“If you compliment someone (who isn’t present) to another person, please remember it and either text it to or call that person you just complimented. So many unheard compliments are just flying all around us. Catch them! Give them to their owners!”
Mini Rum-Raisin Bread Puddings
Almost all of the words in this recipe title sound bad... no wait, they actually all sound terrible (who the hell wants a mini-anything - give me the full size, please). The reason that I wanted to make this recipe, however, was because of two factors.
- I don't own an oven in my home, so when I'm visiting my parents I like to bake as much as I can so I can get it out of my system for awhile.
- My dad loves rum-raisin anything.
As it turns out, I ate three of these BECAUSE THEY WERE DELICIOUS. I don't know if it's because I've become a less picky eater or if it's just because I'm constantly hungry, but lately there's nothing I wouldn't try, food-wise.
Does my version look gross? Maybe in comparison to the sexy one beside her, but I swear to God it tasted amazing. If you have anyone in your life who likes rum-raisin, they'll love this to pieces. I swear. I'm not even a fan of bread pudding and I'm still standing by this dish because it was delicious. (I really wish bread pudding had a better name. It's really the worst name for a dessert in the history of food.)
You can find the recipe here. I implore you to try it out.
The Bed Butler
$43 on Amazon
$43 on Amazon
It holds laptops up to 17", magazines, tablets, e-readers, books, cell phones, remotes, pens, glasses and more - all within arm's reach while you're in bed. While I try not to tolerate cell phone usage in my own bed, this does seem like a great idea to have.
(Sidenote: no couple should allow cell phones NEAR their bed. Let a bed be a bed, unfettered. Shouldn't it be the one place where technology doesn't take over your surroundings?)
Mom Says
Illustration by Andrew Hamm
Illustration by Andrew Hamm
The Pornographication of Fitness Needs to Stop
I just read this great piece written by Tosca Reno on the state of fitness today and it's fantastic. Go read it.
The Simpsons
ON STAGE
Principal Skinner: Welcome to the world premiere of The Nice Man Giveth!
IN AUDIENCE
Mr. Burns: Ugh. FOCUS!
Smithers: It's a play, sir.
The Things We Should Have Learned In High School
This post could also be known as The Things They Should Have Taught Us In High School but I can't agree on who's precisely to blame here, so I'm blaming us all.
I'm not saying that the things we're taught in high school and college are useless - some of those things are crazy important to know. But we're definitely not being groomed to be fully functioning adults by the time they let us out on our own at around age 22, if not at a younger age.
In a perfect world, these are the courses they should have made us take.
Doing Your Taxes 101
Internships: A Modern Slavery
The Ins and Outs of a Mortgage
Cleanliness and You: The Study of Personal Hygiene
The Convergence of Love And Sex
Interpreting Family Relationships
The Normalization of Drug Dependency
How To Date Many People Before Committing To Marriage
Adult Onset Body Image Issues
Balancing A Work Life and A Social Life
The Wonders of Travel
Career Change in Unstable Economies
Understanding Divorce
Kindness: A Gentle Analysis
Healthy Meal Planning
The Struggles of Depression
The Realities of Single Parenthood
Body Maintenance
The Glorification of Alcohol
Finance Organization
The Exploration of Alternative Lifestyles
Managing Unemployment
Dealing With Emotional Unavailability
The Importance of Debt
Child Development (yes this exists, IN CHILD STUDIES PROGRAMS, but everyone needs this course)
The Effects of Grief
Maintaining A Savings Account
Elderly Planning
If we were exposed to any of these classes growing up, who knows what kind of a society we'd get to live in now. I'm just saying.
A math teacher once told me why he thought kids would benefit from taking math (and I'm talking about the more advanced math that gets taught in the later years of high school). He said something along the lines of, "We don't teach it because you need to know this stuff later. We teach it solely because people find it difficult. You're going to encounter difficult things in your life and it ultimately comes down to how you're going to choose to solve them. Whether you give up or try the best you can to figure it out, that's always up to you. That's why math is important."
Now maybe you think that's a lame thought, but I really loved it and still do. Though, we'd have all definitely benefited from any of those courses I listed above. When I'm running the world, you better be damn sure those are getting taught. MAD TAUGHT.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Apparently even bad cooks know how to make stir fry - or at least that's what I've been told. I started making them for the first time this summer and I think I get why people say that now. They're RIDICULOUSLY EASY TO MAKE and almost impossible to screw up. Did everyone already know that fact but me?
Here's an adapted recipe that I can't stop making.
Photo Credit: what2cook.net
Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated or chopped ginger (it's easier to keep ginger in the freezer (thank you, Marla!) and then you can grate it frozen whenever a recipe calls for it)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups broccoli flowerets - or a whole bunch, I never measure out broccoli because I'm not a serial killer
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
Spray a 12-inch nonstick skillet (ie. a deep-ass pan) with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger. Fry until chicken is brown.
Add 3/4 cup of the broth, the soy sauce and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring twice.
Add broccoli. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth, then stir that into chicken and broccoli. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.
Can't tell you how good this tastes. You can find the original recipe here, but I prefer the adapted one above.
The Flower District in NYC
If you ever find yourself in Chelsea in the early morning, please walk on over to West 28th Street between Sixth & Seventh Avenues. You shall find the ever-lovely flower district of New York City.
This entire block (both sides) consists of a community of plant wholesalers and retailers who distribute to the majority of New York restaurants, hotels and any place that might contain a vase or two.
I've gone a few times now and the very best time to go, unfortunately, is around 5am. That's when all the deliveries get made and that's when the street smells its very sweetest. Also, not a whole hell of a lot of people are up at that time, so you kind of get to have it all to yourself in a small way. It's definitely one of the best sights I've come to experience about this city thus far.
I've read that the district has been around since the 1890's, and on some shops you can still see the covered up signs of years past (and you know how I feel about old-ass signage).
(Sidenote: How is it possible that a font can signify a completely different era? And why would you want to change such gorgeous printing? Did they not know at the time how gorgeous it was? Am I only thinking it's so alluring because I wasn't alive for it? Man, I love font talk. I took a class on typography and fonts in college and I beamed for four consecutive months in that classroom. LOVE FONT TALK.)
Anyway, check this area out if you can. The closer to 5am that you can get there, the better. As the day goes on, the flowery smells die down and that familiar, musky New York scent seeps back in.
TD Bank Gives Away Gifts
I'm not saying TD Bank is an institution full of heroes or this isn't a gimmicky thing to do - I'm saying this did make me smile for a minute.