Recipes I Want to Try Out (and the next MCB)

Welcome once again to the latest in the world of RaUM,

Every time I go to my aunt's house in Newark, the family is treated to a wonderful meal where everyone eats well, there are drinks a-plenty, and enough desserts to make your belly burst. Some of the desserts are staples available at every gathering while others are experiments that may or may not make the rotation for the next get-together. One of the new additions to the dessert list is a modified cheesecake. It's basically a thin cheesecake cut into small squares like a brownie. Being a bit of a cheesecake junkie, I had to ask my aunt for the recipe. Turns out it's a Paula Deen recipe that my aunt adopted after watching the Food Network one day: Savannah Cheesecake Cookies.


(Here's the pic from FoodNetwork.com)

It is delicious! The decadence of a cheesecake without the heaviness that can come sometimes accompany a large wedge of cheesecake. I personally love how the crust stands out so much more. For me, it's the thing that brings the whole cheesecake together. A bad crust can ruin a piece of cheesecake for me (let's be honest for a sec... a lot can go wrong with a cheesecake.. it's not limited to the crust). The pecans are a nice touch and add a nice texture to the overall "cookie".

It's super easy to make. It bakes quickly. And can be easily decorated to look very pretty on the table though this dessert still looks inviting even without any garnish!

I will definitely give this one a shot the next time I have company over.

Another recipe I've been dying to try my hand at (and have been very lazy to start up) is ajiaco. Now granted, with the weather warming up this isn't necessarily the optimal meal so if it's gonna go down, it has to be soon. For those of you who are not familiar with ajiaco, click here.

(This is one 'interpretation' of ajiaco)

One of the few vivid memories I have of being in Colombia - both as young child and later in my pre-teen years - was the seeing the dining room table (and occasionally a side table) full of food. A delicious spread of food for the entire family. All those years spent in the kitchen, perfecting recipes with generations of Gonzalez children, allowed my grandmother to present us with the magic that is her cuisine during my stays there. I regret not being more curious about the prep work and doing more hands-on cooking while I was there. The only recipe I really "learned" was how to put together empanadas just before you throw them into a pot full of hot oil. Which, for the record, is a great lesson in and of itself... lol.

Years ago, I scoured the internet trying to find a recipe that reminds me of my grandmother's style of ajiaco. My mother had also attempted to make one using my father's faulty memory for the ingredient list. It was ok... but it needed something... more. It's hard to say what was missing. I think I'll just go back to some Colombian recipe sites and just pick one recipe and use that as my baseline ajiaco. If any of you have suggestions for where I may find a good recipe (or have a family member willing to give up their own personal recipe), please pass the info my way.

The last recipe in my "Top Three" that I want to try soon is another Food Network inspired meal. This one is by Ellie Krieger (star of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger): Succotash with Grilled Scallops and Parsley Drizzle.



Need I say more? How awesome does that look?

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This weekend's MCB (2-27) features two songs you may be familiar with already - Jason Mraz's I'm Yours and Mercy by Duffy. Boxer Rebellion makes another appearance on this list with Flashing Red Light Means Go.

Enjoy, ladies and gents!

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Between grading lab assignments for my two classes and going out just about every day this weekend, I don't expect to post until maybe midweek at the earliest. Those of you who suffer from withdrawal symptoms when I do not post... you've been given fair notice. Then again you can always re-read previous posts. ;)

Have a great weekend!!! See you for the next entry...

Until next time, faithful reader

Introspective and Contemplative Musings...

I'm going to dig deep into 'me' today... You can always leave now before things get messy... This will not be a light-hearted entry or one filled with interesting anecdotes of my quotidian life...

Still here?

OK then. Suit yourself. You've been warned...

First off, I'm doing this because it's the only method I haven't tried yet to get over this mental funk that I feel I'm in. All the bravado and energy I started the year with is starting to fade just a little and I'm looking to recapture that spark.

You should also know that I hate opening up and exposing myself too much. I've always felt it wasn't in my nature to do so. However, I now feel it's not nature but nurture (or maybe the lack of it) that's at the heart of things.

Bear with me as I open up a little bit. As this is serving as a thought dump, I may end up all over the place and you're not obligated to connect the dots.

- Over the years, I've been told I have emotional barriers. (It happened as recently as a few days ago) Though this may be true, I've never given it much serious thought before today. You can consider this entry a rudimentary self-exploration to what's going on in my noggin. (More stalling? Damn...)

- I'm accustomed to repressing, hiding, or masking my true feelings on many occasions. So much so that I end up on one of two extremes: (1) not being able to open up when I really want to, or (2) I keep things inside to the point that I uncontrollably let out some emotion (usually anger but it's not limited to that).

- I have a constant need to feel like I have to do anything and everything to the best of my ability. If I put in a half-assed effort to something, I usually feel like I let myself down. This need, however, is coupled with a need to impress others. If I feel I'll fail at meeting either of the two needs, I usually abandon that activity altogether whenever possible. It's better for me to not do anything than to fuck it up. This can't be healthy... and being aware of it now, I hope to change it. I hope it this old dog can still learn some new tricks.

- I was talking to my sister about something the other day. Essentially, people don't understand the degree to which we were made to feel like sh*t growing up. This was because of our dad and his constant put-downs. We were never good enough in his eyes. (Except when we did something he could brag about to co-workers about, then we were HIS kids. Every other time we were our MOM'S kids.) He was very vocal in reminding us on a consistent basis that we wouldn't amount to much and that we weren't very good at anything.

One residual side-effect of this is that I find it hard to accept compliments or praise. I justify this by easily dismissing it because I feel I can always do better and/or be better. It's almost as if who I am or anything I do is not praise-worthy. I tend to devalue myself because that's what I grew up with. The positive application of this attitude has been to drive myself to strive for excellence - and, when possible, perfection - in anything I do. Though when I feel that I can't do things well I abandon it altogether (see above). However, I also find that I usually stop myself from even trying if I deem I cannot do things well.

- I feel there are many people who are okay with mediocrity and accept their own limitations. This bothers me greatly and, personally, I cannot. Maybe it's a matter of perspective and they feel they are the best they can be. Maybe they don't realize they can be more than they are. On the contrary, I constantly feel like I should be challenging myself to be better in all aspects of my life, to be a better son, a better brother, a better worker, a better friend, a better lover.

Some things are easier to envision and extremely difficult to put into practice for me. I wish I could throw caution to the wind and not give a damn about the consequences but all I seem to think about are the what if's.

I was reminded of a quote I once heard and I read it again recently: older people do not regret what they have done but rather what they have not. I really need to take charge of things and not put myself in a position where I will regret anything later in life.

- I have never learned to properly deal with failure because I was made to feel like it wasn't a natural part of life. It was either success or nothing. Failure never seemed like an option for me. This is why I think I don't take a chance on anything... I need to know what I'm doing and how I'm doing it so I don't mess things up... It's not matter of preparedness but just me not wanting to fail.

- I'm afraid to open up to people because I've been made to feel like it is a sign of weakness. I hate being this way and, at times, try very hard to not get sucked into that emotional black hole where I disconnect from others. It's difficult for me to gauge how much is too much when I finally manage to share my feelings with others. Which is why I fear opening up in the first place. My apologies to those who have been frustrated by my tight-lipped nature...

- "Sand is so overrated. It's just tiny little rocks."

I recently saw a movie that I hadn't seen in years (one of my faves, actually) and it got me to thinking about things. I empathize with Joel. He's a shy man who has a self-perceived dull and uninteresting life, yet he has a lot of pent-up creativity and a sense of craziness about him. For much of my life, I've routinized my life to going to work and going home (rinse and repeat). Even Joel's experience with "fall[ing] in love with every woman I see that shows me the least bit of attention” is something I can relate to.

Watching this movie made me think about my life again. As beautiful and exciting as it would be, I can't expect to just sit around waiting to run into my own Clementine in Montauk (though, is a road trip in order?). I'm content where I am now... but is it enough? . . . . . .

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If I keep writing at this point, I'll veer off on a tangent that I don't want to go on now... so I'll leave you with a quote from the movie cited above.

Until next time, faithful reader...

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Joel: [in the house on the beach] I really should go! I've gotta catch my ride.
Clementine: So go.
Joel: I did. I thought maybe you were a nut... but you were exciting.
Clementine: I wish you had stayed.
Joel: I wish I had stayed to. NOW I wish I had stayed. I wish I had done a lot of things. I wish I had... I wish I had stayed. I do.
Clementine: Well I came back downstairs and you were gone!
Joel: I walked out, I walked out the door!
Clementine: Why?
Joel: I don't know. I felt like I was a scared little kid, I was like... it was above my head, I don't know.
Clementine: You were scared?
Joel: Yeah. I thought you knew that about me. I ran back to the bonfire, trying to outrun my humiliation.
Clementine: Was it something I said?
Joel: Yeah, you said "so go." With such disdain, you know?
Clementine: Oh, I'm sorry.
Joel: It's okay.
[Walking Out]
Clementine: Joely? What if you stayed this time?
Joel: I walked out the door. There's no memory left.
Clementine: Come back and make up a good-bye at least. Let's pretend we had one.
[Joel comes back]
Clementine: Bye Joel.
Joel: I love you...
Clementine: Meet me... in Montauk...