Food on Friday 3: Lasagna

A few weeks ago, after my sister's crazy med school final (she's in a med school class even though she's just a master's student!) she was craving some lasagna.  Now, we are sortof lasagna snobs and not any old lasagna was going to do.  I told her to wait it out until we could get to a Maggiano's (OMG I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY PUT IN THERE BUT IT'S LIKE MY CRACK!!!).  Well, that never happened so yesterday I decided I was just going to make my OWN lasagna using the recipe for the World's Best Lasagna.

And my tweaks:
Substitutions:
1 package (3/4 lb.) of Aidell's Chicken Sausage (instead of 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage)
1 lb. extra lean ground turkey (instead of 3/4 lb. lean ground beef)
1 whole diced onion (instead 1/2 cup minced onion)
3 minced cloves of garlic (instead of 2 crushed cloves)
1/2 tsp thyme + 1/2 tsp rosemary (instead of 1 tsp Italian seasoning: I just read the Italian seasoning "ingredients" list at the store and used what I had)
1 Tbs garlic salt (instead of regular salt)
1 1/2 tsp dried basil (instead of dried basil leaves)
1 lb mozzarella (instead of 3/4 lb.)
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated Parmesan (instead of 3/4 cup)
Used "Oven-ready" lasagna noodles and didn't have to even pre-soak them.

Additions/Deletions:
+ 1.5 pinches of nutmeg to the ricotta
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (I don't like how it tastes)
-  4 Tbs fresh parsley (don't like it either)
- no salt in the ricotta mixture

Suggestions for next time:
1.  1 Tbs sugar instead of 2 (I've also read that ground carrots work just as well to cut the tomato tartness)
2.  Would use 1.5 or 2 lbs of mozzarella (I LOVE cheesy lasagna!!!)

The starting ingredients

In a Dutch oven, cook [chicken] sausage, ground [turkey], onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned.  [I slit the sausage skin lengthwise, peeled it off, and chopped up the sausage]

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley.  [I used a hand blender to mix it all up and to break up the ground turkey and chicken sausage]

Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  
Oops - no pic: promise it was just a bowl of white ricotta cheese.

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups [I used 2 cups and it barely covered the bottom of a 10x14 inch pan] of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture.

[Added a layer of spinach!]

Top with a third [1/2] of mozzarella cheese slices.  

Spoon 1 1/2 cups [used 2 cups again and still had 2-3 cups left over] meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

After baking for 55 minutes!  Lunch for 2 for a week for $30!  (we cut it into 12 pieces and my sister are taking one for lunch each day =)

Official bar exam results.

Available here.  Click on the K to L panel and scroll down to me!!!

(Actually most of my close friends are on that page, 4 Kims and a Kwak!)

Also, some stats from this year's exam:

11,182 candidates sat for the 2-day exam.
69.2% of all candidates who sat the exam passed.
78.5% of all first-time takers passed.

Only 35.4% of all foreign-educated candidates passed.
My sympathies - English is a brutal language =(

Freak.

Source.

Just got out of the elevator.  I was in there with 3 adult men.  I was heads and shoulders above all 3.

I felt awkward - like I was offending the other 3 men by being taller than them and should apologize...

Is there something wrong with me???

Am I a GINORMOUS freak?!?!

Or is there something going on with men, where it's like, somehow genetically beneficial for them to be smaller?

Passed the NY bar.

Win!

  

Edited: Ha.  Anonymous blogger FAIL.

I been Punk'd. And I'm so sad.

Checked our PSEG account online. Got the message in the picture. Was SO SO SO excited. Tried all our lights and things. Nothing worked. Called the number. Automated lady said our power was restored. Told her "No it's not" and spoke to a real live person. Looked out at the street and no one else has power either. Lady on the phone is real nice but affirms what I already know and dread. No electricity restored yet. Website was a fluke. As a cruel twist the generator went out as I hung up with her. Waiting for my dad to come home with more gas for the generator. Le sigh.

Ah, heat.

Picked up an emergency generator last night from dad's friend. Dad hooked it up. Only feeding the boiler, fridge, and bathroom lights. It's good enough for me. :)

The boiler is key. Heating the house and water. Wow.

From our friends at PSEG/PSE&G.

Since losing our power on Saturday evening, I have pretty much been stalking the PSEG outage map and Twitter feed via my iPhone and now at work on the Internet.

In the past 5 minutes the outage map has gone down and so I started clicking on some of the other links.

Here's a helpful hint:

In the event that a wire comes down on a vehicle with passengers, our advice is to stay in the vehicle until professional help arrives to safely remove you from the vehicle. If you MUST get out of the vehicle because of fire or other life-threatening hazards, jump clear of the vehicle so that you do not touch any part of the car and the ground at the same time. Jump as far as possible away from the vehicle with both feet landing on the ground at the same time.
Once you clear the vehicle, shuffle away, with both feet on the ground, or hop away, with both feet landing on the ground at the same time. Do not run away from the vehicle as the electricity forms rings of different voltages. Running may cause your legs to "bridge" current from a higher ring to a lower voltage ring. This could result in a shock. Get a safe distance away.

Emphasis added by ME.  SHUFFLE AWAY - with BOTH FEET ON THE GROUND or HOP.  I know it's probably sound advice and following it probably saves lives - but it's just hard to imagine and amusing to picture.

Because my first instinct in leaving a car that is on FIRE is to RUN. AS. FAST. AS. I. CAN.

Bizarro boss.

I've posted at least once before about how much  I love Ask a Manager.

But she got this one question that seriously has me scratching my head in a WTF manner.

Like, seriously.  Your boss goes THROUGH your desk to steal your food?

SO WEIRD!!!

Reading stuff like this reminds me of how lucky I am to NOT be in that situation.

But also, SERIOUSLY!?!?!? Who steals other people's food? ESPECIALLY when they know it's YOU?!?!?  And are doing things to try and prevent you from stealing it (putting it in her desk)?!?!?!?  AND YOUR STEALING IT PREVENTS THIS PERSON FROM EATING AT ALL????

OMG.  There are just so many things wrong with this boss, I can't wrap my head around it.

Law School Lies.

An Occupy Wall Street perspective on the current law school/legal climate.

Being a "volunteer attorney" and working with a handful of other volunteers sponsored by my law school's "generous" government fellowship program - we talk about these types of numbers and the truthiness of it all quite a bit.

Posts, Interrupted.

Due to an ongoing break in electricity at my home, regularly scheduled posts are taking a break. Will resume when possible. The only reason I'm going to work might be that it'll be warmer in my 65 degree office than my 50 degree house.

Voices in my head. Please hang up and try again.

Source.

At first I thought I was crazy. I felt like I could hear a fuzzy voice somewhere in my office. Then I thought someone was playing a prank on me. Like they had hidden a small radio somewhere in my office and left it on so I would keep thinking I was hearing voices. But then I remembered I don't have any work friends like that. So then I just decided I was crazy again.

Then I realized I had knocked my phone off the hook and the operator voice was repeating over and over and over and over again, "Please hang up and try your call again."

T.G.I.F.

What to frost?

I like how these people think. 

And these people.  And these people.

Not because I have leftover frosting, but because I need a frosting vehicle to transport the frosting into my mouth/belly.  Apparently eating it like yogurt with a spoon straight out of the bowl is a little too, sad/crass/fat.

P.S. Found 2 different Halloween treats I want to make this weekend - will I make one or the other or both?
EEK!!!

Food on Friday 2: Lemon Bars

This summer I was on a bit of a lemon bar kick.  I had a really good mini one at landmarc as part of their dessert sampler in February and that taste just haunted me.  It was sweet, but also tart, and refreshing, and just PERFECT.

 

On a subsequent trip to landmarc in late August.

Lemon bar on far left.

So as befits me, I used the interweb to locate a lemon bar recipe.  I found one called the "Best Lemon Bars."  Clearly, I had to try this.  I'm not a huge fan of mistakes or sub-par "best" so I actually read through ALL 700 or so of the reviews to see what tweaks were suggested and which ones worked.

The ingredients.

Tweaks I used in the crust:

1.  Used a total of 1/3 cup of flour and 2/3 cup of sugar

2.  Added 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla (also the leftover coconut flakes - less than 1/2 a cup?)

Tweaks I used in the filling:

1. Used 1 1/4 cups of lemon juice

 

Finished product

I thought the ratio of filling to crust (about 1:1) was just right.  But my mom preferred less crust.  I actually halved the crust the 2nd time I made this - but that proved to be disastrous for me.  I was using a springform pan and with the crust so thin and the filling so watery - it leaked through the bottom and I had to create a makeshift foilanyway it was a mess.  If I were to do it with half the crust again I'll just use a regular pan lined with too-big parchment paper (to make it easier to lift out).

I was surprised at how much my parents like this.  I thought it'd be for me and my sister only but they really liked how refreshing the combination of sugar and lemon was.

I also brought a whole box of these to a bridesmaid dress fitting and forgot I brought them.  And ate the whole box myself the next day... true confessions.

A teeny tiny snack for my sister who was studying for some cuh-razy exam.

Of kidnappings and ransoms.

Source.

I read a case (a few days ago) about a fund that was created to pay out rewards for information following an upstate NY girl's kidnapping.  This led to a 40-minute Google search down the rabbit hole about well-publicized kidnappings and abductions and changes to American law (ie. AMBER alert).

Now I have a weird question about policy/ethics regarding a reward/ransom.

A few weeks ago I read a NY Times Magazine article about an older English couple who was kidnapped by pirates and held captive for over a year.  (True Confession: I actually started reading this rather lengthy article because I thought it was a fiction piece with all the fun and fanfare of Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.)  It took their family that much time to come up with the money and also other liaisons to set up an exchange.  The thing is the British government policy is NEVER to pay ransom.

Contrast this with one of the cases I read on Wikipedia about Arjan Erkel who was kidnapped doing work for Doctors Without Borderrs and then released 20 months later when the Dutch government paid a ransom of €1,000,000. 

What are the incentives put in place by a country's ransom policy?  What is the conduct that we are encouraging or discouraging?

Disregarding the fact that the Dutch guy was actually imprisoned/kidnapped for a longer time, has the Dutch government focused a kidnappers' target on their citizens?  Will pirates and other evildoers focus on Dutch citizens because Holland pays ransom whereas England does not?  Or are the countries helping to spare the lives of their citizens?  Will a pirate kill his English victim upon finding out the victim is not wealthy and that his country will not pay a ransom for his return?  According to the Times Magazine article, keeping a hostage is very expensive.  If you have little chance at reaping a ransom, isn't it cheaper to "dispose" of your hostage?

Very difficult questions, indeed.  Today is one of those days I'm glad I'm not one of those key policy-decisionmakers.

Warm and gooey breakfast.

Something about rain and cold weather makes me crave hot oatmeal with cinnamon and a touch of syrup.

Good thing I packed some :)

Waking up with a (good) sigh.

Wouldn't this be an amazing view to wake up to?

 

Source

But also possibly terrifying - like at night or when it's stormy/hurricaney.

Of Maladies and Miracle Cures.

Source.

Every day from about 10am to 6pm I suffer from a variety of malaises.  My shoulders ache.  My eyes are dry.  My head hurts.  I have sinus headaches.  My wrists are tense.  My head hurts.  My whole body is achy and tired.  I can't focus.  My head hurts.

And then, I walk out of my building and I swear, I feel it all lift away.  I feel so much better.
Just the act of physically leaving work makes it all go away and makes me feel at ease.
My miracle cure is: NOT WORKING.

Orrr...

They're putting something in the airvents!

Oh, Canadaaaaaa.

Source.

I went to a cocktail mixer for recent alumni of my law school last night (classes of 08 through 11 seemed to be there).  I met a Canadian LLM who graduated in 2011 (same year as me) and he was just delightful.

Something that stuck in my head is his perception of how rich and colorful US history is compared to Canadian history.  For example, he said he was learning about the (US) Civil War in middle school and then they went on winter break before finishing the unit and all he could think was, "What happens NEXT!?!?"  He had no idea how the Civil War was going to end/ended. 

(Ahem, excuse me, I'm referring to the war that is known as "The War of Northern Aggression" in some circles.  In some, Southern, circles.  My freshman year roommate from Georgia told me this is how she learned it.  By the way, she was what we currently call, African American.)

Anyway, the LLM was just amazed that we had this whole history of slavery and owning people and fighting wars about it.  Apparently Canada has had none of that.  And he was just enraptured by it.

This led into a discussion of the dearth of cases on the "tortious interference with chattels."  Apparently, he had to look up cases on this (made relevant today by the issue of people using GPS tracking on OTHER people's phones to stalk them or otherwise invade their privacy).  The problem was, there were NO prior cases about the tortious interference with chattels.  With someone else's chattels (chattels = property that is not real property where "real property" = land/homes).

Oh, but wait.  There were a FEW cases.  A few OLD cases.  The ONLY reported/published cases documenting the legal history of tortious interference with chattels was about SLAVES.  About people messing with their neighbors' slaves.  And he was just not going to cite those to prove the point that it's wrong to mess with someone else's stuff. 

And somehow, in the space of a few paragraphs, this post has gone from being about "Oh, Canada" (SMH) to "Oh, UHH-merr-kuh" (SMH).  (Where SMH = shaking my head; and Uhh-merr-kuh is how my sister pronounces "America" when we are referring to something shameful, or backwards, or super-red-statey about our great country).

Example of things that prompt "UHH-merr-kuh":
1. Overweight/obesity/morbid obesity epidemic (TV shows like "Heavy")
2. People who think the sun revolves around the earth
3. Anything related to Palin/Bachman
4. Anything about American stupidity in general (especially geography)

I'm sure you can think of more...

You are what you eat. Or, what I eat is who I am.

So somehow in the month of absolute freedom and bliss (and ok, fine, I'll admit it, occasional boredom) that followed my two bar exams I managed to gain 10 lbs.  Probably that post bar trip to an all-inclusive (re: buffet) resort didn't help matters.  In any case I've started a weight loss slash stabilization campaign.

After complaining to a few ppl that my work schedule only allowed a 6am workout option I decided that it could be done.  So starting September 22nd,  I woke up at 6am on weekdays to workout before I got ready for work.  On the weekend I just worked out whenever I felt like it. Anyway, in the first week after adding in exercise to my daily routine I decided to institute a no meat or cheese at dinner rule.

Interestingly the most difficult part is not the no meat or cheese part.  It's redefining who I am via what I eat.  I'm not the girl who eats, "Salad only, please."  I eat bacon.  Nay.  I love bacon.  And steak and butter and pasta.  And I love love love me some cheese.  French fries with gravy and cheese please!

 

Who I'm proud of being. 

As long as my understanding of Tex-Mex was meat + cheese + tortilla, it was my favorite cuisine in the world.  It's harder getting used to my identity as a seafood with light lemon juice person than it is to actually eat said meal.  Isn't that interesting?  How much of my identity I credit with what I eat?  That I'm a hearty-freewheeling-red-meat-eating-bacon-grilling gal.  A real person eating real food.  I feel like this healthier person is a wimp.  "Oh, steamed veggies instead of fries, please." I feel like I'm lamer just because I don't eat meat.

 

Wuss that I am now (and embarrassed to be).

Newspaper workspace.

Picked up a free AM New York paper today. Will probably need a few more to cover my workspace. Prepping for my weekend craft idea. :). Look forward to a craftsy post next week!

Annoying coworkers.

 From this blog (with a great list of "revenge" ideas)

If you've ever asked (completely underqualified) me for any work/job-related advice, I probably did 2 things.  First, I paraphrased (and hopefully maintained the spirit of) an answer to the question posted on Alison Green's blog, Ask a Manager.  Second, I emailed, typed, texted, or otherwise passed along the link to her actual website.

I've been referring to her site since at LEAST the fall of 2008.  The archives are great and now that I've started at my first post-graduate school position, the tips on how to deal with coworkers and supervisors is relevant as ever.  I feel like I get to actually put her advice into ACTION.

The point of today: Great roundup of 7 most annoying coworker habits and how to deal with them.  As the proud owner of such books as The No A$$h0le Rule and Dealing with People You Can't Stand (yes, I'm sure this speaks volumes of my own personality - hey, at least I'm proactive about my problems with others and trying to do something about it!), you can understand why this neat little roundup pleased me.

Let me add my first official tip of job-dom: Don't write a blog post titled "Annoying coworkers" in your shared office when your coworker is looking at your screen.

Dreams that fill you with goodness.

I've had a lot of nightmares and simply bad dreams lately. Just dreams of being forgotten and ignored and lost and chased and even maimed.

But I just woke up from a commute nap with a smile on my face. I have no idea what my dream was about but it was definitely good. I woke up feeling loved. Feeling really good about myself. Glowing, even.

I hope this happens more often. :]

Oh, A.C. How I love thee.

Source

I love judgmental facial expressions.

I love watching Toddlers and Tiaras because it makes me feel the same as eating 50 chicken nuggets minus the 7,000 calories.
(It's a combination of guilty satisfaction, knowing I'm supporting an industry that is rife with all the wrong incentives with the wrong ppl making a profit, and also just the pleasure of "letting go" and not caring what's good/best for me.)

AND I love Anderson Cooper.

So you can see why I'd love this: A mini-compilation of AC's reactions to his guest stars from Toddlers and Tiaras.

7 billion people.

I read this New Yorker article on my morning commute about estimates that the 7 billionth person will be born on October 31st (next week! Halloween!).

And just now I read this op-ed piece on the same topic in the New York Times.

The New Yorker article seemed more like a factual, "oh well this is gonna happen so let's just wait and see what happens" of seeing where the limits of earth's ability to support X billion people.

The Times article looked a little more at finding solutions and making changes to improve quality of life ("prosperity") and changing how we measure the "success" of the species.

I don't know how I feel exactly or what my response is. 
A.  I'm glad I'll be dead before the end of this century and won't have to fight 12 billion other ppl for a mouthful of food.  Probably.
B.  I sure hope we figure out a sustainable balance b/w food/materials/housing and people so we don't end up with a mandated baby limit/policy.
C.  Is this what happens when science ruins everything?  Remember when famine, wars, disease, and other natural disasters were able to limit and control our numbers?  Now that we're able to outmaneuver a bunch of those "natural" clearing-outs, what're we going to do with the "too-many" people?

I don't think I'm making sense.  But I feel like this is an interesting discussion topic.  I just don't have an opinion or stance yet.

Justice Beaver and the Beaverization of America.

Great news story

At first I had no idea what Justin Bieber was and why comedians and the Internet kept making fun of him.  Then I downloaded some of his music (legally, of course - I'm a pre-lawyer for goodness sake).

And although it's a bit flat and predictable - his songs are catchy and quite palatable/inoffensive.  I have a whole playlist called "Justice Beaver" (tips stylish lady hat to the writers of The Office).

But now, I have a pretty mild and age-appropriate crush on Justin Bieber and GET the jokes about him (and I like when there are jokes about people who don't get the jokes because that's (the old) ME!!!).

My two all-time favorites (the only two I got and laughed at):

The Office

And from Modern Family:

Jay: This stupid kid’s been in the business about ten minutes, he barely looks at my proposal, and he says he wants more “wow.”
Gloria: What does he mean by more “wow”?
Manny: It’s the Bieber-ization of America.
Jay: What do beavers have to do with anything?
Gloria: The beavers, they build the dams all over the country so there’s no floods. Is the beaver-ization of the Americas.
Manny: I’m finding there’s less and less we can talk about.

This kid's (Justin Bieber) name has kept a bunch of great TV show writers in business =)

4 ways women stunt their careers unintentionally.

Men perceive us as having low self-confidence.  A discussion of 4 behaviors (I guess more prevalent among women) that men perceive as "low self-confidence."

1. Being overly modest (not listing your accomplishments, or claiming them)
2. Not asking (specifically, for promotions - but also to be put on specific projects, work with specific partner, etc.)
3. Blending in (avoiding attn, avoiding CEO in elevator)
4. Remaining silent (not giving your 2 cents during a meeting)

Food on Friday 1: Blueberry-Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Thinking of making this a “thing.”  Like every Friday I will have a post about Food (I love alliteration).  Foodie Friday sounds better but I’m not really a foodie (so that would be misleading point 1) and it would be a super-honorific over-glorification of the food I actually am able to cook to call it Foodie-worthy.  (No doubt about it, my food is GOOD – but not fancy.  I’d like to challenge Rachael Ray as the queen of 30-minute meals.  I’m a super slapdash kinda cook but I’m really good at what I do).

For the first/inaugural post, I thought we’d try the only food process I have somewhat documented.  As noted in a previous post about apples – my mom is good at buying food.  But she’s not as good at using it up.  Sometimes it’s not her fault.  Like when I bought a pound of shredded coconut for my homemade granola and then moved out before eating it all.

A few months ago we were cleaning out the pantry/fridge when I noticed the shredded coconut.  It had been frozen and still smelled and tasted good to use.  We also had some blueberries on the verge of going bad so I looked up recipes using coconut and blueberries and came across a recipe for Blueberry-Coconut Baked Oatmeal.  It was adapted from another recipe and we adapted it further.  We used fresh instead of frozen or dried blueberries and no matter what type of oats a recipe calls for I always use the Quaker Oats we have in our house for oatmeal.  Honestly, I can’t even say if they’re the old-fashioned or quick-cooking kind.  I also did not use pumpkin seeds (and I’m iffy on whether or not I used ginger).

Because this is the first (and so far only) time that I’ve actually managed to take pictures whilst cooking, I’ll add the directions with photos.  I think my sister took a lot/most of the pics during the putting things together stage and I took pics of the baking and post-baking stages.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8-inch square or round baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the banana slices over the bottom of the dish and top with the frozen blueberries. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, coconut flakes, dried blueberries, brown sugar, pepitas, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.

 

3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, 1 Tbsp of the margarine, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Set aside.  (Oops, no picture – but I mean, how exciting does this step sound? Imagine a slightly tan colored liquidy mixture).

4. Spoon the oat mixture on top of the bananas and blueberries. Pour the milk mixture over the oat mixture, and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp melted margarine.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top layer is lightly browned and crisp. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

As I’ve previously mentioned, our oven is a little wonky so I actually just popped this into the toaster oven (I trust its temperature gauge to be more accurate) and it fit right in there and turned out beautifully.

Finished product – TA DAAAAA!!!

And since no one in our family can eat a pie’s worth of oatmeal in a few sittings – I carved it up and froze individual portions in Ziploc baggies.  Pull one out in the morning – throw it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes with a little more syrup on top for good measure and you have a convenient and easy homemade breakfast (none of that cheapo Eggo stuff).

Also – ours turned out quite chewy – so you can just leave it out to defrost overnight and actually just eat it out of the bag if you’re an on-the-run-in-the-morning type (it had the consistency of chewy waffle).

Boots with Bows.

They say these are kids' boots.  But some of the reviewers are grownup women with size 7 feet who say that these fit them.

Maybe in black?

(I used to HATE HATE HATE Uggs.  But then I moved back to NYC and it's so freaking cold that normal boots just don't cut it.  I wish I could have thigh-high Uggs. There, I said it. Sue me.)

Mug "shirts."

Are these mug shots for real?

I always wondered who actually buys this stuff.  And WEARS it.  In PUBLIC.
Apparently doing stupid, allegedly illegal things!

The/An other.

 An unlikely source?

Never underestimate the power of another. Of one person you can call no matter what. No matter anything else. Having one person you can always count on who is there for you.  Maybe that's why ppl get married.  You really shouldn't take it for granted. Having a kinda guaranteed ear to listen and shoulder to cry on. But you and your other have to be better together. Support each other. Can't drag each other down. If one person feels better as a single than a whole. Then there's a problem. You need someone who won't judge you but who will just listen. Because sometimes parents have expectations. And friends are busy with their own lives. That's why having the unconditional love of another is so amazing. Not even love. Just one other who is willing to listen is so amazing. Someone who cares for you and is patient. When you find that, count yourself lucky.  And Never. Ever. take that for granted.

ABCDEF. (Appley Baked Cheesecupcakes Delicious Eat Fall.),

My mother has a problem.  Actually, she has two problems.  1) She loves fruit and 2) She's ambitious.  What this means is that there is constantly an overabundance of over-ripe fruit in my house.  And since no one likes EATING said over-ripe fruit - I get to look up recipes to use the fruit in cooked/baked dishes.  (Footnote: See future baked blueberry oatmeal and lemon bar post).  So, our latest over-ripe fruit subject: apples.

I noticed that we had some apples that were getting on 2 weeks old so I knew I had to use them up quickly (no one in my house even likes more-than-a-teensy-bit-ripe-fruit).  Once it loses that not-quite-ripe-yet-tartness and crispness, no one will touch it.  (except peaches - they only eat those so-ripe-they're-dripping).

So yesterday I googled "baked apple recipes."  (Why not just bake an apple pie? you ask.  How much more American does it get?  The truth is, I don't like apple pie.  In general.  I don't like the consistency or mouth-feel of it.  It's too much giant chunks of fruit to pastry - I'm a carb girl.  I like the ratio with more bread to fruit.)  Irrelevant aside over.  I came across 5 possible contenders.  I saved and printed them out and polled my father and sister after dinner.  As my sister read the choices out loud my dad made the choice for us.  She had barely finished saying, "Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping" when my dad goes "PERFECT!"

We went out to pick up some cream cheese and then got to work.  I tweaked the recipe a little.  I halved it (b/c our family can't eat 24 of these little goodies - we're just too Korean - we get tired of "bread").  And then decided to make them in a muffin tin pan because a) we don't have a square pan and b) they're easier to pack for lunch (my sister and I pack our lunches for work/school).  The shortbread crusts still spread into 24 molds.

Our oven is a bit wonky and we found out it doesn't heat evenly (burned half the shortbread crusts).  So then we were down to 13 molds.  Which was fine b/c the cream cheese cheesecake part was WAAAYYY too little to spread into 24.  (Weird b/c we halved the whole recipe - but then again, we didn't use a 9x13 pan).  So to repeat: we halved the whole recipe.  But the crust to filling ratio was off (wayyyy too much crust, not enough filling).  It only coincidentally worked out because our oven burned half our crust.

We also probably used too much apple.  Anyway, here's the finished product.  We also didn't use the caramel topping.  We're not fans of anything TOO sweet.  I think it's quite perfect actually.  The sweetness isn't overwhelming.  The dryness of the shortbread is balanced by the moist cheesecake layer and the diced apple.

A side view: some of the crust has fallen away but the bottom layer is a shortbread crust, then cheesecake in the middle, then diced spiced apple cubes, topped with streusel.

(I had wanted to document the process but pretty much just laid down my phone on the table and then continued to go about baking and just ended up covering my phone in flour.)

Oh, also - how perfect is this?  Before I actually gave my sister and dad the recipes to choose from, I asked my dad what his favorite baked goods are.  He said "apple pie" and "cheesecake."  So I'm really glad I found and made this Apple Cheesecake deliciousness.

 

빵, or bbang, is "bread" in Korean. "mot it da" = delicious/tasty!

ARGH!!!

The pictures won't load right when I email this uber lovely food post...

You'll have to wait til later tonight when I get home =)

No Kids Allowed. Adult Content. Ferrealz. Seriously. Seriously???

I always (try to) credit my image sources.

Somehow my Internet filter at work has it that this blog, right here, www.christineispink.blogspot.com, hosts ADULT CONTENT.  This is not a joke.

Taken with my iPhone4.

Anyways, I've found that I get a lot of blogging/drafting done during my commute.  But since a bunch of it is in the subway underground - I don't have access to the internet to prettify my posts with pictures (and the Blogspot app is good, clean, and easy to use, but not full of bells and whistles).

As promised (multiple times and recently pointed out to me that I had made this promise), I HAVE drafted a SLEW of posts - but need to clean them up, fill them out, and add pictures.  I've also started baking/cooking a lot more often - so look forward to some food/recipe posts.

Also, the filter doesn't block all blogspot blogs equally.  At first I thought that my work blocked ALL blogs in an effort to increase productivity (or at least to decrease slacking off).  But I've visited some friends' blogs, all hosted by blogspot.com.  So, it's clearly just MY blog that apparently contains adult content.  I have NO idea what content I have that might make it think that.  If any of you has a suggestion as to what I can alter/delete to be able to un-Adult-Content-ify my blog, PLEASE let me know - I'd LOVE to blog from work (it's what I did during the days when I posted 1x or even 2x a day!).

(The next few posts were written ahead of time and scheduled - I'm gonna try to write some at night and then schedule them during the week...).

ADDED: hmm - so I can't send pics from my phone - but I can post via email...
Tried to send pics from my phone several times from different places. (The short text post was sent from my phone.  And the canker sore post was sent via email).

Testing again. (but this time w/CONTENT).

Can I publish posts via email?

How does the formatting turn out?

And pictures?

This thing saved my life today.  I'd tried a similar product before - but that one was brown and tasted like poop.
(there should be an image right under here)


Bought it at the CVS near my work.

Cheaper online at drugstore.com.

My spillful life.

I'm kindof notorious for my spillage abilities. In high school I had a coach who called me "Mouth" because there was water all down the front of my jersey after every water break.

The reason I have a functioning computer at all is partially because I only drink from water bottles at my desk and keep them closed any time I'm not drinking from them. Although even that's not guaranteed (see below when water bottle gently leaked into everything in my bag including a week's worth of casebook readings).

Another time I had to call in sick to work because I was bringing my breakfast to my room and as I walked through the door my glass of milk went deluging EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere. I was really glad that I elevate my laptop on a cooling stand because everything on my desk was soaked in milk. I had to call in sick because it wound up taking me two hours to clean it all up!

Oh and this one time. I was riding shotgun in my mom's new Benzer and we stopped at Baskin Robbins for milkshakes. I had the cardboard drink holder in my lap with our two milkshakes in it caddy corner. Of course when I took my cup out the box plus mom's shake tipped forward onto the floor where my feet were. But whew it's a thick milkshake with a lid so barely any spilled. BUT THEN when I leaned forward to pick it up I forgot about the milkshake in my right hand and as I leaned I also tipped the whole strawberry milkshake into the side door pocket.

Needless to say I'm not really allowed beverage privileges. The Starbucks mug I take on my commute is empty until I get to the cooler at my office.

Anyway what started this lengthy monologue was an incident this morning. Today I was super thirsty heading out the door so I stopped to put in maybe 6 oz. of water into my mug. It's spillproof by the way. We get in the car and I open the sipping lid. The side mirrors are fogged up so I roll down the window and take a napkin from the glove compartment to wipe it down. Then I get the creeping sensation that something is off. WHY OH WHY IS MY CROTCH WET?!?!?!!!!!! Oh right. I opened my spillproof mug and then somehow spilled the whole thing in between my thighs. :( I had to hover with my butt above the seat the whole way to where I get dropped off to take the bus to work. Somehow the water did that magic thing when it creeps up a string that has just one end dipped in the water and it crept up the whole backside of my butt. And my mom tells me my blazer is too short to cover it as I climb out of the car. Great. So glad I look like I have swamp butt so early in the morning.

On that note, Happy Rosh Hashannah!

Do's and Don'ts.

DO try to set a sleep schedule from 11pm to 7am.
DO take properly prescribed Ambien to help set sleep cycle.
DO follow instructions and lie in bed after taking medicine.
DO wake up refreshed and alert after a good night's rest.
DO make a good 2nd impression at previous internship site.
DO take advantage of relationships already in place to learn essential legal skills to get ahead in career.
DO build on known interests and strengths to engage in field of law you find interesting.

DON'T try to stay awake after taking known sleep medication.
DON'T pretend you are a great writer who must share what seems like essential thoughts before embarking on a new phase in life.
DON'T make a fool of yourself with horrific autocorrect and other typos especially when you are a known hyper-critical grammar Nazi.
DON'T fool yourself into thinking blogging under the influence will yield heretofore hidden thoughts and unleash secret talents.
DON'T name your new employer in a drug-addled post so they can fire you before you even begin.

And most of all:
DON'T do drugs, kiddos.

(re)new beginnings?

Today ways lsst day pf freedom. Tomorrow I'm starting my 6-month fellowship at the REDACTED Office of the REDACTED. Secisidng to blog after taking an AmBien was not art and everything ia so difficult right now. Ek I'm surethoa is aess. Cleanup tomorrow!!!

Many many thoughts. Many many many. O wish you could www me phone machine. It's fuzzy like a doll
Monster. Keys are teeth and fuzzy like felt. It's all glowing and shimmering. I think I snood let the drugs do they thang.... Sleepy sleep timesss

An(other?) Honest Confession.

On more than one occasion (and especially by blunt or close friends) I have been engaged in discussing why I act dumber than I am or why I say things that make me seem dumber than I am.  I have been met with the observation that I "dumb [myself] down" and then asked why do I do that.  Usually I give a semi-honest answer: it makes me more approachable/likable. 


I've had problems with "peer relations" for as long as I can remember. I just found my 1st and 2nd grade report cards today. My 2nd grade teacher says of me:

"Christine is a very bright student who has a lot of enthusiasm for learning. She actively participates in group discussions. She works wonderfully independently, but can occasionally be critical towards others when working in a group."

Why am I not surprised? Not much has changed in the past ...math calculating noises... (what year was I in 2nd grade? Oh, geez, has it really been?) ...20 years. At least I'm consistent. The grading system was thus: C = commendable, G = good, S = satisfactory, and N = needs improvement. Needless to say I received at least a C/C+ in everything.

Except the following 3 areas (which shouldn't surprise anyone): Peer relationships, physical education, and music. Now, my lack of skills in physical education and music shouldn't surprise anyone. But what I want to bring attention to is that the lowest grade I received (even of those 3) was in "Peer Relationships."

Honestly, if I had to truly answer why I so often dumb myself down and make myself the "victim" in a crowd, it is because I know that it is really hard to like me.

Don't get me wrong. I know my good traits:
1. I'm loyal to a fault

2. I will personally cut out and give half my liver for a friend

3. I remember every little detail about each of my friends and use those to be the most thoughtful person I know

4. I never/rarely say "no," and 

5. I am really really good at giving great objective advice. 

However, I also know my bad traits:
1. I'm ridiculously stubborn and convinced I am always right

2. I'm the most singularly selfish person I know

3. I'm honest to the level of tactlessness

4. I'm super impatient, and

5. I'm keenly aware of just how smart I am (especially in comparison to the individuals around me).

There. I said it. Here comes the faux pas: I KNOW that I am smart. One of the biggest taboos, it would seem, in our culture.

And herein lies why I feel the need to dumb myself down. Smart people are deemed unapproachable and need some redeeming factor to make them more palatable. Usually an intelligent person who is also well-liked will have one or more of the following traits: niceness, humility, friendliness, and/or wisdom.

Although I am a good person, it turns out that I am not particularly good at being a nice person. And it turns out that I'm neither particularly humble nor wise. Neither am I known for my warmth and friendliness. Actually, I can be downright cold and awkward around strangers. Hmm... so out of the several likable traits an intelligent person must have, I possess... ZERO.

Therefore, I feel the need to dumb myself down. People love the friend they can always make fun of, right? I need to feel a niche and there it is. Someone you can make fun of is approachable, non-threatening. And since I'm so full of myself, I can take all the ribbing thrown at me. The ability to take a good jab is somewhat under-appreciated in my view. I had some more thoughts, but it's already 2am and tonight I was supposed to start setting my internal clock for starting work in a week.

Here you have it, dear readers. In my experience, intelligence alone, is too strong and raw for most people to handle. I'd say intelligence is best-served as a mixed drink; the best mixers being niceness, humility, friendliness, and wisdom. I dumb myself down because I'm not particularly nice, humble, friendly, or wise. My dumbing down is like pineapple juice, a blunt but effective mask for the bitter taste it's meant to hide.