Would you wear tights with butt cheek cut-outs?

I am back from Ann Arbor and I don’t have much food reporting. I ate the “free” conference food, which was good, but not exciting. My group’s workshop went well and a lot of people showed up (especially for being the first time slot on the first day). I am still trying to work through my issues with public speaking. It ain’t easy. More practice when I present at Clemson University next week, I guess.

I do want to say that Ann Arbor is a great city and the hipster capital of Michigan. These people were the wackiest hipster dressers I have ever come in contact with in the Midwest. They even had an American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. Did you know AA sold assless tights? Please comment and explain their function.

Back to food. Ann Arbor had a great little cupcake shop my friends and I stopped at before heading back to Indiana: The Cupcake Station. Lame name, good cake. I picked up six mini cupcakes to share with Lars when I arrived home.

Top row, from left: Vanilla Latte, Salted Caramel Chocolate, Vegan Strawberry.

Bottom row, from left: Drumstick, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Cookies and Cream.

These cupcakes were great. Lars’s favorite was the Vegan Strawberry, which was a surprise (he is a chocolate and vanilla lover). My favorite was the Vanilla Latte hands down. I also loved the creativity of the Drumstick cupcake. You know, the ice cream cone in the frozen aisle. It’s marshmallow icing was creamy and awesome.

Before I go an emergency cupcake run…onto healthier treats. I felt like baking today, so I did. I do what I want, folks.  These recipes were from Cooking Light. For dinner I wanted quiche. I revisited a recipe from before, but added sausage. Thus: Turkey Sausage, Smoked Gouda, Spinach, and Green Onion Quiche. It was easy, but you might have to cook it longer than the recipe suggests. I also took a shortcut and used frozen crust instead of making it. I served it with sliced apples and carrots.

The breakfast extravaganza continues! I made Lemon-Scented Olive Oil Muffins. I love olive oil cake, so I was excited about trying this healthier muffin version. The muffin itself has a subtle lemon taste, but the accompanying glaze is a lemon punch to your face. Lars had two, so that means they were good. Note: I only baked them for 15 minutes, instead of 25.

These muffins are easy and delicious. I could have had more of an olive oil taste, but then it wouldn’t be Cooking Light, but rather Cooking Oily. 

Thanks for your kind words about my tooth. It still hurts, but hopefully I’ll figure it out soon. Well I have a date with my television. Hope you had a great weekend.

Turkey Tears

Today was one of those days.

I know I should be like, “Hell yeah, Scotland!” But, I am very broke. Grad students aren’t really rolling in the Benjamins, or whatever. I also have two conferences next week, which cost money. So, anyway. I was trying to pay for a hotel online today, my credit card wouldn’t work, and I started crying. I’m on my period, too. I am a woman and all.

Anyway, it ended well. I paid for a hotel at Clemson University for a conference and one night at a Bed and Breakfast in Edinburgh.  I am studying abroad in Dundee, Scotland, but since I’m arriving  a whole day early, I thought I’d spend it at a Scottish Bed and Breakfast in the city of Edinburgh and really live it up. It only cost 40 pounds for 1 night. I thought that was a bargain. The guest house is called Aonach Mor and its deep in the city, so score.  I rock. I am a woman and all.

I’m writing this after two glasses of wine.

Anyway, Lars and I cooked, which is the purpose of this blog and all; turkey burgers and roasted red potatoes. It is hard to find a good turkey burger recipe, and I think condiments are especially important in turkey burger building. I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Quick-and-Easy Turkey Burgers. The recipe uses teriyaki sauce and cajun seasoning so it’s pretty flavorful and it was surprisingly juicy. We put it between two slices of the Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Sourdough. I topped mine with Trader Joe’s Gouda Cheese (I know, so much TJ lately). To roast the red potatoes, I just covered them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I ate all this with boxed wine (see crying above).

And all, I’m glad to be back and I’m trying to be a good blogger. Sorry if I don’t respond quickly to emails or posts. And I LOVE READING YOUR BLOGS, but I may not be able to read them as much as I want. That saddens me. So, just know I’m trying. And thanks for your patience. You all rock. I toast to you.

Good night!

Wah, wah.

I have been a bad blogger lately, but I plan on catching up tonight. I haven’t had the best time recently, so I’m taking a little “me” time (here and there). I drove to Lars’s today and was welcomed with a turkey burger (on an onion bun; holler!) and sweet potato fries. What a great lunch!

Not the best photo, but a very good turkey burger.

I’ll be back soon, in a better mood, and ready to blog. Hope your days are going well!

Alcohol and Eating

Hey-OH! I promise a baking- and cooking-filled post tonight! For now, though…lunch.

For lunch I wanted bread. I went to Einstein’s Bagels and got turkey on the Honey Whole Wheat bagel with a pickle. I love pickles. Holler! I also got an iced coffee at the coffee shop. I ate this while I worked.

With all this talk about eating and alcohol (last post), I wanted to get your thoughts on “drunkorexia.” A 2008 article in the Seattle Times explains throughly this disorder (although it is not officially a medical term):

Among those who are described as drunkorexics are college-age binge drinkers, typically women, who starve all day to offset the calories in the alcohol they consume. The term is also associated with serious eating disorders, particularly bulimia, which often involve behavior like binging on food — and alcohol — and then purging. (Source: “The dangerous mix of eating disorders and alcohol”)

This is spreading at the college campus I will soon be leaving, and I have seen these behaviors with girls during my undergraduate. You may have already heard about this, but I wanted to start a discussion to hear your thoughts. Feel free to check out the article (via the link) I referenced above.

You smell like…Subway?

I loved hearing everyone’s pet peeves. I am a big believer in having a healthy outlet to vent once in a while. I may do it on this blog sometimes, but I’ll keep it positive as much as possible. I am notorious for allowing issues to build up inside. I remember a month ago when I was extremely stressed about thesis writing and was at our local (only) coffee shop. This girl had the loudest, most obnoxious laugh. Finally I slammed my hands down on the tabletop and said aloud, “Does she really have to do that!” The guy sitting next to me lost it, because he was obviously frustrated with whatever noise that was coming out of her mouth. I’m glad someone found humor in my mental breakdown!

That lady came into the coffee shop today. She didn’t do anything out of the ordinary…for her. She did ask to sit at this woman’s table, when there were obviously a lot of open tables. I dread the day when she asks to sit at my table; I may just point out all her options. Politely, of course.

I hit major writer’s block, so I decided to take a lunch break. I headed to Lenny’s Sub Shop and bought a regular turkey sub with just lettuce, oregano, and yellow mustard. I don’t know what my deal is with simple submarines, but that is what I’m used to. There was a Subway closer, but I decided on this place because (a) it is a nice day to walk and (b) when you go to Subway, you leave smelling like Subway. It is true! Their bread smell sticks to you. No joke. Are you feeling me on this? Anyway, I ate half the sub immediately, but I may save the other half later for a snack.

I was planning to stay at the coffee shop until dinner, but I have to go there after dinner…so I thought I would go crazy with that much coffee shop time. Plus, I can get gelato for dessert when I go back. Unfortunately, they are not serving their tiramisu gelato today. I ask them about it each time I go. The customer is always right.

In other news, the premiere of Kathy Griffin’s Life on the D-List is tonight. I like her because she is as obsessed as I am with celebrity gossip. Lars doesn’t have cable, which is almost a deal breaker for me. Who is your favorite comedian?

I close with a Kathy Griffin clip. This was on Jimmy Kimmel Live; she was making fun of Jon & Kate Plus 8.

Random Dinner

Lars and I had a random, international dinner tonight. We started off with some crepes made from scratch. Go Lars!

I filled mine with Nutella and pecans, and topped it with raspberries, blackberries, and powdered sugar. It was a small crepe, so I moved on to the second course: Taco Dip made from leftover blue chips, seasoned ground turkey, and green salsa. Lars and I ate this while watching the latest episode of Party Down and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy outtakes.

What is the most random dinner you’ve ever had?

Thanks for the interesting comments to my last post. What an enlightening discussion!

Birthday Fiesta

Hey friends. Thanks again for all the happy birthdays and get wells. I love this community!

Lars and I decided to stay in all day/night and watch Mad Men, because I am still under the weather. For dinner we decided to clean out Lars’s fridge. We made taco salads with salsa, ground turkey, blue chips, lettuce, and avocado.  I think the only thing we were missing were tomatoes. No complaints here, though. I’m having derby pie as my birthday cake. I only ate half this salad; so big!

We used some seasoning for the turkey I got from a trip to Arizona.

Although I am sick, I wanted wine. So I had a glass.

According to the back of the bottle, this wine is in memory of Rex-Goliath–world’s largest rooster. It tasted fruity.

Although my birthday wasn’t exciting, it did have its highlights: a new apron, derby pie, an awesome scone, Mad Men, new haircut, etc.

Oh, I wanted to pass this site along to you all: Jessie Steele

This site has great aprons (this is where Lars bought my stuff), and one of the aprons even appeared in the new Sex in the City movie.

Chicken Soup for the Foodie Soul

Hey!

I have been gone all day because I was (a) shopping for a new bike, (b) packing, and (c) driving back to my apartment. Before bike shopping, my father and brother went with me to McAlister’s Deli. Another day, another sandwich. I got turkey, yellow mustard, lettuce, and swiss on rye. It was just what I needed. I ate half of the pickle and half of my apple sauce.

Later on, before hitting the road, I had two pieces of my Cinnamon Spiral Cookies. For some reason, small cookies are dangerous and addicting.

As I mentioned in the last post, I have a sore throat. For dinner I decided to have some Chicken Noodle Soup and tea.

I found this soup in the cupboard: Operation Clean Out the Kitchen Before the Move! I decided I needed more veggies in my life. So, I got some fresh green beans, cut off their ends, added some seasoning (olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper), and roasted them in the oven.

No! They are not burnt! I love them slightly crispy. Yum . They were not as good as Lars’s mother’s, but I will soon steal that recipe…and they will be mine! Muahhaha. This dinner was the perfect pick-me-up for such a blah day. Have you ever had a blah day? Nothing went wrong, it was just LAME. Everything was LAME.

Tonight, I will relax and sleep off this sickness. Tomorrow is a new day. I am going to do something fun! I think some Lifetime Movies are in order!

Have you ever watched a Lifetime Movie? Do you have a favorite? Am I pathetic for liking them? They are too funny to hate them!

I recommend: Friends Til the End, Co-ed Call Girl, and She’s Too Young.

I must be emo.

Just FYI. My blogger friends using the site Blogger: I have not been able to comment today on Blogger sites (the service keeps getting interrupted). I’ll show ya some love as soon as it is fixed.

I don’t know what my deal is today.

I took a 30-minute walk. (Okay, this may not really be a workout, but I am a beginner. Well, not really…but I haven’t done it in awhile. I got a lot of thinking done though!) I felt great until I got home; I was very dizzy. I wasn’t really tired, so I don’t know what it was. I thought maybe my blood sugar was low or something, so I grabbed the nearest granola bar. Now, I don’t usually eat these, but I’m not at my house. So, don’t judge. I WAS DYING.

I drank a lot of water and hit the showers. I decided to have an early lunch because I was starving (and still dizzy). I had the other half of my sandwich from the deli adventure with Lars and one pretzel. I took some of the meat off so it could fit in my mouth. I felt much better once my stomach was full.

I went to Starbucks to work on my thesis revisions. I brought an apple and a Trader Joe’s 100-Calorie Dark Chocolate Bar to accompany my grande no-fat iced latte (still haven’t started the apple).

I set up my study station, turned on my computer, and SHABAM…nothing. I had no desire, no motivation. and no idea how to start my work. I stared at a blank screen for 10 minutes, then packed everything up, and left. What the heck! I have been trying to start my schoolwork early, because this writer’s block happens often. Thus, I’m not going to push myself today, because I have more than enough time. Right? Well, whatever.

Sometimes I wish my schoolwork was as easy as blogging. For the rest of the day I will go shopping for an apron and a book. Then, I’m baking cookies (pictures to come). What do you do when you hit a roadblock with your work?

Boxcar Burgers

Did you ever read The Boxcar Children when you were little? They had to cook using the very little that they had. Well, welcome to Boxcar Burgers. Lars and I had to use my mother’s kitchen. My mother is a good cook, but did not have all the tools we needed to complete our burgers. We made this without a cutting board! BUT they were a success!

We used a recipe for Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Burgers from Eating Well magazine. I call them pizza burgers. We could not find Foccacia bread at Trader Joe’s or my local supermarket, so we had to settle for whole wheat buns. Also, my local grocery store did not have basil leaves. So meet Bazzle the basil plant.

That is right folks, I am now a farmer. Lars was in charge of the marinara  sauce (he used his own recipe instead of Eating Well’s) and I was in charge of the turkey burgers.

Ahh! One of them opened up during grilling!

When the turkey burgers were ready, we put them on a half-slice of the wheat bun, and then topped all that with the sauce.

The burger is under there somewhere.

The mozzarella (and basil) oozed out. Again, it tasted like a pizza. Yum.

Since I was serving a picky eater, I wanted to soften the blow with a glass of wine. By the way, she (my sister) loved the burger but prefers marinara sauce to have the consistency of ketchup.

This wine was…from Indiana. It was okay. It tasted better the more I drank, though .

Dear Indiana,

Stick to corn.

Love, Ashley

Overall, a great meal. Though when cleaning, the garbage disposal got leftovers all over my white shirt. Boo.