...feeling blue...

...I used to love being sick...it's true...I'd get to stay home from school, lay around in my pajamas & have Grandma make me pastina & take care of me...now not so much...I mean I still like the laying around in pajamas part, but I'm a busy lady with lists to make & not follow, powerpoint presentations to prepare, libraries to visit, papers to write, & there is always an unending list of things to do @ my job...so now as I lay here in a state of under-the weatherness, thinking of the things I have to do, sounding like a chain-smoking-chipmunk, I have a list of "remedies" that always make me feel better:
1) I reread "the pleasure of my company" by steve martin...one of my favorite books, I laugh out loud & even tear up a bit @ moments
2) coffee...I bought illy coffee...its a little pricier that other brands, but the taste is unbeatable...& i don't really use that word freely...seriously I don't think you'll ever see me use it again
3) Gizmo! my favorite stuffed animal keeps me in good company...
4) Planes, Trains, & Automobiles...one of the best movies ever...laughter is really the best medicine, at least for me...
and........
5) COOKING...I don't care how sick I am...cooking will always make me feel better...
I prepared a pumpkin & sweet potato curry stew & served it to my roommate & myself with crusty whole wheat panella bread...
it was like spooning with a pumpkin, serious goodness, folks...I am all about the pumpkin this fall season...tonight I baked pumpkin-wholewheat-oatmeal-blueberry-honey muffins....little baked cups of nourishing amazingness...
sooo I am still feeling a bit not-so-delightful but amidst my hecticness I have a plan to prepare the following in the next week:
roasted pumpkin, pumpkin goat cheese empanadas...hummus with greek olives...blue velvet cupcakes...homemade granola...

...we had a time...

...dinner party preparations can take everything out of you...in every possible way, it is imperative to know what you are getting into...the importance of having enough food & drink cannot be stressed enough...i would feel like an epic failure if I hosted a fantastic get together & ran out of either...i would probably go hide in a dark corner & recite recipes as if they were hail marys...
this past weekend's get together was a success...we invited a bunch of people through the procrastination tool/distraction that is facebook & had a turnout that included a rotating cast of 24 awesome acquaintances & friends...you can never go wrong with a good time...
...menu & recipes will be posted soon...

...dreaming in coffee...

...sometimes you just wake up & all you can think of is coffee...it makes you forget your dreams from your slumber...it is the first thing on your mind when you grudgingly & clumsily roll out of bed, & it is what keeps you going as you prepare to leave your comfort of home to face the dust of the day...replacing one comfort with another...well, maybe this isn't how it is for you but it is definitely my experience...my cup of coffee is my constant, my push for the day, the life...

...feverishly lost in yonkers...

…so I’m on vacation…in Yonkers...kind of from work, yet I’ve already stopped by my job twice, & have a meeting tomorrow….but still it’s a vacation nonetheless, filled with homework, studying, & preparations for an epic dinner party happening this upcoming Saturday evening…so besides filling myself with endless coffee (French press, espresso, Turkish, iced & everything in between!), & trying to enjoy some of my time off, at some point I find myself cooking…needing something quick & easy to make in between the busyness, I happened upon one of my favorite & simplest dishes to prepare…get ready…it takes no time at all & tastes so ridiculously fantastic I would swear how awesome it is on my life…so here goes…
fire up a frying pan with a few generous splashes of olive oil…
throw in ½ cup chopped yellow onion, 1 large sweet potato, peeled & chopped into small cubes…generously season with coarse sea salt & fresh ground black peppercorn…choose your favorite protein or even tofu…I like to use 1 small chicken breast, cleaned & cut up into teany pieces…& finally add I cup of cooked (brown!) rice…feverishly stir it up & the result is tasty, nourishing, & even kind of healthy…welcome additions would be a handful of peas, or even raisins...sometimes simple is better…it’s true…get into it…

...curry love...

…fall never fails to be a season of beauty, comfort, & coziness…I can just step outside & immediately I cannot help but involuntarily smile, bundled up in my signature scarf & hoodie attire…breathing in the crispness of the autumn air always makes me forget about the dust of the day & live in the moment, soaking in my surroundings…fall makes me thankful…upon the arrival of the season, I tend to move towards comfort food…I love to prepare dishes that have the flavors & colors of fall…one of my favorites dishes to prepare is a hearty pumpkin stew…I have tried many variations over the past few years, & have to say this years stands out as the favorite…spices, flavors, colors all complementing then next perfectly…what is so awesome about cooking a hearty stew is that you can really be super creative with it…intensifying flavors to your heart’s desire, utilizing whatever you may have in your kitchen, using fresh produce from the market…the possibilities are truly endless…for today’s version I wanted to curry it up…soooo here we go…I began my journey with a blend of extra virgin & vegetable oil…I added some basamati rice, coating it in the oil…the trinity came next…chopped carrots, celery, onions…the smell was already awesome…I had the windows wide open…the cold air, the melting pot of colors, & the scent was pretty satisfying…I cut up some red potatos…yes I leave the skin on, I just cut of the not-so-nice parts….so the potatoes joined the madness & they all hung out for a bit!...vegetable broth livened everything up with pureed pumpkin& corn kernels sneaking in momentarily…next up…chicken!...i use boneless chicken breast that I trimmed the fat off & cut into meaty chunks…I seasoned the chicken with curry powder…I love the flavor of curry, but I think I really wanted to add the beautiful bright color of the powder…sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, & cinnamon were lovingly stirred in slowly one at a time...of course repeat tastings are necessary to the awesomeness of the final product…I made it happen…so here you go…pumpkin chicken curry stew…best served in a mason jar, with a cheddar cornmeal biscuit on the side…& of course stirred with love…

...a bit of a crush...

...I must admit, I've been crushing pretty hard lately...I've been so occupied with the craziness at work, & the impending start of classes again, that one would think I would have no time for much else...but there is always time to crush...this time I must admit, I am irrepressbly and undeniably in love with...organic shredded coconut...I know, I know, what is a girl to do these days...I can't help myself lately...I have spent the evening decompressing, listening to Motown, watching Pride & Prejudice, & experimenting with my unadulterated affection for coconut...tonight's passion ended up with a concotion of bananas, dark chocolate, & fluffy mounds of the object of my affections...what came to fruition were "cookies" that resembled muffin tops more than anything else, they were soft & sweetly delicious...the dark chocolate (from Trader Joes) was the perfect partner for the coconut...I never fell so hard...

...overheating in focus...