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I hope everyone had a great holiday! I was home at my mother’s for Christmas and spent the rest of New Years at Ryan’s folks’ place in Portland, Oregon. Portland is rustic and beautiful, although small. This time around, I spent a majority of the time snuggled in a snuggie watching movies or playing videogames. Dragon Age: Origins, to be exact. Yeah. (Right Image: I keep it classy!)
Before we left for Oregon, we celebrated Ryan being done with his document and lecture recital at Sakagura. It was a semi-anniversary/Christmas/being done celebration. Following that, after Christmas, right before I left for Portland, Sarah and Danny had a fun dinner party at the apartment they were home/dog-sitting for. Ryan’s always said that Sarah…
View Full Recipe at Feeding Umi
%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBefore%20we%20left%20for%20Oregon,%20we%20celebrated%20Ryan%20being%20done%20with%20his%20document%20and%20lecture%20recital%20at%20Sakagura.%20It%20was%20a%20semi-anniversary/Christmas/being%20done%20celebration.%20Following%20that,%20after%20Christmas,%20right%20before%20I%20left%20for%20Portland,%20Sarah%20and%20Danny%20had%20a%20fun%20dinner%20party%20at%20the%20apartment%20they%20were%20home/dog-sitting%20for.%20Ryan%E2%80%99s%20always%20said%20that%20Sarah%20was%20a%20genius%20in%20the%20kitchen,%20and%20I%20was%20really%20looking%20forward%20to%20it.%20She%20was%20twittering%20for%203%20days%20before%20hand%20in%20preparation.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%20Portland,%20I%20ate%20pretty%20damn%20well.%20That%20coupled%20with%20the%20fact%20that%20I%20didn%E2%80%99t%20walk%20much%E2%80%A6%20caused%20me%20to%20GAIN%205%20lbs%20in%206%20days.%20Seriously.%20I%20only%20know%20that,%20because%20I%20joined%20NYSC%20right%20before%20Christmas%20and%20started%20going,%203%20or%20so%20days%20before%20going%20to%20Portland%20and%20I%20weighed%20myself.%20So,%20it%E2%80%99s%20been%20a%20week%20after%20coming%20back%20and%20I%20went%20to%20the%20gym%204%20times.%20However,%20no%20sign%20of%20these%20excess%20weight%20budging.%20Yes%20yes%E2%80%A6%20I%20will%20be%20gaining%20muscle,%20still.%20Did%20I%20seriously%20gain%205lbs%20in%206%20days?%20If%20it%20was%20water%20weight,%20it%20should%20have%20come%20off%20by%20now,%20right?%20I%E2%80%99m%20eating%20a%20little%20better,%20although%20not%20pristinely.%20I%E2%80%99ve%20also%20come%20to%20terms%20with%20the%20fact%20that%20I%20am%20not%20going%20to%20be%20eating%20as%20well%20as%20I%20did%20when%20I%20lost%20a%20massive%20amount%20of%20weight%20in%20undergrad.%20(That%E2%80%99s%20a%20story%20for%20another%20day%E2%80%A6)%20I%20did%20come%20to%20grips%20with%20the%20fact%20that%20if%20I%20am%20going%20to%20eat%20the%20way%20I%20do,%20then%20I%20need%20to%20move%20more.%20I%E2%80%99m%20just%20one%20of%20those%20people%20that%20will%20need%20to%20work%20out,%20out%20of%20my%20way,%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20my%20life.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOther%20news:%20We%20just%20got%20ourselves%20a%20cast-iron%20skillet%20(deep%20enough%20for%20me%20to%20make%20a%20pie!)%20before%20going%20to%20Portland.%20My%20mother%20has%20an%20iron%20frying%20pan,%20a%20little%20mini%20one.%20It%E2%80%99s%20mighty%20old%20and%20good%20to%20use.%20Otherwise,%20I%E2%80%99m%20clueless%20about%20its%20maintenance.%20So,%20Ryan%E2%80%99s%20mother%20told%20me%20all%20about%20%E2%80%9Cseasoning%E2%80%9D%20a%20pan.%20From%20camping,%20I%E2%80%99ve%20heard/seen%20cast%20iron%20pots%20being%20cleaned%20right%20on%20top%20of%20the%20coals.%20Otherwise,%20I%20had%20no%20idea%20what%20I%20was%20doing%20in%20the%20kitchen.%20After%20much%20googling,%20I%20set%20to%20work.%20A%20friend%E2%80%99s%20griddle%20recently%20exploded%20in%20his%20oven%20(we%20can%E2%80%99t%20figure%20out%20why%20%E2%80%93%20it%20definitely%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20thermal%20shock),%20so%20I%20was%20a%20bit%20apprehensive.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20basically%20used%20grape%20seed%20oil%20to%20start.%20However,%20apparently%20you%20can%20use%20other%20oils%20that%20are%20resistant%20to%20burning.%20We%20didn%E2%80%99t%20have%20any%20shortening%20(this%20is%20a%20butter%20house-hold),%20so%20I%20spread%20the%20oil%20on%20the%20insides%20AND%20outsides%20with%20a%20paper%20towel.%20I%20placed%20it%20upside%20down%20on%20a%20baking%20sheet%20with%20aluminum%20foil%20and%20popped%20it%20in%20the%20oven%20two%20times%20for%20around%20an%20hour%20at%20400-500%20degrees.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20did%20stumble%20upon%20sites%20that%20claimed%20%E2%80%9Cseasoning%E2%80%9D%20was%20unnecessary,%20and%20you%20just%20need%20to%20liberally%20apply%20oil%20everytime%20you%20cook%20in%20the%20beginning%20%E2%80%93%20the%20more%20you%20use%20it%20the%20more%20seasoned%20it%20becomes.%20Duh.%20So,%20I%20left%20it%20at%20those%20two%20times%20and%20set%20to%20work%20making%20some%20bacon%20and%20eggs%20for%20breakfast.%20The%20bacon%20stuck%20a%20bit,%20but%20with%20some%20online%20instruction%20via%20youtube,%20on%20frying%20eggs%20on%20cast-iron,%20the%20eggs%20came%20out%20beautifully.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERyan%20was%20the%20one%20that%20really%20pushed%20for%20a%20cast%20iron%20skillet,%20although%20he%20had%20no%20idea%20about%20the%20maintenance%20of%20one.%20He%20wanted%20to%20%E2%80%9CI%20am%20Man.%20I%20sear%20MEAT!%E2%80%9D%20or%20something,%20you%20know.%20I%E2%80%99m%20just%20hoping%20to%20get%20some%20nice%20tender%20steaks%20out%20of%20it.%20Apparently%20they%20suggest%20anemic%20people%20to%20cook%20with%20cast-iron,%20so%20that%20they%20get%20more%20iron%20in%20their%20system.%20(I%20guess%20this%20beats%20ingesting%20teflon,%20eh?%20I%20thought%20teflon%20was%20the%20cat%E2%80%99s%20meow,%20but%20my%20mother%20never%20caught%20on,%20so%20we%20never%20used%20it.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAfter%20using%20it,%20the%20cast-iron%20isn%E2%80%99t%20as%20high%20maintenance%20as%20I%20originally%20thought.%20I%20need%20to%20watch%20out%20for%20thermal%20shock,%20though,%20I%20suppose,%20as%20I%20am%20used%20to%20just%20throwing%20pans%20in%20the%20sink.%20One%20thing%20that%20I%20am%20thankful%20for%20is%20a%20steel%20spatula.%20We%20had%20one%20of%20those%20plastic%20ones%20before%E2%80%A6%20but%20the%20steel%20spatula%20is%20much%20needed%20for%20cleaning%20and%20scraping.%20I%20also%20boiled%20some%20hot%20tap%20water%20to%20get%20most%20of%20the%20crusty%20things%20off.%20Then%20lightly%20scrubbed,%20oiled,%20and%20heated.%20I%20need%20to%20invest%20in%20some%20cute%20pot%20holders.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}