I'm back from an extended break.

Important Thing that i've learned this summer:

things can get really weird when people are thrown in group situations.

I was talking to my old friend Nerissa about that and we both agreed that on a one-on-one basis, most of my old highschool friends get along just fine, great even. But putting people together creates this awkward vortex that sucks everyone in, leaving people to deal with it in their own respective ways. In my opinion, my current friend group at home is slowly dwindling and shrinking each time I come back. I mean what's the point in trying?

I'm almost half way through being in Miami, que lastima. But, I'm actually really happy about that. Not only do I hate my job, but the whole "dwindling" friend group is also a big rain on my parade. I'm not saying I don't have any friends here, there just aren't enough options and I don't like spending time with one person for any extended period of time. I guess that's just me being antisocial. But for now, I've been reading up a storm and Netflixing until I fall asleep. Running here and there and seeing the occasional friend on the week night. Weekends are different, I mean you're supposed to have fun. But everything is getting to be so god damn redundant. 

hehe this is becoming a rant!

I recently watched volver and I highly recommend it. Penelope Cruz, you have my heart!

now i want to make ginger cookies.

yumyum!

i stole paula deen's recipe because i want to be her:

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the

 shortening and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and

 molasses and beat until completely incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinna

mon, ginger, cloves and salt and add to the mixture. Stir until comb

ined. Roll the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in sugar.

 Place 1/2-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingertips. 

Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Anyways, I stayed in myhaus last n

ight because i've been going out too much and I decided to watch reservoir dogs but netflix sent me a fucked up DVD QUE LASTIMA!

i now have to share a car with my Ma, since my grandma broke hers....crapcrapcrap

my pandora thinks i'm depressed..........


fact: i will never become an accountant

MY SUMMER JOB BLOWZ

at least this song doesn't.....

Freda Payne - Band Of Gold

yumyum

I've decided that I'm tired of May. It should end now, kthx. I'm working at my Dad's office, which is kindof Fun kindof Not. I miss summercamp!

Enough of that....

I was talking to my friend Cami and she mentioned to me that she was going to make rosemary and roasted garlic focaccia. Now, I want to make it! Mine probably won't turn out delicioso, but I bet it'll make my haus smell yummygreat. The photo above is of Cami last summer. We used to be sailing counselors together, which was fun until I got banned. OH WELL

Anyways, here's the recipe for the focaccia. I stole it from some girl's foodblog:

2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Cornmeal, for dusting

Roasted garlic cloves, from 1 head roasted garlic

Toppings:

Dried or fresh rosemary

Coarse or kosher salt

 

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast with warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Add roasted garlic cloves (after squeezing or scooping the cloves out of their skin). Stop the machine period

ically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

 

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until

 doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

 

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oval shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then sprinkle rosema

ry and coarse salt on top. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

yumyum Thanks Cami! thanks Kaitsplate!

frenchALICE

My attempts to make summer a little less boring...


This is a photo of frenchALICE before we met, but i think it's my favorite photo of her. 

ANYWAYS,I was facebook chatting with frenchALICE yesterday and decided to make her a lovepackage since she was feeling down. I felt bad because she couldn't tell me the full extent of her boytroubles, since she's not fluent in English. QUE LASTIMA! Plus, I can't speak french at all. But from what I could tell, she's in the middle of finals and isn't too happy.
What may you ask would be the items in this package of love???

Well.....

A homemade CD, obvs.

Chips Ahoy Cookies: Apparently the french are crazy about "ze american cookies in blue packages" not to be mistaken for oreos though, which I orginally thought. (she didn't write "ze" but I felt that it would make the comment a bit more frenchy) I don't even think Chips Ahoy are that great! Maybe I'm wrong and I don't know shit about cookies.

A trashy American magazine. I think frenchALICE will be able to read some of it. But if not she can just look at hunky photos of Brangelina or TomHanks/Oprah/ latestupdatesofdancingwithstars

A picture of frenchAlice and Meghan

And a note.

I'm not sure what else I would put in the package. Maybe an American miniflag. I don't know. If I received a package from her I think I would want a french mini flag. The only problem with plan lovepackage is the timing of it all. She'll probably be done with her exams by then, but it's the thought that counts right?

So yeah...I think i'll get back to work now.

- MEGHAN