# 9 - Bake a Cake from Scratch

Ken thinks I have a "thing" for the Pioneer Woman. It might be the excessive amounts of butter, obsene amounts of whipping cream, and an abundance of tongue-in-cheek witticisms, but I think Ken might be onto something. :)

I received PW's new cookbook for Christmas and have been following her blog since I lived in Japan. I've done quite a few of her recipes already and over the weekend, decided to tackle her famous Chocolate Sheet Cake. I've never made a cake without a mix and although I had to make this recipe into cupcakes (owing to a lack of a sheet cake pan -- next Christmas!), it turned out great! Chocolately goodness. It made a ton more frosting than I needed and I think that if I spread it out into a large pan, the ratio of frosting and cake would be out of this world!

I could use this as one of my new recipes, but I'm just going to let it bask in the glory of being my first cake. Also, I made banana bread (using up extra yogurt) and PW's artichoke dip yesterday. My apron is getting a workout!

Welcome to The Nunnery

Welcome to The Nunnery

Work is incredibly stressful right now as I prepare to take 240 students to Sydney in the next two weeks (and somehow get myself packed up and ready to go). In response to the nightmares that keep waking me up out of deep slumber and the cold sweats as I sit and stare at my growing "To Do" list, I decided to tack on two extra days in Melbourne for some R&R.

My colleague mentioned staying at The Nunnery and I think it looks like a totally unique and restful weekend for me! A little shopping at the farmer's market, a leisurely coffee or two, perhaps a winery tour or a drive along the Great Ocean Road. I can't wait to be back in Melbs!

Recipes #1 & 2 - Jamie on a Friday

Recipes #1 & #2:

Jamie Oliver's Fish Pie & Banana Tarte Tatin

It's not especially beautiful in this shot (and please ignore the nasty bits on the stove), but this fish pie was chock full of salmon, swordfish, and shrimp, as well as plenty of cheese and potatoes. Ken and I agreed that it was missing a little "something," but Jamie recommends serving it with ketchup and ketchup makes everything delicious, right? Next time I think we'll use parmesan or something saltier for the cheese.  

Then for dessert, we hit up another Jamie recipe. Although we didn't feel like buying superfine sugar for one recipe and thus, the caramel didn't dissolve properly (or get golden brown), this was delicious! Now I need to figure out what to make with the other half of the puff pastry.

What's the deal with all of the Jamie recipes? I had a $50 gift card from my birthday LAST year and on a whim finally decided to spend it on "Jamie's Food Revolution." Between these recipes and my new "Pioneer Woman Cook's" recipe book, this number on my list will likely be taken off quickly and efficiently.

Day Zero

The list is finally ready! I've posted it on this blog (rather than the Shaking Off the Dust) and I'm ready to cross some items off! As I mentioned before, it's difficult to predict what life changes will occur in the next 2.75 years, but hopefully, this list will bring some great memories and help me to take care of some lingering items.

Here's to a successful 2010, 2011, & part of 2012!

The List

This list has been a bit more daunting than I originally thought. I'm at #81 and struggling to come up with 20 more! Help?!

The List

I've hit the big 3-0 with grace (at least I hope it was graceful). I also hope that the next ten years bring as many amazing experiences, new friends, and new foods as my 20s did. I also have 9 years to plan my next tattoo. My "thing" is that I'd like to get a tattoo to best represent the decade that I just finished. Thus, my 20s are represented by a design that reminds me of travels and is also on my foot, reminding me of all that my little toes have traveled.

My 101 list is 3/4 of the way done and I hope to have it done by the weekend! I want to start crossing things off!!!

I've also booked my ticket to Australia and am ready to put in some long hours to get the students (and myself) ready.

In the meantime... Cheers to 2010!

Celeb Blogging

Now that I’m back to blogging, I wanted to share something that I find absolutely awesome! So I started reading a blog on ivillage.com in Japan about self-worth and body image. Along the way, the author joined Facebook and asked her readers to become her “friend,” which I did. I still read her blog on a daily basis and she has also appeared on the Today show and other various news segments (so she’s a bit of a celebrity). I even opened up a “Health” magazine the other day and there she was! With an article!


Anyways, she has “thumbs upped” my photos and posts on occasion and then today I commented on her post asking for advice on what to read. She not only responded on the comment, but also wrote me a note on my blog. I’m friends with a celebrity!!! Wahoo! I might also be amped up on excitement for my birthday, going to Australia & because of my new mantras that I’m repeating, but still! I think it’s cool. Maybe you don’t?!

Pondering a Decade

In just four short days, I will officially be leaving my Roaring 20s and heading into the 30s (Depression Era?!?! - just kidding). The last 10 years have been full of new experiences and adventures.

Some of the tops?

1) Visited over 15 countries.
2) Slept at the foot of Mount Everest and at a 4 a.m. pee break, looked up to see the moonlight on the finally revealed peak.
3) Experienced a violent storm across the road from the Great Wall.
4) Zipped on the back of a complete stranger's motorbike in Vietnam.
5) Got caught in a downpour after riding bikes to Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.
7) Ate numerous helpings of zenzai while lounging on Okinawa's beaches.
8) Overcame my fear of karaoke.
6) Got Simon the Peacock added to my foot in honor of my love of Pier 1 and Indian motifs.
7) Worked a range of jobs from being a teacher to working at a video store to manning a copier to living in Japan to working in luxury travel to working with study abroad students.
8) Lived in two dorm rooms, 6 apartments, & various extended stays at my parents' house.
9) The beginnings of a love for indie films, indie music, and a slightly indie lifestyle.
10) Went from never having set foot in a gym to becoming a gym rat.
11) Walked the streets of Cambridge and introducing the now famous, "eat a bit, drink a bit, have dessert, drink a bit more, eat a bit more" method of trying to stay warm during winter months.
12) Learned to be comfortable enough to go to a movie at any time all by myself. (also can now eat at a restaurant by myself and not feel weirded out by it)
13) Got my belly button pierced and then 5 years later, lost ring in a toilet at the Dalai Lama's home.
14) Began an addiction to NY Times crossword puzzles and hopefully, in the next decade, proceed past Wednesdays!
15) Became the queen of flashing peace signs in photos.

Ah, good times, good times.

And as I enter this next stage and as my last 101 list from Japan has expired, I'm working on a new list which will be posted here shortly. I'm only on #30 but hope to have it complete by the weekend and then I can start crossing items off.

It's odd because these lists truly reflect what is most important at the time that they were composed. In 2.75 years, perspective changes and items that were once relevant cease to even be a goal any more.

Currently, my list has a very "health-focused" feel to it. This is in part to the fact that I am itching to overcome my back injury and mostly due to my recent readings of books like "Ominivore's Dilemma" & "In Defense of Food," as well as viewings of documentaries like "Food, Inc." However, as I start to approach the time in my life when it's important to make good health decisions for later, there are definitely worse things that I could be focusing on!

I've also been trying to show my hand in the kitchen more often and this evening's shrimp 'n grits and last week's caramel from scratch lead me to believe I might actually find success in more instances than not! I'm going to continue to try new recipes and hopefully stretch myself even more.

Enough for now. The list will be posted shortly and then hopefully Rachel will be back in the blogging world once again!

Still in the Bend...

I've had more than a few people ask about the status of this blog. Basically my only news is that I'm getting old (Big 3-0 in January!), nursing a back injury that refuses to go away, and am heading back to Oz in February. My plan is to start a new 101 list in January and to use this blog to document my trials and tribulations! Stay tuned!

Ms. Frugality

I think it’s fair to say that this economic “crunch” or whatever you want to call it has made an impact in most everyone’s lives.

Two weekends ago, I stood in Pier 1 with two really great Asian sconce things and because they were on clearance ($8 from $36), I walked back and forth across the store debating whether to make the purchase. Did I need sconces? Did I love them because of the price or because I really just loved them? Would they make my life more fulfilling on my wall? Where would I even put them? So, as usually happens when I make Pier 1 visits these days, I walked out empty-handed. As I thought about it that evening, I was happy that I put them away and didn’t buy them. I later used the $16 I would have spent for some really cute flipflops (gold) that will go with anything because my two pairs are over 6 years old. Oh, and they’re Havaianas and have a supercute peacock design on the bottom. Score!

The other day my colleague said to me as I walked in, “Wait, I have to see what you’re wearing today. I never know what to expect these days.” That’s because I’ve taken to “shopping my closet”… dragging out items from past seasons and working them in with my normal clothes. This morning I put on a shirt that I originally thought might be inappropriate for work, added a higher cut camisole, and a little sweater on top and TADA --- new outfit! Plus I went through my old jewelry and took an old charm to put on my necklace instead of my usual. Love it! It does take me an extra 7 minutes to get dressed in the morning, but it’s worth it. I’ve resisted buying new clothes at Kohl’s and don’t plan on adding anything new to my wardrobe for the rest of the summer. (Once everything is on clearance in September, I might need to stock up for next summer, though.)

I also applied this to decorating my apartment over the weekend. I got out some old frames, went through old photos, and added a little pizzazz to the walls. I also found a photo coaster set I got for Christmas and added ticket stubs from our journey around the world instead of photos. They are great and it didn’t cost me a dime! I still think about those cute Pier1 sconces, but I don’t even know where I’d put them at this point…

It’s nice to feel in control of my spending and by the way, if you *do* want to spend some cash on a cute gift, hit up Ten Thousand Villages. Seriously. Their stuff is awesome and it truly is for a great cause. 80% of the artisans who make the products displayed in the stores are women. And everything is very high quality and unique. Just a little plug.

Awesome! My tattoo is on Dawn's Flickr stream now. Check out the whole gallery here!

Two weeks in, I still love my peacock. I wanted it to be so great that I could never imagine what would have stopped me before and also that it was always meant to be on my foot. I honestly think that I've achieved that. I've semi-named the peacock, but am a bit concerned because the name I picked is the name I would pick for any future male children. Is that weird? To have a tattoo and a son with the same name?!

Topless Sandals --- My letter of appreciation.

Good morning,

I purchased a pair of topless sandals in anticipation of a foot tattoo that I was planning on receiving. Amazingly enough, I went through with the tattoo and even more amazing --- your sandals have been a lifesaver! I couldn't comprehend how a shoe with adhesive could ever stand up to normal day-to-day usage. When I first popped them on after receiving my tattoo and started walking, I felt like the back heels were already dislodging themself. Despite this, I pressed my feet down hard and 12 hours later, the shoes were still sticking!

And now, two weeks after the fact, I am still wearing the sandals on a daily basis while my tattoo finishes healing. I've washed them down a couple of times, some of the adhesive is migrating to the edges, and I believe they might be on their last legs, but I absolutely would recommend these shoes to anyone.

Besides the help in healing, these shoes are also a great coversation starter. I can't tell you how many people have told me to "Put those away! They're freaking me out!"

I will definitely recommend Topless Sandals to anyone who is receiving a foot tattoo or anyone who wants to stick out in a crowd!

Thanks for producing a great product at an affordable price!

Best regards,

Rachel

Growing Old

My new peacock is molting! The top skin layer is gradually working its way up and leaving behind a shinier version of the tattoo.

I can’t believe it’s already July 7th. Summers go so quickly! I haven’t consumed nearly enough watermelon, corn on the cob, lemonade, soft-serve ice cream, or brats yet!

I just sent out an invitation for my 11 Year High School Reunion. Why 11th? Essentially, I was in the middle of moving jobs and apartments last summer and couldn’t be bothered with another thing on my plate. Our high school closed its doors for good this year and as there is a huge alumni day being planned, I thought it would be easy to tie it all together.

What did I see myself doing 11 years ago when I graduated? I went to university as an “Exploratory Major” and was seriously considering going the Pre-Med route. When I signed up for classes in the summer, I was placed in a biology class that I later found out was for nursing majors, not pre-med freshmen. Needless to say, that Anatomy & Physiology course almost did me in and I found myself enjoying my humanities courses much more. Hence, I found myself with a teaching degree, which led to three years of teaching, then 4 months of traveling, then some time off, then a year in Japan, then a job in the luxury travel market, then onto my current position in study abroad. It’s been a crazy 10/11 years! Where to next? Just kidding, Mom.

Anyway, the tattoo was partly inspired by my impending 30th birthday and one of my relatives is getting some ink done this weekend in celebration of her … we’ll say 40th birthday (even though it’s not). It would be kind of interesting to get a tattoo before a new decade begins to symbolize the last 10 years.

What will the next 10 years bring?

I could end up with a full back piece of Dwight Schrute.

Back Where I Belong

I feel almost guilty for switching blog spots and like I am slinking back with my tail between my legs. :) I thought I'd like On Sugar better, but in fact, it's still a Beta program, it's mostly for fashion and style, and it's difficult for people to make comments. So here I am, back blogging at my old haunt. I just need to keep blogging and not get lazy!

Happy 4th of July!

The reveal

About 8 weeks ago I was a bit bored and randomly started wondering if any tattoo artists are capable of making a tattoo look like Indian-inspired henna --- only permanent. I did a few google image searches and was brought to the image of an absolutely fabulous tattoo that looked like it could be henna. I looked around the flickr site that was associated with the image and one thing led to another…. I was soon at the website of The Tattoo Factory in Chicago where the tattoo artist who made the amazing design works. Strange that she would be in Chicago… Then I read a bit about her and found out that she was voted #1 in Chicago for 2008… Even better. So then I thought about it for a day or so and decided that it could be the perfect time to get inked! I’m turning 30 soon and all that jazz. Plus, I had some henna done while I was in India and I didn’t want it to disappear. There was a particular peacock segment that struck my fancy and I kept staring at it, not wanting it to fade.

 

I emailed the parlor and within 10 minutes, had an email from Dawn, the tattoo artist. As she’s #1 in all of Chicago, she books far in advance so I made an appointment for June 28^th. I knew that I could always change my mind, but honestly, in those 8 weeks, the only issue I had was trying to talk myself out of where I wanted the tattoo placed – the foot. I was thinking that I should pick somewhere less conspicuous… But what would that be? Basically my lower back or my stomach. As I don’t show off either of those areas very much, I was not too thrilled. Plus I couldn’t picture a henna design in either place. I read and read and read all that I could about foot tattoos – healing times, difficulties, pain. It’s a place on the body that some artists refuse to tattoo because of the discomfort as well as getting it “just right.” I knew that Dawn could do it, though, as I had seen some of her other amazing works. Plus, I decided that if I’m going to sit through the pain, I want it where people can see it and also, it was my vision and getting it somewhere else would be quite disappointing in the end.

 

I committed. I also managed to get Ken to decide to get a tat as well.

 

And then I waited. And waited. I ordered Topless Sandals and canceled my gym membership for the month of July.

 

The weekend finally got here and I was kept occupied with numerous parties and times with friends. We managed to score a place to stay for the weekend and I chatted with some friends who have foot tattoos to see about the logistics. One of the parties we attended was literally sharing a wall with the tattoo parlor (ironic). We chatted with a guy named Hank outside at 10 p.m. on the night before the big day. He really put things into perspective and calmed our fears. He said that human nature is to shirk from pain, not to push yourself to do something that inflicts pain, which is why it can be altering and so important (and addictive).

 

On Sunday morning, we ate a large breakfast at Kitsch’n and I stored up energy with chocolate chip/banana pancakes. We got to the parlor supremely early and despite being in Uptown, there was nothing to do except visit Aldi or open a cash account.

 

In the days leading up to going to get the work done, I started getting nervous more about the pain than anything. I have seriously bony feet! But also a very large canvas to work on….

 

Ken went first at the parlor and was quickly in the chair and getting a permanent quote on his shoulder blade – “i tramp a perpetual journey”… He was very honest with me as I started to settle into my chair that it does hurt. That it does not feel pleasant. And I think he was a bit worried about the outcome of my decision.

 

Meanwhile, Dawn began to prep the area and had printed out a couple of photos from the internet that I had passed on to her. And then she started drawing. I soon had a lovely, lovely, lovely paisley peacock on my foot. Larger than I had originally planned on, but I told her I wanted detail and not a big black blob on my foot. I fell in love with the design immediately and told her to go ahead with it without any changes. While she started, I began to get really nervous about the pain factor as just drawing with the pen was hurting a bit! But we proceeded and after the first few minutes where my foot kept twitching involuntarily, I got my hip in the right placement and we rolled on through. One hour later and numerous visits from Ken to check my well-being, I stepped out of the chair with the most perfect tattoo that I could have ever imagined!

 

Dawn is truly talented. And although she probably wasn’t too thrilled with my nervous chatter she gave me a sucker at the end for being a “good girl” on my first tattoo.

 

And did it hurt? Heck yes. It did not feel good, especially at certain bony points. But was it going to make me cry or meltdown? No. Could I sit through it for a 4 hour piece? Probably not.

 

I’m so pleased! And those Topless Sandals stuck to my feet from 3 p.m. – 2 a.m. without budging. In fact, I’m wearing them now. I show people my ink and they say, “Awesome! But, what is the deal with those SHOES?! Those are crazy!!!!”

Barter time?

I’m thinking of quitting the gym.

 

Shocker, I know. It’s $62 a month which I find to be ridiculous considering that I only use it for spinning classes. I usually go to 2 - 3 spinning classes  a week, so 8 - 12 a month. It’s over $5 per class on a good month when I’m actually available to go to the gyms on weekends. I have Jillian at home. I can run outside until about November. But I really like spinning. Has anyone had any success with bartering with gyms? I have suspended my membership for the month of July but still have to pay $15 to keep it active. For that $15, I am getting 3 visits that I can use. What if I offer the gym a deal? I’m willing to spend $35 a month for just spinning capabilities. Obviously they have a way of tracking a certain amount of visits per month since they are doing it for me for July. Can’t I just spin for 8 – 10 times a month for $35? If they think they are going to lose the full $62 as an alternative, maybe they’ll consider my deal. I can see desperation in their eyes during this touch economic crunch. They are doing all sorts of contests, painting rooms, adding lockers, and throwing up posters with new upcoming events. Ever since they lost their top instructor and classes dropped from totally full to about 8 people showing up, things are looking a bit down for the gym. I could threaten to join her gym instead…

 

The reason that I’m suspending my gym membership for July? Still a secret.

 

And the reason I might also be suspending my gym membership for August? A potential work-related journey to China (and maybe Thailand)!

Hilarious. And sad.

Hilarious. And sad.

Wow. That's all you can say to that. (Click link above)

A little mood booster.

Why my job is worth the stress ----

Students are returning from their semesters overseas and this morning I got an email from one of my favorite students who simply stated, "Hell of a semester, Rach."

Exactly.

Who knew?

I’m a big fan of reading recipes online and then storing them away to be made at a later time. Unfortunately, I’m the ultimate kitchen klutz and generally anything I touch while cooking turns inedible. So, if I think there is actual potential, I forward it on to Ken to get him involved in the process. This week I was inspired by a “french fries” recipe that involved butternut squash. Essentially you peel and deseed the squash, cut it into little “fries,” salt and pepper to your heart’s content, and bake in the oven. With ketchup, it was supposed to turn out like actual french fries, but a healthy version. Ken was quite keen to try this recipe and we decided to give it a go yesterday. Unfortunately, it’s not really squash season and the store only had acorn squash. I pretty much though that by buying the wrong type, I had already cursed the recipe from the beginning. After 40 minutes of baking, though, some lovely little fries emerged from the oven. With a dab of high fructose corn syrup-infused ketchup, deliciousness ensued!

 

Ken affirmed that this was one of our greatest successes of all time in the kitchen and the recipe will be repeated on a regular basis. In the words of that other Rachel/Rachael, “YUMMO!”

How does she do that?!

I’m still on my “I heart Jillian Michaels phase” and finally opened up the third DVD that I purchased online. It’s called “Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism” and I was a bit skeptical of how good a cardio-only workout can truly be in a living room. Despite the 5 star reviews, I had put this one off. I cracked it open on Monday and did the full 7 cycles that are included in the workout. The first cycle left me wondering if I was actually going to get a good workout. It was okay, but nothing that left me “gurgling my heart” like Jillian goes for in her other DVDs. Then as the second cycle began, I realized I was sweating and by the 4^th cycle, I had turned a lovely beet red and was cursing Jillian’s existence as I contorted myself upside down, inside out, topsy turvy during her “core” circuit. After three more cycles, which thankfully allow a bit of time to catch one’s breath, I went back to tell Ken I was done with the living room. One look at me and he said, “What happened to you?!” Yes, once again, Jillian beat me up. And I loved it.