What do you think?

Posts like the last one aren't particularly fun to write, and I can't imagine they are to read either. What do you like about this blog? What don't you like? What should I do more of? What should I do less of or not do at all? What's your favorite post?

If you could e-mail me or leave a comment giving suggestions, I would be grateful :)

My contributions to Thanksgiving

This year one of the most discussed topics at the dinner table was our lack of a green bean casserole. Its absence, I think, pleased everyone except my grandmom, a rather strict traditionalist. And lack of tradition was somewhat of a theme of the meal. Sure there was turkey and stuffing, but most of the dishes were unique, and were pretty representative of the family member who cooked them. I think I like this. I'm always gonna want turkey and stuffing at Thanksgiving, but as long as we stay rooted in tradition, I'm happy to grow from there- and I think we should.
This year I made a whole wheat panzanella salad with prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula and a sage-sherry vinaigrette.

I also made a roasted sweet potato salad with pine nuts, golden raisins, and parmesan and dressed it with a roasted garlic and rosemary aioli. - This was really delicious, I couldn't stop eating it, and the leftover aioli is great for turkey sandwiches.

Finally I made an apple pie. And that's that. Can't wait till next year.

Thanksgiving thoughts?

Wow. Thanksgiving is in three days. Can you believe it? I think I'm still almost in summer mode, I feel like it's September yet I'm already hearing "Baby It's Cold Outside" on the radio. Not that that's a bad thing-- actually it's quite the opposite. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just so happy and cheery. There's nothing better.

However I feel that all the images and stories of joyous times during the holidays and families opening presents kind of gives a false sense of happiness. I never feel as happy as these little kids do, I feel that holiday spirit emanating from everywhere but myself . I think it's because I don't really "suck the marrow" out of the season as much as I could or should. I think I need to appreciate the season more-- to really live it out, and it starts with a glass of this.

Candy Blondies

I like Halloween (it's capitalized because I do believe it should be a national holiday) candy, but it's really unsatisfying. It's like a rush of sugar that just leaves me wanting more. Even Reese's I feel just isn't substantial enough to be a dessert. I'd much rather eat a brownie, or a cookie. If I'm going to splurge on a treat, it has gotta be dense, gooey and indulgent and it must leave me satisfied.

Recently, I've been making blondies to satisfy this craving. They really taste too good for their difficulty level, and the time commitment is negligible (Total time minutes oven time=about 10 minutes). To add to that, they're made with basic pantry staples and they're infinitely adaptable to individual preference.

Just recently i made these with reese's peanut butter cups, snickers, and candy corn. I only eat brownies medium rare, so I left them very gooey in the middle. They were really fantastic. I gave one to this girl that I'm tryna impress. They were really that good.

Basic Blondie Recipe
(recipe is really easy to remember since it's all 1's)

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt
1 cup flour

1) preheat oven to 350

2) grease an 8w8 pan

3) melt the butter in a saucepan

4) add the sugar, then beat in the egg, vanilla and salt.

5) Fold in the Flour

6) Fold in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of anything you like!

7) Transfer to the pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or to your desired doneness.

Pizza for lunch

Over the summer I made pizza non-stop-- it's just such a summery food and when smeared with pesto made from basil from the backyard, there's nothing better. I actually made plenty more dough than I could cook, so I have a lot of dough that's been lying around in a freezer and for the past few days, I've been thawing it, then making pizza for lunch.

Here's yesterday's pizza: pesto, avocado and chicken on whole wheat.

What they think about you

High School is really all about what other people think about you. It's true. It really is. You can either accept the system as it is, or drop out. Everyone is subject to it.

Generally people criticize this aspect of high school, saying this is superficial, that you shouldn't care what others think, that everything's different once you get out. Is it really though? And is it actually beneficial to stop caring what others think about you? Will this make you happier?

Whats other think of you is what defines you (if you're happy with whatever definition you get, well then you're above me). It's what makes you who you are and for most people, outside pleasure is what keeps them alive. It's pretty hard to just make yourself happy. Only caring about yourself can be a lonely place.

An example that comes to mind is a restaurant. If I own and make my living off of restaurant, I have to consider the customer first. "Cooking the food you wanna cook" is often more an ideal than a reality. The restaurant is likewise defined by critics and the gain or loss of a star can equate to thousands of dollars. If I'm the owner I better start caring what other people think if I want to be able to continue the lifestyle I'm living.

Thomas Keller is somewhat perplexing example. Throughout his early years he made sure that he was cooking the food he wanted. When he worked at Rakel, and the executive chef made the decision to make the restaurant more casual, Keller left because it wasn't the food he wanted to cook. Somewhat to the contrary, last year Keller changed Per Se to allow walk-ins and created an a la carte menu-- undoubtedly because of the struggling economy.

I think this moderate stance is best. It's unrealistic to completely not care what others think about you, yet it's detrimental and controlling to see yourself through others' eyes. The task becomes finding a happy medium.

Spicy Pulled Pork

Pork shoulder braised in chicken stock, harissa and jalapenos.

Pork shoulder is almost always delicious, but the spicy component just takes this to the next level giving your tongue another taste to tangle with.

Alright sorry for the minimal writing, but I gotta go write an essay about James Madison and Thomas Jefferson- who by the way, was a lover of all things French, especially the food.