recession chicken soup

adding "recession" in front of things makes it funny. i was going to note yesterday about my reasoning for sharing this recipe with you...forgot.

i don't think avoiding talking about this economy will make it go away, but constantly obsessing and always talking about it also isn't going to make it better*. you gotta carefully and casually walk the line. you don't want to become known as

"the recession guy"

or

"the girl that always talks about the economy problems."

(yes that last one was not nearly as eloquent or as savvy a reference to my favorite thursday night tv show, but alas, it conveys the general gist.) but i have also found that people regard each other a little higher when they know what each other is doing to "tighten the belt," as it were. here's how i am...

unless you are actually in charge of the economy, like the president, etc.*

last night, [my roommate] jenny and i made chicken noodle soup. this chicken soup was the best chicken soup i have ever had or made. honestly.

chicken soup ingredients
whole chicken: $2.22
produce and chicken stock: roughly $6-8
purchased at fresh & easy and ranch 99 and olive tree market
[including, onions, celery, carrots, lemon & chicken stock]
other stuff on hand: flour, eggs, seasonings, buttah, and olive oil

all in all: about $10 soup. going to last for like 10 meals.

the chicken roasting went well. after brining the chicken for about 8 hours, we prepped it for roasting--put fresh roasted garlic & some butter on the skin & then some salt, pepper, rosemary, and fresh lemon. i'd say it roasted for about an hour and 15 minutes. after about 4 freakish meat thermometer readings (i'm obsessed with that thing. breast temp. 165F and thigh 175F.) it was finally ready for pickin'.

here is the wee chicken preparing for the oven alongside the roasted garlic:

meanwhile, on the vintage-inspired frigidaire stovetop, the chicken stock had been patiently simmering for an hour or so with lots o carrots, thinly sliced onions & celery. just a-waitin' for the goodies.

whilst amid chicken roast, jenny and i made homemade egg noodles. they were pretty good. just standard egg noodles. the only thing that could have been improved upon in the recipe. i would do an egg-less recipe next time. i think they were a little heavy, almost, for the soup. still tasty though.

we just threw the noodles into the simmering chicken stock, let em cook up for a few minutes, then added the chunks of chicken from the whole roast chicken that i deboned with almost as much skill as my friend michelle flores. nimble fingers. and then...{secret recipe info ahead} since the chicken stock was like 98% fat free and just basic, it needed obvious seasoning, so we chose to put the chicken's roasting...juices (?)...and it honestly thickened up the broth and added the most phenomenal flavor.

this chicken soup was stellar!

but you see, the most glorious part of this chicken soup ordeal is that it was also serving a secondary and yet equally important purpose. making this chicken soup (from conception to preparation to consumption) took 2 days. the actual prep took hours. we were painstakingly laboring over this chicken soup. and all the sudden, we had entertainment taken care of for friday night. you're laughing at me. i know. but you've read this far.

[blame it on the economy.]

what did i do this morning?

i brined a chicken. well, technically speaking, it is still brining, and will be for several more hours. but anyway, i'm brining a chicken.

i'm making homemade chicken noodle soup tonight and in an effort to make it recession-proof [cute, huh] i decided i was going to roast my own chicken instead of buying costco or whole food's bomb roasted chickens. fresh & easy whole chicken: $2.22 other stuff for chx noodle soup: like $6. meals for a while. it's the economy y'all. this is gonna be a new kind of recipe blog. :)

here is my adorable chicken brining away!
ingredients: chicken. water, salt, pepper, olive oil, ( a lil soy sauce just because ) bay leaves, lemon juice, and garlic. lots of garlic. but not roasted like they said, cause i don't have that much time.

stay tuned. i promise to update more often. especially for my loyal reader in boston.

dear friends

things have changed for me since i last bahloggged. i have discontinued my employment and begun classes at the art institute of san diego. i'm drawing, what? and it's not that bad! hoping to combine my graphic design skillz with my wells degree and just get a super delightful job.

also, we have mice. they are driving me nuts so the other day i did about THE most adult thing i've ever done in my life and bought mouse traps. i bought the kind that's a box and you don't have to see the thing--literally just pick it up and throw it away. i still haven't gotten the guts to put them out because if there's one thing that freaks me out more than mice, it's dead mice. cheers to mice...........NOT.

went up to san pedro this weekend for the tall ships festival. it was delightful. saw my sweet sweet friend anna. and so many tall ships! i went aboard the USCGC Eagle, the coast guard's big ass sail butt. it was so sweet. they have three steerin' wheels!! connected! because not just one person can steer at a time! that's...a..big..boat. waa waa wee wah!

as you know, i've really started loving me some cooking! last night i made a delightful set of concoctions...

fresh bean salad (grandmother status):
garbanzo beans, kidney beans, thin red onions, grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, balsamic & apple cider vinegar (twas hoping for red wine vinegar but we were out)

pasta "amandavera":
homemade spaghetti! and essentially a stew of grape tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus, and mushrooms with warm goat cheese and toasted pine nuts finished with fresh parm cheese.

baked acorn squash:
acorn squash quarters, with a wee butter, cinnamon and brown sugar

aaaaaaaaannnddd MILK!

twas good, if i do say so myself.

last: free obama button, if you want it!

The Storm Was A-Brewin

This one has been brewing for a week. I don’t like to nor do I think it necessary to blog every day just to do it. You end up sharing the most asinine details that literally no one but your boyfriend/girlfriend or mother cares about. Thus, I let my stories brew up for a little while so I have several interesting things to share rather than 1 long pile of crapola. Cough.

Here’s what lit the fire this morning: I was driving to work approximately 7:45 A.M. The weather was cool, sunny, lovely. I was be-bopping along to some Brad Paisley, NBD, and glanced briefly to my right a noticed a PRIUS with a RON PAUL bumper sticker. I thought, “this person has got to be joking. They’ve got to be.” But I don’t think they were. Not the right neighborhood. I invite comparisons…as I am at a loss for words. Finish the sentence…Having Ron Paul sticker on your Prius is like…_____________________.

Second Topic of Discussion: The Girl Scouts: Sweet Cookie Sellers, or Satan’s Spawn? I’m pretty sure the Girl Scouts were put on earth by a wildly negative force. They dangled by Satan (assuming he somehow got up north to heaven…probably disguised…whatever whatever). They are not a good thing, and here’s why: A sweet little Girl Scout comes to your door and is like, “would you like some cookies? Our troop is trying to raise money to save the world.” What they are really saying, however, is, “We’re the Girl Scouts. We’re here to ruin all of the hard work that you’ve been doing at the gym and all the strict dieting you’ve been participating in with our Thin Mints. Here…buy a box and eat a sleeve in one sitting.” Ahhhhhh. So bad, but so good.

Well, the finale of Project Runway was this week. We were so excited for it (!) and then we unfortunately had the results ruined for us. Man, it sucks when someone takes the joy and surprise out of something you were looking forward to. If you still haven’t gotten the chance to watch it, I won’t ruin it here. I’ll let someone have some joy, at least. I will say that I was disappointed by the results.

Uggs are what's wrong with America.

Yeah, I said it. Uggs are frickin ugly. I throw up in my mouth every single time I see a Uggs-and-miniskirt-with-furry-collar-jacket-but-bare-legs combo. If it's cold enough that could can not bare to take your feetsies out of a knee-high boot of shearling and and down jacket, why are you pairing the hideous combo with a miniskirt. I cringe every time I see someone shuffling around in them. I hate it when I see them in hot weather. They are not snow boots, and they are not rain boots since they are not water proof, so please don't abuse them and wear them as such.

I'll admit it. I own a pair. They are comfortable. They were a gift, so it's not as bad. But I don't abuse them and wear them at in appropriate times and for inappropriate purposes.

Uggs are what's wrong with America. And Mike Huckabee. And what's more, like Mike Huckabee, they just won't go away, will they?

Aggressive Driving

I love San Diego. I do. It's awesome. I just wish there was less driving involved. And I wish the drivers weren't total DB's.

San Diego has turned me into an aggressive driver. The purpose of my various drives is less about getting from A to B and more about who's going to get taught a lesson today.

Here's what you can expect from me on the road:

If you cut me off, I will tailgate you. If it's night, I'll turn on my brights "accidentally" for a minute. Please do not ever cut me off again.

If you unnecessarily ride my ass in a one lane situation, I sure will go 5-7 miles slower than the speed limit until you are forced to screechingly peel out and turn earlier than you had planned. Do not rush me.

If you try to weave in and out of two lane traffic, I will oscillate between 3 mph slower and 3 mph faster than the person right next to me, frustrating the bajesus out of you. Do not crazy person weave around me.

If you do any of those things while talking on your cell phone, I'll call you in for drunk driving. Whoops.

Cross me, and I will destroy you.

Spandex and Spirit Fingers

yellooooo!

it's 2008. like, seriously? no way. but yes, it really is.

if you're anything like me, 2007 went by waaaaay too fast. i hardly remember it. seriously. i don't remember much of it. i know d'markus did good things with my hair in 2007 (and emma's!!) but other than that...i guess it was a lot of spandex and spirit fingers. which, all in all, is not a bad thing.

as the purpose of this el blogo is to inform you of things which outrage and puzzle me (and tickle me and make me laugh), i would like to tell you about something i saw this evening while driving to el gymansio. i'm in pacific beach, all, "what's up pb? you got some ragers or what?!?" and i'm coming to a safe stop at a red light when i turn cautiously to my right and notice a man shaving at the stoplight. shaving. this would have been somehow less puzzling to me if it were morning and he were, perhaps, on his way to work. but 5:30 at night? how odd.