A change of pace...

...um, I hate that my last post was related to Rick Rolling. So perhaps you should check out my new blog, right here, featuring a lot less food and a lot more mediocrity. Now doesn't that sound like fun?!

I like to think "Meep meep meep" translates to, "You got Muppet Roll'd, bitch!"

Saving you the shame

So it's Roommate's birthday, and her boyfriend oh-so-sweetly buys her a carrot cake from Whole Foods, and everyone's sitting around and you are offered a slice, and you think, "Hey - it's got carrots, it's organic, one tiny piece of cake can't hurt..." So you take the slice, and it's pretty f-ing good as far as carrot cake goes and you think nothing of it.

And then Other Roommate calls you the next day from work and fills you in that the said measly piece of last night's cake contained...wait for it...wait for it...830 CALORIES, 67 GRAMS OF FAT, AND 92 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES.

And then you realized that the thunder you heard this morning despite sunny skies was not an impending bout of inclement weather, but simply you walking down the stairs.

Photo from WholeFoods.com, Disgusting and disheartening calorie count from TheDailyPlate.com.

It hurts so good

After downing a half-smoke (like a chili dog, but better) and fries at the Nationals game today, my digestive tract was feeling a little less than stellar so I needed something light for dinner. I'm a big fan of both soup and Asian cooking these days, so I turned to this Wok cookbook I bought on a whim from Ikea. (It was clearly translated from Swedish, and features such poetic instructions as, "Gut the shrimps. Wash the shrimps. Dry the shrimps.") The few recipes I've made from it have turned out pretty bland, so I usually have to significantly doctor the results to make them tasty. The additions I made to this soup resulted in a soup rich in flavor but light enough to not wreak havoc on my already-taxed tummy.

Spicy Shrimp and Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock or broth

8 oz. baby asparagus

8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 shallots

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. chili bean paste (can be found in Asian foods section)

pinch of Chinese 5-spice powder

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a small pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. While waiting for it to boil, wash the asparagus, trim off any woody ends, and cut into inch-long pieces.

2. Cook asparagus in boiling broth for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Turn broth down to a simmer.

3. In a wok or other large pot, heat oil and saute shallots for a minute or two, then add shrimp. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes, then add broth and asparagus to wok.

4. Stir in chili bean paste, 5-spice powder, and fish sauce and bring to a simmer.

4. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl. Stir into soup in wok until it thickens slightly.

5. Whisk egg in a small bowl, then stir egg into soup vigorously until threads appear (like egg drop soup.)

6. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

August

• new Mac, new (FREE!) iPod touch and hence, the demise of my social life 
• law school orientation
• mugginess and constant beads of sweat on upper lip (why does that HAPPEN?) 
• getting back on track, in every sense of the phrase
• singledom, happily
• kickball Thursdays
• trip home
• outdoor concerts
• the end of constant takeout meals 

Lighter fare

I'm forever having difficulty picking out the perfect gift for people, but Outblush has been helping me immensely as of late. It's got unique fashion, beauty, and home gift ideas, and even has a companion website for guys. Big fan. 

Remember that other shoe? Well, yeah. It dropped.

I remember having a conversation with my mother a couple of months ago, right after I found out I got un-waitlisted at the law school I most wanted to attend. I told her that everything in my life thus far had been so nearly close to perfect that I felt perpetually nervous, as if something bad must happen soon, just because no one should have it easy all the time. I mean, I'd always accomplished what I set out to do, my family is only very mildly dysfunctional, nothing had ever really been withheld from me, and even the small slips and stumbles only managed to make me a better person. This scared me shitless. No one's supposed to have it easy all the time, right?

The answer is, "ya damn right." While I would in no way classify the past month as anywhere near catastrophic and is only a minor grievance compared to what many people deal with, it has been, in my world at least, a doozy. 

I found out that my boyfriend of a year (The Brit) actually was leading a double life, and had multiple other girlfriends and a fiancee back in England the entire time he was dating me. He's actually a textbook sociopath.

If I went into detail about all the messed up things I learned about the person I thought I knew and loved, we'd be here all day, so I'll spare you the details. And while I normally wouldn't share this much personal info with strangers, I felt since I was missing so long, if anyone bothers to check this thing, they might be looking for an explanation. 

I was putting myself back together. And applying to go on Oprah.