With A Spoon and Fork

2008-10-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a long time since I've updated. Here is whats going on in my life:

Bryce and I sold one of our cars. Which means, I am totally dependent on my bike. Yikes. Last week I worked on acclimating myself to riding my bike again and this week I move onto phase two of my life makeover- stop eating so badly. I've been shopping and am almost ready for any weather that hits- I need some snow gloves and new rain boots, then I'll be good to go.

I'm also still doing music for Tom's church. It's been good. It's really odd to come back into Christian culture. I don't think I fit in. But I do know that it doesn't really matter if I have white teeth and am married to a pastor. I like that Bryce and I are different.

I'd like to go to Karaoke again soon. Please come with me.

Rain

2008-08-25T10:25:00.001-07:00

Riding in the rain sucks. Especially when you are wearing jeans. I want... no, I need to get some rain pants. I'm not sure what kind to get though- I saw these women-style pants on REI.com but they were $100 and didn't have great reviews.

I am determined to be an all weather commuter. I just want to buy once, and buy right.

Any suggestions?

2008-08-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

100 Foods You Should Eat
I stole this from a blog I lurk on. The bold items are things I've eaten. What about you?

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (mango lassi and sweet lassi)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects to in Pueblo, MX but I was sick.)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

2008-08-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've been sick. Really sick.

I didn't ride my bike to work today because it was thunder and lightning. Last time I rode my bike in a storm I got bit by a dog.

Besides that I haven't barely eaten anything since last Tuesday.

2008-08-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

There are two things I frequently see on my rides to and from work. Free piles and apples. And apples in free piles. I often wish I could take some of the stuff home but it's a little hard on my bike. I saw a sweet lamp today but no way could I have gotten it home.

2008-08-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

I had Pabst Lite and Popsicles for dinner.

yes, it's hot.

2008-07-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

OK color me stupid Cherise, but's what's a bracket??

2008-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

This bike needs some work - brakes, a new chain, maybe even a new crank? I'm not sure. I'd like to learn to do it myself.

2008-07-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Morning by Numbers:

25 bikes passed on the way to work

2 of them ran red lights in major intersections

1 smile

1 good morning

1 cat fight

2008-07-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went fishing for the first time at Trillium Lake. It was so nice Saturday up there, about 80 degrees and SUN! I remembered my SPF so I didn't get burned. Margot had a hard time adjusting to the dirt and being tied up but she did like the lake a lot. Bryce threw her in where it was deep for her and she swam back to shore and ignored him for the next hour. It was pretty funny.

2008-07-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

My birthday is coming up! Hooray I am going to be 26!

On a not so nice note- one thing I consistently see on my way to and from work is hipster people on bikes running red lights. Drives me CRAZY. Absolutely. Why do they think they are better than the law? To get somewhere 5 minutes faster is worth getting hit or getting a ticket? Not to mention the lack of helmet and the short brimmed hat situation...

2008-06-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

I look like such a dork.

If only this thing didn't take ten minutes to work. Good idea though, for those of us who don't run reds.

2008-06-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to see how my energy levels change day by day. Yesterday I was just beat by the time I got home. I ate all my meals and was hydrated, yet still I wanted to go to sleep right around 7:30. Exhausted! Today I'm a little more awake, yet it is still 9:40 in the morning. But my time to get to work today was 35 minutes - and that's with a chain incident on the way too.

It's cloudy and cool today - seems like good weather for some beans and rice.

2008-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Blue skies! Yay! Time for BBQ's and birthdays. And bikes!

I'm going to try something new tonight - using dry beans. I've always used canned and really, it's just convenience. I bet I can make them taste better than from the can anyway. I'm researching online on a quick soak method so I can make some delicious beans and rice tonight. I'll update with my final outcome later!

In bike news - all is well. I realized that if I eat something before I ride in the morning, I go faster. And feel better. It's a big DUH, but I never really ate first thing in the morning before. I just eat a peice of toast or something and it really helps.

The weather is really making me enjoy the bike a lot more. I love riding down the street with the sun shining down on me. It's a little like heaven.

2008-06-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm trying to eat well and that really means boring for the most part. Chicken, fish, veggies, fruit, etc etc. I wish I had some great new recipe I tried out but I have not been inspired as of late.

I have been making a change in my life - I haven't driven my car in almost two weeks. I let it run down to E and now it's just sitting outside my house, looking like it's broken down. But it's not, it's just not needed.

I've been riding my bike everywhere, minus the few times I've used Bryce's car out of necessity. I ride to work (about 7 miles each way), to the store (maybe a mile, if that), to Lalita's (8.5 miles from work, 3 miles from home). You would think that all this exercise would help me out in the dieting department, but no. It just makes me more hungry!

Overall I have enjoyed my time on the bike - podcasts about Lost, MLB, Pickup Artist (look it up, seriously, I think it's hilarious). My legs are feeling it, I won't lie. Yesterday I just kind of rolled home.. doubled my quickest for getting home - 45 minutes. I see a lot of interesting things too, a surprising amount of roadkill, a drug house getting raided, and lots of hipsters too cool to wear helmets.

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken and Veggies

2008-06-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have a love of one pot recipes. This is one of my favorites, because it's so easy to substitute whatever kinds of veggies/protein you like. This is what I made a week or two ago. I'm just getting to update now.

1.5 lbs of bone in, skin on, chicken thighs (4)
1 lb or so of brussel sprouts
2 red potatoes, quartered
7-10 white mushrooms, quartered
Handful of baby carrots
1 cup of chicken broth
1 bunch fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat up the skillet on medium high. If your skillet is properly seasoned you shouldn't need to oil it. I used a spray of pam just in case. Place the chicken skin side down and brown.

When the chicken is browned, turn off the heat and flip over the chicken. Place the veggies around the chicken, season everything with salt and pepper and the rosemary. Pour the broth over everything. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes take off the foil, stir, and cook for another half hour uncovered.

2008-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've been sick.

A More Interesting Tuna Salad

2008-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am on a quest for a delicious tuna salad recipe that requires no miracle whip or mayo. You know, that pesky egg allergy. Here's what I came up with this morning with items I had on hand.

1/2 small apple, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 T of sour cream
1 can of tuna
Bagged mixed greens
2 T Home made mustard vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

Mix chopped items with the tuna (drained). Add in sour cream, mix well. Add vinaigrette, mix well. Serve on top of mixed greens.

What I like about this recipe is the tangy flavor of the vinegar in the dressing mixed with the sour cream and sweet apples. I'm not much of a vinegar fan but this is not too overpowering. If I made it again I probably would leave out the mushrooms, I couldn't detect them, I think their texture is too close to that of the tuna. If we had bread I'm sure this would taste great as a sandwich.

Nutritional information based on the products I used, for the entire batch, not including the salad:
Calories 582
Fat 37
Carbohydrates 13
Protein 49

And, the dressing recipe. I made this last night when it was too hot to cook.

1/4 C white wine vinegar
3/4 C olive oil
2 t dijon mustard
1 T finely chopped onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the mustard, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper well. Whisk the oil in while pouring a slow steady stream.

I think I'm going to use the rest of the dressing to marinate some meat. Chicken perhaps?

2008-05-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

One thing I do like to do is learn to cook new things.

Today's new dish: Grilled Sweet Potato

I took one pretty big sweet potato, peeled it, and cut it into coins about 1/4" thick. I blanched them for 3ish minutes and then quickly dumped them into a bowl of ice water. After they cooled (and turned a really pretty color) I tried them on paper towels and tossed them with some oil, salt and pepper.

When the grill was ready we tossed them on and cooked them for about 3-4 minutes each side, until they were crisp and brown.

We ate them at room temp.. yum!

They looked very similar to these:

Sweet potatos have 115 calories per medium potato. It is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Fiber, Vitamin B6 and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

2008-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I stole this so I could talk about myself in a more organized way.

1. What was i doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was a sophomore in high school. I played on the Varsity softball team and was getting ready to go to the Dominican Republic.

2. Snacks i enjoy:

Baby carrots, fruit, cheese and crackers

3. Five things on my to-do list today:

1. Cook the chicken
2. Clean up the house
3. Drop off Leah's survey
4. Try and better my fantasy baseball team
5. Exercise

4. Things i would do if i became a billionaire:

Pay off our house. Buy cars that don't run on gas. Get my hair colored.

5. Three bad habits:

1. Being lazy
2. Procrastinating
3. Chewing my nails

6. Five places i have lived:

1. N Watts
2. NE Stafford
3. SE 117th
4. N Concord
5. NE 6th

7. Jobs i have had:

I worked at Safeway when I was a senior in high school. It wasn't too bad actually, I got to be in the floral dept and bakery sometimes. I met a lot of people who were unhappy. I wouldn't be either if I worked there for 30 years.

8. Things people don’t know about me:

I am obsessive about things I want to learn about. Unfortunatly I can't really pick what I want to be obsessed about. Like, I wish I were into gardening but, eh. I tried to read some things about it, but I'm just not interested. I am, however, very knowledgeable about diet and nutrition, and working out. Oh, and crochet, knitting, sewing, whippets, running and Lost (the TV show). Currently I'm into the exercise stuff but who knows what I'll fancy next. I'm hoping it's something useful this time.

2008-04-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

I want to do a naked lady party!

Who has clothes to give away? Anyone besides me?

2008-04-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I learned to hem jeans correctly. From the internet! The internet is a great resource, I learned so many things from it, including:

1. How to crochet
2. How to knit
3. How to sew
4. All about Lost
5. All about nutrition
6. How to effectively weight train
7. How to run

I should be receiving my online degree soon (just kidding!)

2008-03-30T15:43:00.001-07:00

What is it about weather that effects (affects?) our emotions? I am not prone to being depressed but this slow move from winter into spring is hard on me this year. I feel so unmotivated. I am tired of being in my house, and tired of wearing jackets and socks. Bring on the flip flops and river trips.. please!

2008-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

I got some flowers. Pretty.

2008-03-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

I'm learning about our camera. Here's what I'm working on:

2008-03-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm back.