About Those Leftovers..

I hate wasting food, so luckily I love eating/using leftovers. It's not a common occurrence in my fridge, but if I go to dinner and manage to not scarf down the entire American-sized portion, I always eat the leftovers the next day. Um, usually for breakfast. Anyway, another time I would have a surplus of cooked food in there is when I roast a massive turkey without pairing it with company to help eat it. People love leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, because sandwiches. Well my sandwich would be pretty awkward since I've sworn off bread, so soup it is! I think the usual go-to is probably some kind of noodle soup for turkey, but mine is a little different. I first made this after last Thanksgiving when I was asked by my boyfriend (and his family) to make something to use up some of the meat they had left. I took a chance that turkey wouldn't taste terrible in my favorite soup. It didn't. Everyone loved it. Nick (like really, who is reading this that doesn't know his name? please) has actually been asking me to make it again recently, so naturally it was the way to use some of this:

(Not actual size)

It may be a small picture but that's a 9.5c container. So anyway, the soup. It's a basic Tuscan Peasant varietal-cabbage (savoy) carrots, garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, white beans, and low-sodium chicken broth. Flavored with rosemary, pancetta, and a squeeze of lemon at the end. It's so easy and sooo good. And seriously cheap too, especially if you leave out the pancetta. But...well, don't. Heh. And here's a tip: a 4oz package of pancetta at the store was $5.99, so I walked over to the deli and asked for 1/3lb. It was $4.25. So..fresher, cheaper, AND you can get it cut thicker so you can actually dice it instead of shredding those thin little slices in frustration. Where was I? Right. So first you heat a little olive oil in your pot and then add the diced pancetta (this is half since I only have a small pot and had to make 2 of them) and some chopped rosemary (sorry I don't measure a whole lot). Cook that until it smells yummy and the pancetta begins to crisp a little bit.

You can remove some of the fat but not all of it, because flavor. Now add a couple cloves of minced garlic, the cabbage, carrots and onion and cook until the cabbage wilts and the edges start to brown a bit. This works much better in a pot that is NOT non-stick, which I do not have.

Sprinkle in a little kosher salt and black pepper, then dump in the tomatoes (14oz can, don't drain them), and pour in the broth (about 4 cups because, well, that's how they sell it). Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer partially covered while you make a drink and clean up the mess. 20 minutes should be good.

Bubbly

Now is when to add the turkey (or even chicken, if you have it..totally not necessary though), you just want to heat it through since it is already cooked. Also a can (or two if you like) of white beans. I made one pot (the one for me) without them just to lower the carbs but they really make it so yummy. Sigh. Cook for a few more minutes. Finally, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in to finish it. Mmmm.

Oh, I didn't just have leftover meat after my turkey adventure. I also had leftover celery. Which doesn't go in the soup, and I also don't love, soo:

This Turkey

So I've had this turkey in my freezer. For months. Taking up approximately 30% of the space in there. Because 13 pounds. Usually a girl living alone would not have such a large portion of poultry in her possession, but my boyfriend won it for me. And while it's not the usual "stuffed animal" (har har) a boyfriend wins for his girlfriend, he won it for me and so I accepted it proudly. I put it in my freezer and told myself I would cook it...someday. Well, about 4 months later I got sick of it being in my freezer so that day was today.

Cooking a turkey requires a bit of preparation, so first I headed to the store. Needed stuff to make it taste good and also got some petite green beans to eat with the 8% portion (that's gotta be a decent guess at an average serving size) I would obviously be eating for dinner. No mashed potatoes for me (and won't be making any delicious gravy, cry) because I'm not eating the evil carbs for a while. Oh yeah, that started today. I figured roasted turkey and the steamed beans would be perfect. Anyway, I also needed to purchase one of those large disposable roasting pans since I am not the owner of a pan capable of containing the beast bird, and had to somehow acquire that string I've seen people use to tie the legs together. After looking near the pans, the spices, the foil/cling wrap and the hardware section, I decided they do not sell such a product at that supermarket. So here's a helpful (that may be a stretch) hint: you can go to the butcher at your store and they will cut you the length you need. Nice, right? 

Once I got home I preheated the oven to 400° and began preparing it. Rinsed it in cold water (and removed the "stuff" inside), dried it with paper towels and plopped it in the pan (which I put on a sturdy cookie sheet to make it easier to get out of the oven). I squeezed a half lemon inside and then rubbed in some kosher salt. Threw the lemon in it's hole along with a small white onion (quartered), 3 cloves of garlic (peeled obv), some celery and some sage. Tied the legs together tightly. Added a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary in the pan around it. Lastly, I melted some butter and poured that over the breast, salt and peppered, and then flipped it over and did the same to the underside. And then I left it that way, and chucked it in the oven. Yes, I cooked it breast-side down and yes, I did that on purpose. I heard it is supposed to make for much juicier meat (dry turkey is the pits). I left the temp at 400° for the first half-hour (kills any bacteria) and then 325° for 2 hours. I dropped it to 225° for an hour and then 180° for the final half-hour. Timing would obviously vary depending on poundage, but I highly doubt anyone is planning on randomly roasting a turkey anytime soon (wait, do people make turkeys for Easter?) so I don't know why I'm getting into these details at all. 

Well let me tell you, if you do make turkey for Easter, or maybe have one in your freezer like I did (or are just craving turkey now because you've been reading about it for over 2 minutes) and will be using the good old oven method, please, for the love of everything, COOK IT WITH THE BREAST DOWN. You guys. This was the best (aka least dry) roasted turkey breast meat I have had in a long time (maybe ever) and I didn't have to brine it or even baste it really (I mean I did once, but only because I actually do own a turkey-baster). No, it won't look quite the same of course and you won't have the crispy skin on that side, but trust me it is worth it. I have to say, I'm glad I finally decided to make that damn thing. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the heaps of leftover meat.

See? A little awkward looking, but not terrible

Aerial view

This would look way cooler 

with starchy carbs and gravy

Shiny turkey

DOOL

Ok, today's post is going to be a little different. Because I wouldn't usually write about a daytime drama on here. I don't usually go out of my way to admit to watching one either. But I do. Now you know. I've watched Days of Our Lives on and off for about 20 years now (OMG). It's outlandish and terrible at times but I love it. It's so bad it's good. That's the mark of a successful soap. They've done some of the most ridiculous things over the years, from a devil possession to twins with two different fathers, and nobody that dies in Salem is ever guaranteed to stay that way. But somehow over the last year, between the overdramatic face-slaps and faked pregnancies, they managed to do something quite amazing. This week Days became the first soap opera in history to have a gay wedding. And I've never been prouder to be a fan.

They did a great job with the whole process, starting with Will realizing and then struggling to accept that he was gay. He came out exactly a year ago (yesterday, actually) and they didn't just have him say "Oh hey so I'm gay now", they scripted in all kinds of reactions by friends and family. Some very positive, some very negative. They made a point to cover real life issues young gay men face in coming out and accepting it as being who they are and not something to be ashamed of. They showed how the intolerant can become tolerant and accepting if they just open their minds a little. They slowly let it all play out over the year (all while keeping with being a soap of course-they broke up and got back together, Will got shot, Sonny delivered Will's baby from a one-night stand he had while trying to deny his sexuality, the usual). And when it came time for Will and Sonny's wedding storyline, it was actually really touching to see how they went out of their way to show their support for same-sex marriage and rights. You could actually see it in all the actors faces how important this message was for them to get across to their viewers.

So anyway, as strange as it may seem for me to think of it as a big deal, it really is. I mean let's face it, a large part of their audience is probably made up of older folks, and even people my age, who may not be as open-minded and understanding about the topic. But several have also likely been watching for decades and take it "seriously" enough to let it change the way they view homosexuality and maybe even their opinion on gay marriage. Not to mention the likelihood of other soaps following suit when they see all the positive recognition Days is getting for this. I just think it's a big move in the right direction for daytime TV and again, it made me really proud of them.

Congrats DOOL!

#Excess

Overindulgence. Overkill. Too much.

For as long as we can remember there have been things people do too much of. You drink too much wine (as if), or maybe have a friend who eats too much food. He drinks too much soda and she watches too much TV. We've probably all met someone that plays video games a little too much. Some gamble, shop, smoke, talk, complain, or even exercise or clean more than the average person. I'm not going to get into all that (and not just because I'm guilty of two of them. Ok, three). Those have been issues for years and years and probably always will be. I'm talking about a more modern twist on the concept. And not just texting too much (guilty). The ways people overdo it on social media these days both annoys and fascinates me. These are the four that stand out the most: 

The over-updater.

They update their status so much that you see several in a row on your newsfeed and all you can think is "Wha-...why??" For example,

April 4, 2014 6:07pm
"On our way to dinner!"...

6:25pm
"at the restrant" (this person also is not great at the spelling/grammar)

6:31pm
"waiting for our table. there taking forever!!!!"

6:49pm
(Picture of their dinner)

7:13pm
"omgggg sooo fulllll"

Sigh.

The Over-Sharer.

That person who just crosses the line between making you feel informed and making you wish you could delete their status yourself because surely they don't really want everyone to know that.

"OMG I am so sick of BF's sh*t. If he lies to me ONE MORE TIME i am SO DONE!!!!!!! Not to mention he never even got me a birthday present because he spent all his money on DRUGS!!! He's such a loser! Our kids and I don't need you, I will take them and you'll never see them again you hear me!!"

This is usually followed with a string of comments starting with supportive friends ("you go girl!") and maybe one of the guy's friends sticking up for him ("you best shut yo mouth bout my boy") and sometimes, for extra discomfort, the guy himself comes in and airs even more of their dirty laundry. Yikes.

The Attention-Seeking Whiner.

I know you know what I'm talking about. The person who writes a vague sad-story status and just waits for people to ask what's wrong, or to give them compliments or reassurance. Now, I'm not talking about your friend that had a bad day and is venting a little, or your sister who had a headache this morning. I'm talking about the serial whiners. Daily rants and self-loathing. If I may,

Status:
"Ugh I'm such an ugly loser. Nobody will ever love me" (bonus points if it includes a selfie)
Comments:
"Oh I love you! And I think you're beautiful! xoxo" etc etc..
Response:
"Thanks guys love u too"
Status:
"Worst day EVER!!!"
Comments:
"aww what happened???"
"everything ok?"
"are u okay??!"
Response:
"I don't wanna talk about it"
Status:
:(
Comments:
"oh no what's wrong hun?"
"wats wrong"
"u ok?"
Response:
"I'll inbox you"

Sorry, I just don't get it!

And finally, my favorite...

The Blatant Overuse of the Hashtag.

I actually love this one. It's just so funny to me! It's more of an Instagram epidemic, usually people on Facebook only use a few, like 5 max. On Instagram? Sky's the limit! I've seen people hashtag things I wouldn't even think of! And why? Who is searching these things?! I admit I'm not the biggest user of it. Ok I only use it for the filters that make my pictures look better sometimes. But I've seen enough to know. And no, not everyone is guilty of this, but the offenders offend hard and I will never stop laughing at them.

#cat #fluffy #flowers #candle #redvase #lilac 

#purplewax #pandasperch #window #open #spring

#daisies #sniffing #stopandsmelltheflowers

#table #housenextdoor #cute #ilovecats

#catlover #felinechild #fur 

#catisthenewblack

Diets

Food plans. Energy in.

I actually don't do diets anymore. These days I usually just cut out carbs for a couple weeks to get on track and then try to just eat your basic healthy low-fat regime, while making sure to stay within a reasonable calorie range. I stick to fruits (mornings only), vegetables, and lean protein. Simple enough. Some good fats like olive oil, salmon, avocado and, if I'm feeling particularly cheeky, almonds. That's my perfect plan, I stick to it about 80% of the time when I'm actually trying. Which is probably also about 80% of the time. I don't know, I don't feel like doing math right now but I'm pretty sure it adds up to something like "not enough". Obviously a big part of my self-improvement has to be cutting out the crap (I'll miss you sweet carbohydrates), and getting back to what makes me feel best. Now I know you're probably thinking "Umm, sounds like a diet...", but when I think "diets" I think of the following, some of which I've tried:

Atkins: You can eat as much meat and fat as you want because, well, you're not eating anything else. So your body only has that to burn. Some vegetables are allowed, but only like 2 cups/day from what I remember. They sell products like shakes and bars that weren't awful but I got this greasy patch on the crown of my head? What the...? Ick. I lost a few pounds very quickly within the first 2 weeks and was quite impressed. This was like 10 years ago when I didn't know better. Although low-carb is still my go-to jump start, anything that says you can't eat fruit is insane to me. RIP Dr. Atkins.

South Beach: Created by a doctor in Florida. Similar to Atkins in the beginning with the carbs-are-the-enemy mantra. But through "Phases" you add more foods in such as whole grains, starchy veg, fruits etc. I tried it for a bit, but mostly just because they have really pretty packaging for their products.

Skinny Bitch Diet: Ohhh hahaha a book with that title has to be light and amusing right? WRONG. It's horrifying. If you've never read it, don't. DO NOT. I cried my way through it all while feeling like the worst human on the planet, and then went vegan for over a year. Nothing against vegans, except the ones that look down on others for not being vegan. I felt a little of that happening in me and I didn't like it. That, coupled with an unrelated case of severe anemia snapped me out of it. I threw the book away. I would have donated it but I don't hate people.

Weight Watchers: I think this is great just because of the education and group support they offer. Based on a points system, you really can eat whatever you want, so it's ideal for people that really struggle with their weight-loss. I have never been on it, but I did eat a whole box of their little cakes once. Yummy.

Master Cleanse: This is some hardcore shit. I'm not gonna google the specifics and rules I didn't follow because I don't want to relive those 3 days. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice maple syrup cayenne drink. I'm sure you've heard of it. Beyoncé made it famous I think (figures). Basically you drink as much of this mixture as you can instead of eating food. I did it with a friend last year to prepare for a wedding in Cancun. Oh, no I wasn't going, I'm just a really supportive friend. We lasted three whole days and in my opinion, improved the diet. Some would call adding vodka to it, eating salads and boiled egg whites, and then deciding Bloody Mary's (with a half jar of olives each) were acceptable failing, but potato potahto.

Zone Diet: I can only say I've heard of it and seen the bars in stores. It's based on 40% unrefined carbs, 30% good fats and 30% protein at EVERY meal. Way too much math there Dr. Zone. Really the only reason I wanted to mention this one is because I remember hearing Jennifer Aniston was a Zoner during Friends and god DAMN she always looked amazing.

Paleo: The newest installment of Fad Diet. Based on the Paleolithic era, it's pretty much eating foods only the cavemen needed to survive (their long 30 year lives), and is supposed to train your body to want only these foods. Like, you can't eat beans. WTF is wrong with beans?! It promises to result in your ideal body weight, a sharp mind, and for you to become in-tune with your inner hunter. For the love of.... You know what? I bet Crossfitters love Paleo.

So all in all, diets with names are dumb. Some have good ideas within them, but mostly they're about selling books and products. And unfortunately people (me included) jump on anything new with a promise of success without feeling ravenous. But honestly, just eating the whole, unprocessed foods we've known are good for us since the second grade really does work. Apples, broccoli, and fish are good. Pizza, cookies and chips are bad. Yeah you'll be hungry at first but it gets easier. And for the most part you get over the cravings after a week or two and really want to eat the nice stuff. I should know, I've done it about 150 times.

Atkins cat

The Hunt

The perfect job. The next step in my professional life.

I've been looking for a new part-time job for a while now. Preferably working with animals, or at Whole Foods. Do I have experience in these fields?, you ask. Nope. I just really feel like it's those are the best choices for me so I'm going for it! Since the beginning of March I have applied to 8 places. Vet clinics, animal rescues, a pet store, etc. And WF like...5 times? (no luck there). I have gotten a few interviews so far though, and the process is quite interesting. Or more, my reaction to the process is. To me anyway. I haven't interviewed in a decade (no joke over 7.5 years, and you know how my math system works), and just thought I would be much more nervous and uncomfortable with the whole thing. But I find myself instead being very open and outgoing and chatty with them. So they've gone pretty well! Oh except for the part where I didn't get the first job. Heh.

Interview #1. Veterinary Hospital. Your usual sit-down-tell-me-about-yourself-and-why-you-want-this-job kinda thing. The lady conducting the interview was really super nice. A few disturbing questions such as "How do you feel about being pooped on?" (Whoa whoa, we just met!) and "Can you handle the euthanasia process?" (cry), and then explained rabies testing to me (Dear God Not Like This). My exact answer was, "Well...hehhhh..uhhh...I would be lying if I said 'Yaayy can't waaait!'". She appreciated my honesty. And probably my ability to make my skin go from Cover Girl Medium to Benjamin Moore Eggshell within one breath. She asked me to come back for a second, hands-on interview.

Interview #2. Aforementioned Veterinary Hospital. Working an appointment with someone currently in the position for which I was interviewing. She was nice enough. Didn't seem to love her job though, which was concerning since I was supposed to and all. The appointment was with 2 friendly dogs, one of which got so excited to see me she peed right next to my foot. We are talkin' a just miss here. The rest? "Ok, this is how you test for this and this is how you read this and this is where the shots are and this is a machine that's easy yet it's doing all my stuff wrong and this is how you enter this but you can also do it this way or this way and DO NOT MESS THAT UP even though you will at some point (we all do!) and can you clean this counter for me?" Wow. Basically a whole lot of information I had absolutely no chance of remembering (and shouldn't have, considering I wasn't being trained that day or anything). Oh, and I saw an adorably drunk cat.

Conclusion: That job is totally mine if the person they actually did hire sucks.

Interview #3. Animal Sanctuary Offices. Met with two very nice ladies. A lot of similar questions, only they're in the business of keeping animals alive so no face-drainers. The only tough one was "So what do you hope for in the future?" I'm pretty sure I blank-stare-blinked for a solid 3 seconds, which I can tell you feels like "I just screwed myself" in an interview. It's just I don't really think of a short answer for that, what with all the things I hope for. So I settled on "A job I love and look forward to going to, a house, and to get married and have a baby someday". I'm not kidding. And they loved it! People dig the honesty, I'm tellin' ya. Got an email the next day asking me to come for a second interview.

Mid-Interviews. Animal Sanctuary. Feline Division. Before I had left the Offices, they told me to feel free to stop by the actual Sanctuary during their public hours on Saturday. You guys. This place is amazing! No cages, and all the animals there are treated so well. All the kitties have their own space and their own nice beds and lots of toys and scratchers and everything else they would have in a home of their own. My heart melts. It's truly an awesome place. They have plans for a huge expansion over the coming years and it would be such a great time to start working with them.

Interview #4. Animal Sanctuary. Feline Division. This was this morning. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I seriously love this place. Sat down in the living room of the cat cottage with my
hopefully future boss and two of the girls that work there. A lot of what they intended to go over was already covered in my visit on Saturday, so we just chatted about the job and the adoption process,
laughed etc., while kitties played around us. (!!!). Got a quick run-down of how a typical work day goes, chatted a bit more, and left.

Conclusion: TBD. A decision will be made by next Friday. So now I wait patiently, without stress-eating chips and salsa because I don't do that anymore. I think they really like me though and you know what? I really like them too.

Adorable

Fresh

Ahhh a new month.

Doesn't changing the calendar to a fresh set of date boxes just feel like a new start? Most people feel that way when the year turns, but I like it monthly because 12 > 1. A virgin space of the year that you haven't wasted or screwed up by sitting around indoors eating 3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and watching 4 seasons of Survivor. Wait, what? No, of course I didn't do that. There were only 2 seasons left on iTunes I hadn't watched in the first 2 months of the year. Pshhh.

But really, this month feels different. The winter was long with a capital F and we should be able to expect great things from April. Temps above 50° (60° even?! gasp!), buds on the trees (sorry allergy sufferers) and flowers popping up pre-maturely (sorry flowers). We'll find out if our sunroofs still operate properly (surely I'm not the only one that worries about this?), and maybe get to open the windows and air out our homes a bit. Rain! Ok, I admit that's really not exciting, but holy crap how many times did you clear snow/ice off of something in the last 5 months? Right? Rain is cool with me right now. As is not using double the gas in my car having to warm it up for 20 minutes in single° just to get the needle to move. (I probably need a new car?)

So all that aside, this new month/start/beginning/whateveryou'dliketocallit can mean so much personally as well. It doesn't matter what you did before today because that was March and March is soo yesterday. I have several goal-oriented intentions for April, and they are as follows:

•Today is the first day of AA! (Active April, not the other one. Please.) Exercise regularly, even 15 minutes counts (I aim high folks).

•Get hired (more on this tomorrow).

•Cook more. I like cooking and I eat much better (lighter, healthier) when I do.

•Clean/Organize my apartment a bit more. For example, maybe do something about the fact that I still have boxes in my bedroom. What? It's only been weeks since I moved. Forty-five weeks.

•I need new plants. And a new kitchen rug.

•Try to spend less time watching TV. I'm hoping a new job/warmer weather will take care of this so I don't actually have to exert any effort on this one (I'll still take full credit though).

Ok I think that's enough. If I'm being honest (and I always am), I will be happy with 4 out of the 6. That's practically 70% successful. And obviously, we all need to allow ourselves 10% leeway, so it's really 80%. And if I can't be happy with 90% success then I've got bigger problems than my dirty kitchen rug.

Don't you feel so inspired by my optimistic mind-set and unparalleled ambition?

No more