Warning: This post is about crappy stuff so I use a lot of bad words. I apologize in advance for my salty sailor mouthnanigans.
March has been a bunch of ugh.
Well, Februrary had some ugh, too.
January, a little bit.
That's going back far enough in the annals of ugh.
Sometimes there is not a better word to use to describe a general state of being or a general condition of current events. Ugh.
I just looked up a definition and it is supposed to be an expression used to convey disgust or horror. It's not like that for me. It's just like, come on. Period, no explanation mark at this point because I'm too tired but sometimes an explanation mark is warranted. Come the fuck on. Enough already with one thing after another.
I've been having this thing going on in my personal life that I... I think I can only describe it as the slowest ripping off of the Band-Aid in human history, heartbreak-ararily. There's no other way to put it. Do I wish I'd known two months ago to rip that motherfucker off and let the scabbing begin? Oh fuck yes, I really really really really really really do. We live, we learn, we have faith in and invest in people who don't deserve the faith or investment. So we learn from this shit, we grow, and so on and so forth. So I'm not at that "growth" part yet, I'm still totally on that scab part. And I keep looking at it. I mean, I was totally picking at it for a while, because I mean, this is so disgusting, but who among us can resist the urge to pick a little? Okay, the ones who raised their hands on that are also the same ones who go on a diet and stick to it or who don't drunk text their exes and they probably do their homework as soon as they get it instead of waiting until the last minute. And no zit popping, either. And to those folks I say, WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! No, you guys with some self-control and discipline are awesome and I hope to be like you a little bit when I grow up.
A friend I loved very much who was an extremely special part of my life passed away in February. And it was cancer and that wasn't supposed to happen. Because she was going to beat it. And my dad died from cancer four months before she did so you know, it really wasn't supposed to happen now. Not to me and to my mom who also loved this person, too, when we are still dealing with losing dad. What a bunch of fucking bullshit cancer is. Fuck cancer.
I find myself getting so sad and pissed off still that my dad is not here. That's all I can say about that right now without crying like a crybaby beyotch. If you've been there I don't have to tell you. It sucks ass.
My last ugh is having to deal with a couple few people who are just... annoying. In the scheme of things, no big deal. But on top of everything, I would like to tell them to shut the fuck up and fuck off and that goes for the horse they rode in as well. Which makes me sound mean about horses. But they are so cute and they have those big eyes so I would never be mean to them for real. But you know what I mean. People with whom you have to deal and you're just, fuck this person and shut the fuck up. Luckily, the majority of that issue is temporary so yay. I just thought I'd throw in that final ugh.
Oh, and hormones. That's all I'm going to say about that.
I just needed to get this out. If you've been dealing with a bunch of ugh hey! You're hella not alone. We're riding this ugh ship together!
Even in a post about ugh I have to say that I have way more good stuff than bad stuff in my life and for that, I'm ridiculously grateful. You guys already know because I have said it before. Best kid, mom, friends in the entire world. When you start there, you're pretty okay. Which I am, pretty okay. And going to get okay-er day by day.
Thanks for listening.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Ten Things I Loved In February (AKA Yet Another Post Idea I Copy From Tami)
Because it's what I do, I read my friend Tami's blog post yesterday, and I was like, this is a cool post, let me just totally COPY HER RIGHT NOW. I think in the blogging world we call it "being inspired" as opposed to "ripping off." It sounds ever so much more civilized. So Tams, as always, thanks for the inspiration.
Here is some stuff I was totally digging in Februrary:
Spotify: Because otherwise I'm not sure I would keep up with current music. It's so awesome to be like, "Oh hey, I like that one song, that 'Ho Hey' song, by the Lumineers, it's the shit!" And then you go to Spotify and listen to the whole album. Which is also the shit. So I have been digging them, Bruno Mars, P!nk, and Mumford and Sons, those people have been my main jams this month. Did you see Bruno Mars on the Grammys? He sang with Sting and KILLED IT. He's so adorable I can hardly stand it.
Starting another journey to shed extra el-bees: So I have done this about fifty billion times. I know. But this time feels different because my mom is on the journey WITH me. And I want to inspire her. She is the very best mom in the world and the only one I'm gonna get and I want nothing more than the both of us to be HEALTHIER. So that we can be even older and crotchier together than we already are. Also, as I've always known I should do, I have three little goals set: X number of pounds by a trip to Pebble Beach in April, another X by my birthday in June, and another X by my 25-year high school reunion (gasp) in July. As always, fitocracy.com and myfitnesspal.com are HUGE helps. Love, love, and love some more. And some more. You can follow me on fitocracy.com at IGotThis42. I haven't decided if when I turn 43 in June if I'll change my user name...
Taking a little road trip with my mom and the kid: They are my most favorite people in the world. We are three generations of silliness and nuttiness and we love each other a whole lot. I'm so lucky to have these two. So a little two night slumber part with them anywhere is always going to be a good time. I told mom if she lived with me it could be like this all the time and I think she looked at me like I'd lost my fucking mind.
Seeing some good friends and playing bocce for the first time: Yep, had a Saturday off work and lost my bocce virginity with some of my best besties at the new lovely fabulous crazy awesome house of one of those best besties. So much fun. Food, beer (we even sampled a chocolate, peanut butter, and banana ale, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?), bocce, and beyotches. It does not get much better than that. I'm as terrible at bocce as I am at bowling or anything else that would involve rolling a ball. That sounded dirty.
Reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on the Kindle with the baby: Loved this book as a kid, I was probably older than she was when I read it, and I'm so glad she is enjoying it. We have been seeing trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful and decided we would go see it when we came out, so I was like, we should read this so you know the source material. Except I'm sure I didn't use the phrase "source material," or maybe I did because I'm a dork. We're almost done and will be before the movie opens, so that is cool. I mentioned this on my Facebook page, too, but I did not remember some of the gory parts, like the Tin Woodman cutting off all his body parts or beheading all the wolves the Wicked Witch sent after him or the Scarecrow killing all the crows that she sent their way. The kid doesn't seem to mind and wolves are like her favorite animal right now. I explained they were bad guy wolves because they worked for the witch and she seemed cool with it.
Yes, Chef, A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson: This is what I'm reading on the Kindle right now and I'm digging it. And yes, I have a bunch of other open books on that thing but I might actually read this in a timely manner since I'm really enjoying it. And I thought I should throw in something I'm reading so I could look smarter.
Scramble With Friends: Slightly addicted. I used to play Scramble on Facebook but then they got rid of it and said, "Screw you, Jen, you can only play if you have a fancy phone." Which I will not have until March 21st (don't even get me started on that). Anyway, my mom has loaned me her Kindle Fire so now I can play with these "apps" all you cool people have been talking about. I even played Angry Birds for the first time ever. But yes, that Scramble With Friends? That's some good shit right there. Helps keep the noggin sharp, too.
Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia: I am l a z y. If you know me at all or read this blog at all you already know this. And that like, I never go to the grocery store, only to Trader Joe's and Target. I love fish, love it a lot. But I never want to buy it and cook it and worry about bones and junk, plus I'm only ever cooking for myself since there is a SHIT TON of stuff my kid swears she will try when she is "8 or 9." And I know, it's not that hard, and it's not like I haven't cooked fish or won't again sometime, but I'm just saying, I'm intimidated by it. So I found these at Target for $3.99 for a box of 5. You can cook them in the pan or in the oven for like 21 minutes and THEY ARE SO GOOD. Delicious. The other night I made myself a grown-up dinner with one of these and mashed potatoes (yes, instant, but they are made from real potatoes, mostly), and some spinach. And last night I made fish tacos. Really, really, really, really tasty. Low-investment/high-reward, baby. I'm all about it.
Competition cooking shows: Can't get enough of them. This month we had the finale of one of my favorite Top Chef seasons, a Chopped Tournament of Champions, the last episode of Rachael Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, and the beginning of Worst Cooks in America. I don't even like Rachael or Guy very much, but I sure love watching some D-list celebrities cook. And I fell in love with Tori Spelling's husband, Dean (!!), and I enjoyed Johnny Weir a bunch. Super fun. Worst Cooks will make you feel like a rock star in the kitchen, plus it is just fun. Chopped is always good and I have a fat chef crush on the Tournament of Champions winner. He has a ponytail and an English accent, hello. And Top Chef? If you love food and don't watch it the only thing I can say is, "Why?" It's the best, period, the end. So good.
The Oscars and my annual Oscar party with Mom: Such a tradition to watch the Oscars with my Mom. We have pretty much watched all of them together since as long as I can remember, with few exceptions. There was the Driving Miss Daisy year where I had a test at San Francisco State and I had to record them on my VCR and I rushed home and stayed up and watched them even though I had to go to work the next day because I didn't want to know anything about who won before I'd watched (what a tweak). Anyway, this year the kid actually watched with us (mostly) and marked a ballot. She got 12 right, Mom got 11, and I got 10 (what a loser). I was so happy that Argo won. I was totally pulling for it even though I haven't seen it but everyone says it is fabulous and I want to see it (but I'm pretty sure I saw nothing but cartoons last year [that Wreck-It Ralph lost to Brave was totally cartoondiculous] with the exception maybe of Ted, which was not nominated for best picture, but it was hella funny), and also George Clooney was one of the producers and we know how I feel about that guy. Yum.
What did you guys love in Februrary? I would love to hear about it!
Here is some stuff I was totally digging in Februrary:
Spotify: Because otherwise I'm not sure I would keep up with current music. It's so awesome to be like, "Oh hey, I like that one song, that 'Ho Hey' song, by the Lumineers, it's the shit!" And then you go to Spotify and listen to the whole album. Which is also the shit. So I have been digging them, Bruno Mars, P!nk, and Mumford and Sons, those people have been my main jams this month. Did you see Bruno Mars on the Grammys? He sang with Sting and KILLED IT. He's so adorable I can hardly stand it.
Killed it.
Photo credit: vH1
Taking a little road trip with my mom and the kid: They are my most favorite people in the world. We are three generations of silliness and nuttiness and we love each other a whole lot. I'm so lucky to have these two. So a little two night slumber part with them anywhere is always going to be a good time. I told mom if she lived with me it could be like this all the time and I think she looked at me like I'd lost my fucking mind.
Seeing some good friends and playing bocce for the first time: Yep, had a Saturday off work and lost my bocce virginity with some of my best besties at the new lovely fabulous crazy awesome house of one of those best besties. So much fun. Food, beer (we even sampled a chocolate, peanut butter, and banana ale, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?), bocce, and beyotches. It does not get much better than that. I'm as terrible at bocce as I am at bowling or anything else that would involve rolling a ball. That sounded dirty.
Voodoo Doughnut Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Ale. It was pretty tasty.
Reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on the Kindle with the baby: Loved this book as a kid, I was probably older than she was when I read it, and I'm so glad she is enjoying it. We have been seeing trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful and decided we would go see it when we came out, so I was like, we should read this so you know the source material. Except I'm sure I didn't use the phrase "source material," or maybe I did because I'm a dork. We're almost done and will be before the movie opens, so that is cool. I mentioned this on my Facebook page, too, but I did not remember some of the gory parts, like the Tin Woodman cutting off all his body parts or beheading all the wolves the Wicked Witch sent after him or the Scarecrow killing all the crows that she sent their way. The kid doesn't seem to mind and wolves are like her favorite animal right now. I explained they were bad guy wolves because they worked for the witch and she seemed cool with it.
The book I had as a kid looked exactly like this, except it was paperback
Photo credit: RareOzBooks.com
Yes, Chef, A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson: This is what I'm reading on the Kindle right now and I'm digging it. And yes, I have a bunch of other open books on that thing but I might actually read this in a timely manner since I'm really enjoying it. And I thought I should throw in something I'm reading so I could look smarter.
Photo credit: www.thehowardtheatre.com
Scramble With Friends: Slightly addicted. I used to play Scramble on Facebook but then they got rid of it and said, "Screw you, Jen, you can only play if you have a fancy phone." Which I will not have until March 21st (don't even get me started on that). Anyway, my mom has loaned me her Kindle Fire so now I can play with these "apps" all you cool people have been talking about. I even played Angry Birds for the first time ever. But yes, that Scramble With Friends? That's some good shit right there. Helps keep the noggin sharp, too.
Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia: I am l a z y. If you know me at all or read this blog at all you already know this. And that like, I never go to the grocery store, only to Trader Joe's and Target. I love fish, love it a lot. But I never want to buy it and cook it and worry about bones and junk, plus I'm only ever cooking for myself since there is a SHIT TON of stuff my kid swears she will try when she is "8 or 9." And I know, it's not that hard, and it's not like I haven't cooked fish or won't again sometime, but I'm just saying, I'm intimidated by it. So I found these at Target for $3.99 for a box of 5. You can cook them in the pan or in the oven for like 21 minutes and THEY ARE SO GOOD. Delicious. The other night I made myself a grown-up dinner with one of these and mashed potatoes (yes, instant, but they are made from real potatoes, mostly), and some spinach. And last night I made fish tacos. Really, really, really, really tasty. Low-investment/high-reward, baby. I'm all about it.
Photo credit: www.dispatch.com
Competition cooking shows: Can't get enough of them. This month we had the finale of one of my favorite Top Chef seasons, a Chopped Tournament of Champions, the last episode of Rachael Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, and the beginning of Worst Cooks in America. I don't even like Rachael or Guy very much, but I sure love watching some D-list celebrities cook. And I fell in love with Tori Spelling's husband, Dean (!!), and I enjoyed Johnny Weir a bunch. Super fun. Worst Cooks will make you feel like a rock star in the kitchen, plus it is just fun. Chopped is always good and I have a fat chef crush on the Tournament of Champions winner. He has a ponytail and an English accent, hello. And Top Chef? If you love food and don't watch it the only thing I can say is, "Why?" It's the best, period, the end. So good.
Jun Tanaka, Chopped Champions winner
The Oscars and my annual Oscar party with Mom: Such a tradition to watch the Oscars with my Mom. We have pretty much watched all of them together since as long as I can remember, with few exceptions. There was the Driving Miss Daisy year where I had a test at San Francisco State and I had to record them on my VCR and I rushed home and stayed up and watched them even though I had to go to work the next day because I didn't want to know anything about who won before I'd watched (what a tweak). Anyway, this year the kid actually watched with us (mostly) and marked a ballot. She got 12 right, Mom got 11, and I got 10 (what a loser). I was so happy that Argo won. I was totally pulling for it even though I haven't seen it but everyone says it is fabulous and I want to see it (but I'm pretty sure I saw nothing but cartoons last year [that Wreck-It Ralph lost to Brave was totally cartoondiculous] with the exception maybe of Ted, which was not nominated for best picture, but it was hella funny), and also George Clooney was one of the producers and we know how I feel about that guy. Yum.
The Argo producers with JACK NICHOLSON, I was so stoked to see him, for years he was Mr. Front Row at the Oscars. Photo credit: www.telegraph.co.uk
What did you guys love in Februrary? I would love to hear about it!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
My Week in Six Easy Parts, AKA The Post Where I Copy Tami's Saturday Senses
I love to copy be inspired by my girl Tami over at Teacher Goes Back To School. Because I love her, personally, and she's awesome, and she's always making me want to write because she is so good about doing it all the time. Meanwhile I'm over here and hella flipping lazy as all get out so I like, never do. But thanks to Tami, I'm going to write something.
She does a Saturday Senses post every week, and she was inspired to do that by Pink of Perfection's Five Sense Friday. One person inspires another and that person inspires another and so on and so forth. See how that works? That's like life and shit, right? Awesome.
So here's my week, sorta, in six easy parts.
Tasting: The sauce I made last night for my lasagna or lasagne that I'm bringing to my brother's house tonight for my sister-in-law's belated birthday dinner. It was off the chain. Basically sorta like the recipe I posted before, except, well, totally different. Same sausage, TJ's three cheese sauce, tablespoon of garlic powder, couple of teaspoons of red pepper flakes, 3 anchovy fillets (chopped up super tiny, they melt into the sauce), couple of teaspoons of capers, oh, and like a cup of Trader Joe's marinara. Probably needed even a tiny bit more sauce but it worked. It was SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. (FYI, for cheese I used like 2 ounces of TJ's Celtic Lite Cheddar and I think 2.25 ounces of TJ's goat Gouda [because I LOVE THAT STUFF]. And I drank Pacifico while making it.)
Hearing: The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. My gay boyfriend Ted Allen was just on there. I love that guy. I love that for some reason our cable at work changed and now instead of like 6 channels we get 7 or 8 and one of them is Food Network.
She does a Saturday Senses post every week, and she was inspired to do that by Pink of Perfection's Five Sense Friday. One person inspires another and that person inspires another and so on and so forth. See how that works? That's like life and shit, right? Awesome.
So here's my week, sorta, in six easy parts.
Tasting: The sauce I made last night for my lasagna or lasagne that I'm bringing to my brother's house tonight for my sister-in-law's belated birthday dinner. It was off the chain. Basically sorta like the recipe I posted before, except, well, totally different. Same sausage, TJ's three cheese sauce, tablespoon of garlic powder, couple of teaspoons of red pepper flakes, 3 anchovy fillets (chopped up super tiny, they melt into the sauce), couple of teaspoons of capers, oh, and like a cup of Trader Joe's marinara. Probably needed even a tiny bit more sauce but it worked. It was SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. (FYI, for cheese I used like 2 ounces of TJ's Celtic Lite Cheddar and I think 2.25 ounces of TJ's goat Gouda [because I LOVE THAT STUFF]. And I drank Pacifico while making it.)
Hoping my lasagna will look something like this tonight. Yum.
Hearing: The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. My gay boyfriend Ted Allen was just on there. I love that guy. I love that for some reason our cable at work changed and now instead of like 6 channels we get 7 or 8 and one of them is Food Network.
One of my gay boyfriends, Ted Allen
Smelling: Coffee. I love the smell and it's such an essential start to my day. I'm always like, I should totally switch to green tea. And then I'm like, no. Because it doesn't taste like coffee.
Seeing: Someone I hadn't seen in a while and realizing they are even more handsome than I remember especially when they haven't shaved.
Feeling: As Fergie sings in "Big Girls Don't Cry," clarity, peace, and serenity. Because I spent some time with myself and centered. Just like in the song. And made the realization that the right decisions aren't the easy or fun ones all the time but there is peace in making those decisions.
Wishing/hoping: That the next few weeks are not as rough as the past few weeks have been and that some things that are up in the air turn out my way. Because I'm selfish like that. No, seriously, I hope for some resolve and closure and more peace that will come with that. And I also hope that I have a great time on a little road trip with my mom and baby next week and that they don't drive me completely nuts because they think I'M the crazy one but we all know they are like two adorable slices of crazy bread and I'm the sane filling. I know. Scary thought, right? Seriously, I don't really need to hope I have a great time because I always do with those two.
What up n YOUR world this morning, what are the hip haps, what's the 4-1-1? This week? This month? I'd love to hear about whatever you'd like to share.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Bomb A#$ Meatloaf
Okay, here's the first thing you should know, I'm not even a meatloaf eater. Like, I can remember my dad making it and it was like okay, meatloaf sammie and some mashed potatoes and since it was me, I probably put the mashed potatoes into the sandwich because that's how I do, yo. And of course add some mayo and sure, who wouldn't eat that? But I never am like, oh damn. I wish I had some meatloaf. And I haven't eaten red meat on purpose since 1995 (except for certain loophole times but that is another story) on account of seeing Babe and not wanting to eat anything that talked in that movie. So if I go to a restaurant it's not like I'd order it because it's not gonna be turkey meatloaf.
I do, however LOVE ground meat. Like a turkey burger? Fuggedaboutit, I'm all over it. And there is this recipe my girl Nessy Poo makes calls Thundersticks™, a spin-off of one of her friend's family's recipes. You can read about them here and you need to because a) it's part of my meatloaf story and b) they're ridiculously delicious and will possibly change your life. So I think I was probably fantasizing about Thundersticks™, as I've been known to do a lot, and wondered what a Thundersticks™-flavored meatloaf would be like.
So I sorta took that recipe and this recipe I found on Food.com for turkey meatloaf and went to town. And the reason I'm sharing this with you guys is because after I made it and had some I was like, okay, this is pretty good, but I think I'm just not a meatloaf fan. And then the next day I heated some up and had a sandwich and I was like holy heck, this s#$t is the bomb! This is bomb a#$ meatloaf! Hence, the name.
This was pretty much my recipe, and I say pretty much because if you guys ever read any of my recipes you know I don't like measuring and stuff that much, for one thing, and also I made this like 3 weeks ago so I'm trying to remember how I did it as I go.
Bomb A#$$ Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb or so of ground turkey
grated onion, maybe half a cup? (I totally should have written this s#$t down.)
chopped onion, maybe a quarter cup or so, just because wanted some more texture on top of the grated onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, I grated mine
1 egg or 1/4 cup of egg substitute (which is what I used)
3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided (I think I used one I got from Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ, the hot one, because I like a little kick. Also, most recipes call for ketchup but a) I didn't have any and b) I'm not a big ketchup fan, anyway, but I LOVE barbecue sauce!!!)
1/2 cup Soy Vay, or I think I used the Trader Joe's version, Soyaki, because it's what I had
Worcestershire sauce... I shook a little in there... a teaspoon or a little more, maybe? (Again, should have written this down immediately after I made it.)
2-3 tablespoons of Sriracha (If you're not a big fan of spicy, then go easy, but I love it spicy.)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (I just crumbled up some sliced sourdough because it's what I had.)
A couple of notes: I did not wind up using salt and I found it didn't really need it. Nessy Poo's Thundersticks™ have cilantro, and I LOVE cilantro, I just didn't have any (do you guys see how if I decide to make something I'm not gonna get off my as$% and get in the car and drive to the store to go get it?). But I'm sure it would have been delish in this, too.
Anyway, I didn't even cook my onions first. Probably because I'm lazy but also because I didn't think I needed to. Oh, preheat your oven to 350 (I just said it like "three-fiddy" in my head because of that episode of South Park with the Loch Ness Monster story). Mix all this stuff together, but use about half of the barbecue sauce.
Spray a cookie sheet with some cooking spray (or it might work if you put some foil down, I'm not a professional so I don't know how that effects cooking time and stuff, but it would make for a less messy pan), or use a fancy meatloaf pan if you have one, but I don't so I used a cookie sheet.
Put the mixture into the middle of the cookie sheet and form it into a loaf. Spread the rest of the barbecue sauce on top. NOTE: I made sort of a short, longer loaf. I just liked the idea of it and since I didn't have a meat thermometer that worked I figured it would maybe cook better and more evenly like that? So I wound up cooking mine for maybe an hour. Use your meat thermometer (I'm sure you have one that works and you don't keep forgetting to pick up a new one at Target) to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 so you don't try to poison nobody, yo.
Here is what it looked like:
I thought this was really good but I seriously did like it better the next day. If you try it please let me know, even if you're all like, "Jen, this tastes like straight caca!!!" Or let me know how you put your own spin on it. Or share with me YOUR favorite meatloaf recipe!
And as Jacques Pepin would say in a hella cute French accent, happy cooking!
I do, however LOVE ground meat. Like a turkey burger? Fuggedaboutit, I'm all over it. And there is this recipe my girl Nessy Poo makes calls Thundersticks™, a spin-off of one of her friend's family's recipes. You can read about them here and you need to because a) it's part of my meatloaf story and b) they're ridiculously delicious and will possibly change your life. So I think I was probably fantasizing about Thundersticks™, as I've been known to do a lot, and wondered what a Thundersticks™-flavored meatloaf would be like.
So I sorta took that recipe and this recipe I found on Food.com for turkey meatloaf and went to town. And the reason I'm sharing this with you guys is because after I made it and had some I was like, okay, this is pretty good, but I think I'm just not a meatloaf fan. And then the next day I heated some up and had a sandwich and I was like holy heck, this s#$t is the bomb! This is bomb a#$ meatloaf! Hence, the name.
This was pretty much my recipe, and I say pretty much because if you guys ever read any of my recipes you know I don't like measuring and stuff that much, for one thing, and also I made this like 3 weeks ago so I'm trying to remember how I did it as I go.
Bomb A#$$ Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb or so of ground turkey
grated onion, maybe half a cup? (I totally should have written this s#$t down.)
chopped onion, maybe a quarter cup or so, just because wanted some more texture on top of the grated onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, I grated mine
1 egg or 1/4 cup of egg substitute (which is what I used)
3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided (I think I used one I got from Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ, the hot one, because I like a little kick. Also, most recipes call for ketchup but a) I didn't have any and b) I'm not a big ketchup fan, anyway, but I LOVE barbecue sauce!!!)
1/2 cup Soy Vay, or I think I used the Trader Joe's version, Soyaki, because it's what I had
Worcestershire sauce... I shook a little in there... a teaspoon or a little more, maybe? (Again, should have written this down immediately after I made it.)
2-3 tablespoons of Sriracha (If you're not a big fan of spicy, then go easy, but I love it spicy.)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (I just crumbled up some sliced sourdough because it's what I had.)
A couple of notes: I did not wind up using salt and I found it didn't really need it. Nessy Poo's Thundersticks™ have cilantro, and I LOVE cilantro, I just didn't have any (do you guys see how if I decide to make something I'm not gonna get off my as$% and get in the car and drive to the store to go get it?). But I'm sure it would have been delish in this, too.
Anyway, I didn't even cook my onions first. Probably because I'm lazy but also because I didn't think I needed to. Oh, preheat your oven to 350 (I just said it like "three-fiddy" in my head because of that episode of South Park with the Loch Ness Monster story). Mix all this stuff together, but use about half of the barbecue sauce.
Spray a cookie sheet with some cooking spray (or it might work if you put some foil down, I'm not a professional so I don't know how that effects cooking time and stuff, but it would make for a less messy pan), or use a fancy meatloaf pan if you have one, but I don't so I used a cookie sheet.
Put the mixture into the middle of the cookie sheet and form it into a loaf. Spread the rest of the barbecue sauce on top. NOTE: I made sort of a short, longer loaf. I just liked the idea of it and since I didn't have a meat thermometer that worked I figured it would maybe cook better and more evenly like that? So I wound up cooking mine for maybe an hour. Use your meat thermometer (I'm sure you have one that works and you don't keep forgetting to pick up a new one at Target) to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 so you don't try to poison nobody, yo.
Here is what it looked like:
I thought this was really good but I seriously did like it better the next day. If you try it please let me know, even if you're all like, "Jen, this tastes like straight caca!!!" Or let me know how you put your own spin on it. Or share with me YOUR favorite meatloaf recipe!
And as Jacques Pepin would say in a hella cute French accent, happy cooking!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Post About Guns I Didn't Want to Do But Holy Hell
If you know me, you know I don't want to talk about anything serious. I want to (try to) entertain and I want to be entertained. Because life is too short to not roll like that. I was gonna blog about meatloaf today but I've reach my breaking point on this war that's going on between the people who are trying to protect their right to bear arms and the people who want stricter gun control.
Before we go on, if you DO know me, you know I ain't about to drop some facts and percentages and shit like that on you. I'm not a fucking statistician. I'm a girl with a heart that hurts over this and I am here to talk about my feelings and opinions ONLY.
My back story with regard to this issue is that I don't really like guns. But ironically, I work in the public safety field (and though many of the four of you who might read this know me in real life and know what I do, I choose to not mix my job with this public area so that's all I can say), so not only have I been around guns but I am friends with many people who very much want their 2nd Amendment rights protected.
And I get it. I do. I'm not about to go try and find numbers about accidents in the home involving guns vs. people who protect themselves with them (see part about not being a statistician). And I know people who hunt and I totally respect their right to do it. I would never own a gun, and I would never hunt, but I TOTALLY respect the right of people who do.
I also do not know what the answer is as far as getting the guns out of the hands of bad guys. Like, at all. I know that if something is illegal, or hard to get, it doesn't mean people won't get it. Period.
I need to apologize right now because this post is going to be all over the damn place. I haven't even finished one cup of coffee, and I'm purposefully trying to write this fast because it's not fun and I want to get it over with.
Recently, obviously, the reason this conversation has been all over the place and is getting heated is because of what happened in Newtown. People in favor of gun control are even more so now because they just had their hearts broken because what happened was beyond horrific. The kind of thing that makes your brain a sad, swirling, terrible place because it is so unbelievable that something like this could have happened. But it did happen. And we could also go into a discussion about mental health but I'm just talking about guns so I'm not going to do that.
The point is that people who already had strong opinions now have even STRONGER ones, fueled by this sadness and heartbreak. Fueled by a desire that no parent should be scared to send their child off to school. They don't want that any other parent of a Kindergartener sends their child to school and finds out that their child was killed at school that day.
Obviously, no one wants that to happen to anyone.
The people who do not want stricter gun control don't want kids to killed. Obviously. But here is the first of my two problems with some of the people who are getting mad that people are calling for stricter gun control.
It's not the message. It's the way you're spreading the message.
Spread your message from a place of compassion and understanding WHY these people are getting worked up about gun control.
The tragedy in Newtown happened like, a minute ago. It's not some way off thing in history. And it happened to those poor people in that town, and it happened to ALL OF US, collectively. All of us wept that day, all of us had our hearts broken, all of us hugged our kids tighter that day, it affected ALL OF US.
The last straw for me was that there are people who are trying to prove that the massacre in Newtown did not happen. If this is the first you're hearing of that, then, like me, you're probably like, WHAT THE FUCK?
Let me get this straight... there are people who are trying to drum up evidence that on that day, all of those people, all of those children, really did not get killed?
Really?
Someone, maybe the government, in an effort to get the country on board with stricter gun control laws, concocted a massacre. And not at a mall, or an office building. At a school, primarily in a classroom full of Kindergarten children.
SERIOUSLY?
Okay, I know that most people who want to keep their guns and feel like people are trying to infringe upon their rights would also think this is utterly ridiculous. But it just reminded me of the tone of the conversation I've been seeing.
Look. I'm always saying something about Republicans and Democrats, because I'm a Democrat, but I know a bunch of Republicans, and maybe even love some of them. This part is really important, so everyone fucking listen:
WE ALL WANT THE SAME SHIT. WE JUST DON'T AGREE ON HOW TO GET IT.
NO ONE wants innocent children to get killed.
NO ONE wants crazy people or bad guys to have guns.
See? We agree on something.
So can we PLEASE act like caring, compassionate human beings with each other and figure out how the fuck to do this?
I don't know the answer. I just know that we should always try to be nice to each other.
Before we go on, if you DO know me, you know I ain't about to drop some facts and percentages and shit like that on you. I'm not a fucking statistician. I'm a girl with a heart that hurts over this and I am here to talk about my feelings and opinions ONLY.
My back story with regard to this issue is that I don't really like guns. But ironically, I work in the public safety field (and though many of the four of you who might read this know me in real life and know what I do, I choose to not mix my job with this public area so that's all I can say), so not only have I been around guns but I am friends with many people who very much want their 2nd Amendment rights protected.
And I get it. I do. I'm not about to go try and find numbers about accidents in the home involving guns vs. people who protect themselves with them (see part about not being a statistician). And I know people who hunt and I totally respect their right to do it. I would never own a gun, and I would never hunt, but I TOTALLY respect the right of people who do.
I also do not know what the answer is as far as getting the guns out of the hands of bad guys. Like, at all. I know that if something is illegal, or hard to get, it doesn't mean people won't get it. Period.
I need to apologize right now because this post is going to be all over the damn place. I haven't even finished one cup of coffee, and I'm purposefully trying to write this fast because it's not fun and I want to get it over with.
Recently, obviously, the reason this conversation has been all over the place and is getting heated is because of what happened in Newtown. People in favor of gun control are even more so now because they just had their hearts broken because what happened was beyond horrific. The kind of thing that makes your brain a sad, swirling, terrible place because it is so unbelievable that something like this could have happened. But it did happen. And we could also go into a discussion about mental health but I'm just talking about guns so I'm not going to do that.
The point is that people who already had strong opinions now have even STRONGER ones, fueled by this sadness and heartbreak. Fueled by a desire that no parent should be scared to send their child off to school. They don't want that any other parent of a Kindergartener sends their child to school and finds out that their child was killed at school that day.
Obviously, no one wants that to happen to anyone.
The people who do not want stricter gun control don't want kids to killed. Obviously. But here is the first of my two problems with some of the people who are getting mad that people are calling for stricter gun control.
It's not the message. It's the way you're spreading the message.
Spread your message from a place of compassion and understanding WHY these people are getting worked up about gun control.
The tragedy in Newtown happened like, a minute ago. It's not some way off thing in history. And it happened to those poor people in that town, and it happened to ALL OF US, collectively. All of us wept that day, all of us had our hearts broken, all of us hugged our kids tighter that day, it affected ALL OF US.
The last straw for me was that there are people who are trying to prove that the massacre in Newtown did not happen. If this is the first you're hearing of that, then, like me, you're probably like, WHAT THE FUCK?
Let me get this straight... there are people who are trying to drum up evidence that on that day, all of those people, all of those children, really did not get killed?
Really?
Someone, maybe the government, in an effort to get the country on board with stricter gun control laws, concocted a massacre. And not at a mall, or an office building. At a school, primarily in a classroom full of Kindergarten children.
SERIOUSLY?
Okay, I know that most people who want to keep their guns and feel like people are trying to infringe upon their rights would also think this is utterly ridiculous. But it just reminded me of the tone of the conversation I've been seeing.
Look. I'm always saying something about Republicans and Democrats, because I'm a Democrat, but I know a bunch of Republicans, and maybe even love some of them. This part is really important, so everyone fucking listen:
WE ALL WANT THE SAME SHIT. WE JUST DON'T AGREE ON HOW TO GET IT.
NO ONE wants innocent children to get killed.
NO ONE wants crazy people or bad guys to have guns.
See? We agree on something.
So can we PLEASE act like caring, compassionate human beings with each other and figure out how the fuck to do this?
I don't know the answer. I just know that we should always try to be nice to each other.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A Shortportant One
Yes, short, and important. Two things my blog posts almost never are.
If you can only pick one thing at which to be good, make it loving people.
It occurred to me last night that I'm not really good at much of anything. I like to sing to and I like to write, but plenty of people are way better at it than I am. I try to do the best I can do at my job (and so far I do well enough that they keep paying me to return, knock wood), but I'm not the best at it and may never be. I can't sew on a fucking button. I mean, I could if I absolutely had to, but it probably would not stay on my pants the entire day. And my house is probably always going to be a mess. And I'm more than likely always going to be a little bit fat (which would be better than being a lot fat like right now).
I am, however, really fucking super great at loving my kid. As she was cuddled up to me last night and I was reading to her because yes, reading to her is still awesome even though she can read, I thought, THIS is where it's at. THIS is the thing of which I'm most proud, that my kid never for a single second EVER doubts how much I love her.
Damn it all to heck, I just put on eye makeup and I'm tearing up like a little crybaby.
Everything we do, especially with our kids but this should go for everyone and everything, we should try to do it with COMPASSION. I'm talking about kids and parenting here, mainly, but you can figure out how to apply this even if you don't have kids and never want to have any of those and if you don't, hey, I get it, because it's a hard job and kids are not for everyone. For. Real. But even if they do stuff that is wrong or bad, we can correct them with love and compassion. It's like, I don't like what you did, but I still love YOU. You're going to have to get your timeout or get grounded or get your phone taken away, but let's TALK about this. And here's why this is bad and so help me, don't you ever do that again!
But I still LOVE you.
If you kick the bucket tomorrow, I GUARANTEE the thing of which you will be the most proud of is not that you are the best at your job or the smartest or the prettiest in your class or that you always win at backgammon or whatever. You will be the proudest of the fact that people you love knew you loved them because you were always telling them and showing them.
Especially your kids. They're not accessories. We're growing human beings. Literally. Like, what a big deal that is.
I know I'm lucky. My kid can be a pain and a diva and dramatic and emotional and unreasonable. But mostly she is sweet and good and full of joy and the light of my life. So loving her is a piece of cake. I know this. But still, for some reason I just felt like I wanted to say today that
the thing you should want to be the best at is loving. Especially your kids.
P. S. Sorry, I thought this was gonna be shorter, I really did!!
If you can only pick one thing at which to be good, make it loving people.
It occurred to me last night that I'm not really good at much of anything. I like to sing to and I like to write, but plenty of people are way better at it than I am. I try to do the best I can do at my job (and so far I do well enough that they keep paying me to return, knock wood), but I'm not the best at it and may never be. I can't sew on a fucking button. I mean, I could if I absolutely had to, but it probably would not stay on my pants the entire day. And my house is probably always going to be a mess. And I'm more than likely always going to be a little bit fat (which would be better than being a lot fat like right now).
I am, however, really fucking super great at loving my kid. As she was cuddled up to me last night and I was reading to her because yes, reading to her is still awesome even though she can read, I thought, THIS is where it's at. THIS is the thing of which I'm most proud, that my kid never for a single second EVER doubts how much I love her.
Damn it all to heck, I just put on eye makeup and I'm tearing up like a little crybaby.
Everything we do, especially with our kids but this should go for everyone and everything, we should try to do it with COMPASSION. I'm talking about kids and parenting here, mainly, but you can figure out how to apply this even if you don't have kids and never want to have any of those and if you don't, hey, I get it, because it's a hard job and kids are not for everyone. For. Real. But even if they do stuff that is wrong or bad, we can correct them with love and compassion. It's like, I don't like what you did, but I still love YOU. You're going to have to get your timeout or get grounded or get your phone taken away, but let's TALK about this. And here's why this is bad and so help me, don't you ever do that again!
But I still LOVE you.
If you kick the bucket tomorrow, I GUARANTEE the thing of which you will be the most proud of is not that you are the best at your job or the smartest or the prettiest in your class or that you always win at backgammon or whatever. You will be the proudest of the fact that people you love knew you loved them because you were always telling them and showing them.
Especially your kids. They're not accessories. We're growing human beings. Literally. Like, what a big deal that is.
I know I'm lucky. My kid can be a pain and a diva and dramatic and emotional and unreasonable. But mostly she is sweet and good and full of joy and the light of my life. So loving her is a piece of cake. I know this. But still, for some reason I just felt like I wanted to say today that
the thing you should want to be the best at is loving. Especially your kids.
P. S. Sorry, I thought this was gonna be shorter, I really did!!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Currently...
Oh, how I love a blog post title that contains an ellipsis! Yes, because I'm a nerd.
And how I love being able to steal be inspired by this post from my girl Tami (and she was inspired by Gina). So big thanks to those ladies because I needed to write something and this made me want to do that so YAY!
Loving: My kid, as usual. And that she got off to school even though she'd been awake since like 5:30 or so blowing her nose. My poor little snotty boo boo. But she's always just so awesome and a constant source of joy. I love a bunch of other stuff. Like my friends who keep me sane, my mother who REALLY keeps me sane, and I just love LOVE in general. Like, get some of that if you can, for real. It's kind of a big deal.
My wackadoodle doo representin' her Grandma's team
Watching: At the moment, amazingly, nothing. But then computer time doesn't usually include TV for me. But I imagine when I get off my butt and onto the treadmill I will probably finish this week's Top Chef. I so badly want to hang out with Stefan and drink and just listen to him tell stories. He amuses me so.
Oh, and soon I want to go to the movies and watch Silver Linings Playbook. Have any of you seen it?
Love. Him. photo credit Stefan's at L.A. Farm's Facebook page
Reading: Not enough. About one billion things open on my Kindle. I guess I was last reading Pride and Prejudice, though I've read it many times. Buddhism for Dummies is always in my bathroom. Penny Marshall's book is open on the Kindle. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters. A YA sort of book, think Harry Potter-ish except the kids in the book are the products of relationships Greek gods had with mortals. Entertaining. Also reading several books with the kid including Wreck-It Ralph from the Disney Junior Novelization series (well-done and they read like the movies).
Anticipating: Well, this is going to sound weird since in the Bay Area lately it's been like five degrees below zero (or like 38 degrees, as it is currently but to one as thin-skinned as I am weather-ararily it might as well be 5 below), but I am so looking forward to summer. I started thinking about that when I noticed the days getting longer, like when I get off work and it's not dark like it was just a little bit ago. I can't wait until it's summer and the kid and I have days off together and the weather is warm and we head to the beach. Cannot. Wait.
Listening To: Regina Spektor on Spotify. The one I play over and over again is "Firewood." Much thanks to my teenage niece who would post about her on Facebook, as that's how I got turned on to her. Okay, the one playing right now is "All the Rowboats."
Planning: Geez. I don't know. Planning to plan more. A few social things if I can work out who will watch my kid. Planning to get back on my good eating plan tomorrow since I've been HORRIBLE at it recently on account of being all dramatic and emotional and being mad at people I love and junk and that makes me want to stuff my face which is stupid but it's true. Planning to exercise today since I think my energy is back after my double blood donation the other day. I think I'm also planning to clean some areas of my house I never bother with and to that end I already took a bunch of stuff off this one shelf in my office. We'll see how that goes.
Yep. A ton of plans. Sheesh.
Working On: Oh man, I rambled on about stuff I'm planning to do that I could have maybe put here. Let's see. Working on being calmer. Counting my blessings or the agnostic version of those. Being healthier. Like, the stuff from my New Year's post, that sort of thing. But maybe my number one thing today is just chilling. And not being lazy, but just BREATHING. And not WORRYING about stuff THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET. Working on not filling in spaces of silence in conversations with bad stuff. I'd be cooking with gas if I could do that.
Wishing: That either my house was not the horrible mess that it is or that like I said in my Facebook status, I had a maid. Not even kidding. Dreading tackling it which is probably one of the reasons I'm writing, yet another stalling tactic! Hey, at least laundry's going. Though it's probably ready for the dryer...
What about you? What are you currently…?
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