I Made a Quiche

Just like I said I might, I made a quiche. Almost the exact same one from before my exam, only I had a useful store-bought pie crust and I also added white pepper and I didn’t measure my filling ingredients.

A baked pie crust dotted with soft cheese, caramelized onions, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

It was tasty. And I managed an even more custard-y filling by using my immersion blender’s whisk attachment. I go ages never using that thing, and now it’s a big part of my life. Wild.

I also wanted to share a couple silly things about my life, as I ease back into this blogging thing. The first is the following tweet.

Continue reading →

Some Thoughts on Two Years Without a Microwave

Almost two years ago, Bill and I moved into our current home. And it wasn’t until we were about a week or two in, trying to reheat leftovers when we realized: no microwave!

We had always rented places with built-in microwaves, so it didn’t even register with us that we didn’t own a microwave until we “needed” it. We laughed, reheated on the stove, and said we’d get one. And then, we never did. Eventually, we made the conscious decision not to buy one, as our counters were so crammed full of appliances anyway. And we’d been doing without it for so long!

Well, it’s time to move again. And that means the usual: packing, purging, cleaning, etc. That said, one particular part of “purging” is “using up food in the kitchen.”… Continue reading →

Call Me? Call me!

Hi.

I haven’t been posting, I know. It’s been a weird-as-fuck year, and all the things I want to talk about feel like things I can’t write about here all publicly and shit. Or it’s the mundanities of life, like how my dearly beloved Kiki has decided that the kitchen is where she should go to the bathroom. Even if the back door is open…

Damn it, dog.

Anyway, I realized this morning, while on a three-hour call with a friend, that phone calls are a thing I need in my life more often. Specifically phone calls, though they don’t have to be that long. I need them because they are a great way to start catching up, but also (admission time) because they use enough of my brain to keep me focus, but not my hands at all.… Continue reading →

Promises Made and Kept – To Others.

I am writing this because I promised Marielle I would. I am writing this because I promised Deb I would.

I’m writing this because I promised myself I would, and then I didn’t. Repeatedly. For months. And I still wouldn’t be, but Marielle and Deb aren’t me. Committing to them is, somehow, more imperative than committing to myself.

This, honestly, is how I’ve functioned for 90% of my life. Maybe more. Maybe a lot more. Commitments to others matter(ed) more, far more, than commitments to myself.

I have been trying to get motivated to update this here MetaCookbook for months. Even before I managed to publish Shafiqah’s wonderful beer origin story, and especially after. I had so many ideas after. I wanted to ask Liz and Russ and so many others.… Continue reading →

Recipe for the Best Shower

I love showering, but I very rarely take a long shower. The water waste is just too much for this New Mexican’s heart. Yes, even though I live in the Pacific Northwest now (and I don’t know if I will ever be dry again). Clean, fresh, temperature-controlled water on demand is a hell of a luxury on its own. I can enjoy it in under five minutes and feel delighted.

But I won’t deny, there’s something glorious about a long, hot shower. So, on rare occasion, I take one. And today? Today I finally figured out what might be the best shower ever. Better than that? It’s repeatable. A must for any good scientifically-trained person trying to find “the best.”

Ingredients

Music from Tegan and Sara
Music from Enslaved

Almost blisteringly hot water

An appropriate plastic glass.… Continue reading →