don't remember right now. i remember going to dinner w/troy and kim and nick, i remember going home, taking a shower, and going the fuck to sleep b/c i had to get up at some insane hour to catch a cab back to the junior high school. i remember the cab driver having no idea where the school was, and i really didn't either, but we made it eventually and i met up with the rest of my team and we grabbed some breakfast and headed out for the final day of the breast cancer 3-day. i remember making the decision to walk in the 2004 3-day b/c i'd volunteered for the past 3 or 4 years prior and i wanted to walk in at least one event. as it happens, 2004 also was the 20th anniversary of my mom's death. growing up, i'd always been told that she died of a heart attack, but i was probably in junior high or high school when someone (daddy, maybe? or maybe james? i dunno) said that she'd had breast cancer. 28 years later, and i can still tell you how the family broke the news of my mother's death to me. i can still remember bits and pieces of her funeral and how i tugged on my father's arm to get him to stand up when my mom's pastor asked any visitors to stand b/c the funeral was at my mom's church and daddy & i went to a different church and therefore, to my 7 y.o. mind, we were visiting even though we'd been there any number of times previously b/c my brothers also went to that church and greg was playing drums and mom was involved in who knows how many activities. so, yeah. i feel a little pang whenever i pass that junior high school to buy groceries. it's also the site for my nearest market day pickup, which, as i'm sure i've written about previously, reminds me of james. not in a bad way, mind you, but his not being here still hits me sometimes like it just happened.

and then sometimes i get even more emotional than usual b/c i find myself trying to figure out how i got to this place. how i came to be living this close to that junior high school, and how the woman of this house lost her 9-year battle with cancer this summer, and how i'm always like #fuckcancer b/c seriously, fuck cancer and if i have to explain that to you, well, then, fuck you too b/c clearly you haven't been paying attention to my life or the lives of anyone around us who's had to deal with cancer b/c cancer fucking sucks. there's not a week that goes by that i don't wish/hope/pray for better outcomes for my friends' mothers and fathers and relatives and friends and, when i'm feeling particularly low and selfish, for my own parents, b/c fuck cancer. and i wish i didn't have this housesitting gig b/c i'd much rather for my quasi-landlord to still have her mother around and living here instead of me. cancer's real evil like that, so fuck cancer.

there's someone at work who has a variation of the lung disease james had before he got really ill. i hear them complain about all the pills they have to take and how nothing works and since they already get on my nerves b/c they kinda suck at their job which makes my work life more difficult, i really want to punch them in the face even though it's not their fault and they're not intentionally setting out to remind me of james more than i already think of him. i wish james was still around to tell me about his latest drug regimen and how the steroids his doctor prescribed once made him go to popeye's and order an 12-piece box of chicken that he proceeded to eat in one sitting while his co-workers wondered aloud where their lunch was b/c they thought he was gonna share that box of chicken and how he hated feeling hungry and bloated and fat but if that's what he needed to go through to get better, then that's what he'd do. and since this co-worker and i aren't on super-friendly terms, i just nod whenever they start whining about how much their life sucks when i really want to yell at them to be grateful for whatever life they have b/c some people don't get the chance to live as long as we want them to, but then i walk away b/c y'all know i need this job more than a little bit and i'd rather not get fired on some bullshit.

i watched benji tonight and every 5-10 minutes or so, when i'd recover from a crying jag, i'd wish i could call james and ask him what he remembered. i was only 7 when ben wilson died. it was in 1984. the same year i lost my mother. ben winning the state championship happened right after my mom's funeral, give/take a week or two. i was 7 going on 8 that november. james had just turned 22. he would've remembered benji better than i would have or could have. i wanted to call james and have him take me down memory lane, to talk about benji and about our lives w/o our mother in those first few months. what was easter like for us that year? his birthday? thanksgiving? my birthday? christmas? i couldn't tell y'all if i wanted to what those first months were like b/c i don't remember, and the person who was closest to me in age isn't around anymore for me to ask, and i'd just start crying again. seriously, b/c benji and this week's episode of "parenthood," i have cried more while watching tv tonight than i probably do in a month or more.

and yet here i am. in this house i don't own or rent, brought here by circumstances i couldn't even begin to weave together in my wildest of imaginations. i am grateful and confused and a bit bitter and a bit lonely and i hope y'all understand how much it costs for me to type that out and have it on public display. i'm not taking it back, either. sometimes i get sick and tired of holding all of my pieces together b/c i can't trust myself to let them fall b/c i don't know who's going to be there to catch and reassemble them. sometimes i get really fucking angry even when i'm attempting to have an attitude of gratitude and then i get pissed at myself for being upset. sometimes i will have a mini-breakdown in public b/c a certain song will come up on my ipod that reminds me of daddy, or of james, or of 1st c., or of some other happier times and those times are long gone and i can't see any additional happy times coming, which is totally unfair to the beloved friends i've gathered around me b/c y'all have provided endless moments of hilarity and happiness and it's one of the 5011 reasons why i love y'all. sometimes i'm scared of what's next. i'm scared of not knowing what's next. scared of not being able to handle what's next. it's like i have control over so very little in my life right now and i am terrified of ceding that control b/c i don't know what's going to happen. i don't like that feeling. i don't like feeling like i can't tell someone how i really feel b/c i don't want to lose whatever goodwill we have right now. i don't even like putting that last sentence out there, but i'm not taking that one back, either. not right now, anyway.

i feel as though i should apologize to anyone who was hoping for yet another recipe review and not this emotional regurgitation, but in my defense, i did post 3 recipe reviews back-to-back-to-back, so it's not as if you're deficient in that area.

i'm going to get ready to call it a night now b/c i'm a bit emotionally exhausted (gee, i wonder why?) and b/c sleep for dessert always wins. see y'all later.

recipe review: bacon orzo

i'm keeping this review quick because it's almost time for the bears game to start and i still need to finish catching up on the day's emails and maybe work on a few job apps before i have beer for dessert. (what? beer for dessert is totally acceptable, especially when lemon berry shandy is involved.)

but i digress. let's talk about the bacon orzo i made tonight. i resisted the temptation to add more bacon, but if/when i make it again, i might add some garlic. i wound up using about 3/4 cup of reserved cooking liquid, and i probably could've used the whole cup and been fine. we'll see if i regret that decision when i have some of the leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. i made some smoked sausage and broccoli to go along with the orzo, and i also used the rest of the carrots i had on hand to make more of the butter-roasted carrots i reviewed last week. omg those carrots. they're so delicious. i miss them already. you guys should try them. at some point i'm going to make some roasted broccoli and more of those carrots and i will be a happy girl.

recipe review: italian sausage soup

this weather calls for soup. at least, i'd decided that today's weather called for soup. since my crockpot is still in storage, i needed something that i could make relatively quickly after work when i'm starving and i don't want trail mix or any other snacks (on snacks) b/c i'm focused on dinner and anything else is just going to piss me off.

enter italian sausage soup. i knew i had italian sausage on hand, and chicken broth, and parmesan cheese. i had to go to the store today anyway, so picking up spinach and tomatoes and pasta wasn't much of an issue. i skipped the basil b/c i hate buying fresh herbs when i only need a tablespoon or two.

other changes i made - i used a package of mild pork italian sausage instead of the turkey italian sausage called for b/c that's what i had. i increased the pasta to 1 cup uncooked (this was on sale for 99 cents, so i decided to try it out - i didn't notice a difference in taste compared to traditional pasta, so yay!). as for spinach, i used an entire 9oz bag of regular (vs. baby) spinach.

verdict? nom. i didn't miss the basil at the end, and i didn't add any salt or other seasonings, either. i definitely added grated parmesan cheese, though, b/c cheese is awesome. i found some sourdough bread in the freezer and had a couple of pieces with my soup and i was a happy girl. after 2 bowls, there's still enough left for at least 1-2 meals, depending on how hungry i am. i'd make it again.

2 recipes, 1 review post

o hai!

i told y'all that i was going to attempt to try some new (to me) recipes and post them here before the end of the month, and here i am. i actually made 2 new dishes last night for dinner: blackened catfish and butter-roasted carrots.

butter-roasted carrots: the recipe says that there will be no leftovers, and they were right. i started noshing on these after they came out of the oven while the fish finished cooking, and by the time i was ready to clean up the kitchen, the carrots were gone. i used maybe 1/2 a pound of carrots, and substituted seasoned salt for the salt & pepper. i also left them in the oven for about 20 minutes instead of the 15 minutes called for in the recipe, b/c i'm still figuring out how this oven works and wanted to be sure they were tender and not crunchy. i still have 1/2 a pound of carrots left and it's entirely possible i'll make these again within the next few days.

blackened catfish: i felt as though i hadn't made catfish in forever, so i was kinda excited when i went to the store the other day and saw catfish nuggets on sale. instead of the catfish fillets listed, i used about a pound of catfish nuggets. i skipped the lemons because i found this recipe after i'd already gone to the store and i wasn't going back just for one ingredient. longtime readers may be surprised to know that i actually used ground red pepper, given my well-documented aversion to spicy foods, but it actually wasn't that bad. i'd probably make these again. i wonder if i can combine this spice rub with cornmeal and make some sort of oven-baked blackened catfish. yes, i know oven-baked blackened catfish sounds like an oxymoron, but i might try it anyway.

stay tuned for more recipes - i have a couple more picked out that i'm hoping to try w/in the next week or so.

happy hump day! :-)

living all alone

unlike the late great phyllis hyman, i am more than ok with living all alone. in case you missed it - i moved! i'm still in the suburbs (hint: i am now living in the white-skinned land i mocked all those years ago), but it's an extended housesitting gig. i have the place to myself. no childcare unless i take on a babysitting gig. i made bacon tonight, for fuck's sake! there's wifi and cable and my commute to work is 20 minutes at most. yeah, i'm not back in chicago, but i can think of worse fates than this, so i'm thankful all the same.

yesterday i spent the entire day indoors, with the exception of dragging the trash bins from the curb and refilling the bird feeder. it was wonderful. my phone only rang once so i barely had to talk to anyone and i just got to hang out in the quiet. i missed it so much.

i miss you guys, too. once i have my act together, and once my landlord (for lack of a better term) gives the ok, i'm going to try to have some of y'all over. it won't be sunday fun day (have i mentioned how much i dislike working on sundays during football season? thank god for sunday night & monday night football), but it'll be...something. maybe election night, assuming that i don't have a full-time job by then and can drink myself silly w/o having to worry about getting up the next morning.

my goal is to attempt at least one new recipe and post it here before the month is out. my recipe files keep growing and i just haven't had the time or inclination lately to try anything new. stay tuned.

hope y'all are doing relatively well. :-)

just in time for prince's chicago gigs

i present some of y'all (b/c i'm sure a few of you have already seen it) with this clip of maya rudolph and gretchen lieberum singing prince's "darling nikki" on late night with jimmy fallon. if you haven't seen it, watch it now b/c prince is notorious for yanking his songs off of teh interwebz.

no, i won't be going to see prince next week. i was (and still am) holding out hope for additional shows to be added, b/c to me, 3 nights does not a "residency" make. luckily seeing prince live has already been crossed off of my bucket list, but i'd still like to see him again. maybe i'll get my wish and more shows will be added and both my finances and my schedule will align and i can go to there. we'll see.

and yes, this is one of my "in lieu of actual content i will just throw up a link or some such for y'all to look at" posts. there's a lot going on, some of which i've posted about on my other site, and as soon as i feel like i can breathe normally again, i will get back to posting about recipes and random nonsense.

also, this new blogger interface kinda sucks the mop. i'm sure i'll get used to it, but right now? dislike.

sometimes i think the internet is spying on me

when i see something like this, i immediately think "you don't know my life!" and then realize that yes, the internet does know my life sometimes. sigh.

i love sasha obama so much.

i've made no secret of this previously. i am firmly convinced that sasha will rule all of us one day and i'm kinda looking forward to it. 

that said, though, i had to interrupt my viewing and live-tweeting of president obama's speech at the dnc to share this with y'all.

that is all.

oh, wait: make sure you're registered to vote if you're not already.

good night.

it's one of the most wonderful times of the year

that's right, ladies and gentlemen. football's back, and i, for one, welcome the return of our gridiron overlords. now that i've pretty much recovered from saturday's northwestern game (seriously, guys - it's way too early in the season for us to be in cardiac cats mode, mmkay?), i can focus more of my attention on the bears.

if you're doing anything fun for opening day, or even if you're just gonna sit on your couch and drink lots of beer while watching lots of football, let me know. i took the day off of work on sunday just so i can watch the game. yes, i've become that girl. i've already figured out that i'll miss at least half of the season if i continue working sundays, which makes me sad. not opening day, though, and not the day before my birthday (b/c, seriously, bears vs. packers? happy birthday to me!) if i can help it. my plans for this sunday are still a bit up in the air, so, really, let's talk if you're plotting some sort of shenanigans and/or fuckery.

football! woo!

reason 5983 why i love melissa harris-perry

if you tuned into this morning's edition of the "melissa harris-perry show" on msnbc, then you (hopefully) caught this discussion about welfare and safety nets and, in what will probably be my favorite televised non-football related moment of the weekend, the mini-rant that starts at about 8:20 here:

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