DISCLAIMER: I try to keep it light on my blog. I figure there's enough pessimism, depth and ...well... whining on the internet without me adding my drop to the bucket. But it's New Year's Eve, and I just watched Jerry McGuire (who can watch that movie without getting all philosophical?), so this post is going to be a little different.
Feel free to go back to scrolling through Facebook at any time.
Looking back on the year I've had, I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it has been the hardest year of my life so far.
My life has been so blessed, and I know so many others, maybe even you, have a had it much harder than I have in 2013. But for me, this was a really difficult year.
That's not to say it was all bad.
Challenges are often the result of opportunity, and I have been given some great opportunities this year. So there's that.
But sometimes it's hard to see the opportunity for what it is, when the challenge seems insurmountable. Like August 12, 2013, the day I officially moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, about 1,200 miles from the only part of the world I could imagine calling home.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I cried myself to sleep that night.
I didn't really understand then what I know now. My home is not tied to a place, a region or an old, yellow brick farm house sitting in a field of red dirt. It's tied to my heart, and I gave that to J. Dykowski a (relatively) long time ago.
I just saw a tight knit group of people I didn't know with funny accents, cigarettes and bad taste in Mexican food. I can be a really closed-minded snob sometimes...
To be honest, from the start this experience has been nothing like what J or I thought it would be, but we're learning and growing. It's humbling, and it's hard.
But it's worth it.
Some of the challenges that made this year so difficult are things I didn't get to chose. Like losing my grandpa.
I want to write about him. What he taught me even after he was gone. How he filled a special role in my life. But I can't seem to find the right words. Maybe someday I will. For now I think I'll just leave it alone.
In my "professional" life I've had some challenges too. From delaying graduation to having to find a job outside of my degree, it didn't go according to my plan.
But I did graduate. And I love my current job, and there are exciting opportunities on the horizon for me to continue building my academic CV. So we'll count that as a victory.
2013 had a lot of other challenges, hard choices and victories I won't get into. I feel like I grew as a person, but mostly I just see a long road of struggles ahead and changes I still need to make.
2014 is only about a half hour away. With it comes a whole new set of challenges, opportunities and struggles. I'm probably not ready, but I'm as ready as I can be.
Mostly, I'm just grateful that I don't have to face it alone.
Thank you, friends and family old and new for sticking with me through thick and thin this year.
Happy New Year.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Shoveling snow: Mrs. Dykowski and the great big drift
Dear readers,
Most of you know by now that my journeys in the great white north are a learning experience in more ways than one.
As I type, we're experiencing our first blizzard.
In Texas of course a "blizzard" (I've only seen one that might have been called a blizzard in all my years as a Texan, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't actually count.) means everyone stays home except those people who are absolutely needed for society to function.
That group never included me.
In North Dakota, if you want a snow day, you have to take PTO, and that's not an option for me if I want to go back to Texas without quitting my job. This all leads to one harsh reality of life: driving slow and shoveling snow.
Before today, I thought shoveling snow was fun, I have a pretty red snow shovel, and the snow is glittery and light. You feel so accomplished when you're done shoveling, because the area you cleared is smooth and nice and there's a pile of unwanted snow out of the way that you can look at and say 'I did that!'
Tonight, all of that changed.
Tonight, I drove across town in some crazy snow to get home from work. Luckily most of the roads are well traveled, so it wasn't so bad until I got to the street I live on, which was white, no visible stripes or curb, but I navigated that okay for the 3 blocks to my apartment. Then I turned into the driveway to our garages and my tires started spinning.
On the farm where I grew up, I was notorious for getting trucks stuck in sand in the turn row, so I know a couple of tricks for getting out... (One of them is call dad, but that one doesn't work here.) And snow is different, so I just put the car in park and walked around it to see what the issue was.
There was so discernible issue, so I backed up about a foot and pressed onward, slowly. Finally with two left turns a few hasty prayers, I made it to the row garages to find a great big drift piled in front of the garage door.
Bummer.
I never thought I'd have to dig my way into somewhere. But that's just what I did. I had to take a brief intermission to move my car our of a guy's way in the meantime.
Half an hour later I made it into the garage, finished up shoveling in front of Scott's garage, looked at the mountain I built on the other side and waded to the door.
I say waded because leading up to the door the snow came up to my mid-calf or higher. Thank heaven for tall Northface boots. At first, I wasn't sure the door would open but luckily a strong neighbor had pushed it open just a few minutes before I came in, clearing a path.
Whoa y'all that was some snow! And I'm pretty sure I'll see worse before it's all said and done...
As the North Dakotans say, "yooo betcha!"
Most of you know by now that my journeys in the great white north are a learning experience in more ways than one.
As I type, we're experiencing our first blizzard.
In Texas of course a "blizzard" (I've only seen one that might have been called a blizzard in all my years as a Texan, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't actually count.) means everyone stays home except those people who are absolutely needed for society to function.
That group never included me.
In North Dakota, if you want a snow day, you have to take PTO, and that's not an option for me if I want to go back to Texas without quitting my job. This all leads to one harsh reality of life: driving slow and shoveling snow.
Before today, I thought shoveling snow was fun, I have a pretty red snow shovel, and the snow is glittery and light. You feel so accomplished when you're done shoveling, because the area you cleared is smooth and nice and there's a pile of unwanted snow out of the way that you can look at and say 'I did that!'
Tonight, all of that changed.
Tonight, I drove across town in some crazy snow to get home from work. Luckily most of the roads are well traveled, so it wasn't so bad until I got to the street I live on, which was white, no visible stripes or curb, but I navigated that okay for the 3 blocks to my apartment. Then I turned into the driveway to our garages and my tires started spinning.
On the farm where I grew up, I was notorious for getting trucks stuck in sand in the turn row, so I know a couple of tricks for getting out... (One of them is call dad, but that one doesn't work here.) And snow is different, so I just put the car in park and walked around it to see what the issue was.
There was so discernible issue, so I backed up about a foot and pressed onward, slowly. Finally with two left turns a few hasty prayers, I made it to the row garages to find a great big drift piled in front of the garage door.
Bummer.
I never thought I'd have to dig my way into somewhere. But that's just what I did. I had to take a brief intermission to move my car our of a guy's way in the meantime.
Half an hour later I made it into the garage, finished up shoveling in front of Scott's garage, looked at the mountain I built on the other side and waded to the door.
I say waded because leading up to the door the snow came up to my mid-calf or higher. Thank heaven for tall Northface boots. At first, I wasn't sure the door would open but luckily a strong neighbor had pushed it open just a few minutes before I came in, clearing a path.
Whoa y'all that was some snow! And I'm pretty sure I'll see worse before it's all said and done...
As the North Dakotans say, "yooo betcha!"
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| The view from our apartment last night. |
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| The view from our apartment tonight. |
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Mrs. Dykowski goes north: 10 things about North Dakota
As many of you know, J and I moved to North Dakota about 2 months ago.
We and Cat live in a small, 3-floor apartment in a growing side of town.
Every day we drive about 10 minutes through a cute neighborhood, past a coffee shop, bowling alley and Taco Johns -this is especially important to downtown where we work in the same building.
You may well wonder why it's taken me so long to update the world on the latest goings on, let me fill you in.
We drove 22 hours over the two days following my graduation to move here. Within a week, I had started a new job with Agweek, a regional, weekly, agricultural magazine published by the same company that owns J's newspaper.
Between unpacking and settling our apartment, adjusting to a full-time work schedule and learning a new city, there hasn't been much of me left over to share.
Today, however, I decided it couldn't wait any longer...
When we told our fellow Texans we were moving to North Dakota of all places, most of them reacted as if we were about to banished to Siberia... "Don't y'all know it's going to be cold there?" they would say.
That was about all I knew about ND before we moved here. It's cold.
We haven't experienced real cold yet, but we've been preparing. I'll talk more about that in a later post...
Since I got here, there have been some fun surprises and some quirks I wasn't expecting. Here are a few examples:
1. The accent.
I didn't realize the impact ND's proximity to Canada would have on the accents of the people here. They say 'aboat.' They say 'yoo betcha!' all the time. And they take notice when I say y'all. We'll talk more about how I'm reppin' Texas culture later on too. :) The funny thing is, most people I encounter don't think they have an accent at all. Uh... yoo betcha, yoo doo.
2. Hockey
Hockey is to North Dakota as football is to Texas. This is not very surprising to me in and of itself. What I was shocked to learn is... I love it! It's fast, violent and indoors, what else would you want in a winter sport? Point Midwest!
3. It's SO close to Canada
SO CLOSE! When in an article a reporter used the phrase "south of the border," I had to do a double take. He was talking about North Dakota! The border patrol office near my apartment building, is looking for illegal Canadians... I'd never even considered the possibility of illegal Canadians.
4. Canadians have a reputation for being terrible drivers.
If you see a "friendly Manitoba" license plate headed your way, look out! So they say...the jury's still out with me... Minnesota license plates seem to be just a dangerous. ;)
5. North Dakotans love french fries!
...And beer. But the french fry bandwagon is the one I can hop on! We even went to the World's Largest French Fry Feed this year. You should have seen the deep fryer they were using!
6. They grow sugar beets
I wasn't even sure this was a real thing when I moved up here, but it's one of the region's biggest crops. When I drive to work this month, I'm usually behind a huge truck full of them, heading over to Minnesota to the sugar factory. In fact, when the trucks hit a bump you have to dodge the beets that fall out on the road.
7. People only grow things that can be eaten
Speaking of crops, when I say my dad grows cotton, I get a funny look. "But you can't eat cotton..." Here, if it can't be eaten by humans, they feed it to the cows. An inedible crop is unheard of... Random fact: cotton seed and cotton seed oil are both edible products of cotton for cows and humans respectively.
8. People here speak Spanish too!
I thought when we moved north, we'd have our weak knowledge of Spanish as a kind of personal language that very few people would know, we could have conversations without others eavesdropping ...even if they were mostly about our names and random objects. But I was wrong. In line at the grocery store a few weeks ago the family behind us had a whole conversation in it. My boss says it's the only language offered in most high schools. Even one of the families at the tiny church we go to speaks mostly Spanish. I wish I had practiced more in school.
9. People are friendly and helpful
Need directions somewhere? Want to know why some cars have extension cords hanging out the front of their hoods? Want some fresh produce? Want to go to a sporting event without spending any money? North Dakotans to the rescue! Seriously, y'all, people are so helpful here. I ask about 200,000 stupid questions a day about snow, the town, the state. I misspelled Winnipeg at work and no one made fun of me. We had a Bible study in our house and a sister brought us fresh tomatoes from her garden. Not to mention the free things we're constantly being given at work, hockey tickets, fresh produce from the publisher's garden, random ice cream treats, football tickets and so on. People are very accepting and generous here. It's great.
10. Some things are still the same
I'm still Mrs. Dykowski, I still call my mom when I need advice, I'm still a homebody, I still have a lot to learn, I still talk to my closest friends, I still prefer Texas to any state in the union but I would still rather have one day in North Dakota with J than a million in Texas without him.
Stay tuned!
We and Cat live in a small, 3-floor apartment in a growing side of town.
Every day we drive about 10 minutes through a cute neighborhood, past a coffee shop, bowling alley and Taco Johns -this is especially important to downtown where we work in the same building.
You may well wonder why it's taken me so long to update the world on the latest goings on, let me fill you in.
We drove 22 hours over the two days following my graduation to move here. Within a week, I had started a new job with Agweek, a regional, weekly, agricultural magazine published by the same company that owns J's newspaper.
Between unpacking and settling our apartment, adjusting to a full-time work schedule and learning a new city, there hasn't been much of me left over to share.
Today, however, I decided it couldn't wait any longer...
When we told our fellow Texans we were moving to North Dakota of all places, most of them reacted as if we were about to banished to Siberia... "Don't y'all know it's going to be cold there?" they would say.
That was about all I knew about ND before we moved here. It's cold.
We haven't experienced real cold yet, but we've been preparing. I'll talk more about that in a later post...
Since I got here, there have been some fun surprises and some quirks I wasn't expecting. Here are a few examples:
1. The accent.
I didn't realize the impact ND's proximity to Canada would have on the accents of the people here. They say 'aboat.' They say 'yoo betcha!' all the time. And they take notice when I say y'all. We'll talk more about how I'm reppin' Texas culture later on too. :) The funny thing is, most people I encounter don't think they have an accent at all. Uh... yoo betcha, yoo doo.
2. Hockey
Hockey is to North Dakota as football is to Texas. This is not very surprising to me in and of itself. What I was shocked to learn is... I love it! It's fast, violent and indoors, what else would you want in a winter sport? Point Midwest!
3. It's SO close to Canada
SO CLOSE! When in an article a reporter used the phrase "south of the border," I had to do a double take. He was talking about North Dakota! The border patrol office near my apartment building, is looking for illegal Canadians... I'd never even considered the possibility of illegal Canadians.
4. Canadians have a reputation for being terrible drivers.
If you see a "friendly Manitoba" license plate headed your way, look out! So they say...the jury's still out with me... Minnesota license plates seem to be just a dangerous. ;)
 |
| Fries from the world's largest french fry feed. |
...And beer. But the french fry bandwagon is the one I can hop on! We even went to the World's Largest French Fry Feed this year. You should have seen the deep fryer they were using!
6. They grow sugar beets
I wasn't even sure this was a real thing when I moved up here, but it's one of the region's biggest crops. When I drive to work this month, I'm usually behind a huge truck full of them, heading over to Minnesota to the sugar factory. In fact, when the trucks hit a bump you have to dodge the beets that fall out on the road.
7. People only grow things that can be eaten
Speaking of crops, when I say my dad grows cotton, I get a funny look. "But you can't eat cotton..." Here, if it can't be eaten by humans, they feed it to the cows. An inedible crop is unheard of... Random fact: cotton seed and cotton seed oil are both edible products of cotton for cows and humans respectively.
8. People here speak Spanish too!
I thought when we moved north, we'd have our weak knowledge of Spanish as a kind of personal language that very few people would know, we could have conversations without others eavesdropping ...even if they were mostly about our names and random objects. But I was wrong. In line at the grocery store a few weeks ago the family behind us had a whole conversation in it. My boss says it's the only language offered in most high schools. Even one of the families at the tiny church we go to speaks mostly Spanish. I wish I had practiced more in school.
9. People are friendly and helpful
Need directions somewhere? Want to know why some cars have extension cords hanging out the front of their hoods? Want some fresh produce? Want to go to a sporting event without spending any money? North Dakotans to the rescue! Seriously, y'all, people are so helpful here. I ask about 200,000 stupid questions a day about snow, the town, the state. I misspelled Winnipeg at work and no one made fun of me. We had a Bible study in our house and a sister brought us fresh tomatoes from her garden. Not to mention the free things we're constantly being given at work, hockey tickets, fresh produce from the publisher's garden, random ice cream treats, football tickets and so on. People are very accepting and generous here. It's great.
10. Some things are still the same
I'm still Mrs. Dykowski, I still call my mom when I need advice, I'm still a homebody, I still have a lot to learn, I still talk to my closest friends, I still prefer Texas to any state in the union but I would still rather have one day in North Dakota with J than a million in Texas without him.
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Poor People Food: Spaghetti Edition
With the upcoming move and one income, I've been looking for any opportunities to save money on my grocery bill.
Tonight I wanted to share with you one easy, cheap meal you can make when you're in a hurry, but can't afford to go out.
I think I need to preface this by saying that J has hated spaghetti for a long time. Since we got married, I've found several creative ways to make it that he enjoys (adding ground beef, fresh squash, or cheese), but they all involve adding expense to the meal.
Recently I discovered that the flavor in the pre-made sauce is what really turns him away. By making my own sauce, I was able to cut the cost of an already affordable meal and please us both! This is starting to sound like a 1950's advertisement. Yikes!
First, I put the spaghetti on to boil with a tiny splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Then I take a can of tomato sauce that costs less than a dollar and pour into a sauce pan over medium high heat. I add a generous dash of olive oil (probably around 1/8 cup), Italian seasoning, garlic salt and onion powder. I heat it until it starts to pop, stirring regularly. Then I turn it to medium low and stir it more often to keep it from exploding all over the stove, until the noodles are ready.
Tada! Dinner's ready! With one box of off-brand spaghetti and 4 cans of tomato sauce I can make four big meals for around $6. Bam, Martha Stewart! Take that! ;)
When I'm feeling extra adventurous, I mix the sauce and noodles in an oven safe dish and sprinkle white cheese on top. I heat it in the oven at about 200 degrees until the cheese is melted. Mmmmmm
Tonight I wanted to share with you one easy, cheap meal you can make when you're in a hurry, but can't afford to go out.
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| That's all you need! |
Recently I discovered that the flavor in the pre-made sauce is what really turns him away. By making my own sauce, I was able to cut the cost of an already affordable meal and please us both! This is starting to sound like a 1950's advertisement. Yikes!
First, I put the spaghetti on to boil with a tiny splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
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| For whatever reason I decided to whisk the sauce in a bowl. This is unnecessary. |
Tada! Dinner's ready! With one box of off-brand spaghetti and 4 cans of tomato sauce I can make four big meals for around $6. Bam, Martha Stewart! Take that! ;)
When I'm feeling extra adventurous, I mix the sauce and noodles in an oven safe dish and sprinkle white cheese on top. I heat it in the oven at about 200 degrees until the cheese is melted. Mmmmmm
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| Extra adventurous! |
Friday, July 12, 2013
We're Moving???
Isn't it funny how things just seem to work out?
I finally worked my last day as a TA this month, and although we had been preparing, transitioning to one income has not been a picnic.
J's been applying for jobs for a while, and we were sure this week he was right on the precipice of getting a good offer, when he got two.
I can't describe the relief and excitement we felt when that second offer came through. What a great opportunity! I did the dorkiest happy dance ever.
The job is in North Dakota.
This is so exciting. I've never been to ND or even north of Colorado for that matter. I can count the number of Canadians I've met in person on one hand, but I'm going to live so close to the Canadian border, we're already planning a day trip. Do all the women look like Shania Twain and Colby Smoulders? ...just kidding!
I am a little stressed about making the transition. I know it's going to be worth it, but it is going to take A LOT of work and A LOT of driving to get us there.
Once we're there, then what? What will our place be like? I know it's cold, but what does that mean exactly? Will potato ole's be as good as I remember from my childhood? (just go with it.) What about Cat? Are we going to get to take him with us?
So many unanswered questions!
Then there's a duplex full of stuff to concern ourselves with. Our Amazon store has doubled in size in the past week. Need a book? Need 20? 50?
I've got all of this on my mind when I finally turn to the distance. No more quick weekend trips to the farm. Not to mention the 10 days Scott will be up there before I can go. 10 days may seem short, but when you've found your favorite person on earth 10 hours is too long to be apart.
Then I have to find a job for myself. This I think will eventually work out too. But in the meantime it's the cherry on the sundae of questions.
With all of this, I'm still so excited, proud and relieved that we're moving forward with J's career and our life plans. I think the community is going to be great.
Ready or not, here we go!
I finally worked my last day as a TA this month, and although we had been preparing, transitioning to one income has not been a picnic.
J's been applying for jobs for a while, and we were sure this week he was right on the precipice of getting a good offer, when he got two.
I can't describe the relief and excitement we felt when that second offer came through. What a great opportunity! I did the dorkiest happy dance ever.
The job is in North Dakota.
This is so exciting. I've never been to ND or even north of Colorado for that matter. I can count the number of Canadians I've met in person on one hand, but I'm going to live so close to the Canadian border, we're already planning a day trip. Do all the women look like Shania Twain and Colby Smoulders? ...just kidding!
I am a little stressed about making the transition. I know it's going to be worth it, but it is going to take A LOT of work and A LOT of driving to get us there.
Once we're there, then what? What will our place be like? I know it's cold, but what does that mean exactly? Will potato ole's be as good as I remember from my childhood? (just go with it.) What about Cat? Are we going to get to take him with us?
So many unanswered questions!
Then there's a duplex full of stuff to concern ourselves with. Our Amazon store has doubled in size in the past week. Need a book? Need 20? 50?
I've got all of this on my mind when I finally turn to the distance. No more quick weekend trips to the farm. Not to mention the 10 days Scott will be up there before I can go. 10 days may seem short, but when you've found your favorite person on earth 10 hours is too long to be apart.
Then I have to find a job for myself. This I think will eventually work out too. But in the meantime it's the cherry on the sundae of questions.
With all of this, I'm still so excited, proud and relieved that we're moving forward with J's career and our life plans. I think the community is going to be great.
Ready or not, here we go!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Cupcake Wars!
A couple of months ago J and I were hungry...Wait...we're always hungry....
And we also wanted to go on a date...
Seems simple enough--go get some food.
Unfortunately, we're also poor...
So we decided to have cupcake wars in our kitchen using things we had on hand.
I use the phrase "cupcake wars" loosely because it turned out to be J taking photos of me making cupcakes more than a competition.
We picked two cupcake recipes, Red Velvet and Lemon, out of a lifestyle magazine I get. Click here to read another recipe I adapted from the magazine.
I'm not going to post the recipes here because they're pretty basic...just look on pinterest, it's been covered. The idea is, take your man to the kitchen and cook together!
Or as in our case, your husband will play with his new camera while you do most of the baking...still fun!
Here some of J's photos. I picked ones that highlight some cupcake simple baking tricks to make the cupcakes come out a little more delicious.
And we also wanted to go on a date...
Seems simple enough--go get some food.
Unfortunately, we're also poor...
So we decided to have cupcake wars in our kitchen using things we had on hand.
I use the phrase "cupcake wars" loosely because it turned out to be J taking photos of me making cupcakes more than a competition.
We picked two cupcake recipes, Red Velvet and Lemon, out of a lifestyle magazine I get. Click here to read another recipe I adapted from the magazine.
I'm not going to post the recipes here because they're pretty basic...just look on pinterest, it's been covered. The idea is, take your man to the kitchen and cook together!
Or as in our case, your husband will play with his new camera while you do most of the baking...still fun!
Here some of J's photos. I picked ones that highlight some cupcake simple baking tricks to make the cupcakes come out a little more delicious.
 |
| Invest in a stand mixer. It's not absolutely necessary but it just makes everything easier and more fun. |
 |
| There are a lot of ways to separate eggs. This is my technique. It's old fashioned but it gets the job done. (Using the whites without the yolk makes the cake whiter, fluffier and less fattening. ...I just added that last attribute because it sounds good. If you care about fat, you probably just shouldn't eat cupcakes.) |
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| I squeeze a lemon just like anyone else, I just liked this photo. |
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| I pipe icing out of a gallon baggie with the corner cut off. To fill the baggie I put it in a glass then pour or scoop the icing in. |
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Craftiness!
Hey y'all!
Yesterday I was in a crafty mood while waiting on edits from my thesis adviser. I saw this craft on Pinterest the other day. It said something about the doorbell being broken, but since we don't have one in our duplex, I thought it could be just as fitting.
I just drew the letters in pencil and painted it with acrylic paint. I mixed the colors myself to give it some depth.
Yesterday I was in a crafty mood while waiting on edits from my thesis adviser. I saw this craft on Pinterest the other day. It said something about the doorbell being broken, but since we don't have one in our duplex, I thought it could be just as fitting.
I just drew the letters in pencil and painted it with acrylic paint. I mixed the colors myself to give it some depth.
Can you tell I'm tired of writing? Long thesis=short blog. ;)
Have a great week, y'all!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
5 Reasons Why I Hate Editing
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| Friday was reorganize chapter one day. |
1. I have a HUGE ego.
That's right ladies and gents, I have a hard time admitting that that 10 page paper I pumped out from 2am to 5am isn't a winner. What do you mean I used passive voice?! Passive voice has never been used by me!
2. I know what I said, so why do I have to read it again?
I hate rereading things! I can hardly read my favorite book again five years after I read it the first time.My own writing is the worst, because I wrote it. I know what it says....don't I? Wait...I wrote what? What does that even mean...?
3. It takes FOREVER!
I'm a busy genius, who has no time to waste with such nonsense! I must be churning out more brilliant copy, or watching Gilmore Girls... I have no time for this tediousity! (And I'm an excellent word inventor!) Let the little people handle the editing...
4. I'm tired of working on the same thing.
This is a massive paper that I've spent the better part of two years working on in one form or another. Can't we just call it a day and give me my degree already?
5. I don't have a long enough attention span.....
Wait, what was I talking about....
So there you have it, folks. Why I hate editing in a nutshell. Now that I've procrastinated...I guess I'll go find something else to procrastinate with...
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Focusing on the Good Things
Hey everybody!
I know it's been an eternity since I last posted. 2013 in general is not shaping up so well, so I've been pretty busy.
Maybe I'll post some sweet nostalgic posts about the difficult things that have happened at some other point. Right now, I'm trying not to throw myself a pity party. You can ask anyone who's ever lived with me that I have a very strong tendency to throw pity parties and they're not fun events. There are no hats or pinatas, and only sometimes is there cake and I usually eat it all myself. ...I realize while I'm writing this that it's a really good thing I'm already married...
So sorry to my former roommates, immediate family members, and J! I really am working on it....
So instead of wallowing in the struggles of my life, I've decided to celebrate the things that are going well!
First, I am still married to my best friend.
In fact, we celebrated two years of marriage this month.
When I first came to graduate school, we were legitimately newlyweds. ...So new, I used to bring him up in conversations with new people to try to get used to calling him my husband. In hindsight I bet that was pretty annoying...oops. Now I sometimes have a hard time remembering what it was like to be single.
In all these hard times, he's been my rock. He's taken care of my every need, spoiled me, looked after me, taken care of things above and beyond his responsibilities, and bought me ice cream, an embarrassing amount of ice cream. He's an awesome guy, and I take that for granted way too often.
Second, I've been able to get more involved at church.
I'm finally teaching Bible class again and it makes me so happy! A friend and I get to teach half-a-dozen of the sweetest, most exhausting, smartest, and most adorable toddlers twice a week. I love their chubby, smiling faces and their sweet, honest hearts. I've hoped and prayed for a way to get more involved, and now I have one.
Third, I have finally drafted my thesis.
A friend from my cohort dubbed it "The T-Word." It was that evil monster-cloud of death hovering over my head for the past two years, and today I finally finished the first draft! There's more work, stress and long days to come, but the basics are there. That's a win in my book!
Fourth, all my friends seem to be getting on with their happy lives.
My Facebook is full of weddings, promotions, graduations, happy babies and rain. Rain is a really big deal in West Texas. My Facebook feed blows up at the first sign of a cloud...kind of makes windows seem redundant.
Anyways....
Did I not brag on my HS best friend's military promotion yet? I didn't?! Well she's totally killing it in the Army and I couldn't be prouder. I am a little scared that when she gets out, she's going to try to make me work out with her....If I get really fit suddenly, you'll know why. But seriously, she's an amazingly strong lady and I'm so proud of her accomplishments!
Did I not brag on my childhood best friend's baby? Man, I've been slacking! He's adorable. I haven't seen him since he was born last month, but I'm pretty sure he's gotten even more awesome since then. Talk about strong ladies, this girl was looking all kinds of gorgeous, smiling and greeting like 800 million visitors the day her huge perfect and adorable, but HUGE baby was born! I brought her a king sized candy bar because I have no children and therefore no idea what a new mom needs, and I love chocolate. If you need chocolate at any important point in life, I'm your girl.
Okay, I could go on and on and on....y'all know I'm prone to do that, but I'm going to stop there for now.
Thanks for bearing with me in the drought of last month. I hope to be back to posting recipes and fun stuff very soon!
I know it's been an eternity since I last posted. 2013 in general is not shaping up so well, so I've been pretty busy.
Maybe I'll post some sweet nostalgic posts about the difficult things that have happened at some other point. Right now, I'm trying not to throw myself a pity party. You can ask anyone who's ever lived with me that I have a very strong tendency to throw pity parties and they're not fun events. There are no hats or pinatas, and only sometimes is there cake and I usually eat it all myself. ...I realize while I'm writing this that it's a really good thing I'm already married...
So sorry to my former roommates, immediate family members, and J! I really am working on it....
So instead of wallowing in the struggles of my life, I've decided to celebrate the things that are going well!
First, I am still married to my best friend.
In fact, we celebrated two years of marriage this month.
When I first came to graduate school, we were legitimately newlyweds. ...So new, I used to bring him up in conversations with new people to try to get used to calling him my husband. In hindsight I bet that was pretty annoying...oops. Now I sometimes have a hard time remembering what it was like to be single.
In all these hard times, he's been my rock. He's taken care of my every need, spoiled me, looked after me, taken care of things above and beyond his responsibilities, and bought me ice cream, an embarrassing amount of ice cream. He's an awesome guy, and I take that for granted way too often.
Second, I've been able to get more involved at church.
I'm finally teaching Bible class again and it makes me so happy! A friend and I get to teach half-a-dozen of the sweetest, most exhausting, smartest, and most adorable toddlers twice a week. I love their chubby, smiling faces and their sweet, honest hearts. I've hoped and prayed for a way to get more involved, and now I have one.
Third, I have finally drafted my thesis.
A friend from my cohort dubbed it "The T-Word." It was that evil monster-cloud of death hovering over my head for the past two years, and today I finally finished the first draft! There's more work, stress and long days to come, but the basics are there. That's a win in my book!
Fourth, all my friends seem to be getting on with their happy lives.
My Facebook is full of weddings, promotions, graduations, happy babies and rain. Rain is a really big deal in West Texas. My Facebook feed blows up at the first sign of a cloud...kind of makes windows seem redundant.
Anyways....
Did I not brag on my HS best friend's military promotion yet? I didn't?! Well she's totally killing it in the Army and I couldn't be prouder. I am a little scared that when she gets out, she's going to try to make me work out with her....If I get really fit suddenly, you'll know why. But seriously, she's an amazingly strong lady and I'm so proud of her accomplishments!
Did I not brag on my childhood best friend's baby? Man, I've been slacking! He's adorable. I haven't seen him since he was born last month, but I'm pretty sure he's gotten even more awesome since then. Talk about strong ladies, this girl was looking all kinds of gorgeous, smiling and greeting like 800 million visitors the day her huge perfect and adorable, but HUGE baby was born! I brought her a king sized candy bar because I have no children and therefore no idea what a new mom needs, and I love chocolate. If you need chocolate at any important point in life, I'm your girl.
Okay, I could go on and on and on....y'all know I'm prone to do that, but I'm going to stop there for now.
Thanks for bearing with me in the drought of last month. I hope to be back to posting recipes and fun stuff very soon!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Jalapeno Ranch Dip
Last night around 9:30, I was suddenly starving.
This happens to me often. I'm sitting, working and facebooking....then, all the sudden, I feel like I haven't eaten in months and I'll die if I don't get whatever craving I have.
Last night it was jalapeno ranch dip, so I made some.
(I feel the need to clarify right now that I'm not pregnant. I realize my normal eating habits are reminiscent of pregnant women, but I don't have any excuse. I just love junk food.)
This is how I made the dip last night, but you can do it in any order. Also, feel free to adjust the measurements to fit your taste. I don't measure, so these are all approximate anyway.
First, I put a quartered jalapeno in my chopper.
Next, I add 2/3(ish) cups of Sour Cream.
Then I added about 1/4 cup of Ranch dressing. (Ranch dip mix would probably be better.)
Then I added about half a cup of Mayo. (This is not diet food.)
Then I threw in some cilantro, garlic salt and onion powder.
I turned the chopper on until it looked like dip.
I ate it with potato chips, because I apparently wanted to see how many calories I could cram into one snack. But I think it would be really good on veggies, crackers or really anything because it's just a glorious combination of the world's most fattening foods and jalapenos.
Happy snacking!
This happens to me often. I'm sitting, working and facebooking....then, all the sudden, I feel like I haven't eaten in months and I'll die if I don't get whatever craving I have.
Last night it was jalapeno ranch dip, so I made some.
(I feel the need to clarify right now that I'm not pregnant. I realize my normal eating habits are reminiscent of pregnant women, but I don't have any excuse. I just love junk food.)
 |
| Sorry this isn't a cooler picture. I was hungry. |
This is how I made the dip last night, but you can do it in any order. Also, feel free to adjust the measurements to fit your taste. I don't measure, so these are all approximate anyway.
First, I put a quartered jalapeno in my chopper.
Next, I add 2/3(ish) cups of Sour Cream.
Then I added about 1/4 cup of Ranch dressing. (Ranch dip mix would probably be better.)
Then I added about half a cup of Mayo. (This is not diet food.)
Then I threw in some cilantro, garlic salt and onion powder.
I turned the chopper on until it looked like dip.
I ate it with potato chips, because I apparently wanted to see how many calories I could cram into one snack. But I think it would be really good on veggies, crackers or really anything because it's just a glorious combination of the world's most fattening foods and jalapenos.
Happy snacking!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Work, work, work, CAKE!
As many of you know, I'm reaching crunch time for my master's program.
My thesis needs to be completed in early May. My independent study course is coming along slugglishly. Over the next week and a half I will be buried under an avalanche of quizzes and tests needing to be graded. And over the past 6 days I've been working basically nonstop to make up for lost time.
Finally, I've conquered the intro to my thesis, it's in the final stages before seeking my adviser's approval.
I'm only one chapter shy of finishing what I hope will be the most difficult book of my independent study.
And naturally, there's nothing I can do about grading until my students actually take their exams.
As J will soon be starting his "weekend" and I have a day off of teaching tomorrow. I've decided to take a little break from work.
To celebrate, and because I was craving chocolate, I'm baking a cake. This is the recipe.
It's a great, simple recipe and I highly recommend it to even the least experienced of bakers.
It smells delicious and has been taunting me with said delicious scent for the past 20 minutes.
Lick the beaters! Suggests my mother, but the batter was so runny there was none stuck to the beaters.
Ah, first world problems...
Soon it will emerge from the oven!
Then it will have to cool.
Then I will frost it!
Then I will probably be very sleepy.
No matter! I am determined to partake in the deliciousness that will be this cake!
Wish me lick...I mean luck!
As J will soon be starting his "weekend" and I have a day off of teaching tomorrow. I've decided to take a little break from work.
To celebrate, and because I was craving chocolate, I'm baking a cake. This is the recipe.
It's a great, simple recipe and I highly recommend it to even the least experienced of bakers.
It smells delicious and has been taunting me with said delicious scent for the past 20 minutes.
Lick the beaters! Suggests my mother, but the batter was so runny there was none stuck to the beaters.
Ah, first world problems...
Soon it will emerge from the oven!
Then it will have to cool.
Then I will frost it!
Then I will probably be very sleepy.
No matter! I am determined to partake in the deliciousness that will be this cake!
Wish me lick...I mean luck!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Buying and Cooking Brisket--Keep it Simple
Being a West Texas girl, I've eaten many, many pounds of brisket in my life.
I've had it at big restaurants, home, banquets, parties, people's houses, church luncheons, picnics, fly-ins, stock shows, rodeos, reunions, on the floor, in a chair, on the stairs, near a sheep, on a pig, on a horse, with a friend, with a foe, with a guy named Joe, in the ocean, in the desert, with dessert, with a carrot, in a tortilla, on a chip, with and without dip...
Well okay, maybe not all of those places. But you might be surprised by which ones of those are true.
Anyway, out of all of the brisket I've had in my life, my mom's brisket recipe is still the best.
It's also the simplest.
First, there are a couple of things you oughta know before you head to the grocery store.
What makes brisket tender and delicious is all the fat that comes on that cut of beef.
Heretofore...don't buy a brisket that's already been trimmed.
The cut should probably weigh between 8 and 15 pounds, if you want to use this method.
When you're picking out a brisket at the store put one hand on either end and see if you can fold it in half. If you can (or can at least get close), that means it's got a lot of good fat in it. As Walter Brennan (and my brother) would say, "That's a good'n!"
While you're at the store, grab a bottle of brisket marinade. Claude's is the best, but I've used other marinades that were alright.
Once you get it home, you can freeze the brisket if you want. I have a tiny freezer, and it takes a long time to thaw that much meat (can't just pop in the microwave), so I elected to cook it right away. Of course, it'll stay good in the fridge for a while too, if you need to wait.
Once you're ready to cook it, you'll need a roaster pan with a lid.
Preheat the oven at 250.
Put the meat in the pan fat side up. (That's the white side.) Doing this causes the fat to dip through the meat while it cooks, distributing the flavor and producing a really delicious, tender meat.
You're brisket will probably be longer than your pan. That's okay. You can turn the ends under so that it curves up in the middle.
Next, pour the whole bottle of marinade over the meat. If you're using Claude's, you need to shake it well first to make sure you get most of the seasoning that settles in the bottom out.
Finally, put the lid on the pan, put in the oven and leave it for about 8-12 hours.
When it's done, you can easily carve off the fat that hasn't melted. Then, slice the meat against the grain.
It's good by itself, but if you want some other serving ideas...
Good luck!
I've had it at big restaurants, home, banquets, parties, people's houses, church luncheons, picnics, fly-ins, stock shows, rodeos, reunions, on the floor, in a chair, on the stairs, near a sheep, on a pig, on a horse, with a friend, with a foe, with a guy named Joe, in the ocean, in the desert, with dessert, with a carrot, in a tortilla, on a chip, with and without dip...
Well okay, maybe not all of those places. But you might be surprised by which ones of those are true.
Anyway, out of all of the brisket I've had in my life, my mom's brisket recipe is still the best.
It's also the simplest.
First, there are a couple of things you oughta know before you head to the grocery store.
What makes brisket tender and delicious is all the fat that comes on that cut of beef.
Heretofore...don't buy a brisket that's already been trimmed.
The cut should probably weigh between 8 and 15 pounds, if you want to use this method.
When you're picking out a brisket at the store put one hand on either end and see if you can fold it in half. If you can (or can at least get close), that means it's got a lot of good fat in it. As Walter Brennan (and my brother) would say, "That's a good'n!"
While you're at the store, grab a bottle of brisket marinade. Claude's is the best, but I've used other marinades that were alright.
 |
| The supplies--Marinade, brisket and roaster pan. |
Once you're ready to cook it, you'll need a roaster pan with a lid.
Preheat the oven at 250.
Put the meat in the pan fat side up. (That's the white side.) Doing this causes the fat to dip through the meat while it cooks, distributing the flavor and producing a really delicious, tender meat.
You're brisket will probably be longer than your pan. That's okay. You can turn the ends under so that it curves up in the middle.
 |
| Ready to go in the oven! |
Finally, put the lid on the pan, put in the oven and leave it for about 8-12 hours.
When it's done, you can easily carve off the fat that hasn't melted. Then, slice the meat against the grain.
It's good by itself, but if you want some other serving ideas...
- Chopped brisket sandwiches are always a hit. I like to use hamburger buns, barbecue sauce and sliced pickles.
- Brisket nachos are delicious. Just replace ground beef or beans with chopped brisket and top with your favorite nacho fixin's.
- Brisket burritos make a great lunch and a great fundraiser. Just wrap some chopped brisket in a tortilla (homemade are best) and serve with salsa. Charge $2 a burrito and you generally can get back about twice what you spent on supplies.
I cooked a brisket last week, chopped it and froze it in baggies. This is a great way to vary your meals when you're on a budget. A $20 brisket will easily make 4 or 5 meals for the two of us.
Good luck!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Beef Stew
Spring is only five days away, but in West Texas that doesn't really mean anything.
We're almost guaranteed another freeze before summer, just look at the mesquites.
Being the kind and awesome friend that I am, I wanted to make sure y'all had a good new recipe to get through those cold days in the next month or two.
So here's a simple beef stew recipe to keep you warm.
1 lb beef for stew (ground beef works too)
4-5 red potatoes
2-3 carrots
1 can of corn
1 can rotel
3-4 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 chopped onion (I use onion powder)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional ingredient ideas:
Can of mixed veggies, celery, ketchup, bell pepper, crushed red pepper, anything else you love. (Except chocolate I think that would be weird. Use discretion.)
I filled my pot about half full of water and put the thawed meat in. I turned it on medium high so it would start boiling, while I chopped my potatoes and sliced my carrots. As I got those peeled, washed and chopped I threw them in there too.
Next I poured in my corn, Rotel, Worcestershire, and seasonings until it looked right. When it looked like my meat had cooked through I taste-tested and adjusted the flavors as needed.
I left that on a low boil for an hour. You can leave it on as long as you like, just add water if it gets low.
The result was a hit!
We're almost guaranteed another freeze before summer, just look at the mesquites.
Being the kind and awesome friend that I am, I wanted to make sure y'all had a good new recipe to get through those cold days in the next month or two.
 |
| J took this photo. |
1 lb beef for stew (ground beef works too)
4-5 red potatoes
2-3 carrots
1 can of corn
1 can rotel
3-4 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 chopped onion (I use onion powder)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional ingredient ideas:
Can of mixed veggies, celery, ketchup, bell pepper, crushed red pepper, anything else you love. (Except chocolate I think that would be weird. Use discretion.)
I filled my pot about half full of water and put the thawed meat in. I turned it on medium high so it would start boiling, while I chopped my potatoes and sliced my carrots. As I got those peeled, washed and chopped I threw them in there too.
Next I poured in my corn, Rotel, Worcestershire, and seasonings until it looked right. When it looked like my meat had cooked through I taste-tested and adjusted the flavors as needed.
I left that on a low boil for an hour. You can leave it on as long as you like, just add water if it gets low.
The result was a hit!
 |
| He would be smiling, but his mouth is full. ;) |
 |
| "That's enough pictures. I'm tryin' to eat!" teehee.. |
Monday, March 11, 2013
Egg Drop Soup
Lately, I've been craving Chinese food a lot, specifically egg drop soup.
But before we get to that, let's back up.
Shortly before Christmas I received a magazine subscription to Family Circle from my grandma.
One thing you need to know about my grandma is that she loves magazines and catalogs. My grandparents have the biggest mailbox I've ever seen and it's full every day. It's a quirk I feel positive I will inherit because I also love getting mail.
The moral of the story is this gift subscription was very exciting to me. Even now, months later, I still get all excited about it when it comes.
Now back to the soup.
The most recent issue I received had an article that was something along the lines of 32,000 ways to cook eggs. Pretty much everything in the magazine is a list with numbers. 23 ways to get your teen to stop being a brat, 17 ways to comb your hair, 13 shades of green you should wear tomorrow...you get the point.
One of the ways to cook eggs was egg drop soup.
WIN!
So I'm looking at the recipe and thinking to myself "I don't have tofu, soy sauce, scallions or corn starch. I'm not wearing appropriate clothes to go out in public and I want this now!"
What's a girl to do when she doesn't want to forsake her yoga pants to go the grocery store?
I just left out what I didn't have.
If I'm being honest, I would have to say I would have left out the tofu anyway. I'll blame it on my rural upbringing, but I just can't eat tofu.
When I left out what I didn't have, what I was left with is this recipe:
4 c chicken broth
pinch salt (I threw in a little extra to compensate for the soy sauce)
1/8 t Black pepper
about 1/8 c onion powder (since I didn't have scallions)
3 eggs beaten
First, I boiled the broth and the seasonings then I brought that down to a low boil for 2 minutes.
Then, I poured in the eggs very slowly while gently stirring the broth.
The result was tasty, fast, cheap and easy.
Oh and one more thing, eat it right away. It's best right after you finish pouring the egg in.
But before we get to that, let's back up.
Shortly before Christmas I received a magazine subscription to Family Circle from my grandma.
One thing you need to know about my grandma is that she loves magazines and catalogs. My grandparents have the biggest mailbox I've ever seen and it's full every day. It's a quirk I feel positive I will inherit because I also love getting mail.
The moral of the story is this gift subscription was very exciting to me. Even now, months later, I still get all excited about it when it comes.
Now back to the soup.
The most recent issue I received had an article that was something along the lines of 32,000 ways to cook eggs. Pretty much everything in the magazine is a list with numbers. 23 ways to get your teen to stop being a brat, 17 ways to comb your hair, 13 shades of green you should wear tomorrow...you get the point.
One of the ways to cook eggs was egg drop soup.
WIN!
So I'm looking at the recipe and thinking to myself "I don't have tofu, soy sauce, scallions or corn starch. I'm not wearing appropriate clothes to go out in public and I want this now!"
What's a girl to do when she doesn't want to forsake her yoga pants to go the grocery store?
I just left out what I didn't have.
If I'm being honest, I would have to say I would have left out the tofu anyway. I'll blame it on my rural upbringing, but I just can't eat tofu.
 |
| I love how weird the egg looks. Cooking is so cool! |
4 c chicken broth
pinch salt (I threw in a little extra to compensate for the soy sauce)
1/8 t Black pepper
about 1/8 c onion powder (since I didn't have scallions)
3 eggs beaten
First, I boiled the broth and the seasonings then I brought that down to a low boil for 2 minutes.
Then, I poured in the eggs very slowly while gently stirring the broth.
The result was tasty, fast, cheap and easy.
Oh and one more thing, eat it right away. It's best right after you finish pouring the egg in.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Baby Fever
 |
| I don't know this baby, but he's cute! |
It's me again...
I've been a little busy lately, but I was just thinking about something I want to share.
Y'all know me. I like to post about things that may or may not ever happen from time to time. Like when I posted about procrastinating. ...wait did I ever get around to that?
Anyway, lately I've been thinking about having kids. It's just one of those baby fever things that hits you like a ton of bricks when all your friends seem to magically get pregnant in the same year.
You find yourself looking at their sonograms, baby bump pictures and baby registries pretty much all the time. There should be a name for this phenomenon. Babidemic? Babypalooza? Ubiquibaby?
Nevermind, what I'm getting at is this: Now that I find myself surrounded by baby paraphernalia (why does that word have two Rs in it?), I consistently catch myself daydreaming about parenting.
Not wanting to loose the random thoughts and ideas I've had recently, I wanted to share a couple with you.
First, I was just thinking today about how I want to build things with my kids. Maybe a playhouse or a dog house for our future Collie that we'll probably name Lassie. (I'm still talking J into this one.)
I think this will be awesome for a lot of reasons. Mostly, I think it'll be fun. I also think it could be a great learning experience. They'll use problem solving, geometry and other basic math skills. They'll also get to be creative. I hope that we can design it together, they can pick paint colors and really make it their own. Finally, they'll also learn safety and how to use tools.
These hypothetical, super-smart, genius children are probably not what our actual children will be like, but it's a nice dream, right?
I also want our kids to read. I want them to read lots of different things that interest them. J and I actually have a running list of books we might want our kids to read. We're nerds. I know.
I hope our kids are nerds too.
That's all for now. Maybe I'll update this later, but between you and me, we know that's not likely to happen.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Babka's Lemon Cake
This is not going to be one of those sweet posts about some sweet old lady her sweet cake recipe that she so sweetly gave to me at her sweet house when I was just a sweet child.
Got it?
Sweet.
Instead this is about how I attempted to make a traditional Polish cake.
Well kinda... You see I have no Babka (that's polish for grandma). The closest thing I have to a Polish grandma is an 1/8 Norwegian grandma and that's not close at all.
Despite my lack of... Polishness? Polishiosity? Poligarchy? Essence-of-Poland? Anyway, although I am in no way Polish, I have a Polish last name and a Polish-looking husband. Somehow that creates in me the desire to do something, well, Polish.
When I got the itch to bake today, I asked dear, sweet, Polish-looking J what he might want. He said lemon cake. I'm not, in general, a huge fan of lemon dessert, but it sounded fun to make. When I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew it would be my afternoon project.
In order to save money I adapted some ingredients to fit what I have.
First, I went with only all-purpose flour not potato or "plain" flour. (What is "plain" flour anyway?)
Second, I subbed in blueberries for raisins, because I can't stand raisins in dessert.
From there I just followed the directions as listed. It's pretty simple, until you get to the baking part.
On the recipe he says put the batter "in your tin." Maybe it's just me, but this was very ambiguous.
What is a tin exactly? Based on the picture of the final product I decided a bundt pan was the best bet.
How big is it? I only have one bundt pan, so this was kind of an irrelevant question.
Is it greased? I decided it was not because he said nothing about it, and the batter had 9 T. of Olive oil.
The cake is in the oven aswe speak I type. So I'll let you know later if these were good decisions or not. Maybe there'll be pictures as well. :)
Update:
The cake was a little difficult to get out of the pan in one piece. However, I still don't think it needed to be greased. Instead I think a smaller pan (or more batter) would solve the problem.
You see, the cake I made is only about 2 inches tall. This is my first Babka cake, but I don't think that's how they're supposed to look.
Another problem--it's a little dry. My oven cooks a little cool so I bumped it up about 20 degrees. This was too much for the midget cake apparently.
In sum, the cake tastes great, but next time I would double the recipe to make a bigger, moister cake.
Got it?
Sweet.
Instead this is about how I attempted to make a traditional Polish cake.
Well kinda... You see I have no Babka (that's polish for grandma). The closest thing I have to a Polish grandma is an 1/8 Norwegian grandma and that's not close at all.
Despite my lack of... Polishness? Polishiosity? Poligarchy? Essence-of-Poland? Anyway, although I am in no way Polish, I have a Polish last name and a Polish-looking husband. Somehow that creates in me the desire to do something, well, Polish.
When I got the itch to bake today, I asked dear, sweet, Polish-looking J what he might want. He said lemon cake. I'm not, in general, a huge fan of lemon dessert, but it sounded fun to make. When I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew it would be my afternoon project.
In order to save money I adapted some ingredients to fit what I have.
First, I went with only all-purpose flour not potato or "plain" flour. (What is "plain" flour anyway?)
Second, I subbed in blueberries for raisins, because I can't stand raisins in dessert.
From there I just followed the directions as listed. It's pretty simple, until you get to the baking part.
On the recipe he says put the batter "in your tin." Maybe it's just me, but this was very ambiguous.
What is a tin exactly? Based on the picture of the final product I decided a bundt pan was the best bet.
How big is it? I only have one bundt pan, so this was kind of an irrelevant question.
Is it greased? I decided it was not because he said nothing about it, and the batter had 9 T. of Olive oil.
The cake is in the oven as
 |
| Pictures indeed... |
The cake was a little difficult to get out of the pan in one piece. However, I still don't think it needed to be greased. Instead I think a smaller pan (or more batter) would solve the problem.You see, the cake I made is only about 2 inches tall. This is my first Babka cake, but I don't think that's how they're supposed to look.
Another problem--it's a little dry. My oven cooks a little cool so I bumped it up about 20 degrees. This was too much for the midget cake apparently.
In sum, the cake tastes great, but next time I would double the recipe to make a bigger, moister cake.
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