February » 2014 » semisweet&nuts

Curried Chicken Day

January 12: Curried Chicken Day

Is “curried chicken” a thing? Or did they just mean “curry with chicken in it”? I took it to mean “curry with chicken in it”, because it gave me an excuse to order my favorite thing from our favorite Thai food place.

I love Thai food. Growing up Thai food wasn’t a “thing”, at least not in suburban Chicago (or maybe I’m wrong and it was a thing everywhere except my family). I remember going out for Thai food a few times in high school… we’d venture into Chicago on the El and I’d order Thai fried rice because it was the one thing that was remotely familiar to me, a Americanized Chinese food aficionado. In college, my life was filled with nachos and noodles (… some things never change?) but I can’t recall ever going out for Thai with my lovely roommates, or anyone else for that matter. It wasn’t until I got my first job post college that getting Thai became a regular thing for me. My boss would take us out for Thai on a sort of regular basis; I fell in love with Pad Kee Mao, and how the chilis made my upper lip sweaty. I was hooked.

I eventually branched out and stopped getting noodles constantly and started ordering curries. My all-time favorite is massaman curry… a wonderful combination of curry, spice, coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts. And that my friends, is what is pictured above. It’s a lot prettier than this photo might suggest. I should have used a non-orange bowl.

Tomorrow: National Peach Melba Day

Milk Day

January 11: Milk Day

Milk. It belongs in cereal. It belongs in scrambled eggs. It belongs in hot chocolate. But who actually drinks a glass of milk past the age of five? Okay, let me rephrase… who actually drinks a glass of milk if cake or pie isn’t involved? The answer is no one. And freaks. Sorry to any freaks out there who read my blog. I’m sure you’re a nice person.

Here is some milk in a snifter.

Tomorrow: Curried Chicken Day

(I just realized that sometimes I like a glass of really cold chocolate milk. Does this make me a freak?)

Bittersweet Chocolate Day

January 10: Bittersweet Chocolate Day

When it comes to chocolate, give me milk or give me death. What’s up with all these fancy candy bars that boast higher and higher cocoa percentages? Why would I spend $7 on a candy bar that tastes like a $2 bar of Baker’s baking chocolate (gross), when I could spend $0.80 on a Hershey’s bar? Hmph.

I tried to make today ~fun~. If I have to eat bittersweet chocolate (WHY, GOD, WHY?), I might as well eat BBQ potato chip bittersweet chocolate, right?

Wrong.

Not tasty. Not good. Not Hershey’s. Hershey’s > “American Farms & Artisans”.

Tomorrrow: Milk Day

National Apricot Day

January 9: National Apricot Day

If I had any say in the matter, I’d make apricot day in October because apricots belong in haunted houses. Did anyone else play that game where you’d be blindfolded and reach into boxes or jar or whatever that contained “body parts”? Cold spaghetti noodles were veins. Peeled cold grapes were eyeballs. Dried apricots were ears.

Dried apricots will always be ears to me.

Tomorrow: Bittersweet Chocolate Day

English Toffee Day

January 8: English Toffee Day

I dare you to find something more delicious than English toffee. Seriously, it might be the world’s most perfect food. It’s a delectable combination of salty and sweet. A little nutty (like me). The perfect crunch. There are probably some good fat in there (nuts, right?). There are probably some bad fats in there, too, but whatever. It’s gluten free (not that gluten stops me). It’s The Best.

It’s actually pretty easy to make, too, once you get the hang of it. Before you get the hang of it, there is a lot of burned sugar involved. And maybe a few second degree burns. I remember one night a few years ago I decided I WANTED TOFFEE AND I WANTED IT NOW. And instead of being a normal person and walking to 7-11 or Walgreens (that used to be like, a three minute walk from my Chicago apartment… *wistful sigh for city living*), I decided to melt up some butter and sugar and go to town. It was a horrible mess. But what do you do when life gives you a horrible mess? You go to Walgreens and buy a Heath bar. Just kidding. You melt more butter and start over. And you succeed. Because you are a success in life.

If you don’t feel like living on the edge (or hate the idea of scarring your forearms with bits of molten sucrose), Trader Joe’s makes an excellent toffee (as pictured above).

Tomorrow: National Apricot Day

National Tempura Day

January 7: National Tempura Day

Things I learned on Tempura Day:

Tempura is only good the minute after it comes out of the fryer. It is not good when you order it to go on your lunch break and you carry it back to your office in a styrofoam container.
Tempura green beans are delicious, even if they are soggy.
Tempura squash is freaking gross, especially when soggy.

Tomorrow: English Toffee Day

National Whipped Cream Day

January 5: National Whipped Cream Day

Best kept secret at Starbucks: Kid’s hot chocolate. It’s like, $1.40. #winning.

Tomorrow: National Shortbread Day

National Spaghetti Day

January 4: National Spaghetti Day

I have this rule where I don’t order things at restaurants that I can make at home. Sure, in theory I could make anything at home. But let’s be real (real talk), I don’t make fancy stuff at home. I make tacos. I make chicken. I make chili. I make soup. I make other chicken. I make tacos with beef instead of turkey. I mak e pie. And, in this instance, I make spaghetti.

Except we were going out of town! I couldn’t bring myself to waste a dinner out on spaghetti! What was I to do?? I made spaghetti at 5am before we got in the car and drove to our getaway. Weird? Definitely. Worth it? Yes.

Unrelated to spaghetti… I wanted to post a few pictures from our destination: Glass Beach! It’s up in Mendecino County, and it used to be the town dump. From the early 20th century through the late 1960s, town residents would dump all of their garbage over the sea cliffs and into the ocean. Over time, the waves pounded the trash and all that’s left is a beach of glittery, smooth sea glass. Since I read about it a year or so ago I was dying to go. So we did! And it was awesome.

Tomorrow: National Whipped Cream Day

Chocolate Covered Cherry Day

January 3: Chocolate Covered Cherry Day

Oh my. I’m so, SO far behind in updating. It’s February 23! I’m stuck in the beginning of January! I need to power through! I’ve eaten everything, I just need to post about my experiences! I might post minimal text (though I love to blab…) just to get the posts up and finally get caught up. I don’t know. We will see.

Anyway! January 3 was chocolate covered cherry day. I’m sure that *fancy* chocolate covered cherries are good. Chocolate covered cherries from Walgreens are not. They tasted very chemical-y. Shocking, right?

The chocolate and the goo were actually okay tasting, it was the “cherry” (jk, I think it really is a cherry, no air quotes needed) that tasted like Pine-Sol or whatever. I contemplated eating the chocolate parts and spitting out the cherries, but ultimately decided that was stupid and just through the rest away. $2.99* down the drain.

Tomorrow: National Spaghetti Day

*Big spender