Vacation part II - Downtown Saint Louis

I took about a billion pictures on my last day in Saint Louis - brunch, then the more-fascinating-than-it-sounds City Museum, then the arch (from below) and dinner. It was my favorite day in the city - it was nice to get out of suburbia and see some of the unique things that Saint Louis has to offer, as corny as that might sound.

Shameless Grounds, a knockoff of SF's (now closed!!) Wicked Grounds. Pretty good food and coffee,
a bit less risque than the SF original.

Shameless Grounds from the inside. Pretty adorable.

Scott's tempeh satay with asian slaw. Yum.

The City Museum! I loved this area - the ceiling was like icicles, with giant sea creatures everywhere. So pretty.

An enormous whale. 

Scott climbing one of many, many tight passageways.

Giant chameleon! 

Some of the interesting architecture (most of which can be climbed through, like the sphere on the left). 

The vault room, taken with the help of mirrors.

An amazing kaleidoscope hallway. 

Pretty sure this is ages old. The dust made it look eerie and pretty.

Perhaps the best part - the top floor of the museum has a combo vintage thrift store / coffee and alcohol bar.
Such a better selection than SF too!

So many wool skirts. I picked one of my favorites ($6!) and plan on altering it from calf to knee length when I get home.

Gorgeous vintage dress. Don't actually know if it's my size, and it was $75. But oh my goodness! 

Looking up - organ pipes on the left, tons of spiral slides (including one that is 10 stories tall) in the center.
And a skylight.

Insane pipe organ. (Not gonna lie, I'm kinda proud of this picture.)

After the city museum, we wandered downtown and took photos.

There were some legit fall leaves... so of course I took 28490382 pictures.

And umm maybe laid down in the leaves and took pictures of me in the midst of fall.

And of course, the arch.

And Scott took some too.

Taking a break.

After a long day of walking, dinner! Mine.

Scott's. Both way delicious, especially with everything dipped in chipotle ranch.
Oh food, the highlight of my (every)day.

Now I'm enjoying New York with some old friends (and by myself while they all do that job thing - wandering on my own is actually pretty fun and relaxing). More updates soon!

Vacation part I - Saint Louis

I just completed leg 1 of my 4 part journey - Saint Louis! I'd never been, except for a quick ride through, and it actually exceeded expectations :)

My friends Scott and Cindy moved there from the bay area this past summer, and while Cindy was busy being a med student, Scott (who is "funemployed" like me) and I spent time eating out, exploring the city, cooking, and trying to be a bit productive.

Here is the first part of my trip in photos and captions.

One of Scott and Cindy's two cats, Missy. My favorite of the two, for sure.

They have an adorable backyard (shared with neighbors, but still awesome).

The cute backyard at night!

Birdbath and all.

And even a gargoyle!

Sandwiches at Gioia's in the Italian neighborhood (the Hill). 

So greasy, soooo good.

Missy liked my knitting.

We cooked! Raw pumpkin gnocchi - although technically not gnocchi, as the recipe didn't have any potato.

Scott cooking.

Dinner! focaccia, salad, and pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter and sage.

Part of the SLU campus, taken after we failed to get Chick-fil-a breakfast in the student center.

Backup breakfast option: MoKaBe's.

Scott's breakfast burrito and cappuccino.

My breakfast burrito and fruit. And coffee. Of course.

I didn't get any of these, but they sure look interesting.

Oh my goodness, some FALL!

Fall and green. And typical St Louis brick.

We visited an animal shelter! I swooned over a 2 year old saint bernard (still not full grown!),
and they fell for this girl, a goldie mix.

Then: apple picking! Such a great fall activity, although the weather pretended it was summer, to my dismay.

Cindy playing the "twist the stem off" game.

Pumpkin patch

Next up: the last day of St Louis, including the fascinating City Museum, the arch from below, and of course a bit more food.

Happy birthday to me!

Inspired by Jenn (happy (late) birthday Jenn!), I've decided to make what is hopefully the first of many annual birthday posts. I want this to be a way for me to look back and remember what life was like at age X (this year, 25). Over the last year, I already saw how very much things changed with the help of my accompl.sh list (coincidentally, thanks to Jenn!). At the end of the year, I was somewhat surprised to look back and see the many ways my priorities have adapted, friendships have grown or wilted, and dreams have changed.

Last year at this time, I was working at a major tech company, not exactly happy but still hopeful that I would find my place. I had just moved to San Francisco from south bay but was already starting to tire of the daily commute. My first blog post was just over a year ago (on October 3), and my first food post was a couple of weeks later.

Some things remain the same - I am still with Tim, almost a year and a half now, although we've had many ups and downs (some major), and I think we're much stronger than we were last year. I am still not fantastic about posting on my blog (although unemployment has helped a lot), and my photography hasn't improved much - something to work on for next year! I still don't have the dog I've been wanting for years, but things have been changing so rapidly, I haven't felt ready.

I'm back in south bay, for the job that I quit soon after the move. I miss San Francisco but plan on moving back early next year - only a few months left on this lease. I am unemployed, as you likely already knew if you read this blog, or "funemployed" to emphasize my choice in the matter. I am much happier but know that this can't last forever. I've learned a lot about what I don't like in tech and am trying to figure out what I do enjoy. I'm spending some time learning ruby on rails, and in the rest of my time I create things that I love - baking, cooking, sewing, knitting, crochet. Most of these are things that I did sparingly last year, but it's fantastic to have the free time to spend on them right now. This is a really great time for me to figure out what I really do enjoy spending my time doing and what I want to eliminate.

I'm trying to imagine where I will be in one year. Obviously things will change - I will need an income, and I plan on living in San Francisco again. Right now, I see myself living in the city (in the Castro, specifically) with Tim. I would love a place that feels a bit more like home - somewhere that I like enough to potentially live for more than a year (a thing that hasn't happened since I lived with my parents in high school). I imagine I'll have a tech job at a smaller, more creative/less nerdy tech company doing some sort of web programming. I hope to still find time to cook, bake, and blog regularly, as well as keep up on crafting projects - hopefully with a better schedule than I have now. It's interesting how complacency expands to fill free time if you let it. I would love to have a freelance catering business outside of work, a way to create something tangible for other people and to do something I truly feel like I am good at.

Beyond that... who knows. I have changed a lot this year and think that I still have a ways to go before I settle down into who I am.



And, for your patience, a recipe from my birthday dinner this year! This pizza recipe is very close to my heart, as it is a variation on one that my dad made throughout my childhood (he has since passed away, so I have to do my best to recreate it). It is originally from the book The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, but it has been adapted by both him and me.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

serves 6-8, or makes 3 smallish pizzas

This recipe works best with a Kitchenaid stand mixer.

2 packets of rapid rise yeast

2 cups water at 90º - just barely lukewarm

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup cornmeal

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

toppings: tomato paste or sauce, various cheeses, raw or cooked meats (in small pieces), veggies, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Put the water and yeast into the bowl of your mixer and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the oils, cornmeal, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 1 cup AP flour. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes with the paddle attachment.
2. Add the remaining flours and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead for 3-5 minutes with the machine - this was very hard on my mixer, as the dough is very tough and elastic.
3. Pull out of the mixer, place on a clean counter or baking mat, and cover with a large metal bowl. Let it rise until it is double in size (at least 30 minutes), punch down, and let rise again. Punch down one more time.
   
   
4. Choose a pan - you can use round cake pans for deep dish or a pizza pan or cookie sheet for a thinner crust - I made one of each and still had some dough left over. Oil the pan(s) with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of cornmeal. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 475º.
5. Tear off a chunk of dough and press into the pan (and up the sides for deep dish). This will take a few minutes, as it likes to spring back to its original shape.
6. Once the dough is spread out, you can top - I used tomato paste (which was a little dry - I plan on using sauce next time), smoked mozzarella, salami and raw ground sausage, fresh basil, lots of veggies on mine, and a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan, salt, and pepper.
   
   
   
   
7. Bake for about 40-45 minutes for deep dish or around 30 for thin crust, until the crust is crispy and toppings are cooked through and/or melty.
   
   
   
   
   

My dad's handwriting in his old cookbook <3

Tim finishing up his pizza

I also inherited by dad's restaurant-style cheese grater 

Tim's - done! Mozzarella, salami, chicken sausage, fresh basil, and parmesan.

And, a special thanks to Tim for a fantastic birthday present - my very own fancy coffee grinder. Now that I don't have a job that gives me unlimited coffee, I drink a 4-cup pot a day (sometimes more....), and it's been so great having freshly ground beans every morning. YUM. Thanks dear!!! <3

so fancy! 

and some delicious (local?) coffee beans to go with it. mmmmm.

Oktoberfest food - part 2

Savory foods edition. These are not health foods! Liberal amounts of butter were used. But oh so delicious! Good for a once a year "welcome fall!" splurge.

Chicken Schnitzel

serves 6

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup flour
1/4 cup corn starch
2 teaspoons paprika

3 eggs
2 tablespoons water

2 cups bread crumbs
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup parmesan
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1. Split any thick breasts lengthwise so that you have two flat pieces. Pound all chicken breasts with a mallet or empty pot to flatten them.
2. Get out three large dishes (pie pans work great, or you can use wide bowls). In one mix together the flour, cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons paprika; in another, whisk the eggs and water; in a third, combine the bread crumbs, remaining paprika, parmesan, salt and pepper.
   
   
3. Heat about 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
   

   

   this is more than 1 tablespoon. it's fiiiiiine.

   
   Dip a piece of chicken first in the flour mixture, then in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs. Place in the pan. Repeat until the pan has a full layer of chicken.
4. Cook chicken until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook until cooked through, another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate, add another tablespoon of butter, and repeat until chicken is gone.

I didn't serve this with a sauce (it's really delicious and juicy straight out of the pan), but you can whip up a quick sauce by combining plain tomato sauce, sour cream, paprika, salt, and pepper and heating over low heat.

If you have leftovers, reheat and serve over a green salad with honey mustard for a slightly healthier twist. Watch out, though. The chicken starts to get tough after a reheat or two.

the ONLY shot I got of finished schnitzel, hidden amidst the cake cutting

Roasted Potatoes

serves 8-10

4 pounds of red or yellow new potatoes

1 large yellow onion

1/2 to 1 stick of butter (to taste), melted

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (or more to taste)

salt & pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. Dice the potatoes and onion into approximately 1" pieces.
3. Butter a sheet tray (or two), spread the veggies out, and drizzle with melted butter. Add seasoning and toss together.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until potatoes are soft and browning and onions begin to caramelize. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then serve!

raw veggies with butter, salt, and pepper

Spaetzle

serves 2-3
source: Food Network

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons butter

1. Combine the flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix until most of the lumps have dissolved, then stir in half of the parsley.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Use a spaetzle maker or a slotted spoon (I have had much, much better luck with the spaetzle maker and think this one is totally worth the money) to push about 1/3 of the dough into the boiling water.
3. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Repeat with the remaining dough in batches.
4. Heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until melted, then add the spaetzle and remaining parsley. Sautee for a couple of minutes until parts of the spaetzle turn golden. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

See also: part 1 - dessert, and a party overview