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#10: Cook something in my newly inherited crock pot

16 Dec

It’s no secret that I’ve been meaning to continue learning how to cook new things this year. This extends to using the crock pot that I inherited from my grandmother’s stash. And since half of my life lately seems to be motivated by finishing Scavenger Hunt 101, knocking #63 (a kitchen appliance) off while I’m accomplishing a 30 before 30 goal at the same time? Obvious.

before

After a brief poll on twitter, I decided to go with Marianne’s Slow Cooked Black Bean Soup, because my black bean-obsessed phase doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. I used leftover gift cards to buy a cheap immersion blender, and dusted Ghami’s crock pot off. Marianne cooked her soup in a much larger crock pot than the one I have, so I cut the recipe in half.

during

Things worked out so that my sister was over to enjoy this easy dinner with me, and let me tell you – this was SO tasty, and coming home to a good-smelling apartment that contained dinner that was ALREADY COOKED? Felt awfully luxurious. The soup ended up on the spicier side, which would probably be good for most people, but for my weakling’s palate, one habanero seemed just a touch too spicy. (I forget that when I use one in chili, the recipe itself is much bigger so the impact is smaller. And actually, I just wrote “one hot pepper” on my grocery list, so didn’t remember to try to look for the chipotles that Marianne used.)

black bean soup

So I learned not only that the crock pot is as great as it seems like it would be, but also that non-canned beans aren’t nearly as much of a hassle as I had originally assumed. And! I didn’t even splatter my entire kitchen with black beans while using the immersion blender. So I’d call that a pretty damn successful dinner.

The Power of the Internet

4 Nov

So a pretty awesome thing happened this week, awesome enough that I have to tell you about it. I have been looking forward to the fall installment of ‘Roid Week, now that I have a polaroid camera of my own, and I’ve (sort of) gotten past my fear of actually using it. Polaroid week only comes around twice a year, and after following along, I was really jazzed about getting to participate.

Except … my un-airconditioned apartment pretty much ruined my Silver Shade film from the Impossible Project. Or, the combined powers of my fear of doing the wrong thing and the extreme sensitivity to temperature of the film itself combined to ruin the film. But I didn’t find this out until the start of this week, when I took a few pictures and they turned out like this:

hot apartment + silver shade = ruined film

And while the swirls are actually really interesting in their own right, I was bummed. And I said so on twitter, just because I was so disappointed. I was shocked when I got a reply from the Impossible Project itself, telling me to call their store in NYC, because they could help me out. For real?

ten, slightly blurry

Yes, for real. I talked to Anne, who was super nice, and offered to send me a new pack, and quickly, in the hopes that I could still participate in Polaroid Week after all. This is the kind of amazing (completely unexpected) customer service that you hear about, but don’t really ever experience. I mean, I sort of ruined the film by my own stupidity (or lack of knowledge, perhaps…) so getting another chance was kind of the last thing I expected. I came home to a box from the Impossible Project Space in NYC last night, and was shocked again, because it contained not one but two packs! (They duplicated my original order, which was for two packs, and I’m sooo happy, because I can’t imagine my second pack escaped the swirly chemical fate of the first one.)

e E, just barely

So I just wanted to say thank you HUGELY to Anne and the Impossible Project and their general awesomeness. I mean, they were awesome before.. but it just goes to show how the internet can be a pretty wonderful place.

#24: Knit Something

22 Sep

Learning how to knit was on my 28 to do list, and I very nearly didn’t get it done in time for my birthday. But a last-minute crafty gathering with Jodi and Minty in New York City four days before my birthday meant that I learned how to knit before my birthday deadline after all. And I kind of thought that after so many years of crocheting, I’d take to knitting instantly… but I felt so completely awkward trying to cast on and learn to knit and purl. I figured it out eventually, thanks to Minty’s patience (and getting to use the less cumbersome circular needles she had with her). Even though finishing that granny square blanket earlier in the summer has me completely jazzed about crocheting, I wanted to make sure to knit something, and soon, so as not to forget all of my recently learned skills. So I added “knit something” to my 30 before 30 list.

IMG_6439

I watched a lot of youtube videos, took books out of the library, and went to the craft store for yarn and my own circular needles, because despite now being the owner of my grandmother’s impressive stash of needles, at least for my first project, I wanted to stick with the tools that worked best as I was learning. And thank the universe for youtube videos, because I had forgotten a lot even a week or so after I learned. And in a surprising subplot to this whole learning to knit thing, I’ve discovered that I really am a more visual learner than any other method. All of those quizzes we took in high school to help us learn how we learn told me I was every type of learner (visual, tactile, auditory) but when it comes to crafting? I need to see it. Reading books with black and white diagrams doesn’t help me at ALL. I need photo step-by-step instruction or a video. Or someone showing me how to do it in front of me. So that’s good to know about myself.

windblown and squinty

Anyway, I bought a few $0.99 balls of “fun yarn” mostly because I couldn’t resist the jewel-toned colors, figuring I’d just knit a bunch of rows until I felt comfortable. That turned into just making a garter stitch scarf, because (a) it was all knitting and (b) I like how garter stitch almost looks like stripes, sort of. So rather than try to learn how to make stripes with my first project, I just knit until I was done with each ball of yarn. And I really dig the color block effect, perhaps simply because it’s not what I’d normally plan. And who knew changing colors was so damn easy?

the first thing I ever knitted!

I see a lot of projects in my future, and a lot of stripes, too. I think I’m going to try a hat next… but if you have any suggestions for good beginner knitting projects, I’m all ears!

30 Before 30

21 Jul

Even though the change in Official List Name Style makes me cringe a little, I wanted to make this year’s list a little different. Three years in a row of birthday lists means three years of accomplishing some pretty awesome stuff, but I think I can go one more list-driven year, and then I’ll be ready for something different. The previous two lists were spontaneously written on the eve of my birthday, but I’ve been working on this list in draft form since the beginning of June, trying to come up with concrete, fun, perfect things. I’m really excited about the year to come, and I think 29 will be full of some pretty great things. Isn’t that the whole point?

  1. DO NOT start another daily photo project. (Really. I mean it.)
  2. Add some colors to my converse collection, and take pictures of the adventures I have in them.
  3. Go swimming.
  4. Play miniature golf.
  5. Shoot more film. (Or, stop being afraid to try the Polaroid.) (working on it!)
  6. Make homemade pizza. (Making my own pizza dough is extra credit.)
  7. Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  8. Go through my clothes and shoes really honestly and donate what I don’t, won’t, or can’t wear.
  9. Enjoy now instead of worrying and planning for things that aren’t here yet.
  10. Cook something (or several somethings!) in my newly inherited crock pot.
  11. Get new glasses.
  12. Make garlands or paper flowers to hang in my apartment.
  13. Keep learning how to cook new things.
  14. Work on organizing my grandmother’s old photos.
  15. Decorate the blank walls in my living room and bedroom.
  16. Go on a fancy date. (done)
  17. Spend at least one day at the beach (and not the kind of day where I’m wearing jeans).
  18. Go on a picnic.
  19. Play with sparklers.
  20. Try to tame the mess contained in the Black Hole Closet.
  21. Make a photo book out of Project 365 photos.
  22. Get a tattoo.
  23. Make a change.
  24. Knit something. (color block scarf!)
  25. Don’t spend the year worrying about turning 30.
  26. Eat at Harold’s.
  27. Do something completely touristy. Extra points if it’s local and therefore embarrassingly touristy.
  28. Wear heels more often.
  29. Bake something just for me, without an occasion.
  30. Consume beer samplers as often as possible.

(28 Things To Do While I’m 28)
(27 Things To Do While I’m 27)

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