Emily said...

I said, "I only like grape nuts with too much sugar."

Emily said, "Heat them up and put a little butter on them."

So I did. Thanks, Emily.

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Self-Portrait with Craving

This morning they mentioned Shredded Wheat on NPR. I guess it was probably an advertisement ("sponsorship"). I just remember hearing that it has no added sugar or salt.

So, naturally, I immediately began craving Frosted Mini-Wheats (Bite Size) cereal, and all that lovely added sugar. And then I just had to stop on my way to work so that I could pick up a box. I'm about to have them for breakfast in three...two...one.

p.s. I overexposed/blurred this photo on purpose for those of you alarmed by photos with visible toes. You're welcome. I can't promise I'll always do you that courtesy when I wear open-toed shoes, but it's still pretty early in the morning.

[Skirt by JCrew, Tee and tank from I can't see the tags while I'm wearing them (Forever 21?). Shoes by Blowfish Malibu from DSW.]  

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Things in Jars

My friend Nick brings things in jars.



This thing, from his latest visit, was a sort of loose, unsticky, chocolate cereal treat.  It had dried fruit in it -- cherries? raisins?  It reminded me of the treats discussed in this post, but seemed blessedly less healthy.

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These days, I'm running on...

Chocolate Cheerios (also pictured: multi-vitamin, fish oil caplet, and calcium pill)!

[Duck Canvas Tote by Baggu; Canvas Pleated Booties by We Who See - both from Urban Outfitters]

I've been switching up my work breakfasts -- fruit, cheese grits, oatmeal (with brown sugar), smoothies, and cereal are all options -- and I try not to have the same thing two days in a row. So I don't have the cocoa beauties pictured above every day, but some days I come back to the office kitchen for a "second breakfast," and it's nearly always Chocolate Cheerios.

You might recall I first spotted these while stopping at an ATM in a bodega, during Steph's bachelorette party. I didn't buy a box because we were headed to a fancy restaurant, and I thought it might be gauche to walk in carrying my find. But I kept an eye out for them and found them recently at the Union Square Duane Reade.

Not only are they tasty and crunchy (if eaten swiftly), but the leftover milk is perfectly chocolate-y, without tasting phony. I've already gone through two boxes in 3 weeks.

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What a find!

Here's something I desperately need to try: Chocolate Cheerios.  I had no idea they existed until I spotted this box at a bodega in the middle of a bachelorette party (while some friends used an ATM).  If we hadn't been on our way to a fancy restaurant, I would have bought a box and carried it around with me for the rest of the night.

Update coming soon.

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Agape Meal

[I wrote down the name of the artist who painted this striking installation, which she did for a video/dance collaboration, but I've lost the piece of paper!  Anyone recognize the artwork?]

On Agape Sundays at church (the first Sunday of each month), we share communion as part of a service-long meal of fruit, bread, crackers, doughnuts, cheese, etc.  Juice and wine are served.   I always try to pick a seat close to the cheese.

On this particular Agape Sunday, I forgot to bring anything to share (because I forgot it was Agape Sunday).  I'm embarrassed to admit I had only enough snacks for myself in my bag.  I tried to drink my pineapple juice and eat my Chex Mix "Turtle" Bar quickly, so as to not call attention to my thoughtlessness.



As it turns out, the Chex Mix bar makes a much better dessert than a breakfast. It's way too sweet and sticky for me to think of it as nearing "healthy."

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My problems have problems. But not big problems.

What should one do when her vitamin regimen is messing with her meals/snacking schedule? I've been tossed on these horns for the past week or so.

Want to read the medium-length (i.e. could be longer OR shorter, but is neither), medium-boring version? Here you go:

I made up my mind to start taking a magnesium supplement daily. So far I have been unable to work it into my schedule.

Often, I don't eat anything that qualifies as "breakfast" at home. I don't leave myself enough time between waking up and leaving the house. If I'm doing a morning shift, I try to be at work between 8:30 and 9am, and I eat breakfast there.

As it turns out, magnesium needs to be taken on an empty stomach, or with Vitamin C, so my plan has been to take my magnesium pill with a (hydrated) packet's-worth of Emergen-C as soon as I get to work (I could take the pill at home, I suppose, but it seems unlikely I would remember to do that). Then, in theory, I'd wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating breakfast at 9:30 or 10am. Though this begs a question: How long does my stomach have to remain empty (except for the magnesium) in order for it to "count" as empty while the pill is being ingested?

In practice, since "as soon as I get to work" is not only when I like to eat breakfast, but also the quietest time of day in the office, when I put breakfast off until after taking my magnesium, I often get busy with other things and forget or don't have time to ever come back to eat my Peanut Butter Puffins (or other cereal "Flavor of the Week) until it's 11am, and too close to lunchtime for me to back up to breakfast.

OR I eat something and put off taking the magnesium, but then I never know when my stomach qualifies as "empty" again, and I'm loathe to take the supplement incorrectly.

OR I neither eat, nor take the vitamin pill, and just stew in my own indecisive juices.

OR, like the morning pictured above, I finally remember to take the magnesium around 10 am, and then at 11am feel like it's too close to noon for "breakfast," so just eat a handful of dry Peanut Butter Puffins at my desk. Dissatisfying.

At the heart of this dilemma is probably the fact that I didn't consult my doctor before starting to take magnesium (she did recommend a multi-vitamin and calcium, which I also take, along with fish oil caplets, but all of those things can be taken with food). If I had actually talked to the doctor about it, her advice probably would have helped me sort out the timing of things.

What is "an empty stomach," anyway? I mean, how long of a buffer of time on either side of my magnesium do I need to have not eaten?

I could have worse issues. I realize this.

Take Two.

I've described the failure I had when I went down the healthy-rice-krispies-treat route. I got tricked by a recipe and ended up with frozen beauties which did not travel well (even a few steps from the freezer).

On a hunch, however, I bought some full-fat Greek yogurt on my way to work one morning, dropped two of the marshmallow-free cripsies inside, and ate it all up for breakfast.

The Greek yogurt, crispy brown rice cereal, sesame seeds, honey, and dried fruit blended together in a charming way. I'm so glad these healthy "cupcakes" are not going to go to waste.

Part Two: The day gets nicer.

Need to perk up after a disappointing baked potato? A "Marshmallow Dream Bar" is basically Starbucks' version of a Rice Krispie Treat. If it's a hot day, try a lemonade mixed with unsweetened Tazo Passion tea (or black or green tea). I mean, my potato was pretty disappointing, so in retrospect I probably could have used two of the marshmallow treats, but you do what you can.

Tent and Breakfast

The night we camped at Lake Powell, we set up the tents in failing light. For dinner, Eva cooked hotdogs in the night's pitch blackness. They were served simply (but at least, as can be seen in the photo above, we did happen to have some Grey Poupon) and eaten by electric lantern and headlamps' light. It was cold and windy and cold. I just wanted to crawl into my new sleeping bag and crash. I believe I managed to stay awake for the dessert of E.L. Fudge cookies, but just barely.




Things looked much brighter in the morning. Water heated on the propane stove moistened instant hot cocoa and instant plain oatmeal, to which we added pecans, blueberries and brown sugar.



These were AgroBerries, but I thought of them as aggro berries.

I declare: rice crispy treats are the new cupcake.

I would just like to say that I do not collect mugs. I do have mugs and like mugs, but it's not a collection, I promise myself. I try very hard not to collect anything, in the hopes that it will make it harder for people giving me gifts to fill my apartment with, say, angels or zebras.

I do, however, have a lot of affection for my Flight of the Conchords mug and, now, the one pictured above from the New Museum of Contemporary Art, which was a gift from Martha. In it, the perfect tart tisane (Ruby Slipper - pear and blood orange) from SerendipiTea.

And I am considering collecting rice crispy treats. This one was brought home for me by Dan in its circular cardboard container (when empty, these containers hold hair accessories or jewelry quite nicely) from Rice in Manhattan. Small pink specks throughout the treat may have been dried cranberries (they also come with apricots). Whatever they were, it was delicious, if at first a bit stiff from overnight refrigeration in my lunch box (my fault).

I was at Rice (the location in DUMBO) for lunch a few weeks ago and I'm looking forward to going back. Everything I've had there is worth savoring (more crispy rice and shrimp balls, please), but there's a lot on the menu I have yet to try. Collect 'em all!

All Cookies, All the Time

Thanks to a tip from Tia, I found this Cornflake Cookies recipe on MySpace. They're not pretty, and they're fairly basic, but they're different (which is not bad) and tasty (which is good).

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (room-temperature)
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cornflakes (whole)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Cream until fluffy. To this, add cream of tartar, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir in flour, mix well. Add the cornflakes, folding in by hand. Try not to crush the cornflakes more than necessary. Roll into 1-inch balls and press down gently with the tines of a fork. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cookie Count: 1195


(both photos by Dan)

Unicorn Crepes

Unicorn Crepes is in the International District neighborhood of Seattle, just around the corner from Uwajimaya. Inside, a display of plastic crepe wedges with various plastic toppings catches the eye. Choose your poison! Your delicious, delicious poison.

Wait. Why are they called Unicorn Crepes?



Oh, I get it, maybe! I guess it's because you start with a crepe that has been made flat and round, but then after the person behind the counter finishes putting the fillings in it in a wedge shape, the crepe is rolled into a horn-like cone and eaten that way. Tear the paper off as you eat from the top down.

Dan's Banana Corn Flake Choco Whip (pictured above) was excellent. That's banana slices with corn flakes, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. I really dug the inclusion of corn flakes; they're an asset to any crepe, turning a rather soft dessert into something less passive. My strawberry (slices of whole strawberries, not just sauce) and yummy vanilla custard and whipped cream (and chocolate? I forget.) crepe was almost as good. Needed cornflakes. There were a number of savory crepe suggestions, too, such as spicy tuna and egg salad, but their plastic display counterparts appealed to me less.