Rainy Day Booze

Happy Wednesday! 

Was feeling like I needed to forget about some questionable decisions made, and what is a better route than booze? Alcohol is always there for me, is perfect in almost any situation and it can't say no to me (I realize that sounds creepy, but just go with it).  I was trying to take a creative route, so rather than just drinking straight liquor, I experimented with infusions! I still want to try some fruity infusions, but for the time being, I've got black tea infused vodka (booze-y arnold palmers?) and jalapeño infused tequila (mango-jalapeño margaritas?).  I did small batches because I would most likely cry if one was deemed undrinkable and I had used an entire handle of booze in the making.

So, the jalapeño one had:

• A little less than a quart of silver tequila (I used Milagro)
• About 8 jalapeños- cut into rounds and most of the seeds removed

Very important word of advice on making the jalapeño tequila: WEAR GLOVES! Holy crap, I made this yesterday (and am typing it up today... almost 24 hours later...) and I'm still dying.  Just breathing all of it in made my nose and mouth burn, touched my lips once and they were on fire for hours, I couldn't take my contacts out, and every time I scratched my face at the bar last night, it left bright red marks (not as good of a creepy guy deterrent as I had hoped).  At the gym this morning, my hands were stinging while lifting weights. I feel like a mess. With any luck, my 2nd shower and 100th hand washing since yesterday will finally do the trick.  

Shout out to El Gato in Burlington, Vt: I applaud your ability to fill a 5 gallon jug with diced jalapeños for your infusion. You are brave brave people.

As for the less dangerous of the two infusions, I used:

• A little less than a quart of vodka (I used Absolut)
• 2 teabags of black tea (mine had pomegranate too)
• 2 bags of chinese black tea (a gift from some of my dad's coworkers, woohoo!)

Since I'm a first-timer with making infusions, I've been following the "shake every time you open the fridge" rule.  Due to my addiction to seltzer and love of refrigerated foods, I've been shaking them a lottt during the day.  Thinking I'll drink them at some point this weekend.  I'll make sure to give an update on whether or not they're delicious (which most likely, they will be, I'm feeling pretty confident).

Look at them! Getting cozy with some iced coffee and some... more iced coffee! I realize that the tea vodka looks like its full of worms or mulch or something, but I swear it smells tasty and very tea-like.

In other news, the job chaos begins today.  Between skating, morning training at the gym, working at a restaurant, and picking up a night at a bar, my social life might be on the back burner for a little while.  But more money means I can afford more fun! And food for the blog! And hopefully some travel too.  Updates on the way.

Cheers!

Not Actually Related to Blueberries

So, this post doesn't have anything to do with blueberries, but they seemed to fit the bill for my mood.  Not completely sure of what I mean by that? Something along the lines of being content but not quite satisfied. I feel like this line is one that too many of us dance upon: being content with dissatisfaction.  I find myself listening to a lot of people complain or grumble about their lives, which I don't mind because I like to help people out, but I also loathe because I wish I had the power to make them move on.

Aaand here is where I find myself feeling dissatisfied.  

I feel like I'm constantly playing it safe, being a people pleaser, talking myself out of things, making up excuses for other people, and the list goes on.  It's exhausting! So much valuable energy is being wasted on unproductive tasks.  On paper it seems really simple to just readjust how I spend my time, and then ta-da! I'm more satisfied.  In the real world, it feels a lot harder.  What am I supposed to do when so-and-so lists off another reason and apology for why they blew me off again? Yell at them, move on, forget them? It just doesn't feel like something I would do, but then again, I'm trying to move towards a better self, right?  

Sorry to get so heavy, I'm just trying to figure it all out.  Making sense of the world has turned into such a daunting task.  Some days I feel like its easier to play dumb and act like everything is completely comprehendible and logical, even though thats definitely not the case.

Jumping back to a year ago, I was living in Barcelona with a group of 43 strangers.  I found myself the most content and satisfied I've ever been.  There was no point in making excuses for people, because there was no history between (almost) any of us.  There was no time to make excuses, because days flew by.  I constantly find myself wanting to relive this experience, and not only the location (unbeatable) or the people (definitely unbeatable), but the sensation.  The freedom to do and say what you want without repercussions.  Maybe there is just an illusion of consequence back home, but it feels so much more real than it did 3,600 miles away in Europe.

In all, the point of this rambling is that I need to surround myself with new/positive people.  I was somewhat inspired to come to this conclusion by a friend from Spain who had a similar realization.  I miss not only the people from my summer abroad, but the almost instant depth that was created in the friendships.  No one was in Barcelona to complain, be sad, or talk behind each other's backs (and if they were, I was too enamored by Spain to notice).   They were all there to have a good time with other good people, and we (I believe) wanted the best for each other.  I would apologize for being super sappy, but I've decided to not do that anymore.  While I'm worried that people reading this will be thinking about how corny I am, or how glummy this post sounds, I also take comfort in that the people making fun of this post are people I don't want to spend time with anyways.

So, cheers to finding satisfaction and being happy!

p.s. if you haven't been to Spain, make time to go, you won't regret it (even if you're robbed of two wallets, a cell phone, a pair of glasses... and your dignity once or twice).

Rooftop overlooking Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Espana

View after climbing a hill/mountain in Begur, Espana

Happy Pappy Day!

So, I know this post is a few days late, but life has been a little hectic. Better late than never (just like better drunk than sober… too much?).  I couldn’t ignore doing this post, its my dad!  The most caring, thoughtful, hardworking guy I know (aww).  Part of my gift to him was copious amounts of food.  Including, but definitely not limited to: cape cod chips and cabot french onion dip (our favorite snack), a big-veggie-loaded salad, 5 dozen (oops) chocolate chip cookies and caprese sandwiches.  These sandwiches are my new obsession.  Correction: anything that includes tomato and mozzarella is my new obsession (seeing as my last post had a tomato/mozz/pesto pizza…).  So good! So refreshing! Perfect for father’s day lunch at the lake.  

Here’s a picture to convince you of the deliciousness:

Oh my god, I need to make these for lunch again. Maybe today… Tomato, mozzarella, pesto, salt & pepper sandwiched between two thick slices of wheat bread. Toasted up in a pan with some butter, left in the oven for a few to let the cheese melt. Its almost a sexual experience eating these. But its not, because it was father’s day, and that would be weird… 

Moving on, here’s the happy dad himself (pre-eating)!

Aaand post eating:

Stuffed! Job well done.

For an update on reducing my awkwardness, my plan has been working! Doing and saying what I’m feeling has actually made me happier (should’ve been able to figure this one out a looong time ago), less stressed, and lowered my number of awkward encounters.  Hallelujah! Told you I wasn’t awkward all the time.  

Figured I deserved a reward for trying to better myself:

Be jealous!

Awkward-Free Pizza on the Grill!

So, all of this “come home and be healthy” talk didn’t end up sticking… The bender doesn’t seem to end! Too tempting to drink and stay up late every night. Not working all that often right now isn’t helping either.  STILL unpacking from Burlington too, gahh it never ends!  Enough complaining though, regardless of how satisfying it seems.

I’ve been finding myself (surprise surprise) in a slew of awkward experiences lately.  I won’t go into details, because rehashing them will probably make me crawl out of my own skin, but, you get the idea. Therefore, I’m determined to get out of my awkward funk, no matter what it takes.  I vow to speak my mind, try new things, and not let long pauses feel like fingernails on a chalkboard.  I’ll let you know how it goes…

On a non-awkward note, I finally got back on the cooking bandwagon, and it was a WONDERFUL idea.  Made pizzas on the grill last night and they were unbelievably delicious.  Here’s my dough recipe, but you might have to alter it depending on how thick you want the crust to be (don’t go tooooo thin, it will fall through the grates on the grill…):

• 3 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsp honey
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 3-3.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal

1. Mix yeast, salt, honey, and warm water
2. Add olive oil and 1.5 cups of the flour, MIX
3. Add the rest of the flour and the cornmeal, adjusting the amount to get a pretty thick mixture
4. Put the dough into a bowl (sprayed with cooking spray) and let rise for 2 hours.  This can be sped up if you turn the oven on, turn it off, and then let the dough sit in the warm oven (only 45 min rise time).
5. Once risen, split into 2 balls and roll each out onto a floured (plus some cornmeal) cookie sheet
6. Add toppings of choice (mine are below)
7. Place on grill (still on cookie sheet).  Leave on for 5-10 minutes (until edges have cooked up) then slide directly onto grill until edges have browned.
8. ENJOY!

Here are my pizza choices (with pictures):

First up: olive oil & pesto base with tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil (grown by my talented mother!) on top. 

Here is the before picture…

And here is the during/after!

Second: olive oil & diced tomato base with garlic, portobello (cooked first), grape tomatoes, spinach, black olives, feta cheese, and shredded fancy blend (cheddar and mozz? super fancy!) on top

Before…

During/After!

I tried to take AFTER pictures, but we ate it too fast. Seriously, lots of pizza, REALLY fast.

Oh well, at least I got an action shot!

See, I’m not always awkward.

Happy eating!