Storm of Thoughts

Wordless Wednesday: Graveyard Humor

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Weekend on the Block

On Saturday morning, I set out for yet another weekend jaunt. This time the location was Block Island. My college roommate, who is from Texas, visits the island with her (extended) family every summer. Which means 30+ people split between two houses, handfuls of kids running around, shared cars, and lots of activity. And, as if that wasn’t enough, every year, she also invites her friends to visit, with people sleeping on bunk beds or even the floor where necessary. Although I hadn’t gone in the past, this year I was able to make arrangements with yet another old roommate (at one time there were 8 of us in a suite!) to visit together. Another girl we lived with was there at the same time, and the four of us had a great time touring the island, visiting the lighthouses and the bluffs, hiking, climbing, walking on the beach, eating seafood, and, of course, shopping.

The house we stayed in.

One of the lighthouses after sunset.

Hiking down to the bluffs.

Then we had to hike back up!

The other lighthouse in the fog.

Such pretty flowers everywhere on Block Island! (Some of the hydrangeas were also an amazing shade of blue.)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Recipe: Fried Ravioli

A casual night entertaining with friends calls for food that can be made quickly and eaten easily (even while talking, laughing, and gesturing with both hands). I had never made fried ravioli before, although I’ve been enjoying it for years. This simple recipe was adapted from one by Giada De Laurentiis and became even easier when I had my friends help out.

Ingredients:

Ravioli, any number (I bought homemade gourmet ravioli from a local store)
Olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, italian-style or seasoned with your own spices
1 cup buttermilk (If you don’t have it on hand, you can make your own by putting 1 tablespoon vinegar in the measuring cup, then filling it up with milk to the one cup line. Let sit five minutes.)
Parmesan cheese for topping
Salt
Marinara sauce for dipping

Heat two inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees (or a drop of water will sizzle on contact). Meanwhile, coat ravioli in the milk and then the breadcrumbs. Fry a few at a time (don’t crowd the pan) until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally. Use a slotted spoon or a “spider” to remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. While hot, top with salt and cheese, then serve with warmed marinara sauce.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Life, Twice

Do you remember, years ago, in school (or camp or Sunday school) when you were asked to write a letter to a future you? I do. It was the first day of high school and our entire class was gathered on the bleachers in the gym, being handed lined notebook paper, pens, and envelopes. We were told to write a letter to our future selves with our thoughts, our concerns, and our feelings on that first day of school.

The letters contained some legitimate thoughts and fears but, naturally, were also a bit inane. Things like, “Dear Future Self: This is a difficult project. I was hoping not to have to do anything my first day,” or “I’m concerned about the amount of homework I’ll have to do in high school,” or, “My best friend is (insert name here) and I hope we still know each other in four years.”

Anyway, this exercise was quickly forgotten about - that is, until four years later when we were all gathered together again and those letters were distributed. We were surprised to remember that day and, more than likely, read the letters with a combination of embarrassment and nostalgia.

And I’ll admit, high school teachers, what seemed silly at the time was actually a good idea. But do you know what would have been more helpful? Sitting on the bleachers as seniors, writing letters to our scared, little freshman selves.

I thought of this as I was at the gym yesterday and the back of a magazine caught my eye. On it was an ad for some new TV show (Drop Dead Diva, although I have no idea what that is, what it’s about, or even what channel it’s on). The tagline read: “Life Looks Different the Second Time Around.”

In everyday life, everything seems to be a choice. I constantly notice myself weighing options about everything from what I’d like to do today (”If I don’t go to the gym, will I not get back there for a week?” “Is it more important to see this person or this person tonight?” “Is this opportunity worth taking a day off from work?”) to important things, like where to live or work. And, of course, I make them all, however reluctantly, and assume that, in the long-run, none of it makes too much of a difference.

But I’d bet that, if you did have a chance to go back and do things over again, things that once seemed small would suddenly take on a new importance. You might know better than to waste time doing one thing and instead focus on another. You might give up something that you thought was so important at the time. Or, maybe, you’d do all the little things the same way. But, even so, would you do the big things the same way? What, I wonder, would you ultimately decide was important? What would the future you know better about?

That’s what I’m wondering today. What do you think?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A New Friend

Can you come home with me, please?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A Scene from Saturday

This scene occurred last weekend while Pete and I waited patiently to get a tire changed on my car.

Me: Let’s go away for the weekend.
Pete: That’s silly.
Me: Not silly, fun.

Later….

Me: Are you sure we shouldn’t go away?
Pete: Well…yeah, it’s too late.

A little while later…

Me: It’s too bad we’re not going away this weekend.
Pete: We should have gone last weekend.

Soon after….

Pete: Let’s go to Hampton Beach. Pack a bag.
Me: (too busy to answer due to the fact that I was already packing)

Thus, we spent two days at the beach:

On our hotel’s rooftop deck, overlooking the water:

Couldn’t avoid a stop at the oh-so-popular arcade:

Our winnings:

Oh, boardwalk food.

Going out to dinner:

At the beach:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Wordless Wednesday: Spotted

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Missing You

It looks the same, but it’s completely different.

Somebody’s job has taken somebody away for an extended period of time.

I won’t make any cheesy metaphors about the emptiness of the closet and that of my heart (although forgive me if I think them now and then).

I’ll just distract myself with thoughts of excitement, luck, and pride for somebody as he gets started with his exciting, nerve-wracking, far-away new job. And, until he wants them back, I’ll sleep on his squishy pillow and lay diagonally across his side of the bed.

And then…what will be, will be. In the meantime, I will just stop opening the empty closet.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Wordless Wednesday: Lazy Nights (aka He’s So Sweet)

So nice to come home from work to the smell of the grill and dinner being made.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Summer BBQ Recipes Series: Zucchini Cornbread

The idea for a summer recipe series came from my mom’s recipe for corn salad, which is always a crowd pleaser at barbecues. Which reminded me of another great summer staple: her zucchini cornbread, which we ate a lot of this weekend. Although this version involves a few extra steps, they’re all simple and relatively quick, and it makes the perfect addition to a cornbread recipe you’re already using or, when you want to make things nice and easy (like barbecues should be!), you can just use packaged corn muffin mix. (We used two packages for this recipe, but you can adjust accordingly.)

Luci’s Zucchini Cornbread

2 medium zucchini
1 small onion, roughly chopped (or 1/2 of a large onion)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 8 oz. packages corn muffin mix or your own recipe (try this one by Paula Deen - minus the jalapenos!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray or coat with butter. Shred the zucchini with a grater and set aside. Heat oil in a medium pan and cook onion until just starting to brown; set aside. Prepare packaged corn muffin mix according to instructions in large bowl. Stir in zucchini, onion, and cheese. Spread mixture evenly into a baking dish (approx. 9″ x 13″ x 2″, but it will work in different sized dishes). Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until edges are just starting to brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean (or almost clean). With this recipe, we’ve found that overcooking is worse than undercooking (there’s something to be said for a soft center!) although, really, it virtually always turns out great. It’s also delicious reheated, both in the oven and the microwave. Perfect for make-ahead barbecue food - and leftovers you’ll be happy to have.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!