Sunday, February 20, 2011

Female Empowerment FTW

I have been so blessed to have amazing relationships in my life. My family, fiance, and friends are all so loving and supportive and I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful people. Recently, I've had the opportunity to develop friendships, some new and some not so new, that I didn't have (or, at least, didn't have enough of) while in undergrad. I guess you could say that I've had a couple of experiences allowed me to use the phrase "girl power".


...not quite what comes to mind when I think of girl power.
I admit that my favorite hobbies are those that you would associate with "traditional female roles". For example, the title of this blog isn't just clever, it's an actual practice of mine from undergrad. I would take study "bakes", meaning that I would take a break from studying, bake, and then get back to studying....hypothetically. If you asked my roommates, what would actually happen is that I would say "I should study...but first I should make cookies", and then 4 hours (and a bakers dozen) later it would be time for bed. Also...stay out of my way when I'm cleaning.


Still, despite single-handedly setting the feminist movement back 100 years, I never really considered myself all that girly. I wasn't interested in rushing during undergrad. I LOVE my Greek friends...but you need to know that I prayed pretty hard to get into a co-ed a cappella group.


Overtones Ladies!
 I love my girlfriends so much, but our friendship isn't one that I would say is based off of being a girl and our bonds aren't one of female solidarity. Do people even have friendships like this? Maybe I'm making them up. Maybe I've been watching too much Greek.  My friends are awesome, and our friendships are built on much more than man-bashing...more on them later...


I love those Button Babies (and Corey!)


So, back to female bonding. One of my great friends recently threw a "No Boys Allowed" brunch for all of her fabulous friends. It was the day before Valentine's Day...naturally, my first thought was that of a bunch of sad, single girls sitting around an Indian restaurant beating down a piñata laced with centuries of female oppression. 


Valentine's Day, anyone?
Of course, being the party planning master that she is, it was quite the opposite! She threw one of the most fun brunches I have ever been to! It was awesome to hang out with her, her sister, friends from college, and her sorority sisters...not to mention a mutual friend whom we both adore! There was no false sense of persevering womanhood. There were no sob-story, day before Valentine's Day woes. I left early, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a piñata. I made Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole, we drank mimosas...but that's all I can tell you, because, well, no boys allowed. What I can say, though, is that the fabulous-ness was abundant because each of those girls was so different and interesting in their own way.   


My point is, I am so grateful for my female friends. Not because they're girls and they share in my eternal struggle against "the man", but because they excel in the friendship department. They have been there for me through it all. Sure, they've held my hand when I needed a hand to hold, but just as importantly, they've snuck into Theatre II (RIP) with me, laughed through rehearsal with me, and watched every single episode of Oprah while drinking a bottle of wine with me. And perhaps even more importantly...they've told me to man up when the African orphan episode comes on...


...it gets me every time.  

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Welcome to Study Bake!

Well, for those 26 of you who follow my blog, you may notice that things have changed. I've taken a huge step in my technology awareness pursuit by actually purchasing my own URL from the mysterious Internet gods (AKA Danica Patrick).

I've also changed the purpose and, therefore, the name of this blog. I've been inspired lately by my friends, and sometimes by strangers, blogs.

1) Having your own URL looks so tight.

2) Having a blog of just recipes, while helpful when trying to remember what I made last year, is not quite cutting it for me anymore.

3) Having been graduated from undergrad for 7 months now has afforded me ample time to acquire ample experiences about which to blog.

Of course, I can't forget my blogging past. So, this blog will now be a hybrid of "listen to this hilarious thing that happened to me yesterday" and "I made this yesterday".

So, welcome to Study Bake! A collection of graduate school experiences interspersed with culinary adventures, with some inevitable sidetracks into the world of wedding planning, arts administration, and who knows...maybe I'll even throw in some advice for you aspiring receptionists out there (I'm looking at you Greg Belts Daily).

Monday, February 7, 2011

Green Smoothie #1

This is my first attempt at a green smoothie. I'm obsessed with Naked's Green Machine, and was wondering if I could just make it at home? I based my shopping list on the ingredients on the back of the bottle, and this is what I ended up with!

Ingredients:

5 fugi apples
1 kiwi
1 mango
5 pineapple slices (plus juice)
2 bananas
1 clove garlic
1 piece ginger
1 bunch kale
2 broccoli crowns
1 bunch parsley


So, I got everything cleaned and prepared last night, and this morning I blended parts of the ingredients together with and equal amount of water, plus a little almond milk and agave nectar). Problem is, I'm not sure exactly how much of each ingredient are actually in the smoothie I'm drinking right now? AND, I didn't include all of the "boosters" like cholrella, spirulina, and blue-green algae.

The result? It tastes pretty good...I'm just not exactly nuts about the grassy texture. We're getting a Vitamix soon, so I'll have to try it again then!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Sheep's Milk Yogurt Marinated Chicken

This recipe is, once again, inspired by my all-time hero, The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. sheep's milk yogurt (I used Trader Joe's)
1 c. almond milk
1 tbsp each of the following: black pepper, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, mustard seed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinate for 48 hours double bagged in the fridge.

Pat dry. Butterfly, and saute in 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat for appx. 8-10 minutes.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pantry Pasta Salad

So, I had about 3/4 a box of farfalle left and I needed to make lunch for tomorrow. This is what happened next.

Ingredients:

3/4 box of farfalle (or, you know, a whole box like a normal person)
2 tbsp. minced onion
8 chopped green olives w/ pimento
4 chopped pepperocini
1/4 c. capers
8 chopped sun-dried tomatos (reserving the preserving oil for dressing)
2 c. shredded cabbage

Dressing:
1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
reserved sun-dried tomato oil
1 tsp. basil
sea salt
freshly cracked pepper

Directions really aren't necessary. Just cook the pasta and mix everything together. I sprinkled mine with some shaved pecorino romano cheese. You now know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow.

Calories: 230/serving (makes 8 servings)

Chai Tea Concentrate

This recipe is inspired by this recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She is my hero, role model, and imaginary mentor in all things food blogging. Here is my take on her recipe!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c. water
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbsp. ginger
7 cardamom pods
15 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
zest of 1 orange
10 tsp. loose jasmine tea
2/3 c. organic molasses
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:

Bring water to a boil. Add spices and tea. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Add molasses, honey, and vanilla. Whisk, cool, and refrigerate.

To serve, combine 1/4 c. chai tea concentrate with 1 c. milk (I use almond milk). Heat for 3 minutes, and grate fresh nutmeg on top. You could even get super fancy and dollop fresh whipped cream. It's heavenly.