My face hurts from reading…

I feel like I don’t have control of my life. It sounds worse than it is, but I am so busy and rarely have free time anymore. When I get busy my body shuts down. My body says: “Hey you, I’m done. You will do something nonproductive.” I know I need this once in awhile, but my body shuts down when I need it the most. This morning was a long one. I couldn’t function. Ugh.

Emo time is over. I need an Emo theme song.

Breakfast was pretty awesome. I stopped at Starbucks for a Pike Place coffee and a low fast raspberry muffin. The muffin made my morning and went well with my fresh strawberries from home. I sat in my office at 7am with this meal and graded. Wah, wah. Grading is not fun. I like reading student work, but I hate stamping a grade on it. I rather give them muffins.

After breakfast I had class, then I taught, then I observed a colleague’s class, then I went to class again. THEN, I went to Zumba. Lunch was slipped in there somewhere. It isn’t important. Turkey on rye: blah, blah, blah.

After Zumba Lars and I grabbed dinner at a Korean restaurant, Green Sprout. Lars ordered the sushi salad, which was not only beautiful, but delicious.

I ordered the omelet filled with fried rice and spiced pork. Lars always has the best meal of his life, and I don’t. The problem with this dish was the fried rice. I’ll go to the place again (because it is spoken so highly of), but maybe I’ll order something else. We had fun removing the egg coating to reveal the solid rice cylinder below, though.

I have been reading all night, so I deserved ice cream. I have had the Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream sandwich before, and loved it. This time I bought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough instead. It was good, but not as “cookie dough” as I would have liked. It was good, but I prefer the brownie.

Ugh, back to reading/writing/planning.

I am having a karaoke party Friday. Any suggestions for party foods would be appreciated.

For the first time evvvvverrr

I have two woah-worthy things to point out: (1) it is Monday, and (2) it is the end of July. What the hell world? I woke up this morning upset about all the things I did not accomplish this summer. I start school in three weeks. With an alarm set at 7:15, I woke up at 6:30 and rolled around in distress. Then I had this ah-ha moment. Essentially, Oprah came to me (and Gale was there too) and said, “Girl! Stop being so emo!” And then Kathy Griffin came in and said, “For the first time evvvverrrr (in her best Oprah voice) this summer, Ashley will get off her emo ass.” So, I rode my bike and did some thinking. My bike-thinking led to this new concept “Yeah you wasted most of your summer, but you can stop this suck fest now.”

Hold the phone. Did anyone see Salt? It was surprisingly good. If you have a Angelina Jolie running-around-in-a-tight-outfit-and-kicking-ass fetish, like I do, go see it. If I were Brad Pitt, I would have her dress up in leather and run around the house kicking shit. I think I should be thanking her for my intense get-yo-shit-together attitude this morning.

Back to me. Right now I am sitting at Starbucks drinking an iced coffee and eating a Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal (with nuts and brown sugar) and an apple I brought from home. Okay, hold the phone again. I like the Perfect Oatmeal and I get it a lot, but they need to go easy on how much water they add. I always end up draining it into the trashcan. Don’t even get me started on their posters that promote colonialism and oppression. Focus Ashley!

This week is huge: Lars and I move into our new apartment. My week is stressful, but what is most stressful is that this week’s plan could totally change.

Monday-Tuesday: I have to pack my entire apartment. I haven’t even started. I am the best packer, though. You know hoarders? I’m like the anti-hoarder. I will not hesitate to throw things away before a move. I hate moving, so I try to make it the smallest amount possible. I also have to say good bye to everyone. It will be a bittersweet couple of days.

Wednesday: My parents come to Ohio to help me buy a a kitchen cart from IKEA and move out.

Thursday-Friday: A bunch of PhD/teaching/life planning.

Saturday: I help Lars move his apartment into a moving van.

Sunday: We move in.

We know we get to move in August 1st, but we may be able to move in earlier (which would make our lives easier). But, the guys who currently live there will not text the landlord back with their move out date. They don’t even live there, really. Further, one of them started changing his pants right in front of me when I was touring the house. Double further, the only food they had was 5 boxes of instant mashed potatoes and un-refrigerated, yet open jars of pickles and jam. Obviously, they are single.

Okay, I have to catch up on some blogs and give Duke Energy a call. I hate phone calls, don’t you?

What kind of random thoughts are you having this morning.

Wine that can make an emo smile…

What up party people? My day has been relatively exciting considering how emo and anti-social I’ve been this summer. I’m like the Daria of food blogging, which I don’t mind. Man, that show should still be on. And, Veronica Mars. And, Party Down. And, Dead Like Me. And, Freaks and Geeks. Focus, Ashley.

Okay, so my mother and I met my father at Patachou. This place is baller. Can a place have the best fruit cup in Indy? Because, they do. It always has more then one piece of pineapple. It was refreshing after my hot Tomato and Artichoke soup. This fruit cup almost replaced the Graveyard of Lost yet Good Television shows that currently takes up most of my mind.

My mother and I spent the afternoon “bonding,” which was demanded by my father (random, right?). My mother and I hit up Crate and Barrel and this wine shop in the mall. Look at my drinking finds!

First, I found this wine called Writer’s Block. I mean, come on! Isn’t this just perfect for a PhD student in English? I almost peed myself in the store. I mean look…writer’s block? That is hilarious. Just the sight of it melts my emo exterior. I may actually smile soon.

I also bought a mini wine glass. I don’t know why I need this, but I wanted it.

Afterwards, I headed to Starbucks with a cookie my mom bought me from the local bakery. It is a butter cream cookie, but I call it “I’m a mother f**king sweet cookie!” cookie. It sort of made my teeth hurt, “but that’s alright, because I like the way it hurts.”

Well, back to skyping with Lars about our new apartment.

Hello!

Good morning. I’m drinking an orange mango smoothie from Starbucks like it is my job. I’m doing so while watching teenage angst via Pretty Little Liars. The internet in my apartment is broke, so I threw on a scarf and ran towards the free wifi. I’m about to drive to my parents house, but I thought I’d drop in and say “hello” before I cross state borders.

Check out my new blog post from thriftshoppin.com.

Homeless Robot

I was supposed to drive back to Ohio today, but I never really left. I wasn’t in the mood to drive. I was in the mood for tomato roasting and reading. I miss staying in place. Two more weeks until I officially “settle.” I head to Ohio tomorrow for packing/socializing. Then, I have to go stay at my parents’ house while my roommate takes her master’s exam. I need a home.

Starbucks is my home for now. I went there to take a break from oven babysitting (I was roasting tomatoes for 6 hours; keep reading). I brought along an apple and Hannah’s dark chocolate. I read my book about virginity outside (today’s topic: The Virgin Mary) and sipped on an iced coffee. I mostly eavesdropped on the conversation next to me. It was two women police officers complaining about male officers. I hope they get the respect they deserve soon; they seemed like some cool ladies.

Also, the barista gave me a compliment on my Flava Flav Robot chain. Thank you. Its limbs move. It’s a dancing robot.

Let’s travel back in time, Flava Flav Robot. Around 10 AM I started roasting tomatoes. I used a recipe from Cooking Light for Aromatic Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. I used roma tomatoes instead of plum, but it worked out just fine. We took them out of the oven a little earlier than planned, but we thought they were roasted enough. When we roast…we roast!

We mixed this into our recently-purchased sweet basil whole wheat pasta from Decatur, IL (home of that guy that tried to kiss me during the Fishers Freedom Festival when I was in 6th grade). We also mixed in toasted garlic, fresh basil, and shredded Parmesan. The roasted tomatoes had a nice sweetness to them that helped balance out the rustic pasta.

After dinner, I took Lars out for gelato. Lars ordered swiss chocolate and I ordered creme brulee. Mine tasted fantastic, of course.

Good until the last drop.

Well, I’m off to load my iPod with podcasts for my three hour drive tomorrow morning. Two more weeks…two more weeks…two more weeks.

What is the best gelato you’ve ever had?

Cleaning-Inspired Cooking

I was so out of it today, again. Then I realized I have been out of it this entire summer, because I haven’t been drinking my morning coffee. Hm, good to know.

For lunch I kept it simple. I sautéed one sliced chicken sausage link in olive oil. It was a delicious Spinach, Fontina, and Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s. I ate it alongside the Mediterranean CousCous from the Schwann’s man. It was a light, yet filling lunch.

After being all emo for half the day, I finally had coffee. I made half a package of the Starbucks Via Iced. I got a new cup! Well, Carrie from TV and Dinners bought it first, but I loved it too much. I spotted it at Target! Carrie has great cup-taste!

I am moving in early August and I have the daunting task of using all the food in my fridge and cabinets before then. I have a lot of flour and oats, so I made some delicious oatmeal cookies!

I used a great recipe from Whole Grain Gourmet for Healthy Oatmeal Cookies. The recipe uses honey instead of sugar, and molasses. If you like molasses, you will love these. They are darker than the average oatmeal cookie because of the molasses. She also recommended (and I didn’t notice until later) adding more oats. It is your call. I added 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. They are not overpoweringly sweet. I like them!

Oh, and she had a great tip. Spray the measuring cup before you pour the honey, so that the honey pours out of it more easily.

For dinner, I climbed around the cupboards again.

I found a huge 28 oz can of whole tomatoes. Among the many things Andy Warhol and I have in common, the biggest thing is our love for tomato soup. I’ve always bought canned soup, but never again. After researching recipes online and seeing how easy it was, I decided to just make-up my own recipe. I was mostly inspired by Cooking Light. The soup was very good for the first time. I will play around with it more to perfect it.

Tomato and Basil Soup

• 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup of organic free range chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh copped basil
• a sprinkling of dry basil (I was worried I wouldn’t have enough basil)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil

I opened the can and stabbed the crap out of the tomatoes and put it aside. I sautéed the minced garlic in the olive oil for about 30 seconds on medium heat. I then added the tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and dried basil and brought it to a boil. I reduced the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 20 minutes. Then I mixed in the fresh basil. I put the mixture into the blinder and pureed it until smooth. Then it was ready.

I served it with an adaptation of my mother’s easy bread stick recipe.

Whole Wheat Breads Sticks

• 1/2 package of Trader Joe’s Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• butter
• garlic powder or salt
• grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425. I rolled out the dough into a circle (as if I was about to make pizza) after I let it do it’s rising/whatever thing (while I worked on the soup).  I baked it for 10 minutes. I immediately but the baked dough on a baking rack. I microwaved some butter for about 30 seconds, and then stirred in some garlic powder. I brushed it onto the dough (while it was still hot). I then immediately sprinkled the grated Parmesan on to the bread. After it cooled, I sliced it into strips.

Yum, yum. What a day of kitchen adventures. I’m actually having fun cleaning out my kitchen before the move. It is surprisingly inpsiring!

I have a date with the Lifetime movie My Stepson, My Lover starring Rachel Ward. You don’t know who Rachel Ward is? Um, The Thorn Birds: only the best mini-series ever!

Do you have any entertainment-related (music, movies, tv, etc.) guilty pleasures?

Has anyone been watching Top Chef?

1. I hate that one girl that tried to get school children drunk. She has a face I’d like to punch.

2. Stop complaining Top Chef contestants! My Top Chef would know how to make a damn pie! The punch-face girl (see #1) was like “I hope it is okay for not being a pastry chef” and the guest judge said “So what? My grandma isn’t a pastry chef and she knows how to make a pie.” Snap!

Tapa-tastic

Yet again, I’m rushing out the door to drive. I am so sick of long drives, but this time I am not leaving until I download some new podcasts!

Today I set some time aside to read and have a snack. I went to Starbucks and purchased a peeled mango snack pack and a grande non-fat iced latte. I read and listened to some woman talk about how awesome her garden rocks and her jealous neighbors. Easy lady.

I made my mom go to Panera with me for lunch. I ordered the very summery Strawberry, Chicken, and Poppyseed salad. Along with the obvious ingredients, it had pecans, blueberries, pineapple, and mandarin oranges. I ate half and packed away my side apple for another day.

My mom still buys me books for good grades, so I bought The Book of Tapas cookbook. It was expensive.

Cashier: That will be 39 dollars.

Mom: What?

Ashley: Shoot did I read the wrong price, like the price of another country. If so, I want to move to that country.

Mom: Just get it, but make me some tapas…whatever that is!

This book is definitely high brow, so hopefully this beginner cook can execute the recipes and afford the ingredients.

I am hungry, so I’ve packed some snacks for the road. What is your favorite road trip food?

I’ll catch up on blogging when I get into Ohio. Warning: I will be drinking wine while doing so!

A Sweet and Savory Change of Plans

I am so out of it this morning. I was going to make smoothies, but Lars told me not to wake his roommate. So, I’m having an Italian-inspired egg scramble with honey on a corn muffin. Then, I’ll have a smoothie for lunch. Ahhh, everything is out of place!

My Italian-inpsired Egg Scramble consisted of:

• 1 Trader Joe’s Garlic Chicken Sausage Link (leftover from pasta last night)
• garlic clove minced
• a made-up amount of Egg Beaters
• fresh basil
• part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

I also enjoyed my breakfast with half a package of prepared Iced Via Coffee.  Wait until lunch Miss Cup, you will be filled with smoothie goodness.

I was thinking bloggers. Do you have a pottery-painting place where you live? It would be fun to do a pottery exchange. You know, I paint something and you paint something, and then we exchange via mail. And, pottery places have a lot of kitchen-oriented pottery items. Hmm, I have random thoughts in the morning.

Also, it is July. Huh? This summer needs to slow down. But, it is here and we might as well learn something new. For the history of July check out this blog post on dictionary.com.

After lunch I’m heading to my parents’ house to ride my bike! It is stuck there until I officially move. Boo. I miss it. All I do is think about the places I can bike to. Then, I’m heading back to Ohio to finish my thesis, do some packing, and get things in order.

What is your favorite SAVORY breakfast dish?

Muffins on Muffins

Muffins on Muffins is general “Prep” slang for Arguing over the same general principle, agreeing, and not realizing your both on the same side of the argument. It was created in early 2005, and spread wildly through the east coast of the United States. It was mostly used by people tripping on acid at Techno gigs, who were arguing over pseudo-politics. People who were also on “A” would call the two participating, “Arguing about Muffins on Muffins” -urbandictionary.com

What up, what up!

This morning I slept in again, but I did spend the weekend sleeping on an uncomfortable leather couch. It was like being in the frats all over again. I think I am just catching up on a lot of lost sleep. Listen to your body, folks!

For breakfast I got one of those Starbucks’ Vivanno Smoothies in Orange Mango. I think this is my favorite flavor there.

I went to another farmers market in town. It was a row of 5 tents. What? What? So, I left. I think I need to go on Saturday.

I went home and ate a mini bite of my ooey gooey brownies. Still ooey gooey, still awesome.

The brownie reminded me of my mad baking skillz (note the z) and I decided to bake again. It was a mix, but it was delicious. I decided to make muffins. These are not flavorful enough to eat on their own, but these pair well with jam and honey. I might add ham and cheese next time to make these savory! I think this mix would be great for some corn muffin experimentation. I also made sure to spray the muffin cups so that the muffins just rolled out.

For lunch I ate one corn muffin with Amish triple-berry jam and another with honey. I also cut up some fresh strawberries.

Lars and I are finishing up a documentary titled Inside Deep Throat. Yes, it is about a porn, but it is actually very interesting and funny. I always think it’s hilarious when the elderly talk about their days of sexual exploration. Then Lars and I plan on kicking the soccer ball around. I insist on playing 1 v 1, but he thinks it is unfair. I reminded him that I play his video games. So, I win. Then this evening, Lars and I have a double date with one of my new colleagues!

What if your favorite type of muffin? I love any muffins with cinnamon and fruit!

AHHHH! Speed Post

Hey friends. I wanted to blog real quick about my afternoon/evening/night yesterday. I have had such a busy weekend helping my family send off my brother. I have so much blog reading to catch up on. I look forward to reading your blogs this evening! Love doing it, though!

For lunch I was excited to use my gluten-free pizza crust I got from the Farmers Market. It was delicious. It was rustic and crunchy. Yum. I wanted to give a shout-out to the creators of this awesome pizza crust: The Measuring Cup Gluten-Free Bake Shop. If you are in the Indy area, check it out.

I topped the pizza with Trader Joe’s pizza sauce (a decent buy), mozzarella, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil. So good!

In the afternoon I wanted some alone time, so I went to Starbucks to read. I got a grande iced coffee and snacked on some fresh mango. 

For dinner we went to a local burger joint called Bub’s. I decided to try the Elk burger. I was nervous so I had a beer and covered the burger with lots of mustard and ketchup. I wasn’t a fan, but I’m also afraid I should have asked for it to be more done. I only ate 1/2.

When I got home I made myself a snack plate with fresh mango slices and one of my cut-out cookies.

Well I need to workout and make breakfast for my family Ahh! So much to do. Talk to y’all later! Have a great Sunday!