Beware the Ides of March

Hi, I’m back! The past two and a half months have been busy and exciting in all kinds of ways. I plan to write about these ways in an organized manner over the next few weeks. But for today, I will only reflect over the past week.

I like the month of March, not least because my birthday falls right smack dab in the middle of it: March 15. I’ve always been aware of the “ides,” but since I’m no Caesar, I never paid it much attention. Until now. This is the story of the most absurd birthday week ever.

Sunday, March 11. On such a beautiful Sunday afternoon, what more could I want than a walk in the park with my dog? Marshall and I left the apartment around 3pm to walk across the street to our local park. But pretty immediately, he started shaking. He wouldn’t walk toward the park. Then he started sneezing. Finally I looked up and noticed black leaves blowing toward us. I smelled wood smoke. Then I looked over at the park, and it was covered by raging flames! My first reaction was to call Jon and say “get out here with your camera.” He did exactly that, and these are his photos below.

reeds on fire in the fens

It turns out the reeds that surround the lakes in our park catch on fire every once in a while. This is a first for us, so it’s good to know! The black residue and the smell of smoldering wood lingered in the neighborhood for days after the fire.

firefighter walking through the reed graveyard

After the Fens Fire, Jon and I had a date with some friends of mine from St. Louis who were in town for the weekend. We took the T up to Cambridge to meet them, had a lovely dinner, and then were on our way back home when it happened.

My stomach started to hurt on our walk from the restaurant to the T station. When we got on the train, I started to feel dizzy. There was no where to sit, so I told Jon that I had to get off the train. And that’s the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I was lying on the sidewalk, looking up at Jon and listening to him tell the 911 operator that I had passed out. Almost instantly, there were a bunch of EMS workers surrounding me. After a bit of debate, I decided it was best to get in the ambulance and go to the hospital. After all, I have never passed out like that before, and I was still feeling really strange.

Monday, March 12. The past few hours were gross, and I don’t have to go into detail, but let’s just say I had a stomach bug that is going around Boston right now. Jon stayed with me at the emergency room while they tested my heart (all good) and blood tests to figure out that I had a virus. Then he ran home to let the dog out, because he had been alone for a while. Jon came back to the hospital, and a bit after midnight he started to feel sick, too. I told him to go to the bathroom, and that was the last time I saw him for a couple hours.

By 6am, I was feeling well enough to walk, so it was time to leave the hospital. I had to ask around to find out where Jon had been placed, since my bed had been placed in a hallway outside the ER nurses’ station for the past ten hours. I found Jon, dazed in his own room, and we collected our things to go home. We warned the cab driver to drive very carefully…

me on my stretcher in the ER. gross.

Tuesday, March 13. We’d spent the past two days in bed, fighting fevers, stomach aches, and overall exhaustion. We found out that my cousin and her boyfriend also had the exact same sickness at the exact same time, so at least we could trace the origins to our illness to the Saturday night we had spent together. While I felt like a zombie, I’d even ventured out to CVS to get our anti-nausea medication. But nothing could have prepared us for the bizarre thing that happened at 7pm on Tuesday.

I was washing my hands in the bathroom when the lights went out. Jon was in bed, taking one of his many extended naps. We rushed to find flashlights and candles. Our cell phones barely had signals, so there was no way to get the internet to figure out what was going on. Slowly we got messages from friends explaining that there had been a fire down the street and some power generators were shut down. The electric company was telling everyone to go to bed, and the power would be back on when we woke up.

Wednesday, March 14. Around 6am I woke up to the sound of water flowing inside the building. I went over to our door and peeked into the darkness to see a line of firefighters marching toward the unit down the hall from us. Since we had no power, I was scared there was a fire and the alarms had not worked. That was partially the case. I called for Jon to come look, and he went into the hallway to ask our neighbors what had happened. It turned out the guy in the unit above hers had lit a candle, placed it on a chair, and fallen asleep. The fire wasn’t huge, but the sprinklers went off and flooded his second floor apartment, plus two of the first floor apartments down the hall from us. We were literally feet away from being flooded out.

I went to work that morning with a dead cell phone and a lunch consisting of applesauce and bananas. I checked the electric company’s website every hour to see what their latest updates were about the power. “Power will be restored by noon. Power will be restored by 3pm. Power will be restored by 7pm.” We went to bed that night, again, with no power, but with a promise that it would be restored when we woke up.

Thursday, March 15. Happy birthday! No power. No heat. No hot water. Food in the fridge and freezer spoiled. Jon came with me downtown so that he could charge his cell phone and use the internet at a coffee shop. We decided that we could not handle another day with no showers and no lights. After the candle-on-a-chair incident, our apartment manager called for a “no candle” policy as well. So we called up our good friend Julia who lives down the street, just past the power outage line, and moved shop to her living room. She and her roommate gave us magical things like access to a shower, hot bowls of soup, birthday cake in a mug, and a warm place to sleep.

Friday, March 16. We woke up to news that power had been restored in our building. Our block was one of the last in the city to have power restored. Even when the electric company claimed a day earlier that all power was on, our building and the few buildings around us rolled our eyes and said, “um, no it’s not.” We walked back to our place, turned on the lights at last, and accessed the damage.

Our hallway smells like a sewer. It will be a construction zone for a while, as the units damaged by water and fire are restored. Our apartment had been a mess from two sick people, unable to do dishes or laundry or cleaning. Everything from our fridge and freezer had to be tossed, which was probably the most emotional thing that I went through over the past week. (I hate wasting food!!!!) We were supposed to have a party Friday night, but after we got sick we knew we had to cancel. The birthday/housewarming party is rescheduled, if you want to attend!

Sometimes we have those moments where we say to ourselves “is this really happening to me?” Sometimes those moments are gathered close together. Sometimes they all fall during important times, like a week where we thought we’d be celebrating our anniversary, my birthday, and St. Patrick’s Day. While absolutely nothing went as planned this week, it’s all stayed memorable. Now I’ll know that not everyone who collapses on the T is intoxicated. And emergency rooms at night are disturbingly understaffed. And just because the electric company promises something doesn’t mean it will happen. And when my friends say they’ll help us out no matter what, they mean it.

Pittsburgh favorites part 2: Asian food

You may have noticed that a significant portion of my diet is made up of Asian food, particularly Chinese and Thai. I’ve been pretty pleased with Pittsburgh when it comes to the Asian food scene, especially after the less-than-stellar selection in DC. I’m sure I haven’t been to all of the great Asian restaurants in the Pittsburgh area, but this is a pretty solid list to start with if you live in the city limits. You may ask: Why no sushi? Because I haven’t had any great sushi here, and honestly I was too cheap to try the supposedly great sushi restaurants in the area. Your suggestions are welcome!

Chinese: China Star (Squirrel Hill)

After living in China and cooking with Chinese friends, I have annoyingly high standards when it comes to genuine Chinese food. I can barely bring myself to eat the American style Chinese food anymore. I preferred to cook it myself…until I went to China Star and tried their “alternative” menu. If you don’t look Chinese, the waiter will first hand you the Americanized menu. Ask for the Chinese menu. If you don’t know what any of the stuff is, ask for recommendations. It’s hard to go wrong. Squirrel Hill is overall the best neighborhood to find legit Chinese food, tea and desserts. Just follow the exchange students.

Vietnamese: Tram’s Kitchen (Bloomfield/Garfield)

While there are many deserving Vietnamese places up and down Penn Avenue, my favorite is Tram’s. It’s got a simple selection of soups and noodles, it’s fresh, it’s fast, and it’s in a tiny storefront. If you’re lucky, you’ll even be seated at a tiny table with tiny chairs. Not as tiny as the chairs in Vietnam, but still. Pretty cool. And of course, the pho is fantastic.

Thai: Thai Cuisine (Bloomfield)

This was a hard choice, because I love the shop down the street, Thai Gourmet, nearly as much. But in reality, I find myself going to Thai Cuisine more and craving their noodles, soups and curries more. But in the end, if you live near Bloomfield, you’re a lucky dog. It’s the best Thai food I’ve had outside of Thailand. It’s reliable, it’s affordable, it’s a happy place.

Korean: Tokyo Steakhouse (Bloomfield)

Yes, it’s called Tokyo, and yes, they have sushi, but I’ve never had the sushi. So I’m just going to talk about the Korean food. This is where we go to indulge. We stuff ourselves with grilled beef and chicken. We go crazy over the little side dishes. It’s rarely busy, but it makes me happy that way. I get really tired of the jazzed-up, Americanized Asian grills. You know the ones I’m talking about. This one is different. You cook your meat. There is a little bridge and a pond in the middle of the restaurant. The people who work there are actually Japanese and Korean. There are Japanese businessmen drinking beers in the corner. And the beef. Oh, the beef…

Asian Market: Lotus Food (Strip District)

Pittsburgh really does have a lot of Asian markets all around, from Oakland to the ‘burbs. But Lotus is the king. Sitting on a corner near the end of the Strip District, Lotus is a great source of cheap rice, noodles, and even vegetables. The cilantro at Lotus just tastes better. The bok choy come in all different sizes. The tofu is freshly cooked. The candy and cookie selection is overwhelming. I still haven’t been able to try all the varieties of dumplings and steamed buns that they offer. And the best part: the Chinese employees actually speak Chinese with me! I can only hope that I find a store as great as Lotus in my next city.

Coming next: Pittsburgh Parks

Amazing everything bars

Every time I go to the grocery store, I want to stock up on different flavors of granola bars, energy bars, breakfast bars…and then I remind myself that I can just make them myself. These bars are so good, you won’t believe they came out of your kitchen. They’re most like Clif bars, but immensely more tasty.

Plus, you can experiment and mix and match with the flavors and ingredients. You can try different fruits, spices, nuts, or probably different types of wheat. Once I made these with orange juice instead of milk. Another time I threw in a smashed banana just for fun. I’m pretty sure these are hard to destroy.

This recipe is my version of something originally found on about.com that tasted much more boring. You’ll probably have to buy some ingredients that you’ve never bought before, but I’m convinced it’s more economical in the long run to make your own bars instead of the pre-packaged ones!

 

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch pan. (or just line the pan with baking parchment so it won’t get stuck)

2) In a medium bowl, combine and blend well the following. Let set 5 minutes.

1 cup bran flakes cereal

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange peel

1 cup of chopped, mixed dried fruit (I like to use cranberries, apples, blueberries)

1/2 cup chopped nuts

2 tbsp flax seeds

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup milk (I use soy)

2/3 cup applesauce 

1/2 cup honey (or more if you want them sweeter)

1 tsp vanilla

3) In large bowl, stir together:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose white flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp salt

4) Stir in the wet mixture into the dry and mix until all ingredients are combined. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Cool and slice into 20 bars. Keep in an airtight container.

*Wrap them individually and bag for freezing, because they will get dry tasting after a day or so. Thaw on the counter overnight or 15-20 seconds in a microwave.*

Let me know what you think!

Thai noodle salad with tofu

I love Asian food, and the best way for me to eat good Asian food is to cook it myself. This recipe from Cooking Light Magazine has turned out to be one of my favorites. It’s so much more complex and delicious than anything you can find at a restaurant here! It’s crazy good. It takes a little while to marinate the tofu, so it’s not a quick dish, but it’s worth making a huge batch. I actually enjoyed it as a cold leftover even more than the hot, freshly cooked version.

1) Prepare a pack of tofu (about 3/4 pound) by cutting it into slices and squeezing out liquid. Place tofu between paper towels and put a heavy object on top for a half hour until paper towels are totally soaked. Throw out the paper towels and cut up the tofu into cubes, about 3/4 inch in size.

2) Combine ingredients to make marinade. Add tofu and marinade into a sealed bag or container. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, turning occasionally:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

up to 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce (I used just 1/4 tbsp of Sriracha chili sauce and it was plenty hot for my weak American tastebuds)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or less for less spice)

2 minced garlic cloves

3) While tofu marinates, prepare 3/4 pound uncooked rice vermicelli noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and set noodles aside.

4) Prepare dressing in a small bowl:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (only if you love spicy! otherwise just do about a half tablespoon)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons fresh peeled grated ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt (I left this out)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

5) Heat a skillet and add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Add tofu without marinade. Discard marinade. Saute tofu for 5 minutes until browned. Remove from heat.

6) In a large bowl, combine vermicelli, 2 cups thinly sliced lettuce or cabbage or slaw, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, and dressing together. Toss well. Top with tofu.

Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy!

Healthy happy banana bread

 

I finally have time to cook and bake and share the things that I find tastiest. I’ll try to post a success story weekly!

For years I’ve been tweaking banana bread recipes to include more fruit and healthy things. I love using wheat flour instead of white, yogurt and applesauce instead of butter, and oatmeal for texture. The final product combines all of these ingredients. If you come up with other substitutions, please share them with me!

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl:

1 1/2 cup wheat flour (or a combination of white and wheat flours)

1/2 cup quick oats

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 tablespoon of flax seed (optional, but super healthy)

3) Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl:

2 smashed ripe bananas

1 egg

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or a bit less of milk/soymilk)

3/4 cup sugar (could probably substitute with a bit less honey)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

4) Slowly add wet ingredients into the dry

5) Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts are best!)

6) Sprinkle oats on top to make it pretty

7) Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry from the middle. Let cool and enjoy!