Bind & CrEATe

My roommate and I have this joke about risotto. This is a dish reserved for those who have patience. This is a dish reserved with those who have a quiet peace about them. It’s not like a willy nilly stew, where you’re just chopping and throwing items into the wind (or pot, rather). It requires calm confidence. Some of those qualities, I lack. Thankfully, my roommate does not.

The other night we performed some tag team cooking. I worked on the recent tagine while Cat stirred together this risotto. We decided to beef it up with chickpeas (I mean, come on, who wouldn’t?), and I watched as Cat stirred and stirred. And added water. And stirred. I’ve made risotto before in a past life. But I can’t say it’s something I jump toward.

Even though our patience joke has proven to be true on multiple occasions, I can’t help but find fault with that part of myself. I’ve always been a list maker. I’ve always been a jump-from-one-thing-to-the-next kind of person. But I wouldn’t mind getting a little better at being patient. Taking my time on something. Really making it worthwhile and high quality. Sometimes, I think I move too fast, which is why some of my “work” isn’t exactly how I want it. Why do I rush?

I really love this quote about patience, and I really resonate with it — “Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience.”

Are you a patient person? What are your tips?

This week, I brought the taste of Morocco to a tiny duplex in Pittsburgh. Know anything about Morocco? I really don’t.

We made this dish from the Vegan Planet (“Green Bean & Chickpea Tangine”), and I couldn’t help but think I wouldn’t like it. What a thing to think while cooking. That really sucks the life out if it, huh?

Truth is, I’ve never been one for mixing dried fruit with vegetables. I’ve thrown some dried cherries on a salad a few times, but I wouldn’t call it customary. I decided to just go for it with this one, and I was super excited with the results. I can’t get over how the kitchen smells.

The main players in this dish are two of my favorites. You know I’m a sucker for chickpeas in anything. There’s just so much variety to this combination. Almonds. Chickpeas. Green Beans. Lemon Zest. Cinnamon. Turmeric. You name it – and the ingredient is in it. I even got to experiment with Allspice for the first time ever.

Apparently tagine comes from “tajine,” which is the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. I didn’t have a tagine in any sense of the word, so this old American stew pot did the trick. To think of how many soups and stews have been created in this pan.

Here’s the Moroccan Mystery in all it’s glory. Not so hard afterall. I’m proud to say this year has been a big one in terms of cooking. I don’t necessarily eat, cook or shop like I used to, but I think that’s a good thing. In 2011, I’ve become a lot more experimental. I mix berries with vegetables. I try vegan dishes I would have never dreamed of before. And I’m open to eating butter once in a while.

I might not be in the best shape of my life, but I feel okay. Not only do I work hard – but I play hard too, and food is very much a part of that. I’m so very lucky, and happy.

Go quickly. Go now. Visit Uncommon Goods and buy something. Anything. It can be this lunch pot. It can be a gift for your mother. I don’t care what it is. Just support the cause because this site has some of the most imaginative and useful items I’ve ever seen.

I’m already preparing for my new job. I’m preparing for the long bus ride commutes, getting home at later hours and the dreaded early rising. I’m terrible at waking up. The worst. Yeah, I know a lot of people who say the same thing, but they don’t have to set three alarms. Good thing I’m all ready to eat breakfast on-the-go.

I love the “instructions.” Or, whatever they are. I love that little man. That’s like me in the morning. The guy with the X. I’m angry and confused about opening something.

Anyway, enough rambling. I’m ready for future breakfasting from here on out. SO EXCITED.

I can’t wait to tell all my internet friends about my Laptop Lunchbox. That’s next. Stay tuned, kids.

Tonight I did something I’ve never done before. I went to the movies alone. No girl’s night. No date night. Just me, myself and a large diet soda that cost me as much as a ticket to see “I Don’t Know How She Does It.”

There are benefits to going to the cinema by yourself.

1. You can get a seat almost anywhere.

2. You can see a rom-com without forcing your boyfriend to go (and he would go, and he would suffer, because he loves you). Or that friend who really doesn’t have the cash but doesn’t want you to go alone (who really hates Sarah Jessica Parker).

3. You can show up whenever you want. Leave whenever you want. Even in the middle of the movie, if you decide you don’t like it.

4. You can use the seat next to you as a purse hook.

5. You can save money. Especially if you hit the Tuesday night $5 special.

There are also some cons to going to the cinema by yourself.

1. Those annoying girls behind you. Yeah, the six that came in, clanged their purses off your head and kicked your seat? They’re not going anywhere, and you have no one with you to make fun of them with.

2. Those annoying girls behind you. You get, well, kinda jealous of them. How they all came here together. Left their husbands, their kids for the night. They’ve been friends for a while. You miss your friends for a moment.

3. Your soda and purse when you run to the bathroom. Should you leave them? You decide against it. You’re not sure about those annoying girls behind you.

4.The funny scenes just aren’t as funny without your guy whose laugh makes you laugh harder. Or your good friend who has those great little asides like, “That would never happen in real life.”

5. The fear of looking lonely. Do you look single, alone and desperate, even if you are none of those things?

You do not look lonely.

I think it takes a lot of courage to do things by yourself. Sure, there are those things you do everyday alone. You may drive to work alone. Go to the gym alone. Take a lunchtime stroll alone. But there are those other things – the things you would never dream of doing just by yourself because, well, honestly they seem more fun with someone else.

Mini-golfing. Dinner out. An amusement park. A vacation.

Have you ever done any of these things alone?

I may have a great boyfriend. I may have the best family and friends in the world. But sometimes, you just have to take yourself on a date. Get dolled up, do your hair. Buy yourself a guilty pleasure (i.e. diet pepsi) and treat yourself the way you like to be treated.

It’s good to know how to be alone sometimes.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending my cousin’s Greek Orthodox wedding. I had never been to this type of marriage ceremony before, and it was a lot to take in. The church was covered in gold, everything was sung and I stood so long my heels almost attached to my feet. But all in all, wedding #7 of the year was surrounded by the people I love most celebrating the thing I like most (sap alert): love.

The thing I love most about weddings is family. Because of my large (and extending) family, I’ve had the opportunity to go to a slew of different kinds of weddings. I must admit – some are more fun than others, but each time I go, I’m filled with a lot of love and admiration for the event. I’m not one for the fuss and frills of a wedding, but I do enjoy the rituals and the commitment that two people make to one another.

It’s also great to see other couples get in touch with their romantic side. I had one of the best weekends ever with my family, and I was especially happy to spend so much time with my brother and his wife. They certainly made the wedding a lot of fun, and my feet never stopped dancing due to their constant fun-seeking

Someday, it will be my turn to get married. I don’t fantasize or daydream about the day. I just know it will be one worth remembering. Hopefully I’ll have a smile this big – or bigger.

Have you been to a memorable wedding this year?