Returning …

The great sickness of 08 has now finally dulled down into a snotty cold, so I’m slowly returning to the living.    Today I did 8, count’em 8, loads of laundry.   I want the germs out of my house!   Off my sheets.  Away from my towels.    Not to mention, yesterday I took my car in for a 30,000mile check up and spent $922 on new brakes too.      I’m a week behind on my work projects, so that doesn’t bode well for my stress levels.   Maybe that doesn’t matter though, on Monday my father told me my business is just a hobby and I need to give it up and work for him full-time.    His company isn’t in my industry, the job is not on my career path, and we cannot be in the same room without snarking at each other.      Nevermind I get a huge amount of satisfaction and pride working for myself.    Who cares that it has helped to boost my confidence.     Clearly, I’m “not thinking about what is best for Tim and I.”  Great idea, pops. 

Heath Ledger

Well said, Star Jones, well said.

Reporting on the Dead by Star Jones 

Since we learned of actor Heath Ledger’s untimely death on Tuesday afternoon, the basic fact is that until additional tests have been conducted, the autopsy is incomplete and inconclusive as to why this 28-year-old man died. That’s what we know.

Let’s get to what we don’t know: his death was a tragic accident, or something to the contrary. Until we know for sure, I think the media should just shut their mouths and stop all the speculation that’s been running rampant.

This man has a two-year-old daughter. His family is going through the worst time in their lives. Their hearts are broken, they’re numb, they can’t understand what’s going on right now. Michelle Williams is trying to figure out how to explain to their little girl that she will never see her daddy again. It’s heartbreaking, tragic, and it’s being used to fuel our never ceasing desire to eavesdrop on the lives of others.

Please let them grieve in privacy and dignity for a few days at least for goodness sake. As far as I’m aware, Heath Ledger never did anything but conduct himself in the most respectful and charismatic way. He gave us exactly what we asked of him — good entertainment and our $12 worth when we sat our butts in the seats of a movie theater. He made his living in the entertainment business, but he purposely chose not to make his life that way. He was by all accounts a normal guy in every way, a regular dad who was often photographed walking down the streets of Manhattan or Brooklyn with his daugther, Matilda.

The scene outside his apartment on the night Ledger died made me sick to my stomach. People gawking and waiting around for a body bag to be removed. I have been at similar scenes in my work as an assistant district attorney. And let me tell you, if you don’t have to be there, you wouldn’t want to be. It’s morbid. Someone who was loved is in that bag… and trust me it takes more than a minute to get used to that.

And when actress Michelle Williams and her daughter arrived home in Brooklyn, the scene was just as bad. Instead of being allowed to enter her home in privacy, she had to endure the flashbulbs of the paparazzi waiting to snap the money shot. How she explained that to her child through her grief is something I hope never to experience.

Might I suggest that we in the media, instead of reporting on the dead based on gossip, rumor, innuendo and anonymous sources, choose to honor this man’s memory based on his talent and the good taste we all should be exercising. My heart goes out to the family of Heath Ledger.

Because I am the Sexiest Woman in the World Right Now

My eyes are running, there is some phlegm too, my nose is red, and I’m the mucous queen.  Add to that the fact that my medicine is wrecking havoc with my stomach and clearly I’m the sexiest woman in the world right now.

But I have learned that a constant rotation of Tylenol is keeping my fever down, so I am spending less time in the fetal position.   Looking forward to not being sick, and talking about not sick things.

To note, I’ve been forced to eat with my medicine, it hasn’t been fun, but prior to the prescription, I confess one night this week I had a chocolate chip cookie for dinner.  I figured I had no appetite, and a cookie sounded fantastic.

Pasta Vacations

Man am I sick.   It started with small cough yesterday and now I cannot talk, at all.   If I talk I cough.   My ears and throat are bothering me too.   My nose is running.   I cannot tell if I am sporting a fever because I’m warm, yet freezing.  The temperature today is a balmy 25F with a real feel of 17F.  Yeah.  Tonight it will be a whopping 16F.   That’s ok, because on Thursday they are predicting -5F with the windchill.   Clearly it’s time for a beach vacation.    Or carbs in the form of pasta.   Or carbs in the form of pasta in a tropical environment.

Update on the sick thing:  Last night (end of  day 3 of sickfest) we decided I was getting worse every hour,  not better.  I was trying to avoid antibiotics, but felt so incredibly terrible I could not even move, breathe, cough.   I pretty much decided I’d see a doctor ASAP but wasn’t sure if I should  drive myself to the urgent care place 35minutes away or if I should  wait  to see my family doctor on Thursday (he’s closed Wednesdays and doesn’t take my insurance so it would cost approx $200 for a doctor visit and meds).  However this morning a friend recommended her doctor, who was not only 1-block away, but also takes my insurance.   The nurse heard my voice (or lack there of) and had no problem fitting me in within 30 minutes.  Bless them all.  I have the flu – complete with fever, runny nose, cough, red ears, red throat blah blah.   I feel like a walking germ.   However, I am now armed with Zithromax and Tamiflu.     Better health for the bargain price of $68. 

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had a plan this week that fell apart.

Monday I had a  laser hair removal appointment.   I have done these before, actually on and off over the years.   The procedure is done at my dermatologist’s office.   The visual recovery from this isn’t very pretty.   Insomuch that I had planned to hibernate in my home office Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday then brave the world with a ton of makeup Thursday and Friday.   However, a close friends 62-year old mother died suddenly last week. So Tuesday night we attended the wake and Wednesday the funeral.  At that point Wednesday was shot, so I spent a half-day in the office.

I am struggling with an enormous workload and significant financial obligations right now.  I think I was looking forward to those days home (even if I was working), to the time to myself, etc.  I need to regroup and have yet to carve out that time for me.  And of course the wake, and subsequent funeral were emotionally difficult, so the days were battered, not relaxing.  She was only 62.   She was recovering.  They had made plans to bring her home.   My friend Victor walked into the hospital to bring his mother lunch and she was gone.   Here 1 day, a memory the next.  Life (or the loss of it) does move that fast.

I’ve also been feeling hurt lately.    A few months ago I realized I was mistakenly and naively considering specific online acquaintences as real friends.  I had given them actual space in my mind when in reality they just didn’t feel the same.  It’s taken me awhile to come to terms with this (silly, I know).   I am better off for having learned this lesson.  It was a a straightforward reminder to guard my heart.

Renegade Goat Cheese

Tonight Tim was putting dishes away and he found goat cheese in the (unrefrigerated) Tupperware cabinet.  I about flipped my shit looking for that goat cheese on Sunday. 

Need. It. On. My. Eggbeater-wich.

Apparently I put my fan-fucking-tastic Trader Joe’s goat cheese away with the Tupperware.  I guess it’s good we he found it before it got stinky — but still.      I was too busy to think about it then, he said “that’s my girl” we had a good laugh and I went back to finishing up a work project.

Now a few hours later I’m wondering how it’s gotten to this.  Maybe it’s time to make some changes. 

Food Food Food

Normally Friday is treat day at the office.  You know, the usual bombardment of calorie laden pastries, donuts, and cookies.   As my schedule is so erratic, I am normally exempt from having to bring items in (it’s on a rotation, but the office pays).  Nonetheless, late Thursday afternoon,  I volunteered for Friday.    I think everyone was shocked.   Always play with their minds.  (NAME THAT MOVIE!?!)   Given all the baking I’ve been doing lately, it was easy to whip up 3 healthy breakfasty items (that I had already tested) .  I also brought in a box of clementines.  In reality, I just wanted to perfect the Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe, as the original one was too sweet for me.   I cut out the walnuts and 1/4c of sugar and lost 500 calories.    There were a lot of comments of “were you baking all night?” etc – and honestly I think I spent 2 hours on and off baking, during which dinner was cooking and I was cleaning up a bit at the same time.  I don’t watch much TV, so I tend to have free time in the evenings when I am not working.  I work a lot.  Too much, probably.

Even with all the baking and cooking, this has been a great food week.  I stayed at the low end of my calorie range every single weekday.  I do this often in preparation for the weekends, as my intake then tends to be higher and I want my overall weekly totals to be within the correct range.  Sure,  I lost a few lbs of holiday blot, but I just feel good.  We have 2 parties to go to tomorrow and I’m very “whatever” I can navigate them fine.   Dontcha wish every week was this easy?  I certainly do.

Delicious Thai Soup (posted for Paige)

Spicy Thai Chicken Soup with Lemongrass and Ginger*

5.5 cups chicken broth
1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces and crushed
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn in 1/2  (or 3-4 slices lime rind)
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 pound, boneless, skinless chicken, cut into thin strips
1 package Shirataki Noodles, cut noodles in half
8-ounce fresh Button or Crimini mushrooms, sliced then halved
4 small green Thai chiles, sliced very thin
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a soup pot, combine and bring to a boil the chicken broth, lemon grass, lime leaves and ginger. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with flavor. Strain the infused broth, discard the aromatics and return the broth to the pot. Add chicken, noodles, mushrooms, chiles, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice and simmer for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Finally season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and top each bowl with some cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Note: I find all the strange ingredients at my Whole Foods or the local Asian market.  

*adpated from a Paula Deen recipe that wasn’t wrapped in bacon, smothered in butter, and deep fried!

What’s Cookin’

This week I’ve been cooking up all sorts of healthy foods that I immediately portion out into their proper servings.   It’s working well in that leftovers immediately become lunch too.  I’m also calculating everything in Sparkpeople and then entering each recipe into my food journal.   I have no idea why I’m so gung ho right now, but I’ll take it.

Monday night we had a Thai Chicken Soup, accompanied by Edamame and Organic Potstickers.

Tuesday night we had Pan-Seared Pork Loin with Leeks, Truffled Polenta, and Balsamic Green Beans.

Tonight we are having Broiled Mahi-Mahi with Ginger-Lime-Jalapeno Butter, over Wild Rice with Barley, and a Green Salad.

Thursday is a Mixed Seafood Stir Fry, over Brown Rice, and a Green Salad.

Friday is currently unplanned but I have an arsenal of recipes in the waiting.  I’ve also dropped 5lbs since New Year’s.    Maybe my recent foray into cooking is because I refuse to accept a holiday weight gain?  Who cares, it’s working.    I also bought the ingredients to make these Cranberry Orange Muffins.  Looks like I’ll be swapping the white flour for wheat and tweaking all that sugar though.   Perhaps I’ll add an orange glaze instead.

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Tangerine Glaze

After eating a hefty slice of this cake, it was clear to me that Cooking Light lies.   In fact, this bundtt cake was so tasty and moist that my skeptisim grew with each bite.    This morning, I loaded all the ingredients into Spark Recipes and learned that Cooking Light is clear and true (my humble apologies, Cooking Light).    My version came in at about 300 calories a slice because I swapped out 40% of white flour with whole wheat flour (next time I am going to try it with all whole wheat flour).  I also added tangerine zest to the batter and icing (thank you for that tip America’s Test Kitchen).

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Tangerine Glaze

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I did not use this)
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup extravirgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh tangerine juice (about 2 tangerines), divided
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon butter, melted

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.  Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Set aside.  Combine granulated sugar, milk, oil, 3 tablespoons juice, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Lightly spoon 2 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to oil mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until golden brown and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake completely on wire rack. Loosen edges of cake with a narrow spatula. Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate. Combine powdered sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon juice, and butter, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Yield
16 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 307(24% from fat); FAT 8.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 5.5g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 4g; CHOLESTEROL 41mg; CALCIUM 57mg; SODIUM 243mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.8g