a new (old) skill

So, on Monday, when I went to create that weirdly delicious summer salad I told you about, I ran into a snag. I don't know how I've gotten by so long without knowing how to hard boil eggs, but somehow, I have. 

I had to call my Grandma, who will turn 87 years-old on Saturday. She is my go-to contact with all basic cooking questions, like how to make a white sauce, or how long to roast a particular kind of meat, and at what temperature. And here is what she told me:

1. cover the eggs with water
2. bring the water to a boil
3. turn the heat down to medium and simmer eggs for 10 min.
4. immediately dump the eggs into a bowl of cold water and let them cool
5. ta-da! hard-boiled eggs. 

I feel smarter, and even a little more grown-up for knowing this. If you knew it already, good for you. If you didn't, now you know;)

a date night with "soul power"

This week, the hubs and I had a rainy-night-date-night-in.

We cooked soba noodle bowls (yum!), kicked back, and popped in this documentary about the Zaire music festival of 1974, which was put on at the same time as the Rumble in the Jungle boxing match:



So good. I can't even handle how fascinating it was, to watch this documentary and think about all the rhetorical moves being made. First of all, there was just a lot of great music. But, beyond that, there were political issues, and socio-economic issues that had us talking well into the night. The great thing was that there wasn't anything too preachy about said issues--they were just there, for viewers to notice. I've actually been dreaming up ways to use this in my composition classes: what arguments are being made here? By whom? For what purposes?

Good stuff, for date night, and for teaching...

Meatless Monday

Hello, friends!

We are back from our little jaunt up to Manistee, MI. It is kind of magic how even a few days away can refresh mind and spirit...I mean, I have had this feeling of, "aaah..." all day today. Weird, huh? But, it's true. And we've all heard how amazing Europeans are when it comes to things like average vacation days, and how we Americans suck in comparison. But, I just read an article in Whole Living last night about how necessary vacations are, that they even increase overall productivity, motivation and creativity in the workplace...and I believe it. Our trip was nothing special: walks on the beach, cooking food, sitting and reading. Sleep. Repeat. But, those simple, slow, un-plugged activities have recharged me! Hopefully, I'll have some pics to share later this week.

Seeing as today is Monday, and I'm getting back into the groove, I thought I'd share another Meal Plan Monday with you. Except, remember when I shared my summer goals? I'm making it my mission to have one day a week be totally meat-less. Then, I came across this site--sort of a headquarters for such thinking. It got me to thinking about devoting my Monday posts to my meatless endeavors.

Now, don't get me wrong: I love meat. LOVE it. L-O-V-E. I think I'm too French to do without it entirely. I'm too French to give up a lot of things (the reason why I can't ever be vegan, I'm pretty sure).

What I appreciate about the idea of "meatless monday"--or any day--is not only the health benefits of trying to incorporate more veggies and fruit into one's regular diet, but also the environmental benefits of cutting back. This will be our fifth week of going meatless at least one day. So far, it has been easy, and delicious. I try to plan my week's cooking ahead of time, but I'm certainly not bound to a particular day of the week to be "the day." I think that would feel too stifling to me. However, since I usually do my meal-planning on Mondays, I figured I'd share with you, friends, what I'm planning to make, sans meat.

Hence, Meatless Monday.

So, this week, I plan on making:

 Eric Ripert's Baked Eggs and Ratatouille 

(have you seen Avec Eric yet? I love hearing him talk!)

And today, I created a totally yummy sandwich for lunch. Try it an let me know what you think!

How to:  

• Take 2 slices whole grain bread (I used Oat Nut)
• Layer on 1-2 slices of baby swiss cheese
• Toast bread and cheese
• Spread 1 tbs. Strawberry Preserves on 1 pc. of toast (I used Bonne Maman)
• Pick 4-6 leaves fresh basil and place on top of preserves
• Top with final piece of toast

Enjoy!

Speaking of "going meatless," what do you think? I've had many lively discussions about the topic--some people are so into it, they kind of make it seem like if you *aren't* a vegetarian, you're not a very good person. Others are totally the opposite and would eat bloody meat in front of a baby to prove a point.  Where do you fall on the spectrum?