TinyTall 2.0

So I was making dinner this weekend, and talking with my roommate about his travel plans for the week. He told me about a week ago he’d be flying to Arizona for a few days, no big deal. Never really said why, but I assumed visiting friends or family. So I asked him on Saturday if that is what he was doing, and lo and behold, he said “no, actually, I’m going down there for a job interview.”

Then, he tells me that they are thinking of moving and shows me photos of the four houses they are already checking out.

Woah. Wait a minute. Now, we didn’t have a long-long-long term agreement when I moved in, but nobody had said a single word about moving out anytime soon either.

I, in my dumbfounded-ness, say “so is this a six-month thing, or a year out, or…? Yeah, I knew better even before those words left my mouth. It does depend on how the interview goes (he’s doing that in the next day or so) but still… that means I’m going to have to move- yet again- very soon.

This isn’t all bad. It does mean that I will be able to get my mail on a regular basis. It also means I’ll be able to invite people over without the dogs going neurotic on them. I’ll just be losing a fully-furnished, sattelite-TV-ed, hot-tubbed, granite-countertop-kitchen.

This is for the better. I really hope it is. I just hate apartment-hunting, renting-a-new-place, moving, that whole bit. This one will be new, though, because I’ll have to find furniture all over again. The joys of moving.

There is something beautiful about creme brulee. A crackle-crisp crust that tastes dark and mysterious hiding a smooth, creamy custard with just the barest amount of sweetness. As your spoon breaks through the crust and slides into the custard, it leaves a trail in your dessert, revealing a lightly yellow creamy interior. It slides onto your tongue, with just the barest hint of sweetness and the lingering taste of vanilla. It’s a dessert of contrasts and the perfect way to treat your taste buds.

This small dose of heaven is relatively easy to make, but takes time in the fridge, so start it early in the day.

Ingredients:
2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
5 egg yolks

2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp white sugar

Arrange small custard cups or a medium round glass dish in a large baking dish (9×13 glass works well). Fill the large dish with about 1/2 to 1 inch of water, and place in the oven while preheating to 350.

In a saucepan, combine the whipping cream, vanilla, salt, and sugar. Set over medium-low heat, and stir every few minutes until small bubbles rise on the edges of the pan.

Scoop 1/4 cup of the warm cream into a bowl with the egg yolks. Whisk with a fork until fully combined. Whisk eggs back into saucepan. Using a measuring cup, scoop equal amounts of mixture into each custard cup. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove custards from water bath and refrigerate until chilled through (usually 3-5 hours). Combine brown and white sugar and sprinkle over the top. Place under a broiler on high for about a minute or until sugar is melted. (Or, if you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen torch, torch the sugar until it’s melted)

Place back in fridge until the sugar is solid and the custards are chilled again.

Enjoy very very slowly.

The Decor/Atmosphere: This place is an interesting combination of old and new. There are the actual chinks in the plaster showing brick on some walls (cool) and the painting of chinks in the plaster showing brick you’d see in new Mexican restaurants (a bit cheesy.)
For the small space, it is set up well, with small 2-4 person tables, and a couch off in the corner.
Credit goes to the winery for using wine bottles to hold taper candles and letting the large Wall-O-Wine be the main decoration. The giant Mona Lisa actually somehow works.

The Music: Very free-form. It was a performance the night we were there, and like most small spaces they shouldn’t have had a drum set going. However, in later visits, it was open mic/turntable/piano/whatever. Sometimes it can be difficult to talk over, but it’s always interesting and interactive. The intimately-sized space keeps the audience involved.

The Prices: About what you’d expect at a wine tasting room. $6-$15 for a medium-to-large glass of wine, and $30-up for a bottle.

The Final Say: I’ve become something of a regular here (if three visits count)- on nights there is no performance or open mic, it’s very quiet and relaxing. Not a place to go out partying, but great for quiet conversation and savoring pretty good wine. Be warned- they don’t serve much in the way of food, so eat dinner before you go or plan on going somewhere else after for a meal.

P.S.- I got linked! Taste Everything Once, Spokane’s biggest food blog. Check it out in the blogroll, and welcome to TEO readers!

As cubicles go, I admit I walked into a pretty nice setup. My cube is comparatively large, they don’t complain about the giant movie posters I hung up, and I’m directly under a skylight. I even got a whiteboard and a plant when I moved in.

As time went on, I moved two of my three plants into the cube as well- I spend more time here than I do awake at home some days, so it made sense.

Then, yesterday, I hear from an inside source that one of the community colleges in town was having a greenhouse sale.

Now, before I admit to my splurge, I have to say that I used to have plants EVERYWHERE. At a minimum 10 in my dorm room, or a good 15 in my apartment. Not a huge number, but still enough to give my hampster Iago (RIP) and I a good hit of oxygen. Then, when I had to move in mere hours, most of the plants got left behind.

Now that I’m fairly settled, I can begin building my collection back up… so yesterday, I got to go into the greenhouse that smelled wonderfully of living, growing, happy plants, and brought some of them “home” to my cube.

I only bought five (one of which I gave to my boss) so I didn’t go completely overboard- but I am happy with the ones I got!

My sister-in-law is the plant geek, not me, so bear with me here. I got a four-foot tall silk oak for the corner. A GIANT green spider plant that now sits at the juncture of my cube and the next. A light-green-and-red mottled leafy plant to join the “small” collection on my shelf, and one that looks like a palm tree/ cactus/ leafy hybrid that sits on the edge of the cube.
These joined the collection already in my office- a jade plant, a green-and-white spider plant, a kalancho, and a dinosaur plant.

I got a green oxygen hit. And I want more!

“Single’s Awareness Night”

The Decor/Atmosphere: Dark, intimate, and comfortable. I really enjoyed the way they had this rather small space laid out. Couches and chairs in the front, small tables parallel to the bar and one couch in the back. All dark wood and either red or muted lighting. The ceiling was textured dark brown as well. Wall art… well, that has a lot to do with…

The Music: I’m sure most of the time the music at Prago fits the atmosphere. I was there when they were supposed to be having a live artist who never did show. However, since it’s February, someone at Prago decided they would have a Johnny Cash celebratory MONTH. The music was too loud, and all bad second-rate remixes or covers of Johnny Cash. Please, people, an “Argentinian Cafe” would NOT have an ENTIRE FREAKING MONTH of tribute to the man in black. The music is eventually what drove us out of the place. It could have just been the fill-in DJ, or it could have been the norm. I’m going back when February is over.

The Prices: The special martini of the night set me back $6. It was a relatively small martini glass, although to their credit it was potent-but-not burned. A glass of wine was also $6. Not Wednesday-night cheap, but doable on a weekend if you wanted to have A drink, no more.

The Restrooms: Shared between this cafe and the Lion’s Lounge next door. Sterile, immaculate, small. Beyond the fact they were cold, nothing too exciting. (I add restrooms as their own category because sometimes they are the best indicator of what kind of a place you’re at- and sometimes they are just plain amusing.)

The Final Say: The bartenders/waiters are attentive and definitely a bit of nice eye candy. I’m willing to try the place again, because I love the decor and feel- but after the Johnny Cash tribute is over. It would be a great place for a first date, I think, because they do offer a decent menu of food, but just a drink is just as acceptable, if a little expensive.

I want to slam.

I went to a Poetry Slam last night. Now, I’m not sure if a Poetry Slam and Slam Poetry are different- I’m tempted to say they are. This wasn’t rhythmic, Eight Mile type poetry. It was performance poetry, however, with judging and competition.

I wasn’t as brave as NT that I was there with, because I didn’t take any poetry with me to perform. He, however, not only performed but made it to the second round without ever having done it before (Go NT!)

But now, I want to do it. I realized not only how much I crave competition, but that this is a form I think I would much prefer over the very structured, hyper-sensitive world of forensics competition because there are fewer rules and a more intimate feeling.

That, and one of the performers last night got me so riled up with his “deny, deny, deny” poem about how the government denies all responsibility for the war, and how we should all become anarchist, that I wanted to jump up there without signing up and without even competing just to … well, point out the other side.

This new drive, however, means I’ll actually have to write poetry again, which means getting through 100 pieces of scheit before I find anything actually worth performing.

If you’re around, I am going to try competing for the first time next month… here’s hoping.

Open Mic Night

The Decor/Atmosphere: Pretty standard bar fare- lots of metal drink advertisements and rock posters. The huge menu of shots behind the bar is a nice touch. However, the drink “menu” was very far up on the wall opposite the bar- I didn’t even notice it was there until I’d been there for a good half hour. Also keep an eye out for the paintings of the boy eating his dog and the sad big-eyed girl.

There are technically two actual bars in the Blue Spark, although I get the feeling the smaller 2nd one is only up and running on busy weekends.

The Music: Was INCREDIBLY loud half the time. Like most open-mic nights, the venue was too small to have a drum set going full-blast. It made conversation a bit difficult. The musicians themselves were OK- nothing too exciting, a few that had been playing lots of Guitar Hero and decided to try it out “for real.” Unless you are a rabid fan of open mic nights, it’s not worth scheduling a month in advance. It is, however, entertaining- just be prepared to walk outside or protect your eardrums every once in a while.

The Prices: $5 for a Guinness, $4 for a Rum and Coke. High-end martinis available (no price listed anywhere) as well as cheap beers. It won’t break your budget.
No cover.

The Restrooms: Lots of amusing writing, but two of the three stalls were missing their locks.

Final Say: Downtown is an easy place to find- but parking is bad. There are lots of small tables to hang out at/meet up at. Good option for meeting up with friends or catching a drink before you go down the street to a dance club.

I am a fan of American-Mexican food… the stuff that even I admit isn’t “authentic” Mexican, but is definitely inspired from that type of cuisine. I tend to make these in large batches and freeze them in groups of 4 or 8- they’re easy to bake right out of the freezer.
For a veggie version of this recipe, check out DIYnimite.

2 chicken breast halves
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
10 oz. sour cream
1.5 – 3 cups shredded cheese (to taste)
1 can diced chilies or jalapenos
8 large tortillas (flour or corn)

Fill a frying pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Set over medium-high heat. When it begins to bubble lightly, place chicken breasts in water (adding more if it boils down too far). Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side or until no pink remains in the center. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, 3/4 of the cheese, and chilies. Separate 1/4 of mixture to a separate bowl.

Dice cooled chicken into chunks, then mix into remaining 3/4 of the soup mixture.

Roll filling into tortillas, placing seam-side down in a baking dish. Spread reserved mixture over the top with the extra cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until edges are bubbling.

Each recipe makes about 8 enchiladas.

This is an easy recipe to add/subtract/change. Colby-Jack or cheddar cheese works well- use as much or as little as you’d like. Olives make a great garnish. Canned enchilada sauce also works well instead of reserving filling for the top.

Flour tortillas offer a fairly neutral flavor, while corn tortillas are a bit more dense and have a distinct flavor.

Enjoy!

The Target: My brother and sister-in-law

The Situation: Unable to celebrate Valentine’s day due to an evening class professor who threatened nobody was to miss class.

The Time-frame: 2 hours, entrance to exit

The Menu: Caesar Salad with Lemon-Pepper Chicken.
Sponge cake with Three-Berry topping, whipped cream, and Starfruit garnish.
Huckleberry wine.

The Challenges: Two very friendly puppies. Doing the dishes to add to the surprise.

Execution: After getting slightly lost between the grocery store and the house (the Hill can be incredibly twisty-turvy), made it to the house at about 5:45. 15 minutes of working time lost. Entered the house (using the key, no breaking and entering here) and subdued the puppies with petting and a bit of toy tug-o-war.

Entered the kitchen, cleared working space, and washed my hands (ooh, apple-y hand soap). Trimmed up the two chicken breasts (almost a pound each!) and got them started poaching. I wanted to prepare a dinner that would require no reheating if they got home late, but would be flavorful no matter what temperature / time it was eaten. Starting by poaching the chicken ensured that it was cooked through and wouldn’t lead to February-15th sour stomach.

Rinsed the three types of lettuce- Romaine, Butter, and Red Leaf. The Romaine lettuce offered the traditional Caesar salad crunch and slightly sharp flavor. Butter lettuce has a smooth mouthfeel and gentle flavor. Red Leaf was mostly for color, but added to the crunch. Tore the lettuce into large pieces- small pieces are great for side salad, but for dinner salads large pieces of lettuce feel more filling and look better on the plate.
Added the croutons and a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese, tossed the salad, and set it aside.

Cleaned off the dining room table. This was one of the parts that worried me the most- not because it would be difficult, but because I wasn’t sure about moving the paperwork and stuff on the table. I ended up putting it all into a convenient box or right on the computer chairs, so it would be easy to find.

Took the chicken off the heat, poured out the water, and began low-heat grilling it to get the caramelized color and lemon-pepper flavor. As the chicken was grilling, I rinsed and sliced strawberries, tossed in blueberries and raspberries. Two tablespoons of sugar into the bowl, and then let that sit as I turned the chicken and set the table.

Crystal wine glasses were easy to find, and red and pink dishes were easily accessible (yay for Fiestaware!). Knives, forks, spoons, and dessert plates all no problem. However, this is a table for six, and setting it for two presented the challenge of either placing the settings at one side or other of the table or end-to-end. I ended up placing the settings to one side and put the food all to the other side in order to maximize table space while creating a more “intimate” feeling. Placemats were red-and-blue striped napkins, with red candles in silver candleholders.

Sliced the small loaf of french bread, and wrapped it in dark-blue napkins with red pinstripes. Onto the table that went, as did the bottle of Huckleberry wine- a favorite of the targets, as well as pink for the holiday. Pulled the chicken off the stove, and put it to chill in the fridge.

Unwrapped the sponge cake, and dumped now-juicy-and-sweet fruit over it. Sliced the starfruit very carefully, and spread it out as garnish. Four fluted strawberries finished the presentation. Did the same for the chicken over the salad, and both of those went to the table with napkins loosely covering them. Small bowls of extra Parmesan and Caesar dressing onto the table as well.

At this point, it was 6:55. Dishes and coralling the dogs brought me up to 7:18. Only 12 minutes to get out of the house (thank goodness their class didn’t end early!). A touch of whipped cream on dessert, turning off the lights, and I was out of the driveway by 7:22.

The conclusion: I didn’t get arrested for breaking and entering. I didn’t burn anything, and the next morning, the targets both assured me it was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been invited over to help finish off the leftovers.

Things to consider: Remember to find and set out the corkscrew. Whipped cream is a dangerous thing, because it can fall before people get home. Dogs can get underfoot in the kitchen, but offer great moral support.

Mission Successful. This is Guerrilla Cupid, signing out.

Even though writing is a solitary activity, at it’s base, it’s a matter of taking the thoughts and ideas and things that the author holds most dear to their heart and putting them out for others to consume. These are the things that they have devoted so much of their mental energy to that they know the words and ideas as intimately as they know their own history- they’ve used so much thought that there is no other option but to let those ideas spill out onto the paper, filling the page as if it were an extension of the emotions and ideas that the author is feeling.

Instead of just leaving it there, though, that author offers this extension of themselves out to other people, and that is a scary, exhilarating, worried, visceral experience– because you never really know for sure how the reader will react or take it. And that intimacy, that offering of your thoughts so completely to another, is what creates a “true” feeling in the writing. This is why writing that feels “true” is so good, and why I respect it so very much.