Well happy Tuesday to you all.
I'm finding myself a bit restless on this day after Monday, which happens to be my Saturday...which in turn makes this Tuesday my Sunday.
Confused yet? Good, I'm glad you're with me. And while we may not be in Kansas (namely, Texas), Florida isn't quite Oz, but it is a pretty great place to be. Replace Emerald City with Disney and I find that I'm riding the yellow brick road to work five days a week and still enjoy it immensely. I was trained on a new station on Sunday and seemed to do pretty well. I will admit openly that I was glad it wasn't a very busy night, but I also look forward to getting more comfortable behind the grill. I'm not sure why it intimidated me so much...and still does if we're being frank. I suppose all of this still feels rather new to me. I'll not be able to use that excuse for too much longer. I can't believe that I've been working in this industry for nine months already.
I can't say I'm exactly where I thought I'd be when I started going to school. I'm not really sure what I thought I'd do when I got out of school. I was just kind of focusing on taking one thing at a time. If I tried to look at the big picture back then, it might have overwhelmed me completely. Step one: go to school, get good grades. Step two: swallow pride and move home. Step three: come to Florida to get some experience and get in to Disney World for free...
Past that, I think I was just going to see what happened. I think it ended up working in my favor, though Dijon is still trying to get me back to Texas. I do have to say, it is tempting. To be close to home and all the people and things I know and am familiar with. This place is still very foreign sometimes. And even though I have my own place with roommates I love more and more every day and I'm much more established at work....there are days that it still feels temporary. Maybe it just hasn't fully set in. Who knows?
I love my work and I am developing some really stellar relationships here. My mom has always told me she could drop me anywhere in the world and I'd make friends, I suppose I just thought that she thought that because she's my mom. And, let's face it, I have a ton of close friends back home. Friends that will never go away or be replaced...even if I wanted them to. I don't know what I'd have done if I came out here and didn't have people to lean on. Especially on the hard days.
What have I learned? On days when I miss Texas, it's best to make Mexican food or BBQ. Or even chili. When I want to shut myself in my room and wish myself home with everything I have, I drag my roommates to a karaoke night. Karaoke nights here are generally filled with an older crowd, so they don't have quite the same reaction to my version of The Humpty Dance...but I usually have my own little cheering squad, so it still works. And on the very hardest days, I talk to Val and my mom as much as possible and pretend they're just around the corner.
I think that I wanted to talk food here, but this blog has turned into a mix of my cooking adventures and a place for me to just talk about what it's like to move far away from home for the first time later in life. It's strange. And spooky. And exciting. And difficult. And thrilling. So many things that I don't think I could ever put into words.
So, to end my little rant for the day, thank you for reading. Listening. Being my support both in Florida and in Texas (and the other random states where I have wonderful friends). BB is at home cooking, I think, while I borrow internet from my favorite place in Orlando (yes, it's Devenney's).
At the end of the day, I think that I am just happy that I have people who love me enough to be my backbone when I feel mine slipping.
"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."
-Wizard of Oz
Happy adventures,
Lauren
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Over the hill and through the woods...
So, I suppose I could very easily blame not having internet for the last two weeks on not posting...but that leaves a blank the space time continuum that I just can't explain, so I'm just going to whistle a tune you may not recognize and walk away slowly...
The good news is, I'm back and we have internet (though it is so slow, Fluffy insisted that it might be dial up). The bad news is....I have no bad news. I have to say that life is on the ups and doesn't seem to be slowing down lately. I've had my moments of homesickness (which have included driving around listening to Sarah McLaughlin and crying on the phone to Val) and I've had some rough days where I've wondered if I've done the right thing...but today is not one of those days.
Yes, I miss my family. Of course, I miss my friends. These two groups of people make up some of the most wonderful, weird, funny, crazy, unique and amazing people anyone could ever know. But then I look at the friendships I have growing here and the wonderful house I share with two pretty kick-butt roommates...yeah, I can't complain about Florida. Especially not when I come home from work and Fluff has made homemade lasagna and I eat so much I basically just pass out as soon as my plate hits the sink.
Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking. 'I thought this was a food blog, Lauren.' I got it...I'll stop gushing about how happy I am and just get to the point. Though, if truth be told...the point today is going to just be about other food things that make me happy.
If anyone from Texas reads this, and you ever want to visit me...be sure we will go to one of the restaurants listed below. If you are one of my Orlando peeps and I haven't pulled you around to my favorite spots...first you should kick me the next time you see me and then we should go eat at one of these places together. That being said...here we go.
1. My absolute, without a doubt, most favorite...est (yeah, I said it) place since moving to Orlando is downtown and it's called The Rusty Spoon. It's a gastropub and their menu changes weekly based on what produce is in season and they can get. All the produce they use is local, all the meat they use is hormone free and wonderful. I've never had a bad meal here...in fact I'd venture to say I've never even had a mediocre meal here. It just gets better every time I go.
2. VietThai is a close second, but it's also kind of tied for second with the one I'll list next. We managed to find this place our second or third night in Orlando and I've been back a lot. It's this teeny, hole in the wall place that is family owned and melt in your mouth good. Fresh, homemade Pho? Yes please. Korean BBQ? Don't mind if I do. Vietnamese iced coffee? I'll have three please and be awake for a week straight. My favorite thing about this place is they aren't afraid to suggest things for you if you can't make up your mind and it's never a disappointment. My only complaint is they're closed on Mondays and I always seem to forget.
3. The third on my list is here almost as much for the atmosphere as it is for the food. Devenney's Irish Pub is very near to my house and I really just discovered it about a week ago...but man do I love this place. The fried green beans and Scotch eggs are killer, but the Shepherd's Pie takes the cake. And to top of the wonderful, traditional food they have here (I haven't tried the Corned Beef and Cabbage yet...but it's on my to-do list) the general feel of the place is just amazing. Thanks to the fact that I talk to strangers and me and my roommates make friends everywhere we go, we've met and hung out with the owners of the place and they are wonderful and about 70 percent of the reason we'll be going back time and time again.
Okay...so there's my top three. There are many many more that I love and maybe I'll bore you with stories about other culinary adventures later on...but for now, I smell food cooking so I might venture out of my super comfortable bed and see what's going on downstairs. I want to leave you with a recipe....but for once I'm at a little bit of a loss. What would I make right now if I could....
Mmmm, yes. Here we go. I actually don't have to cook it because I have a giant Tupperware of it downstairs from last week when I got in the mood for Tex Mex. Lauren's homemade, super easy, medium salsa. If you have a blender or food processor, you're good to go. And while I type this, my tummy is already rumbling so I'm glad I've got this one memorized.
You will need:
-4-5 Tomatoes. I like to use...any tomato. *evil laugh* Honestly, when I'm making salsa, I just pick whatever is on sale. You're going to add a bit of flavor to this, so don't be a tomato snob.
-1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped roughly (I like big chunks of cilantro in my salsa. It's fresh and delicious and makes for a better time when you can make fun of someone for getting it stuck in their teeth.)
-4-5 limes, depending on ripeness. You want some nice juicy limes.
-1/2 red onion
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 poblano pepper (just for the record, my spell check tried to correct poblano to 'pointblank'. What the what? Anywho, moving on.)
-2 jalapeno peppers
-2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
-salt to taste
See? Easy breezy. First, preheat your oven to 350 and core your tomatoes. Place all the veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil (cilantro excluded of course, that would just be weird). Pop these suckers in the oven and go paint your toenails or something. After about 10 minutes, you'll notice the skin pulling away from the tomatoes, so pull those out and pop them in an ice water bath or stick them in the freezer to stop the cooking process.
Then...walk the dog. Do some Zumba. Get out a round brush and practice for karaoke night for about another ten minutes until your garlic and peppers are finished roasting. Wrap the peppers in clear wrap while you peel your tomatoes. The skin should come right off, but if there's a little left, it won't hurt you. Once you peel the tomatoes, get a knife and rub the back of it on the peppers (after you've unwrapped them, of course) and get a good part of the skin off. Again...if you don't get it all it won't kill you.
Here's where you can take some liberty. I get the ribs and seeds out of one jalapeno and the poblano, rough chop them and throw them in the food processor. I leave the seeds and ribs in the second jalapeno for heat. It's good. it'll put hair on your chest...but not in a creepy way. In a 'yeah, I just ate that jalapeno...be impressed' kind of way. Do whatever makes your heart and tummy happy though. Now comes the real hard part.
Throw everything in the food processor or blender. I give it all a rough chop and just toss it in. Blend away. Squeeze your limes into the mix and then taste it. Needs salt? Add some more. Needs more acidity? Do it. More cilantro? By all means, turn the darn stuff green if you want to. Then, pour it in a bowl, get some tortilla chips and go to town. And by go to town, I mean eat until you think you might be in a coma. Then call me and thank me for changing your life and making you never want to buy store made salsa again. The roasted garlic and cilantro are what makes this recipe, for sure.
Okay, now that I've rambled on for a million and a half years...I'm starving. I think I'll go eat some of said salsa and maybe some of Fluff's leftover lasagna. I hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday and are enjoying some of your own culinary adventures.
"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka
Happy Eating,
Lauren
The good news is, I'm back and we have internet (though it is so slow, Fluffy insisted that it might be dial up). The bad news is....I have no bad news. I have to say that life is on the ups and doesn't seem to be slowing down lately. I've had my moments of homesickness (which have included driving around listening to Sarah McLaughlin and crying on the phone to Val) and I've had some rough days where I've wondered if I've done the right thing...but today is not one of those days.
Yes, I miss my family. Of course, I miss my friends. These two groups of people make up some of the most wonderful, weird, funny, crazy, unique and amazing people anyone could ever know. But then I look at the friendships I have growing here and the wonderful house I share with two pretty kick-butt roommates...yeah, I can't complain about Florida. Especially not when I come home from work and Fluff has made homemade lasagna and I eat so much I basically just pass out as soon as my plate hits the sink.
Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking. 'I thought this was a food blog, Lauren.' I got it...I'll stop gushing about how happy I am and just get to the point. Though, if truth be told...the point today is going to just be about other food things that make me happy.
If anyone from Texas reads this, and you ever want to visit me...be sure we will go to one of the restaurants listed below. If you are one of my Orlando peeps and I haven't pulled you around to my favorite spots...first you should kick me the next time you see me and then we should go eat at one of these places together. That being said...here we go.
1. My absolute, without a doubt, most favorite...est (yeah, I said it) place since moving to Orlando is downtown and it's called The Rusty Spoon. It's a gastropub and their menu changes weekly based on what produce is in season and they can get. All the produce they use is local, all the meat they use is hormone free and wonderful. I've never had a bad meal here...in fact I'd venture to say I've never even had a mediocre meal here. It just gets better every time I go.
2. VietThai is a close second, but it's also kind of tied for second with the one I'll list next. We managed to find this place our second or third night in Orlando and I've been back a lot. It's this teeny, hole in the wall place that is family owned and melt in your mouth good. Fresh, homemade Pho? Yes please. Korean BBQ? Don't mind if I do. Vietnamese iced coffee? I'll have three please and be awake for a week straight. My favorite thing about this place is they aren't afraid to suggest things for you if you can't make up your mind and it's never a disappointment. My only complaint is they're closed on Mondays and I always seem to forget.
3. The third on my list is here almost as much for the atmosphere as it is for the food. Devenney's Irish Pub is very near to my house and I really just discovered it about a week ago...but man do I love this place. The fried green beans and Scotch eggs are killer, but the Shepherd's Pie takes the cake. And to top of the wonderful, traditional food they have here (I haven't tried the Corned Beef and Cabbage yet...but it's on my to-do list) the general feel of the place is just amazing. Thanks to the fact that I talk to strangers and me and my roommates make friends everywhere we go, we've met and hung out with the owners of the place and they are wonderful and about 70 percent of the reason we'll be going back time and time again.
Okay...so there's my top three. There are many many more that I love and maybe I'll bore you with stories about other culinary adventures later on...but for now, I smell food cooking so I might venture out of my super comfortable bed and see what's going on downstairs. I want to leave you with a recipe....but for once I'm at a little bit of a loss. What would I make right now if I could....
Mmmm, yes. Here we go. I actually don't have to cook it because I have a giant Tupperware of it downstairs from last week when I got in the mood for Tex Mex. Lauren's homemade, super easy, medium salsa. If you have a blender or food processor, you're good to go. And while I type this, my tummy is already rumbling so I'm glad I've got this one memorized.
You will need:
-4-5 Tomatoes. I like to use...any tomato. *evil laugh* Honestly, when I'm making salsa, I just pick whatever is on sale. You're going to add a bit of flavor to this, so don't be a tomato snob.
-1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped roughly (I like big chunks of cilantro in my salsa. It's fresh and delicious and makes for a better time when you can make fun of someone for getting it stuck in their teeth.)
-4-5 limes, depending on ripeness. You want some nice juicy limes.
-1/2 red onion
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 poblano pepper (just for the record, my spell check tried to correct poblano to 'pointblank'. What the what? Anywho, moving on.)
-2 jalapeno peppers
-2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
-salt to taste
See? Easy breezy. First, preheat your oven to 350 and core your tomatoes. Place all the veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil (cilantro excluded of course, that would just be weird). Pop these suckers in the oven and go paint your toenails or something. After about 10 minutes, you'll notice the skin pulling away from the tomatoes, so pull those out and pop them in an ice water bath or stick them in the freezer to stop the cooking process.
Then...walk the dog. Do some Zumba. Get out a round brush and practice for karaoke night for about another ten minutes until your garlic and peppers are finished roasting. Wrap the peppers in clear wrap while you peel your tomatoes. The skin should come right off, but if there's a little left, it won't hurt you. Once you peel the tomatoes, get a knife and rub the back of it on the peppers (after you've unwrapped them, of course) and get a good part of the skin off. Again...if you don't get it all it won't kill you.
Here's where you can take some liberty. I get the ribs and seeds out of one jalapeno and the poblano, rough chop them and throw them in the food processor. I leave the seeds and ribs in the second jalapeno for heat. It's good. it'll put hair on your chest...but not in a creepy way. In a 'yeah, I just ate that jalapeno...be impressed' kind of way. Do whatever makes your heart and tummy happy though. Now comes the real hard part.
Throw everything in the food processor or blender. I give it all a rough chop and just toss it in. Blend away. Squeeze your limes into the mix and then taste it. Needs salt? Add some more. Needs more acidity? Do it. More cilantro? By all means, turn the darn stuff green if you want to. Then, pour it in a bowl, get some tortilla chips and go to town. And by go to town, I mean eat until you think you might be in a coma. Then call me and thank me for changing your life and making you never want to buy store made salsa again. The roasted garlic and cilantro are what makes this recipe, for sure.
Okay, now that I've rambled on for a million and a half years...I'm starving. I think I'll go eat some of said salsa and maybe some of Fluff's leftover lasagna. I hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday and are enjoying some of your own culinary adventures.
"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka
Happy Eating,
Lauren
Sunday, January 29, 2012
New year, new beginnings.
Every year, I swear up and down that I'm not going to make any resolutions. They always end up as broken promises to yourself that just make you feel crappy about making them in the first place. The only promise I'd like to make to myself this year is that I will update here more often (at least once a week) and maybe even start making some cooking videos to add to the site. To be comfortable doing that, I know what I need to do....and that is where the resolution side of it comes in.
Time to start eating healthier, Lauren. Well.....hell. I was doing so good before Thanksgiving, I even lost about 15 pounds....and then I gave myself a break over the holidays. Nobody likes to be on a diet at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the little cheats I gave myself here and there turned into full on soda drinking, fast food stopping, ramen noodle eating Lauren. *insert audible sigh*
For someone who knows how to cook food that tastes wonderful and is good for you....and who actually enjoys eating well, I sure do love some crappy food. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a big, greasy burger from Steak n' Shake. I'm not even going to lie....that place calls to me in my sleep sometimes. What I need to decide is, do I want to still be having this struggle at 32? No. Of course not. I'd love to hit some kind of goal in the next couple of months even....but where the struggle comes in is money. Money is always at the root of it (well...not always. But it sure doesn't help). No matter how you spin it, eating healthy isn't always cheap and right now...cheap is important.
Rambling...I'm rambling. The whole point of this blog was to tell you all some very exciting news in case you didn't know already. I'm moving this week! I will be living with one of my coworkers (and good friends), Jose. But you might as well just get to know him as Fluffy because that's what I (and everyone else) calls him. Generally, I only call him Jose when he's in trouble. We found an older townhome to rent that's three bedroom, two bath and pretty big. It has a washer and dryer and isn't too far from work so I'm super excited.
Now, I just have to buy a bed. And a few other household essentials. We really have nothing. I mean, Fluffy has his bedroom stuff and we both have a few random kitchen essentials, but other than that I think all we have is a TV and a plethora of video game systems. Which we'll be able to play sitting on lawn chairs in the living room.
The only weird part about it all is that I think this means I'm actually a resident of Florida now. I am still being stubborn and not changing my Driver's License....but I think it's just a matter of time. One of my coworkers still has his Jersey plates and License after like four years, so here's hoping I can hold out that long if it comes to that.
Hope this rambling update finds you all well. I will be better and try to use Sundays as my update days.
Happy eating,
Lauren
Time to start eating healthier, Lauren. Well.....hell. I was doing so good before Thanksgiving, I even lost about 15 pounds....and then I gave myself a break over the holidays. Nobody likes to be on a diet at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the little cheats I gave myself here and there turned into full on soda drinking, fast food stopping, ramen noodle eating Lauren. *insert audible sigh*
For someone who knows how to cook food that tastes wonderful and is good for you....and who actually enjoys eating well, I sure do love some crappy food. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a big, greasy burger from Steak n' Shake. I'm not even going to lie....that place calls to me in my sleep sometimes. What I need to decide is, do I want to still be having this struggle at 32? No. Of course not. I'd love to hit some kind of goal in the next couple of months even....but where the struggle comes in is money. Money is always at the root of it (well...not always. But it sure doesn't help). No matter how you spin it, eating healthy isn't always cheap and right now...cheap is important.
Rambling...I'm rambling. The whole point of this blog was to tell you all some very exciting news in case you didn't know already. I'm moving this week! I will be living with one of my coworkers (and good friends), Jose. But you might as well just get to know him as Fluffy because that's what I (and everyone else) calls him. Generally, I only call him Jose when he's in trouble. We found an older townhome to rent that's three bedroom, two bath and pretty big. It has a washer and dryer and isn't too far from work so I'm super excited.
Now, I just have to buy a bed. And a few other household essentials. We really have nothing. I mean, Fluffy has his bedroom stuff and we both have a few random kitchen essentials, but other than that I think all we have is a TV and a plethora of video game systems. Which we'll be able to play sitting on lawn chairs in the living room.
The only weird part about it all is that I think this means I'm actually a resident of Florida now. I am still being stubborn and not changing my Driver's License....but I think it's just a matter of time. One of my coworkers still has his Jersey plates and License after like four years, so here's hoping I can hold out that long if it comes to that.
Hope this rambling update finds you all well. I will be better and try to use Sundays as my update days.
Happy eating,
Lauren
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