Blog

#292: New Year’s Day

I actually did all of these thing today, including baking a loaf of whole wheat bread.  It was a very simple recipe (3 c. flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp yeast, 2 T. molasses, 2 T. butter, 1 c. warm milk, about 1/2 c. warm water), and I think it over-proofed a little (the loaf is somewhat flat) but it is delicious.  I steamed it (i.e. I put a pan of water in the oven beneath it) which gave it a really nice crust.

What can I say, I’m a runner, I like my carbs.

I also really appreciate the tired, happy feeling I get after a really intense run (10.2 miles in 14 degree weather, e.g.).  I’ve been moving slowly but efficiently through my afternoon ever since I came back, relishing the slight soreness of my muscles.  Now that the comic is done, I’ll go work on my novel for a while (I’ve also done the dishes, made some soup in addition to the bread, and done a load of laundry).

Some of the web comics I read, their authors have said, “I have so many cool things planned for the next year, I hope you stick with us.”  I do echo the first sentiment – people reading is one of the main reasons I keep at this – but I can’t say for sure what’s planned for Em oi!  It’s a diary comic for one, and so I don’t know what will happen in the next year and be chronicled.  And for another, I get bored, and when I write out more than a handful of scripts in advance I tend to decide the later ones are irrelevant or dull and move on to the next thing.  So who knows what will happen?  But it is going to be a pretty big year for me personally as well as my various sidekicks, so I hope you’ll stick around.  It should be pretty cool.

Tofu Satay

From here.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 T. soy sauce
  • 1 T. sesame oil
  • 1 T. orange juice (frozen)
  • 1 T. Marsala (was out of sherry)
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • A few T. water (2-3)

Peanut Sauce

  • 1/2 c. coconut milk (I  used “lite”)
  • 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter (natural)
  • 1 heaping tsp red curry paste
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • zest of a lime
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • dash of cayenne pepper

Also

  • 1 16-oz brick extra firm tofu
  • 1 small bell pepper, cut into strips

Methodology

  1. Make marinade.  Cut tofu and pepper into bite-sized pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Tofu will absorb the liquid better if it has been frozen and thawed.
  2. Preheat oven to 450.
  3. Mix peanut sauce ingredients together.  Pour about 1/4 c. over the tofu and pepper and mix.  Spread on a pan large enough to create a single layer.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until tofu is dark golden brown.
  4. Serving suggestions: with rice, over spinach or lettuce if you want something green.  Spoon some of the remaining sauce over them.

This was good.  Easy too, since I didn’t have to stand over a pot and stir stuff.  I could get into this roasting thing.

Em oi! #290: Privacy

Fucking hosting website.

There you go.

I should add that the original purpose of this blog was for a school assignment relating to how much of ourselves we expose, metaphorically speaking, on the internet.  I found the result disconcerting, as though I was prepared to be read but not misread.

Em oi! #289: Conan the Librarian in: Book Challenges

Normally I post these over here, but for some reason adding new comics is turned off right now.  Le sigh.

Em is right – you’re supposed to form an investigative committee (your library will probably have some guidelines on this) to determine if the claim has merit.  Personally I’m with Conan though.  Censorship of any kind is inappropriate.

Peanut Stew

From the Burkina Faso-ian roommate of my best friend.  I guess you could also call this “African Peanut Stew” if you wanted to be specific.  Or rather, if you google “African Peanut Stew” you will get similar recipes.   My guess is that in Africa they just call it “Peanut Stew,” though.

Ingredients
(This was made to feed 8+.  If you want less, try using 2 sweet potatoes and 1/3 cabbage)

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • between 1/2 and 3 medium to hot peppers, minced (depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 3 big Idaho potatoes, chopped into small cubes
  • 1/2 small Acorn squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
  • 1/2 c. honey roasted peanuts (regular roasted peanuts are also okay)
  • 1 c. apple juice
  • 1 tin diced tomatoes (about 14 oz)
  • 1 knob ginger, grated (freeze and use a cheese grater)
  • 1/2 c. chunky peanut butter (we used the natural stuff because it’s better)

Methodology

  1. Throw the onion, garlic, and pepper into some heading peanut or vegetable oil.  Keep the heat about medium-high, and use a BIG pot.
  2. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and squash.  Mix from time to time.
  3. When the potatoes and squash are half done, add the cabbage and the peanuts.  Cover and let it cook some more, perhaps 5-10 minutes.
  4. When everything is almost done, add the tomatoes, apple juice, and ginger.  Let everything cook until done.
  5. Add the peanut butter and cook another 1-2 minutes.
  6. Serve with rice, flatbread, or fufu, if you are up to making fufu.  I am not up to it, so I used rice.  Garnish with fresh cilantro if you are the sort of person who garnishes things.  I am not.

Notes

  • Once everything is chopped, this comes together pretty quickly.  It took about an hour all together because peeling the squash took forever.  If you can peel squashes fast (or use a squash that doesn’t have ridges – butternut instead of acorn!) it could be ready to go in 30-40 minutes.
  • We served this for “Gamers’ Thanksgiving,” a little party we held for our friends.  It was well-received.  We actually had enough for the two people who had seconds, plus leftovers for two days!  Wow.
  • When making rice, 1/2 c. of dry rice per person is too much.
  • Good with Sri Racha if you have some people who like the spicy and some who don’t.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

From here.  I made a modified half recipe and it made plenty, probably about 24.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup margarine
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups oats (I used regular, not quick oats, and I think this is crucial to the texture)
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup craisins or other dried cranberries.

Methodology

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Mix sugars and margarine together “until light and fluffy,” whatever that means.  Add in vanilla, egg, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Oats go in last, then the chips and cranberries.
  3. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake about 10-12 minutes.  Let cool before you remove from cookie sheet.

Notes

  • I think I baked these about 13 minutes, mostly because I put them in for 8, then opened the oven and stared at them for a minute.  Don’t do that – start with 10.
  • These were incredible.  The oats really give them a great texture, and they’re sweet without being too sweet.
  • Good for breakfast, according to Bryan.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Blogging is so depressing.  My top post is the one that got ONE view over the past week.  ONE.  So I guess I’ll stick to what I’m good at and post some recipes.

This is pretty much the pancake recipe my mother made when my brothers and I were growing up.  Dan and Claire have a copy up over at their blog, and I modified that slightly.  I guess this is my take on their take on the original.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 c. flour (consisting of 1 c. white and 1/2 c. whole wheat)
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 banana, mushed up
  • 2 eggs
  • buttermilk as needed

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients (including sugar) in a bowl.  If the bananas are frozen (see note below), thaw in the microwave.
  2. Add the eggs and the bananas.  Mix.
  3. Add buttermilk until you get a batter of pancake-like consistency.
  4. Make pancakes in a frying pan, keeping temperature to medium-low.  OR on a griddle, keeping temperature between 300-350.

Notes

  • If your household eats a lot of bananas, I recommend putting the overripe ones in the freezer at the end of the week.  Then when you have a couple accumulated, you can make banana bread or pancakes.
  • You can sprinkle chocolate chips on the pancakes if you want to be fancy.

Marathon Wrap-Up

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to get to writing about this.

In short, the first 15 miles were great – very fast.  I hit the 13.1 mile point in 1:58:something, faster than I’ve ever run a half-marathon.  Despite the fact that I was having stomach cramps from the shot bloks I was trying to eat, I had a great time.  Then, somewhere between 15-17 miles in, my left knee’s iliotibial band began to ache, a pain which only got worse over the next several miles.  By mile 23 I was nearly in tears, hobbling through Crystal City and wondering if I was going to have to walk the last three miles.

Fortunately, after I stopped to stretch several times, the pain began to recede and I was able to lurch back to a run (though my stomach protested with a wave of nausea that slowed me down again).  I finished in 4:20:34, about 20 minutes faster than my first marathon.

Lessons learned:

  1. Marathons are about dealing with the unexpected.  As a runner, I tend to have tunnel vision – I like to do things by my plan and not deviate from them.  While running a marathon, things will come up that need to be dealt with immediately.
  2. I probably went out a bit fast.  Should have reined myself in a little until the 5k mark.
  3. Should have ditched the shot bloks (which I hadn’t used much in training) and brought another GU.

All the speed work I did leading up to the big day totally paid off.  I’m pretty glad of that.