Hello?

Am I back? I don't think so. Where have I been? Well, a lot of places but yet exactly the same place. A year has gone by since my last post and for some reason this blog has felt like an old friend you want to avoid because it would be too awkward to reconnect. You were once so close and reliant on each other, anything less than that seems wrong. But here I am, after a day of writing a 14 page paper and two blog posts for class, I find myself writing again. It is past my bedtime, half delirious from dissecting two minutes of The King's Speech, and if it weren't for Real Housewives of Orange County, I'd be completely insane.

So, what have I been up to?

As far as eating, I've been doing it like everyday (haha). No, but really, my boyfriend and I have acquired an expensive habit that feeds into our love of not only lists, but crossing things off of them. About once a week, we go to a restaurant we have not been to before. Preferably ones we have heard rave reviews about...whether that means their overall menu, one specific thing (recently The Happy Gnome for steak tartar) a great beer/wine list or a restaurant with a great deal.

The thing is, we don't just split an app, have one drink and call it a day. We like to do the whole meal- appetizer, entreé, sides, dessert and a couple of drinks each. Gluttony at its finest. I'm sure it won't last forever though, I don't think either of us are committed enough to the gym to ever survive.

Between the search for the best steak tartar, oysters and an obsession with brussel sprouts, my food life has been fully satisfying, exciting and adventurous.

While I have eaten more, I have taken less pictures. I felt ashamed when I saw the increase of amateur food pictures and so many "foodies" disrupting the rest of the restaurant with their flash and obvious unawareness for others. Sadly, I don't have immense amounts of pictures to share, but I will show you what has happened since we've last seen each other. Considering I am about to graduate, it seems fitting to reminisce...

 

 

What I've Learned Today

I have to admit, today I was a little Tweet-happy.  I couldn't help it.  I was a part of something so exciting I just needed to share my every thought with all of my many loyal followers.  Okay, well that is only partly true, but I did attend a workshop today at Main Street Project as a part of a Phone Justice Policy Day (post for this event will be on MSP's blog later).  As a Media Justice Intern at Main Street Project, I found myself at a roundtable with Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and staffers from the offices of Senator Klobuchar and Senator Franken, advocating phone/broadband justice and equality.  I was the youngest among some really smart media policy advocates and I was soaking up as much as I could. It was inspiring, informative and at 8 in the morning.  After a long, exhausting #mediajustice #mediajustice #mediajustice tweeting filled day, I found myself staring blankly at my pantry.  Hungry.

I vowed I would not spend one penny on food this week (other than a few groceries) in an effort to eat healthier and save money.  I grabbed my latest Bon Appétit (that provided lots for Easter brunch) and flipped to the cover recipe that claims to be the "simplest, silkiest sauce you'll ever make!"  The next thing I knew, I was eating Pasta al Pomodoro.  Of course I had to make some modifications; fettuccine instead of spaghetti, dried instead of fresh basil and I added spinach and a dash of honey goat cheese to the sauce.  I have to say, it might be one of the best pastas I've ever made at home, and I'm usually not a fan of tomato based pasta sauces.  I learned a lot from this recipe.  The article related to the recipe points out 8 easy techniques that are applicable to any variation of pasta to ensure a delicious, creamy pasta.  I learned it just takes some TLC and lots of salt to make a delicious at pasta at home.

5 Things I've Learned Today:

• Adding a lot of salt to pasta water really makes a huge difference.  I know we all like to lower the sodium when cooking at home, but it makes a huge difference in the end result.  The pasta itself is flavorful, and you can add less salt later on in the preparation.  The pasta should taste flavorful without a sauce and if you want to take this up with the Italians who swear by salty pasta water, be my guest.
• Tomato sauce at home is easy to make.  I just blended two cans of diced tomatoes and cooked with onions and garlic (see recipe).  Patience is key, and with enough time and care, the sauce will thicken and become as delicious if not more than sauce from a bottle.
• Mothering a sauce is therapeutic. Creating something from a recipe is extremely relaxing after a long day.  There is something immensely satisfying about reading a recipe that tells you if you simmer a sauce long enough, it will thicken, and then to do just that and see the desired result.
• Finishing a pasta sauce with pasta water and finishing the cooking of the pasta in the sauce, results in perfectly cooked pasta and a wonderful sauce consistency.  It is important to cook the sauce and pasta together as equal components; ensuring the sauce coats and cooks each individual noodle.  Not just two things that happen to end up on a plate together.
• If/when AT&T merges with Tmobile, it will control 80% of the market, creating an extremely powerful monopoly. Sigh...media injustice...At least I can always rely on Bon Appétit. #MediaJustice. Sorry I just had to get one more hashtag out.

A Saucy Easter

I call it that because it twas a day of sauces.  My mom made a béchamel and I tackled a hollandaise a la Eric Ripert.  My brother and sister-in-law were in town for the weekend and 24 eggs and 5 sticks of butter later, we had a delicious Easter brunch spread.

Separating egg yolks for the hollandaise

Brown sugar + bacon = candied bacon = irresistible

Can't have Easter without deviled eggs

Roasted asparagus w/parmesan

Asparagus w/ Hollandaise

Gravlax from Ikea (lol)

Bon Appétit walked me through an easy blender hollandaise

Spinach baked w/eggs, parmesan & béchamel sauce

We lazily made Crescent rolls but added a twist with shredded cheddar

Lemon pound cake w/sour cream