No Light, No Light

I didn't know I still had this in me... or anything at all.  Sometimes I feel as empty as a carton of milk with just a tiny bit left in the bottom.  It's strange to see something I want. After all this time.  I feel I finally have goals, however, none of them are seemingly in reach.  It's as if I'm looking across the grand canyon. The last time I wanted something I tried to jump the canyon, or shark... or ya know ...whatever, basically it didn't go well. I can see what I want I just have no idea how to get there.  But that's a huge step. I've been wandering around for years trying to figure out what I want, where to go.  It's also difficult not to fall into my old habits.  I tend to cut and run if I feel something is not worth my time. Which is sometimes good, case in point... family has always been a big one.  If you have ever treated me badly and we're related? We aren't talking. Not at all.  As far as I'm concerned if you can't bother to treat me with respect you're gone.  I wish I could hold this as true in other aspects of my life.  The dark side?  I'm really only close to my grandmother and my mother.  But it's usually worth it not to have to suffer through repeated betrayal.  
The difference between this familial mess and the things I want is fairly simple. It's my own to figure out. To mess up or succeed at.  These goals... I think this is something worth sticking to, even if its difficult and it takes a long time. Yes, I do have to be this vague... how many people ask me how my writing is going every week? way too many. Poorly, that's how its going.  I have bigger fish to fry right now and maybe I always will.

Not everyone plays nice

One of the reasons I have had a lot of trouble writing as I age is due to the fact that I don't understand people.  I just don't.  Logic doesn't seem to apply when I believe that it should.  How am I supposed to write anything that isn't in the first person if I can only, somewhat, understand myself?  What about all the other characters?  I haven't quite gotten to the point to where I can fake the chaos.  More importantly I seem to have lost a skill that I had, even if for a short time, in high school. Faking it.  Yep. I was a big fat faker when it came to confidence, performing and my opinion of myself.  I could use this skill right now, in so many ways.  However, as I so vividly recall... faking so much came at a very high price. Is it worth even tempting fate with the possibility of going through all of that again?  Up to this point the answer has always been 100% NO FREAKING WAY.  So while I come to terms with my humanity and dealing with other humans enjoy this hilarious meme.

Tribal dancing in the kitchen

Ok.. so here are the skates I got back in August.  Timely of me right?  I <3 them.  I may post a recent picture, as they are a bit war torn and broken in.

A lot of my joy that I find in the kitchen is through blasting music, singing loudly, dancing and creating edible art.  Recently I've been blasting Florence + the machine, Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age.  Though many make the list.  It's liberating to have such a private moment in an area I always considered family space.  This is my office, at the moment, and where I feel most in my own element. Being away from home and being in another country makes it more difficult to eat the food I'm used to. So cooking became not just a necessity, but a way to time travel... or just travel. Yay, food therapy.  And maybe, someday, my office won't also have the laundry room in it.  That will be nice.
Baking is the best, for some reason it makes me feel closer to the women in my family... the ones around and the many who have moved on.  Note to self: purchase french cookie iron.  Ideally I would like to buy a lamb cake mold as well. There was a tradition in my family, sort of an inside joke, that you would get a lamb cake for your birthday.  I need to find out what the joke was exactly... I wrote a short story about it 5 or 6 years ago.  It was sort of terrible, but I should probably revisit that at some point.

The intricacies of social interaction and Crumbcake

It may seem like a good idea when you are new to a situation to give more experienced people the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are doing. Showing respect for others sounds like a good idea, though often can be seen as being passive or weak, particularly if showing dominance is key to success. Complications may follow when they either don't know what they are doing, or they attempt to use this power to their own benefit.  Making others feel small due to their lack of experience (or confidence) in a certain subject shows a weakness in character, and said person is best to be avoided. Often this person had confidence issues of their own. Keeping a clear distance for observation is recommended, only pursue friendship if above situations have been overcome or avoided. Watch Star Trek. Stir gently.  Repetition does not necessarily lead to success.

I have made this recipe more times than I can count.  It's turned out amazing every time. I usually use blackberry jam, but what ever you have in your fridge works just fine.  My major alterations to the recipe are using real milk and white vinegar.  Also, I don't sift things.

Swirl Crumbcake

3/4 cup soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raspberry jam

For the topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease an 8×8  pan. Measure out the soy milk for the cake and add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar; set aside to curdle. Then begin preparing the topping.
Make the topping:
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle in the canola oil by the tablespoonful (you can eyeball it, no reason to whip out a tablespoon.) Use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate swishing and adding canola oil until all oil is used and large crumbs have formed. Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine, just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs. You can add another tablespoon of oil if needed.
Make the cake:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together curdled milk, sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth.
Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Add spoonfuls of jam randomly on top of the batter and use a knife to swirl it in. Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down just a bit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

 

 

black bean and quinoa while waiting for Muifa

The island of Okinawa has been anticipating typhoon muifa for a few days now.  It seems to get slower and slower.  As of this moment all non essential personnel are at home in anticipation of the storm. 
It looks very eerie outside.  Almost like the start of a severe thunderstorm.  Most people that are from the area where I grew up can tell you the sky often becomes a calm greyish green right before cloud rotation is in the area.  It looks very much like that outside right now.  But I'm a wuss and have no desire to go outside.  I learned a few years ago not to mess with nature.  If you ask for it, you will receive it.  I would never invite destruction.
I'm currently blasting music from the 90's and 2000's while drinking beer and cooking. to keep my mind off of this very slow moving storm.  I've been in the kitchen for about three hours playing around.  I made the cookies from the previous post again and i made another favorite of mine.  I usually make a half recipe because I'm the only one who eats it.  this is my version of the half recipe.

Black Bean and Quinoa

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped or whole onion. either way is great.

1-1/2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons uncooked quinoa

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans

Vegan cookie love

What do you do when you are running out of milk and eggs but you have to have CHOCOLATE???  Vegan cookies of course!

I've never been much of a meat eater.  Dairy and other animal products make a daily appearance in my diet and items I use (aka leather skates) but they aren't always essential.  It's not a bad idea to figure out alternatives now anyway who knows how long our current life style will be sustainable.  Plus, I have some moral objections to certain animal farming techniques.  But I don't want to get into my moral philosophy on this blog.  Unless its Star Trek related.
I have great respect for anyone who can commit to it.

My favorite vegan cook book author is Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She also has great blog with variety of recipes from her published books. This is the recipe exactly from the website but I made some major mods.  For one I used real milk ( I know, I'm bad) .. parchment paper? nope, none of that in my house.  I didn't use the cayenne pepper either.  I'm a wuss when it comes to pepper.  I used a mix of allspice, cardamom and nutmeg to give it more flavor.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. 
Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil,  sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.
Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

I had a small spectator for the duration of the cooking expedition.

typhoons and other stuff

Well... it's been a while since I've updated the blog.  No excuse really, I've just been occupied.  So lets see... what have I been up to...
I had a temporary job selling wine.  It was pretty interesting, I got paid almost as much as I did as an Assistant Manager at my old job, which is hilarious in a bad way.
Quite a lot of derby over the past 4 months, though most of it has been our off season.  I purchased new skates with the money from my temp job.  I really wish they'd get here already.  I will be posting a picture as soon as they get here.  Probably too excited about this.
Taking lots of pictures of the food I've been making over the past few months.  So lots of recipes.  I've been dabbling in more vegan, or vegan-ish recipes.
Cross Stitching.  Yes, I was the nerd that started cross stitching at age 9 or 10.  Looking to open an etsy shop.  I will post here when it goes up. :)

oh... right.  Theres another typhoon on the way.  It's supposed to hit sometime on Wednesday.  That's going to be far more interesting than i want it to be.

I made pita bread for the first time ever.  It was considerable more easy than i thought it would be.  I got the recipe from the bpal.org forum.  Even though I haven't worked with yeast bread very much, this was a very easy introduction.

Pita Bread
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for kneading
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt, preferably sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

1. Dissolve yeast in water. Add in olive oil, salt, and sugar. Stir gently.
2. Add flour and knead to incorporate. I often add a little extra water (just a few tablespoons) at this stage, since I prefer to use all the flour. Sometimes the specified amount of water just won't "take" all the flour. Knead until the dough is mostly smooth.
3. Put the dough in a warm (but not hot) place to rise for 1-2 hours. The dough should be roughly doubled in size.
4. When the dough has risen, divide it into 6 or 8 roughly even pieces. Roll each piece into a round ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
5. Roll each ball out to less than 1/4" thick, using additional flour as necessary. Do not stack the disks or they will stick together. For ideal "puffing" let the disks rest a few minutes and make sure to cook them in order.
6. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. I wouldn't advise non-stick, because these cook best with no oil and I don't like to heat non-stick pans empty. Once the skillet is preheated, add one pita disk. Cook for 15 seconds on one side. Turn. Cook until browned, then turn and cook the other side. Be prepared for this to take as much time as 5 minutes. Set aside, repeat with remaining dough.

The recipe turned out very well.  I will be repeating this often.   it's so much better than any flat bread that can be purchased on island. Its not as good as restaurant naan, but then again what is?  If only I could figure out have to make lavash I'd be set.

Missouri Fury and the knock out recipe

In the new form of roller derby it is customary to pick a nick name.  Usually they are puns, a play on words or other delicious forms of humorous fun in name form.  After much deliberation I decided to choose Missouri Fury.   I love my home state and I have been known to go into fits of rage.  It's perfect.

I found something amazing recently.  When we moved to Japan we were introduced to curry and it has become a favorite when we go out to eat. I recently found a fairly easy meatless variety I could eat all week.

I made a few revisions to this recipe.  I used two Japanese eggplants and did not peel them or pre cook them since it was not needed.  I also made my own "garam masala" out of spices I had in my kitchen.
Eggplant Chickpea Curry

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon mined fresh ginger (i used dry)
1 pound tomatoes chopped roughly (i used canned)
2 pounds eggplant cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
2 teaspoon garam masala (i made my own)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
1 15 oz can chickpeas

Saute onion in oil over medium heat 5 mins. add garlic and ginger for another minute. mix eggplant and tomato in stirring constantly for a minute. put in all the spices and vegetable broth. cover and bring to a slow boil for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. add chickpeas and cook uncovered for 10 mins.
Serve over rice. Yummy!!

A real velvet unicorn painting and some new stuff

There have been a few new and exciting changes for me in the past month. First off, I joined a roller derby league!  It has been a lot of fun so far and I can't wait until I get better.  Second, I have had a bit of a diet change.  I've been eating vegetables in all kinds of new ways, especially types I used to hate.  I bought a new cook book and haven't looked back since.  My husband isn't too thrilled about all the food changes so sometimes I find myself making two meals.  Whatever works, right?
It is my birthday this Friday and my husband surprised me with this fabulous painting that is now hanging in our living room!

Reminds me of some amazingly cheesy stuff my sister used to hang in her room. After I made the blog post about the unicorn painting I kept joking around about how great it would be to have a unicorn painting in the living room... a bust with a rainbow. Does this man know me or what?!?
This is just how behind I am in writing. This recipe I did for Valentines Day.

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

1 egg, beaten

1 clove garlic, minced

2 ounces feta cheese

1/2 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 pound ground turkey


Mix ingredients together and mold into burger shapes on a plate, make 4 patties.  Heat a frying pan prepped with non stick oil on medium heat.  Flip burgers once they are formed and brown on the first side. Cook until the juices run clear and no pink remains.  Flip again if needed.

Brussels Sprouts

A dash of olive oil

half an onion thinly sliced

spoonful of minced garlic

1 lbs thinly sliced Brussels sprouts

Heat oil in  a frying pan on medium high heat. Add onions until barely clear, then add garlic and dash of pepper if desired.  Add Brussels sprouts and saute until lightly brown.

These are delicious!  Highly recommend trying both of these recipes.  Now to prep my mass backlog of blog posts....

How many short stories can you really write about your cat?

The story isn't about Charlie, my cat, exactly... but he's in it.  I think I forgot how good it feels to finish a story.  It was just a 500 word story but I forgot what a high it can be. It's really different than working on a novel, I really need to mix it up more often. Another bit of great advice from my imaginary mentor Neil Gaiman.  I read his blog a lot.

So the only thing I've actually completed on my last post is number 3. Sort of. its a new story...
It's been a while since I've posted.  This is something I work on when my husband is at work or busy but he's been having a lot of 3 and 4 day weekends.  I've cooked a few things that i will be posting with in the next couple of days but here's a couple I've been meaning to post.

Despite not being able to get a good picture of this one it must be shared due to is deliciousness. It's one of my best go to easy awesome recipe. Modifications on my version here. Original link provided.

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (or shredded if you dislike the oniony texture)

1 large clove garlic, chopped (i used minced)

1 lb ground turkey

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon lime juice

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool. (don't skip this step, found that out the hard way)
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, lime juice, soy sauce, eggs, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon lime juice in a small bowl. Drizzle the paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Savory Onion Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons margarine

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 tablespoon margarine

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch round or one 8x8 inch square pan.
(I used my regular bread pan)

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, cut in 2 tablespoons of the butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
2. Fry the onion in 1 tablespoon of the butter or margarine until clear and golden. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl beat the egg and stir in the milk and the cooked onion. Pour egg mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. You will have a soft dough. Pat dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese over top.
4. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot.

On again off again part 2... sort of

On my quest to become a more productive individual, in the last week I have managed to accomplish almost nothing.  I've even managed to lose some of my cooking confidence, but my pride is definitely easy to bruise anyway. I have a short list of things I would like to accomplish.
1. Get Japanese drivers license.  That right, I'm such a bum that I still don't have one.
2. Go for a walk everyday that it is not pouring rain.  I've managed to not go for a walk alone yet.
3. Re-work an old story and complete it.  I need to submit something somewhere, I don't even care if it gets published at this point.  It's more important to say I tried.
4. Find an online graduate program that I am at least interested in besides this one.  Minimum requirements: it must cost less than $40,000 and be completely online or have classes on Kadena.
5. Bake my husband a pineapple upside down cake for v-day, being a housewife is about all I can give right now.  I was gifted a balloon tin of Godiva and season one of Community.  He knows me so well. :)



Sometimes I find inspiration in seemingly unrelated fields to what I am working on.  Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Star Trek (yes all of them) have been my best companions lately.  I love to read as well, but sometimes it doesn't matter how you take in the story.  I find television to be as much a valid way to take in a story as a series of novels, sometimes its much better.  It bothers me that TV is looked down on by some readers as much as fiction is looked down on by non-fiction and literature only advocates. I find value in almost all forms of story telling.  It's perfectly okay to have a preference, but its condescending to assume that preference makes you better than others.  I'm sure I will add more on that at a later date.

On again off again and my favorite cookies

I've been having a lot of trouble with motivation, no surprise there I know, mom.  But I have a huge opportunity here.  I can write with out having to worry about eating and bills (in theory- stay with me).  I have always need an artistic outlet, always always.  Cooking is the newest version of my never ending need to express myself.  It's the best thing I can ever do to be heard.  With out diving too far into my head I know that's what its all about. I have the need to stumble out loud I guess.  So here it goes...
I used to watch my much older step sisters with their own forms of art.  One played the clarinet in band, when we went to see her concerts I would dream of one day being able to play an instrument. I remember thinking the cork grease in her clarinet case was lip balm. EW.  My other sister was into fashion. design and painting.  I adored everything she did, except the hideous clothes she tried to get me to wear.  As most younger children do, I was quick to imitate and try to be like them.
When I was four I started ballet.  Many little girls take ballet or dance when they are young, its cute, its fun.  I wasn't very good at it.  Hated practicing. It was almost a game to see how much I could get away with with out trying.  The ballet experiment ended at the age of 10.
In early elementary school I remember that we were all required to write little books.  The the kid with the best book out of each grade would travel to a larger competition and have a chance at getting published.  My books always sucked. I was a terrible writer when I was in first grade. Needless to say I never thought I would be any good at writing.  I also suspect many of the kids didn't write their own books, especially looking back. But I sure as shit did.
In middle school I started playing the saxophone.  It was very enjoyable.  I wasn't the best, at first but I was pretty damn good.  Usually second or third chair out of eight kids. Not too bad. Of course I moved after my first year in band.  Then all the shit hit the fan. I was suddenly an only child(long boring sad story) in a new school with no friends.  Not to mention I had a terrible band teacher.  I almost failed the class.  So that was my first experience with being afraid of something I love to do.  The following year in band the kids in my section got so physically and verbally abusive I quit.  Walked out. Left for good.  But I made a friend, finally, Jamie.  She pretty much insisted I be her friend and wouldn't take no for an answer.  I'm glad she did.
I started drawing a bit. Doodling.
My mom was in perfect agreement with me leaving band in middle school but in high school she insisted I try again.  I'm very glad she made me go back.  It became such a huge part of my identity for the next 8 years it's hard to think of who I would have been with out it.  The saxophone became an extension of my own voice.  I was finally good at something. Sports and academics be damned.  I spent quite a bit of time practicing.  Jazz Band, wind ensemble, symphonic band, marching band... the only down side was having 3 different teachers, the school couldn't hold on to anyone for more than a couple of years and that may very well still be the case.
I dabbled in various forms of artistic expression throughout high school. Drawing, painting, music, ceramics, and poetry.  I loved all of it.  This was when I became very interested in literature.  I'd been reading Anne Rice since I was 13.  I was very lucky my high school had a lot of classes to take that focused on my interests in all of these things.  Shakespeare, British Lit, mythology ect. but it was all for fun, I thought music was going to be the thing that took me somewhere.  Despite how well I did in my school it wasn't my musicianship that was impressive it was my lack of fear to try things.  My skills were decent, but I made up for what was missing with an adventurous spirit.  Unless it had to do with auditions.  Concerts are one thing, standing alone in a room with three people staring at you is quite another.  I never made it to any kind of regional or state anything.  I always choked.  By the time I was a senior I felt myself becoming resentful of the process.  All the work, the practice.  I'd always fuck it up.  That was when i learned the valuable lesson, sometimes it doesn't matter how badly you want to be good at something, sometimes you just aren't good enough. 
So that's my biggest fear in this... what if I'm as mediocre at writing as I am at playing the saxophone.
Balls.

On that note here's some delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies
The link to the original and below is my mothers variation.

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Set oven to 350F
mix all ingredients except the last two, once well mixed add flour and chocolate chips together.
spoon golf ball sized portions of the dough on to a cookie sheet. bake 9 or 10 mins, or until done.

An easy recipe with lots of pictures for no particular reason

I'm not feeling particularly articulate today so this will be short.  This is a very good recipe, I cant wait to make it again. There is the link to the original recipe, I am adding my exact variation on here.

Tortellini with spinach and cherry tomatoes

• 1  (8-ounce) package spinach ricotta tortellini
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 1 1/2  cups  cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup  chicken broth
• 2 small zucchinis peeled, sliced and salted
• 1/2  (10-ounce) frozen package of spinach thawed and squeezed dry

Cook tortellini according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
While tortellini cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and  saute 30 seconds.
After peeling and salting the zucchini saute it in a separate pan until soft, or desired tenderness.
Add tomatoes, broth, and baby spinach to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tortellini and zucchini; cook 1 minute.  Add sea salt if needed.

Soup, bread and chopping celery

I LOVE soup.  It's been a staple in my diet for many years.  My mom used to make large amounts of baked potato, black bean and other various soups for me and freeze them so I could take then with me to Columbia.  That was back when I never cooked for myself and sometimes didn't have enough money for all my basics, like food.  There is nothing like a bowl of soup to warm you on a cold rainy day.  We've been having a lot of cold wet weather here. No, its not snow. It's just miserable wet and cold.  Though it doesn't matter too much, to me though, I will eat soup anytime any place.

Buying vegetables at the commissary (grocery store) on Okinawa is quite the experience.  You never know whats going to be there and you never know if it will be worth buying.  A small bag of potatoes costs $10.  We eat a lot of rice.  The most consistent well priced types I've come across are carrots, celery and zucchini. It's lucky that zucchini is so cheap since it's my favorite. The carrots and celery come in prepackaged bags.  I honestly can't remember how much everything costs back home because I didn't do much grocery shopping for myself.  I do some chopping and freezing.  It's easy to do with those two vegetables and they make great ingredients for soup.  It might be more logical to buy already frozen or canned veggies. I do buy frozen for certain items like spinach and broccoli and canned for tomatoes and mushrooms.  It all depends on cost effectiveness and flavor. 

 This is my second attempt at this recipe and while its not as pretty as the first its much more filling and delicious.  The link is to the original recipe but I have highly modified the recipe so I have included my exact version. The recipe is great for left overs.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1 cup barley

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1cup carrot chopped

1 1/2 cup celery chopped

3 small cans of mushrooms

5 cups chicken broth or beef broth

a dash of red wine vinegar

two bay leaves

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in the onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent. Stir in mushrooms, bay leaf and barley, and cook 5 minutes more.

Pour in broth, and bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and continue simmering 30 minutes or until tender.

Another thing easy and great recipe is Beer Bread.  I made it a few times with my mother when I was younger and found a recent post by Food Blogga that reminded me how easy and quick it is.

 Basic Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer, preferably dark, such as porter or stout (don't use light beer)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat and 8-by-4-inch or 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until top is golden broan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely.

Yup it is just that easy.  No yeast, no fuss. I think I'm going to eat some right now.

Black velvet unicorn paintings and the easiest recipes ever

I have a back log of posts due to my computer being out of business for a little while.  I will post one a day until I catch up.*  On an unrelated note, I wish I had this painting in my living room.

Borrowed from the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website. Some day I will post a picture of my collection from them.

After being ill for a over a week it was difficult to get back into my routine of cooking, cleaning, being a general house wife... not to mention doing anything for myself.  We finally made it to the grocery store and I was able to get much needed ingredients.  I will simply post the link from the myrecipes website for this one.

Four-Cheese Manicotti 

If I would have taken the time to read the reviews I would have used a Ziploc bag to fill the manicotti up rather than a spoon.  Next time I will read the reviews more closely like I usually do.  This recipe is very good.  The only thing I changed was the veggie cream cheese, I couldn't find it here so I used a  little bit of onion and chive cream cheese.  I wouldn't do that again due to how strong that taste is, so it is good that the experiment only involved about half the amount recommended.  How did the husband review it..."Very good, " he said.  That's about the best the best answer I've ever gotten, second only to the bourbon glazed tenderloins I made last month.  That will be remade and posted on here very soon.

And now the fun stuff... Key Lime Pie!

This recipe is amazing. And it has a story.  I had three cats before I left the states to live with my husband in Okinawa.  For several reasons, as it is not that interesting, I decided to leave them in the US until we get back.  I drove Jack to Columbia to live with my old roommate Marla and my mom and I flew Sal and Maggie to live with my grandmother in Florida.  Due to a surgery my grandmother had I ended up flying there again to take care of her dog and my cats while she was in the hospital, with in a month and a half I spent about 3 and a half weeks there between my two visits.  While my grandmother was in the hospital and after she got back, she had quite a few friends and neighbors stop by to check in.  They were all very nice, but one in particular was exceptional.  Her name is Barb.  Barb is a great friend to my grandmother, she came over many times bringing food and treats.  She went out to eat with us a couple times before the surgery.  I told her about my apprehension to cooking and she gave me several recipes.  I'm not sure I would have believed how good this was if she hadn't made it for us. Between my grand mother and myself we finished it in two days! Thank you, Barb.

Bimini Key Lime Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 8oz package of cream cheese softened

1/2 to 3/4 cup Key Lime juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 graham cracker pie crust

Combine milk, cream cheese and lime juice in blender on low speed until smooth. Add vanilla and stir into mixture.  pour into graham cracker crust.  Chill in refrigeratior and let set for 3 or 4 hours.

I did a few things different.  I baked the pie crust in the oven for a couple of minutes to make sure it didn't crumble too much.  The pie tastes very good with regular lime juice, which is good since that was all I had and I recommend using 3/4 cup if you want to taste the lime.  I also used a low fat can of sweetened condensed milk, not sure if it made a big difference.  The last thing, I used a handheld mixer to mix the ingredients, it would probably still be amazing even if you just used a spoon.
This didn't go over that well with the husband, but that's okay!  More for me :)

*disclaimer: I'm not in an editing mood right now, I may come back and clean this post.

Neil Gaiman, Burn Notice and how to waste time sitting on a couch while listening to screaming children

Oh. Oh, the never ending sounds of screaming children.  The neighbors let them scream from anywhere between  6 to 10 hours a day.  It sounds like they are inside my house.  I've tried to blast NIN in their general direction, but still it continues...

Some weeks are slower than others.  Sometimes that is welcomed, at least when a few choice things are accomplished.  When your highlight of the week involves making minestrone and getting new dressers you've taken it to new heights, or lows depending on your definition.  I finally finished Season 3 of Burn Notice, so I guess that's something.
The best book I have read in a very long time is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  He is my favorite author for so many reasons.  He's accessible, charming, witty, humble and talented. I started reading him in high school, mostly because of his associations with one of my favorite musicians, Tori Amos.  The first book I read was Neverwhere, followed shortly after by Stardust (which recently was made into a film).  My obsession with fiction may have started with Anne Rice, but Neil made it real for me.  I frequently read his blog and look to him for inspiration, being able to see successful artist grow and change is amazing but he takes the time to talk to his fans and gives very good advice.  Although one bit of advice I'm sort of glad I didn't take is this.   It's a brilliantly written email from writer who is teaching and advises not to get a degree in creative writing.  Here is a small portion of the email she sent him (the link is above):

You can expect to learn a lot about craft in a creative writing program – how to develop characters, work on elements of narration, and, possibly, get some good feedback from other writers about your work. The dominant model for a writing program is the workshop where you distribute your story to everyone in your class, they read it, and come back the next week to critique it. Depending on the professor, this can be a valuable experience or it can be devastating. If you get class members who want to destroy any writer they see as competition for the title of “best in class,” the workshop can be quite destructive to a young writer who is just beginning to develop a sense of him or herself. Regardless of whether it’s a good workshop or not, you will be in a class with a lot of other writers who want to create ART and will scoff at anything that doesn’t have literary* aspirations.

Creative writing programs will not teach you how to be a published writer. Talking about the business aspects of writing seems to be taboo in most programs. You will not learn how to assess writers’ guidelines, find publications that are looking for what you write, find an agent or, in anyway, make money from your writing. Though most writers do not make a living by writing, creative writing programs don't see themselves as needing to teach job skills. (Diane Glazman)

*(Literary fiction as opposed to genre fiction. and YES  people, including universities, are giant snobs about it )
Everything she says is absolutely true.  However, if someone has not been a practicing writer it is a great way to learn skills quickly and techniques to enhance your writing.  No doubt it has slowed my progress as a writer overall, frequently to a standstill, but in the long run I think it has helped me develop some sort of skin to take criticism.  Before I took my short fiction classes I was too petrified to even let someone read my work not to mention pick it apart.  Of course it hurts when someone attempts to destroy something that is meaningful to you, but it is easy to see someones motives to do so at such an early stage in developing a writing voice.  It's not for everyone but the structure of most writing classes serves a purpose, though they should also provide classes on how to work in the industry rather than assuming everyone with an English degree wants to teach.

Venture Brothers and Orange Ricotta Cupcakes

My husband and I lazily spent New Years Day loafing on the couch and re watching the Venture Bros season 1, which we have both seen so many times we've lost count.  We just got the first half of season 4 on dvd, but I am disappointed we haven't been able to find the second half online. 
I was casually searching through the fridge for dinner and I realized the shelf life of the food we purchased last week was  nearing and end.  Despite my promise to myself to cook healthy I had to satisfy my need to bake.  Baking makes me feel at home.  The act of creating something beautiful, sinful and completely unnecessary warms my wicked heart. :)

I've spent a lot of time researching new recipes online, as well as asking my mother for my old favorites.  Some times the pay off is big, sometimes... its so bad even the husband won't eat it.  Luckily, I have had more success than failure.  This recipe was found on the cooking light/my recipe website.

Orange Marmalade Ricotta Cupcakes

1  (18.25-ounce) package plain white or yellow cake mix*

1  cup  plus 2 tablespoons orange juice, divided

2/3  cup  ricotta cheese

1/3  cup  orange marmalade

1/3  cup  vegetable oil

4  large eggs

1 1/2  teaspoons  orange zest

Makes 20 cupcakes.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Insert paper liners into 20 muffin cups; set aside.
2. Beat cake mix, 1 cup orange juice, and next 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula, and beat at medium speed 2 minutes or until batter is thick and well combined. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
3. Bake at 350° for 18 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Brush tops of warm cupcakes evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice. Let cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Marmalade Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2  cup  butter, softened
• 1  tablespoon  orange marmalade
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  orange zest
• 2 1/2  cups  sifted powdered sugar
• 2  to 3 tablespoons orange juice

Beat first 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Gradually add orange juice, beating at medium speed 30 seconds or until frosting is spreadable. Beat at medium-high 30 seconds or until fluffy.

This recipe is amazing!  highly recommend it.  The only difficult part of the whole thing is finding cupcake papers.  For 20 I spent 350 yen on the damn things.  The flavor is great. Not overwhelmingly orange, and I can't even tell there is ricotta involved.  It's just moist, fluffy and amazingly decadent.  The buttercream is perfect, and shockingly not that rich, which is what I like.

The title of the blog is self explanatory, but for a more indepth analysis...  This blog will serve as my outlet as I struggle through the ups and downs of becoming a (hopefully) published author, while at the same time figuring out how to cook and manage my time without a structured job.  It may be filled with typos at first but I also hope to fill it with triumphs and a new sense of self.