The Letter

In middle school, I had one of those incredible teachers you never forget. As an english teacher, Mrs. Goldblatt taught us to read, examine and write words every way you could possibly imagine. She was compassionate, knowledgeable and contagiously enthusiastic. She cared about her students in such a deep way; you knew she wanted to be there everyday. She is the one of the main reasons I find pleasure writing today. She had a major impact on my desire to teach one day; I desired to be just like her. I hope I'm making at least a fraction of the impact on my students as she did on all of us.

At the end of eighth grade, Mrs. Goldblatt gave every student a written sentiment whether a poem, letter or memory from the year. I received a letter which, you'll see, had enormous meaning to me. She wrote to me in future tense as though I taught at her daughter's school and happened to be her third grade teacher (though at the time, she and her husband had no children). Her words were insightful and inspirational. At 13, upon reading these words, I knew I wanted to fulfill her prediction of the type of teacher she thought I might become. Also, as you'll read, she referenced me as her Anne Frank; that was my identity for years to come.

Since then (1999), I have run into Mrs. Goldblatt here and there. We've briefly caught up, I met her dear children and I expressed my continuing dreams of pursuing a teaching career. The letter was forgotten for most of these years, but tucked away in a safe place. The last time I saw her was four years ago during my student teaching. A couple years later, I rediscovered the letter and found myself choked up reading the words once more- my dream had come true and her prediction partially fulfilled. Since we'd lost contact, I decided to keep the letter in the side door of my car in hopes I would one day run into her again and be able to share her meaningful words written to me thirteen years ago.

Two months ago, upon entering the doors of Trader Joe's, I spotted Mrs. Goldblatt as I hoped I would one day! I quickly ran to my car, grabbed the letter and went to find her in the aisles. We reunited and I was able to thank her for the immense impact she had on my life. The letter was only a tangible piece of what she'd meant to me through the years. I was able to share with her how encouraging her words and belief in me were.

She expressed desire to visit my classroom and meet my students. Of course I answered yes! I was delighted, yet somewhat nervous when she visited today! But what a great day. She brilliantly taught poetry to my students making them feel as though writing could be their escape into a world with endless possibilities (as she taught me thirteen years ago). It was a surreal experience and one I will never forget. 

Click to see the letter in full form

Mrs. Goldblatt... you'll always hold such a special place in my soul. Thank you for the encouragement, dedication and compassion then and now. I hope I can encourage and inspire my students for years to come as you did.

Ingredient Swap

My latest foodie influence is “Hungry Girl” Lisa Lillien. She began her career with a website and a book offering useful tips to anyone (unsurprisingly, mostly women) looking to monitor their caloric intake without losing any flavor, satisfaction or most importantly volume in their meals. Although I’d heard of her, I recently became familiarized when she appeared on my beloved Food Network with her own series. Her slogan is “Tips & Tricks for Hungry Chicks”. She shows how to make easy swaps in your food choices (from grocery stores to dining out) and introduces seemingly satisfying recipes for any occasion.

While I can’t yet commit to being her biggest fan, I am intrigued. So much so I was eager to attempt an offbeat swap she suggests for making brownies. Instead of adding the usual oil, eggs and occasional butter to a typical brownie mix, Lillien proposes substituting a can of pure pumpkin puree (which happens to be a standard on-hand ingredient in my pantry) for all of the above! Sounds foolish, doesn’t it? To the health conscious or pumpkin lover, such as myself, maybe not so outlandish, but to the if-you’re-going-to-eat-dessert-go-all-the-way population, this may be a taboo swap. I’d be happy eating any chocolate dessert that’s moist and savory, especially if I can eliminate some of the calories (and increase the nutritional value!?). Intake chocolate with less guilt? Yes, please!

The ultimate test? Make two batches of my typical Ghirardelli brownie mix (I’ve tried far too many brownie batches from scratch that didn’t live up to the store-bought boxes). One with the naughty, but flavorful, additional ingredients... one with pure pumpkin.

The results are in! Visually, the brownie batters looked different. The batter with pumpkin was airy and fluffy, while the control group had the expected, familiar dense look and feel. I had to spread the pumpkin batter in and around the pan, while the regular mixture simply distributed to the edges on it’s own. The mixes were poured into the same type of pan and were baked side by side at the same temperature. After the suggested cook time, the typical batch looked done and ready to cool. The pumpkin mixture seemed cooked on the edges, but wiggly in the center. I let them bake about ten minutes longer.

Typical me; I wanted to do a “blind taste test” for this experiment, but it was rather silly for this experiment. The texture between batches was extremely different and it was easy to tell which was an imposter. I’m sure we’re all familiar with what an amazing brownie should feel and taste like (especially coming from the best stock mix in the world). The pumpkin brownies were “more tacky and perhaps less flavorful” according to one brownie connoisseur. In my opinion, I wouldn’t use this ingredient swap for a potluck dessert, but I do plan to experiment with other wonders of what pumpkin can do for my baking. Perhaps I’ll even attempt another attempt in the brownie department.

You can find Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien at her website www.hungry-girl.com where you’ll discover thousands of food substitutions and tips.

Take What?!

Pretzels. Caramel. Peanuts. Peanut Butter. Chocolate Coating.

I just introduced to my favorite candy bar. This is an extremely big deal. Salty and sweet, the most adored flavor combination in the world, was mastered and packaged in a little red and gold package known as the Take 5.

You might wonder why I’m elated and enraged at the same time? The Hershey Company released this bite of ecstasy in December 2004 and I’ve never sunk my teeth into it until tonight. I’m mad at everyone I know who’s partaken and didn’t share their dirty little secret. Shame on you.

It could have been a typical Monday night. Instead, it became the perfect start to my week. My next mission? Let’s see if I can recreate it in my kitchen. More to come.

What are you drinking?

This question doesn’t present itself too often, as I don’t regularly find myself in bars or nightclubs. But when it does, I’m now decisively ready with, “I’ll have my usual.”

This past September, I found myself on an all-white cocktail birthday cruise with my dear friend, Kylie.

What cocktail does one enjoy in such an elegant, fun setting? As I approached the bartender for the first time, one particular, life-of-the-party guest shouted out to me, “Girl, what cha drinkin’!?” (We met up on the dance floor quite a few times later that evening.) Hum… my usual rum and diet? A margarita? The typical girlie cosmopolitan every other female on the boat was holding? “I’m not sure… any suggestions?” (It was obvious she did and considering I’m not much of a drinker, I decided to trust my new stranger friend.) She ordered for me what she’d been sipping on all evening, which turns out to be my new favorite cocktail to date, Tequila and Ginger.

Some call it the Tequila Ginger Snap, made with two parts ginger ale, one part tequila.

Others refer to it as the Tequila Slammer, which is typically made with equal parts tequila and carbonated beverage (7 Up, ginger ale, Mountain Dew etc.) and is often served as a shot.

Since then, I’ve ordered similar variations and did a little in-home experimentation with ingredients. I prefer two parts ginger ale to one part tequila and a splash of lime juice over rocks. While more upscale tequila makes the drink smoother, I thoroughly enjoyed my own concoction with what my pantry held… José Cuervo. In addition, while typical ginger ale tastes great, if I’m going to mix my own cocktails, I’ll use Hansen’s Ginger Ale because there is less sugar, no corn syrup and no calories. Also, in a blind taste test, it beat out the others, hands-down.

Happy Anniversay Mile 1,234!!

Wow, it's been a year since we started this blogging adventure. I'll never forget the night we sat on Amy's couch in her new apartment, brainstorming blog names and writing our first post. How much has gone by in a year!

I remember when we first came up with the idea with the intentions to write about life's path as independent, young professionals. This all included but were not limited to: helpful tips, favorite things, lessons learned, revelations, and inspirations that came forth or got us through this challenging yet exciting time.

For me it started with 1,234 miles away from home and ended up doubling as I moved from rainy Seattle to big sky Bozeman and now to my next stop, unknown Eugene! Just like the miles doubled, so did the lessons learned and the realization of how much more I have ahead of me. This past year taught me patience, humility and perseverance.

For two busy working women, I think we've done a decent job documenting some of our thoughts the past year. I'm glad we stayed committed to this idea and I think it's only going to get even better from here.

Thanks to all our readers who listened and kept us writing.

Wishing Away

Does anyone else think the question, “Is it Friday yet?” should be banned from Monday morning workdays? I do.

Weekends are great; I completely agree. It’s a refreshing time to recover from a busy five days of thinking, planning, performing and doing whatever it is you do. I’ll admit to enjoying my weekends and especially enjoying the three-day breaks that come around. But are we wishing our lives away?

Most people don’t have jobs they thoroughly enjoy. For those that do, this is easier said than done. But I think we need to give ourselves a daily reminder (especially on Mondays) that life is precious and short. Each day is a meaningful piece to the big picture (sounds cliché; I realize). If you wish away Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday… once Friday arrives, you’ll be back dreading how quick the weekend will go by presenting, well, Monday morning again. Sound familiar?

How can we enjoy each day, including the less-than-weekend-fun workdays? I'm currently striving to experience Mondays as I do Saturdays and Sundays.

Ode To My Freezer

I don’t know what I’d do without my freezer. If I had the choice, I think I’d prefer a refrigerator with equal ratio of freezer to refrigeration space. Aside from the obvious residents (ice cubes, ice cream, flash frozen vegetables etc.), there are many other guests to invite to the party. Here are a few reasons I’m smitten…

As Jessie mentioned in Frugal Feasting: Mom's Even Better the Next Day Pasta Salad!, preparing food ahead of time for ready made lunches is key to a full-time work schedule. I take this one step further, as my freezer is generally more crowded then my refrigerator. After a meal, I fill multiple glass containers with hot recipe leftovers to freeze them the same day. After a few weeks of varying meals, I have different leftover options each day of my workweek. This way, I never get sick of the original dish. I pull a container out to defrost the day before I plan to have it for lunch. Instant, warm, savory meals at my fingertips!

My freezer is also home to many carbohydrate products, which normally spoil given there’s only one person working at consuming them. Bread and tortillas actually live there quite comfortably, ready to go when needed. Tortilla chips don’t even freeze and can be eaten straight out of the freezer as fresh and crispy as when you first opened the bag!

A go-to snack I always have on hand is frozen grapes. They’re more nutritious than ice cream or popsicles, but hold the same sweet, cold, satisfying crunch!

You can freeze fresh lemon or lime juice or even prepared pesto sauce in ice cube trays for quick, on-hand ingredients. I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve heard of many people using this method to store batches of homemade baby food purees for nutritious, convenient meals.

If you own an ice cream maker with a removable bowl, it needs to be completely frozen before you put it on the base, add ingredients and begin the churning process. I store my bowl in the back of my freezer in case an ice cream craving occurs when I least expect it!

Are you making good use of your freezer space?

According to an article in Real Simple magazine, here are some estimates of approximate freezer friendly timelines:

Breads and cakes: 3 months

Casseroles: 3 months

Cooked chicken pieces: 4 months

Raw chicken pieces: 9 months

Vegetable or meat soups and stews: 2 to 3 months