a three-utensil meal

(happy wedding to my childhood buddy, cousin matt!) 

Hey friends (or should I say "hey friends who are still reading after a lengthy hiatus from updating this captivating blog"...).  So, I could try and convince you that I've been distracted because last week was full of unpleasant things like needles and flying, but, we all know I'm just a big lazy pants.  I'm working on it (she says from her perch on the couch).  


But really, life has been more hectic than usual.  There are some work things going on that I can't talk about just yet, so, stay tuned for that.  But there was also the minor little event that took place last weekend to keep me away from the computer.


My cousin got hitched down in Atlanta, and the whole clan converged on the DoubleTree Friday afternoon to kick off the festivities.  It was an exhausting whirlwind, although I'm not sure why...it's not like a)I did anything other than eat copiously and wear pretty dresses, or b)I was the one who got married.  I blame it on the flight-related mini-panics, and a particularly grating MARTA ride back to the airport on Sunday.  Any time I overhear a conversation that starts with "yeah, me and my cell mate" when I'm stuck in a tiny train car underground, I get a little squirmy.  But all panic aside, I think we all had a great time, and while it's so very weird to see my childhood buddy stand up at the altar and say "I do," I'm very happy for he and his wife (um, we're 25, we are too young for these words, right?).    


Anyways, there's something a tiny bit glamorous about throwing half a dozen cocktail dresses and a pair of platform heels in a carry-on and jumping on a flight, but there is nothing at all glamorous about returning home to "real life."  And by "real life" I mean not being able to use your bathroom because the management arbitrarily decides to re-plaster and re-paint it.  Or finding a container coated in rotten cilantro in the fridge (I really never miss having a dishwasher until situations like that arise).  Upside? I've been meaning to streamline my tupperware collection, and I subsequently felt little guilt just popping the cilantro afflicted piece straight into the garbage. 


Also decidedly unglamorous? My return to the LKTC.  I guess it can't be designated as glamorous or otherwise, because it hasn't really even happened. Monday I joined some friends in exploiting the $1 hotdogs and peanuts at the Nats game (just don't ask us how much the tickets or beers cost us...sore subject).  Tuesday I had two separate friends cook for me (yep, about as sweet as it sounds, more on that in a future post).  And yesterday following an extended happy hour, the poor camel's back (aka my little stomach) succumbed to the final straw of poor diet.  


At that happy hour, I mixed wine and cheese/chili coated nachos.  I don't even like nachos!  I'm just a real sucker for bad bar food once I've had about .3 glasses of wine.  Needless to say, the aforementioned stomach had just about had enough of my abysmal eating lately.  With the exception of two-dinner Tuesday, I've really been putting my body through the wringer.  It hasn't been all hotdogs and nachos, but, I've been far from consistent when it comes to eating meals at all, not to mention healthy ones.  I spent most of last night convinced I was dying, or at the very least that dying would be preferable to the pain my stomach was experiencing.  


So especially when I found out my happy hour plans tonight fell through, I was relieved to come home and eat something healthy-ish.  (By the way, if I add peas to it, I generally believe that tips the scales in the healthy direction...my standards could probably use some tweaking).  Then I realized that meant I had to cook something healthy.  Blast.  I did an admirable job of procrastinating (amazing what you can find on hulu) before I peeled myself off the couch and headed for the LKTC. 


Maybe I'm just out of practice, but I had a very hateful dinner-making experience.  First of all, I hadn't defrosted anything of the protein variety, so that was a real downer.  Then I managed to overcook said hastily defrosted protein because I have an exaggerated fear of food poisoning.  While I was letting disaster happen in the oven, I got a little overambitious and decided to make quinoa with peas and corn.  Have you ever cooked with quinoa?  If so, I'm going to need some advice on how to wash that crap.  Because I failed in a laughable fashion. There was quinoa all over me, the sink, and several different measuring devices.  But seriously, it's TEE TINY, so you can't just put it in a colander like you would with most things that need rinsing.  I mean, it all came out fine, but I'm convinced there has to be a better method than inadvertently giving myself a quinoa bath every time I want to cook it.  


But by God, despite the disasters, I had a three-utensil meal.  This is something I take such pathetic pride in because most of the things I cook for myself usually fit in one bowl and can be eaten with one utensil (fork or spoon, all depends on my mood).  Shockingly, this rarely leads to a super-satisfying meal.  But I've been so exhausted lately that I'm hoping throwing some protein at the situation will help.  Enter pork (overcooked, but a protein nonetheless), and a fork and knife.