Grateful

I woke up with this phrase in my head:

"We are grateful for the time we have been given."

I couldn't remember what movie it was from, and after some quick google time I realized it was from the Village. I don't know why it is in my head, but I'm kind of glad it is - taken out of context, it is a really nice phrase to live by.

School starts today. I'm feeling oddly cavalier about this semester - I need to get my anxiety up a bit and start freaking out a little so that I can get my edge on. I am taking two language classes simultaneously for the first time ever - French 320 and Arabic 122. This may hurt a little. I am also taking a history course - US and the Middle East, and a political science - the Politics of Oil. I've never taken ANY of these departments before at U of L. I feel like I'm about to dive into the swimming pool head first without knowing how deep it is.

Let's pray for at least 17 feet, ok?

Because right now work is great, home is great, family is great, I need this other major slice of the pie wheel of my life to be great.

Last year of undergraduate - commence, NOW!

Toast

This is a toast.

A toast to waking up every morning.
... to the smell of rain in the air.
... to lazy evenings with friends, giggling over drinks while reclining on couches.
... to internet that works when we need it to, and doesn't work when we need it to.
... to a perfectly brewed pot of coffee.
... to new running shoes, or perfectly worn and broken-in pairs.
... to a quiet, peaceful apartment.
... to a house full of stomping and sleepy-eyed nephews, playing with trains.
... to the ability to recognize what needs to be changed, and to act on that recognition.
... to the time to write and ponder.
... to new computers and old books.
... to the freedom to sulk and feel pity for oneself every now and then.
... to the discipline to tell oneself to suck it up and get on with life.
... to late afternoons naps on the couch.
... to French Bulldogs, Great Danes, Golden Labs, Pit Bulls, and every breed in-between.
... to cats that hurl themselves like cannonballs against closed doors - rebel! Resist!
... to late birthday cards in the mail.
... to wanderers and the insatiably curious.
... to the smell of delicate insensce in the air, floating over air conditioned breezes.
... to new restaurants.
... to new walking paths.
... to the young, the old, and the unique.
... to new impulses and old habits.
... to the neurotic, impulsive, obsessive, and passionate.
... to the seekers of truth.
... to integrity.
... to simplicity.
... to knowledge.
... to life.

... to teachers who's voices remain after years of silence. *Riley.

Cookin'

So aside from the three watermelons I consumed during my stay in VA (seriously - they were grown by a neighbor within half a mile of the house I was staying at and cost only $3 ea!), there was some actual cooking of note. So I'm posting these recipes in honor of Amee Jo, my beloved sis-in-law.


Chinese Chicken Salad
Ina Garten 

Ingredients

• 4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Seriously - just follow the directions to a T, watch your salt, and this will be DELICIOUS. Store the vegetables, meat, and sauce all separately and this will keep nicely in the fridge for quick lunches.

Zesty Lime Salmon Burgers

I just winged these, having made a billion of them at my work.

To feed two comfortably -

1lb of fresh salmon, skin removed (just ask the fishmonger to do that for you)

breadcrumbs

1/4 of a large red onion, chopped finely

zest of two limes

juice of one lime

red pepper flakes - to taste

cayenne pepper - to taste

cilantro - 1/3 cup minced (1/3 of a bunch)

Chop the salmon into a texture just a little rougher than hamburger meat. Chunks are fine, the breadcrumb will keep it all together. 

In a large bowl combine the salmon meat, approximately 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs, and the remaining ingredients. Mix until it can be formed into patties - adding more breadcrumbs if necessary. 

To "test drive" your burger meat, form a tiny patty, small meatball sized, and cook it quickly on the stove top in a small fry pan. This will allow you to taste the mixture before committing to the entire bowl. Adjust seasonings accordingly.

Cook on the grill or stovetop at medium-medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes per inch. 

Note: it is best not to make these burgers too far in advance of cooking them as the lime juice will cause the meat to become mushy, or worse - will cook the meat in its own acidity into ceviche. 

More to come!

Wow

So I'm almost finished with Skinny Legs and All, and will be moving on to Suite Francaise next. I tried reading Nemorovsky's book years ago but didn't have the attention span for it. Hopefully this try will be more successful.

I am still in Virginia for the rest of this week. I have been glad to be here, very glad to be able to help out and spend time with family. Plus I had about the BEST birthday ever. Granted, in the morning I didn't feel well, and spent most of the day just hanging out with my nephews and taking care of them, but the evening. Oh the evening. My sister-in-law got home, rushed about getting my birthday "fixings" ready.

While I was Skyping with my brother Andrew, the father of the household I'm at right now who is in training in Florida (learning to fly F-22 Raptors mutha fu#$as!!) Amee came in with the boys and my birthday cake. We sang and blew out candles and ate cake, then Amee gave me my present. With my earnings from babysitting, they contributed enough to buy me a Macbook!! So really I paid for a significant chunk of it, but damn. So amazing. This is my first new computer in... 8 years? And also my first Mac. So I'm a little smitten right now.

Oh the accessories she needs. She needs a case to keep her shiny and scratch-free - aubergine preferably. She needs a stand, wireless keyboard and wireless mouse for working at home. Wireless speakers, what else? She definitely needs an iPhone sister to go with her. Once my Verizon contract is up, then it is DEUCES to my Blackberry semi-illiterate phone and on to more Apple technology for my home. Sigh.

I've got the best family ever.

I also have a new avatar. This little lady will accompany me whenever video or camera use is happening with my computer's fancy new technology. Best birthday card ever to go with my present.

Glutton for Punishment?

My dreams have been sparklingly surreal this past week. I don't know what change has occurred to cause them, but I kind of enjoy them. I look forward to falling asleep, in anticipation of the weird journey I'm about to embark on.  Huh. I don't remember them clearly enough to go into any detail about them... they are borderline combo high-elevation/malaria medication weird though.

I'm almost registered for fall semester, which begins at the end of August. My lineup?

the Politics of Oil - Political Science, 300 level
US and the Middle East - History, 300 level
French Skills Overview - French, 300 level
Arabic - 122

Two language courses? What am I thinking? I am going to be forced into a highly disciplined semester, where I don't go home until all studying has been completed in my office or at the library. There will be no Whole Foods working except for on the weekends. Can she do it? Yes she can.

Then there are the first two classes, the PolySci and the History, both of which are on topics that are highly distasteful to me, but which are both quite important topics. Trust me, I'm only taking them because I have to, in order to complete a Middle East and Islamic Studies minor. I'd much rather be focusing on the cultural aspects of Islam and the Middle East, instead of the political. Alas. Forced expansion.

read, think, do

Reading of late:
The Caliph's House, Tahir Shah. Finished - loved it. GREAT look at modern Morocco from an outsider's perspective.

The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles. LOVE him, really enjoying this so far. Yet another book about Morocco, and foreigners trying to make it there, (more or less).

Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, Tariq Ali. Trying trying trying to finish this, but it is like pulling teeth. I just can't get into this look on the fall of Granada.

Thinking of late:
That I'm extraordinarily stir crazy, and in need of some change. Work is extraordinarily dissatisfying. I have about a month until classes start at U of L. I know that will introduce some welcome change, but shit, I could sure use some now!

Watching of late:
24. What else is there?