Sailin' on.

Glancing at the calendar last week I realized that seven years have passed since I graduated college. I'm not quite sure why but that number seven stuck with me through the weekend and into today.

Seven years. You know a lot of people go to college for seven years...Wait, wrong joke.

Seven years. I am sure this reflection is not that unique, nor that uncommon. These seven years have proven the most tumultuous and dramatic I've experienced thus far. Well, the first six were at least.

Seven years ago I graduated in the first place I ever really felt at home. There are names and faces I will forever hold near and dear that I associate with my time in New Brunswick. Most of these names and faces were never close friends, just similar souls.

Seven years ago I felt at ease with the people around me for the first time in my life. No longer the new kid. I grew and developed a core group of friends that I spent my nights talking to on front porches, near entrances to basements somewhere in New York or New Jersey. Maybe even Philadelphia. These friends struck me as like minded. Not yet set on one path, perhaps a bit too neurotic, preoccupied by experiencing life, able to laugh loudly. Over time these friends became less familiar, the reality of adulthood taking hold, making it harder to keep in touch and stay present in one anothers world.

My grandmother suffered a stroke and died. I chose to leave this town I felt so at home in and found myself completely lost somewhere in Bushwick. Unemployed, lonely and totally unsure of what I had gotten myself into. I moved on and moved home to put the pieces together. Within weeks I was back in NY, my first "real" job after college.

Time marched on. I moved in with my boyfriend. His mother passed away a few weeks later. My best friend skipped town and found herself in the throes of an existential crisis somewhere in West Philadelphia. Another friend fled to Vermont. Another to Oregon.

Jobs changed. I put on some 25 pounds worth of unhappiness. By the end of 2009, I was looking to make some moves without really knowing which moves to make. Set to kick off age 25 as my best year ever.

A week before my 25th birthday, my laptop died a few days before my MA thesis was due. Like the self-serving grad student I was, I cried. On January 4, I lost my job. The layoff felt personal. Determined to one up my former employer, I fell from grace that spring in a flurry of rejection letters from PhD programs. Three years into my relationship, things continued to flounder. To this day I'm not sure we every actually liked the other. 

I found peace for awhile working for an elderly law professor and his sociologist wife. Serious treadmill time, Pilates classes and a lovely nutritionist helped me shed the 35 pounds I gained after college. Five years after graduation.

My job took me to Miami, my relationship to Paris, my passions to another disappointing round of PhD applications. Even with an acceptance letter in hand, it felt wrong. I decided not to go to the dismay of my ever-patient parents. I felt good about myself for the first time in years. Work was slow but summer was near and I had lots of plans.

By the beginning of July I could tell something was amiss with my on-again, off-again, who could ever tell significant other. I realized he was dating a friend of mine.  Someone I respected, someone I asked for advice. Someone I thought was mature. I was wrong. Things got ugly. I spent a lot of nights sleeping on the linoleum floor of my best friend's sub-level apartment.

I moved back to Bushwick. The end of 2011 gave way to 2012 and I got a whole new lease on life. My apartment kind of sucked. Dealt with family drama. Got bed bugs. Met someone new. Bought a house. Switched jobs. Made new friends. Lost old ones. Wrote this.

So seven years.

My resume is already pretty extensive. So are the number of miles I've logged driving solo and in the company of loved ones. As it is, I've lost plenty of things along the way. The boyfriend, best friend, a few other friends and a number of pounds. Most of the people I started off with seven years ago are now casual acquaintances. A few remain. New ones appear every so often.

In seven years I learned that I am not the best person on the planet but I am far from the worst. That I am much happier hanging out with my dog and boyfriend than competing for attention. That I don't want to live my life online. I decided somethings have to go. For now that includes this blog.

Later, dudes.

Recent posts.

With work calming down and temperatures heating up, my brain is clearing out and allowing me to get posting again. Huzzah!

Here's a sampling of the last month in my life:

• Looking Forward Without Leaning In
• Facebook Phones Home, Klout Expands, Google Grows a Nose + More
• Fired Up about Apps, Eyewear, Traversing the Globe + More
• The Death of Google Reader, E-Harmony Recruits + Shopping Etsy at the Mall 
• Shore Report: Greetings from the New DevonPR.com (designed by yours truly)

Ruby Sue.

So I've been a little MIA as of late. In fact, my last post was February 15th - exactly one day before I adopted the little lady named here. Well, without further adieu, meet Ruby Sue. Rescued from the Monmouth County SPCA, Ruby Sue (formerly Roxey) is an American Pit Bull Terrier/Boxer mix around 3 years old as far as I know. Despite being an incredibly happy little pup, she has a perpetually concerned look on her little old lady face. We're still getting to know one another hence my lack of activity but she seems to be adjusting so I'll be documenting our new adventures together here soon. 

Before and after #2.

Here it is - the great kitchen reveal. Oh this kitchen. Sure, I can't wait to really get down to it in this kitchen and strip the cabinets, replace the appliances and countertops and perhaps replace a few windows. But let's just say where this kitchen started versus where it is now is practically night and day.

Let's take a quick peek at before, shall we? Meet "Lavender Mist," a.k.a. the weirdest color I've ever seen a kitchen painted. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against lavender. Guest room? Sure why not. Bathroom, maybe? Not in my house but ok! Kitchen? GTFO. 

Before.

Before, again.

Chances are, you aren't nearly as repelled as I was. What can I say - it's that recurring flair for the dramatic I have. Anyway, let's take a look at what's going on after.

After.

After, DIY chair project included.

That's all for now on the kitchen. A few quick notes: wallcolor - Behr Arrowhead Lake; table from Overstock; chairs from Overstock - DIY recover with Ikea fabric and repaint, curtains - Country Curtains, wall art + shelves and other knick knacks - all thrifted/plundered/gifted.  Now, on to my very first weekend not entirely dedicated to housework in over two months - whoa! 

The soup continues.

I have yet to make this week's soup and it's already Tuesday. Whoops. I'll have to get on that later tonight. Anyway, here's last week's soup - Chicken Sausage and White Bean - a doctored up version of this recipe from The Kitchn. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried small white beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 ounces cooked chicken sausage, sliced (I used Wegmans Sweet Italian) 
• 2 large stalks celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups broth
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• Cheese to top with 

Steps:

1. Soak the beans the night before by placing them in a bowl and covering with cold water. 
2. Day of, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. On the stove, heat the olive oil in the a large pot over medium heat and add the sausage in. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. 
3. Lower the heat back to medium and add in the diced celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft. 
4. Stir in the drained beans before pouring in broth. Season with salt and pepper, drop in the bay leaves, and bring the pot up to a boil. 
5. Cover and pop the soup in the over for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are soft and creamy.
6. Once it is done, put the soup back on top of the stove, mix in the tomato sauce and bring it back up to a boil for about 10 minutes.

Top with some cheese and serve piping hot. Makes 6 servings and freezes well.

Roundup #13

I have a few house reveals in the works - just waiting to finish a few things up before they go live. In the meantime, a few things I've found this week:

• 25 Things I've Learned in My 20's - entirely too true.
  
• Hillary Clinton and Beyonce may make for an unstoppable ticket in the 2016 election.
• Few things are more refreshing than this lemon ice that I made a few weeks back.
• That my friends continue to make sweet tunes despite being grown ups.
• Seemingly, I can stick to a resolution. So far, my "soup a week til spring" creations include Rotisserie Chicken Chili, Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage, Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas, Paleo Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon, The Best Taco Soup You'll Ever Have, and this week, White Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew.
  
• Disney's still got it (see video below).
  

Quinoa "mac" and cheese.

This is a big winner in my book. Based off the Moni Meals recipe, I could gladly eat this week after week by changing up the veggies involved. Here's how I put it together:

Ingredients:

• can of diced tomatoes (mine had green chiles)
• handful of sliced mushrooms
• bunch of chives, sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups of quinoa
• 2 cups water or stock
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fat free ricotta
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toss in the shallots, mushrooms, chives, and garlic. Cover and cook for a minute or two before adding in the tomatoes. Sprinkle with some S&P, stir, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the quinoa into the veggie mix and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the grains start to turn opaque. Turn the oven on and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
   
3. Add 2 cups water (or stock) and season. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer 15-20 minutes or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let the cooked quinoa stand for 5 minutes. 
4. Coat 13×9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs, milk and ricotta in large bowl and slowly fold in the cooked quinoa and shredded cheese. The cheese will begin to melt and the whole thing will look a bit soupy.
5. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with some additional shredded cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. 

Serves 6. Reheats nicely (I took this for lunch with some green beans last week as evidenced by my beautiful photo above).

A tale of two soups.

In what's perhaps a first for me, I am still trucking on a New Year's resolution as we enter the fourth week of the year. A soup a week until spring. Without even realizing it I crafted two surprisingly similar soups these past two weeks.

Last week was Smitten Kitchen's Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas. Having never had carrot soup before this was a first - thoroughly delicious and responsible for a new-found addiction to crisped chickpeas. 

This week is Paleo Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon from The Clothes Make the Girl. Remember that crisped chickpea addiction I just mentioned? Yea, well that accounts for un-Paleo'ing my lunch this week. Whoops. 

In any event, these two soups don't look all that different and save for the difference of bacon vs. tahini, aren't too far off in flavor palette either. Both are rich and creamy with a subtle sweetness that adds a little something special to a big bowl of soup on a single digit night. Off to plan next week's soup. Or eat some of the lemon ice I have in my freezer because after all, it's never too cold for ice cream.

Underway.

While I haven't had a chance to share my 2013 plans quite yet, I have one that's already underway. A soup a week until this spring. The first week's soup was the the chicken chili I shared in my last post. This week's was Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage adopted from Food & Wine Magazine. 

Ingredients:

• few tablespoons of olive oil 
• 1 pound chicken sausage (Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic in my case)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 quarts water
• 4 cups veggie broth
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 1.5 pounds of red skin potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces 
• pinch of red pepper flakes 
• 1 - 10 oz. bag of kale, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Steps: 

1. In a large pot, heat the oil, add in the sausage and cook until browned (roughly 10 minutes). Remove from heat and slice. 
2. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook about 5 minutes, stirring to make sure neither burn.
3. Pour in the water, broth, and salt and bring the temperature up to boil the soup. Once boiling, add in the sausage, potatoes, and red-pepper and lower to a simmer. Cook, partially covered for 2-3 minutes.
4. Toss in the kale and bright the soup back to a simmer. Cook, partially covered for another 6 minutes ( or until the kale and potatoes are tender). Stir in the black pepper. 

Makes 6 generous servings. Tastes better the next day.

Steps: 

1. In a large pot, heat the oil, add in the sausage and cook until browned (roughly 10 minutes). Remove from heat and slice. 
2. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook about 5 minutes, stirring to make sure neither burn.
3. Pour in the water, broth, and salt and bring the temperature up to boil the soup. Once boiling, add in the sausage, potatoes, and red-pepper and lower to a simmer. Cook, partially covered for 2-3 minutes.
4. Toss in the kale and bright the soup back to a simmer. Cook, partially covered for another 6 minutes ( or until the kale and potatoes are tender). Stir in the black pepper. 

Makes 6 generous servings. Tastes better the next day.

Winners and losers.

This week in food, we had a few winners and one definite loser. 

Rotisserie Chicken Chili was the big winner. Using a chicken I picked up at Wegmans, a few cans of Great Northern beans, a giant can of crushed tomatoes, veggies broth, garlic, onion, chiles, cilantro and a bunch of spices, I whipped up one fantastic dinner that lasted me the whole week.

Tuna Avocado Walnut Wraps - Have you heard those annoying Avocado Council radio spots? Well I suppose the ads work because I decided to give it a go. Canned tuna, avocado, red onion, finely chopped walnuts and a few spices and seasonings rolled up in a Pure Wrap. Super easy lunch!

Loser - Spinach & Cheese Mini Muffins. Now admittedly, I did my own spin on this recipe so if you followed the original these are probably delicioso. My take? Not so much. I suffered through them for most of the week but finally had to toss the last few because I honestly just couldn't bring myself to take another bite.

Adieu 2012.

The Dude says hasta la vista to 2012!

Even though I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, I am a fan of reflecting and determining any lessons learned as the year winds down. 2011 was the year I learned the value of "Be excellent to each other." For 2012, in light of Hurricane Sandy and the trials and tribulations I watched so many go through, the lesson is "be thankful." So tonight, be safe, be happy, and be thankful for all you have.

Here's a look back at my favorite posts of 2012:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Wrapping it up.

While 2012 was a tough year for many people, especially in the NY-area, personally this year was very successful for me. I found happiness that eluded my life since 2006. Last night some friends and I were carrying on this conversation discussing what was to come in 2013 when it struck me - I have no idea. 2012 promised the Olympics, an election, set against a backdrop of potential calamity and the world's demise. So now it appears we are on the road to nowhere. As I continue to ponder these and other deep thoughts while reveling in my own contentment , here are a few things to take us into the weekend: 

Hurry up, we are heading to a party, my dear. 

This email fight is both insane AND hilarious.

Inside America's biggest flea market aka places I need to go.

This cabin and this place. So much design inspiration. 

Popcorn peanut brittle might have to be my first snack in the new year.

And of course, the video for this song.