Ten things Tuesday: Ten things that are making me happy right now

1) People who find my website by searching "something to make me happy right now"
I get some unusual search strings, and I've gotten some depressing search queries, but the ones that make me happiest are the ones that are people looking for something to make themselves happy. People! make a list of what makes you happy! You may be surprised at how many things are going your way. I know that the hardest lists that I make are when I'm feeling sad, or depressed, but it always makes me feel better to write out the things that are good that I have going on.


2) Top Chef is back!
I may have had some issues with last season (wanting to punch Angelo in the face was one of them) and I wasn't thrilled with Just Desserts, but this All Star Season looks like it's going to be goooooood.  I have my favorites that I'm cheering for, and I hope the ones who I dislike will be dispatched with quickly.  Plus: the challenges in the first episode, especially the elimination challenge, was AWESOME.


3) Glee
The last new episode of the fall before the winter hiatus is tonight, and I am really, really looking forward to it.  I love Christmas Episodes of things (I am also really looking forward to the Community Claymation episode)  and despite that they are singing one of my least favorite Christmas songs, (Baby, It's Cold Outside) I think that the video of the two of them is super cute, and it's awesome that they have two boys singing to each other on primetime tv.


4) Cannoli Donuts
My friends Lisa and Katie were in Rochester for Thanksgiving, and while they were there, they procured a dozen donuts filled with Cannoli insides.  They gave one to me last night, and I feel that it is safe to say, I will never be the same again. it was EPIC.  I want one right now. It is probably a really, really good thing that they are all the way up in Rochester. 


5) I re-arraigned the furniture in my living room, and it is much more cosy.
Initially it started because I wanted to put my Christmas tree up, and just ballooned from there  the result:  Pictures were hung,  (Including a sign that I have been meaning to hang FOREVER) and I am much happier with how my living room looks.

6) My grandmother's coming to visit!
Every year for Christmas, she makes the trek up to New Jersey to spend it with the family, and this year, as part of her trip, she's spending a weekend hanging out with me (and my sister) in Baltimore.  I am so glad she's coming- We're going to cook from the cookbook, hang out, and generally have a good time.

7) All the recipes I've made for the project lately have turned out really well.
And now, just saying that, I'm sure I've jinxed myself.

8) Staged Reading of Steel Magnolias!
My theater company is doing a staged reading of Steel Magnolias in February, as a fundraiser, and I am really excited!  I'm going to be Annelle. I am also glad that my friends are having a viewing party of the movie... because I've never seen it.  I am excited nonetheless (plus, I'm going to make a red velvet armadillo cake for the occasion)

9) My tragic clumsiness turns out to be delicious
So... I was at the farmer's market, and I picked up a container of chevre with cranberries on the bottom, and fumbled, and dropped it on the floor, causing the container to crack. I resigned myself to buying it, and my jaw dropped to the floor when the woman told me that it cost 13 dollars.  (I am not so accustomed to buying thirteen dollars worth of cheese... ever)  but once the cracked part was dispatched with, it is actually REALLY tasty.  I don't know that I would buy it again, but it was definitely a happy accident.

10) Christmas is coming.
This year I'm making edible gifts for most of my family, and I can't wait for them to try them. I will be spending my three day weekend next week putting together the stuff that's going to be in them.  Can't Wait!

Holidailies- Hello! I'm Val

I am going to try to push through the awkwardness that is an about me entry, and just hop in.

 

Hi! I'm Val. 

 

I am 29 years old, and I live in Baltimore, Maryland.  I love to cook, and am currently cooking my way through the Essential New York Times Cookbook, but that blog is seperate from this one, and you can find it here.  I am a member of the Iron Crow Theater company,  If you're in Baltimroe or the surrounding area (or like to travel!)  We have shows coming up in March and June of this year. I don't act very much (or very well) so I'm mostly behind the scenes, but it's a ton of fun. I like chiling out with my cat, hot chocolate on cold mornings, and listening to (roughly) the same 50 songs over and over again. 

 

I thought holidailies would be fun, because I'm not diciplined enough to do NaNoWriMo, I feel like I could definitely do this challenge.  Plus, I've never done it before, and I really liked reading the entrie II love my blog! It is awesome.  I feel like some of my real life blogging friends should do this too.   So: Tim, Katie, Brenda, Katie,.... who am I missing?  You guys should all do Holidailies with me.  Also: I need more friends in real life who blog. Friends: get on it.

 

Ok! I promise to try to be less boring than this entry would suggest.

 

Nostalgia Tastes Delicious

A question that I've been asked a lot in the last week is "oooooh, what are you making for thanksgiving?"  I think most people are asking because I am doing The Project, and since there are a lot of thanksgiving-y recipes (they even have a whole list of them on their facebook page!)  they think I'll be cooking up a storm.  But alas, I am not. And I'm perfectly fine with that. 

 

If I lived closer to home, I would be helping my mom (and I'll do what I can once I get home to help) but I wouldn't be cooking my own stuff.  Because in my family, Thanksgiving is not about new recipes.  It's been the same dinner, almost exactly, for the last ten years. Ten years ago was the addition of Corn Pudding, which my mom got from a high school friend of mine's mother. Before that, though I imagine that it had been unchanged for a decade as well.

 

Turkey, mashed potatoes, regular bread stuffing, rice stuffing, sweet potatoes (mashed), green bean casserole, cauliflower with white sauce, creamed onions, gravy, turnips, corn pudding, pickle and olive tray, cranberry sauce and rolls.  Plus a slew of pies for dessert (in case you were wondering, a slew is the technical term for a lot of pies).

 

It's my favorite holiday for two reasons: the food, and my family. As far as the food goes, If I had to choose a last meal, it would be Thanksgiving dinner.  I love the fall flavors, the turkey, the sweet-tartness of the cranberry sauce against the savory mashed potatoes and gravy, the mellow buttery corn pudding, and the herbed breadiness of the stuffing. 

 

I have a great family and we are really close- we get together a bunch of times a year, and we vacation together too.  But this is one of those events that everyone is present (well, mostly, depending on the year- this year we have everyone!) , and there is lots of laughter, and joking, and silence at the dinner table until everyone has devoured their first plateful of food.

 

This year, I'm thankful for my family, my sister moving to Baltimore, my awesome friends, for a fun project to work on, and my bitey cat, who is right now, hissing at the furniture in my parents' house. 

Things I Need to Do Before I Leave Baltimore for Thanksgiving

Yes, I know I could have done this on a piece of paper, but I think having it out in the universe to hold me a little bit more accountable.

Clean My Apartment- it is kind of a mess right now, and I want to have it nice and clean and organized so that when I come back the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I can just relax.  Also part of clean my apartment but deserves a bullet:

Clean out my fridge. Seriously. It's gross in there.

Figure out what Project Recipes I'm cooking this weekend.  and cook them. (or bake them)  Right now it's looking like butternut squash cider soup, overnight madelines, baked mushrooms, Rice, maybe chocolate chip cookies? If any of you have suggestions, I'm open to them.

Make three batches of crunchies to take home to the Jerz. (if I do not do this I... fear for the reaction of several of my cousins)

Go to target and pick up the odds and ends I need.

Call the apartment complex and get them to replace the light bulb in my light fixtures It's been out for awhile, but sheer laziness has been preventing me from calling and just having them do it already.

Clean out my car

Update my ipod with most recent podcasts.  I am leaving at five in the morning and am willing to bet my sister will be sleeping for the majority of the trip up there. So, podcasts galore!

Get Earl's stuff ready. 

It looks like I've got my work cut out for me, I'll check back on Wednesday with a status update.

29/29th #4

4) Enter a cooking contest. (a real one. not one at work. With real judges and everything) 

Done!  I entered the cookie contest that the Baltimore Sun is having.

Thanks to Julie to alerting me to the contest!

Ten things that are making me happy right now

1) My new project is trucking along! 1,097 more recipes to go!
2) Thanksgiving countdown has begun. Sixteen Days!
3) Averted near panic today when I thought I was scheduled to work the saturday after Thanksgiving. That would have sucked mightily.
4) Hanging out with my sister and Lauren this weekend - Holy Frijoles for drinks and Rocket to Venus for drinks! (Rocket to Venus is my new favorite place. Try the deep fried pickles. And the Bahn Mi)
5) Sunday Night Dinner with Jackie on Monday
6) Having Wednesday off this week (awesome)
7)  Planning out the things I'm going to make for The Project while I'm at home.
8) Earl the cat surviving a second story jump off of my apartment balcony, completely unharmed.
9) The Weepies Concert is coming up!
10) 11 days until Harry Potter!

Announcement!

So I don't imagine that I have a whole lot of readers that don't overlap with those who A) follow me on twitter, or B) are friends with me on Facebook,  but for those golden few (and those who didn't see the announcment yesterday because they were being awesome and halloweening)  I wanted to tell you about my new project.

I am going to cook all the recipes in The Essential New York Times Cookbook.  (and blog about it!)

I'm not setting a timeline (I think it'll probably take me about three years) because the book has over 1,000 recipes. I'm really excited about the whole project!

So head on over and check it out!

Val cooks the NYT