Cooking and other observations

I made pizza for dinner. Well, OK, that's not the whole truth, because I used Boboli, which is cheating. That means "made" is the lying part. I assembled pizza.)

It was decent, the result I mean. I put sauce, onions, sun dried tomato, nicoise olives, mozzerella, parmesan, and pepperoni.
Baked for roughly 10 minutes and I have to say that my non-effort was every bit as fulfilling as somehing I paid $20 for and came to the door. (After a phone call, because for some reason my condo is not easy to find.)

I've been gone so long that I think blogging must have gone completely out of style

And honestly I wonder if anybody's still reading. Because, um, hello? It's been like five years since I posted anything here.

But lately I've been cooking, and I'm a damned fine cook, and when there's nothing to talk about I can always talk about food. (All right, it made sense at the time.)

Lately, meaning this week, I've been making condiments. Last night I made mayonnaise and tonight I made ketchup. You may ask "why bother when you can go get that stuff at the supermarket?" And that's not a bad question, it's just that mayo, for instance, has gotten really expensive in the last year or so, and the commercial stuff isn't really that good. Commercial ketchup isn't that good, either. It's too sweet for me.

So I started out with Google searching for a mayonnaise recipe. OK, actually that's not true. I started at epicurious and searched recipes on "mayonnaise" but what I got was a long list of recipes that include mayo as an ingredient.

I did find one, but it really wasn't that good so I altered it pretty significantly.

Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks

1 cup oil

1/2 tsp. salt

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp. rice vinegar

Beat two egg yolks until pale and thick. (I used an immersion blender, but a hand mixer or a whisk will do.) Drizzle oil into the egg slowly and continue beating. When the mixture reaches desired thickness add lemon juice, salt and vinegar to taste. (You may use all lemon, all vinegar or a mix of both.) Cover and refrigerate immediately.

So I also made ketchup. I've done this before, but it's been a while. I don't really care for commercial kechup, which features high fructose corn syrup in the recipe. I'm not sure I got his one right, but it's pretty tasty for a what I had in the pantry effort.

Tomato Ketchup 

Open a can of diced tomatoe and simmer over medium heat until the contents reduces by half. Add spices--I used salt, black and white pepper freshly ground, celery seed, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, fresh ginger, fresh garlic. Amount for each is a pinch to half a teaspoon, to taste basically, Add two tablespoons of molasses,  a quarter cup of rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar to taste and a small can of tomato paste. Use immersion blender on the mixture until smooth. Refrigerate in a small jar. Makes about 8 oz.

Hiatus

Hello people:

Obviously I've been nearly incapable of blogging regularly over the past few months, there's just been too much going on, and I haven't been completely happy with the blog for a long time. Iwon't be shutting it down, but if I'm going to continue, I'll revamp it, and I won't have time to do that any time soon.

Thanks so much for reading along, I'll be back when I'm in more creative head space and I feel like there's anything interesting to write about. Right now's just not that time.

Stay sane over the holidays,

Amanda

So

To say that I don't go into personal stuff here is pretty much untrue. "I" is such a featured word on this blog, but that's sort of unavoidable. It's probably more accurate to say that I don't reallywant to write about myself and what's going on in my life. On the other hand, this is important: I'm actively diabetic again.

Some of my readers never knew me while I was diabetic. I was diagnosed as a child, had no complications until after I turned 30, and then everything went to hell. Six years ago I received a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant. The kidney from that one didn't work out, but I still had the pancreas until about ten days ago, when it failed quickly and miserably.

Guess that explains why I've been sick and couldn't seem to get better. When the body has to fight an auto-immune disorder, and immunosuppressant drugs, that's hard; in concert, that's impossible.

Anyway, I'm working on it. As per usual, I have the support of an excellent medical team. The new guy, Dr. Adam Pearlman, who recently joined my nephrologist's group, has been amazing. Unlike a lot of MDs, he made an effort to get to know me a little bit. He introduced himself by his first name, and he made an effort to get me in to see one of the better endocrinologists in the DC area, who actually specializes in type 1 diabetes.

None of this has been easy on me. I'll go back on the transplant list to get a new pancreas, mostly so I can protect the second kidney, which used to belong to an incredible person. But also, if were to choose life as a diabetic, I'd be a ticking time bomb, vulnerable to all sorts of things. The lows, which come almost every day, terrify me more than anything. And the thing is, I've never been able to control them. I was always so scared of my blood sugar going too high that I deliberately kept it low. It would crash, and the bounceback caused nerve damage, which eventually caused nerve damage significant enough to destroy my kidneys and severely impair my eyesight.

I had a moment there, as I was flirting with a coma, in which I asked myself: you done yet? Ready to give up? Isn't it time to rest?

The answer to all those questions is no, still. I'm not sure why. Spinning one's wheels can be as wearying as actual movement, and I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop for quite a while now.

Point being, I might as well live.

New Feature: Letters to Popular Songs

Dear "Lips of an Angel":

I regret to inform you that you are currently the most annoying song on radio. Your band, Hinter (or is it Hinder? I can't tell), has a creepy jones to be Nickleback, and that's a large part of the problem, but you'd still be stupid if a different performer tried to do something with you.

For one thing, the Angel Lips on the phone probably isn't any better than the current girlfriend in the next room. She's your ex, and maybe you never had breakup sex, but if she were still sitting on the couch with PMS watching "Stepmom" on cable clutching a tissue, she'd still be a pain. But now she's gone. She's taken that lstrawberry-flavored lipgloss with her on a trip to the land of the girls whose pants you can't get into, which makes her that much better than the girl who's in the living room, or the kitchen, or the conservatory, or whatever the next room is who glares at you for leaving the seat up.

Man, remember when you were with Angel Lips? Things were so much better back then. Maybe you should see if she'd get back together with you... or if she'd just meet you at some cheap motel on the outskirts of town. There could be a whole 'nother song about that! And then one about how Couch Girl kicked your ass...

More than likely Angel Lips just called to say she left some bath gel under your sink, and that was expensive bath gel, and could you drop it by the front desk of her workplace, because she'd like it back--but not enough to see your ugly mug to get it.

So here's my easy solution to your problems: Go take a shower and whack off, which will get your hormones in check. Then pack up whatever it is she wants, drop it off, shut up about it, and I won't tell Couch Girl that you've been thinking about cheating on her.

And don't worry too much. Panic! at the Disco's terrier of a song is nipping at your heels.

On behalf ofthe listening public,

Eyeroll

Mustard!

Yes, Adam, I've been away again, distracted from blogging by my lingering upper respiratory infection and my switch to the night shift. I promise I'm not dead. (I like the night shift, by the way. Unlike most people, I got my life back by working when I'd otherwise be sleeping.)

So the other night when I was stocking the grocery aisle, I screamed with delight when I opened a box and pulled out a short jar with a green lid. The Garlic Aioli Mustard Sauce is back on Trader Joe's shelves. I *heart* mustard, and I was mad as hell at Corporate for axing my two favorites. (No word on the also-departed Sake Wasabi Mustard, which found itself disco'd after getting a great write-up in the New York Times.)

The other guys on the night crew were not impressed at my gushing over the wonder that is the aioli mustard--"crazy white girl"-- but I think I convinced at least one of them to try it.

Other new stuff at TJ's includes a fantastic flourless chocolate cake, perfect for when you have to bring a dessert, or when a friend breaks up with her mate, priced at $6.99. The new Tarte Chocolate d'Amande is larger, but not as purely perfect as the plain chocolate. If I loved almonds, I'd probably like it more.

And then there's the frozen Mac and Cheese. Now, this doesn't sound like a good idea, but it really is. No crossing-guard orange powder to get all over the place when you open the packet, and if you're out of milk, you can still have your mac and cheese. It's not quite up to my homemade, but I use whatever cheese I happen to have, and sometimes that results in greatness. The frozen mac and cheese heats up in the microwave in about five minutes; put some pepper on it and go to town. I'm pretty sure it gives the most satisfaction $3.29 can buy.

I live...

Sorry about the absence, dear readers. First I was offline for a couple of weeks due to moving. Then I was busy opening the new store, and now I'm sick.

I thought it was just a cold--you know, perfectly normal stuff--but I'm not so sure now. Whatever I have started with a mild sore throat Tuesday night at work, by the time I got home my throat was extremely sore, and then whatever it is moved into my lungs, so I can't breathe without the inhaler.

Life doesn't look good right this minute. I know I ought to go to a hospital, but I don't want to get myself admitted. Last time I was admitted to a hospital I ended up briefly addicted to morphine and had to detox over a very unpleasant day and a half. I know that sounds like nothing from the point of view of a hardcore drug addict, but it was a big-ass deal for me.

Anyway, if I'm still having problems in the morning I'll get myself to a hospital. If I feel better, I'll go to work. Either way it'll be something.

If you like house porn

I found this dude via a Google search that couldn't be less related to interior design. Y'all know how much I love randomness, but his projects seem to be easy for an ordinary person to do, and remarkably tasteful, all things considered.

He has some cool ideas that wouldn't break the bank, or require the help of a professional. So here you go.

Jonathan Fong Style.

Now officially on notice

This is courtesy of my pal, Doug. Thanks for the link, dude.

You can make your own, if you want.

Note: I've never been able to get through an entire Colbert Report. I still like the idea of the show more than the show itself, but I love that I can make a list of things that annoy me and should go away immediately, and get a cool-ass graphic to substitute for a useful or insightful blog entry.

A Clunker from TJ's, and soon to be discontnued items

The Ginger Peanut Noodle Salad isn't new, but I hadn't tried it before. It sells for $2.99, if I remember correctly, and it's located in the refrigerated section, but not the one with the milk.

This dish looks fine in its little clear plastic carton, and I figured it'd be tasty, if maybe a little salty. I was wrong; the noodles are bland and the peanuts are mushy. Ginger? What ginger?

I topped half of mine with stir fry the other night and gave up after a few bites. Just not into it. Tonight I used chopped fresh veggies (carrot, red pepper, onion and parsley) along with about a cup of frozen snap peas and made a new dressing with garlic, fresh ginger, white balsamic vinegar and sesame oil plus a bit of teryaki sauce that I needed to use up. Dressed like that, the whole thing was better, though I could have done the same thing with buckwheat noodles and come out way ahead on price.

At three bucks, it's not a bad base for a cold noodle salad, but when you could do better by cooking your own noodles and chopping up some peanuts, this product kind of doesn't make sense.

The only thing from the latest disco list that might interest you is the mango salsa. It's way too sweet for me, but some people like that kind of thing. If you're a fan, you might want to stock up now. Also, if you like the bargain Cafe Duran at $3.99 a pound, it's going away. This should come as no surprise.

If you get your Scharffen Berger chocolate at TJ's for the bargain price of $1.99 per bar, the 80 percent and 72 percent cocoa bars are going away, which is too bad. I've done my damnest to sell the 80 percent bars; that's some good chocolate.