Sandy.
Four days without power and counting. Down but not out at the Jersey Shore. Be back online as soon as humanly possible.
Donate to help through the Red Cross or visit NJ.com for other ways to volunteer your support.
Bayhead, NJ – Post Sandy, 2012.
On the agenda.
Lately I’ve been playing around a lot with Pinterest and Influenster. I originally wrote about Pinterest all the way back in September 2010 which is mind-blowing in and of itself but I didn’t really start to use it consistently until a few months ago. So here are a few things on my agenda courtesy of Pinterest finds:
- Pumpkin hummus – ‘Tis the season. Am hoping to make this over the weekend!
- Lore and fantasy – I’m way behind but I’m on the Game of Thrones bandwagon. Sue me.
- Green rooms – Blueish greens are so soothing. I gravitate towards warm colors but am contemplating a cooler palette.
- Polka dots & leather jackets - If I allowed myself, this would be all I would wear. With boots. Forever.
- Old Hollywood glam – With a masquerade party on the horizon, I have legends like Gloria Swanson on the brain.
On to Influenster. I only joined back in September but they recently relaunched with a much cleaner design that’s way easier to navigate and understand. Well, this is my very first VoxBox so color me surprised when I opened it up without realizing who it was from and found 3 full size bottles of Palmolive Fresh Infusions inside. Given my penchant for cooking, there are obviously dishes to do. Tucked inside was Ginger White Tea, Lemon Thyme, and Lime Basil. All three smell pretty good with the Lemon Thyme most closely resembling traditional dishwashing liquid smells. I gave it a quick trial and found the liquid was light with a nice lather, nothing too surprising, however, I was actually impressed by the sparkling clean claim. Typically skeptical of just about everything, my first impression was actually very positive this time around.
Stay tuned to see how that Pumpkin Hummus turns out.
Fall adventures – 2012 edition.
Lots of moving and shaking these days. I suppose that’s nothing new. Long gone are the days of leisurely kitchen experimenting and long workouts. Here to stay is a life on the go bouncing between cities and states. I’m hardly complaining — I function best when I have a full plate. This is what my life looks like lately.
Pictured above: Holmdel Park – Holmdel, NJ.
Pictured above: Jersey Shore Subs – Keyport, NJ; SI Chuck – Staten Island, NY; foliage – Brooklyn, NY; Battery Gunnison – Sandy Hook, NJ; birthday beer (not mine) enjoyment – Queens, NY (beers from Beer Street in Brooklyn).
Until we meet again.
International day of the girl.
Today marks the first International Day of the Girl. What an incredibly long name for a day. Regardless, today exists for good reason as this article spells out. It is less than surprising here in 2012 that girls (or women, wimmin, whatever you prefer) need help. American society still seems to be ok with deeming women less than equal to men, which, sadly is still a hell of a lot better than what most countries think of women. But rather than getting on my political high horse, I am going to follow suit and dole out a few life lessons I would have been all the wiser for recognizing earlier on in life.
- Go your own way – I have a tendency to listen to influencing factors a little too much sometimes. Rather than following my gut, I let myself be swayed to do things I’m not wholeheartedly invested in. This goes for relationships too.
- Learn to program – As a child of the new millennium I sometimes wish I had seen the career opportunities in computer-related fields before college. Not that I don’t love all that journalism and writing has become.
- Be excellent to each other – Not only just other people but yourself as well. There is absolutely no reason to let other people’s problems burden your life and vice versa. That being said, be as helpful as you can to those in need.
- Thou shalt own it – Being an adult means owning your decisions. Don’t really like how someone is making you feel? Hash it out. Friends don’t approve of your new beau? Screw ‘em. Life’s too short.
- When all else fails, listen to Amy Poehler or consult Hillary Clinton.
And always remember, women’s rights are human rights. Stay young, my friends.
Rabbit, rabbit.
October 1. Another year of moving and shaking down and I’m back to bridge and tunnel living for a bit. While I unpack my belongings and my brain, here is a playlist of tunes that have me psyched for Fall.
Gina.
Today is Gina’s birthday. We haven’t seen each other in close to a year and while thinking about where we were both were this time last year, I think it’s safe to say a lot of things have changed. Seemingly for the better. I’d say the way better but I’m pretty sure Gina would never let me be so bold. Having met each other close to 10 years ago, I can safely say she is one of approximately 3 people on the planet who could ever handle sharing a room with me. We spent out senior year of college splitting a bedroom in a house with 10 boy roommates and luckily, a bathroom for just the two of us. Though the crazy times have subsided, Gina and I continue to share a slightly misanthropic sense of humor akin to Daria and Jane. I’m not sure which one of us is which. Either way, the bonds of sometimes pessimistic views on adulthood remain in tact, which I can only assume will grow darker and darker the closer we get to Golden Girl status. Happy birthday, girl.
And when in doubt, remember the significance of George Washington crossing the Delaware. Plus the value of good food and a decent dance party. Not to mention, it’s all about the sssss sound.
Twice baked sweet potatoes.
The return of fall foods. Time for heartier, denser meals filled with squashes and tubers and delicious spices like sage. Inspired, I took to my bookmarked recipes file this week and tracked down this take on this twice baked sweet potatoes recipe. I tweaked it a bit per the wonderful selection at my local grocery store (sarcasm alert) and served alongside some buttermilk roast chicken and zucchini.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup minced spinach
- 1/2 cup whole fat plain yogurt
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- olive oil
- dash of garlic powder
- salt + pepper to taste
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse sweet potatoes and prick with a fork. Roast for about an hour or until soft (use a fork to test). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and add the onions, allowing to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Slice the cooled sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully remove the sweet potato insides with a spoon. Be careful not to tear the skins.
- Combine the sweet potatoes filling with yogurt, onions, spinach, a dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper and half of the cheese.
- Spoon the filling back into the sweet potato skins and top with the remaining cheese.
- Slide back into the over and bake for another 10-15 minutes (cheese should be bubbly and browning).
Makes 4-6 servings that will keep for a day or two in the fridge.
