The Tao of a LushMommy

Obscure Reference of the MONTH

2008-06-19T16:03:00.005-05:00

I have returned after a long hiatus. Lots of shit happening but nothing so consequential and life altering that I was impelled to share it. I am "inspired" given that my stint as a real estate salesperson has welled up this urgency to not think about the short-sighted universe of brokering.

But yet I am. I am brainstorming a new word for the dick-heads orbit in Brokeromeda. (Of course it's not very Budda-like to speak so contemptuously, but I am using that as an avenue to vent, so maybe it's helping my karma).

As of yet, no light bulbs are going off. But I am remembering my invention of "cinemachismo" while I was in film school, of which I am sad to not have entered it officially into the lexicon earlier. I knew there was a word for an invented word or the inventor. It's been irking me the last couple days. So serendipitously, I was cleaning out one of my many email inboxes, and came across this article regarding a man who invented a word, "biophilia."

He is an:
eponym (noun, pronounced ep-uh-nim).

From Dictionary.com:

A word or name derived from the name of a person. The words atlas, bowdlerize, and Turing machine are eponyms.

A person whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something.

I've gots my edumacation:

2007-05-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

If you have free time to be all philisophical:

Classes From Ivy League Colleges at No Cost to You!

I have a need for speed. And some 360 action.

2007-04-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am going to Coney Island on Monday.

Ever since San Diego, I've had an addiction to roller coasters and other fear-producing amusement park rides. The weather in NYC is finally getting warm enough for this field trip. I've never been and I've got to go before they tear stuff down.

Don't miss this movie (if you have the stomach for it):

2007-04-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

Sindrome Stendahl (a.k.a. Stendahl Syndrome)

Genre: HORROR (And I am not a horror fan.)
Country of Origin: Italy
Language: English

Playing until August 2, 2007 on Channel 500, International Movies on Demand (Time Warner Cable NYC)

Read my review from the first time I saw it.

New York City is just gray...

2007-04-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

I have been too depressed to blog lately. The weather in New York City is still cold, even when it's sunny. The landscape has no nature left in it. I guess the price of living in one of the world's most uber-urban environments means nothing in the periphery is unplanned. I miss looking out the window in the morning, as I did everyday in California, and seeing a vast horizon -- water, trees and houses. Looking out any of my windows here in Queens, my perspective is foreshortened; I feel closed in by the dense concentration of buildings (imagine how I feel in Manhattan). The land here is flat and boring. I miss having a nearly private plot of grass to lie on, instead of the smelly garden of cat-piss and poo that is my front yard or my ugly non-scenic cement driveway in the back.

Yet I don't like San Diego enough to want to live there -- it's too conservative and slow. I guess there's no such thing as paradise.

LushMommy's Happy Hour Hurrah 4/1/07

2007-04-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

Today's recommendation:

Warm Sake.

It's been months since I got a good buzz from drinking (as opposed to a bad buzz [see this post]). Here where I'm staying in San Diego, good ales and fine table wines are a staple, margaritas are made at almost every dinner, and I can even fix a Tanqueray G&T if I feel like it. I don't overdo it, but surrounded by this family of cultured lushes, I'm definitely trying to hold my own.

Yet even from the daily dosing, I haven't felt drunk until tonight. We went to a busy local sushi bar. I decided to forgo the Sapporo everyone else was getting (as I've had a lot of beer over the last week) and ordered warm sake. It's been a while, maybe years, since I've had it. I had two different sakes tonight (but I forget what they are called because they have those Japanese names with a handful of vowels). Lots of sake. On a empty stomach. I think having it warm hastens its dispersal in the bloodstream. I wasn't fucked up but I definitely had a warm fuzzy feeling (it got me in the mood).

I've got to stock sake at my house in NYC.

Mommy fly a kite!

2007-03-31T18:49:00.000-05:00

San Diego: Easter Parade at Clairemont Rec Center

2007-03-31T12:45:00.000-05:00

Fun with Playdoh: Part II

2007-03-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

My miniature replica of Grandma Rilla's cheesecake,
perfect for a itty bitty blue mouse.

*Thanks to Tree for helping making the strawberries.

The Hungry Caterpillar

2007-03-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

Fun with Playdoh: Part I

2007-03-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

Look what Mommy made!

San Diego: My Son's 2nd Birthday

2007-03-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

*Thanks to Rilla, my son's paternal grandmother for the lovely cake,

and to Alan, his paternal grandfather.

San Diego: Pacific Beach

2007-03-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

San Diego: Mission Bay Park

2007-03-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

Having fun with Aunt Tree.

*Thanks to my son's father and his sister Tree for some of the photography.

San Diego: Balboa Park: Architecture

2007-03-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

San Diego: Balboa Park: Cactus Garden

2007-03-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

San Diego: Balboa Park

2007-03-24T19:33:00.000-05:00

TRAAAIN!!!

(For those of you who don't know, the red-haired guy is my son's father.)

Stopping to smell the roses.

Aeroplane: NYC to San Diego

2007-03-23T14:35:00.000-05:00

Ready for takeoff.

Drawing.

Trying on the headphones.

A view from above.

Up and running.

2007-03-23T11:38:00.000-05:00

Takeninhand.com is back.

Hmmm... maybe I'll post on that site...

A Mary for every room... and a Jesus too.

2007-03-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

My Uncle Henry, his wife Cora and her parents are devout Marian Catholics:

Miffy and the Breakbeat

2007-03-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

You can still be submissive and be an equal.

2007-03-22T08:14:00.002-05:00

Takeninhand.com is currently out of commission. It seems "taken in hand" is more popular in the UK than it is in the States.

Here is another website on the subject that is very well-produced: Humbled Females.

(See also my 3/4/07 post.)

DC: Chinatown

2007-03-21T14:13:00.000-05:00

DC: Under Construction

2007-03-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Of all the eighteen years growing up in DC area, and the last ten as a visitor, I've never seen this much new construction.
(These pictures were taken from a moving car, speeding towards the Chinatown bus stop.)

Eat Here: Capital Q BBQ in DC

2007-03-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

Capital Q
707 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.347.8396
smokin@capitalqbbq.com

Obscure Reference of the Week: Ennui

2007-03-18T23:41:00.001-05:00

ennui (noun) from Dictionary.com:

Pronounciation [ahn-wee, ahn-wee; Fr. ahn-nwee]

–a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.
[Origin: 1660–70; F: boredom; OF enui displeasure]

The how and the why: This word came up when I was researching places to see in San Diego: Lonely Planet says there is "no chance to develop ennui" in this city. This is ironic, because the word embodies what gripped me last time I was there. I'm staying with my ex's parents, who are extremely nice and generous, but they aren't exactly exciting people. They don't like any contemporary music, meaning nothing before 1960 – no rock 'n' roll, club, electronica, not even pop. Their pulse races at the thought of going on a nature hike or to the symphony. The wildest they get is a margarita at dinner. Oh wee!

Maybe I should stay in a hostel.

See also "Ennui," a poem by Syliva Plath.

I am NOT my job.

2007-03-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

My worth is not my salary.
"$" or "K" are not units to measure human value.

I am more than my past success.
I am more than my past failure.

I am not future "earning potential."
"Potential" is a figment of the imagination.

I am invaluable.

I am more than the sum of my life.

Wish you were here :-)

2007-03-18T16:53:00.001-05:00

No comment...

2007-03-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

Snow falling on Eldersburg, MD

2007-03-16T18:10:00.000-05:00

My Son's Second Cousins

2007-03-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

Lexie, 6 years old.

Joshua, 2 and a half years old.

They are mestizo too.

Ms. Jackson done sang it: "I'm in CONTROL."

2007-03-16T15:32:00.002-05:00

I hate controlling relationships. To see a person subjugate oneself to another, the so-called "alpha," him or her rimlicking without knowing it, his/her head totally in the dark of the domineering person. It is not just chauvinist men controlling doormat women -- it pisses me off more to see a woman pistol-whipping a man, emasculating him to the point of rendering him a certified eunuch.

The acrid taste that comes up when a girl talks flippantly of her "stupid boyfriend," or a woman demeaning "her man" for not doing exactly what she demanded or summoning some innate ESP and reading her mind. It comes up whether she chastises him in front of me, or confides to me her dissatisfaction and tries to appeal to our common womanhood -- that supposedly as a woman, she automatically possesses the "universal right" in a relationship. (I have to check myself and admit I'm guilty of this BS in past relationships. I know now why I acted and reacted that way. As I've said, know your triggers...)

An eyewitness account of such a dysfunctional relationship: my former best girlfriend from the neighborhood. (Bitch was already on the outs with me since being a histrionic mooch at my birthday celebration, for which she is too conceited to apologize.) She enslaves her husband en total. He's indebted to her because their "love match" of a marriage also fortuitously saved him from deportation -- and she makes him pay for it with his pride. The whole purpose of his being now is to make his wife successful. I've never heard what his goals are.

No wonder he drinks himself into a stupor almost every night. No wonder he wants to spend his whole paycheck playing pool at pubs, defying his wife's Oprah-budget rules. I can even understand his violent side, the anger he takes out on inanimate objects, the Martha-Stewart WASPy material things she so covets and values. She boasts how she plucked him from the crowd, changing him from a shirking wallflower, picked his hipster clothes and turned him into something; now she is horrified to see what that something really is.

I don't hang out with them anymore. My easygoing smile and nonmaterial outlook are wasted on the likes of them. (Before I cut them off, I had a very bemusing incident, maybe too much to recount on this blog.) She refuses to ever admit she's wrong. She expects me to be as a much of a bootlicker as her husband. Don't hold your breath, woman. I actually enjoy hearing dissenting viewpoints -- openness deepens understanding. But I won't back down from my principles.

As a single mother, I have to be very selective when choosing a potential partner (even if it's just for a fun time or a good screw). Being steadfastly Pro-Choice, it was a point of empowerment for me to choose to be a single mother. Whoever I bring now into my life and my son's life, I have to enforce that same control. I am looking for an equal.

It's never too early:

2007-03-15T01:38:00.000-05:00

to introduce my son to Nine Inch Nails.

I am sick of children's programming. That's all I can watch with my son. He gets all fussy when I turn to my favs, such as The History Channel, Science Channel or BBC World News. Foreign films? Yeah right. Masterpiece Theatre? Bullshit. American Idol? Not even. He insists, Piiinguuu!!! or more Paz??? or more Pucca??? Fucking-A -- why did I introduce my child to television? I know it's illegal to blindfold my kid till he's five, but it's impossible for me to get my requisite dose of boob tube culture -- how the hell am I supposed to keep up with the Nielsens? It doesn't help to put him down early, because by that time, I'm ready to conk out too.

Now we're doing R-and-R out here in MD. I say, the chips are down -- Mommy gets to watch what she wants to watch. I'm gonna friggin' watch this Nine Inch Nails concert even though you want to watch cartoons. No, this is not "If You're Happy and You Know It." This will do you some good, honey -- you get an early start on aesthetic/music appreciation. Can you say industrial?

(It was a good concert by the way, but a lot similar to the one I saw at MSG in 2000.)

Taming the Cheeky

2007-03-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

Wandering around "Old Town" Alexandria, VA

2007-03-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

Fuss Bus

2007-03-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

We missed the 8:30 AM bus.

2007-03-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

We killed time at Bryant Park, waiting for the 10:30 AM Chinatown bus.

A milestone:

2007-03-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

My son finally called me "Mommy" last night.

I'm still staying Catholic...

2007-03-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

It's institutionalization that corrupts, not the religion itself:

"When Priests Pilfer," Time Magazine, February 15, 2007.
"Overhaul church accounting," National Catholic Reporter, March 9, 2007.

QUIET ≠ GOOD

2007-03-13T09:06:00.001-05:00

I will expound on this further in a minute.

You are never too old...

2007-03-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

¡Hasta luego, Nueva York!

2007-03-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am stoked.

I know that spring is on our doorstep here on the East Coast, but I am long overdue for a change of scenery, a change of atmosphere, a change of psyche.
I am looking forward to getting some rays on my skin, saltwater in my hair, seeing the sunset over the Pacific every night.

My vernal renewal is underway.

Obscure Reference of the Week: Gordian Knot

2007-03-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

In lieu of my Recipe Tip of Day (which I will resume in April), I am starting a new series, Obscure Reference of the Week. I take pride in my oft off-tangent way of elucidation. (Anyone that can follow where the heck I'm going in my writing or speech gets beaucoup brownie points with me.) As such, I've been inspired from my last lengthy rumination to expand my horizons and my vocabulary. I don't want to embarrass my son as he and I get older and regress into some Flowers for Algernon retard.

Each week (if I'm diligent) I'll introduce some new word or clause I've come across and don't understand. It'll be a challenge for me to somehow work that phrasing into one of my blogs during the rest of week without forcing it.

This week: Gordian Knot (noun), which according to Dictonary.com means:

any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms
an intricate knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia, and cut by the sword of Alexander the Great after he heard that whoever undid it would become ruler of Asia

The how and why: I'm into cosmology (on a very low-fi, populist scale — don't ask me to prove any equations) and a PBS-Nova/Science-Channel slut. I mentioned the "theory of everything" in my blog about real estate studies. I linked that phrase to a recent and fascinating Nova doc on the subject, The Elegant Universe. I decided to actually read one of my hyperlinked references and I came across "Gordian Knot" in Brian Greene's essay. I'm also a fan of ancient Western history and mythology, where the phrase originates.

I will extend the challenge to anyone who chanced upon this site, to add a comment to my blog, working the phrase in themselves. ;-)

I am such a fucking sinner.

2007-03-09T22:00:00.001-05:00

So my Lenten resolution has been all but annihilated by the ever-present bile and other filth in my mouth. For the life of me, I can't wash it away. There is just something about a nice, juicy cussword on which my throat loves to wrap around.

Note to Self:

2007-03-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

I've gotta buy one of these Swirl Syndicate T-shirts for my son.

Real Estate is NOT a science, Part II: "I think, therefore I am."

2007-03-07T03:07:00.000-05:00

I am an information junkie. I am suffering a bit of withdrawal right now. My real estate licensing class ended last Saturday. I passed, well in a comfortable percentile. During that intensive week-long course, I nearly OD-ed.

The experience was exhilarating — all the concepts thrilled me, since I had first-hand knowledge from my three years of secretarial work at a real estate firm. I also have a fervent love of law: when first came to NYC, I worked at a bar association library, my hands awed when they came in contact with centuries-old case law; then at a law school as a video assistant for several years, seeing how they train those mudderfudders in their semantic games, how they define ethical standards, how intertwined the actions of our legislatures, executives and judiciaries are with everyday workaday life. I saw parallels in the injustices of law with those cheated in their real estate ventures. I saw parallels with history itself: I saw how the Fair Housing Act is a direct descendant of the Magna Carta, how the rights of tenancy are rooted in the medieval custom of primogeniture. I understood too, that real estate licensees, like lawyers, should be educated on a continual basis, that even though there are bedrock concepts and law, there is this ever-changing part of the practice, as amorphous as plasma.

But despite this intense pleasure in learning, I was overwhelmed. I underestimated the breadth of the material covered, all compressed into a consecutive six-day course. Furthermore, I don't work by rote memory: I have to completely chew the information, digest it, and sh*t it out. I did not have enough time reinterpret the text and scribble all the Venn diagrams and flow charts I am so fond of.

I rarely made it home from class before sunset, and I still had to cook and clean — attend to actual living, not thinking. My son made it doubly hard: when we reunited for the evening, he clung to me for dear life. He made sure I could never crack open my textbook before midnight. With each day passing quick and another day behind, I pleaded for help from my former co-worker, Ruby, who had been supportive through all the woes and heck surrounding my departure from my job (the details of which may be the subject of a future blog, once I know it's totally blown over).

I had very little sleep last Wednesday, the night before I studied with Edward (Ruby's son, who is also in real estate). I'd finally asked Ruby for help that day, which fortunately for her but unfortunately for me happened to be her birthday, so she couldn't help me on her special day. Our class was assigned to read the "Real Estate mathematics" section for Thursday. I was nervous at first, because it's been over a decade since my last mathematics class in high school, Pre-Calculus, and I thought I'd lost my touch (see Footnote below). (It has become a concern too, that I'd want to be able to help my son when he gets to math with variables.) But once I started getting into the chapter, (not to sound all Celine-Dion sappy) it was all coming back to me.

As I read on in the wee hours, I was frustrated how dumbed down the math was expressed. I am accustomed to formulas being rather simple, with set letter variable representing a concept, it bothered me to have formulas expressed in whole words. For instance, if someone said, "the amount of mass multiplied by the speed of light squared equals its energy potential," that is not as elegant as writing E=mc². It also made it hard for me mnemonically. I almost broke out the Greek alphabet to come up with my own theorem. I know the course is open to almost anyone, regardless of their familiarity with basic algebra, but since a good deal of my other classmates were confused, there must be an intrinsic flaw in the approach.

I stopped reading any further; my brain started racing. Why isn't there a name equivalent to Pythagoras or Descartes in real estate thinking? Even other applied sciences, like medicine and engineering, have its superstars, like Louis Pasteur or George Washington Carver. (BTW, I later learned if you wanted to go the full monty and get a degree in Real Estate, it would be a Bachelor of Science.) I started thinking, "Forget string theory. My theory of everything will include real estate."

Thinking like this, my "eureka" light-bulb moments, gets me off. I longed to speak to someone about it. Thursday in class, I was on the edge of my seat completing the math problems. The classmate next to me, Toni, was a former engineer, and I commiserated with her a bit. That night, Ruby was not able to chat at length with me when I was at her house; my son, fussy in the alien surroundings, took so long to lay to rest; I only studied for a short spell with Edward, who made a late-night business run. I was left so unsatisfied — but I don't know what satisfaction I could have had that night. A small nugget of gratification came the next day when I vented briefly to Skip, Ruby's husband, as he drove me to the subway that rainy morning.

I think too much for my own good. Ironically, my motto in film school was, "I feel, therefore I am."
It also brought a smile to my face when Edward jokingly called me "Einstein" that night. If only he'd known.

Footnote:

I wasn't always a worrywart when it came to school. All through middle school and high school, I was the lackadaisical straight-A student, the one who wasn't really pressed about studying. I would fall asleep in the back of the classroom (after watching too much Arsenio Hall), with one hand propping up my head and the other holding a pencil, pretending to take notes. The giveaway would be the puddle of drool on the notepaper. My peers were PO-ed with me, that they worked their butts off and I would score above the curve. It became such a hassle that when I got my tests back, whatever the course — AP US History, AP Euro, AP Art History, AP Chem, Pre-Cal — I would lie to my classmates about my score, knocking off a few percentage points. If anything, I was competing with myself, not my other classmates. Boasting was an anathema to me.

Reat Estate is NOT a science.

2007-03-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

The assertion that land is "immobile" is inherently false. All land on earth is tied to constantly moving tectonic plates.

I wanted to bring up that fact in my real estate class, but all of the other plebs there would have drawn a complete blank. God forbid someone refutes the instructor or a textbook.

Jackson Pollock, eat your heart out...

2007-03-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

My son isn't even two, and he's already an abstract expressionist.

Words are not my strong suit.

2007-03-05T18:41:00.000-05:00

Words are not my strong suit.
I never considered them to be.
For most of my life, my words staggered out threaded between long silences of thought.
That was not how I expressed how I felt.
Words can be inadequate and inaccurate.
Even flights of gibberish, the cooing into the ear, the purring of the lips,
All have more meaning laced into them than the most perfect syntax.
And as the song goes, "words are meaningless and forgettable,"
They too are worn out and recycled ad nauseum.
That is not how I express myself.
My actions are my voice.
Watch what I do to tell you how I feel.
If I crane my neck and breathe out an inaudible sigh,
If I turn my body turns towards you and my eyelids drop heavy,
That is all exposition.
If my fingers graze your shoulders,
Then they touch the furrow of your brow and trace down past the tip of your nose,
That is all explanatory.
There are many more things that my body can say,
But my words will not do them justice.
You will have to feel for yourself.

THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED: No Recipe Tips for March

2007-03-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged any more recipe tips this month. I'm not even going to attempt to catch up — I'm just too busy: I quit my job as a secretary at a mom-and-pop real estate firm; I took and passed my real estate salesperson licensing course; now it's my "spring break" vacation, as I will be going trans-continental almost all of this month.

First stop will be my hometown of DC. I'll be visiting my peoples there, my son and I enjoying some good Filipino home-cooking.

Next will be So-Cal, Southern California. A short respite in Los Angeles, mi primera vez en la ciudad. Checking out the scene — who knows, I may relocate there when I want to jump start my filmmaking career again. I only know I'll run for the hills if it's filled with collagen, saline and botox. I hope I won't be accosted by Mickey Mouse either.

Then it's San Diego at my son's paternal grandparents for his second birthday. I spent Xmas 2005 there and had his first birthday party at my house in NYC; so now it's time for an exchange. I may cross the border into Tijuana for a second, but since it will be high-noon for spring breakers I don't know if it's wise — I loathe your average Joe/Jane-schmoe ignoramus college student and seeing them congregate en masse might push my misanthropic Columbine button. It's best to know your trigger and avoid it at all costs.

I'll be back for Easter, don't you worry, and testing and sharing new and exciting concoctions. Oh, I think my first recipe when I get back will be Baked Ham, Filipino-style. To all you serious carnivores out there like me, you won't want to miss it.

And I'll still be blogging other things during my trip. Expect a lot of photo essays.

If she were alive today, she'd be a rock star.

2007-03-04T21:42:00.001-05:00

Empress Theodora (c. 500–548)
of the Byzantine Empire and the wife of Emperor Justinian I.

Her rags-to-riches story reads like a 6th-century Eva "Evita" Peron.
(Theodora was even canonized, which Evita hadn't acheived.)

Learn more about The Dark Ages on The History Channel.

The next guy I date:

2007-03-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Should familiarize himself with the term "taken in hand." He also should be able to openly discuss it with me and understand what I mean it to be.

Other essential reads from takeninhand.com:

(Ever since I watched the movie Secretary [with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal; click right photo] when it was released a few years ago, I've become fascinated with this subject. But it was only today that I found out there was name for this kind of relationship.)

The sun has set.

2007-03-03T23:40:00.000-05:00

31st Ave: B-mbing and Such.

2007-03-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

The next morning...

2007-03-02T19:10:00.000-05:00

An all-nighter with a real-estate-class zombie.

2007-03-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

Working on 2-3 hours of sleep a night. No full REM cycles.

Things are already out-of-focus.

Where are you, Edd? Did you leave the house?

Wait a minute... is it still Christmas?

Trying to get comfortable.

Trying hard to concentrate.

Distracted.

I give up. I'm going to bed.

*Thanks to Ruby for providing a relatively quiet place to study. Also thanks to Edward for his tutelage. Lastly, thank you Nikon for making an easy-to-use timer feature.

(Here is an in-focus picture of Edd, that I took at my birthday dinner.)

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/28/07: Lumpia "Dipping" Sauce

2007-02-28T04:44:00.000-05:00

LushMommy's Vinegar and Garlic "Sukang" for Lumpia

2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup vinegar
ground black pepper, to taste
hot sauce (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Allow to sit for a least 10 min before serving with fresh fried lumpia. (Make a small bite off the end and use a teaspoon to pour the vinegar directly into the eggroll.)

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/27/07: String Bean Adobo

2007-02-27T04:46:00.000-05:00

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/26/07: Eggplant & Tomato Salad

2007-02-26T00:50:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, everyone who cares. I'm so behind. I'm taking a real estate course right now, so that's taking up all my concentration.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/25/07: Chicken Adobo

2007-02-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

LushMommy's Mommy's Chicken Adobo

This is the last pot I made.

3 1/2 lbs cut-up chicken
(salt and bottled lemon juice for cleaning chicken)

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp black pepper corns, crushed (use a mortar and pestle if you have one)
1 bay leaf

vegetable oil of your choice
1 large onion, cut into sixths
2 baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
4-5 carrots, peeled, cut into 2 1/2" pieces (halved lengthwise if carrots are thick)

An adapted version of my mother's method for cleaning chicken: Clean chicken by sprinkling liberally with salt, scrubbing the surface with the grains, then pouring the undiluted lemon juice. Give a final rinse with running water to remove the salt. Put pieces in a colander so excess water can drain.
In a container large enough for all the chicken plus liquid, cover and refrigerate the chicken with the marinade overnight.
In a large pot, over medium heat, saute onion for 3 min. Add chicken and marinade to pot. Bring to a boil, cover, then lower heat and simmer for 35-40 min, depending on size of pieces.
When chicken is almost cooked through, remove pieces from pot and set aside. Add carrots and potatoes to pot. Raise heat and bring to a boil; lower heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 min, until potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork but not too soft. Return chicken pieces to the pot and distribute pieces with the vegetables. Let simmer for about another 10 min.
Enjoy the adobo with lots of rice!

The next guy I date:

2007-02-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

must have chemistry with me. It's not just physical attraction, but that's a very essential component to the mix. It's something more — something almost volatile, caustic. It's the electricity that goes through me when he enters the room, or when I hear his voice at the other end of the line, imagining the heat at the end of his words. Not having any layers on, not having to be someone I'm not. It's being exposed but not feeling vulnerable. We'll have reams and reams of things we can talk about, without wanting to stop. And I'll have reams and reams of things to say with my lips, with my hands, with everything else...

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/24/07: Vinegar

2007-02-24T18:22:00.000-05:00

Today begins a special series on vinegar, which I believe should attract more flies than honey. It is one of the most under-appreciated condiments out there. There are even more different kinds of vinegar out there than wine. Any good pantry will have a selection of high-quality vinegar to choose from, much like a well-stocked wine cellar.

Shopping Tips:

All I have to say is avoid conventional white vinegar, which is produced chemically from ethyl alcohol, which is in the same family as ethanol, the chemical corn-derivative that's being used as an alternative to fossil fuels. I would only use it to clean mirrors or glass or my coffee maker.

Tomorrow: LushMommy's Mommy's Filipino Chicken Adobo.

LushMommy's "Retirement" Dinner

2007-02-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Ruby and me.

Ruby and my son, too cool to be awake.

Choosing my karaoke set.

No one took pictures of the actual singing. Oh well.

*Thanks to Ruby and Skip for rocking out with me. Also thanks to my son's father and my son for braving the cold to represent.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/23/07: Quick Broiled Salmon with Honey

2007-02-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

A delicious and simple Lenten-friendly dish from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2006, p. 181:

"Bake salmon fillets at 350°F until almost cooked. Cover them with honey and place under the broiler until they are nicely caramelized."

I usually sprinkle a little sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder before baking.

Shopping Tips:

Salmon: About fish cuts: fillets are nice when they are at a good price; however, the steaks are usually more economical per pound. It's really not that hard to pick the bones out of salmon. Don't be lazy. Use a dedicated kitchen pair of needle-nose pliers to take out the bones prior to cooking.

Honey: I got the best deal from Costco, a huge 1-quart bottle for under $12 (I forget the exact price). My son's father had turned me onto raw honey while we were dating, but I'm a bit freaked out that it can contain random bits of wings and such.

My latest crush: Gordon Buchanan

2007-02-22T21:52:00.001-05:00

He's a nature filmmaker. He's adventurous. He's Scottish. He's smart. He's sexy. He just needs to shave more often, and I'll love him even more. (He reminds me of a favorite actor of mine, Ben Chaplin, from Birthday Girl with Nicole Kidman, and Terrence Malick's WWII epic, The Thin Red Line.)

See Gordon Buchanan in Expedition Borneo on The Science Channel.

His Nature documentary, Leopards of Yala, has clips on the PBS website.

I've got my eyes on you: "Idol" Chatter

2007-02-22T16:06:00.000-05:00

My favorite contestant, Season 6, so far: Blake Lewis. I didn't like him at first because of the ridiculous overuse of gel. But he won me over by choosing a Keane song, "Somewhere Only We Know," which is currently on heavy rotation on my jukebox. All he has to do is stop looking like he's from a prefabricated English boy band, and I'll keep vigil over the busy signals to vote for him.

My second favorite is Phil Stacey, who is so cute with a hat on (without one though, he looks a little Vulcan/Nosferatu; he's no Daughtry when it comes to a shaved head). Up close, he also appears much older than he does on his Idol profile. He's a decent singer and has charisma, so hopefully he'll stay on long enough to grow a bit of hair on top.

Of the women, alas, I was at mass for Ash Wednesday, so I missed all but the last half hour. Who I'm happy I saw: Gina Glocksen. She rocks. I'm a bit bothered that none of the judges liked the beginning of her performance, which I thought was moody and affecting, and a modern, edgy update to a Celine Dion song. Who I'm disappointed I didn't see: Antonella Barba, who is hot (girl-crush alert!) and has a great exotic look. I like the fact she isn't a trained singer.

Who I think should go from the men's side: Rudy Cardenas, who (no hate mail please) is so gay and hackneyed, and Sundance Head, who is so unhot and gave a dreadful Meatloaf-like performance. It wouldn't be fair for me to judge the ladies. We'll see tonight who makes the cut...

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/22/07: Coconut

2007-02-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

If you've used your noodle, now use your coconut:

Coconuts deserve to be called a "superfood." Coconuts (in particular, its oil) got a bad rep in the mid-20th century. But it's making a comeback. Its lipid profile, though saturated, is similar to breastmilk (so it's common in infant formula), and has antibacterial properties. It is great for athletes as a recovery food. We can't forget its emollient properties either, and its oil is a natural, fragrant, nontoxic alternative to baby oil and baby lotion (which often contain mineral oil, a petroleum product). Coconut meat is high in fiber too.

Add unsweetened, sulpher-free coconut flakes to your yogurt, smoothies, cereal or your baking. Coconut oil is also great alternative to butter or vegetable oil in baking, frying and sauteing (see my famous muffin recipe); it has a higher smoke point than canola and olive oil. Lastly, fresh coconut milk is superior to canned ones, and though a messy endeavor to make yourself, the taste rewards are high (fresh frozen coconut milk is available at Filipino and [I believe] Hispanic food markets).

Lenten Regulations and Meditations

2007-02-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

If you are unclear about Lent, its meaning and practice, visit the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw and its Lenten Regulations page.

Also order The Little Black Book: Six-minute meditations on the Passion according to Matthew from their website. It is a type of vade mecum (pronouced vahday maykum, Latin for "travel with me"); The Little Black Book is a pocket-sized booklet to read through the whole Lenten season, based on the writings of Bishop Ken Untener (1937-2004). I have it in my hands right now.

My search for ashes: A Photo Essay

2007-02-21T23:05:00.000-05:00

*Special shout-out to Ruby for helping me with this pet project.

40 days and 40 nights...

2007-02-21T16:40:00.000-05:00

of no profanity. No cursing. No cussing. (Get ready for some really creative blogs.)

I should really give it up entirely, at least in front of my son. He's a complete parrot now. He can even use the "wrong" words in the right context. The last thing I need right now is some busybody accusing me of nurturing a potty mouth.

Sometimes I think, what's the friggin' big deal? Expletives are so common place in the everyday vernacular. It's almost subconscious how they pervade our speech. I probably have said curse words in my sleep. They can be so useful in conveying just the right amount of vitriol to sum up the moment, the thing, the person. Who says we don't have the right to offend? Not only do we kill each other with kindness, sometimes we kill ourselves. The recipients of swearing should just try to develop a stronger stomach to those bitter little pills, which sometimes are loaded with truth.

This is un-Christian of me to say, I know. I'm going to confession soon anyway.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/21/07: Filipino Hot Chocolate

2007-02-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

Happy and repentant Ash Wednesday!

This is the first of a series of blogs to celebrate this day. However, I don't have time to type out today's recipe, LushMommy's "Tastes Like Home" Filipino Hot Chocolate, until later. So enjoy these funny pictures of my son eating his first real Filipino breakfast this morning while you wait...

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/20/07: Wine in Cooking

2007-02-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

DON'T WASTE IT:

Use that leftover wine corked in your cupboard or fridge in your cooking experiments. You'll be surprised by the complexity it adds to your finished dishes. I like to add a 1/4 cup of red wine to my ground beef, ground pork or bulk sausage that I'm sautéing for pasta sauce, let it simmer until almost evaporated then add the tomatoes (or jarred sauce). Also white wine can enhance, but not overpower, the delicate taste of white fish, when cooked in such techniques as poaching and francaise.

Must Reads:
The Joy of Cooking (Wine is a common component in the recipes of this cookbook classic.)
From WineShopOnline.com: Wine 101: Cooking Wines
From marthastewart.com (plus search the website's recipes):

Cooking With Wine from Martha Stewart Living, September 2005
Cooking With Wine from Everyday Food, May 2006
Ask Martha: Cooking Wine (The kind you find at the grocery store, which you should not buy.)

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/19/07: Microwaved Omelet

2007-02-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

How I Survived My Pregnancy
Part I: Eating for Two

It wasn't always easy to get a balanced, hearty meal for myself during my pregnancy. I worked Monday through Friday full-time for 8 hours straight (no lunch break). Breakfast was (and still is) the most important meal of the day for me. I usually did not have time before work to relax and enjoy a full breakfast. So I concocted an on-the-go sandwich, cooked almost entirely in the microwave. Coupled with a piece of fruit, my baby and I would be satiated for a good few hours, until lunchtime.

LushMommy's Microwaved Omelet Sandwich for a Busy Mother-to-be

Nonstick cooking spray
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk (by eye)
Spices to taste:
Salt, ground black pepper or red pepper, paprika, garlic powder
2 cheese slices (optional)
2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Spray a microwave-proof bowl with nonstick spray. Crack the eggs into the bowl. Add milk and spices. Whisk all together.
Microwave on HIGH for 2 min, or until center is firm with no runniness.
Arrange cheese slices on one piece of bread, then turn omelet bowl upside down on top of the bread. Top with remaining slice.

Variations:

Sausage or Ham, etc.: Heat, on a separate plate, your desired breakfast meat. Place on top of the finished omelet, etc.

Spinach: Spray bowl as above. Add a handful of fresh well-rinsed, dry spinach or 1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach. Microwave for 30 sec; let cool for a minute. Add eggs, milk and spices, whisk. Microwave on HIGH for 3 mins, until firm with no runniness.

Part I to be continued...

LushMommy's DO NOT DRINK List

2007-02-18T21:12:00.000-05:00

First inductee:

Polska Vodka.

This cheap-ass rubbing alcohol fucked me up royally last night. I still taste its toxic haze in the back of my throat and nose even 24 hours after consuming it. When I examined the refreshments table at the party, I thought Polska was quality because it came in a Grey Goose-esque frosted glass bottle (I later discovered it really costs a bargain basement price of $12.99 for 1 liter). It's been so long since I've felt this close to blacking out from drinking. It was déjà vu all over again and it freaked me out.

The last time was 8 years ago, when I drank at home in MD another stock vodka in a plastic bottle. The last thing I remember was being in my kitchen; I didn't realize I'd passed out in my hallway, where I was found naked in a pool of my own vomit. I was rushed to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning and had to swallow charcoal in order to throw up supposed aspirin I threatened to take during this raging-drunk suicide attempt, all of which I do not recall.

The only time I ever tried to commit suicide caused by cheap vodka. I ain't goin' out like that. I swore since then to avoid all vodkas that come in plastic bottles. Now I am expanding the embargo to all vodka brands that cannot afford a billboard advertisement.

Shopping Tips for Vodka: TOP SHELF ONLY. Now that's out of the way, choosing among reputable brands becomes, as I often say, a matter of taste. Another personal anecdote: one night, a couple of months ago, I ordered a vodka tonic while talking to this Tibetan* guy I met at a local bar. Apparently he was a regular there and had some cache with the bar maid, and trying to impress me, he told her to make it with Grey Goose. I interjected, "No, no, Ketel One." That is my number one choice. Second is Stolichnaya, especially its different flavors. Belvedere if I'm feeling ultra-luxe. Tanqueray makes an excellent vodka too, which I loved even before coming to appreciate its more famous gin.

I don't believe the hype either. My opinion: Grey Goose is overrated, Absolut's reputation is more indebted to its legendary advertising campaign than its actual product, and Skyy is just a slickly-packaged crap domestic brand. Okay, your opinion can differ. But whatever, to each their own.

*I refer to him as the "Tibetan" guy not to generalize Tibetan people. The reason is I tried to pick his brain about Buddhism in his homeland but every time he'd pull me to the dance floor to change the subject.

And just for the record, that night the Tibetan guy tried to pick me up (he wouldn't let me order a glass of water, only alcohol), I had been to an office party dinner and another bar beforehand, and had even more ounce for ounce of Tanqueray gin and Ketel One vodka than I had of the Polska last night. I was still standing by the end of the night and perfectly lucid, ready to debate anyone under the table, about politics, religion, etc. No hangover the next day either.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/18/07: Baked Buffalo Wings

2007-02-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

Buffalo wings are my favorite finger food, and are usually what I will order on a first visit to a new pub. I am very picky: the wing sections, both the wingette and drummette, have to be fat, otherwise I feel jipped; the skin has to be nice and crispy, with little or no breading (often restaurants overbread or the skin is soggy); the hot sauce cannot be wimpy or too hot, nor should the wings be drowning in sauce or have little at all. It's hard to find restaurants or pubs that meet all my criteria, plus are a good value piece for piece. When I find that diamond in the rough, it usually will become my new favorite restaurant.

That being said, I also like to make my own buffalo wings. I prefer baking over deep-frying, because it's easy to just throw the wings in the oven than hover over them in a fryer and baking creates less mess.

LushMommy's Baked Buffalo Wings
Serves one very hungry person or 2 as an appetizer.

12 individually quick-frozen chicken wing segments* (see Shopping Tips below)
1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil (if I have it on hand, I use macadamia nut oil)
3 tbsp, more or less to taste, cayenne pepper sauce (I believe Frank's Red Hot Original to be the best balance of heat and acidity)

Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Arrange wings on a nonstick baking sheet or one lined with greased aluminum foil (I like to use ungreased Reynolds Wrap Release Nonstick Foil for easy clean-up; it's heavy-duty weight too.) Place in oven. Bake for about 45 min to 1 hour, turning once, until skin is crispy and translucent.
Towards the end of the baking time, melt butter (if using) in a medium microwave-proof bowl (or just put oil, doing no heating). Whisk in the pepper sauce.
Once wings are ready, with tongs, place all in the bowl with the sauce mixture. Toss to evenly coat, then enjoy!

Variation: Teriyaki Wings: replace 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce (more or less to taste) for the pepper sauce.

*Shopping Tips for Chicken Wings: Most of the time I will say fresh is better and food additives are bad, but in the case for chicken wings for this recipe, opt for individually quick frozen wings, water-added. They are convenient to have on hand and taste better than fresh because they add salt and sodium nitrite/nitrate, the latter being a very unhealthy additive, but if you only eat it once in a while, it shouldn't kill you.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/17/07: Sundried-Tomato & Anchovy Frittata

2007-02-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

If you sleep over at my house, I'll make this for you the next day. (I once fancied opening a bed-and-breakfast at my house.)

LushMommy's Sundried-Tomato and Anchovy Frittata
Serves 4 generously.

8 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp fresh oregano
Black pepper, ground
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
All these vegetables julienned into matchstick strips:

1/2 of one sweet onion, smallest you can find
1/2 of a large orange or red bell pepper
10-12 sundried tomato halves (pref. moist-packed, not in oil)

1 tin of anchovies in olive oil (not soybean oil)
2 tsp capers, drained (you can substitute the two above with 1 tin of anchovies rolled with capers)
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped (plus sprigs for garnish)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Mesclun salad, washed
Balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
In a medium bowl, crack in the eggs. Add oregano then black pepper, to taste. Beat eggs, then set aside.
Over a medium flame, heat olive oil and butter in a large oven proof pan (pref. nonstick) until the color is almost golden brown.
Add garlic and onions and saute for 2 min.
Add whole contents of the tin of anchovies and capers to pan. Then add bell pepper and sundried tomato. Saute another 2 min.
Increase heat slightly. Add eggs to the pan. Sprinkle chopped parsley and quickly and lightly distribute eggs into the vegetable mixture with a spatula. Once distributed, do not stir and allow to set. Cook the frittata until the bottom is golden and the top is slightly runny, about 3 min.
Put pan into the oven and bake frittata until just set, about 5 min.
Cut into wedges and serve warm, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and a side of mesclun salad with the vinegar and olive oil. Garnish with parsley.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/16/07: Homemade Applesauce

2007-02-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

How do ya like these apples?*

For an alternative to the same old Red Delicious apple, which can often be firm on the outside, but be soft and mealy inside:

Try a Fuji apple, as pictured to the right. Always sweet, always firm with a long storage life and a bright fragrance, they are great in baking and applesauce, or just plain snacking.

LushMommy's Beginning Eater's Homemade Applesauce
Makes enough for maybe 3 baby meals.

2 large Fuji apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1" pieces

Arrange apple pieces in one layer in a 1-qt microwavable casserole dish, pref. glass or ceramic, and place the dish's cover on.
Nuke for about 3-4 mins or until soft (the apple's high water content will provide enough steam to cook).
Let cool for a few minutes, then puree in a food mill, blender, food processor or by hand with a fork or potato masher.
Divide it into servings you think your baby can handle and either freeze (last prob. 1 month in freezer) or refrigerate (at most for 3 days).

*Please forgive me for the Good Will Hunting reference. I am the anti-Matt Damon.

I'm sorry:

2007-02-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

That last post was completely self-indulgent. I apologize.

(Maybe I'm just a tween at heart.)

DON'T give me a camera!

2007-02-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

Armed and dangerous.

(I don't have any boogers, do I?)

Misadventures in Cooking: Part I

2007-02-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

This is not edible.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/15/07: Ramen

2007-02-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

Use your noodle:

Add 1/2 cup peeled shrimp and 1/2 cup broccoli florets to the boiling water 2 min before adding the packaged ramen noodles (if the shrimp and broccoli are frozen, add another 4 min before dropping the noodles).

(And I always add the seasoning after serving it in a bowl, because the spices will stick to the pot.)

Shopping Tips for Ramen (or other Asian noodles): Try imported brands, rather than the run-of-the-mill domestic ramen. Venture to an Asian food market, and choose from the myriad of flavors of ramen, many specific to tastes of the country of origin. Also most imported brands do not use hydrogenated oil to precook the noodle.

I like Nissin from Hong Kong, Lucky Me from the Philippines, and Shin Ramen from Korea.

SEE—I did it myself.

2007-02-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

I can shovel my own sidewalk, thank you very much.

2007-02-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Take note all you ten-year-olds ringing my front doorbell:

I was six months pregnant when the last big snow storm hit NYC in January 2005. I did it all then and I can do it now too.

The next guy I date:

2007-02-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

Will be a gentleman. He will open the door for me, volunteer to carry my bags (even though I would be perfectly alright doing it myself), buy me flowers even if it's not a holiday (it doesn't have to be a pricey fancy bouquet; a modest pocket full of posies are beautiful too)...

But he doesn't have to go beyond his means to please me. It's the simple and free things in life that make me happy.

But most of all, most importantly, a gentleman will make the first move...

This other single mom does not understand what it's like to be me:

2007-02-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

From babble.com: Another Non-Father Emasculated By Support Court: Pay Up or Go to Jail.

Read Karen Murphy's blog article and my comment.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/14/07: My legendary muffin

2007-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Smootches to all!

If you are single like me, and are looking for love (or sex) in all the wrong places, try offering one of these muffins to a cute, interesting person you'd like to get to know better.

Chocolate-Chip, Cranberry, Walnut, Oat Bran Muffins
My muffin has made me famous among my mommy circles and co-workers.
*See Shopping Tips below.

Dry Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour*
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour or oat flour*
2/3 cup oat bran, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling on top*
1 tbsp baking powder (double acting, aluminum-free)
½ tsp sea salt or kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda, if using yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk; omit if using milk

Stir-ins
1 cup chocolate chips (about half of a 12-oz package)*
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs (left out for about 30 mins)
¼ unsalted butter, melted*
¼ coconut oil (melted if solid)*
2/3 cup organic sugar or evaporated cane juice or sucanat*
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup yogurt*, buttermilk or sour cream, pref. whole; can also use milk (not ice cold)

Preheat oven to 400˚ F.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
In another medium sized bowl, toss stir-ins together with 1 tbsp of dry mixture. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk wet ingredients together, fully stirring the sugar to dissolve. Coconut oil may form small lumps if the eggs and yogurt, etc. are very cold.
Grease a standard-size 12 count muffin tin.
Take dry flour ingredients and stir into the wet ingredients for about 10-12 strokes, until almost all the flour mix is moistened. Add stir-ins with another 2-3 strokes. Do not over stir. Batter will not be smooth.
Using an ice cream scoop or a ¼-cup measuring spoon, drop batter into the muffin tin cups evenly. Sprinkle tops with reserved oat bran.
Place muffin tin in oven. Reduce heat to 375˚ F—very important!
Check for doneness in about 18-20 minutes. (Use the “clean toothpick” test.)
For cooling, spread a hand towel on the counter and flip the muffin tin, crown side down, onto the towel. Let cool upside down.

*Shopping Tips:

Flours and Oat Bran: I insist on using organic whenever possible. Arrowhead Mills makes organic versions of all of these flours (except oat bran). Bob's Red Mill is another reputable brand for flours and brans, though not everything is organic. The most likely place to find these brands and choices under one roof is Whole Foods Market. (Beware of Whole Foods store brand all-purpose flour because it is not 100% wheat and therefore I could not guarantee the results). Some health food stores offer these ingredients in bulk containers too. They are fine too (support local business!) but give the flour a bit of an inspection before bagging.

Chocolate Chips: I have gotten into reading the ingredients of these bags, and what I have found that the brands that add milk fat in place of cocoa butter, such as Nestlé, Hershey, and generic store brands, are inferior to the ones that just have cocoa (or chocolate) liquor, sugar and vanilla. Baker's has a good chocolate chunk (though they use artificial vanilla). The best for the value is Trader Joe's at $1.79 a bag! (Compare to $2.99 and up for the name brands.)

Butter: European-style butter has less water than conventional butter, which makes it extra delicious in baking (and everything else really). (Get Plugrá coupons here!)

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil, a common cooking oil in tropical countries, has gotten a bad rep for decades in the US for its high saturated fat content and studies in the mid-20th century done with hydrogenated coconut oil. Coconut oil has since made a comeback, as virgin coconut oil (meaning unrefined), but is mostly available at health food/vitamin stores, not the supermarket. I buy mine from the Vitamin Shoppe, which has good sales on health food ingredients. I usually buy Nutiva coconut oil, which by the way, is made in the Philippines (PINOY PINAY POWER!).

If you can't find coconut oil, just use all butter, or vice versa.

Organic sugar, et. al.: Organic sugar is a vague term, because there are various levels of refinement that go into making sugar of any kind. Evaporated cane juice is a generic term for sugar that has minimal processing. Sucanat is a brand name of evaporated cane juice, and is one of the darkest brown ones on the market (meaning it will impart a delicious molasses/brown sugar taste to your foods). All three—organic sugar, evaporated cane juice, sucanat—may be in the bulk section of your local health food store.

Yogurt, etc.: If using whole fat, non-homogenized yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream, remember to stir the contents in the container before using it to evenly distribute the fat. I like Fage, a Greek yogurt, which strains most of the water out of the yogurt before packaging, therefore it is extra-rich.

(I used Fage, as well as oat flour, in my last batch of these muffins, and I think they were my best so far!)

This is so tweenie of me:

2007-02-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

But everybody, there's a Pucca marathon on the Toon Disney channel, tomorrow Wednesday starting at 7 PM ET.

I hate "the cult of the wunderkind."

2007-02-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

From babble.com: "Liveblogging Oprah's Menagerie of Genius Children"

What a bunch of show-offs.

Oprah is better off not having children because she would have screwed them up with an overachieving complex. (What a horrible stage mom she is to herself.)

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/13/07: French Toast

2007-02-13T06:59:00.000-05:00

Easy-Peasy French Toast
Good for 2-3 slices of bread, depending on loaf width. Whole grain bread tastes just as delicious as white bread in this recipe. (See Shopping Tips below.)

Mix in a bowl wide enough for dipping the bread:
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk (I only use whole; why bother with water milk?)
cinnamon (to taste)
vanilla extract (to taste)

In your preheated frying pan, put a pat of unsalted butter (or use the leftover fat from the bacon you may have just fried). Dip your bread slices well in the egg mix. Then fry 'em good and golden!

Top with maple syrup (only the real stuff, please).

Shopping Tips:

Bread: Watch out for "high fructose corn syrup" as a sweetener. Stroehmann makes a good whole grain bread for the value. As for organic, there are lots to choose from, if you are willing to pay 2 to 3 times as much than a conventional loaf. I buy Rudi's Organic at my local supermarket.

Eggs: Omega-3 added eggs, as well as organic eggs, are the "in thing" right now (I do admit to buying them regularly myself). It should be a matter of taste and budget. Just look for "cage-free" or at least the "Animal Care Certified" logo.

Milk: Whether buying conventional or organic, it should also be a matter of taste: do not buy ultra-pasteurized milk, which is extra processing for a longer shelf life, and usually results in a blander milk. Single pasteurization is good enough.

Cinnamon: Buy it from the dollar store. You get more for your buck than at the supermarket, and it's just as good, if not fresher because of higher turnover.

Vanilla Extract: I bought this huge bottle from Costco, which is lasting me forever (they don't need my free advertising, so I will not link to them).

Maple Syrup: Buy "U.S. Grade A Dark Amber" from Canada or Vermont (sorry New York — I haven't tried one of yours that I've liked).

The next guy I date:

2007-02-12T14:48:00.001-05:00

Will prep vegetables for me while I cook dinner.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/12/07: Rum

2007-02-12T07:40:00.000-05:00

"Rum and Diet Coke" is nasty. Even though I am trying to eliminate my intake of high fructose corn syrup, I will not compromise on taste in my mixed drinks. A "diet" well drink just sounds retarded.

Shopping Tips for Rum: I don't believe Bacardi to be the best brand, nor "light" rum (the clear one) to be very tasty. Less expensive brands from other Caribbean countries, many of them amber colored, referred by type as "gold" rum, can work just as well in rum and cokes, piña coladas, etc. Brugal, a Dominican Republic gold rum, is cheap but scores higher on taste tests than Bacardi (I can't find the link to the website that rates them).

I don't have an opinion on "dark" rum yet. It is probably very good in small amounts in cooking... and while cooking...

We know you like music—

2007-02-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

But must you blast your iPod so loud that everyone in a 3-feet radius around you on the subway can hear it through your earbuds?

And please do not sit next to me if your ears are bleeding.

Thank you.

The apocalypse has come early:

2007-02-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

My son has entered his "Terrible Two's" before his second birthday.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/11/07: Veggie Pasta Sauce

2007-02-11T07:28:00.001-05:00

Jazz up (and fiber up) your jarred spaghetti sauce with this recipe:

LushMommy's "Get More Veggies in Your Diet" Pasta

Ingredients:
1 bag (12-16 oz) of penne pasta, rotini or your pasta shape of preference (I find long strands of spaghetti too messy with my son. *See more Shopping Tips below.)
1 24-oz jar of tomato-based pasta sauce* (A tip how to open a jar easily: use a can piercer to pry under the lid and break the vacuum.)
Olive oil* (the amount to taste, really; just keep the bottle out)
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped fine
3-6 slices of bacon, chopped (omit if you like; you could use ham too, even the cold cuts kind, pref. smoked)
1 cup of carrots, chopped fine*
1 cup of frozen peas*

Start cooking the pasta according to its directions. Put a tablespoon of salt if you wish in the boiling water. Before draining, save about 3-4 tblsp of the hot water (use it to wash out the pasta sauce jar and get out the remaining bits of goodness). Drain pasta well in a colander, but DO NOT RINSE. Coat liberally with olive oil.
In a medium saucepan, heat more olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 min, until onions are slightly translucent. Add bacon, sauté for about 5 min, until the bacon has sweated out most of its tasty fat.
Add carrots, sauté 2-3 min. Add peas, sauté another 5 min.
Open pasta sauce jar and pour into saucepan. To the jar, add the reserved pasta water, put back the top and give it a good shake. Add it to the heating sauce.
Cover saucepan, lower heat, and let the sauce come to a simmer. Leave it be for 5-10 min (depending on how impatient you and your family are).
In a large bowl, add drained pasta and sauce and gently mix. (It’s better to pre-mix so the sauce is evenly distributed.) Serve generously to you and your hungry brood.

Shopping Tips:

Pasta: I usually buy whole grain ones, organic if it's on sale. Barilla Plus tastes good; Rozoni Healthy Harvest has an extra-grainy texture and feels like a dead weight in your stomach. Bionaturae and Bella Terra are good organic Italian brands. When looking at price for organic, I can find them on sale for $1.99 or better. If you've paid more than $2.99, you've been jipped.

Pasta Sauce: Classico and Victoria are good brands, the latter though being very pricey. I look that the first ingredient is "chopped tomatoes," not "purred tomatoes" because the latter means water is the real first ingredient. Another ingredient to look for is olive oil, not soybean or canola oil, which usually means it tastes a little better.

Olive Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is nice, but use whatever you have. I like to buy high-quality single-olive-type oils (Trader Joe's has them for a good value), no matter what country of origin, be it Italy, Greece, or Spain (I hear California has good ones too). Blended extra virgin oil of several different types of olives tend to not taste as fine (it can say it was produced in one country, like Italy, but the olives come from other countries). You and your family can be the judge.

Carrots and Peas: You can save yourself the trouble and just use 2 cups of frozen peas and carrots blend. Add frozen peas and/or carrots to the last 6-7 min of boiling the macaroni for boxed mac and cheese to sneak in more veggies there.

A homage to unplanned pregnancy & Adrienne Shelly

2007-02-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Catch it while you can: Trust (1990) airs on IFC today from 3:30 - 5:20 PM ET. It airs again 2/21/07 at 12:15 PM and 7:05 PM ET. (Those with DVR: now is the time to use it.)

This is a classic Hal Hartley film, starring Adrienne Shelly, a talented actress, and also wife and mother, who was murdered on November 1, 2006. Her untimely death sadly exemplifies the phrase "a life cut short."

In this offbeat comedy, Shelly plays a teenager who gets pregnant and is alienated from her family; she becomes independent and smarter because of it. Martin Donovan, her sexy co-star, is phenomenally intense in this film as well. Albeit his loner character is a touch crazy, he plays such a man. It also stars an early Edie Falco, pre-Sopranos.

RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/10/07: French Toast

2007-02-10T09:29:00.001-05:00

French toast tastes so good fried in bacon fat. (Even if accidentally burnt.)

I should get custom promo pencils made.

2007-02-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

I am proud to be the first mother to be banned from my neighborhood's mommy Yahoo group for my militant political views and direct, unabashed language. I thought it was a generally well-educated, liberal group, but the baby-boomer moderator and her posse of oh-so-proud "original" members ganged up on me, feeling threatened by lil' ol' me.

I actually think I got kicked off because they were jealous that I could work Erasmus, Emily Dickinson, and the ex-Presidents into one sentence. Clearly over their heads.

I'd rather be political than popular. I wouldn't want to go out and play pool with those bitches anyway.

(For more about why I got thrown out, read my comment: The Parenting Conversation: Why Time Magazine Piece on "Hip Parents" Gets It Wrong.)

Man, I wouldn't usually advertise for free:

2007-02-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

But Newman-O's, Paul Newman's mostly organic version of the Oreo, taste so much more chocolaty and less greasy than the so-called real thing.

What a great day I had in the city!

2007-02-09T21:26:00.000-05:00

I was going to my weekly therapy appointment and walking out of the subway station, what should I see standing in the middle of a workday in Midtown Manhattan? Four babywearing moms, conversing.

I had to go up to them and complement them. On closer inspection, the babies were all toddlers! One was nursing too! I was so happy to see mothers just like me, going about their daily lives, doing what I am doing too -- I have babyworn my 28-lb son since birth and continue to give him the benefits of breastfeeding beyond age one.

I chatted them up further -- they were members of the "Slings in the City" group and knew the founder Bianca too. They told me about an attachment parenting Yahoo group that shared my views on mandatory HPV vaccination (the opinions that got me banned from my neighborhood mommy Yahoo group). They totally reinforced my thinking that there are mothers who don't want to be milquetoast about important issues and conform to mainstream thinking, even if the establishment of moms says you have to talk about "poopy diapers," not politics. I felt vindicated.

I wish I took a picture of them. It was priceless.

After my appointment, I went to Maternity Works, an outlet store for the Motherhood maternity and nursing apparel line (plus some more upscale brands). I treated myself to a lace-trimmed gray cotton chemise with matching robe (I love-love lounging robes). It was designed for nursing, but I could definitely wear it after my child weans (it doesn't have odd peekaboo slits that give it away to be easy access to the nipple; it's very cute and comfy as well). The price was a little more than I would pay, but I consider it an investment in a little piece of personal luxury.

I chatted up the salespersons at Maternity Works too. They were two sweet, funny young women, one of which was a single mother of three. They also shared the importance of women, mothers especially, sometimes letting loose from their daily stresses and going out, having unadulterated fun without any shame. The childless girl told me about cool, casual bars in Greenwich Village (ones that I vaguely remember from my sheltered college days at NYU) where flats are more practical than heels. I like those kinds of unpretentious places, divey bars where bikers, beatniks and bankers can share the same counter. I've got to go out more!

This day will go down in the annals of this LushMommy's life. I smiled at the beginning of the day, saying "hi" to elderly ladies I passed in my neighborhood, who probably haven't heard that very often from a Gen X or Y-er. I smile contentedly as I wrap up this post, with my sweet baby boy lying on my lap, as I nurse him to sleep.

Pilates — New Excercise Or Ancient Torture?

2007-02-09T08:06:00.000-05:00

I personally think it's the latter...

Pilates — New Excercise Or Ancient Torture?

I cannot do "The Hundred" to save my life.