A Narcissist's Day: Lava Love

Saturday, I awoke, had breakfast (cereal, and a PBJ English muffin), watched the morning news television programs while replying to email and organizing my medical records. After which, I irrigated my nose, then had a bath. While soaking, I finished reading a "controversial" magazine article about carbohydrates, calories and fat.

Taking care of myself and the duties involved, I was having a narcissist's day. This meant attending to my flu by staying hydrated: water, coffee, tea--me!

Throughout the day, I did chores: laundry, dishes, shoveled the car out of the show. I contacted family: email by day; phone by night.

From lunch (a leftovers sampler) to dinner (a well-done turkey burger [jerk seasoning, raw egg, crushed pretzel sticks, and dried parsley] covered with jalapenos, mozzarella, and tomato), I finalized what I would do with the acorn squash purchased a week or so ago. I knew that I had to blog about something, to stop procrastinating, stop watching the on-demand videos that were distracting me from the riotous calls for radical change.

To escape the chaos a continent away, I thought I should stop thinking and start creating. I set the ingredients out the counter adjacent to the refrigerator. Later in the evening, I would make Lava Love.

Lava Love [ingredients]

Lava Love

 -- Light Cream
 -- Peeled Tomato (hastily mashed [with a fork])  
 -- Acorn Squash (quartered, boiled, fleshed-out)
 -- Butter (stick)  
 -- Pecan (dry toasted, pestled into pieces)

Lava Love

Today (Sunday, 6:30 am), before I made this journal entry into the blog, I decided that I should grab my grocery list and go to the twenty-four hour supermarket--and fill-up the car's gas tank (more snow this week???). However, I decided that before leaving to run these errands, I should prep for breakfast.

Southwest Philly Steak & Eggs [ingredients]

Southwest Philly Steak and Eggs

  -- Corn Tortillas (flash-fried after cut into eighth chips, seasoned with chili powder and lime juice)

  -- Firm Tofu (cubed, pre-/post-marinated in cayenne sauce, flash-fried)

  -- Beef Roast (cubed, pan-fried)
  -- Egg (whisked)
  -- Tomato (diced)
  -- Cilantro (dried)
  -- Tofu (added)

  -- Cream Cheese (softened)
  -- Jalapeno (chopped)

Southwest Philly Steak & Eggs

I noted to myself, "by Sunday's end, I must sweep and mop the kitchen floor!!!"

Brain Drain: Sombre Psyche Soup

I awoke early in the morning, before 6am with an appetite and stuffy nose. I had a cold (lingering at present). My breathing was more obstructed than usual. I knew that I should saline-wash my nasal passage to increase my ability to take in air more freely.

Predictably, I thought of a gastronomic solution: chicken soup. I had since grown tired of such a soup: more accurately, an awareness causing a sleepish attitude towards fowl and fish. I figured a substitute for the meat product.

Wrapped tighter than a pig in a blanket, I wandered into the kitchen cocooned in my feather comforter, grabbed some ground beef, coriander leafs (which I minced), and some frozen ginger root (which I grated). Shedding my cocoon blanket, I rolled some herbal meatballs, then pan-fried/sauteed them. I boiled some veggie noodles in sea-salted filtered water. The meatballs were added to the swimming noodles. The pan juices were sieved into the pot, turning the filtered water into a broth. A lid was placed on the pot, leaving the noodles and meatballs to soak, tepidly steep.

Uncooked Meatballs: ground beef, coriander, grated ginger

My nose was clogged (as is now), requiring a saline solution. From my experience recuperating from pituitary gland surgery, I knew that I had to irrigate my skull through the nose, melting viscous mucous, which retains potential bacteria pestilence. Cleaning the cranium, draining the brain, a gross-out from an unlikely spigot, I gathered my tools: a bulb syringe, boiled salt water (at room temperature).

Ed's stuffy nose

I tilted my head back and slowly squeezed the bulb, releasing the solution into my right nasal passage. I tiled my head to the right. The fluid entered the ear canal, softening the snot that began to trickle from my nose once I leaned forward and adjusted my face over the sink basin. I pressed down on the left nostril with my index finger, and gently blew air out of the right nostril. A clearing of the throat, a subtle hock of a loogie. The ptui process was repeated for the left nostril, then again in tandem--enough until fluid easily dripped from the nose when I stood and stared into the medicine cabinet mirror breathing easily.

By now, the soup needed to be reheated before serving. Piping delicious proved my palate: the ginger and coriander, the noodles, the broth, the mushy meatballs made me full-bodied. My belly, from the saline solution and from the soup, was ostensibly bloated.

Sombre Psyche Soup

Tweetledum and Tweetledee (Demo-satire)

As a fully-employed and involved parent, if I do not have enough time to watch primetime television, what makes me think that I have enough time to blog???

How many 'times'?!?!

ARGH!!!!

Hunting for Groceries

Saturday afternoon was spent hunting for groceries.  My plan was to come home with vegetables to make a soup (I did obtain a couple of acorn squash and spaghetti squash), but I came home with the essentials needed for the week.

I started with produce markets...

Then the grocery stores...

Roughly four hours within a ten mile radius, five stores in total.  (I have one more this afternoon.)  Living in a well diversified community (culturally socioeconomic), there are opportunities to discover and replenish supplies "authentically" (contextual experience and product packaging)--and to learn what is "quality" (dietary/taste/quantity/safety) in relation to competitive pricing.

Once home, I put away the groceries, washed the remaining dishes, then prepared my dinner: Blue Plate Special [revisited]:

"Blue Plate Special [revisited]"

Pork Chop (braised); Olive Oil, Jalapeno (wheels), Mushroom (button caps sliver-slices), Cilantro (minced); Cheddar Cheese (sticks); Green Beans (packaged); Dinner Roll (toasted, butter).

A Crank's Callings

I spent most of Wednesday being cranky.  From the time I had awakened through the time I went to bed, before and after work, I seemed to made a quite mess of things [non-mentionable] rather quickly.

That evening, I started to log the ingredient combinations from the last two months, while attentively watching TV, then internet video (IV).  I did not  begin to progress in scribing the documentation until this early morning.  Then I had the urge to snack, which I needed to hold-off until my regularly scheduled breakfast feed.  I held-off by scavenging my refrigerator and creating another recipe.

Ray[monde]'s Morning Mush

1. Cassava/Olive Oil/Filtered Water
   (slow reduction, food process to smooth the bits into pudding consistency)
   
   



2. Salmon/Olive Oil/Chives (air-dried crumble)/Corn Niblets
   
   
3. Sunny Side Up Egg
   
   



4. Ground Nutmeg
   
   
5. Beverages: Coffee (french roast), Tea (mountain)
   
   



Ray[monde]'s Morning Mush

To cook, I rummaged through the sink to find pans, utensils and lids.

        

This evening (Thursday), I will need to clean--and get back to the IV, and continue logging my ingredient combinations....TGIF???

Mundane Monday

A somewhat typical evening...

My son and I planned for a pizza dinner. Usually he and I have a manic first day of the work week full of problems-a-plenty, warranting solutions-a-simple. He likes his pizza plain, whereas I am about the toppings. We are both particular about the pizza dough.

For my son, the issue is about taste and texture. While he has not the wherewithal to know the exact combination of spices, the crispness of the dough has to be somewhere between a heated bagel and a piece of toast. For me, the issue is all about the flour. There must be little to no semolina (durum) used in the dough. Semolina is high in carbohydrates. One durum slice can cause my blood sugar to skyrocket. The crust alone can double the count.

Nevertheless, we voraciously enjoyed our dinner, after which he completed his homework before vitamin, ice cream and hot chocolate. I had coffee and tea (mulberry). There were few dishes for me to wash, only those from breakfast. The day concluded with a ninety-minute wind down: TV, bath, debrief/story with mommy, some silent reading before bed.

Mundanity in the best-est.

Edamame Endgame

When there is respite for breakfast, here is a recipe that might add some esprit to the day.

Edamame Endgame

Chives (chopped)
Sun Dried Tomatoes (minced)
Salmon (flaked)
Soybeans
     -- microwaved pods
     -- hulled
     -- simmered in sea salt (filtered water/olive oil puddle)
Eggs (whisked)

Cheese (shaved)

Rolls with butter and jam
Coffee (stovetop perk)
Water (mineral)

Edamame Endgame



Refreshing Visions Gh(a/o)stly Seeings

There are times I when wake-up in the morning and I do not want to get out of bed to face the world. 

When those days occur, I am glad that I had rested assure elsewhere...even if I had been able to get into bed...

I can count/would bet on the couch.

Breakfast anyone?  My treat.

When Light is Not Enough

Yesterday (January 5, 2011), for lunch, I had a homemade salad. The salad was comprised of:

• iceberg lettuce
• tomato
• tuna fish
• chives
• banana pepper
• mayonnaise/blue cheese fusion/coating
• two [½] deviled eggs [details...]

Looking at this picture, I wonder if I was deluding myself about the caloric [and carbohydrate] intake and the costs associated with this meal, a meal that made my stomach grumble hours before dinner time.
 

DELUSIONAL DIETING Clockwise from top left: sports drink, chocolate chip cookies, bottled

water, stayman apple, salad, crackers

Could this be a product advertisement for a pharmaceutical company?
"When light is not enough."

Cookies and Cream: Tell Me a Bedtime Story

There was a time when cookies and cream (warmed milk) was not a dessert (or an ice cream flavor [extrapolation cookie dough]), but a bedtime snack: two cookies (chocolate chip, please) and glass (6-10 oz) of plain milk (slightly heated). This combination was a source of comfort before entering the mysterious depths of La-la Land. Also known as milk and cookies, a story (mercurially about La-la Land) usually accompanied the treat. The story concluded once the affectionate confection was completely consumed, or the recipient of the delectable fell asleep.

This past evening, I had cookies and coffee. My niece made some of her (for now and ever famous, expecting to receive another batch next holiday season) chocolate chip cookies. As seen here, these cookies seem quite typical, unassuming. From this aerial view, one expects that the unseen underside of the cookie has a slight char of carbon. One might conclude, I, by obligation, will eat a few of these with a wash-down swig (of coffee) so that I will not feel guilty the next time there is another family gathering or digital communication.

 

The problem is that I feel guilty for eating the entire bag in one sitting before going to bed. Not counting, there were about eight cookies; two, unfortunately, were not available for the picture. While I did take notes before falling asleep, I woke-up with the desire to tell this bedtime story.

Upon inspection, there was no underbelly char. Instead an unseemly smooth surface as if placed on parchment paper prior to baking. While worth investigating, my interest was elsewhere.

Crispy. Crumbly. Crunchy. Chewy. Creamy? Then I took a sip of coffee. Immediately, I wished that I had not. Fortunately, there were more cookies for me to digest, so my mistake would not be repeated--except to prevent me from engorging. Besides the drink, I was able to pace myself because there was a secret in these textured chocolate chip cookies that preoccupied my attention. This ingredient was the confectionate bond.

Not terribly sweet, a durable cookie--approximately three and a half inches in diameter--did not break into tiny pieces until flat-dropped from a height above four feet. Fortunately, I was given two bags of cookies--and I am not afraid of eating (dry food) off my kitchen floor.

An eerie delight that is to be enjoyed as dreamy longing lasts, and never re-gifted.

I do not know, you tell me...

Which is worse, ring around the collar or a ring around the bathtub?

I would say, "ring around the bathtub," because the tub does not fit in the dryer!

Mind and Body

What a launch!  You and I have just witnessed my blood sugars skyrocket! 

For dinner I had a pork chop encrusted with blue cornmeal.  The pork chop lay upon a bed of bok choy and wide egg noodles coated with butter and freshly chopped chives, blanketed with Buna-shimeji mushrooms.
 

"Blue Plate Special"


About a half hour later (8:45pm), I had a bowl of bran flakes and a few spoonfuls of apple pie.  I will spend the next several hours coming back down to Earth, back to a decent C-Level (carb-count). 

What a trajectory.  Just a few more yummy leftovers to go.  I am almost out of holiday (mental) mode.  Just a few more bites?!?!? before my head gets put on a spike!?!?!

A Late Brunch...

I finally got something to eat.  Too busy fussing on configuring the blog.

Wow, a waffle with pineapple and maraschino cherries, sugar-free syrup, a scoop of rum raisin icecream--and coffee.

Ooh!  Aah!!

Afterwards I get to fold the laundry!!!

Intrducing Marble[wo]man (Ed's Ingredients)

Welcome 2011!!! I am Marble[wo]man, beginning the decade with a blog with the hopes of posting an EI experience on  a daily basis.  Check out my bibliography, or my website proper.