Just Take a Bow

How do I picture?

Guys, I think I forgot how to pose. I AM still getting dressed regularly, but... these photos are rough. Just look at some of the special I've decided to share with you below... Preemptory apologies!

So where the heck have I been? That's a big question. I'm going to do my best to fill you in. Feel free to just scan the bold points if you don't want to navigate the full life story.

1. I got overwhelmed and let a lot of things fall. I have always bitten off more than I can chew, but I think I went just a tiny bit too far. For the first four months of this year, I was coaching the colorguard, working full time at a high school, serving about 20 hours a week at a restaurant, tutoring, and trying to fit in some time to figure out what I would be doing after June (when my high school job contract ends). There was no time for my interests, my health, or my friends.

2. I left my job at the restaurant. While in Dayton, Ohio with the colorguard for nationals in April, I decided that I had had enough. I was not enjoying my days, I was constantly tired, and I dreaded going to the restaurant 7/10 times I worked. I'm very bad at walking away from anything I've committed to, but I knew I had to. I put in my notice and officially worked my last day there on May 12.

3. I began to make myself a priority again. I've taken back control of how I feel by making time to cook for myself, reintroducing exercise into my weekly life, and having enough time to rest and sleep when I need it. It's still a work in progress--I haven't genuinely had time for myself in quite a while--but I'm already reaping the benefits.

4. I've attended a ton of events (and had a lot of fun). I've been to comedy shows, concerts, local celebrations, friends' parties, and portfolio showcases. I have forced my schedule to be able to accommodate all the finer things in life because I've worked damn hard and deserve time to play.

5. It is 92% official that I am moving to South Korea in August. Since January, I've been working on gathering paperwork, completing an application, and interviewing for a position teaching in South Korea. I have made it through nearly every phase--I have been accepted and submitted everything. Now, I just have to wait for placement which does not come until the end of June/beginning of July. I am not guaranteed a spot, but I have been told that it is unlikely I will not be placed. Now, though the application phase is over, I am in the midst of getting everything in order so I can hop on a plane with all my possessions in a suitcase and run away to a new country. It doesn't feel real, to be honest, and I think that is part of what is motivating me to tell you. I need to see it in my own writing. Which leads me to the final point...

6. I've been studying Korean. 안녕하세요? I can hardly say anything at this point, but I've memorized the hangul character set and am working to build my vocabulary. I don't harbor any delusions of being able to speak well when I get there, but I don't want to drown in a sea of Korean.

So that's it, folks. The cat's out of the bag. I actually haven't told many of my real-life friends because I feel like I want to keep it under wraps until I know where I will be living and have more information about my placement. There's also that chance that it won't happen for some reason or another, and I don't want to have to recant.

Featuring Caseable and 30 Doradus

See that gorgeous clutch-like thing I'm holding there? It's actually a custom-made laptop case from caseable! This is a MacBook Air 13" Sleeve, and it was super easy to make using their online design tools. I opted to use something space-y, and so I combed Hubble's photography to find something that stole my heart. I settled on this image of 30 Doradus (aka the Tarantula Nebula). Isn't it gorgeous?

Photo source: Hubble Photography Gallery
Can you tell which parts of this field of stars were used for each side of the case?

Not gonna lie, this case is pretty stinkin' cool. Even better, though, is the fact that it's handcrafted from recycled materials in Brooklyn, NY! You can even see some of the handmade qualities in the stiching. I'm seriously in love. You can make all kinds of electronics cases; it's worth checking out the caseable website. They also feature tons of pre-done designs!

In other news, I'm so tired, guys. In two more weeks, I'll have some time to rest and catch you all up, but for now, it's going to be drive-by posting every now and then. But I'm still here, and I will be back on your blogs commenting. I swear. Until then: how the heck are you, friend?

Raddish Chips, Curried Mushroom Quinoa, and Wilted Chard Greens, Oh My!

Yeah. You read that right. After walking around the farmer’s market, we (Lauren and I) decided we wanted to cook a delicious lunch for ourselves to warm up and enjoy some produce. Also, it was a good excuse for Lauren to snap photos. We picked food based on what looked good; as you can see, the radishes were a gorgeous, rich color and the leafy greens looked as if they had just been picked. Delicious.

The recipes I used were all really simple. I don’t like to pile too many ingredients into my food and I like to let simple spices stand out. I also only sort of measure--cooking is way more fun if you leave a little of it to chance--so understand that my measurements listed here for you guys are estimates.

Baked Radish Chips

7 Fresh radishes (as many as you like, really)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pinch of salt
cooking sheets
parchment paper

Before you do anything, turn that freaking oven on. To 350 degrees. Then, slice the tops and roots off the radishes and then slice the radishes into 1/4” ish slices. Too thin and they will burn a bit in the oven (go for it if you like that, though!), too thick and they will be too moist and not quite, you know, chip-like. Save the radish greens for your wilted greens if you’re gonna make those, too. No sense in wasting ‘em!

Once you’ve sliced the radishes, throw them into a bowl of some sort and drizzle them with the olive oil. I only used about 1/2 a tablespoon for the seven radishes we cooked up, so if you are scaling up or down, plan accordingly. Once you’ve coated the radishes with oil, sprinkle on the spices and stir ‘em up real good. Seriously. You don’t want all the chili powder or salt on one radish.

Once they’re coated, lay the radish coins out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or a SilPat, or whatever floats your boat). They will be oily right now and that’s cool. Stick them into the oven for the next 20 minutes. You’ll pull them out at that point and flip them over before returning them to the oven for another 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on them--their cooking time will depend a little bit on how thick or thin the radish coins are.

That’s all!

Vinegar Wilted Greens

Greens of your choice (we used chard and radish tops)
3 tbsp Vinegar
A pan with a lid (to steam)

Because we found a market vendor selling no sugar vinegars in a variety of flavors, we had to buy some. We used a Walla Walla Onion vinegar for this recipe, but you could use any kind of vinegar for your greens! The tangy flavor that comes through really makes these not just taste like a bunch of leaves.

Ready for how easy this is?

Throw all your fresh greens into whatever cooking implement you plan to use. Then pour in the vinegar. If you’re unsure how much vinegar YOU want to use, start with less and you can always drizzle more onto them when you serve them. Make sure you put a little water into the pan, though, because you want there to be moisture in the pan so you don’t burn your greens.

Place the pan over medium head on the stove and cover it so the liquid will help wilt the greens by steaming them as well as heating. Take them off the source of heat a little earlier than you think--the pan is going to stay hot and steamy after you remove heat and you don’t want them totally pulverized. They can chill out to the side while you finish doing other things, and during that time, they’ll finish cooking perfectly!

Curried Mushroom Quinoa

1 cup dry quinoa
2 1/3 cups water or broth
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (or fresh if you have 'em!)
1/2 tbsp curry spice
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup diced onion
Saucepan with a lid

Quinoa is super easy to use as a base and then amp it up with flavors from any region of the world. I tend to make a spicy Mexican-inspired dish with it, but it also takes quiet well to a variety of curry flavors which is what we did here.

The best way I've found to prepare quinoa is to use a quinoa-to-liquid ratio of 1:2. So, for example, in this recipe I called for one cup of dried quinoa and two cups liquid (I used veggie broth). Put all of it into a saucepan on high to get it boiling. I added a bit of extra liquid because I used dehydrated mushrooms and they needed liquid, too. Once the whole concoction is boiling, turn it to low, cover it with a lid, and let it chill there for a while. In the neighborhood of 10-20 minutes.

We wanted to add a bit of crunch to our curried quinoa, so right before taking the saucepan off high heat, we threw in our diced onion. This let it cook but not become completely softened. If you prefer your onions softer, put them in from the beginning so they spend a little time boiling and cook down more.

You can check on your quinoa while it is sitting on low heat, but don't do it too many times--you want to keep the moist heat in there to help it cook. I usually take a peek around the 10 minute mark to make sure there IS going to be enough water for it to soak up and to give it a quick (very quick) stir if I've added spices or whatnot. Quinoa is really a low-key grain to cook, so don't overthink it.

The Finished Meal!

This has been delightful cooking time with Sarah. Hopefully you enjoyed the pretty pictures or got inspired to try one of these delicious things. I'd really say go for the radish chips. Seriously.

Farmer's Market Style

Check out how perfectly this reusable bag matched me!
My friend Lauren and I went to a local farmer's market over this weekend for two reasons: (1) because she wanted to use the location for a project and (2) we wanted to buy delicious foods. To be clear, I took exactly 0 of these photos. But I wanted to share some of them with you 'cause it was fun.

It was pretty nasty out--windy, rainy, and the constant, looming grey sky. But, even with such adverse conditions, the people of Oregon endure. 'Cause we pretty much know there's no escaping this weather 9 months out of the year. I almost even dressed appropriately for the weather! Almost.

You can tell it's a bit damp if you look closely at my hair. Don't look closely.
Not everyone, it seems, had such a good time at the farmer's market. Lauren snapped a picture of this little guy and I had to share. Doesn't he look like he'd rather be almost anywhere else?