I like to think "Meep meep meep" translates to, "You got Muppet Roll'd, bitch!"

Nerd Confession #94

I listen to movie scores while I write papers.

My favorites are:

1. Sabrina by John Williams (the Harrison, not the Humphrey)

2. Braveheart by James Horner (except not the battle scene music because it gets a little too intense, but I sure do love me some bagpipes)

3. The Holiday by Hans Zimmer (the one with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, it's alternatively peppy and sad and just plain pretty)

4. Titanic by James Horner (I know, you just threw up a little...)

5. Pride and Prejudice by Dario Marianelli (also did the score for Atonement, which I liked, but I can't deal with the constant clicky clack of a typewriter when I'm trying to focus)

6. The Notebook by Aaron Zigman (basically, the playlist should be called Chick Movie Overload)

Also, I may or may not have left my pocket protector in the A/V room, so if anyone's seen it, let me know...

Happy Easter!

Good Lord, I love Peeps.

I don't know why - it's not even as if, when I'm eating one, I think it tastes good. It's the bizarre texture, I think, that speaks to my soul. Or something.

That and anything that triples in size in the microwave is automatically a good time.

More will come soon - right now, sorting out a possible hop across The Pond, a senior thesis, my poor, poor, broken camera (apparently people like to sit on electronic fun-capturing equipment on cruise ships), and various other bits and pieces that make up my mish-mash of a life.

Wok On: The Seasoning

So fresh and so clean, clean.

I bought a wok today! It is a testament to my nerdiness that I am this excited about it. I don't know, I just kind of love that you have to season it before you use it, and that over time it builds up more oils and flavors your food and generally just gets better with age. You can't really say that about blenders. Or muffin tins.

In any case, a crucial moment in a wok's life is its seasoning. * Cue Neil Diamond singing, "Wok, you'll be a cookin' soon..." *

Seriously, I'll take the nerd hat off now. As previously predicted, I bought the $16.99 Typhoon model at Target, my beloved wonderland of reasonably-priced merchandise. But don't knock my frugality - the wok is made of carbon steel, which I read (yes, I did research) is the best kind (cast iron are good, too) because they are lightweight and get very hot very quickly. Which, if a wok ever needs to take out a personals ad, would be helpful.

Shit's heatin' up.

My wok isn't on Target's website, but here is a similar one by Chefmate, and a really nifty wok set by the makers of my own. (Didn't have that at the store!) The Wok Shop is also a great resource, and very reasonably priced.

So, let's talk seasoning. The folks over at The Kitchn posted recently about how to season a wok. I used the instructions that came with mine, which are as follows:

Rinse wok well and place on the stove on medium heat. Continue heating the wok until a few drops of water placed in the pan dance on the surface. With wok still hot, wipe approx. 1 tablespoon cooking oil on the entire surface with a paper towel. (Note: I used peanut oil.) Using additional towels as needed, continue wiping until little or no color lifts off. Reduce the heat to low and allow the remaining oil to absorb into the pan for about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the pan to cool. Do not try to speed up the process by immersing the wok in cold water (you dummy!). Reheat the pan over medium heat and repeat the oiling, wiping, heating and cooling process one more time. If you don't use the wok directly after, apply a thin coating to the inside surface before storing.

Seasoned like a geriatric hooker.

You should also keep this on during the entire process for your listening pleasure.

Finally, don't use metal utensils (use bamboo, preferably) or abrasive cleansers on your wok, and rub it down with a coat of oil each time you store it.

onBeing

Jennifer Crandall, the creator of the Washingtonpost.com's onBeing project, came to talk to one of my journalism classes today.

Just felt the need to share this site with you. The way she captures the rich tapestry of human experience is so moving, and often hilarious.

Crandall told us how she finds her subjects (suggestions from friends and meeting random people on the street), and how she manages to edit 2-hour interviews into 2 1/2 minute segments. She also showed several clips from the site.

I'm not going to lie, the clip of this man made me (somewhat embarrassingly) cry big fat tears in front of my class. If we could all be half as good as him, the world would be a much better place.

Tip

Hi, happy day after! Just wanted to share that Lush (purveyor of AMAZING handmade bath products) is having a huge sale. Almost everything is buy one get one free - including holiday gift sets, bath bombs, soap, etc., so check it out!

DC Area Locations:

Georgetown

3066 M Street N.W.

(202) 333-6950

Bethesda

Montgomery Mall

7101 Democracy Blvd, Unit 2410

(301) 365-7444

On being shamelessly materialistic and superficial

I was really productive this weekend. I managed to write three papers and line up the professors I want to write me recommendations. Boo ya.

I was also in a very autumn-y mood. I was all pumpkins, hayrides, sharpened pencils, leaves (which seem to have gone straight to brown this year - where are the reds and yellows?), apples and cinnamon smells. I even baked a very comfort foodish cheeseburger pie (gross in theory, yummy in practice) that perhaps I will share later this week.

To celebrate above mentioned productivity and the onset of autumn, I went shopping. Naturally. After emerging triumphantly from Bath and Body Works clutching my new Harry Slatkin Pumpkin candle, I stopped by the Chanel counter on a whim. Okay, not on a whim. I'd been reading about this new fall shade of nail polish, Tulipe Noire, and wanted to see what the fuss was about. I asked the lady behind the counter (Name: Char, very odd eyebrows 15 shades darker than her bleach blonde pixie cut) if she had any, and she informed me that she only had one bottle left - the one in the display. Which, of course, made it immediately ten times more attractive to me. That and the fact that the color itself is gorgeous - burgundy with gold swirls, very chi-chi looking nail polish. So I sucked it up and spent 20 big ones on a tiny bottle of polish.

Herein lies the gross part: as my dear friend Char was ringing me up, she actually got a phone call from someone inquiring whether she had any Tulipe Noire left. And as Char said, "Sorry, I just pulled the last one and I am selling it to a customer right now," my stomach leapt a little with joy and triumph. I am a sick person.

But I have some pretty hot nail polish, in a deep shade of exclusivity. Shazam.

Because One Can Never Have Too Much Chick Rock for Easy Listening Purposes

She's really good. If you like Sara B., you'll like her. That's all I'm going to say about that.

I know! I'll call my cooking show, "Everyday Mediocrity!"

In a few seconds, I will share with you a recipe for a medium-good stir fry. With pictures! Get excited.

But first, I will share with you something decidedly un-mediocre. And by share, I mean reccommend to you. This isn't Oprah, where everyone in the audience gets one of whatever I think is cool. And if it were, I would never give out PT Cruisers. Just so you know.

It is my latest musical obsession - Sara Bareilles' "Little Voice." This CD rocks. It's great music to commute to, to cook to, to knit fuzzy steering wheel covers to. I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say if Michelle Branch, John Mayer, and Fiona Apple had a musical threesome, Sara B. might be the result. It's pop-y and blues-y and soulful and catchy. To some, this may sound repulsive. To me, it's awesome in melodic form. Listen and love.

And now, for the goods.

Hairnet Optional: Ginger-Lime Beef Stir Fry
Serves 2
Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine (I forget which issue)

The mise en place, French for "shit you need to cook this dish"

2 cups cooked white rice (I like the Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag kind, because I'm classy like that)
1/2 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vegetable oil
6 oz. snow peas
4 scallions, chopped, with white and green parts separated
1 Tbsp. grated peeled ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

1. Place sliced steak in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with flour and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak for 1-2 minutes until browned on one side (not cooked all the way through.)

3. Add peas, white part of scallions, ginger, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup of water to skillet. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Cook 3-4 more minutes ('til steak is cooked through), turn off stove, and stir in lime juice and green part of scallions.

4. Serve over cooked rice.

Addendum: So, the more I look at the picture above, the more it disgusts me. I know everyone loves a visual aid, but honestly, doesn't the steak look foul there? All gray and Mystery Meat-y, like it should be served up by an obese woman named Sal in a hairnet. Ugh. I promise it doesn't taste as awful as it looks. But, if you never attempt this stir fry, I wouldn't blame you.

I may or may not have licked this to see what it tasted like.

So, I've never been a big fan of hand creams. I hate how they take ages to soak in, how if you meet someone shortly after applying one they think you have heinously sweaty palms, how they get under your fingernails; the list of grievances is long, my friends. That was, until I discovered the mother of all hand creams: J.R. Watkins Apothecary's Lemon Cream Shea Butter. Not only is this generously-sized tub sold at none other than the classiest of locales (i.e. Wal-Mart) for about 5 big ones (or online for $7.99 plus shipping), it absorbs quickly so I can reach out and touch a stranger almost immediately without embarassment, and it smells like lemony cake batter. (But not in the, "Hello, I'm a hooker and I think you'll be attracted to me if I smell of food," Jessica Simpson Dessert Beauty kind of way. Glad we got that cleared up.)

Also, just as a side note, J.R. Watkins is not paying me to wax poetic about his product. I just think the man makes a really good hand cream and felt it was time to spread the love. Plus, that would be a huge waste of his money, as I'm pretty sure about 2 people read this blog, one of which is probably my mom.

Photo credit: watkinsonline.com

Like a chica cherry cola.

I want you.

Photo credit: tiffany.com