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7.29.2011

Tasty Pallets: Shrimp Fried Rice

Pic and Recipe courtesy of simplyrecipes.com

This is a favorite of mine when there's leftover rice in my fridge (which is almost always). The slight different between this recipe and my recipe is that I don't use sesame seed oil or cornstarch, but I do use a pinch of ginger. So if you don't have cornstarch and sesame seed oil laying around in your cabinet, you can omit those and use a pinch of ginger instead.

Ingredients
  • 8 ounces small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 stalks green onion, minced
  • 4 cups leftover rice, grains separated well
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if you are making a gluten-free version)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
1 In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.

2 Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds. Flip over and let the other side fry for 30 seconds, or until about 80% cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

3 Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.

4 Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.

5 Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add an additional 1 teaspoon of soy sauce if needed.

Enjoy
xxx

Great Sounds: Timothy Bloom + V

pictures courtesy of [1] [2]

Remember that amazing yet controversial D'Angelo video? I'm sure you do. It's practically the only song people can remember by him. These amazing new faces have recreated the sensational video taking it a step further. There has been a lot of hype about this video and it's easy to see why. Partial Nudity! Although the video skirts around inappropriateness, it's actually quite beautiful. Not only can the artists really sing, but their bodies look perfectly sculpted, ridiculously smooth and the most flawless shade of black.

Side note: V's body is what I've been working on all summer. I'm taking note and pumping my routine up a notch.

A little about the artists:

Timothy Bloom is a producer, singer, songwriter inspire by the classic R&B vibes. He's written work for Ne-Yo Chris Brown and more artists that we've come to know and love which undoubtedly credits him as a powerful force in the music industry. He grew up on music, playing instruments and singing since he was young. His debut album "In Full Bloom" should be out soon. In the meantime you can check out his EP featuring his single 'Til the End of Time" called "The Budding Rose". Check out his site here.

V is a multi-talented artist as well. Given she is a fairly new face to the main line, there's not much we know about her except that's she gorgeous and has an amazing voice! AMAZING! I can't wait to hear and see more of her. Check out her site here.

Until then, enjoy the video. FYI not suitablee for work.
Enjoy
xxx

7.28.2011

Good Reads: Water For Elephants

pic home [1]

In keeping to my New Year's resolution I went to the NY Times best sellers list and plucked out Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. The book was made into film. After seeing the trailers I was uninterested, simply dismissing it as another sappy Hollywood love story. (I'm not too partial to chick flicks). But my interest was piqued when I read all the wonderful reviews. Besides, if it made the list obviously it must be a great story.

Water For Elephants is the story of an old man who recalls the story of his youth. It is of a time when he meets tragedy and very quickly finds himself in the midst of a traveling circus. Along his journey he meets some very interesting characters including a very narcissistic ring master, a highly over powering chief operator, drunken works men, a grumpy midget, a mysteriously beautiful young woman and more. Jocab Jankowski's tale is an engaging depiction of a great adventure one can only dream of.

I loved this story because it was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. I expected unrealistic accounts of a fairytale like situation encompassed in some glittery feats of love. In fact the story was about adventure. It was about mystery. It was comical, provocative, and heart felt. (Well maybe the end is a bit unrealistic. You'll see when you read)

I believe the author did an incredible job. The story was packed with details. She did extensive background research on the circus including making several trips around the US to collect data. So as expected from her dedication to extracting such information, the story uses vernacular familiar to people in the circus business, and circumstances not to far from reality. I recommend this book to everyone!

After reading this I may actually go give the movie a gander.

Enjoy
xxx

Tasty Pallets: BBQ Chicken Pizza

All pictures & recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman. Her website is amazing!

I saw this recipe for a CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) BBQ chicken inpired pizza and was immediately salivating at the propect of eating it. Literally I could taste the crunch of the crust, sweetness of the bbq sauce and smell of bubbling mozzerella. Yum! I just had to make it!

The first time I made it I messed up on the pizza dough. I only had 2 cups of flour so I had to cut the recipe in half but for some reason that didn't really work out. I ended up creating a sort of flat pizza. Tasted ok, but I went back and did it again with the right amount of ingredients. I used this video to help me. Note: Make the dough about 2 hours before you make the pizza

You only need half the dough once you're finished to make the crust.

Ingredients:
  • 1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust
  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
  • Olive Oil, For Drizzling
  • Salt For Sprinkling
  • 16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
  • 1/2 whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
  • Chopped Cilantro, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time


Enjoy
xxx

7.27.2011

Why No One Helps You

On Sunday afternoon I made the long trek into Boston. The sun was out, the temperature was nice, and all was good in the neighborhood. I was especially happy because after months of having to listen to other people's conversations, birds, trucks etc I now had an Ipod to drown out the outside world. Funny how that didn't work though because as soon as I stepped onto the subway a behind me exclaimed "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen!". Oh brother.

All eyes shot to her with a bit of shock but no one made any sudden movements. Because she was standing right behind me it was hard simply ignore her and turn up the volume to my ipod. So I pressed paused and listened.

"I don't mean to do this to you. I know everyone of you wouldn't want to be in this situation. I know some of you are parents who love your kids dearly..." At this point almost everyone returned to what they were doing. A few continued conversations with their friends. Others looked down into the hands with extreme concentration trying to memorize every wrinkle. Then there were those who just turned their backs to her pretending as if her loud boisterous voice were just a whisper. We all knew what was coming.

"I have a daughter in Providence about to be dropped off. I left my wallet at home. I have absolutely no money. If any one of you could spare any money please it would help me so much."

A silence ensued. She huffed with breaths of exhaustion as if she had been running rapid in the streets of Boston looking for spare change. You could see the sense of desperation in her eyes. But like creatures of habit, everyone was hesitant. Shoulders went up while clutching their purses tightly to their body. Eyes rolled skyward. And I was one of them. Pessimistic. Surmising she would take the money and just use it for drugs. After all isn't that what they all do?

I turned my Ipod back on, but kept the music low.

"Please! I need help. No one will help me."

Right there a chord struck inside of me. I went in my bag, pulled out my wallet and drew out a crisp dollar bill and handed it to her.

So why did I do it? Because over the last months or so I have been struggling. Wishing that someone could just give me a hand. Praying that God would see my strife and alleviate it. But nothing. (at least for a while). No one had faith in me. And it's no mystery why because it was clear I didn't have faith in myself so why would anyone else trust me?

We tend to hesitate to help people because we don't trust their intentions. So when that lady (who by the way had on clean clothes, combed hair and was carrying a backpack) said the last line I imagined myself in her place. I imagined me being the people I ask help for. In that moment I realised why no one wanted to help me. Not because they didn't want to. Because they were unsure of my intentions. They didn't want to help me only to feel scammed moments later.

Giving that money to her had nothing to do about the money. I learned a valuable lesson that day, so she deserved to be rewarded for it.

I encourage everyone to stop the hesitation when someone asks for help. Those moments open an opportunity for you to impact society. It's not really your business what they do with the assistance you give them. You're job is to be a positive impact. Besides it's good karma and it will always come back to you ten folds.

xxx
Enjoy

7.23.2011

My Darling Amy

I'm so sad to hear that Amy is no longer with us and trust when I say she will be missed. One thing is for certain though, she left an unforgettable mark of this earth. She is and will always be a legend. One day our children's children will be singing her songs.

Great Sounds: The Weeknd

I found this character through tumblr. I really like him. Although most everything about this artist was shrouded in mystery (seriously I not even quite sure what he looks like), I was able to dig up some facts about him. The Weeknd is a Toronto based R&B artist whose first album "House of Balloons" came out in March 2011. Apparently one of his songs is being used as a promo for Entourage.

As I said before he's an r&b artist so most of his music has r&b influences. However there is a bit of an eclectic sound to it. I would even say neo-soul meets alternative. A lot of the comments I read on youtube refer it as love making music and I tend to agree. He's definitely talented and I would be surprise to find out he produces his own music. You can check out the very vague website here.

What You Need

High For This
Enjoy
xxx

You Must Really Hate Yourself

I'm back. Miss me? Well I know I missed you. Outside there's been a sweltering heat that refuses to cease. None the less, I'm enjoying basking in the sun, getting darker, and relishing in the joys of summer. Speaking of which I'm going on a rampage. I was having a conversation with a young black girl about hooking up her brother with someone. She expressed concern how she was having problems finding someone decent. She recalls the last girl he attempted to talk to was extremely ugly. "Why was she ugly I" asked to which she responded, "Well she's dark, and had natural hair."

My eyes squinted with confusion. As she was talking to me, I thought she must have been either blinded or extremely stupid. Me with my beautiful dark skin proudly sporting a dynamic Afro kept my mouth shut waiting for her to continue with valid reasoning as to why this woman was ugly. Instead an awkward silence ensued.

Maybe it's a bit naive of me, but I didn't think black women still thought like this. I kept thinking is she aware that her natural hair is curly? No matter how many perms she puts in her hair, at the end of the day it's still going to grow back in it's natural texture. As far as the skin color goes, I won't bother myself with such racist remarks.

It's absolutely absurd how some women define beauty. Most of which is superficially and highly unrealistic. But using skin color and hair textures as qualifiers for true beauty only shows how insecure one really is. I kept thinking to myself, this woman must really hate herself.

I understand that it's hard being black in America to some extent. But I also believe it's only hard if we perpetuate this line of thinking. How long are we going to keep thinking that black is not beautiful? Why the hell is it not?

So I guess my question to anyone who has ever encountered this is should we hate ourselves because we don't fit the mold? Should we attempt to lighten our skin and wear straight hair just to get a date? I really want to hear your responses because I'm most definitely following up on this topic.

Cheers
xxx

7.11.2011

Back To Black

pic via [1]

I'm in such a dark place right now. The irony is that I'm looking outside at blue skies with temperatures in the 90's. Alas, I'm miserable. Business is slow. Bills are piling up. And I'm getting so frustrated, it's hard to keep my head up. This is not the message I want to spread but I know I won't be blogging for a few days. Feel free to look through my archive as I work on getting out of my Amy Winehouse blues.

-Shirls

7.07.2011

Tasty Pallets: Grilled Chicken Ravioli

I randomly grabbed this at the grocers the other day and loved it! If you go to the supermarket you'll find the ravioli somewhere in the section near the vegetables and packaged salads. I grabbed this brand, but I'm pretty sure it's different at each store.

Ingredients:
1 package Grilled chicken Ravioli
2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese*
2 tsp basil*
1 tbsp olive oil
Tomato Pasta Sauce (optional)

*only use if Parmesan package is not included with the ravioli

Directions:
  • Bring a pot full of water to a boil. Be careful not to use too much watter. Depending on the size you purchased 3 cups should be enough.
  • Add ravioli and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes
  • Drain water
  • Drizzle with olive oil and toss with Parmesan & herbs


You can eat it just like this, but I find it's more flavorful when you add the tomato sauce.

Great Sounds: Florence + The Machine

Love love love Florence + the Machine. At one point in time I had almost every track of their latest album plastered on my facebook. Their music has be in constant rotation on my play list lately.

Florence + the Machine have an extremely hypnotic rhythmic heart pumping feet stomping hand clapping sound to almost every track they've ever release. It's brilliant! It's strange that some songs could be talking about something so tragic like heart break yet make it sound like a celebration.

I almost feel like a hippie running through a field naked in slender listening to their music. (I know...extreme. But hey it's the truth). I always feel transferred to another universe when listening to their music. It's like nothing else exists but sounds and words. This is the way music should sound!

Did I mention how much I love their music!
Side note: lately all the artists I've discovered have had  London roots. Is there something in the water over there? I simply must visit.





Enjoy
xxx

Don't Burn Bridges

Strange as I have lived my life by the exact opposite philosophy that I am now sitting here telling the world to not burn bridges. Again as I learn things about myself I like to share. So when I came across this quote from an acquaintance of mine I was moved.

He said "Don't burn bridges because you never know when you will need that person."
Though I know my associate was speaking mostly in terms of business, I feel this idiom truly falls into many aspects of our lives. Isn't it annoyingly true that when we most need something, it's through someone we no longer speak to?

I was moved so much by this that I started to reflect on things I could possibly be doing now had I just stayed in touch with so and so. This is a serious issue for me. I like to keep a set of matches handy because I LOVE burning bridges. As a matter of fact, I start throwing gasoline on the bridge at the first sign of trouble. Everything always has an expiration date, so rather then wait for that moment I figure severing the connection would make it much easier. For me of course.

To be honest, it's my low tolerance for ignorance, stupidity, and mistakes. In my sick little head I believe people can do no wrong. That we are all perfectly capable of doing what's moral and most ethical. And that anyone I encounter will do just that. I grew up with this fairytale ingrained in my head and now at 25, I still can't seem to comprehend that this ideal is not real.

It's no wonder why I'm constantly disappointed. I cut these connections out of fear of being infected by the same imperfections. Being a disappointment to someone else. A fear that my presence in their life is insignificant or unappreciated. Just a few theories, but I can never really tell for sure. All I know is that once I turn my back on these people, I never look back.

Sigh. I've heard this very phrase said in many ways to me and never really listened. But today I think I'll listen. So after one more social network purging (old habits...what can I say) I shall learn how to finally keep ties.

7.05.2011

Great Sounds: Girl In A Thunderbolt

I was blog surfing and came up across this phenomenal sound. I really love her style and she clearly has amazing talent. As you may know by now, I have eclectic taste in music that can go from classical to funk at any point in time. As for this sound, I can't categorize her music, but then again some music doesn't need categories. Just a simple "good music" label will suffice. You can check out her blog here.


and I love this one even though the video is kind of weird. But in a good way.
Enjoy
xxx

Don't Tell Her He's Cheating

pic via [1]
So let’s say hypothetically you happen to be out and about then notice a familiar face in the crowd. It’s your girlfriend’s bf. You get excited, quickly searching the immediate area around him for her. Only you notice that most peculiar thing. She’s nowhere to be found. In fact, her bf is now getting up close and personal with some woman who is not his girlfriend. And to make matters worse you have just become witness to the two of them sucking face & grabbing a handful of butt cheek. Congratulations. You have just walked into a land mine.

High Class Lady Woes

My sister is a prime example of what people call a high maintenance woman. On any given day you can expect to see in with manicured hands and feet, her body adored in the latest fashion and her hair styled to perfection. Even on her off days she manages to look primly polished. She follows the rules of lady etiquette very strictly. You won’t catch her placing her expensive purse (or any purse for that matter) on the floor. She smells as if she bathes herself in delicate perfume and when you speak to her the first question is almost always “Where do you see yourself in the future?”

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