January, a review in food

Since this is partly a food blog, I thought I should take another look at January from a gastronomical angle as well.

By January, I was getting sick of food.  I had gained 6 pounds in the last two weeks of December, and was starting to feel it.

The New Year Festivities
My husband and I had been invited to a New Year's party at our old college town.  We left Metro in the morning, arriving in town shortly after noon.  Food for the New Year started with a trip to S___'s Beefmasters, for lunch.  The smallest cut of steak they offer is 14 oz, which is their lunch special.  In most places, a 14 oz would be considered a large.  For me, 4 oz is a meal.  Since I didn't want to waste good meat, I ordered a chicken fried steak, instead (which normally uses a poorer cut of meat).  It was still huge, but I didn't feel bad leaving half of it on the plate.

I, therefore, arrived at the New Year's party full.  It was funny, as we arrived just as a group of party go-ers were leaving to go eat dinner.  Even funnier was that they were going to Texas Roadhouse (another steak place), as it was something of a treat for them.  It was ironic--in University Town, I live 0.2 miles from a Texas Roadhouse.

While our hotel was newly remodeled and comfortable, it didn't have much in the way of food--it only had a cafe that was open in the day.  I was hungry by the time we came back from the party at 9, and could only get some peanuts, which they sold in the lobby.

Breakfast was also only so-so--plastic wrapped danishes and bottles of milk.  It was complimentary, however, so I have no complaints.  It's my understanding that the hotel will have improvements in this area with its new management.  I wouldn't mind staying there again.

As we were leaving the hotel, my husband remembered that we had left a piece of steak from the day before in the in-room mini-fridge.  (He had ordered a large steak, and had taken the leftover back to the hotel with us.)

On the way back into Metro, I asked for Italian for lunch.  We found Marsala Italian Restaurant, in a small town outside of Metro. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's nicer inside, with dark painted walls and skylights.  The food was very good.  We both finished our entrees, and then ordered another set of entrees to take home.

As I mentioned before, by this time, I was getting tired of food.  For our last meal together before returning to University Town, we went to Olive Garden, where I consumed an entire bowl of their salad, and only ordered some pasta as my "main dish", because I needed a little something to accompany the salad.

University Town
Upon returning to University Town, I felt out of sorts.  I had to search for my key to open the door to my apartment.  And when cooking again, the knife felt strange in my hand, even though I had cooked for Christmas and helped with New Year's Eve dinner.

I was relieved to finally be away from restaurant food, and holiday food.  For my first meal in University Town, I pulled my copy of Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish--a low-fat vegetarian cookbook--off the shelf.  I selected Hoppin' John (a black-eyed peas and rice dish), perfect for New Year's.

That followed with a vegetable pot pie (to which I did add a can of chunk chicken), and cabbage stuffed with lentils and basmati rice.  I hadn't been a fan of the cookbook earlier--I had tried two recipes, and only one turned out well--but this time, the recipes have turned out really well.  Since then, I've written in the book's margins, and put in sticky notes.  The pages are now a little warped from when I've dripped water on them while cooking.  In other words, this book is becoming beloved.  Since returning to University Town, I've only had one bad recipe from the book--a recipe for collard greens, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions (in my opinion, it should have been just collard greens, and a little onion and garlic)--and all the ingredients have been common, easily found ingredients.

Here's the pot pie.  I used puff pastry for the top, and a frozen pie shell for the bottom.


Latke FAIL
My two most recent recipes from Dr. Ornish were a cabbage and beet borscht, and potato pancakes (latkes).  I was unprepared for the amount of chopping required for them.  It took me three hours(!) to make those two dishes.  I was exhausted at the end, and the latkes were a major FAIL.

I made the latke batter, blanching, then hand grating the potatoes, but I took so long, the potatoes turned a muddy brown.  I started frying them in a cast iron griddle, with just enough oil to coat the surface of the pan, but the latkes weren't looking anything like they were supposed to look.  I had put in liquid egg whites (remember this is low-fat cooking), but they didn't mix with the dough at all, instead forming a watery puddle under the shredded potatoes.  In frustration I went to look up latke recipes online.  Turns out, the Ornish cookbook left out one important step--squeezing out the potatoes.  That was why I had shredded potatoes floating in "soup".  I went ahead and poured out all the liquid and squeezed the pototoes--losing both the water and the liquid egg whites--then poured the egg whites back in (this time, half of what the recipe asked).  I also added some additional flour and baking powder to get a less watery consistency to my batter.  I then used a regular frying pan, poured in oil to a 1/4 inch depth, and dropped in the latke batter.  This time, they fried nicely, but with a strange overall color, due to the muddy colored batter.

I put them in between layers of paper towels and left them overnight, to drain the oil.

Next time, I'll try baking them. (425 degrees for 10-15 minutes on one side. Brush with oil, flip, return to oven for another 10-15 min.)  I'll also try beating the egg whites until they stiffen.

Weight Loss
Generally, I am oblivious to my weight, and simply eat until I am no longer hungry.  But six pounds in two weeks seemed a excessive to me.  Upon returning to University Town, I purchased a bathroom scale, and started a food diary at MyFitnessPal.com (I downloaded their iPhone app.).  

I really liked MyFitnessPal--it was fun and easy to use.  I would recommend it if anyone is looking for a calorie tracker.

I'm not sure how much it helped.  I always used the tracker after I ate, so I didn't really make any changes to my diet because I was using it.  Also, I found that either I have a faster metabolism than they calculated, or I am not measuring my food correctly--I have lost weight faster than they predicted.

I realized too, after two weeks of eating out, that portion distortion does happen.  I was surprised, at first, at how little it looked like I was eating, compared to what I had been eating over the holidays.

I have returned to my pre-vacation weight, which is a relief.  I am also feeling much better.

The penny remains.

January, in review

I'm still pretending December didn't happen--though at some point I suppose it has to materialize--but January is not out of bounds!  So, a list of past January events:

The End of Vacation
My husband and I attended a New Year's party, back in the town where we got our undergraduate degrees.  We toured the central part of the campus, and got to see some of the renovations (actually, at that point, more like the deconstruction) being done to the student center.

At the party, I met some old friends and acquaintances, and made a new one--a 5-month old black German shepherd.  I played Wasabi, and was totally confused by Little Big Planet. I was gifted a replica Assassin's Creed 1 throwing knife (I'll have to sharpen it, and then get a yard with which to practice.  Or is it for display?)

The husband and I stayed at an hotel on the historical register.  It had been fully remodeled, of course, it was interesting how small it felt.  Cozy would be the proper term.  We were able to get a suite, which had a large bathroom with a claw-footed tub.  Across from the tub, on a shelf mounted above the toilet, was a TV.

I felt old for the first time.  (This could be its own post.  A confluence of events and realizations.)  I don't mean I noticed the difference of years between some then and now.  By this I mean I saw a line between who I was, or who I used to be--and who I was now.   It wasn't me "growing" older, some continuum, which I normally feel myself on.  It felt instead like a break.  And I realized that I could no longer act the way I've always acted, because I'm no longer the person I've always (thought) I've been.

I returned to University Town.  The flight in was on a puddle hopper.  The flight attendant repeated, probably 7 or 8 times (no exaggeration), that all cell phones had to be turned off.  "They interfere with radio communications, and the pilot hears a constant clicking in his headset.  He cannot hear the instructions from the control tower, and he will turn the plane around."

Once we landed, we were reminded to take everything with us off the plane.  "So far today, we have found 12 phones, 6 wallets--full of money--and one divorce decree."

A few days later, I got my eyes checked for new contact lenses.  My optometrist was wonderful.

Trip to Washington DC
School started with a bang.  The first day, not only did I have class, but I had a conference in DC.  It would be my first time in the city.

I went to class, then hurried to the engineering print department to pick up a poster.  It wasn't done, but was sitting on the work counter.  The person working on the poster had gone to lunch, and was preparing to trim it.  I said it didn't need to be trimmed, and took it.

About this time, I stopped in the bathroom, and in unzipping my coat, noticed that the scarf I had been wearing--something knitted by one of my mother-in-law's co-workers--had shed all over me.  The fringes that hung from the end of the scarf were now little threads.  I was wearing my suit pants, and it was not pretty.  I tossed the scarf in the trash on the way out.  

I then got in my car and drove to Washington DC for a conference--the meeting of the Transportation Research Board.  I did stop for gas, and picked up a sandwich, and a lint-roller.

Since I was going against traffic (I was arriving in the evening at rush hour, while everyone else was leaving), things weren't too bad until I got into the central part of the city.  I ended being in the wrong lane, driving past the hotel, but turning around wasn't too bad, and I still arrived before the poster presentation started.

When I got to the poster room, I found I was ill-prepared.  I had followed the guidelines I had found online.  These instructions were for poster presenters that were actually presenting at the conference--they were to be 4x8 ft, and there would be boards and tacks for us to use.  When I arrived, I found that the guidelines were different for us students--the posters were supposed to be 3x4 ft, and mounted.  There were only easels available.  I talked with the administrator there, and was directed to the hotel's shipping/receiving department.  I found some old posterboard there, and the lady (wonderful lady!) working there, helped me to tape pieces of posterboard together so that it would be big enough to mount the poster.

Very few people came to see our posters.  Most just walked by.  This gave me a chance to speak with some of the other students at the poster session.  All the other students there were civil engineers, and I enjoyed talking to them.

Return to School
After the poster session was over, I drove back north through Frederick, MD, where I stayed the night.  It was a really nice town.  I'd like to go back to visit.  I also need to go back to DC and actually tour it.  I was back in University Town in time for my evening class.

The next day went surprisingly smoothly.  I went to the bookstore for a course packet (actually, a photocopied version of a book serving as the course textbook) and didn't have to wait to check out.  I then went to class, and a good meeting with my advisor.  I then went to Staples to bind the course packet (which I had bought earlier), and once again, didn't have to wait--they took it bound it, and gave it back immediately.  I was so surprised.  Normally, I've had to come back in a day or two when asking for materials to be bound.

I felt bad about throwing the scarf away, and since I had a Kohl's gift card, I stopped there.  I picked up a scarf (and a pair of gloves) for 60% off.  From there I went shopping at both Wal-Mart (using coupons I had printed off online--neato, since I don't get a newspaper) and Sam's Club.

New Stuff
January seems to be the month that I like buy new things.  Last year, it was a dozen 5-piece china settings  which I justified because 1) I hadn't registered for fine china when I married, 2) by the modern anniversary calendar, the 2nd anniversary is the "China" anniversary, and 3) the particular pattern (Pointe D'esprit by Monique Lhuillier) was 70% off.

This year, the big purchase was a new computer.  A Dell Studio, with an Intel i7 quad core processor--definitely more than I need, but definitely nice to have.  And like the Dell it replaced, it was a refurb.  It's a bad picture---new one is the black one on the right.  It's actually quite shiny and not smudgy.

The other new things were smaller--a new pair of trail runners, a new hair dryer, new gloves (I purchased 3 pairs since the last post).  And with Christmas money, a new toaster (this one I can justify as a "need" since my old one broke), and a new insulated mug.

It's a Thermos, Element 5, vacuum insulated travel mug (purchased from Amazon) and I absolutely love it.  I put tea in at the start of all-nighter, and six hours later I was surprised to find that it was still warm.  It definitely does what it's advertised to do. It's my new favorite mug.  But that reminds me...I had to buy a new bottle brush to clean it.