Potatoes. Part 3. Gnocchi, three ways.

So, as promised, GNOCCHI!!!  This is one of those things that one of my college roommates and best friends ALWAYS orders.  You know how you have a group of people that eats together often enough and you get a feel for each others' tastes?  Like one guy I dated ALWAYS ordered fish.  This other guy was unpredictable, he loved getting something different each time.  My dad invariably gets calamari or chicken wings (at non-Korean places).  My mom will get any salad that mixes fruits and balsamic vinaigrette.  I will almost always order scallops if that's an option.  Or anything that comes with french fries hehe.

My college roommate will order anything on the menu that has beef short ribs or gnocchi.  She was the one who introduced me to gnocchi.  I never thought it'd be that hard to make but I once attended a seder where the hostess served hand/homemade gnocchi and everyone was so impressed that I assumed it was a difficult feat.  Imagine my disappointment (that I hadn't attempted this earlier) but also my excitement upon finding out just how easy this is.

My sister really likes gnocchi and I've been meaning to make some for her from scratch.  (This is how I show my love, I make your favorite foods from scratch - tell the boys! haha).  Anyway, I looked up a few recipes and was always confused at the simplicity, surely it had to be more difficult for people to be so impressed.  As it turns out, the recipe/process is not difficult, just labor-intensive.  (To be honest, I've only rolled a few of the gnocchi myself - my mom and sister are much better at actually producing the little buggers - I just prep the "dough" and cook them up).

The recipe I've relied on is from allrecipes.  It's insanely simple.  Boil two potatoes, mash 'em up, then add 2 cups of flour and 1 egg.  Mix.  Oh, here's a lazy woman's tip: dice up your potato before boiling - or at least quarter them.   They'll cook so much faster and you're gonna mash 'em anyway so looks don't matter.

Then, flour your work surface, and start rolling and cutting.  I was pretty blase about the prettiness of my gnocchi (it's going in your stomach, so the most important thing is how it tastes right?) so my mom took over pretty quickly, telling me my food was ugly.  Actually, it went something like this, I was ripping off chunks of dough and throwing them into the pot.  My mom walks over to see the cooked ones in a bowl and says, "What is that?  That doesn't look like the gnocchi in restaurants - those are pretty and round."  I said, "They have underpaid Hispanic workers doing it all day.  I just got home from work, I'm hungry now, and don't have time to make pretty gnocchi."  She then pushed me aside and started making "pretty" gnocchi.

From left to right: dough, rolled dough, pinched off gnocchi waiting to be boiled

Pop 'em into boiling water a slotted spoonful at a time.  When they float up, they're ready to eat!  You can see my ugly gnocchi in the middle of the plate and my mom's pretty rounded gnocchi at the bottom.

So, now we've made the gnocchi, how to serve it up 3 ways.  It's really simple actually.  I just made two sauces, and combined one.

I've never liked tomato sauce.  Not on pizza and not on pasta.  But I DO like it when I make it myself.  I'm sure purists would be appalled at my method.  Usually I make a super-light tomato sauce, heating olive oil and minced garlic, then adding cut up cherry tomatoes and serving when hot.  For a more "traditional" (and the word is used SUPER-loosely here) sauce, I just add a little more tomato.  I heat up a whole bunch of olive oil, throw in a tablespoon or two of minced garlic, chop up at least 4 normal-sized tomatoes, and let that all stew/simmer for 10 minutes (or however long it takes for the pasta to cook).  I break down the tomato a bit with the back of a wooden spoon (because I don't like chunks/lumps in my food but my sister likes the chunks so I leave some for her).  Here's my secret ingredient, miso paste (the original flavor).  Just a healthy squirt.  It adds a depth and umami flavor to the simplicity of the tomato mush.

Tomato sauce w/some gnocchi keeping warm in it.

Since the gnocchi gets cooked in smallish batches, I keep the sauce not even simmering (just on the lowest heat level) and keep dumping the cooked gnocchi in there.  By the time all the gnocchi is cooked, the sauce is heated through and the gnocchi's been kept warm  but not overcooked.  It's kinda like having a chafing dish, but not really.

1 way: Tomato sauce

As you've seen before, I'm also super-into carbonara sauce.  This was a bit of a failed experiment.  Unless you can figure out some genius way of keeping all your gnocchi boiling temperature at once, I would not recommend it.  That being said, if you DO figure out a method, do come back and share.  The problem is that the gnocchi gets cooked just a handful of pieces at a time.  This is not conducive to the carbonara method of using the pasta's own heat to "cook" the egg/cheese sauce.  I "solved" it (being so generous to myself) by adding the just-cooked gnocchi to the egg/cheese mixture as it was done, a few pieces at a time.  This really was an improvised measure and didn't produce the creamy beautiful carbonara sauce that I normally get.  There were clumps of unmelted/not totally melted cheese and I'm sure some uncooked egg as well.  As it was, it was edible and yummy but I wouldn't make it for friends/guests (which is my measure of confidence in cooking).

Look at the edamame and shrimp - fancy!

Seasoned edamame and chopped shrimp.

This is a real cheat, because I called it "vodka sauce" but really it's just a mixture of the 1st two sauces.  The parmesan we had bought (I normally try to get parmigianno reggiano but the grocery didn't have any) was too strong and pungent so we just mixed the tomato sauce in to tone down the sharpness of the cheese.  It was a good compromise.  For the record, I have it on information and belief that parmesan is MADE the same way as parmigianno reggiano but it's just made IN AMERICA (or outside the reggiano(?) region of Italy).  It's more of a designation marker (like champagne vs. sparkling wine vs. prosecco) than a genre/type marker.

3rd way: Vodka sauce

And just in case you think that all that work was for naught, here's the kicker - you can make a WHOLE bunch at once and freeze them (UNCOOKED) to have homemade gnocchi ready to go any day!  Place them on a flat surface (I used a cookie sheet covered in wax paper) and pop into the freezer (it's important that they freeze without touching, so they don't get stuck together).  Once they're frozen you can put them all in a baggie or Tupperware container.

All lined up to go into the freezer

I ate frozen gnocchi all last week for dinner!  I barely even thaw them.  Take out as many as you want to eat (I just filled a plate to the fullness I could handle) and let them sit in the fridge or on the counter while you wait for the water to boil.  They still pop up in only a few minutes.  I actually had them on the counter first then put them in the fridge when I realized they were starting to stick to each other in the bowl as they were thawing.  I'm so in love.

And just in case you don't even like waiting for potatoes to boil, here's the first recipe I wanted to try and still haven't.  They use instant mashed potatoes to speed it up.  I'll definitely report back if I try it.  But now that I've seen how easy these are, I really see no reason for the hack.

Movie Monday: Lightning round!

Apparently my recent putdown of The Fast and the Furious franchise touched a nerve.  A friend and secret reader gchatted me to discuss his strong disagreement. A general discussion about movies we'd seen followed and then he suggested that I do 1 sentence (or otherwise brief) movie reviews.  Let me know if you like them!

1. The Fast and the Furious: Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are both good and bad guys ...sigh... Paul Walker and Vin Diesel ...oh, right, and there may have been some cars and stolen electronics. Also, there was a Hispanic-y lady who could definitely beat me up just by looking at me.

2. There Will Be Blood: First, it should've been called "There Will Be Oil." Second, bloodiest movie about milkshakes ever (okay, so maybe the title is pretty apt). Third, the mute-by-choice brother from Little Miss Sunshine is the creepiest and then the most desperate preacher I've ever seen. Lessons learned? Oil makes people:

• Deaf
• Greedy
• Crazy
• Use bowling pins as murder weapons
• Lie

3. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole: Kidnapped owlet resists brainwashing and ... maybe this one would do better as its own list.
Things I never knew about owls that I learned from this movie:

• Owls have gizzards that are like human "guts" and they react weirdly to metal so that you can make it their kryptonite
• Owls don't know how to fly for kindof a long time
• Owl battles are terrifying and awesome (especially when they have armor and talon-swords)
• A Tyto is not a type of owl, just where he lives
• And this last one is not specific to owls, but PLEASE PLEASE try to love your kids in equal measures - favoritism or even relating more to one than another leads to CRAZY sibling hatred and future sociopaths.

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox: (I have no idea what this movie was about even after watching it). Movie shot in sepia-tones (seriously EVERYTHING was in shades of brown) about fox having midlife crisis and putting his whole community in danger to feel like a hero.

5. Iron Man: BEST. MOVIE. EVARRR. Everything about my memory of watching this movie makes me SO SO happy. =D

The Social Network: A movie review!

Source

 As an early Christmas present to myself, I started subscribing to Netflix after my fall semester finals last year (December 2010).  Since then I've watched a lot more movies than I would've alone.  As much as I like movies, I've seen an unusually small number of them.  I've just never had the impetus to watch movies alone.  It's the rare case that I want to watch a movie so badly I'll illegally download it, much less watch it by myself. 

Anyway, my point is, since signing up for Netflix I've watched a lot more movies than I usually would have.  Both streaming and via their DVD service.  A few months ago I watched The Social Network.  Unlike the majority (it seems) of people who've told me they didn't really like it or Zuckerberg's character, I disagree.

I guess a lot of people don't really like Zuckerberg because he comes across so binary, so black and white.  Something is either a fact or it's not.  Something either matters or it doesn't.  (And I know this is a probable dramatization of his character, but a college friend who went to high school with Zuckerberg says it's pretty true to life).  Anyway, I didn't dislike Zuckerberg.  I rather got him.  


I'm not afraid to say that in some ways I'm kindof like Zuckerberg.  I can be annoyingly practical.  When you tell me something, I ask, "So?"  This drives my parents (and at least one ex-boyfriend) up the wall.  But my inquiry was Why are you telling me this?  Why should this information matter to me?  There's a lot of information in the world and I don't want anything unnecessary.  I don't think I'm nearly as extreme as how they portray Zuckerberg, however.  I like to think I have some more social sense and acumen and thus, maintain better relationships with the people I care about in my life.  (I mean, since I'm clearly not a genius in the way he is, I've gotta compensate somehow, no?).

There are other traits I could discuss, and clearly this wasn't just a movie about Zuckerberg's somewhat autistic/Asberger's-ish/sociopathish-ness, but for me, this is what struck me the most about the movie.  The fact that he was so misunderstood for just being himself.  He's not a bad guy - at least the way the movie showed it, he never intended to screw over Eduardo Saverin and the way I see it, too, he really never intended it.  Given the pitfalls of seeing everything as merely black and white it's a good thing I'm loyal to a fault!

Goodreads.com

Source

Just joined Goodreads.com.  Can't believe it's taken me this long to hear about it.

If you wanna see what I'm reading, what I want to read, etc., join!

Check out my reading list on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM1OTk1MjQ0MDc6MzY1

Is that really too much to ask?

Little victories. And making peace.

Saw this on friend's gchat status:

"I have a week left at this place, and I'm going to steal all the fucking Splenda before I go" - my secretary

And it reminded me, sometimes life is about the little victories. By little victories, I don't necessarily mean the battles we (actually) win or lose.  What I mean is what we consider to be victories and how we make peace with the situations and circumstances we find ourselves in.

For example, let me illuminate with the concept of "Aldrin justice."  This was introduced to me via How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) and it has to do with how the character of Lily Aldrin doles out "justice."  She was previously a kindergarten teacher and believes in punishing bad behavior by taking away something from the perpetrator.  For example, someone at The Gap was mean to Robin and Lily took a pair of khakis (not stealing because she is doling out Aldrin justice).

Aldrin Justice

Lily, as a kindergarten teacher, thought that taking away a "toy" from someone to punish their meanness was fair, i.e. an appropriate response.

My friend's secretary thought that taking all the Splenda from a firm (that probably sucked out her soul and leeched off her blood/sweat/tears for its profits) was fair as well.

As for me?  What is my little victory?  Where do I find my own small justice?  It's maybe super-lame and even a bit of a cop-out, but I'm a huge believer in karma.  So, rather than partaking in my own form of vigilante justice, I make peace with what I perceive as inequities or little rudenesses by reminding myself that karma is indeed a B-word and that other person will get theirs (in the end).

It's a small way out - but it works for me.  One more strategy I use, it's not really a strategy so much as a perspective but it helps me get through the day.  I used to get very frustrated and annoyed at employees in the service industry - particularly restaurant workers: when they forget my order or request, when they were slow in getting me water, and cashiers: when they are SUPER-slow at their job, when they forget to remove the security tag, when they mess up ringing you up/giving you change.

One day (actually, probably many times), my dad would see me get annoyed and verbalize some version of "[This job] is NOT that difficult!" and he told me, "If they were as smart as you, do you think they would be doing this job?"  He meant this as a compassionate comment - that I should have mercy on these folks doing the best they could with what they were genetically/societally given and be more understanding of their shortcomings.  However, I've found you can stretch that into what can amount to small victories (by comparing myself to people who are rude or mean to me).

For example, I had a series of "misunderstandings" with a "friend," where basically I felt I was being used (this friend would only call/text/want to hang out under the pretext of "catching up" when she needed me to do something for her) and would conveniently be busy whenever I initiated contact/spending time together (because, you know, I thought we were friends).  I was upset and a bit angry at first, but then the more I thought about it - I saw there were things missing from her life, her insecurities, her flaws.  I saw that although she had a group of outwardly fabulous friends, she couldn't count on them to support her or be there for her in her times of need.  I realized I was indeed lucky in having great friends I could rely on - friends who were not merely fairweather friends.  And although it's not really "justice" - I realized that I'm lucky in a way that she's not.

I guess, this could be a "victory" if I thought about it as, "Well, you may be using me but ultimately I have true friends and you don't."  But that seems petty and small (but ok, I maybe think that way sometimes - when I am especially upset by how someone has treated me).  But really, I want to be the kind of person my dad is: someone who views the other person's mistreatment of me as a manifestation of their own flaws and then is able to act compassionately in response to understanding that flaw/shortcoming (instead of the way I sometimes see it, which is, as previously mentioned, "Haha, I'm smarter than you and not a McDonald's cashier and so I won't let it bother me when you give me attitude").

So, as per usual, this turned into a bit of a rambling-on about how I make peace with (little) things that annoy me in the world, but here's your USEFUL TUESDAY TAKEAWAY:

Find your own (non-violent) way to make peace with (what happens to you in) the world.

And stick with it.  It'll lower your blood pressure.  You'll produce less cortisol and gain less weight.  You'll be able to let things go instead of letting old grudges fester inside you.  You'll be a happier person.  Eventually.  Maybe.  Then you'll smile more.  And your future spouse will fall in with your smile.  See how I just helped you find the soulmate of your life and future parent of your kids???  Haha =D  Just try it.  Thank me later by serving ice cream cake at your wedding.  ^^

Overheard in the Museum of the City of New York.

"It's amazing that you guys can be so cool like that.  I mean after he tried to kiss you and everything.  But you're still friends with a guy you were sleeping with but not dating, so."

- Two girls in line for The Greatest Grid exhibit.

Still trying to figure out if that was a compliment.

Wanna see this movie!

Amazon.com

Read the books in record time last summer after my godmother loaned them to me.

Watched a bit of the original Swedish movie on a bus ride to ... somewhere... knowing me, probably DC or Boston but not sure at this point.  Anyway, I was watching/listening to the movie on my laptop via Netflix while I was also doing work/writing a paper.  I had to keep covering up the movie because I knew when the uber-graphic/terrifying parts would happen.  Also, I didn't want the people sitting next to and behind me to think I was watching some crazy super-BDSM p*rn (if you've read the book you know exactly what parts I'm talking about).  I was actually surprised at how accurately they stuck to the book.

And after reading the New York Times review, I can't wait to see the movie!  I'm still a bit queasy about the awful s*x/r*pe scenes (again, it was pretty graphic in the book and I'm not looking forward to a film portrayal).  Not sure what I'll do - perhaps wait to watch the airplane version?  I remember I watched "The Other Boleyn Girl" on a plane first and then when I watched it on Netflix I was like OMG HOW CAN I NOT REMEMBER THE R*PE SCENE!?!?!?  It's because there's a carve-out in copyright law that allows editing of graphic/violent parts of movies that are distributed for airplane viewing.

*All the asterisks are so I can hopefully still access my blog through my super-conservative work filter.

DIY Edible Gifts in Jars.

I forget where I first saw this idea first, but this winter, being low on funds and also creatively energized by all the baking I've been doing, I decided to make and give DIY food gifts.

This site was really helpful for inspiration.  I ended up using recipes from this site but made my own tags with a few tweaks to the recipes.

Behold:

Set 1: Baked s'mores on the left and chai tea on the right (doubled the chai tea recipe).

 

Set 2: Sugar cookies, Baked s'mores, and Chocolate chip muffins.  Added Ninjabread cookie cutters for their two boys, a ballerina cookie cutter for my goddaughter, and adorable printed muffin tins.

Finished product!

 Unfortunately, I was a bad elf and missed my delivery day because I got wrapped up in organizing the laundry room hehe.  Will be giving them out this weekend =)

Things I appreciate (right now).

When my friends make me breakfast.

It's so sunny out!!!

My jeans are quite a bit loose.

Being able to text my cousin in Korea Merry Christmas (even if I accidentally woke her up).

Going to assemble some fun Christmas gifts with my sister.

Possibly baking for tomorrow's friendsy Christmas dinner?

Not being a n00b on the bus.

And something I ALWAYS appreciate: GLITTER NAIL POLISH!!!

Apologies.

I've got a BUNCH BUNCH BUNCH of blog post/ideas in the works.  I've just been SUPER busy this week (I'm actually doing work at work!) plus there have been a bunch of after-work events I've been attending (the rush before the holidays and all).  BUT I'll try and line up a bunch of posts - there's a few good thinkers coming through.

Happy Holidays to all!!! (will do a more festive one I swear).

And my pre-gift to you: a look at my SERIOUSLY messy room (this is like ... heresy, against me).

My room when I come home late for 4+ nights

UGH ... I literally threw up in my mouth a little just looking at this.  SO GLAD I CAME HOME (semi-) EARLY tonight and cleaned that mess up.  It's like I can breathe again... aahhhhhh... =)

Holy poopers, it's past 1am ... UGH so late!!!

How I Met Your Mother: Symphony of Illumination

Was it just me, or did anyone else cry at the end of this episode?

I've always been told I'm uber-sensitive, but the way Ted takes care of Robin, saying how he doesn't need to know why she's upset but that it'll always be his job to cheer her up... GAHHHHH!!!!  (synopsis here)

My mom's always told me that true "wealth" or "riches" comes in the form of true friends.  The kind that will do anything for you and love you no matter what - the kind of friends who are there for you and will pick you up when you fall (especially when you fall and don't want to get up).


Maybe it's part of getting older, growing apart, living in different places.  But I felt like I had those kinds of best friends in college and now I'm not as sure.  Maybe I'm just not in such a bad place - and if I were those friends would come running, infantry charging.  Because that's the good thing about "forever friends" - you don't have to be the kind that talk everyday or see each other all the time - you've already forged that foundation and you have someone you can count on.

I do miss it though - miss having someone you can tell anything to. Someone to call anytime and they are there for you.  Without judging.  With absolute discretion.  Someone who is outside of your situation but on your side. Someone who may not get what you're going through but is a good listener and supporter nonetheless.  Who knows how to just let you be you without the pressure to be perky and happy and perfect all the time.  Someone who doesn't pressure you into being just a "fun" friend.

I've watched the entire SATC series and both movies and I have to say, I'm not jealous of the clothes, shoes, parties, fabulous apartments, etc. I'm so admirous(? do I mean envious?) of their bond.  In the first movie when all the girls drop everything (job, kids, family, etc.) after SJP gets stood up at her wedding to support her.  That's what I want - not (just) Manolo Blahniks or a beautiful UES apartment or a fabulous job, I want just a handful of women who I know would come be with me at the drop of a hat. Just because I need it.

And THAT, kids, is why I cried at the end of HIMYM - because Ted is that kind of a friend to Robin and it was SO BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING!!!

What does this say about me?

Last night I received the two following videos from friends via email:

From college guy friend: "this reminds me of your fighting skills"



From college girl friend: "THIS is how you meet your new husband...."

Useful Tuesday: PR Pros Share Secrets on Getting to the Next Level

I think I saw this short article on Twitter somewhere and sent it to myself to read later.

Nothing too groundbreaking or new, but nothing wrong with a refresher.

I've always heard that the part I quote below is one of the hardest things for women in the workplace to do.  We're just not "taught" that this is acceptable behavior.

How important is tooting your own horn—how do you do it? What if you feel awkward about “bragging”? How can a woman overcome that?

Toot your own horn, just not too loudly. Strike a balance between passive and pesky. It's tricky, especially if you feel awkward about touting your accomplishments. One effective way is not only to pat yourself on the back, but also to pat others harder. When working on a team, don't just highlight the good work you are doing, include and promote co-workers' contributions as well.   

I was at the Harvard APALSA conference this past spring and attended a panel entitled "Women in Leadership."  I forget the exact list of speakers Here's the list of speakers (they were impressive).  One of the women said that you need a brag buddy - this is easier for women than bragging about yourself.  She said to get yourself a brag buddy, which is like a (lady) wingman but for networking events and such instead of bars and broads.  I really liked this idea because it seems a lot more natural and perhaps even more sincere when a friend is singing your praises rather than doing it yourself (of course, this might be harder to do within your own organization - especially if it's rather competitive - but you can find a brag buddy in a different department or specialty to do this for you with your own superiors at work events - and of course you should reciprocate!).  I've been trying to do it (secretly!) with one unni of mine at networking events I drag her to - I hope it works!

I will say, though, their last tip is one of the easiest and super-importantest ones to do.

What kind of paper follow-up do you need after an introduction or interview?

Send an email within 24 hours of the conversation; then a handwritten note within the week of the meeting; and make a follow-up phone call or email two weeks after the meeting if you haven't yet heard back. If you opt for the latter, it's always good to dig around for some industry news or relevant article tied to your conversation that you can share to show that you are still engaged.

 I don't know about the handwritten note (unless I was invited to coffee at the person's home or something similar that took more effort) but I try to email people that I've recently met (usually at a networking or bar event) within the next few days following up on something we discussed and asking if they wouldn't mind continuing that conversation.  Most people I've done this with have been very receptive.  Some people are very busy but even those people usually respond and say email or telephone works.  I'd highly recommend following up quickly though - you want to be one of the memorable ones!

Food on Friday 6. Buttermilk Pancakes.

I'm not sure how this happened - but I was with Girlfriend 1 when I decided to call up Girlfriend 2 and told her we were coming over.  Not only were we coming over but we expected breakfast, please, feed us!

For some reason (probably, my friends are super-super-awesome), Girlfriend 2 actually complied despite her ridiculous hangover.

We went over and were greeted with beautiful fluffy buttermilk pancakes.

 

Naturally I asked for the recipe.  I believe it's this recipe from Allrecipes.com but I make a few tweaks.

 

I only use 1 tablespoon of vinegar and add enough milk to fill 1 cup of liquid (milk).  I also don't whisk out all the lumps - I barely combine the wet and dry ingredients.  The lumps are ok and work themselves out on the frying pan as they cook.  If you combine too much - you risk making your finished product too tough and chewy rather than light and fluffy.  I also cook over very low heat on nonstick-coated pan w/no cooking oil.

 

I made these a few weeks ago for a weekend brunch and they were uber-delicious and oh-so-fluffy!

And you can add whatever you want to mix it up!

Here's an example of when I wanted to use up some pineapple and blueberries we had.  I just drop in the fruit on top of the 1/4 cupful of batter in the frying pan.

Thanks.Giving.

Friends: Season 4 Episode 8 The One with Chandler in a Box

Sometimes, I find it's easier to look at the people around me and just give thanks that I'm me, instead of them.

=)

(I try to pre-write and schedule these - but I just saw this new version of the same episode and wanted to add it)

Hi, I'm Mat.

 HEHE.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!

I have a friend getting married next year (I'm honored to be in her bridal party) and I really want to find this and get it for her as a small housewarming gift because her fiance's name is Matt.

And they are just the right kind of nerdy that they'll find funny (and I do, too!).

Content.

A good night spent with friends. Who all passed the bar. And I still get to sleep my usual 6 hours. Win!

Kittehs.

 I notice the kitteh behind me.

Kisses!

Sees something interesting...

Now it's ovuh there!

Bored.

Eyes closed, kitteh is sleeping.

Lonely at the top.

Source

Read this article about Angelina the other day.  Reminded me of this t-shirt I got when I was visiting Princeton as an eager little high school junior.  I still wear it from time to time, mostly when I'm out running.  The thing I found funny about the article, is this woman is a professor of psychology and she discusses this phenomenon like it's the first time anyone's thought about it:

Depending on the woman and everything else going on in her life, there are times when the need for female friends is more or less important, and when opportunities are more or less available. Yet, a dearth of friendships is often one of the costs that many high-achieving women pay for celebrity and success. 

It's not a novel concept; the more you accomplish and achieve, the less peers you will have.  And then who do you commiserate with?  Celebrate with?  Share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with?