be careful..

guys, i am finally watching 'food inc.' and let me warn you: you can never unsee this movie. it is shocking. actually shocking.

i am hoping to get a copy of the movie to show friends and family, if you're interested in seeing it, let me know. i'm far from an activist but something has to change, that's for sure.

here's the website

i posted the trailer a while back, but here it is again:

--foodINC--

sickies and some holiday ditties

surprise! i get tomorrow off work. this is good news, but it means that today will be a long one. i'll be staying late to help nanny fam get on the road this evening. it's okay though, because it's all worth it so i can sleep in tomorrow and do some cooking (by some, i think i mean all day cooking).

for now, i'll be doing lotttttsss of this:

trying to make one laugh while the other sleeps off a fever, and then rotate:)

i believe this would be called 'skeptical'

got 'em!

and i believe that you probably need a thanksgiving cooking mix, just like i do, so here you are!

photos courtesy of honey and jam

[it's all christmas music..just a warning]

this will be good (updated)

hello friendlies--on this blustery, overcast day, i think some chili is in order. but, since this evening my dad and i will be making quick work of moving me over to the new place, i won't have time to make any,

but you should.

i'll put up my favorite recipe for chili, which cannot be served without cornbread (preferably jiffy, baked in a cast iron skillet:). and if you don't feel like making it, or don't think you can do it successfully or something, i will make it for you when i get settled. for real, i will.

here's the recipe:

cozy chili

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 2 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 (12 ounce) can lager beer (optional, can use broth as a replacement)
• 2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

Really good served with: Jiffy cornbread, sour cream, radishes, scallions, avocados, jalapenos, cilantro, cheddar, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Directions

1. Heat oil in large pot, over medium-high heat.

2. Add onions, red pepper, garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes, until soft, stirring occasionally.

3. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for a few minutes.

4. Add beer (or broth), beans, tomatoes (including their juices), salt and pepper.

5. Let simmer until nice and thick, about 25 minutes.

happy fall, everyone.

***aaaaand update! here's a little fall +playlist+to accompany your chili cookoff***

dare i say?

today seems fall-like here in charlotte. i am sure it won't last, but it's nice to get a little taste of cooler weather and general coziness.

here's what i'm looking forward to this week:

tomorrow night we're starting a book club/craft night/cooking group sort of thing at my house (also on the agenda..come up with a more concise name). it's going to be great. playing on the coziness of today, we'll have tea/coffee and chocolate chip banana bread, which reminds me of the northwest.

so that's my favorite thing about this week so far.

what are your staples?

when cooking for one, you have to be creative. keep it small, low maintenance, quick. unless it's the weekend, and then you can go nuts.

usually when i find a breakfast or lunch that works, i stick with it until i am sick of it. i guess that's sort of the same for everyone. dinners are more inconsistent. there is a higher chance of eating out, and many times i will just scavenge something at the house, or worse, stop and pay for take-out (rarely).

so, let's help each other. if you're single, what are your tricks for keeping meals small? and everyone else, what are the things you eat every day at your house?

for me right now, pretty much every morning, i have a whole wheat english muffin (double fiber), split, with a fried egg on top of each slice. it's heaven. with some french press coffee. eaten in between having food thrown at me from two high chairs.

lunch lately has been a lot of dr. praeger's california veggie burgers (also thrown on an english muffin, or just plain with a salad). and then scraps from the kids food:)

snacks have been animal crackers and milk (ehhh?).

oh man, my dinners lately have been LACKing. but last night was good. just some tomato, fresh mozz, pita chip, basil/balsamic action. wine. and some sea salt brownies for dessert. that, to me, is perfection.

other things that i'm never without:

• luna bars/fiber one bars for a quick breakfast
• vanilla soy milk
• hummus
• avocado
• great harvest bread (for a grilled cheese or pb&j)
• yogurt
• bisquick (breakfast for dinner..duh)

so tell me. what is always on your grocery list?

no direction

i'm starting this post with no clear direction, or anything specific to share with you. jared recently informed me that blogs are 'out'. since then, i've had a hard time thinking of things to write about. it made me self-conscious.

it's just another tuesday around here, and i just ate one handful too many of animal crackers. why are those things so good? all lemony and awesome. dipped in milk, even better.

this week has been full of transition, my favorite roommate/person moved out on saturday. i knew it was coming, but geeze, living on my own hit me like a ton of bricks. when you have good roommates it's a really nice thing. so the last few days have consisted of a lot of rummaging, trying to find things to fill up the house. i was able to make it liveable, and dare i say, kind of cute with found items around the house.

my first visitor, and new friend, laci, is coming over tonight to watch tv, and hang out. so that's good.

the kids are napping right now, and the very last scene of the sopranos is on a&e right now. gosh, so frustrating. i was just like everyone else when that first aired, i totally thought my dvr had messed up and cut off the ending. but no, that was it.

what else?

not sure how august got here? though, in some ways it is really hard to believe i've only been in charlotte 4 months. 4 more months and it's the holidays. i had that realization today, which sent me searching for christmas cabins.

also, i have sent out emails and talked to anyone who would possibly read this blog about needing roommates. unless you're a lurker, in which case, i need a roommate. if you know of anyone in charlotte who needs a place until the end of december, please let me know! and if you know of someone really cool, then i'll definitely be needing someone to live with more long term than that. the rental i'm in now will just be through december though. so if you know of anyone, leave me a comment.

update on my farmers market project: i have not forgotten. i took this week off, because i didn't make a meal plan, and didn't want to just get helter-skelter produce. but, i'll be updating with pictures after this weekend.

on a similar subject, has anyone seen 'food, inc.' yet?

i figured this is one i'll have to go see by myself. looks really good though, huh?

annnnnyway, i think that is a pretty good wrap up of life right now.

love love love.

food

over the next couple of weeks, i'll be buying three cookbooks that have been on my list for a while.  here they are:

i am really excited about this one.  i've been making a weekly trip to the farmer's market since i moved here, and there is some produce that i'm just not sure how to use (to its fullest potential), and i'd really like to be able to make meals for the whole week off of what i get there on fridays/saturdays.  

along those same lines, i would like to know how to do some basic jams, sauces, and other things that can be canned for the fall/winter.  

cue this book:

canning is something i know NOTHING about, but would like to learn.  

finally, the most elusive skill:  bread baking.  so hard.  i've never found a truly successful recipe/way of making homemade breads.  but i'm going to give this book a shot:

so that's my latest project.  

[hoping to borrow j&m's camera and document my progress]

a smattering

what life is like today:

• first things first, my blog looks like a piece of garbage.  i have been working on a new layout, but for now, it will remain garbage.  
• lately i can't get enough of two things:  roast beef sandwiches and kettle chips.  more specifically, the sea salt and cracked pepper kettle chips.  they are so good.  wait, i can't properly explain to you, they are so good.  (putting them directly on the sandwich seems to be more efficient, and a timesaver, frankly).  

• it has been dreamlike and weird being back in columbia.  i have driven around with all the windows down, and the sunroofs open the last couple of days.  yesterday i went down to the river, and it was beautiful.  today i drove around near our house and looked at familiar places i haven't seen in a long time (old churches, places we used to play, baseball fields we spent summers at watching the boys).  
• i have a very important/exciting job interview at 8am on thursday.  progress!  thanks, Jesus.
• sonic happy hour=good.
• eagerly awaiting cowan baby news!
• i found out my semi-okay full mattresses got thrown out.  geeze.  starting from scratch.
• beulah loves her family.  a ton.
• vitamin D is awesome.  
• true confession:  today i went to a big field to throw the ball for beu, i left the keys in the car, and let the music play at full volume, and sort of danced around (i'm telling you, this sunshine makes you do crazy things).  i was about 10 minutes into my dance party when i realized a new development had been built right behind me, and someone's kitchen window was looking directly out to where i was making a fool of myself.  

so--if you need a soundtrack for your own embarrassing dance party, or you know, just something to listen to while you eat your roast beef/kettle chip sandwich, here's what i am listening to:

oxford coma-- vampire weekend 

come on, listen to it.  (jessi, i am looking at you.)

currently

i have decided that i cannot use the delayed posting feature on blogger.  i end up thinking about it a few minutes before it's supposed to be published, and i cancel it.  not sure why?  i just always convince myself that it was stupid.

i packed up my first couple of boxes tonight.  and i finally plugged in my little ipod shuffle so it can charge, and so i can start making a killer road trip playlist.  though, i'm sure my dad will have his 'nanopod' as well, and we will be competing for air time, but that's okay because we have 42 hours of road to fill.  i am so looking forward to picking him up at the airport, and really looking forward to setting out across the country with my pop.  i know it is something we will always remember.  

a nice shot of wyoming 

after talking with kalle last night about their road trip out here last year, i got the crazy idea that we should buy a tent and camp out along our route about half of the time (and do hotels the other half).  i ran this idea by my dad and he just started laughing.  i'm not sure if he was laughing at the thought of me camping, or if he was laughing at the thought of him camping.  

growing up, we were not a camping type of family.  my parents just aren't into it.  i was telling jared today that dad might bring along a travel iron and ironing board and attempt to starch his shirts while we're camped out along the south dakota highway.  

also i am not pretending that i would be especially adept at the whole camping thing, but i'd like to try.  but after my dad stopped laughing when i suggested it, he said,

"um, let me think on that one for a day or two."  

  

today has been one of the nicest days i have had in a long time.  woke up early to a snuggle puppy, and then headed out to breakfast at portage bay cafe near UW.  kalle and i had been comparing notes for months on their menu, and how amazing their food is, so we finally met up there, and got to talk over coffee, omelets, and pancakes.  really sweet time.

vegan pancakes, topped with good things

came home and saw that sweet jess had planned a get together with some friends before i head out.  felt really loved.  

went outside in the sunshine and warm air, and played fetch with beulah, while texting back and forth with my brother while he was in class.  we talked about all the things we will get to do together in a few weeks, and laughed at the thought of dad and i sleeping in a tent.

forsythe park, savannah georgia

then i went upstairs and watched dvr'ed highlights of the bachelor from last night, as i had only seen the last 30 minutes of the after the final rose special.  the bachelor was maddening, but time on the bed with glory and jess was really nice.  then jess curled my hair using the flat iron.  i didn't know if it would work, but she made it work!  so now if i practice, maybe i can get it down.  

after that a really mellow afternoon, and then our newest girl, who is from mexico, and only speaks spanish, cooked an amazing dinner for us.  really and truly did this body some good.  

pretty much as of today, i am really not doing any new beginnings stuff.  really just focusing on moving, and it feels strange already.  like they're in the other room doing Bible study, and i feel like i'm playing hooky.  

i don't know, several people have asked me questions about how i am feeling about moving, or how prepared i am for certain aspects of it, and for the most part, i am totally unprepared.  and today, i just had to become okay with that.  i am getting there, and hopefully tomorrow another piece will be put in place, and then another one after that.  

i think i prepare as much as i can, and look for a job as earnestly as i can, but still be willing to step out even if it seems impossible.  really not sure at all what life will look like a month from now.  weird, huh?

top five foods

if you could eat any food every day for the rest of your life, what would they be?  go.

mine are as follows:

yessssssss.  i want all of you.  every.  day.  

[i had three of the top four for dinner, and i may or may not have baby talked to my plate.]