I was reading this month's issue of Tennis View magazine, and saw an interview with Australian pro Sam Stosur. She mentioned that one of her favorite things to cook when she's home is chicken thigh marinated in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin powder, and cinnamon.
So, like the hungry person that I am all the time, I decided to try it for dinner last night. Must've been good, since I didn't even think to take a picture before I devoured the flavorful dish. The lemon juice really made the chicken juicy and tender!
Thanks for a great dish, Sam!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Another recipe (read: experiment) from my kitchen...INGREDIENTS:
1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
dallops of almond butter on top
sprinkles of ground nutmeg on top
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter into mixing bowl. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, flour, milk, and canned pumpkin to the bowl. Mix until smooth. Place on a cookie sheet. Add dallops of almond butter on top of each cookie. Sprinkle a bit of ground nutmeg on top of the almond butter as desired. Bake for 15 minutes, take out and let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Almond Meal-Encrusted Chicken w/Roasted Butternut Squash and Sundried Tomatoes
I took a stroll around my new neighborhood this evening, and felt, for the first time since moving to LA, a beautiful fall breeze that made me almost miss Philly. For a second, I was brought back to multi-colored leaves tumbling onto Locust Walk, and felt a slight pang of nostalgia. But then the memory of drafts that turned into sharp chills at the snap of a mud-coated twig brought me back to the present. Boy, am I glad I don't have to deal with east coast weather anymore!
Given my leisurely mood and inspired by the lovely fall day, I decided to actually spend the time to cook something tonight. (Just to preface—this is maybe my 34th (or so?) attempt at cooking on my own, and certainly a first in my new kitchen.) I had some chicken in the fridge, along with a nice butternut squash, so I thought I would try and make a meal of it. (The sundried tomatoes were an impromptu add-in at the end, when I caught a glimpse of the jar as the fridge was closing.) Not a great photo, but quite delicious (by my standards) if I do say so myself :)
Here are the deets for my dinner tonight...
Roasted Butternut Squash: a modified version of one I found from the Foot Network
- 1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper
- ground cumin
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butternut squash halves (flesh side up) in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over each squash. Season with salt, black pepper, and cumin. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes (or until the flesh is fork-tender).
Almond Meal-Encrusted Chicken: I was going for chicken parm, but seeing that I had no cheese, marinara, or bread crumbs, I made some substitutes. Actually, without the essential ingredients, this can only be considered a new creation...
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup almond meal
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slightly beat the egg, and add a pinch of salt if desired. Dip chicken in egg, then almond meal, coating well. Place chicken in a glass baking dish, and leave uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes (or until the chicken is no longer pink).
Spoon sundried tomatoes onto plate to garnish.
Buon appetito!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
On Pretending
There's no use pretending to be something you're not—unless you honestly and truly want to become that person who you are pretending to be. I'm in full support of "faking it till you make it," as you are "faking" for the sake of yourself (to give yourself more confidence in a situation where you may be lacking in confidence). In that case, pretending is actually a manifestation of positive thinking.
On the other hand, being pretentious is a different matter. In this case, you are pretending to be a different person for the sake of others. Instead of channeling your insecurity into happy thoughts and actions, you block the possibility of genuinely making yourself feel more secure and confident by pretending to be (your perception of) some other "perfect" person. The grass is always greener on the other side. Trying to manipulate how others see you will only make you look desperate and uncool, two things which most people do not wish to be.
In short, playing pretend can work both ways. Only you can judge for yourself which will make you happiest.
On the other hand, being pretentious is a different matter. In this case, you are pretending to be a different person for the sake of others. Instead of channeling your insecurity into happy thoughts and actions, you block the possibility of genuinely making yourself feel more secure and confident by pretending to be (your perception of) some other "perfect" person. The grass is always greener on the other side. Trying to manipulate how others see you will only make you look desperate and uncool, two things which most people do not wish to be.
In short, playing pretend can work both ways. Only you can judge for yourself which will make you happiest.
3 Adjectives
There are no 3 adjectives that describe a person completely and fully. When asked to pick 3 and only 3 to encapsulate your entire being, the answer given is always in the here and now - what seems most applicable and appropriate at this very moment in your life.
Knowing that the top 3 adjectives for me can and will change as time passes, what strikes me as most relevant now are:
honest. resilient. impulsive.
It will be an interesting self-discovery to see where the trajectory of my 3 adjectives goes at different stages of life. i.e. I remember when I first moved to LA, they were: happy, energetic, and impulsive. These adjectives still describe me well, but over a year later, what's now at the forefront is a different set of 3.
It's always been my belief that to strive to know oneself more deeply is essential to making oneself happier in the long-run. And this 3-adj. assessment is a good litmus indicator of self-discovery and in the journey toward self-improvement.
Knowing that the top 3 adjectives for me can and will change as time passes, what strikes me as most relevant now are:
honest. resilient. impulsive.
It will be an interesting self-discovery to see where the trajectory of my 3 adjectives goes at different stages of life. i.e. I remember when I first moved to LA, they were: happy, energetic, and impulsive. These adjectives still describe me well, but over a year later, what's now at the forefront is a different set of 3.
It's always been my belief that to strive to know oneself more deeply is essential to making oneself happier in the long-run. And this 3-adj. assessment is a good litmus indicator of self-discovery and in the journey toward self-improvement.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Gold Standard
[In response to a WSJ article by Michael S. Derby: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/09/15/greenspan-fiscal-stimulus-worked-far-less-than-expected/]
Greenspan states that the current fiscal stimulus efforts by the US government haven't worked because we are still on the gold standard, and that "you’d be far better off to allow the normal market forces to operate." But is it really as simple as that? If the gold standard's entire premise is based on an agreement by participating countries, where the long-run price of gold is determined by the market (and not by governments and central banks), then what happens to the effectiveness of one country's economic policy (i.e. the United States') if other countries are no longer truly following the standard (i.e. the EU's use of the euro)?
Economies on the gold standard seem less resilient to offsetting real or monetary shocks, an observation generally supported by what occurred during the Great Depression. It also puts the burden on countries with "weaker currencies" to ultimately force higher unemployment. To a large degree, such confounding factors cloud Greenspan's rationale here. Perhaps this is why policymakers are struggling with bringing us out of the current recession.
Greenspan states that the current fiscal stimulus efforts by the US government haven't worked because we are still on the gold standard, and that "you’d be far better off to allow the normal market forces to operate." But is it really as simple as that? If the gold standard's entire premise is based on an agreement by participating countries, where the long-run price of gold is determined by the market (and not by governments and central banks), then what happens to the effectiveness of one country's economic policy (i.e. the United States') if other countries are no longer truly following the standard (i.e. the EU's use of the euro)?
Economies on the gold standard seem less resilient to offsetting real or monetary shocks, an observation generally supported by what occurred during the Great Depression. It also puts the burden on countries with "weaker currencies" to ultimately force higher unemployment. To a large degree, such confounding factors cloud Greenspan's rationale here. Perhaps this is why policymakers are struggling with bringing us out of the current recession.
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