Ice storm Anniversary

Sunday was J and my official anniversary and I had big plans to make this big fancy dinner.  I planned the menu, placed a big grocery delivery from fresh direct...then the sky opened up and dropped frozen rain over our entire area and didn't stop.

It was impossible to walk anywhere, sidewalks, streets, trees, mailboxes all covered in a thick shiny layer of ice.  It was kind of pretty and if you were able to slide your way somewhere it was silent out and so peaceful.

All of this peace and quiet could also be attributed to the fresh direct truck's noisy absence.  We had almost no groceries, so our fancy dinner became thawed meat sauce that I made  too much of a couple months ago, some penne from the cupboard, and a salad made from questionably old spring mix. 

It was a far cry from delicious but it was kind of a nice way to mark a year.  It was a night that was a quiet reminder of  the day to day greatness that we enjoy even when we're not having a lavish dinner or trip to the opera.

Espresso Brownies

I know I'm all about the New Year's Resolution but we went to a friend's house for dinner and I was craving chocolate so I made these delicious Espresso Brownies. And they did not disappoint. 

I didn't have espresso powder on-hand so I used finely ground beans that I brewed coffee from then dried.  The grains were as small as I could get them and for the most part fine, but I do wish I could have gotten the icing a little more smooth.  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 (19.8-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk 1/3 cup of water, oil, eggs, and 2 tablespoons espresso powder in a large bowl to blend. Add the brownie mix. Stir until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the brownies. Refrigerate until the glaze is set. Cut into bite-size pieces. Arrange the brownies on a platter and serve.

Green Smoothie (??)

I mentioned earlier the "New Year's Resolutioning" that was happening in my house right now.  I'm not sure how successful we've been.  It's an up and down sort of thing.  We had an anniversary over the weekend so went out, then last night one of our friends wanted us to come over and cooked for us so not much control over the foodstuffs there.

BUT I'm trying, and that's the key right? right? haha.  Yesterday morning I made myself a smoothie, a "green smoothie" packed full of kale and spinach and raspberries and mango, except I forgot my art principals...green plus red equals brown...

So yesterday morning I had a delicious brown smoothie....mmm...so healthy

Date night - A year later

First of all, I would like to say, New York City doesn't disappoint.  There is always something novel to see...in this case, "Clean Underwear on Demand." 

You know who else doesn't disappoint? J! He was so sweet and planned an evening to celebrate our 1-year-anniversary. I'm always half teasing that we should go ice-skating so he decided it would be  a good night to give in and take me ice skating.  The only problem was that it was 20 degrees out.  

Once we got to the city we scrapped the ice skating (for now), and went to dinner first.  He had planned a dinner at Malatesta Tratorria in the West Village...the scene of our first date.  So we had dinner (I'm sorry for forgetting to take pics of the delicious food), and then dessert and coffee....mmm

After dinner we headed to Smalls (also in the West Village) for some live jazz.  It's one of our favorite date night spots.  The bands are always great, it's a tiny, dark, packed basement vibe and it's just so chill.


We had the best time.  It's so crazy to think about how much life has changed over the past year, there was a couple at the restaurant obviously on an early awkward date, and it was so funny to think that was us last year.

Pancake Friday

After feeling like a total Debbie Downer yesterday, I decided to celebrate one of the perks of being jobless...time to make pancakes on a weekday!

I still had a bunch of blueberries left, so I tossed them in my go-to pancake batter and made one enormous pancake just for myself (and 2 for the refrigerator, lol).  It was seriously the perfect pancake, but maybe it just felt extra perfect because it was such an indulgence to make pancakes all for myself and on a weekday morning! 

One of those days...

Today is one of those days of being unemployed that feels like I'm unemployed and never going to find a job.  It hasn't been that long but it feels that long today.  So what is one to do when they're having a long unemployed day?

Here are a few of my tips in case we're in the same boat:

1. Change out of your pjs/workout clothes/sweats/college hoodie, comb your hair, put on a little makeup, some nice smelling lotion or perfume.   I find that making the effort to look like I have some place to go makes me feel less like I'm starting at the computer filling in endless job forms online. 
2. Update LinkedIn profile- I've been putting this one off for a while, but these days, it's a really important tool in the job search. It gives employers a quick snap shot of you without having to read your resume.  Also, add a picture, it makes you a person to them.  Also, I found that updating this made me feel like a person with a purpose, too.  As I apply for jobs it's easy to start to feel like I'm just an application number, but linked in lets you be a human and reminds you that you have skills, and people who endorse your skills.
3. Make a list of people you know well that you've worked with and contact them.  Odds are you have way more LinkedIn connections than people who could actually endorse your work, but the ones who know you well can not only endorse you, but can also keep their eyes and ears open for opportunities in their network. 
4. Do some research.  I find that by researching topics in my field, I can feel myself becoming more confident in myself as a candidate that someone should hire.  
5. Think about the benefits of being unemployed at this moment.  It's hard.  Being unemployed sucks, but for me, it allowed me to have a surplus of time with my family and friends over the holidays without the stress of work.  I try to keep this in mind when I'm feeling dragged down. 
6. If all else fails, take a break...which is what I'm doing here, lol

Meatless Monday: Loaded Veggie Tortilla Soup

It's official.  We're "New Year's Resolutioners!"  I always try to avoid becoming one of "them," like I was avoiding the plague.  I go around wearing an imaginary new year's resolution mask and gown to shield myself from the infection.  If asked, I proudly tell people that I have no new year's resolutions...by proudly, I mean semi-apologetically smugly.  This year, thanks to the inability to avoid far too many tastings of food and alcohol alike over the past month of vacation, I've been infected.  Something must be done.  

Bring round the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon so I can hop on...

This Monday I made this amazing soup I came across on Pinterest. I thought I might be sad that there wasn't chicken stock.   You should have seen me in the grocery aisle picking up the chicken stock, then putting it down in favor of veggie stock, then repeating the process a few more times before J joined me in the aisle and I was left with whatever I had in my hand...a stock hot potato if you will...I ended up with veggie stock.  The strange thing is, I didn't miss the chicken stock one bit.  If you're not going vegetarian, I'm sure it would be tasty with some chicken stock, and shredded chicken thrown in, but it's just as delectable all veggie all the time.

Loaded Veggie Tortilla Soup

*The author, Minimalist Baker (who btw has a ton of other great recipes) called it nacho soup, but I think it's more like tortilla soup than any nachos i've ever eaten.

Ingredients: 

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black peper
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 1/2 C water
• 2 C low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup your favorite fresh, chunky salsa**
• 1 4-oz can mild diced green chilis
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, lightly drained
• Optional toppings: tortilla chips, fresh onion, cilantro, avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, lime juice, etc. 

**I used a canned organic chunky salsa

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. 
2. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, and stir.  Cook for about 5 mins or until softened and transparent.  Turn down the heat if the garlic starts to brown. 
3. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and stir to coat.  Then add tomato paste, water, veggie broth, salsa, green chilis and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer, then add black beans.  Bring to a simmer again, reduce heat to low and cook for another 20-30 mins. 
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more spices, salt or pepper.  Add hot sauce for more heat.  (I didn't adjust the seasonings at all, everything was spot on)
5. Serve hot with tortilla chips, and optional toppings.