Eggy-Spearmint! (Trans: experiment)

 A few weeks ago, Daniel led me in a science experiment! First, you put an egg in a cup full of vinegar.

                                    Then, you leave it to rest in the refrigerator for a day or so

                          The vinegar "eats away" at the calcium of the shell and makes bubbles!...

...which leaves the e'gg rubbery. At this point, you drop it on the floor! (or, to be safe, in the sink)

Thanks to our modern-day, genetically-engineered, thin-shelled eggs, this experiment didn't work so well. Poo. :(    

Here is a kid-friendly (a.k.a. Tara-friendly) link that explains the science behind the experiment: http://www.kidzone.ws/science/egg.htm
What are some of your favorite science experiments?

A quick-writ poem:

You take what nature you can find,
Start claiming park space three-feet wide.
You coddle pebbles, cherish seeds,
Hoard dirt, drink rain, and water weeds.
The shrinking lush and strangled thrush
Each torn-foot dove's last cooing.
You grasp at straws--the grass that was--
As smoke fills up the blue-ing. 

Toilet Troubles

Our bathroom has its perks and quirks:

Perk: You can brush your teeth and use the toilet at the same time.

Quirk: If I get pregnant, we'll have to move.

Perk: ....

Quirk: If I drink too many  PB and Basil milkshakes, we'll have to move.

Perk: ...

Quirk: Occasionally a slippery-as-fish bar of soap might leap from your  hands and get flushed. There's nothing you can do but stare in horror and hope the plumbing holds.

Behold:

Reviews and the New 'Stache in Town!

Here are two Pictures-Worth-a-Thousand-Words reviews for frozen meat products:

 1. Applegate (brand) Organic Turkey  Burgers. Thankfully, we piled our burgers high with enough condiments that they were actually pretty great once I removed the actual 'burger.' (Daniel ate all of his, though)

2. Chicken from a Private Selection (brand) "Barbecue Chicken" pizza. This I had high hopes for, as it describes itself as being "Marble Hearth Baked." What does that even mean?! I fell for it, apparently. Never again!! (But once again, chicken-removed, this pizza was pretty tasty)

On a more positive note, Beers! Fun beers, some of which you may or may note be able to purchase in Oklahoma. (Haven't checked, but...just one more reason to visit Wichita!!)

And a new animal, the flat-bottomed sloth! From this pattern at Wild Olive (thank you, Christi, for sharing!): http://wildolive.blogspot.com/2012/05/pattern-mamas-and-babies.html

 

And finally, this is what I get to wake up to for the next...day. (No more, I swear! ;)

 

200!

 Jenny, Ilana, and ATTACK OF THE FINGER NARWHALS! at Food for Thought (note all the healthy, colorful cleaning products in the background!)

 Daniel overwhelmed by Cocoa Dolce Gelato! 5-month "anniversary" celebration. I brought my camera just so you could see this Gelato in all of its glory, but definitely forgot until the gelato was 1/2-way to extinction.

Homemade Gazpacho! And not too bad! Based it on this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gazpacho-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=gazpacho&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
However, I left out all the ingredients we didn't have--olives, croutons, tomato paste, green onions--as well as the egg (just sounded strange, y'know?). Substituted red wine vinegar for the white.  Totally ignored all the proportions and just used what looked right. Added fresh basil, yum! Anyway, somewhat to my surprise it was delicious! Lots of chopping. But pretty simple.

Goin' Old School! This is all part of my self-study Journalism program. At some point, I'll have to stop reading and start writing (or, at least start writing)...but I am excited to learn a new 'secret' code!

This is blog post number 200, by the way! Milestone!
And so, I will share with you one of my new favorite things, from a blog written by a church acquaintance--Peanut Butter and Basil Milkshakes! This is a great way to use garden basil if you are growing your own! I used almond butter since that's what we had and Daniel detests PB, and it was just perfect. I am actually flirting with the idea of making another one. For breakfast. Here is the link:

http://minimalistbaker.com/peanut-butter-and-basil-milkshake/

Next, an article about Brady Heights, my old Tulsa neighborhood:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=41&articleid=20120721_44_D3_CUTLIN258153

Sharing is the way of the future, it seems--sharing whatever resources you might have with your neighbors. So that, when you need to hang a picture but don't have a hammer, you know who to borrow from instead of feeling like you have to go out and buy one. Interesting!


Random "rallying-cry" poem:

Look, let's go back
To the way it began,
To pursuing both whim
And encompassing Plan.
To remembering why
To recalling the source
Of our hopes and our joys
And our Super-man force.
Let's go back to beginnings
Excitement long-dead
To the time when each set-back
Just pushed us ahead.

Breakfast of Champion Sweet-Tooths!

 Ah, breakfast...(actually, my morning repast was just 1 chocolate-bananagasm muffin with almond butter, and a bowl of honey nut cheerios topped with peaches! and, duh, home-roasted coffee!!)

Wonderful "Surprise!" gift book from April, wherein can be found the recipe for chocolate-bananagasms! OR, you can keep reading....... :) (you should probably buy this book, as there is not a SINGLE recipe in here that i don't want to make. but if i don't get around to it, you can blame the/my economy.)

I may've mentioned this before, but if you ever visit Wichita, there are 3...4 (uh-oh my list is growing! stop thinking, Tara!) places you MUST go to eat!

(There is an order to this list. The last 2 places may be my favorites)
1.  Il Vicino--wood-oven pizza! Okay, this is a [small] chain, but there was a location 2 blocks from my mom's house before she moved, so it has a great neighborhood feel to me. Thin, delicious crust, lovely toppings like artichokes, spicy shrimp, portabellas, fresh basil, oregano, rosemary...

2. The Anchor--so many beers to choose from (note: I had my first palatable IPA here, by Ska Brewing Co.)!  But in addition to that, a menu that includes a variety of high-quality meat burgers, such as the Haystack ("an open-faced beef burger topped with hand-cut fries and then smothered in queso") and the Green Chili Turkey Burger ("yoder turkey topped with pepper jack and smoked poblano pepper"). Here's their website: www.anchorwichita.com

3. Caffe Moderne--cold, refreshing sandwiches! perfect for summer! (they also serve warm paninis, crepes, stromboli, gelato...) I am mainly giving you all this food info because I keep craving Caffe Moderne. I never buy ingredients for making great sandwiches at home. It's always PB and J for lunch, which gets old. Here is one of my favorites, The Gracie: "Smoked turkey, gorgonzola, strawberries, baby spinach, and honey-thyme Mayo on a croissant." That wouldn't be too hard to replicate, right? www.caffemoderne.com

4. COCOA DOLCE! I could get their gelato every day. And I'm fairly certain it's the best gelato deal in town. Just $3 for a small, which is served either in a dish or, at no additional charge(!) in a chocolate- or white-chocolate-dipped waffle cone! And their servings are generous, I might add! Sure, the dishes are small, but they OVERFLOW with the best gelato I've ever greedily consumed. Yesterday, I had Caramel Cafe gelato in a chocolate-dipped cone, and sat outside reading my Journalism textbook after work. So relaxing!

5. whoops...Freddy's Frozen Custard. Where you can get cookie dough concretes with *gasp* Enough Cookie Dough!

Alright, sorry for all that. Come visit! I will take you to all these places! It will be a food-lover's Vacation To Remember!

And now, as promised: BANANAGASMS! (yes, I DO get a kick out of saying that, fine!)

Ingredients:
3 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 large very ripe bananas, pureed
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c dutch-processed cocoa powder (this stuff really is superior to regular cocoa powder, depending on the recipe i suppose--I didn't have any so just used a high-quality 'normal' cocoa powder)
1 1/2 tsp bakng powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter, room temp
1 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c cacao nibs (or mini chocolate chips, if you want to simplify)

1. Melt chocolate by placing it in a medium heat-resistant bowl, and putting the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove from heat and let cool. Stir in banana puree.

2. Combine dry ingredients separately. Preheat oven to 325.*

3. Cream butter and brown sugar (a stand-mixer works best!) until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Slowly and carefully blend in the dry ingredients, nibs, and choco-banana combo. (NEVER over-mix a muffin! This part you can do, or at least finish, by hand).

4. Divide the batter into 12 lined muffin cups. (I got 14 muffins out of this??) Bake 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and let 'em go for another 5-10 min. (5 was plenty in my oven!)

So easy, and so...so...so...delicious! The author, Kir Jensen, recommends serving them with any kind of nut butter.

And finally, The Sugar Cube is a food cart in Portland...which Daniel and I may get to visit now, as we are Portland-bound coming this October! (last week of the month--i'm so excited to see how Portland decorates for Halloween!!! :) IT'S HONEYMOON TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! any recommendations for Portland sight-seeing?

*I waited until now, so that it wasn't heating up for no reason while I waited for that chocolate to cool.

Tooth-brushing for the Holidays