Yesterday was my 1-year work-a-versary, but I didn't have time to post about it because I was . . . working. Typical.
Here I am, 366 days ago -- peppy, nervous, and eager to get to work.
I remember the butterflies, and I remember thinking I had finally gotten to the part of my life where all the prep work (namely, 7 years of higher education) would start paying off. I had crossed the finish line! And now it was time to be the person I had been preparing to become!
I was happy. And proud.
It's hard now to see past my email inbox sometimes, but I'm trying to hold onto that girl for as long as I can. I like to think she's still in there, underneath the lawyer-speak and fancy new iPhone (YES that happened).
And for the record, those shoes are still the best work purchase ever!
Let's take this opportunity to re-watch this little gem of a YouTube hit, just for a minute:
Filmed at my neighborhood store nonetheless.
It relates[ish], I swear.
Whole Foods and I used to be bff's. I knew which organic cereal was actually edible (it's the peanut butter Puffins), which sheeps-milk yogurt was worth the price, and always remembered to write down the sku number for the bulk almonds. But for the past year (yes, year), I haven't been cooking at all.
In law school I cooked for basically every meal (except for when I actually went out and tried to have a life). It used to bother me when people said they "didn't cook," because to me, cooking was just a basic part of taking care of yourself. It was what you did when you got hungry.
And then I got a job. And you know the story. Countless fridge loads of the fresh ingredients I'd spent my precious Sunday afternoons picking out went bad, and I felt like such a shmuck every time I had to throw them out. I told myself it was because I was busy; I didn't have time to cook.
Of course, I knew I was lying. There's always time to make a stir fry. Alllllways.
The truth is, I just didn't feel like cooking anymore. I just felt like I deserved a break. A break from responsibility, from discipline, from "should's" and "to do's" and anything that required a list. Frankly, I needed a break from pretending to be a grown-up all day, almost every day. So I didn't cook.
And nothing bad happened, health-wise at least. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I ate more vegetables because of the constant health-guilt I felt for eating out all the time (also, no one wants to be that person who orders two slices of cake for dinner...). Our credit card bills, though...eh hem...they've fared a little less well. So, sitting by the Seine one day in Paris, Brian and I decided we'd rather spend that eating-out money on plane tickets and adventures or my asos.com shopping habit, and made a plan that when we got back, we'd start cooking to save money. We set a goal of three times a week and said we'd think of it as our fun-enabling savings plan.
Naturally, I started by spending some money (ha) on some new cookbooks* -- the kind that responsible adults own that give you tips on how to prep stuff ahead of time and plan out grocery lists. Sounded pretty boring, not gonna lie. I wasn't stoked.
But you guys. This meal planning stuff is changing my life! And yes, I am fully aware of how LAME that sounds, and I feel like a total loser/soccer-mom-without-a-kid right now, but honestly, I'm loving it! Case in point: Monday night we had Morrocan turkey burgers with dried figs, cumin, and goat cheese, and a side of butternut squash with coriander and cinnamon (and butter, obvi). On a Monday. And it took me ~15 minutes! (I know, I know, lame -- but when your usual Monday dinner is a mall food court salad, turkey burgers are a life improvement worth getting excited about.)
The best part about this whole cooking experiment though, and the reason I'm sharing it I suppose, is really just the fact that every time I make a meal on a weeknight, I feel like I'm making this BigLaw life that shouldn't work, work.** Which is so gratifying! It's like, at least I'm winning at dinner, right?
Anyway, I'll try to post my favorite easy recipes as I discover them, and I hope you'll share your own faves in the comments or by email!
*The book I've been using most is Robin Rescues Dinner, which is organized into 52 weeks of 3 seasonal meal plans per week. The recipes allow you to make some stuff a day or two ahead of time, and they have overlapping ingredients so you don't end up wasting food (also, this is where the awesome turkey burger recipe came from!). I also bought Cook's Illustrated's The Best Make Ahead Recipes and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I have high hopes for the crockpot -- I feel like you can do incredible things in there. (Crockpot cake anyone?)
**Alternatively, I may have written this post entirely as an excuse to re-watch that Whole Foods video. Which (in my book) is totally legit (just sayin').
The summer of 2007 was a hot one in North Carolina. I remember feeling like I was living in a sauna, but with clothes on.
The good thing about those hot Southern days, though, is that they make for the most peaceful, beautiful nights. One evening, right at dusk, I remember thinking I couldn't tell where the air ended and my skin began. For just that moment, everything stood still.
On nights like those, we used to barbecue. We'd invite our friends over and set up the makeshift grill we picked up at Food Lion on the patch of grass behind Brian's apartment, and play country on his laptop. One of those days, Brian and I went Californian and picked up some tuna at Whole Foods instead of the usual ground beef, and a half-hour later, the Pearson Burger was born.
For our second anniversary, I thought I'd bring back the tradition (maybe it was the ridiculous late-summer L.A. heat wave that brought me back...). So on a Saturday night, I threw on an LBD, set up our patio furniture up on the roof (OK fine, Brian did that), picked up some gold chargers and candles at the Dollar Store (keepin' it classy), and made a real Pearson-Burger feast. There may have been a little less beer than there used to be at our backyard barbecues, but they were the same old Pearson Burgers, and we were the same old(er) us.
{this might have been the first time I had cooked in a year ha...}
Pearson Burgers
Sesame oil
2 ahi steaks
Salt & pepper
2 sesame buns
1/4 c. Mayo
Wasabi
1/2 orange
1/2 avocado
Brush the grill/grill pan with sesame oil and let it heat up on medium-high. Spread some oil on the steaks and season with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, throw the steaks on. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, until fully cooked on the outside, but pink inside. Squeeze half of the orange over the tuna just before its done.
While the tuna is cooking, mix together the mayo with as much wasabi as you can handle (in my case, less is more), and slather on the sesame buns. Slice the avocado and add to the buns, too.
Top with the tuna steaks. Eat.
Pearson Slaw
Broccoli slaw (the kind that's pre-shredded and comes in a bag...let's be real here) -- you'll only need about 1/2 the bag
1-2 T. wasabi-mayo (depending on how mayo-y you like your slaw)
1/2 c. cashews (I like to use the chili-lime ones from Trader Joe's to add some spice)
1 t. curry powder
1 orange
Grate the orange rind, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 orange. Mix all ingredients. Add some chili powder if you like it hot.
Ginger-Orange Pudding Cups
Instant vanilla pudding
2 cups of milk
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. shredded coconut
Whatever is left of your grated orange rind
Candied ginger, finely chopped
Follow instructions for the instant pudding, but add the cinnamon and coconut in with the milk. When it's done cooking, pour into bowls, and top with orange rind and chopped candied ginger. You could also add a pour of triple sec if you wanted. Serve warm.
