what do you do when inspiration leaves?

curry! mmmm......

i found an Indian recipe i can cook! yay!

as per usual, i've personalized it. i added hot chili powder, substituted carrots for tomatoes, and i left out the potatoes, because there's already starch in it with the rice....

CHICKEN KORMA
(by the way, this is a great mild dish for an intro to Indian food. my hands smelled delicious for days, no matter how many times i washed them!)

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick (3")
1 bay leaf (or 1/4 tsp. thyme in a spice bag (which is a tied loose weave cloth, no need for anything special))
1-2 cloves garlic depending on taste, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. hot chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 lb uncooked chicken, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 2 medium chicken breasts)
1/2 cup light sour cream
Rice to serve (Basmati rice is really good but there's no need for it, really)

Saute the onion and carrots in a large saucepan with the oil, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. When onions are just beginning to turn clear, remove the cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves & add remaining spices and the chicken, stir until spices are evenly distributed. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring a few times. Before serving, mix in the sour cream. Serve over rice!

delicious.

in other news, i made more earrings. and another bracelet. and a necklace. and some soap. and i'm getting ready to go crochet a jayne cobb hat for the firefly swap. excited!

i'll post pics later, when i get ready to send out all my firefly goodies.

RANT

i wish more people would pay less attention to the wedding, and more attention to the marriage.

jewelry blitz

i joined another swap. i don't know why... i'm always so... underwhelmed... when they're over. like the art doll swap i just did? i made some pretty awesome dolls, i mean, they were really hard to send away...
i don't mind if the person has sincerely put a lot of effort into their art - not everyone is created equal and such, but it really bothers me when a swap partner treats things somewhat flippantly, because then you never know if you're getting their honest effort. but you never know.

i figured earrings were pretty safe, so here's the five pairs i made, all for different people.

this one was copied straight off of my partner's wist. it turned out to be originally a post from craftster, so i don't take credit for the design. i think i did a decent job with the execution though.


this pair was for someone who loved all kinds of metal, except bright gold, vintage themes, and greens and earth tones. et voila:

ah, this partner was fun to craft for. we had a brief e-mail exchange and i think i nailed her tastes right on. yes, she has two piercings in each ear. the charms are a rose on the left, and a key on the right.

this particular girl liked shorter styles, pearls, swarovski, blue, and birds. she also liked the color orange, but it didn't seem to go with the theme too well.

and the last pair. this partner, i believe, was brand-new to swapping, and i really didn't get a lot of information off her, but what i did get i think worked okay. she liked dangly earrings, yellows, blues, and greens, beach themes, squares and circles. the pieces in the middle are natural shell beads, and i had to wrap them a bit with really fine guage wire to get them to hang right.

all in all i really had fun designing all the different pairs. my fiance wonders why i don't design for a living, but i know i just do this for fun. if i could get someone to bite, sure, i would. as it is though, it's just a hobby. and now i'm heading back to school (university in the fall!) so i might have to enjoy buying beads while i can!

speaking of, how come i will never pay $30-40 for a bracelet in the store, but i'll happily spend that much money to make it myself? i made this bracelet after seeing all the loaded charm bracelets in a different swap, and i haven't taken it off since! (well, i do to sleep). my palm was still bruised when i started all the earrings too, so it's been quite a weekend.

but, yes, i am returning to college in the fall. gettin' out of the current business, and i'm not too sure how i feel about it. i'm excited to go back and study something different, and i know the change will really open up my career opportunities, but in principle i feel bad about leaving my current industry. as for my specific situation, i'm not sure i feel so bad. but in general, the career field... i'm having a little trouble coping with leaving. maybe i can take an independent study to keep myself current or something.

anyway, if i dig up any photos of the art dolls i sent away, i'll post 'em.

i actually have homework to do already - i'm taking a six week writing course through the u, and it's free! one of the perks of being chronically ill with something or other. it really is pretty good therapy. sometimes i don't feel so good right after i write, you know, digging in and exploring all those feelings, but it's like pouring peroxide in a cut. stings and first, feels better later.

if i get up the courage, i should post some writing here. not the uber-personal stuff, but some of my routine exercises.

check it!

http://gazetteonline.com/blogs/dish-it-out/2010/02/01/iowa-city-hy-vee-stores-host-souper-bowl

oh yeah, i made the local paper.

but how disappointing is this? "there were no chili entries" at the 1st ave store? you mean i win by default???

by default?!?!?

hey, i guess a win is a win... sort of...

finally! something positive

i think i've finally decided what to do with my life after this may, which is good. but that's not why i'm finally posting again.

i made chili! first time ever this week, three batches only. funny thing is, i haven't ever eaten chili in my life either.

long story, but i need some diversions, so here goes:

after a week where i had a complete nervous collapse (i'm not dramatizing this, either), i had been tentatively looking for things to set my sights on, to keep myself occupied; you know, little goals i could accomplish.

enter weekly grocery shopping. walking up to the store, i saw a huge yellow and red sign "calling all cooks! enter the first-annual souper bowl!" so i did.

i had never eaten chili before because i absolutely despise beans. so my original idea was a beanless, beer-based chili. that's right, beer. stout beer, to be precise. and barbecue sauce and grape jelly. there are those that would be put off by grape jelly, but trust me, it's perfect.

of course, then 9 out of 10 people i talked to ("what do you think of when you think of chili?") said beans, tomatoes, meat and spices. so, in go the beans.

whatever. it worked! true, there were only two entrants in the chili division, but i still beat his nerdy twitchy white butt!

so, before the recipe becomes the property of the grocery store, i will share it here:

2 lbs. lean ground beef
6 stripts thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chiles, drained
1 (12 oz) bottle Guinness or other stout beer
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
2/3 cup grape jelly
1 can (15 oz) red beans, drained
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 heaping tablespoons hot chili powder
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1. in large soup pot, combine tomatoes, chiles, beer, bbq sauce and jelly. let cook for 20-30 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, unti alcohol evaporates.
2. meanwhile, brown beef along with the garlic and bacon in a large skillet. drain of excess fat when done.
3. add beef/bacon/garlic to the soup pot along with all the extra ingredients. cook for 20 minutes on medium heat, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for an additional 40 minutes. this is also good made the night before and re-heated in the crock pot.
4. garnish with shredded italian blend (parmesan, mozzarella, asiago, romano) cheese and serve with crostini.

Crostini:
1 loaf italian or french bread, sliced thin
oilive oil
garlic salt

arrange bread slices in a single layer in a foil-lined cookie pan. brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or run under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until golden and crispy.

on to the final round! wish me luck!

happy effing new year

my last day of freedom.
tomorrow the purgatory begins anew.
the nightmares have returned (at least i have a sister in that department) and i try not to dwell on the few hours of freedom i have left.
it's pretty sad when the only reason you can come up with to stay at your job is so you can pay the bills.
music? if it never gets practiced or performed properly, who cares?
smarts? hell, like i'm teaching these kids anything. i hear the stupidest things come out of their mouths and i see them do the most moronic things. it makes me fear society, and bringing children into the world.
respect? not from the kids, not from the parents, not from the administrators, not from half the faculty. am i really that undeserving of respect?
at this point i would prefer the company of inanimate objects.
i'm ready to give up my expanded curriculum which i always held so much faith in, and just give in to what they want, which also depresses me. let's see... endless fight to make them 'eat their vegetables'? depressing. giving up? also depressing.
i try not to think about it.
i try to think about the books and projects and bikes i have waiting at home.
i try to write every day, in a notebook just for me. it was one of my new year's resolutions and i even bought a "daily reader" book with prompts to help me out.
the crafty christmas went over well, though i didn't make umpteen thread-crochet-covered ornaments. i really hope everyone liked their gifts!
i still have many unfinished projects at home, including a sweatervest for the man, a few quilted project... and my brother and my brother-in-law announced they're getting married this summer too, so i have two afghans to make. no way i can make 200 invitations plus two aghans by this summer. not gonna happen. which means i'm demoted to buying the invitations.
at least we have a cake picked out! excited about that.

now to fend off the despair for a little longer. i don't think anyone really understands the crushing, debilitating fear and anxiety and depression that accompany my job.
i'm not sure how much longer i can do it.