Yum

I recently made this cashew chicken recipe and loved it. For those of you who are looking for something spicy -- this is not the dish. If you feel like a lightly sweet and nutty meal, give this simple recipe a try. I thought it was delicious!

(From Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast)

Serves 4
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

* 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 3/4 cup raw cashews (4 ounces), toasted
* White rice, for serving (optional)

Note: I added 3/4 cup julienned carrots and used cidar vinegar instead of rice vinegar. Oh, and I just skipped the cornstarch.

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
4. Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired.

A Joyful Rainy Day

After applying for research jobs all morning, I have begun this afternoon's cooking/baking extravaganza. Okay, that is an overstatement, but I have so rarely made new recipes lately that I am thrilled by the opportunity. I'm currently making apricot-almond bread, to be followed by a mushroom and broccoli noodle casserole. While the word casserole is generally a turn-off for me, this recipe appeals to my sense of worthy indulgence (generally healthy except for an excessive amount of cheese). Plus, no meat!

Another bonus today is Cricket. She has been so warm and loving lately. I'm not sure if it was the trauma of going to the doctor so frequently this month, but she now spends more time than ever cuddled up beside us. Love it.

Also, I'm going to start a new book -- The Israel Lobby. I've wanted to read it for nearly a year,  but it was impossible while in school. I've heard that it is great, but perhaps overwhelmingly dense. We'll see. I'm excited about it because the issue presented in the book has been on my mind quite a bit and I have interest in becoming more active in divestment campaigns, so the book is a good starting place for me. Expect a post about it!

Relativity

Did I say "job security" in my last post? Well, I was wrong. With the state shutdown looming, my very expendable intern status may prove detrimental. There is no certainty for any of my co-workers paid by state grants. Layoffs could be just temporary, or they could be permanent (and then people would have to go through a re-hiring process). The grant that was supposed to be paying for all of our job extensions may or may not have gone through all of the processes to make it "official" yet, in which case I could be one of many to lose my job. Sad.

Despite this unfortunate situation, I am feeling pretty good. I took time yesterday to work on my scrapbook of poems and other collected treasures. The thirty minutes that I spent working on it filled me with enthusiasm and energy that is still with me today. I just bought a William Carlos Williams collection -- Pictures from Brueghel and other Poems -- and "Suzy" may be the next addition to my poetry book. Also, I've been listening to a lot of music lately, which has felt great. The Rolling Stones, Danger Mouse's "Rome," Ray Charles, David Bowie, Atmosphere.

Life is somehow as busy as ever (or so it feels), and a cousin's wedding will this weekend provide SB his first opportunity to meet my Dad's family. It will be interesting, as I have hardly seen any of them for years. I'm sure that everyone will look so grown up, perhaps including myself! It will be fun, although I'm eager for a quiet weekend; amazing how quickly these summer weekends fill with activities! I'd also like to get a small camping trip in with SB this summer and have a feeling that if I don't plan it soon, it'll never happen!  

Lastly, after finishing a recent batch, I have decided that I am a pita bread master. I'll never buy it again!

Suzy

I

women your age have decided

wars and the beat

of poems your grandfather

is a poet and loves you

pay attention

to your lessons an inkling

of what beauty means to

a girl your age

may dawn soon upon you

II

life is a flower when it

opens you will

look trembling into it unsure

of what the traditional

mirror may reveal

between hope an despair while

a timorous old man

doubtfully half

turns away his foolish head

III

a bunch of violets clutched

in your idle

hand gives him a place

beside you which he cherishes

his back turned

from you casually appearing

not to look he yearns after

you protectively

hopelessly wanting nothing

Sweet Sweet Summer

Sorry, I've been quite lazy about this whole blog thing.

Some Updates:

• I have a job security (part-time, fun, great pay) until the end of September and can look for new jobs in the meantime. Yay! I have applied for a few. No word yet, but it is still early...? We'll see. I definitely feel so much more qualified having just completed a great program.

• Cricket is potentially quite sick. We'll know more later this week. Preliminary diagnosis: uveitis. Could be chronic. Sad, but less so if treatment is affordable and we can take good care of her until she's mended. Fortunately we now have A/C in our bedroom to offer her (and us!) a place of refuge on days like today-- a humid 93 degrees.

• We had a fabulous cabin weekend with friends -- a blissful afternoon on a pontoon and at the sandbar of a nearby Wisconsin lake. Sun + water + brew + pals + grilled veggies + SPF 55 = time well spent.

• Also, reading a new book -- Let the Great World Spin. It didn't strike me as fabulous at first-- too down-and-out for my mood-- but it has grown on me and so have the great variety of characters. I'm looking forward to getting further into it now. SB is also reading it, as it is the first of our 2-person book club books. Yes, that's right. We're reading the same books so that we can talk about them. Can't wait for the next one -- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.