Lemon Basil Chicken Salad

Drastically adapted from a recipe by Paaaawluh Dayyyyyyn, 2008

4 cups diced cooked chicken (~ 5-6 split bone-in breasts)

1 apple, small dice (golden)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in a dry pan

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard skin and bones and weird rubbery bits, or, even better, keep that shiz for making stock! Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, basil, apple and almonds. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to chicken mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. Or just eat is straight out of the mixing bowl with toast points or Boston Bib or whatever tickles your fancy.

Some links!

- Let's see... I made a bunny for my friend's new baby!

- I thought this was funny. Especially the part about sweet potato pie. Maybe I have been hanging out in too many blues clubs of late


- Umm, check out this crazy 'tribal' sculpture thingadoo that is hanging in the NC Museum of ART (description here)

- EUROPE! Besto I & Besto II

- Louis C.K. Love him. One of the great philosophers of our day... Watch his special, Chewed, if you get a chance

- One of my favorite webcomics

- Another good one. So twisted. I love her!

- My favorite cooking blog (just because)


- This is an amazing site, especially the photography posts

- Finally, my Pinterest! Check it out or follow me!

Letter to a Friend

Wrote this on a train ride through Italy in response to a friend's inquiries into my travels. Thought someone else might get a few tidbits from it, so I am posting it here.

Ahh, Italia!

Hi! Good to hear from you! It sounds like you're embarking on quite an adventure! What is taking you on you travels? I think you will do fine. My advice? Learn how to say a few basic phrases for each country you plan to visit. Please, thank you, hello, goodbye, where is..., leave me alone, can you help me and most importantly, do you speak English? Most people i've encountered speak at least a little English but they really appreciate it when non-speakers take the time to at least attempt the niceties.

Hmm... Other advice, don't be afraid to ask questions, don't worry about looking silly or stupid. That is how you learn how to look cool and experienced next time. ;) that is the biggest hurdle I've had to jump: realizing that I am a bit of a spazz (well, ok, I already had my suspicions of that one) and embracing it instead of letting my pride get the better of me. I think you will be fine.

What else? Cheesy stuff, I guess. A smile goes a long way when you are asking for help but equally important, the men in most of Europe will take a smile as an invitation to start talking to you, ask you for coffee and try to get into your pants. So, a 'no eye contact', straight and solemn face is equally important if you have other things to do with your day besides get hit on incessantly.

Keep some change on you for bathrooms and train tickets, keep a little money in your pocket and the rest of your valuables elsewhere (money belt is not a bad way to go, IMHO) so if you do happen to get held up, you can fork over your pocket money and not credit cards, etc. I have even heard if some people who bring a decoy wallet. Whatever let's you sleep at night, ya know? I am pretty sure you have travelled some before so this might all be old news but I am kind of having fun writing it all out so humor me!

Oh! Pack light. You should be able go maneuver your luggage by yourself and if you can fly without checking anything, you will avoid a lot of hassle. A lot of European airlines are strict about carry-ons. You can get away with a small/med suitcase and a purse but beyond that they will make you check something. My backpack causes me to have to check my suitcase a lot. It has been ok so far but you never know what might happen.

If you have a smartphone or a small gps unit, I would look into bringing it. My iPhone has really helped me find my way around and research things on the go. Be careful where/when you pull it out, though, because they are very enticing to thieves. I didn't even take any pictures in Naples just because it felt so sketchy in the part of town where I was staying. That having been said, take pictures as often as you can. I am so glad i have my camera to capture some memories. I think they will be invaluable to me in years to come.

Being aware of your surroundings and having a plan to get yourself to your hotel safely if you are out after dark alone are the two biggest safety issues I can think of.... Other than that, move slowly, don't kill yourself trying to see everything... Stop and smell the espresso! ask questions when you need to, watch where the locals go for food and coffee, buy a few gifts and souvenirs if you see anything you like but ask if things have been made locally. They have lots of imported junk here just like in the US and having a scarf from Ireland that was woven in Nepal may not be the kind of keepsake you're looking for... Or maybe it is! Just be aware and informed.

I am excited for you. You will have a great experience! Let me know how things go for you, ok? And feel free to ask me questions, if you want.

Cheers!

mLe

A Golden Spew

Okay, so, 1 to 1.618 is a very cool pattern seen repeatedly in math and nature called the Golden Ratio (not just the title of an Ace of Base album anymore!).

Hey, I didn't know John Goodman was in that band!

AAANYWAY, here is the basic idea expressed mathematically, if you are interested:

A + B is to A as A is to B. For you more visual learners, thats:

Stay with me, people who don't believe you can call it math if you use letters in place of numbers (Love you, Mom!). This is neither the time nor the place for that discussion. In fact, you don't have to pay attention to the math at all to see its awesomeness.

This ratio is seen all throughout nature: from the proportions of an atom to the proportions seen in planets and stars. Additionally, if the proportions of your face fit the golden ratio, a healthy human brain sees you as attractive and desirable (something about symmetry and genetic, as well as over all, health. This means that you can prove someone is beautiful (or not) mathematically!

Back off, ladies. He's MINE!

Okay, maybe you'll find this more compelling:

Why are all of these Golden Ratio models follicularly challenged?

Ah, here we go... How about this one:

Attractive enough for you?

This same ratio is seen in the spiral of a nautilus shell. Architects and artists have been using the ratio for centuries to make their work more alluring. Parthenon, anyone? Egyptian Pyramids? Talk about eye-catchers!

Okay, great, they're attractive. But, WHY? Well, according to research being done at Duke University, it may be because the human eye is capable of interpreting an image featuring the golden ratio more rapidly than it can interpret any other kind of image.

You have probably seen the Vitruvian Man, the daVinci drawing of a man with four arms and four legs spread eagle and inside of a circle?

Oops! Not that one... THIS one:

That is a really good example of a human's physical beauty adhering to that ratio.

Well, folks, I've barely scratched the surface of this subject matter. We haven't talked about Fibonacci, geometry, fractals, DNA... the possibilities are practically limitless and I guess that is why I find the matter so fascinating. Go forth and explore, kittens! Tell me something I don't know. Shouldn't be too difficult. 

Love Locks, Cinque Terre 2010

Riomaggiore to Manarola (8)

Originally uploaded by xphile727

An Emotional Detour

January was one hell of a month. I had my last days of work after over five years of employment, I threw/gave away about half of my stuff, I sang out three times (w/ The Gnomes once and The M.T. Smiles twice) and played trombone out once (8 years of marching band were totally worth being able to play Al Green at AliveOne. Heaven!). I painted and sewed and purged and cleaned and baked and went to blues clubs to watch The Roommate play piano. I ate AMAZING food and got to see Eddie Izzard perform at the United Center. I tried wassail and danced and flirted and had a couple of good cries. But mostly I laughed. A lot. It was a blurry whirlwind and an ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ good time.


But then, Life, as she is wont to do, decided to put me in my place. I got a call from my dad the night of The Gnomes show. He told me Grandma Grider probably wouldn’t make it through the night. We’d known it was only a matter of time. She’d been moved to the hospice wing several weeks before and in a way we saw it as a blessing: Of course we didn’t want her to leave us, but, in the end, we all hoped she would let go and find refuge from her pain and fear. In the end we knew that what she wanted was to go be with Backaw (I sure hope you find him, Grandma!)


Sadly, Amy and I didn’t make it down for the funeral. Amy was poisoned by some diabolical shrimps (Thai food) and I was trying to take care of her, finish my last week at work and pack and move my apartment. As it happened, it was a good thing that I didn’t try to sneak the trip into my week because several snow storms hit West Texas the day after the service and out-of-towners were stranded in the panhandle for almost a week.


I suppose it is conceivable that my future self will deeply regret having missed her funeral but, right now, I am at peace with it. She popped into my dreams the night before she died. She recognized me (it has been years) and told me she was okay. I was roused from my dream by a phone call from my mother telling me she was gone. Thanks for that, brain or universe or whatever sent her my way...


I guess, in the end I would just like to say, Doris Grider, you will be missed!

Whoops! It appears that I have been neglecting this page for almost a year now. How time flies, eh? My dedicated readership has been extremely disappointed, I am sure ;-) The problem, though, is that not much has been going on. I have been in a bit of a holding pattern since my bike accident back in March of ’08. I finished all of my coursework and got my MT license, but my body was too messed up for me to make my anticipated career change.


So, I kept working in an office, living in my crappy (yet charming) apartment and engaging in various escapist-type activities to pass the time. Of course, there were a few noteworthy events. I was part of the labor support team for a dear friend who had her baby in June of this year. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing that experience was for me. Have you ever seen someone give birth? An event not to be missed! I have also been performing and recording with a few friends. Looking back, I see that the music kept my head above water this past year. Dead end job… knee surgery and its resulting recuperation… various familial stresses and heartbreaks. What’s a girl to do?

Fortunately, things began to turn around this fall. I got my bills squared away from the accident, my roommate decided to move out, my landlord never had me sign a lease, so I was looking at a month to month commitment, my parents offered to watch Maddi for me for a few months. Everything fell into place and the resulting big picture??

WALKABOUUUUUT!

FRIKKIN. A. YEAH. I told my landlord that I am moving out and I gave my notice at work. January will be my last month. After five years at the firm, this was a big step. Kind of terrifying, really. The routine and security was extremely comforting… more so than I even realized. But, the bottom line is that I have become complacent and disengaged. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and I love this city, but I think that I will be a more passionate and interesting person if I leave my safe zone for a while.

So, I hope to use this space as a way to keep people up to date on my adventures. I will post pictures, stories, anecdotes, etc. I am notoriously bad at updating, but I will do my best to stay on top of it! Ready? Set. GO!