Ginger

Creative ways to use ginger...

1. Make gingerbread...

1/4 lb butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c boiling water
3/4 c molasses
2 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger or 3Tb of fresh grated ginger

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch cake pan. Cream butter, add the sugar, and beat till light. Add eggs and blend well. Add the boiling water and molasses and blend. Mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix thoroughly. Pour into cake pan and bake for 45min. (Fannie Farmer Cookbook 1979)

This is sooooooo incredibly good! Use fresh grated ginger for a real flavor. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream to make the flavors pop. You'll have a food orgasm the rest of the day! :)


2. Make gingersnaps...

3/4 c veg shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
3/4 c molasses
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb ground ginger or 4 Tb of fresh grated ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F and grease some cookie sheets. Beat together shortening and sugar. Add egg and beat until light, then add molasses. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet. Gather bits of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 min. Remove and cool on rack. (Fannie Farmer Cookbook 1979)

These are soooo good too! Use fresh ginger for the extra bite! Bake for 9 min to make a little more chewy ;)

3. Ease a sore throat...

Cut up fresh raw ginger. Place in a cup with honey and lemon. Pour hot water over it and drink to soothe a sore throat.

Twinkies

Three things I learned about Twinkies today...

1. Twinkies were invented during WWII to provide a cheap sweet for people to enjoy. You could get two for a nickle!

2. The orignial cream filling was banana flavored. During the war, the surplus on bananas was low so they changed the filling to vanilla flavored.

3. The Twinkie company is based in Chicago, Ill. It is one of the few companies that does not offer tours to the public.

I watch waaaaay too much tv these days!

My Favorite Things

1. Favorite Amusement Park Food---Strawberry Funnel Cakes, Caramel Apples, Pink Popcorn

2. Favorite Tv Shows---Law and Order, Family Guy, Food Network

3. Favorite Places---Santa Cruz, Japan, Washington DC

Good times, Food, Sleep

1. A beer and a good friend is all you need in life sometimes.

2. I had Japanese curry tonight for dinner. It was so comforting to eat that it brought back all my cherished memories of Japan again.

3. Sleep is good for not only your health but an escape from reality sometimes.

Yoga, Friends, Traveling

1. I finally woke up this morning and wasn't sore from doing my yoga routine. People think that yoga is nothing. Who ever thinks that has never tried yoga themselves. It really works you out! I guess I'm finally getting into some decent shape.

2. I had a friend the other day tell me that they miss me and that they contacted me to check up and see how I was doing. It made me feel so good!

3. I'm looking forward to this weekend. Finally getting out of the apartment and doing some traveling!

Dinner, Pics, Off Duty

1. After a week of eating grits, I finally made a great dinner. Orange chicken drummettes, asian noodle salad, and egg rolls. Yum!

2. The pictures of me walking across the stage finally arrived. I plan to frame the big one!

3. House sitting for the week has been nice but it's even better now that my friend is back.

Alone, Colors, Cool

1. Having the place all to yourself

2. Watching a beautiful lightening storm

3. Staying cool in the heat

Hot, Same, Fancy

1. The weather just keeps getting hotter and hotter here. I'm so glad we have a pool!

2. Routine can be a good thing to make yourself feel stable. However, there are times when you need to spice it up.

3. I tried this really trendy, fancy restaurant next to downtown that served some really great food! The presentations of all the food were so gorgeous that I didn't want to eat them! But once I tasted it, all the flavors just came in layers and it made me just savor every bite of it. The decorations were amazing as well in the high vaulted ceilings along with paintings covering these high walls as well. I would love to go back to try out some of the other fancy food that I didn't have a chance to fit into my stomach.

Sun, Lunch, Bar

1. Despite the heat, I still love the sun. I've come to realize that I'll never take the Californian out of me. We Californians love our sun!

2. I made the best lunch today! A sandwich made with ciabatta bread, goat cheese spread and then layered with tomatos, basil leaves, and roasted red papers. Then I served a side of couscous mixed with white beans, garlic, green onions, and basil. Yummy!!

3. I went out to this really cool bar and got really buzzed. Of course it doesn't take much for me to get buzzed! I had a great time and felt good about getting out of the house for a while.

Reading, Food, TV

1. I got caught up on some reading by the pool today. It's nice to actually read a book for leisure rather then for a class or something related to research.

2. The farmer's market here is just awesome! You can't beat fresh fruit and veggies!

3. I'm so addicted to Law and Order these days. Wine and Detective Stabler is all I need to get me by!

Pictures, Jam, Book Signing

1. My parents finally sent me all the pictures from graduation! Whoohoo! They came out so good!! I can't wait to send them all out to my friends!

2. My mom sent me three jars of her home made jam! Yummy! I plan to have that for breakfast tomorrow morning!

2. I went to Chuck Palahniuk's (author of the Fight Club) book signing for his new book tonight which was awesome! His new book involves porn so he handed out blow up dolls with his signature to the audience. He had games, a brief interview, a small Q & A session, plus they showed the trailer for CHOKE...a book he wrote a few years back that will be released as a movie. The auditoruim was packed witht he crowd mostly young college students 18-25yrs old. Chuck is really laid back, funny, and very nice! The 2 hours was worth it and I really enjoyed myself! Can't wait to read his new book Snuff which I now have his personal signature!

Pool, Dinner, Hair

1. My tan is starting to look more golden brown now. Sitting out by the pool is always a good thing!

2. I made spaghetti with some really good meat sauce. It's the best spaghetti I've eaten in a long time.

3. The weather was so hot today that I decided to let my hair air dry rather than using a hairdryer. It's so curly now.

Night life, Apples, Naked

1. Baseball, wine, and a good friend...how else can you spend a better evening?

2. I went to the farmer's market today and ended up eating the best apple I've ever tasted. I have a feeling it will be my new addiction.

3. Having the place to yourself to run around naked is always a good thing!

TV, Shopping, Soup

1. I mostly sat in front of the TV today. For some reason, my lazy ass didn't feel like getting up :P

2. I found a new shopping center that pretty much can be considered a small town. It's that big with just about every store and restaurant imaginable. It's not that bad of a drive either. If I need anything, I now know where to go.

3. I made some of my Mexican stew for lunch today. I haven't had it in a long time so it felt good to eat it again.