I was FINALLY under budget this week for groceries. This was even with a few luxury foods, like bacon. (Mmmmm, bacon.)
Of course, with how OVERbudget I was last week, I just might -- might -- even out. I really hate skimping when it comes to good food. And, unlike my childhood years, cooking with the good stuff is expensive. One of our splurges used to be Kraft mac'n'cheese; now homemade mac'n'cheese is the bigwig. Kraft? Three for a dollar.
I'm beginning to rejuvenate my interest in cooking after a month-or-so-long reluctance. Sunday night I experimented with making pita -- the oven wasn't quite hot enough to make them puff-pocketed, but they're still delicious, and go wonderfully with the hummus recipe that I'm always on a quest to perfect. This weekend's project is Welsh clay-pot loaves. I love the idea of bread baked in a flowerpot. The recipe in the book wants chives, parsley, and sage, but I think I'm going with rosemary instead. I've been hungering for a rosemary garlic bread.
Yesterday something interesting happened. I woke up with a bad case of the Mondays, felt inexplicably stressed, anxious, doubtful and depressed, and went to work with a dread of the day...but the foul cloud dissipated as I went about my working tasks.
It's been a long time since going to work made me feel better. And it wasn't like it was a breeze-along day; it was insane. But I enjoyed myself. And was thankful.
And even the snow has morphed from midwinter snows to early spring snows. The difference is palpable. Come on, sunshine!!
6 comments:
I'm jealous of your baking/cooking exploits. I wish I wasn't in graduate school and had more time to do things I actually enjoy.
I'm beginning to rejuvenate my interest in cooking after a month-or-so-long reluctance.
I'm in the same boat. So once again, I'm going to use you for inspiration. I hereby vow that for one week, I will not eat anything that wasn't prepared by my own hand. I make that vow knowing it will fail on both Friday and Saturday because I am going out to eat both nights, but that's part of a conference, and I consider that professional development, so I won't be counting that.
P.S. I'll be presenting at a conference in April about A.S. Byatt and it's all because you recommended her to me, so you can add a feather to your hat for that. Heck, add two. Feathers are cool.
My gosh, I'm not sure my hat will fit anymore if my head gets any bigger!!
You're the bomb, Matt. Let me know how the conference goes! What's your presentation about?
Some of my friends and I formed a panel called Power and Resistance: An Examination of How 20th Century British Novelists Re-write the Past. My paper is titled “You Do Not Have the Right to Remain Silent: Discourses on Sexuality in A.S. Byatt’s Possession”. I basically do a Foucauldian reading of the text and argue that the characters are actually forced by society into discourse about their sexuality, but in highly regulated way.
Wow, does that sound pompous and intellectual. Yikes.
Oo, interesting! I'm assuming this regulation includes (or is predominated by) the sexual undertones in the various nineteenth century characters' writings (poetry, letters, diaries) and art, in addition to interpersonal discussion?
And isn't there some sort of author factor in Foucauldian criticism? What do you say about the author's involvement in illuminating directly to the reader what is only speculated by the twentieth century characters? (If that even relates. I'm really rusty on my litcrit.)
I'd love to read the paper! Email! Email!
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