Meeting and Eating: Snowed In

Just remembered I never posted this and since today is such a drippy wet Wednesday I thought this post about weather was still worth posting despite me no longer being on vacation.

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This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

 

That's my dog Bear above...well actually it's not technically my dog; he's my Mom's dog. And isn't he adorable! Sadly though, his "sad puppy-dog" expression sums up how I feel at the moment. I would love to do some "meeting and eating" as this section suggests I would be doing but right now I'm snowed in. So what's a girl to do living through a snowpocalypse if she wants to meet and eat? If you've been reading my posts you'll definitely see an emerging pattern...lists! I love lists and today is a perfect day to create a list of "Alternatives to meeting and eating when you are snowed in"...

Watch a Movie/Try a new recipe

I recommend watching something that makes you feel apart of the movie for instance; movies that visit the same places over and over again i.e Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Groundhog Day, movies that have memorable characters with some depth; Cyrus, movies that feature a neighborhood with eccentric characters; George Washington. For me all of these movies make me feel apart of it and makes me feel like I'm meeting new friends...urm, that I can't really hang out with.



This is also a great time to try a new recipe you've never tried before. There’s no pressure to impress guests so you can get creative and bold. And if you don't have all the right ingredients, don't bother braving the elements just take out everything you have and google search the ingredients or you could try Super Cook. {tip} I just googled cobb salad and in the left sidebar there was a list of ingredients, cook times and calories. It gives the options of selecting ingredients and it will edit your search for websites that share the similar ingredients and the corresponding recipe...google you cease to amaze me!

Watch a TV Series/Have a Sandwich

I really enjoy watching full television series over a couple days; it’s so satisfying. I usually use Netflix but you can try Hulu or Youtube. Lately it's been all British shows for me; Peep Show, IT Crowd and The Mitchell and Webb Look. They aren't storyline shows so instead you really get to know the characters. As I watch each episode, they become less of acquaintances and more like your weird distant relatives that everyone talks about but you rarely see in person.



So, why a sandwich? Well, a sandwich won't get cold if you aren’t eating it because you are laughing/enjoying the show and eating a sandwich with some mates is a tradition as old as time.

Comment on blogs & forums/Have a "Kitchen Sink" Salad

You can meet all sorts of people online and no better place to do that than on a blog or in a forum. Here are some of my favorites Designers Talk, Gawker, Lifehacker, and Etsy. Blogs related to your interests are an obvious place to comment. Newbie bloggers like me loooove comments, so please comment away (hint, hint). A good place to find blogs you are interested in are on google reader. They call it "magic" how they recommend blogs for you but I think it's based on browsing history so if you have a google account, good chance they'll know what you like...a little bit creepy but very effective. Just be sure to go to the actual blog to comment. Blog feeds are great but you can't comment from there and you don't give the site any hits.



A "Kitchen Sink" salad compliments the varied blogs and forums you may comment on because it’s made of varied ingredients...yea, I’m reaching but still sort of connects. "Kitchen Sink” just means grab whatever you have in your fridge and cupboard (or you lucky folks with pantries) and make a salad of it.

Call a Friend/Have some soup

It's always nice to catch up with a friend, so give them a call and see if they have time to have a long chat. Get reacquainted with their life, what their doing, current interests, etc.



The best food to pair with a call is soup because it can be eaten quickly and silently in between pauses.

Play Online Games and Chat/Have Sushi

One of my personal favorites is playing a rousing online game and chatting with some nerds. I'm a board game geek for sure and whether it's a RL (real life) party or online party, I like to play board games. So I go to Aso Brain Games where I can play games similar to Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan. And a great feature of most of these sort of online games is the side chat. Granted, you aren't going to get too much talk other than about the game, it's still fun to have some light conversation and play a competitive game.



The best food to eat during online gaming is stuff you don't have to touch with your hands and won't fall all over your keyboard; my recommendation is sushi. It is tight, compact and not messy. Lifehacker has an article here about foods safe to eat near your computer.

Watch the News or Public Access Channel/Have a frozen dinner

This can be a sobering experience because so much of the news is a bummer (understatement) but every dark cloud has it's silver lining. The news will highlight some of the quirky stuff going on locally and if you are very lucky you will see some hilarious news bloopers. Your public access channel is a concentrated channel of localness. Most of the people creating shows for public access aren't your everyday citizens so it may not be completely representative of the area but I bet you could tell a midwest public access channel from a east coast one.



I can't think of a more appropriate meal than the ubiquitous television cuisine; a frozen dinner. I still try to go light and eat a Lean Cuisine but if you are really brave and want to be "authentic" try a Hungry Man.

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Wow, that was quite the list...I hope it may provide you all with snowed-in alternatives to meeting and eating!

Happy Labor Day

From SoCO to SoOh

I'm back from Denver, Colorado and of course I came up with a hip phrase/abbreviation; SoCO or So Colorado/Denver. There is quite a difference between Ohio and Colorado so whenever it was very apparent Kyle, Lann (Kyle's college roomate) and I would say "So Denver" (cutting edge humor huh). A couple examples; cyclists, dispensaries, healthy/active people, mountains and...well, it gets pretty uncreative from there. I really did enjoy Denver. Our vacation was jam packed with stuff. It was one of those vacations where we came back and we needed another vacation, if you know what I mean. I will spare you all the details and just give a quick outline of what we did:

Thursday

• Dinner: Cuba, Cuba
• Dessert: Italian Desserts
• More Dessert: Good Times

Friday

• Downtown: Commons Park, E 16th Street (where there are free buses!..traveling on that one street), Breckenridge, The Tavern
• Beer Tour: Coors in Golden, CO (went semi-ironically)
• Dinner: Walnut Brewery, Boulder, CO

Saturday

• Museum: Denver Botanical Gardens
• Bar: 1up (Free 2x4 Jenga, brillant!)
• Party: Korean Food Dinner Party at friends
• Dessert: Sonic

Sunday

• Horses: rode my first horse...through the MOUNTAINS!
• Park: Rocky Mountain National Park (they are blue)
• Dinner: The Old Chubway
• Arcade: Lyons Classic Pinball
• Dessert: Beer Ice-cream at Chubway

Denver was truly awesome! And if I had to move out of my beloved Southern Ohio, I would more there. The weather is mild and delightfully arid (no humidity!) and the people are happy and friendly. But I'm very happy to be back which means I'm ready to get back to what I like best; posting about SoOh! Starting Monday, I'll be bringing back posts all about SoOh and of course a sprinkling of nerd (hopefully you weren't exhausted with my nerdy vacation posts). Until then, enjoy your Labor Day Weekend! Oh and on a personal note, it's my birthday and I can't think of a better place to celebrate than in my Southern Ohio :)

Green (In) House

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find hem fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

 
Rainy March weather doesn’t exactly give me many opportunities to capture lovely landscapes outside. So instead, I thought I’d share a snap shot of one of my indoor house plants. It may not sound exciting but growing indoor plants has been quite the challenging and competitive indoor sport. It was seriously hard maintaining indoor plants. First off I made the biggest noob mistake by over-watering. Many a plant were lost at sea because of my “let the cup runneth over” mentality when it came to watering. And the weird part is that most of the plants dried up because of the over watering. I found that very interesting...but not interesting enough to look up and put it here. And despite not researching why the plants respond poorly to certain actions I can still give you all some first-hand tips I learned. Hopefully these will help your green thumbs down turn into a green thumbs up:

1. Wait till they wilt - the plants will tell you know when they need water, till then do not water it when it looks perky and fine
   
2. Have good drainage - if you are going to water from the top make sure it is draining into something where the roots wont sit in water; i.e rocks. Or you could place it in a container that will catch the water but be sure to pour out excess water.
3. Water from the bottom - my rule has been plants that are less hearty (my definition is one that wilts after a week of no water) receive water well from the bottom...My heartier plants I water from the top; I consider my Amaryllis, Ivy, and my terrarium plants all to be hearty; the not so hearty are the Primroses, Lilies (don’t even know if I can grow these indoors but I love them, thanks Nidhi!)
4. Let the light shine - I have the hardest time with this because I don’t get the greatest of light (see next tip) but try try try to get your plant some sunshine. It may involve moving them around at certain times of the day but they should get at least, in my experience, 2-4 hours of light. Some plants actually need direct sunlight, like succulents, but I don’t mess with those since I'm form the midwest. If you are from the midwest and grow succulents successfully please write your tips in the comments, I’d love to know them.
5. Rehab your plants - I was having a hard time with the above African Violet and even though its little cup isn’t runneth-ing over with blossoms, it was saved because of the wonderful fluorescent lights at my work. Fun fact; fluroscent lights are used as grow lights for plants. And that’s probably why plants in store do so darn well. So if your plant isn’t getting enough light and is looking lame, take it to work and let it bask in the glorious fluorescent glow of your office or cubical.
6. Don’t give up! - I’m embarrassed and saddened to tell you all I’ve killed at least 5-7 plants. And I was sick of the waste (and heartache) when I finally realized that plants need what's called “considered neglect”. I got that phrase from the charming southern woman at my work...can’t you just hear a honey sounding southern accent say that. It means that plants need you to NOT dote on them and doting usually entails over-watering. Just ignore the plants and believe me, after a week or so you will see all this new growth which is quite thrilling.
   

So to summarize; drainage, sunlight, and an easy hand at the watering and you will be an indoor plant extraordinaire. Please comment your tips as a noobie (or professional) indoor plant grower.

At the Movies

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :) 

SUPPORT

YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT MOVIE THEATERS!

Tonight I went to the movin' picture show and saw a wonderful animated film by Bill Plympton (check out his blog) called "Idiots and Angels". I really enjoyed it and I reserve the right to withhold my critique...just go see it and judge for yourself. Where can you see it, hmmm? Well I saw it at my local independent movie theater so I encourage you to do the same. Each local independent movie theater is unique but if there is a independent film that you would like to see, I'm sure you can contact your local establishment and see if they can acquire it. This is one of the many reasons why local movie theaters are so awesome and because of this I wanted to take some time and give a shout out to a few great local theaters I've been to. Keep up the great work!

The Neon

Cinematheque

Cedar Lee

Mulled Wine or Glühwein

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

Mulled Wine (or Glühwein as my german acquaintance calls it) is the perfect hot drink to serve at a party on a chilly winter evening. It’s sweet, spicy, hot and festive! Here's the recipe I follow...

Serving: 4-6 mugs

1 Bottle of Red Wine
1 Large Orange
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Water
Jar of Cloves

Optional: honey, ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger
Prep: stick cloves in halved/quartered oranges, measure sugar and water

1. Simple Sugar - Make a simple sugar with equal parts water & sugar
2. Boil - Bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved then lower heat to a simmer.
3. Add - Halved/Quartered Oranges with cloves in the pot to simmer
4. Add - Cinnamon sticks to the pot
5. Simmer - for 20-30 minutes
6. Add - Red Wine
7. Lower Heat - keep it hot and steamy; no bubbling
8. Taste - add extra sugar to taste
9. Enjoy!

If you make Glühwein before any party, it will make the whole house smell fragrant and festive!

You'll eat a cookie in the near future

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

I work in one of those 9 (actually 8, ugh) to 5 office jobs and it can get pretty monotonous. So to spice things up people take turns bringing in treats on any given holiday. There really isn’t any pressure or rule to do it, so it’s always fun to come up with inventive and creative treats. And this year’s Chinese Year/Valentine’s I got one of my best ideas...Fortune Cookie Valentines! And yes, I know this isn’t the most original idea, but merging these two holidays was to good to pass up.

I did a quick google search and found this recipe. It’s from about.com so fair warning to all of you who get annoyed getting resources from there. The nerd in me doesn’t like a website monopolizing google searches and providing often mediocre material but none-the-less this recipe turned out to be a gem.

I did make a slight change because of lack of resources and I really liked how it turned out. And without further ado, Fortune Cookie Valentines...



2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
9 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons water

Prep:
Create your fortunes. Here are the fortunes I created. Have them cut and ready
Preheat oven to 300 F
Grease baking sheet

1. Beat egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil until frothy
   
2. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, water in separate bowl
3. Add flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until you have smooth after
4. Bake until the outer 1/2 inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove (14-15 minutes)

1. Remove cookies with spatula
2. STRONGLY recommend not holding them in your hand as “About” suggests. They are really HOT.
3. Place fortune in middle of cookie
4. Fold over and then fold the corners towards each other, moving away from the rounded part

And done! My favorite fortune was “Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays” (VDay fell on a Monday, genius!) but the office really enjoyed “You’ll eat a cookie in the near future”. Happy fortunes everyone!

Owls are dead

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

I know this is the “Thrift Tip” section and I have barely begun to flesh this section out but I’m feeling a bit feisty today. Im feeling feisty about owls. Not the bird owl but the juggernaut hipster trend it’s image has become. It is a branch of the “put a bird on it” cult that usually features a swallow?...parakeet? whatever type that’s not an owl, eagle or turkey. Maybe talking abut owls being a tired trend has become a trend in and of itself and I’m now part of the meta-trend cult. Or maybe even worse, I’m talking about something that is no longer a trend and I’m appearing horribly out of touch! Oh well...enough with the owls already.

I’m going to do everyone a favor and suggest the new trend...Cthulhu. This might also be trending among the nerd ranks (hipsters are not nerds!) but let’s bring it to the masses (hipsters). I think Cthulhu is a welcome throwback to the kraken/squid/octopus trend of 2003 (I’m making that up) and reminiscent of the early 80’s fantasy vibe.

So in short...Look away! For the love of owls, do not look into the owls eyes!

{top-down: Elmine Knight, Photographers Direct (2), meme made by me}

Also, Happy Mardi Gras!

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Partyquette

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

I realized I have not talked about partyquette in awhile! Recently, I got my hands on a great collection of party do's and dont's from a wonderful House Beautiful article. House Beautiful might be my next subscription, it's choke full of of great home tips and other great tips like the ones I'm going to talk about. I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the comments and throw in my two cents.

"Don't try a new recipe at a party."

—Tricia Foley, designer/author

DISAGREE. I say go for it but my suggestion is try a a new side dish, hors d'oeuvre and/or recipe. The stakes are smaller. I'm not a "cook-a-fun-dish-everyday" girl so I don't have many dishes under my belt. I think a party is a great time to slip a new recipe in because honestly if the drinks are flowing and the tunes are pumping people aren't going to shame you for a "miss" recipe.

"Flowers are overused as centerpieces. Use seasonal fruit, a tureen, or an interesting sculptural centerpiece instead."

—Christopher Spitzmiller, ceramic designer

I thinking doing something outside the usual is always invigorating and intriguing. I also think edible centerpieces are fun and functional. Also keep in mind you could reuse some of your home decor to use as a centerpiece as well. And if you do decide to get something new, my only suggestion is to try to buy something you can later incorporate into your home.

"Don't use plastic."

—Jennifer Rubell, artist/writer

Another off base one. This one is pretty eye-roll inducing if you ask me. Also this is quite the bourgeois attitude that says there aren't respectable looking plastic wares that are appropriate for a party. I think clear hard plastic can fit subtly and "unoffensively" into any party. China does give you the opportunity to dress up the table a bit more than some of the limited selection of plastic-wares in the store but many parties do not require an air of lofty elegance.

"I discovered early on that the best parties involve a certain amount of serendipity. I try not to have everything done when the guests arrive so that people can pitch in and help in the kitchen. It's a great ice-breaker."

—Ruth Reichl, author/former editor, Gourmet magazine

I love this attitude because I think it lends itself to the host also enjoying the party. Try to relax and enjoy. I have the great fortune of having an awesome cooking partner that will handle most (if not all) of the food which is a huge part of the battle. Don't be too proud to ask someone who is better at a certain area to help whether it be with the food, decor, drinks, and/or invitations. And be sure to share the praise with that person. Sure it is great to get all the attention for throwing a great party but it's not nearly as great as being able to enjoy the party and your friends.

Strength in Low Numbers

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

TIPS FOR PARTIES WITH LESS THAN TEN GUESTS

I thought I would talk about a rampant misconception about parties which states that a party is only a party if there are double digit attendees. Any less and your event is called a dinner party, gathering, a hangout... basically it's called something that is lesser than the party it deserves to be called. Well, I'm here to debunk that and for those of you hesitant to call your event a party if you have less than 10 guests, I'm here to say hesitate no more! If you can have a party of two you can have a party of five, am I right? I kid, but seriously there are a few ways to have a rowdy and rousing party with less than 10 people.

Pump Up the Jams

I've had the unfortunate experience of attending several parties with no music. A big no-no especially if there are less than 10 folks in the room. With a small group, a lot of conversation gets crossed and shared throughout the evening. More often than not, you'll find all the people sitting closely together listening to one conversation and as soon as that conversation tapers off the inevitable sound of transitional silence falls upon the party. And sweet lady music should be playing to fill the void.



{Recommendation} Have the music playing just loud enough to force guests to raise their voices slightly, play something beyond radio hits, nostalgic tunes are a safe bet and if you don't have time to create a playlist, use several movie soundtracks. Sidenote: my personal goal is to have the night end in dancing.

Put Guests to Work

This probably seems rude to have your guests work to plan the party you are hosting but if you give small tasks to a couple of guests it gives them stake in the party which gives them a small sense of pride when you start partying. It also gives you the opportunity to gush over their participation. Who doesn't like to be gushed over!



{Recommendation} Have them help with a dessert, party decor, the playlist; stay away from having them do things that people can't see or compliment, i.e. heavy lifting.

Food, Food and More Food

Do not skimp on the food. I repeat do NOT skimp on the food. A huge spread screams party and for those guests who may have written your "party" off because of the low numbers, a large amount and assortment of food will make their party sense tingle. Also you will be surprised at how often people will go back and nibble all throughout the night.



{Recommendation} Keep the food in a separate area away from the hang-out area; guests should have to get up and travel to get it, which will keep people active and moving.

Group Games

A single digit guest count gives you the opportunity to play games. Games force people to participate, converse with each other and let their guard down. It is also a great time for people to relax, snack and have a couple drinks. I've been to parties where it seems like it's all about meeting new people and getting to know people. With such a small group, there's a good chance that most of the guests know each other or, at the very least, know of each other. So a game takes the "getting to know you" pressure off and lets people unwind and get absorbed by the fun.



{Recommendation} Choose games in which teams can be formed and that are easy to explain. Taboo and Guesstures are good group games. I discourage games like Mafia, Apples to Apples, Video games. These games require no teams, no movement and specific taste (I'm looking at you video games).

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In short...send out your invites, hype the event and call it a party. Don't inform the guests that it's "no big deal" or tell them it's just "a small thing". It's a big thing, it's your party and you'll cry have under 10 people if you want to!

Smooth(ie)

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :)

I pulled a smooth move this week and created a fantastic smoothie. My Lemon Cantaloupe Berry Smoothie had a very fresh taste despite half the fruit being frozen and the yogurt being less than new. In fact the yogurt had an expiration date of December 2010! But it had never been open and when I did open it (this week), it was pleasantly fresh and delicious. Coincidentally, The Kitchn had an article about the validity of an expiration date and I was excited to share my experience. And now I'm excited to share my recipe...don't worry, it does not require aged yogurt.

Ingredients

Serving: 2-4 glasses

1 cup Frozen Mixed Berries

1 cup Fresh Cantaloupe

1 cup Vanilla Yogurt

1 cup Orange Juice

1 tbs of Lemon Curd

Prep

Halve the cantaloupe then cut or scoop a cup of melon out. Own (or borrow) a blender.

Directions

Add

Frozen Mixed Berries, Fresh cut-up Cantaloupe, Vanilla Yogurt, OJ, Lemon Curd

Blend

till smooth

Thrift Tip

This post is part of my vacation away series. These posts are from other blogging endeavors and aren't about Southern Ohio but I hope you find them fun, interesting and informative! I am around to read comments so don't hesitate to leave them :) 

SHOULD I BUY THIS?

As much as I love thrifting and buying items, I've learned to use some discretion when choosing what to buy. It’s not always easy and I’m sure all you avid shoppers out there know what I mean. Nonetheless, I have developed an arsenal of questions I always ask myself before I purchase an item.

What

What am I going to use it for?
Decor, Re-purposing, Gift etc?*

*Knowing the use determines what sort of quality you need


How

How long do I want to keep the item?
How often will I use it?


When

When will I use it?
When will I “fix” and/or re-purpose it?
Is it seasonal?


Why

Why do I need it? Is it one-of-a-kind?
Why is it useful?
Why am I purchase this item second-hand?


Where

Where am I going to place it? How visible will it be?

...

Do you have any questions you ask yourself before you buy a thrift store item?

Vacation!

 



















The dog* above may look sad but I'm nothing of the sort right now. I'm taking an actual vacation and I'm not talking a blog vacation, I'm talking about actually getting on a plane and traveling somewhere! I'm sure you're thinking "Well, yea...that's what a vacation is" but I don't actually take too many out of state, plane vacations. And yes, I've flown before but it's always to see family which doesn't often feel like a vacation if you know what I mean. So, this is an actual splurge vacation where we are visiting Denver, CO just to have fun and sight see! Fortunately for us, we have a friend who lives in Denver so we get to see him as well. So good stuff except that it means I won't be available to post...because I'm going to be vacationing so hard!

Luckily, though, I have a rich reservoir of posts from previous blogging endeavors that I thought I would share while I'm away. This feels like opening a time capsule so please forgive the tone, grammar and subject manner. These posts were before my love for Southern Ohio was realized so none of them are about SoOh. Consider this a break from Southern Ohio related posts and hopefully you'll find these posts enjoyable and informative. Here's a preview of what posts you can expect in the next five days:

• You'll eat a cookie in the near future
• Mulled Wine or Glühwein
• Owls are dead 
• Green (In) House
• Meeting and Eating: Snowed In
• Partyquette
• Thrift Tip
• Smooth(ie)
• Strength In Low Numbers
• At the Movies

I'm posting more than five times to make up for being gone :) Hope you all enjoy and see ya when I get back! Oh and I'm not so unreachable that I won't comment back or read emails so please leave comments and feel free to email me!

*The dog above is my Mom's dog Bear. This photo came from one of the posts you'll see in the next few days.