It's Foodie Pen Pal reveal day once again! This month I received a box from Nicole. I asked her to send snacks that would be good to take on a camping canoe trip, and she did not disappoint!
Peanut butter almond granola - This is really tasty and great with my yogurt!
(SHELLED!) pumpkin seeds - I've had an affinity for pumpkin seeds lately. I loved that these didn't have the tough shells to gnaw on.
Veggie chips - An addictive medley of dried carrots, sweet potato, squash, eggplant, and my favorite freeze dried green beans.
Hickory beef jerky - So good that I had to ration it so it would last me all weekend!
Spoon bread mix - Nicole is from a town in Kentucky that is famous for their Spoon Bread Festival, and she included a mix with the rest of my snacks. This was the only thing I didn't take camping. But it was perfect to bring to a potluck at my friend Erin's house. The result was somewhere between cornbread and grits. This was the first time any of us had tried spoon bread, and it was a big hit!
Spoon bread fresh out of the oven. Delicious with mini burger kabobs!
Thanks again for everything, Nicole. Your box was an absolute delight!
My Foodie Pen Pal recipient this month, Mary, doesn't write her own blog. So I invited her to write a guest post about what I sent her:
"I received a great box in April from Michelle from Florida. My box contained the ingredients for the "Everything Soup", It is a combination of Minestrone and a Pasta Fagioli. It is something I will definitely be making."
I hope you enjoy your soup, Mary!
A picture that Mary sent after her box arrived
If you want to lean more about Foodie penpals, check out the link below! It's been a really fun experience :)
There is a tradition during Chicago Blackhawks home games to cheer enthusiastically while The Start Spangled Banner is sung in the United Center. It's a tradition that started in 1985 during a playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers and was solidified during the 1991 NHL All-Star game hosted in Chicago. That year, the United States had just entered the first Gulf War days before the All-Star festivities. What resulted was an emotion-filled reaction to the National Anthem, and the old Chicago Stadium echoed loudly.
This tradition is still alive and thriving. Chicago has finished this lockout-induced abridged regular season with a record that seems almost too good to believe. And here we are, on the eve of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It isn't easy being a token hockey fan among my friends in Florida. But it's given me the chance to ask myself, "Why do I cheer the anthem?"
I've watched hockey with my dad for as long as I can remember. I'm sure he had me in front of the TV as soon as I could hold my own head up. He raised my brother and me to be full-blooded Blackhawks fans. We both had sweaters for our favorite players and played rollerblade hockey in our driveway with one of our neighbors. And the three of us lamented as one-by-one all of our favorite players were traded.
My brother and me circa 1997 with our Eddie Belfour (30) and Chris Chelios (7) sweaters
In high school I found myself always busy with choir rehearsals, two-a-day swim practices, traveling for concerts and swim meets, and still somehow finishing my homework. I caught parts of games when I could. And every summer I still watched the Stanley Cup Finals with my dad.
When I left for college, I started a slide that seemed to parallel the dismal state of the Blackhawks franchise. I let myself become trapped in a social situation in which I gave up too many things that I enjoyed and hockey was unfortunately one of them. But I began to break free and rebuild myself around the same time Rocky Wirtz began to rebuild Chicago hockey.
I graduated college and started my first job at Notre Dame. Still a little shy, I overheard some of my co-workers talking about hockey and found courage to interject myself into the conversation. Soon, we were all drinking beers and watching games at the Mahons' house or Jerde's apartment. And on June 9, 2010 we watched the Chicago Blackhawks win their first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years. I convinced my dad to reschedule a meeting with his company's attorneys and come with me to the parade in Chicago. It was one of the most surreal days of my life, and I'm so thankful that I share it with the person most responsible for my hockey knowledge.
Me and my dad (lower right corner) in the middle of Michigan Avenue with two million other Blackhawks fans
Hockey has been a common denominator in my adult life. It's still one of the few things my dad and I talk about. Even with our differing political views and communication styles, hockey is always there. And I'm not really sure that I would have developed as strong friendships with the people I worked with if I wasn't a hockey fan.
Now that I live in Florida where hockey fans are hard to come by, listing to WGN radio streams and watching the few nationally broadcast Chicago games has helped me feel connected to home. I've even gotten a few of my friends interested in watching games too (or maybe they're just humoring me). Either way, hockey has been and will continue to be a part of my life. In the words of Johnny Weidemann, "Let's send it down to Jim Cornelison and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Enjoy the anthem, everybody!"
The ides of April are upon us, my friends. And I've done a piss-poor job of trying to blog everyday. I actually wrote a handful of drafts, but never quite pulled the trigger to finish them. Some of them I still might publish with a post date. For others, I think the time may have passed. Maybe I was trying to force the issue. Or maybe I was just too busy and/or lazy to carve blogging time. Oh well, reflections are sometimes a living entity without a deadline. This last week has been pretty exciting, and I think I'll be more apt to put fingers to keys. One thing is for certain: I'm excited to see where the rest of April takes me.
Today was a beautiful day in Gainesville to celebrate my 26th birthday. After work I met my friends at Mother's, a pub downtown that has NHL Center Ice where I could catch the Chicago game versus St. Louis. It might be the first game that my eyes or ears weren't glued to the action. I was surrounded by burgers and beers and good conversation. I feel so fortunate to spent today with all of these great people. It almost makes me speechless, so I'll let some of the pictures (taken mostly by my labmate, Mike) do the talking...
All these people!
Mike and Chip
Happy to be 26!
Sherry and Drew in an intense conversation
Mike and me, field pros
This round of picklebacks goes out to my friends in the Midwest
Just creeping on my roommate, not a big deal
Jenn and Erin
Erin and Mike
Thumbs up, lets do this!
High five, Aaron? Hell yeah!
Just three months ago, I was dealing with some deep homesickness. I never thought that a short time later I would celebrate with so many good friends. I feel very loved. I couldn't have asked for a better night.... (Except for a Blackhawks' win. ;) ).
Tomorrow is my 26th birthday! I haven't baked cocktail cupcakes in a while, so I decided it was appropriate to celebrate with the Grand Melón Lemonade cupcake. It's based on my signature drink, Bacardi Grand Melón watermelon rum mixed with lemonade and a splash of club soda. It was invented in Milwaukee the week after my 23rd birthday. The cupcakes turned out fantastic, even if the watermelon flavor was a little more subtle than I hoped. Here's what I did!.....
First things first, pour an inspiration cocktail!
Liquify a chunk of watermelon, then add enough Grand Melón so the whole mixture equals 1 1/3 cups
Add Watermelon Rum mixture, 1/3 cup oil, and 3 eggs to a lemon cake box mix
Mix it. Oh yeah, mix it real good. Mm...
Oil a muffin tin, parcel out batter in 1/4 cup increments, and bake at 350º F for 18-20 minutes
When those bad boys are done, they should look a little something like this. Let them cool for 5 minutes
Then let them get completely cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile in frosting land, mix 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter, zest of a lemon, a splash of vanilla, milk, and more Grand Melón. Butter Cream, baby. Dig it.
Frost thusly
Get drunk off cupcake. (Please consume responsibly...)
I hope you've enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at Camelot Bakery. I'm excited to share these with my friends tomorrow! 26... it's going to be a good year. I can feel it.
After my mental block a couple months ago, I finally contacted the professor at Florida Atlantic University, had a successful phone interview with him, and applied to the Environmental Science Program. On Saturday, I found an acceptance letter in my mailbox! I felt excited, but as I read further, the feeling slowly changed to anxiety. The letter requested that I confirm my decision by April 5, less than a week away.
I began to panic. I have so many questions left! I haven't met my future advisor, his other graduate students, or even stepped foot on the campus! How could I possibly make this decision by Friday?! After sharing the news with my mom (of course she was the first person I called!), I knew I needed to call one more person. Chris, my friend, mentor, and former boss at Notre Dame, has influenced my professional growth more than anyone else. I absolutely needed his guidance now.
I left Chris one spaztastic voicemail, then wrote him a slightly more coherent email with my concerns. I hit send and curled into the fetal position on my bed feeling completely debilitated. I was terrified of making the wrong decision based on incomplete data. And I felt that I had next to no time left for more research. Eventually, I fell asleep for a bit. Chris had replied by the time I awoke, and it was perfect.
" Go have a drink Know that we are going to talk tomorrow or Monday Have another drink ... Have another drink and start making a list of questions Go to bed, get up tomorrow and go for a long walk, then have a breakfast drink. Yup. Lots to think about. You will make this decision by the 5th. Congratulations on having an option!"
It's amazing the calming effect these words had on me (or maybe it was the rum). In the mean time, I contacted my advisor to try setting up a meeting. After some back and forth, he let me know that even though the deadline is April 5th, my decision isn't binding. This gave us more flexibility to find the best time for my visit. Chris and I finally got a chance to talk today. We went over what questions I need to ask and how to ask them. And he told me how proud and excited he is for me. And that I'm ready for this. They were mostly things that I knew but easily forget. It is always uplifting to hear them out loud.
Now that I feel less pressured about making a decision so soon, I'm more relaxed and excited about visiting FAU next week. I'm thankful that I have people like Chris in my life whose guidance I trust. I still have uncertainties that I need to overcome, but life's hardest decisions are the most important ones.
The box I received from my March Foodie Pen Pal was wildly disappointing. APRIL FOOLS! It was awesome!!! This month I was paired with Skinny Sometimes author Shannon from Pennsylvania. I told her that I was traveling a lot at the end of the month, and she sent me so many snacks that were perfect for my airplane rides and fieldwork.
Trader Joe's PB&J chocolate bar - That thing didn't make it though the night.
Trader Joe's dried fruit strips - These were great for throwing in my daypack to snack on during field work. The apricot was tasty, but I think the boysenberry was my favorite. I had never had anything boysenberry flavored before.
Quaker Real Medleys oatmeal cups - The cherry pistachio was perfect for my morning flight home. All I had to do was ask the flight attendant for some hot water. I ate the Apple walnut flavor for breakfast on Blackbeard Island. I liked these so much that I got two more when we got groceries before working on Wassaw Island.
Justin's peanut butter and almond butter - These were super tasty on tortillas for a snack.
Two flavors of Cliff Mojo bars - I love Clif bars and Clif Builder bars. These are the first Mojo bars that I've tried, and they are just as delicious. They are awesome for throwing in my daypack as well.
Trader Joe's Apple Banana sauce crushers - I liked eating these after my bike ride home from work. I squeezed a couple of them into my smoothies too, and they were a great addition.
Planter's NUT-rition spread - It's peanut butter with banana chips and granola mixed in. I've been spreading this on bananas (when I'm not eating it with a spoon...) and I really like the crunchy texture.
Pumpkin Seeds - I haven't eaten pumpkin seeds in so long! These are salty and nutty. I'm mildly addicted, and I think they are now going to be one of my standard field work snacks!
Thank you, Shannon, for introducing me to so many new go-to field work and travel snacks!!
I had a ton of fun this month shopping for my recipient, Kate in Massachusetts. You can check out what I sent her at her blog What a life...
If you want to lean more about Foodie penpals, check out the link below! It's been a really fun experience :)
