I moved!

Hi all,

After being a blogger member since 2007, I have moved on to a new blog.  (I have been rather annoyed/disappointed by blogger as of late.)

So now, you can find me here, writing the same old trivial posts ;)

http://lovenhonor.tumblr.com

Love,
K

Grow baby, grow!

If you live in the Midwest, you probably already know that it has been raining non-stop for about a month now. In most cases, this would not be the most desirable weather, but for my baby herbs...it's been wonderful! I've only watered them twice - maybe three times since the day I planted the seeds. Mother nature has taken care of the rest! I used my cilantro for the first time on some home-made tacos the other night...so delicious! I can't wait to use the rest of the herbs!

Pot o' herbs

Day 1: Seeds planted

Day 19: The seeds are sprouting!

Day 26: Little cilantro leaves

Day 29: Basil starting to peek through

Day 35: Lookin' good, cilantro!

Left: Parsley, Middle/Front: Basil (come on basil, you can do it!), Right: Cilantro, Back: Oregano (I think I've officially given up you oregano)

I may have to re-plant the oregano, since I have yet to see a single sign of life back there. I'm also contemplating tomatoes again. I usually grow tomatoes every year...but then never eat all of them. We'll see how adventurous I'm feeling...

Plyo-what?

So Jillian Michaels and I have officially divorced. Maybe I'll flirt with her again in the future when I'm too lazy to go to the gym.

Thanks to Groupon, I discovered this small, women’s gym a couple miles from my house. The Groupon I bought gave me two weeks of Bootcamp classes for around $30 (6 classes in total). My first thought was, “I’m not going to see any results in two weeks, so maybe it’s not even worth it.” My next thought was, “Well, it’s only $30, and it’s better than sitting on my butt every night.” So I bought the Groupon. If you’ve never tried groupon – look it up, and sign up immediately. It’s amazing!

4 weeks later, I’m still taking bootcamp classes 3 times a week, and I love it! For those of you in the advertising industry, yes…I am the perfect target. Make a commercial, give me a coupon, stand on the sidewalk in a ridiculous costume waving a giant sign– and I’m likely to try it.

After the first two weeks of classes and some conscious eating decisions, I lost 5 pounds! I don’t really look any different (at least I don’t think I do), but I feel better. I feel a little stronger, healthier, energized, and most significantly, I feel more motivated to continue with an exercise routine and healthy eating habits. I’ve got another 4 weeks of bootcamp to go, and who knows, maybe I’ll keep signing up if I like the results I’m getting.

A typical bootcamp class is a combination of weight training, body resistance training, and some cardio here and there. I’ve done so many squats and push-ups in the last few weeks I could cry.  The great thing about the class is that there are only a handful of girls in it, all about my age, and the instructor is wonderfully encouraging but not a crazy drill sergeant. In fact, because it’s a smaller gym, the instructor knows everyone by name and always makes everyone feel so welcome. Makes for a very comfortable, low-pressure environment.

Also, just as I was getting tips from friends about using protein supplements to help me recover from workouts, my instructor gave me a bunch to try for free! Well, “free” in that I already paid for the classes and this was a bonus. I used to be SO sore after every workout, and now, I’m hardly ever sore. Why didn’t I know about this until now!? Clearly I wasn’t paying attention in health class during high school. (And clearly I’m not the athletic type – understatement of the year.)

Now I’m attempting to add some running into my routine, and I have never, EVER, been a runner. It sounds torturous to me, but for some reason I’m inclined to try it lately. I welcome any and all advice in this area, as I know many of my friends out there are crazy athletic marathon runners.  

For starters, I need to get new tennis shoes. Mine are quite literally falling apart. Any suggestions?

Parenthood 101

If you’re thinking about having kids, but aren’t sure…I’d highly recommend getting a dog. I do not have children, and don’t intend on having any in the immediate future, and don’t claim to be an expert on parenting. After this past weekend with the dog, however, I believe I’ve earned a few gold stars towards my “competent parent” badge. 

Sheely and Luke seem to have conspired against me, so that every time Luke is unavoidably detained (on call at the hospital, or out of town) she gets seriously ill, and I end up calling the emergency line at the animal hospital.

This past week, Luke was in Florida for a conference. While I was out having dinner and drinks with some friends, Sheely decided to nuzzle her way into a closed bag and pull out a container full of Mentos gum (the economy size, 50 pieces container, nonetheless) and consume who knows how many pieces. My first reaction upon coming home was to yell at her for the mess, pick up the 10 pieces of gum that were scattered across the floor, and assume that she’d “pass” the rest of the gum. Then I decided to check online just to make sure it wasn’t anything serious.

Well, turns out it was serious. Like “your dog could experience seizures, liver failure, or death if you don’t get it out of her system ASAP,” serious. Apparently the xylitol in sugar-free gum is toxic to dogs. So I spent the next half hour force feeding my poor puppy hydrogen peroxide and making her vomit. I’ll spare you the details of how I had to make sure the pieces of gum had made it out of her system. By the time that was all cleaned up it was 1:00am and she seemed to be acting normal, so I considered the treatment a success and we fell asleep together on the couch.

Cut to two days later - a completely unrelated incident: Sheely destroys a pillow. No big deal. Dogs tear apart pillows and cushions all the time, right? Again, I just yelled at her and swore to myself that she isn’t mature enough to be out in the house alone yet, and that she was going to go back into her crate while we’re gone. The next day, I notice that she has thrown up, several times, while I was at work. I soon discover that she cannot keep any food down, and that something is seriously wrong…again.

This particular incident cost us two vet visits, two sets of x-rays, an alarming “there’s something obstructing your dog’s intestines and her stomach is in the wrong place” and a $500 bill. Apparently she not only chewed up the pillow, but was dumb enough to try to eat half of it, blocking anything that she ate afterward. Luckily we didn’t have to resort to surgery, but she’s on medicine and a bland diet for a week.

After saving her life twice within a week’s time, I’m ready to never go back to the vet’s office again. Also, I’ve learned that she is obviously not ready to wear big-girl pants and prance around the house all day by herself. She may be a teenager in dog years, but she is definitely more akin to a toddler in her "terrible twos."

Despite the panic and squeamish gagging this dog has put me through this week, I still love her unconditionally, and I have to thank her for being the best birth control anyone could have ever invented.

Spring Sprang Sprung!

The last few weeks have been rather productive as far as spring preparation goes, except for the couple nights that it dropped down into the 30's and was frosting overnight (my poor herbs!).

Today, however, was pure bliss. It was perfectly sunny, breezy, and 70 degrees. It was the first day I did not take a jacket to work. I believe I'm a true Michigander now, because I found myself sitting on a park bench at lunch time just staring into space, soaking up the sun, and loving every second of it. Around me were several other Michiganders who haven't seen sun/warmth for a good 6 months, who were also standing around, in silence, just grasping for any ounce of vitamin D that they could soak up in their 30-60 minute lunch break.

As far as spring cleaning and home improvement projects - I'd say we've got a pretty good start already. We've updated our bathroom; all the fixtures, faucets, handles, shower doors, etc. that came with the house were gold. We changed it to silver. We also fixed a broken toilet, redecorated a large mirror with glass tiles (thank you DIY network and Lowes for the inspiration), potted some herb seeds, got new mulch, mowed the lawn for the first time this year, bought some new house plants, and updated some kitchen light fixtures. We've got a 3-page long spring cleaning to-do list that we've still yet to tackle (organized by room, and printed on heavy duty cardstock so it doesn't magically get crumpled up and "disappear" - I know, I'm a little neurotic) , but for as much as we've done in the last few weeks, I think we deserve a gold star. Or, I'll just settle for coming home to my blooming tulips and weeping cherry tree everyday :) As you'll soon discover, I get really excited about spring and summer. Really excited.

Happiness Is...Misfitz

Last weekend was one that I’ve been looking forward to for months. Well, actually, years -- since 2007 when I graduated college. As you probably already know, I was in a female a cappella group during undergrad, and the majority of my favorite college memories are with this group of women. You may be thinking “A cappella group? Those nerds.”…but have you seen my friends? They are the most gorgeous and talented girls you’ll ever meet. Of course, I have very close friends from college who were not in this a cappella group, but the bond The Misfitz share is truly special, unique, and unbreakable (although there have been moments where we really put it to the test). There really is no way to describe in words the energy, love, and happiness that fills the air when we are together. 

So you get the idea. We all love each other. A lot. We now live all over the country and in different parts of the world, but always pick up right where we left off when we reunite. We bask in the nostalgia and hilarity of old inside jokes (so many inside jokes – it’s a bit ridiculous), and at the same time we welcome the excitement and terror of new adventures like new jobs, weddings, and moving across the country. We’ve recently shared in the delight of our first ever a cappella baby! A former Misfit who is married to a former Remnant (one of our male a cappella groups) had an adorable little girl.

This last weekend was our Misfitz 10 year celebration. We’ve had 10 graduating classes of women, and our family continues to grow each year! We took over an entire hallway of a local hotel and spent the weekend catching up, reminiscing, singing, dancing, picture taking, and visiting favorite campus spots. 

Friday night after a good 30 minutes of shrieking and hugging when we all arrived at the hotel, we ventured uptown for a banquet provided by the current Misfitz. The food was great, the slideshow was awesome, and, of course, there was lots and lots of singing. Each graduating class attempted to sing a song from memory and it was quite entertaining. We have an official alumni song that everyone knows, which we all sing on stage when we come back for concerts...but we also have an unofficial alumni song that we started singing the year I was there, and we loved it so much that the group just keeps singing it every year. Do we really care anymore if it sounds musically perfect? No...it's just a fun way for us to all unite. A musical hug, if you will: Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey. 

We finished the evening with a pub crawl, which was fun but fairly tame, considering we’re fast approaching our 30’s and our bedtimes are much earlier than they used to be. Between sore backs, aching feet from high heeled shoes, and general exhaustion…most of us were in bed by around 1:00am. 

Saturday morning we perused campus, gawking over the new fancy additions to buildings, stocking up on Miami apparel, and enjoying the beautiful Spring day. The current girls hosted a barbeque for us that afternoon with more food than we could possibly finish, and of course, more singing. I love hearing how the group transforms each year and has its own personality, yet maintains such strong tradition. The girls seem to get more talented every year.

Saturday afternoon and evening we took over Skippers again (a campus favorite- best criss cut fries you’ll ever find) then headed to the concert. All three groups performing did a fantastic job, and we managed to get all 43 Misfitz in an arc on the stage for the alumni song. The solos were sung by our founding members, which made the moment even more special. We continued celebrating throughout the night, and ended the evening at 3:00am in our PJ’s in one of the girls’ hotel rooms, watching videos of old concerts. 

Sunday was full of sad hugs, a few tears, and reluctant goodbyes – but only after we took over the new and improved Uptown Café (a local favorite breakfast spot). This weekend lived up to every expectation, and although I was utterly exhausted and emotionally drained by the end of it, it was worth every moment. I can’t wait for the next one! 

 

P.S. This video is for any Misfitz who may be reading this. I finally captured the phenomenon on video. I caution you to turn down your volume. And for all other viewers - yes, we are obnoxious. :)

Happy Food Coma!

Er...I mean, Happy Easter! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday full of blessings and good food! In the past Luke and I have spent Easter with our families in Ohio, but seeing as how we're driving to Ohio this coming weekend, we decided to spend the day with some friends here.

Our friends Scott and Jess provided an amazing spread of food for the day, and I'm salivating just thinking about it again. The menu included: Lamb kabobs with tzatziki sauce, beef tenderloin, ham, cheesy potatoes, corn souffle, deviled eggs, and grilled veggies. YUM.

I brought the desserts, which were my first attempts at New York Cheesecake and Rum cake with the recipes that my mom uses. Let me just say that 1. I had no idea how much work goes into these...not quite as easy as cake out of a box, 2. I had no idea how expensive fresh vanilla beans were, and 3. I had no idea how UNhealthy these cakes were (hence, why they taste so good).

I did a test run of the cheesecake recipe on Wednesday, and it was, shall we say... less than successful. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as it should have been. This is unfortunate for the folks at my office who ate the test cheesecake.

The second attempt was almost perfect. Rich, creamy, vanilla-y decadence. Upon Luke's request, I added a layer of white chocolate and strawberries on top of the cheesecake. The rum cake was fairly simple in comparison, but man was it tasty. I highly recommend both of these recipes.

 

 Without further adieu:

The Cheesecake Recipe (without white chocolate and strawberry topping):

Ingredients

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from inside of pod and reserved

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and mix well. Press onto bottom of springform pan and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, butter the sides of the pan.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs and yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla bean seeds and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Wrap the pan in foil and place in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting with enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool 

And...

The Rumcake Recipe:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Myers or dark rum

Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle half of the nuts over the bottom of pan. Combine all remaining ingredients and remaining nuts. Pour batter into pan over nuts.

Bake for 50 minutes at 325°F.

Cool and then invert onto plate; prick top of cake with a fork.

Glaze:

1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum

Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly and then stir in rum.

Mix well and drizzle glaze over cake. This makes a large amount, so use scant measurements for the glaze.

Cake improves with age.

An Afternoon with Mozart

Last weekend our Department Chair and I took a group of students to the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit. I sported a giant mini-van, equipped with homemade Funfetti cupcakes for the road trip, extra paper towels, and a few other supplies that any parent/teacher should have in their Swagger Wagon.One of the students immediately asked if it was my car, and my response was, "Heck no! I'm not old enough to have a minivan!" And that's when I realized I was old enough to have a minivan, and I cried a little inside.

The multiple hours of driving to and from Detroit made for a very long day, but it was worth every minute. We have some very generous alumni who now work for MOT and not only gave us extremely discounted tickets, but also provided us lunch, a tour of the opera house, and an inside The Actor's Studio-esque session with the cast.

The Group (apparently I'm the only one who missed the memo about taking off our coats)

We all know that Detroit is perhaps not the most thriving city in the U.S., and that you're more likely to see tumbleweeds blowing down the main roads than cars, but seeing the Detroit Opera House for the first time was magnificent. There is such a history in that building (as in the rest of the city), and they've managed to create and maintain a gorgeous, acoustically perfect venue that any city would be proud to have.

I've grown up on stage, have seen many back stages and dressing rooms, and now work for 2 organizations that allow me to continue to be on/around stages regularly. Even so,  I was gawking like a kid in a candy shop when they showed us all of the cool behind the scenes areas: multiple floors of dressing rooms, a costume shop that has provided not only for many operas and Broadway tours, but also many motion pictures. Fun Fact - Neil Patrick Harris just recently did several days of film shooting on the very stage we stood on! I won't bore you with the rest of the tour details or the details from our Q&A with the cast, but I'll just say the professional opera world is very cool - in a nerdy musical geek sort of way, of course.

Tour: On stage

Tour: Backstage...headdresses for one of the Three Ladies

The performance of Mozart's Magic Flute was absolutely wonderful. We've all heard the Queen of the Night aria (whether you realize it or not) and as a soprano I tense up with nervous anticipation when those high F's are coming up, but this soprano sailed through them with ease and confidence. I only wish I could hit those notes, but let's be real - it's not going to happen. The actor playing Papageno was hilarious, and when we met him afterward it was clear that he wasn't doing much acting; he's naturally a loud, funny guy with a big Texas accent, belt buckle, and cowboy boots.

The day was a success, the students loved the experience, especially those who were seeing an opera for the first time, and I had a great time "working," if you can call it work. And now, I'm looking forward to another opera in the future, perhaps Detroit, maybe Chicago, who knows.

One of the views from the opera house - Comerica Park Baseball Stadium

Another view of downtown Detroit from the opera house

You know you're getting old when...

1. You get excited about having your carpets cleaned:

You know that sudden twinge of energy and happiness you begin to feel when winter is on the verge of spring? Well, just wait until the day when it’s finally in the 60’s, sunny and beautiful outside, and some carpet cleaning genius rolls up to your house with his big van o’ vacuums and magic cleaning potion. Your dingy, dog smelly, stuffy winter germ-infested carpets are suddenly white, fluffy, fresh and ready to take on the world! I feel like Spring has officially begun in the Woochie household* – windows are open, carpets look new, and the old sterile feeling of winter has been sucked up by the heavy-duty steam cleaning monster. (Enter bright light from heaven and choir of angels singing a major chord on “ah”…aaaand scene.)

2. You get excited about new mulch:

For the past few years we’ve gone with brown wood mulch, and have only planted annuals in our landscaping (dumb). Last year, we got smart and started planting some perennials, and this year we switched to a new, deeper red mulch – which I have been skeptical about in the past, but I’m a fan of currently. Hopefully our plants will just pop up when they’re supposed to, and our landscaping work this Spring will be done!

3. You get excited about having your own herb garden:

I’ve been wanting my own vegetable garden for quite some time, but I know very well that I won’t give it the attention it needs to keep it alive, and we keep our yellow lab in the back yard on nice days – so the garden wouldn’t last long without building a wall of sorts around it. I’ve decided to assuage my garden desires by just growing some potted herbs instead. This idea of fresh herbs had never occurred to me until I moved to India, and found out that I could just go pick leaves off the plant outside my window and throw it in my dinner! Cool, right!? Ok, give me a break I was in college – to me, using fresh ingredients meant squeezing the jalapeno that Papa John’s gives you onto your pizza before you eat it.

So anyway, we’re going to try some simple, staple herbs for this summer: organic basil, cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Even more exciting – I found a really cool stone pot (that would have gone for probably $60 at Lowes) for $12 at Marshalls. Decorating and bargain shopping success! Don’t even get me started on Marshalls/TJ Maxx…I love these stores. They have the best random housewares, kitchen gadgets, brand name clothes, and more for so cheap…Take, for instance, my new Michael Kors business/casual work capris for only $20?…what’s not to love!?

Ok focus, Kris, focus. Back to the post.

4. You get excited about a “Food Saver”

My mom and dad came up to visit us a couple weeks ago, and brought along with them an amazing device called a “food saver.” This thing vacuum seals your food, so that when you buy products in bulk, you can divide it into meal-size portions, vacuum seal it, and throw it in the freezer. Et voila! It lasts for months and comes out as fresh as ever! It’s great! Our Sam’s club membership has been well worth the investment, because we have found that we can get 3 times as much food for the same price as getting it from a grocery store. Right now we have enough meats and cheeses to last us for months, all stored neatly in little meal-sized packets. Also, I can now start cooking in bulk, and freezing for later. The possibilities are endless!

So yes, all of these domestic ventures may seem mundane to the naked eye…but after several months of  hibernating by the fireplace in my sweatpants, I am ready for some spring cleaning and home-improvement action! Woo Spring! 

*Some of Luke's friends combined both of our last names to refer to both of us at once. Thus, many friends call us "Woochie." It sounds like something out of Star Wars, I know.

Girl Scout Cookies: 1 Jillian Michaels: 0

Yep. I suck. I have fizzled out on Jillian Michaels yet again. I just get so bored doing the same thing over and over again! Luke and I have been tinkering with P90X…doing a couple different workouts here and there, but not keeping a regular schedule. How do you stay motivated!?!?

On a more successful note, I have been trying to eat somewhat healthier these days. I’ve never been a calorie counter, but one day recently, I decided to count the calories I ate in one day – and to my surprise it was about 1100 calories! With the exception of a few nights out at restaurants, I’ve found it unexpectedly easy to maintain this average, which is well below the “2000 calories a day” rule. Now, is it easy to go above and beyond 1100? Oh yes…just throw in a couple margaritas, some girl scout cookies, a decadently fried appetizer at your establishment of choice, a slice of mom's delicious homemade cheesecake…and bam. Back to being a fatty-bo-batty. Why does it have to taste so good???  

I have no intention of going on a diet – I love food too much. Not to mention you just gain all the weight back as soon as your diet is over. So here’s to just sticking to healthier eating habits and hopefully shedding some gross winter layers before it gets warm.

Anyone have any good healthy food recipes? I’m always looking for new dinner ideas!

Kitchen Adventures

Trying new recipes is always fun. I watch way too many hours of Top Chef, Food Network, and other random cooking shows, but for whatever reason I rarely ever try the recipes I see on TV. Now, I'm no pro food-blogger like many of my friends out there, but I do love to cook, so here was my attempt at homemade gnocchi with porcini and cremini mushroom sauce. Yum!

1. I baked potatoes. Ooooh, Ahhh.

2. I added flour, salt, nutmeg, and egg yolks.

3. I folded and kneaded it into a pasta dough

4. I rolled out the dough into a long rope (my favorite part of this entire process)

5. Cut up the roll-o-dough into bite size pieces, and ta-daa! You've got gnocchi ready to be boiled.

6. Meanwhile, the dried porcini mushrooms are soaking

7. Grab some fresh parsley and cut it up

8. Sauté cremini mushrooms, garlic, and white wine. Add porcini mushroom broth and stock, and parsley. (I used beef stock instead of chicken stock, since Luke is deathly allergic to chicken. I know, I know...who's allergic to chicken!?)

9. After gnocchi has cooked, throw it into the pan and let it soak up the awesomeness that is the mushroom broth.

10. Add copious amounts of grated aged Parmesan. Then add more.

I have to say, I liked the final product, but the gnocchi kind of tasted exactly like the German potato dumplings my family makes (which isn't a bad thing). The mushrooms were great, but I was not a fan of the parsley. At all. Next time I make this it will be sans-parsley. Luke is kind of "iffy" about mushrooms in general, so he did not enjoy this dish in the least, but he was a trooper and tried to eat it anyway. I'm making up for it by making one of his favorites tonight: Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Alfredo. Now that I've discovered the world's best recipe for alfredo sauce, I will never buy it out of a jar again. Ew. This alfredo recipe is so good, you'll gain about 5 pounds just smelling it.

Anyway, if you feel inclined to try the Gnocchi and Mushroom dish, here's the actual recipe. Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS

Gnocchi:
3	large Russet potatoes
2	large egg yolks, beaten
1‑2	cups all purpose flour (may not use all)
1/2	teaspoon fine sea salt
Few gratings nutmeg (optional)
Mushroom Sauce:
1‑1/4	pound cremini mushrooms, wiped and trimmed
.07	ounce package dried porcini mushrooms (or equivalent weight loose)
2	cups homemade chicken stock
1/4	cup dry white Italian wine
2	plump cloves garlic, minced
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3	cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
3	Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2‑3	Tablespoons butter
1	Tablespoon white truffle oil
Fresh grated parmesan to garnish
Salt
Fresh black pepper

PREPARATION:

Gnocchi:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prick potatoes and bake until done, 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from oven, and slash lengthwise through each potato, pressing short ends to open to release steam (you want the potatoes as dry as possible = less gummy gnocchi). When cooled enough to handle but still quite warm, scoop out the potato flesh and force through a ricer. Measure out 3 lightly scooped cups (do not pack) and spread out into a rectangle on a clean board or counter. Allow potatoes to cool until warm room temperature.
2. Sprinkle with salt and grate over nutmeg. Drizzle the egg over potatoes, followed by 1/2 cup of flour. With a (metal) bench scraper, begin to lift and fold the potato mixture on to itself, cutting the flour and egg into the potato mixture. When almost incorporated (mixture will begin crumbling), sprinkle over another 1/4 cup flour , and repeat until mixture is in small crumbs. Lightly press the dough together into a ball and move it aside. Clean any sticky dough from counter with the scraper and cover with a light dusting of flour.
3. On the floured surface, lightly press the dough together and fold/knead just a few turns -- dough should be workable with some potato texture and not sticky. Adjust by adding more flour if necessary -- the less flour and handling needed, the more tender the resulting gnocchi.
4. Cut the dough into quarters. On a lightly floured board, roll one portion of dough into a long rope, about 1/2" wide. With the bench scraper, cut 1" pieces of dough from rope and place on a floured sheet pan -- these are your gnocchi.
5. Cook gnocchi at a gentle boil in a large pot of abundant salted water. Gnocchi are done when they bob to the surface and cook about a minute longer. Scoop from water and place in sauce.

Mushroom Sauce:

1. Warm the chicken stock and pour over the porcini mushrooms in a bowl. Allow mushrooms to soak at least 20 minutes to hydrate. When hydrated, remove the mushrooms, rinse and trim away any tough gritty bits if present. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and set aside. Filter the mushroom soaking liquid through cheesecloth, a paper or tea towel and reserve.
2. Slice the creminis. Heat a large sauté pan medium-high – you want it large enough to eventually hold both the sauce and cooked gnocchi. Add the olive oil. When shimmering, add the mushrooms and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, and allow the mushrooms to exude their juices. Let the juices cook and reduce down until almost completely evaporated. Add the porcini, garlic and red pepper. Continue to cook until well combined, everything smelling fragrant and beginning to dry out.
3. Add the wine and let reduce. Add 1/2 cup of the mushroom-soaked stock and let reduce until rich, add in another 1/2 cup stock, reducing again. Stir in the parsley. Taste and check for salt; correct if necessary. Turn off heat if the gnocchi has not yet finished cooking.
4. Meanwhile, begin cooking the gnocchi. Gently scoop the gnocchi as it’s done into the waiting mushroom sauce. Turn the heat to med-high and add another 1/2 cup of the stock, turning gnocchi to coat. If the gnocchi looks like it can absorb more stock, add in a little more -- you don’t want it to become too soft. Fold in the butter and truffle oil. Garnish with grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Ignorance Doth Not Bliss Make

I really love learning new things. If there is something that I don't know but am interested in, my auto-response is to be immediately challenged to tackle that unknown subject, and to dominate it.

There are 3 things, however, that have lingered on my list of things that I should know but I don't. Part of me just becomes frustrated and uninterested, and the other part of me says, "Come on, get it together and just learn it already."

1. Taxes
I have moved to so many different states and countries, and have been in different schools getting various scholarships, grants, loans, etc...that when it comes time to do taxes every year, there are so many "gray areas" that I have no idea how to answer the questions on my tax forms. The answer could be yes, but if you take into account such-and-such, then the answer could be no. Drives me insane. So, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I've never done my own taxes. We have a family friend/"tax guy" in Ohio who's always done them very cheaply for me, but this year I went to Jackson Hewitt in Michigan and got completely ripped off. HALF of my tax return went to them (granted, this year's tax return wasn't that large). So infuriating. I am hoping that now that I am settling in one state with a steady job, that next year I can tackle my own taxes.

2. Driving stick shift
Do I really need to know how to drive a stick to survive in this day and age? Absolutely not. I'm not into super fast sporty cars that would require this kind of knowledge, and now that everything is electronic, cars will probably be driving themselves before we know it. But since it is so stereotypical of females to not know how to drive stick, I feel like I should know how. I have a handful of female friends who do drive stick - so good for them! Who knows if I will ever care enough to actually learn (especially since neither Luke nor I have a manual car), but still -it remains on the list.

3. Play chess
My dad tried to teach me when I was little, but every time I tried to learn I would get bored so quickly. I haven't tried to learn in several years, so maybe it's time I give it another chance.

To my credit, I feel as though I've unexpectedly learned a lot of new things in the last few years, so I can't say I've been a complete failure ;) Most of these accomplishments are thanks to my wonderful boyfriend: golf, poker, how to build a stone wall, how to build a deck, how to tile, how to make sushi, how to drive a boat, how to ski, how to be responsible for another life (a dog, but nonetheless, she's still alive, healthy, and happy), and much more!

Feeling the Burn

So I tried on a couple bathing suits a few weeks ago, and I almost vomited in the dressing room from the white flabby blob that was staring back at me in the mirror. I will admit, this is completely my fault, because when Winter hits, I put on sweatpants, curl up in front of the fireplace, and don't resurface until Spring.

I have not worked out in several weeks, unless you consider scraping ice off my car windows an upper body workout. Also, I've really worked up my speed running from the front door to my car in the mornings. But alas, I've grown tired of being utterly disgusting, so I started Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred."

I've started this program about 7 times, and I always get 2-3 weeks into it, then get too busy to keep up with it. Right now I'm in the middle of it, and I've taken the last few days off because of being completely exhausted and sick. I promise, I'm not giving up though. Here's how it's gone thus far:

First day: "This isn't so bad...I'm not THAT out of shape"
Second day: "Oh my god, I can't move my legs or arms. I can't walk, I can't sit, I can't stand, I didn't even know I had a muscle there."
Third day: "I can do this...I think"
Fourth day: "I can do this!"
Fifth day: "This is cake"(time to move onto Level 2)
Sixth day: Level 2 - See second day.

Right now I'm still on Level 2 and somewhere between days 3 and 4 in the endurance/mentality department...but if I would just keep up with it EVERY day like you're supposed to, it would be much easier. I WILL get to Level 3, but I just hope I don't look like Jillian Michaels at the end of it all. Yes, she's fit...but she looks like a man. Not the look I'm going for.

ジャパン

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Japan. After waking up to a text from Sarah about the earthquake and tsunami, I started reading and watching the news, initially thinking that this would be bad, but not nearly as disastrous as it turned out to be. Japan has earthquakes all the time...the last time I was there, I was there for only a few weeks, and in that short time experienced a couple small earthquakes. Just part of everyday life.

This, as we've all heard by now, was the worst earthquake in the Japan's history. I knew my family lived far enough away that they were not in danger of the tsunami that inundated Sendai, but I didn't know how bad the earthquake near Tokyo was, or if they were being evacuated. Naturally, I tried calling them and could not get through...for hours.  Several hours later I got a call from my biological mother in Japan. Because all of the trains and buses were no longer functioning, she - like thousands of others - had to walk home from wherever they were that day. She started walking at 7:30pm, and got home at 4:30am. Luckily my family (grandparents, half-siblings, aunts, uncles, biological mom, etc) are all safe, and no major damage was done to their home. I am very thankful that they, along with a couple friends that happen to be living in Japan, are all safe. Unfortunately, there are still thousands of others who were not as lucky, and I only hope that they find the aid, peace, and hope that they so desperately need.

Family: Obachan, Ojichan, Uncle Yasu, Aunt Kazumi,, Kanae, Rayna, Taku, etc...

Biological mom, Kanae

Siblings Rayna, Nathan, and Takuya

Kanae