Manuscript Writing

At my last committee meeting, at the beginning of the month, I presented my figures for my proposed manuscript to my committee and received the thumbs up to go ahead and start writing it (while finishing up a few loose ends and getting one additional experiment to hopefully work).  While seated around the table, my boss declared that he would like the draft of it by January 1st – exactly one month later.  The committee sat around joking that on the 31st, I’d be buying a plane ticket to California to get those extra three hours of writing in… and then hopping another plane to Hawaii to buy myself a few more hours… but oh, be careful and don’t cross the international date line!

I know that the comments were all in jest, a result of previous graduate students who were unable to meet deadlines and used all sorts of excuses.  But when I returned to the lab later and mentioned the deadline to other labmates, they all furrowed their brows and made comments about how a manuscript in a month is no easy feat.

Yesterday, two weeks before the imposed January 1st deadline, I emailed my boss my manuscript so he could take it on his trip to Europe (what better to do with 14 hours on a plane than edit it?!).  It took me a week to find the time between experiments to write a two page outline, and then four days to go from my outline to the finished draft, and one more day to get my figures polished.  I suspect the reason the writing went so quickly for me is because I have been working on this project for so long – I already knew everything there was to know about it, inside and out, so I did not have to waste time reading through lots of papers.  I also just gave my yearly data presentation to my department, half of which was on this project, and if I can stand up and speak about the project for 40 minutes, then I’d expect I could sit down and write about it as well.  However, I still can’t drop the nagging feeling that I’ve done something drastically wrong, since I finished writing the draft so quickly and with such ease.

Now the worst part: the wait.  Boss returns from Europe the end of next week.  Will my draft be returned with some minor edits, or a giant “MANUSCRIPT WRITING: UR DOIN’ IT WRONG!” scrawled across the top? 

Non-Academic Careers

I’m helping a post-doc in our lab take over the career development seminars for my program.  Our program really offers no support to students looking at options outside academia, and many of the investigators actively discourage trainees from pursuing other opportunities.   We are trying to help fill this gap by bringing in speakers from a variety of non-academic scientific careers to share a bit about what it is they do, how they got there, and give everyone some other career opportunities for down the road.
I’ve spent the past year or so conducting informational interviews with everyone and anyone who will sit down and talk to me about what they do, but unfortunately, I’m averaging only about a 10% success rate in regards to emails sent to actual phone conversations had.  I recently sent out another wave of emails to those in the area who were willing to talk to me about possibly coming in for a general career chat with others in my department, but I’m looking for more people and more careers to explore.
So, this is where you come in.  Throw those ideas at me – no matter how off the beaten path.  Once you have that Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, what can you do with it?  Super duper extra bonus points (and cookies sent in the mail) if you have an actual contact in the greater Washington area who might be willing to come talk to a bunch of senior graduate students and post-docs!

Roasted Beets with Sautéed Beet Greens

I avoided beets for a very long time, because I dislike both pickled beets and borscht.  Much like brussels sprouts, beets once again prove my theory that there is a delicious way to consume any vegetable – you just have to know how to prepare it to your liking.  My favorite use for beets?  Roast the beets until the sugars start to caramelize, and serve over sautéed garlicky beet greens.  Delicious!

Roasted Beets with Sautéed Beet Greens
a Sugar Scientist original kitchen protocol

Ingredients:

• one bunch beets, well cleaned
• one medium onion, diced
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Scrub beets to remove all dirt, and rinse beet greens well.  Chop off greens where leaves end and remove remaining ‘stems’ from the beet root.
3. Quarter each beet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast beets in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes, then remove foil and continue to cook uncovered at 400F for another 20 minutes until beets can be easily pierced with a knife.
4. Remove from oven and allow beets to cool.  Drain remaining beet-infused olive oil from baking pan and pour into a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.  Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces and add to the skillet.  Sautee until greens are wilted.
5. If desired, peel beets once they have cooled enough to handle.  The beet skin should easily rub right off, but the skin is perfectly edible and adds a nice texture.
6. Serve roasted beets over beet greens, topped with salt and pepper to taste.
   

Bad Decisions (with a view)

I am at that awkward age in life where I am too old to stay up drinking Friday night and not pay the consequences when I have to be in lab early Saturday morning, but still too young and immature to turn down the invitation to spend the night playing flip cup on a friend’s roof.

Rehearse after me:

“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”

But really, who could pass up good beer, great friends, and a perfectly chilly fall night with this lovely view of the city I am fortunate to call home?

The Plague

I've been rather sick the past 12 days with the "lab plague", which started as a cold, added on pinkeye picked up from a labmate (quick! decontaminate the microscope eyepiece!), and has settled in my lungs as a nice case of pneumonia.  I've been on antibiotics (both eyedrops and oral) for several days now, so fortunately the pinkeye is clearing up, and with the help of an inhaler, I can almost breathe without feeling like I am being stabbed in the chest (of course, courtesy of the antibiotics, I now feel like I'm being stabbed in the stomach... six of one, half dozen of the other).

I've been in and out of the lab, trying to balance healing with productivity, in hopes that resting up will kick this plague once and for all so I can head up to Boston later this week for some time in the city and spending Yom Kippur with family and friends.  Husband is in the middle of his fellowship interviews, and since there seems to be a good chance he will wind up in Boston, I am tagging along to confirm that I'd be willing to head to Boston for the next stage of my life if when I graduate.

My statcounter tells me that there are a number of individuals in the greater Boston area who read my blog, so send me your recommendations!  I've been to Boston several times before, but Husband has only been for medical school and residency (and now fellowship) interviews, so what should we do?  Send me your favorite things to do and restaurant recommendations, por favor!  Any particularly great neighborhoods to check out should I be moving in that general direction (looking for a nice balance of somewhere in walking distance to things we need, bars, restaurants, etc., but not filled with noisy undergrads)?  We'll be staying a few blocks away from Mass General, so extra bonus points for things within walking distance that I can do on my own during Husband's interviews... provided I am not still stuck in bed feeling like death.

1001 Days Later

1001 days ago (approximately 2.75 years), I set out on a 101 in 1001 journey – 101 goals I wanted to accomplish in the next 1001 days.  I started on January 1, 2009, which brought me all the way to September 29, 2011 – a date that seemed quite far away.  Even though I didn’t purposely set it up in this fashion, I loved the symmetry – starting on the new year according to the Gregorian calendar, and ending on  Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.  There were tasks I was positive I’d accomplish, some which I hoped to, and others which I thought might be a long shot, but I was confident I’d tackle my way through most of the list.

Fail.

Big, fat, monstrous, depressing, huge fail.

Every single one of the goals I was most interested in accomplishing related to my professional career and life with Husband, and I didn’t meet a single one.  Zero.  Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.  1001 days ago, I could not possibly wrap my head around the idea that I would still be in graduate school.  There was no way I would still be one of those terrifying seventh year  graduate students.  I figured I’d certainly have killed myself before getting to this point.

My program requires the acceptance of a first author paper prior to obtaining permission to write.  Because I have not yet accomplished this,  I haven’t even been able to attempt the following off my 101 in 1001 list:

1.    Learn to love science again.
6.    Submit a paper as first author and have paper accepted.
8.    Successfully defend thesis – become Disgruntled Julie, Ph.D.
9.    Regardless of when I defend, return to D.C. for graduation ceremonies.
10. Figure out what I want to do post graduate school.
12. Find a job in desired field in Philadelphia area.
20. Move to Philadelphia to live with Husband.
21. Buy a house or condo.
22. Buy/lease/inherit (from Husband) a car if we are not living in a public transportation friendly neighborhood.
23. Find a synagogue we like and become members.
24. Actually drag Husband to services at said synagogue.
25. Establish long-term primary care physician in Philadelphia.
26. Make new friends in Philadelphia.
27. Host major holiday dinner at our new abode in Philadelphia.
101. Be happy with whom I am and the direction my life is taken.

Sure, there are many other things on the list that I did accomplish… but they were the cherry on top of the goals that really mattered.  These aforementioned list of un-accomplishable tasks – that’s the entire rest of the sundae.  The cherry may be lovely, but it’s merely an accoutrement.  A sundae without a cherry is still delicious.  A sundae without the ice cream, caramel sauce, hot fudge, whipped cream, and sprinkles is… well… just plain depressing.  If I order a sundae and get only a cherry, you better believe I’m going to ask for a refund.  That pretty much sums up how I’ve felt about the past 2.75 years of my life – this isn’t what I ordered, so I’d like a refund, please.

Cookies & Cream Mini-Cheesecakes

Earlier tonight, Always a Northerner asked for suggestions for a bake sale to raise money for the flood victims of Binghamton.   I feel like typical cupcakes and cookies are a dime a dozen at bake sales, so I suggested these mini-cheesecakes as a fun alternative.   My favorite part is the oreo cookie as a crust, which makes them relatively neat and tidy to hold in your hand without requiring a fork.  They’re so quick to make, super tasty (if you like cheesecake), hold up well throughout the day even without refrigeration (I’ve brought them to many an outdoor summer potluck), and you can make them days ahead of time and pop them in the refrigerator until you need them.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes 
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Ingredients:

• 1 package Oreo cookies; 30 left whole, 12 coarsely chopped
• 2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• pinch salt

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 275F.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  Place one cookie in the bottom of each muffin liner.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add in sugar and beat until combined.  Beat in vanilla.
3. Slowly add in eggs, sour cream, and salt, beating until combined.  Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
4. Divide batter among the 30 muffin liners with cookies, filling each to almost the top.  Bake until filling is set, about 22 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Remove from liners just before serving.

Pretty enough in muffin liners to serve at a bake sale…

… and super tasty when popped out of the liners!

New England

Last weekend, Husband and I attended the wedding of two of his medical school classmates in Kennebunkport.  Since we were driving all the way to Maine, we decided to stop in Newport, RI for a day on the way up.  The trip was so lovely and relaxing, and it is getting harder and harder to come back to D.C. and the lab each week (especially when it was over 100F back in D.C., and a beautiful, breezy 74F in Maine).  I have lost so much motivation, I almost don’t even care if I ever finish or not…

Touro Synagogue – oldest American synagogue

The Breakers – Vanderbilt’s summer “cottage”

View from our hotel in Kennebunkport

beautiful day for a wedding!

Carrot Cake with Lemon-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Somewhere over the past six years, I became the official “birthday baker” of the lab. With 20+ coworkers, it means there’s always an excuse to bake a cake! Peanut butter and chocolate are definitely the favored flavors in the lab, but once in a while, someone picks something new and different and it’s the perfect opportunity to create a new recipe. I was quite pleased when someone requested a carrot cake, as I have (shockingly) never made one before. I looked through a few different recipes and then just decided to make one on a whim as I went. The benefit to creating your own recipe is tailoring it to your exact tastes: in this case, lots and lots of cinnamon, very heavy on the carrots, light on the nuts, and absolutely no pineapple whatsoever. Baking for my coworkers also means I have a built in recipe-testing panel, and it seems like they all approved of this original creation!

    

Carrot Cake
(a Sugar Scientist original recipe)
Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 box (4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3 cups packed shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, pudding mix, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together to blend.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time and blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add half the dry ingredients, all the milk, and the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat each addition until just incorporated. Mix in carrots and pecans by hand.
4. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack, peel off the parchment, and cool completely before frosting.

Lemon-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in lemon juice and cinnamon.
2. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add in one tablespoon of milk.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Unless you live under a rock, in an air conditioned bubble, in Seattle, or in the southern hemisphere, you are well aware that it is blisteringly hot out there.  And living in a city that was essentially built on top of a swamp does nothing to help this situation (oh, the humidity!).

I’ve noticed a distinct polarization in heat-complaints on Twitter and Facebook, divided up by where one resides.  The city-dwelling folk, reliant on feet and sweltering un-air conditioned city busses, are dying.  We arrive to work drenched in sweat, light-headed, and longing for the cold temperatures of winter.  On the other hand, we have the suburbanites, who choose to complain about the city people complaining about the heat.  “It’s summer… it’s SUPPOSED to be hot!” or “I don’t understand what’s so bad, just stay inside” continue to pop up across my social media streams.

Ah, the luxury.  I have a legitimate phobia of having to move to the suburbs some day, but right now, it almost sounds appealing… leaving my central-air conditioned house, walking 10 steps to my air conditioned car, driving to work in climate controlled luxury, walking 200 steps across the parking lot, and heading straight into my air conditioned office (stopping, of course, to chat about how that dash across the parking lot was a little toasty).

But instead, the reality of a city girl is walking 1.5 miles each way with a heat index of 115.  It’s so humid, my hair hasn’t fully dried since last weekend.  And central air conditioning?  Who can afford such a luxury on a graduate student stipend?  I have a window unit in my bedroom which normally does okay, but it just can’t keep up with this kind of heat – running full blast when I’m home, it’s still stuck at 86 in here, but at least that’s livable.

The living room and kitchen, however?  Last night when I returned home, the thermostat registered at 102 degrees.  Inside.  In my living room.  So, I’ve decided to do what any poor graduate student does in an unfortunate situation – come up with a way to profit from it.

I’m going to open a sweat lodge.  I hear they’re all the rage among the new-age crowd.  What’s the going rate for a weekend of spiritual cleansing at a sweat lodge?  I’ll offer a 50% discount to come hang out on my couch this weekend.  Surely a couch is more comfortable than sitting on the dirt floor?  If 102 isn’t toasty enough, I can turn on the oven, which typically gets the kitchen up to around 115, and I can feed you baked goods while you sweat all the calories right back out! 

Need a cleansing cultural experience?  Stressed about an upcoming grant submission?  Need to pray to the manuscript gods while you wait to hear back from Reviewer #3?  Book an appointment today at Sugar Scientist’s Sweat Lodge!

4th of July

Even before I moved to DC, July 4th was probably my favorite holiday. I'm not super patriotic or gung-ho American, but I am thankful to live in a country where I have so much freedom (mostly, I love summer gatherings with friends and fireworks). This is my 10th year living in DC, and yet I've only been in DC on the 4th for three of those years -- mostly thanks to weddings dragging me across the country. I am sad to report that once again I am missing out on the fun, since I am still recovering from surgery and taking a temporary hiatus from my life in DC.

I am super bummed to miss out on the tradition of gathering for food with friends beforehand and walking down to the mall 15 minutes before the fireworks start. You sure can't beat living in DC for that kind of convenience -- tourists sit out all day to claim a spot, and we sneak in right as the first firework goes off. And then, while everyone elbows their way back to the metro, we just walk right down the street, back to a friend's apartment, and pass around the tequila.

In the meantime, these pictures from last year will have to suffice since I can't make it in person this year. My secret superhero alter-ego is The Human Tripod -- I love taking fireworks and night photography, because I can hold still enough to not need a tripod. I've read so many articles stating how a tripod is necessary when photographing fireworks, but I'm pretty content with my hand-held pictures. So, what's your superhero alter-ego?

Good Luck, Lo!

If you don't already read Dissecting Jane, I highly suggest that you add it to your RSS reader of choice. Jane is incredibly sweet and caring, both on her blog and Twitter and in real life.

Jane's sister Lo will be receiving a kidney from her father on Tuesday. In honor of Lo's recent birthday, Jane asked all her friends to gift her sister with prayer and mention it on their blogs.

Lo & Jane

Religion isn't something I openly discuss, and because of my own experiences I'm never comfortable asking for others to do anything remotely related to religion. But there is nothing controversial about thinking positive healing thoughts, so I'm going to ask everyone to do that, instead.

If prayer is your thing, go for it. If it isn't, just take a second to stop and thing a good, positive, happy kidney thought for Lo and her father.

And while you're at it, think about the people who mean so much to you that you'd give them a kidney, and let them know exactly how important they are to you. After watching a segment on the news a few weeks ago, Husband and I were discussing the individuals to whom we would each give a kidney, and without hesitation we both named our own best friends (in addition to immediate family, of course). So, Mark and Shannon, if either of you ever need anything, I'd give you the shirt off of my back or the kidney out of my retroperitoneum.

Twenty Eight

On Sunday, I turned 28.

It marked the end to a very disappointing, frustrating year. I set several goals for myself for 27 -- publish a first author paper, defend my dissertation, take a weekend trip away somewhere with just Husband, sort out a few health problems -- and accomplished none of them. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

These were all very practical, obtainable goals, and my inability to complete even one of them really leaves me to write off 27 as a year of failure. It's certainly not for lack of trying, but I've never put so much effort into things and had absolutely no positive results. I'm used to working hard and reaping the rewards -- I was accepted to every college in which I was interested, was offered an interview for every graduate program to which I applied and was accepted to all except one, every lab I rotated with in graduate school wanted me to join. I've already had two investigators express interest in bringing me on as a post-doc (though of course, such offers are useless if I can't actually manage to graduate.) But this year disproved the notion that hard work equals results. I taught myself multiple new techniques and sought out the advice of collaborators to further my project to no avail. I completed the 8-month daily dosing animal study my boss said was required for my manuscript -- and now he has decided not to publish the results. Every weekend Husband had off, I was either tethered to the lab or we had family/friend obligations (we did get one fun weekend away in Austin, though it was specifically for purposes of visiting someone). We each scheduled off time and arranged to stay in his family's vacation home in South Carolina, but instead I had surgery that week, costing us enough to ensure it will be a very, very long time before we can afford to spend money on anything as frivolous as a vacation. I met with more new doctors this year than I have fingers, and yet the particular health problems I set out to resolve still remain mysteries.

On the other hand, my lack of satisfaction with my current life means that I have never been afraid of aging. I truly believe that the best is yet to come. I'm not going to make some silly declaration that next year can't possibly get any worse, because of course it can, but I think the general overall trend is that I am stuck in a ditch of suckiness, and at some point, I have to start climbing out. To me, the future doesn't mean wrinkles and grey hair (I already have lots of those, anyway) and becoming old and boring -- it means eventually living with my husband, possibly finding a career I enjoy, slowly paying off Husband's medical debt, and having both the time and financial freedom to travel.

As my birthday approached, I was inundated with the standard questions regarding how I felt about turning older. I answered each person with the same response -- that I think the best is yet to come, and I look forward to the future. With the exception of one person, everyone threw the answer back in my face.

"In 10 years, you'll long for the days of being 27 again!"

"What are you talking about? Everyone knows the 20s are the best years of your life!"

"You don't have kids yet! Getting older means having kids, and it's all downhill from there!"

"In 5 years, you'll realize how stupid you sound right now thinking the future will be better."

I chose not to share my unhappiness with individuals in my daily life because no one likes a downer, so I'm not sure if the responses would be different if they knew how truly discontent I am right now. Either way, I'm unsure why everybody feels the need to point out that things will only get worse. Just because they are unhappy with aging surely does not mean that 100% of the population feels the same way and that it MUST be the same for me.

So, in light of all the negativity regarding aging that surrounds me, I am setting only one goal for my 28th year of life: to avoid falling into the anti-aging trap by reminding myself every single day that the best is yet to come. For individuals who base their value and worth on beauty and youth, I am sure the 20s really are the highlight of their lives, but I think my life is only going to improve with time.

Flowers from my Birthday Bush -- my parents' hydrangea blooms every year the week of my birthday.

Three Years

Three years ago, at roughly 9:00pm, I was doing this:

Three years ago, at roughly 9:30pm, I was doing this:

Three years ago, at roughly 10:30pm, I was doing this:

Three years ago, at roughly midnight, I was doing this:

Tonight, at roughly 9:00pm, I was doing this:

Tonight, at roughly 9:30pm, I was doing this:

Tonight, at roughly 10:30pm, I was doing this:

Tonight, at roughly midnight, I am doing this:

My anniversary date for the evening consists of a luciferase assay, a Western blot, and 12 Excel-sheets worth of qPCR data, which seems rather appropriate, considering that I typically feel more married to the lab than to my own husband.

After three years, I am more thankful than ever to have found a spouse who manages to put up with me. While I may not be high maintenance, high stress, or demanding, my chosen career is all three and more, and I cannot imagine it is pleasant to be married to me (and my experiments, we're a package deal) most of the time. So far, our marriage hasn't quite gone as anticipated (so much for that one year long distance plan), and I am eternally thankful for a husband that acknowledges how important science is to me and has never once pressured me to give it up, even if I appear to be taking the (very) long, (extremely) windy road through graduate school.

After all, what are a few years of living apart when we plan on growing into shriveled old octogenarians together?

Spring in DC

Things have been a little down around here lately, between discussing my unhappiness with where my life is right now, my grandfather's heart attack, my mother-in-law's chemo, and the death of my cat. So, it's time to brighten up the blog with a few pretty pictures.

Spring seems to be everyone's favorite season in D.C., though I can't say that I agree (I'm partial to fall around these parts -- beautiful weather, minimal rain, and far less humid), but that doesn't mean that I can't still enjoy the cherry blossoms in bloom. I thought for sure I would be doing a post-doc in Philly by now (ha, ha) so last year, my parents came down to visit for "one last" day of enjoying the cherry blossoms before I moved away.

Of course, I'm still here. Which means I have had three more "one last" trips down to check out the cherry blossoms in springtime.

Mark my words, if I'm STILL HERE, STILL A GRADUATE STUDENT come next year, my annual cherry blossom visit will end in drowning myself in the tidal basin.

My first visit was with some of Husband's fellow radiology coworkers, about a week before the cherry blossom prime. We walked and walked and walked and did a great tour of the "highlights" of D.C. I don't think I've ever popped by the tidal basin so early in the year; all the blossoms were still pink!

Then, I went back again on a beautiful Sunday evening with Jenny when the blossoms were just about at their perfect peak. The temperature was ideal, the sun setting was lovely, there was hardly a crowd since all the tourists from the weekend had returned home -- one of those very rare moments when I understand why everyone here loves spring so much.

A few days after that, my parents made a spontaneous trip down to D.C. for another "one last" visit. Most of my lab was off at a conference so I snuck out for an afternoon at the National Gallery and a walk around the tidal basin. There was a torrential downpour the night before, so most of the blossoms were scattered across the ground. It was also kind of an ugly day; cold, cloudy, and windy, with some rough water as far as the normally motionless tidal basin goes!

I absolutely love D.C. and the opportunities I have in my backyard... but.... I sure hope I'm not around to see the cherry blossoms bloom again next year!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

So many of the food blogs I follow create such labor-intensive, elaborate foods. Cooking for hour upon hour, multiple-day steps, tragic stories of one tiny mistake ruining the entire recipe. While I certainly appreciate, and often enjoy, mastering new techniques in the kitchen, I so often find that the most enjoyable meals are simple, fresh, and require no real skill whatsoever.

This is certainly the case with this salad. Every time I make it, I expect to be disappointed because I have built it up to such amazing flavors in my head, and yet each time, it's every bit as flavorful as I was expecting.

If you have a knife and an oven, make this. It's fast, it's easy, and it's unbelievably delicious.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
adapted from What Would Cathy Eat?

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1 bunch scallions, green and white parts, chopped
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Spread the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and brussels sprouts are crispy.
3. Add the roasted sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts with the red peppers, scallions, and black beans.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, mustard, and basil. Whisk in the olive oil.
5. Mix the dressing with the salad, adding additional salt, pepper, or lime juice to taste.

Update: I made a summer version of this salad for a 4th of July picnic, using what I had in hand… no brussels sprouts, but 4 red peppers, 2 yellow peppers, and  2 green peppers.  I loved it even more, with the crunch from all the peppers, and it was a perfectly light and colorful addition to the picnic!

Furry Family

On August 9, 1997, a litter of kittens was born a few blocks away. A couple of weeks later, my parents and I wandered over to pick out our new cat. My father immediately scooped up one; I clung to another, and my mother glared at both of us and reiterated that we would be bringing home ONE kitten. Of course, several weeks later when they were ready to move on to their new homes, both kittens came with us, and spent the next several years nearly inseparable (as they aged, they became more independent and started prowling the house on their own instead of as a team).

Even though my parents have been his caregivers for many years now (I, of course, was not permitted to bring a cat to college, and there was no way my parents were splitting up the pair and letting me take him to my first grad school apartment), they have always continued to refer to Zeus as "my" cat -- after all, without me, he wouldn't have become part of our family. And, cliche though it may be, he certainly was a part of the family, always waiting on the coffee table staring out the window to greet us on our way home, and immediately jumping into the lap of anyone who sat in his favorite recliner.

It is with a very sad, heavy heart that I have to report that "my" sweet kitty is no more. He passed on this morning at the vet due to unexpected kidney failure, tragically unable to hang on as my parents rushed home from Puerto Rico to say goodbye. It's hard enough to actually say goodbye to a pet; but truly unbearable to not get in that one last ear scratch and knowing your pet, essentially a member of the family, passed away not being petted by someone he loved, but alone in a cage at the emergency vet.

Zeus, wherever you are now, I hope you always have a warm lap available and all the mice you want to chase!

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

After spending all day cooking food for my mother-in-law, I invited our close friend (and accountant) over for dinner. Dinner was a success -- he loved the brussels sprouts gratin (his first time eating brussels sprouts) and for the first time in several years, we don't owe hundreds and hundreds of dollars in taxes! In fact, we owe a big fat whopping $3.00. Now, it's certainly not the same as getting a refund, but since we had set aside $1,200 for taxes, it's kind of like more money back into our pocket!

I love (love love love) brussels sprouts. Typically I just roast them, but I decided to spruce them up a bit since I was cooking dinner for a friend. Even Husband, who is not a fan of any vegetables in particular, deemed them "not bad", which is a smashing success!

Brussels Sprouts Gratin
A Sugar Scientist Original Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup smoked gruyere cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup panko
• 1/4 cup shredded gouda cheese

Directions:

1. Trim brussels sprouts and cut in half. Arrange on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle salt over top. Roast at 425C for 30-40 minutes, until crispy.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and let simmer. Stir in the milk, nutmeg, and grated gruyere cheese. Continue stirring until cheese is melted and smooth.
3. Pour bechamel sauce over the brussels sprouts and toss to cover. Transfer brussels sprouts to a 9x9 inch baking dish.
4. Sprinkle panko and grated gouda on top.
5. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe Ideas

It’s time for me to turn the tables a bit and ask all of you for a little recipe help.

You see, my mother-in-law is on chemotherapy for breast cancer and is currently neutropenic. For the non-biology types, neutropenia is characterized by super low white blood cells, which makes you particularly susceptible to infections. As a result, my MIL is no longer allowed to go to work (she works in a hospital setting where germs run rampant), eat any raw fruits or vegetables, have flowers in the house, etc., because all of these can increase your exposure to various bacteria. But the real kicker for her – she can no longer order takeout. For someone who exists mostly on takeout, this is a very, very big change.

To help her out, I’m planning on cooking as many frozen dinners to send to her as my tiny freezer space will allow. I never cook ahead of time and freeze food for myself, so this is a pretty foreign operation for me. I’d love your tried-and-true freezer meals, since Googling is a bit overwhelming, and some people say things like “I think this will freeze!” but I’m looking for actual confirmation, since I’m sending these off to my MIL and not just keeping them for myself!

Specifically, I’m looking for recipes that are:

1) Easy. She’s going to be on chemo for at least 4 more months, followed by several months of radiation, so I’d like to prepare as many meals as possible.

2) Foolproof when it comes to meat. Since I don’t consume meat myself, I don’t have a ton of experience cooking with it. I want recipes where I don’t have to worry about undercooking the chicken and accidentally killing off my MIL – in other words, whole roasted chicken? Bad. Casserole with cubed chicken that is cooked to the point of no possible rawness? Good.

3) Minimal preparation after thawing. Thawing sauce on the side and pouring it on top is fine, but nothing that requires preparing rice or noodles separately. On days she is feeling her worst, I want her to just take it out of the freezer, put it in the oven, and walk away.

Since I know tastes and preferences can change during chemo, I plan on gathering as many recipes as possible and sending her a list, so she can pick what sounds most appealing to her right now. Any links to recipes you have tried that freeze well would be greatly, greatly appreciated! So far, I'm planning on making a vegetable lasagna, stuffed shells, and portobello black bean enchiladas.


This also seems an appropriate time to do a quick plug for my best friend from high school, Shannon, who is walking 60 miles this fall for breast cancer. In addition to working full time as a behavioral therapist in a school for autistic children and pursuing a masters’ in clinical psychology, Shannon makes jewelry as a hobby and sells it on Etsy. Currently, 100% of the proceeds from her jewelry sales are going towards fundraising for her walk for breast cancer. Check it out – maybe you’ll find a piece you love and will support a great cause at the same time! (I wear lots of Shannon-made originals, and get compliments on them all the time!)

Huevos Rancheros

I have never really been much of a breakfast person. On the rare occasion that I find myself going out to brunch, I bypass all the breakfast options and head straight to lunch. I suspect this is because I will almost always choose savory over sweet (probably unexpected from someone who wants to open a bakery), and most breakfast foods have a hint of sweetness to them -- french toast, pancakes, waffles. I'm also not a huge fan of eggy-flavored things, so omelettes, fritattas, and even simple scrambled eggs don't particularly excite me. But one thing I do love? Mexican food! So, it should come as no surprise that I adore huevos rancheros (the egg is balanced out with a tortilla and salsa), and it is at the top of my list for making weekend breakfasts when Husband comes to visit.

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients:

• 1 can seasoned black beans
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat black beans in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Spray frying pan with nonstick cooking spray. Heat one tortilla until golden brown, then flip. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the tortilla and let it melt.
3. Break one egg over the melting cheese, using a spatula to help hold the egg yolk on top of the tortilla. Once the egg white starts to set, quickly flip the tortilla over. Cook 2-3 minutes on the opposite side, until yolk firms, and then flip back upright onto a plate.
4. Repeat with remaining tortillas and eggs.
5. Serve with salsa and black beans.

Broken Heart

My grandfather just had a heart attack. Well, correction, my grandfather had a heart attack nearly 48 hours ago, but for reasons which I will refrain from ranting about now, no one bothered to tell me until 30 minutes ago. So really, I just learned that my grandfather had a heart attack.

My grandfather is 90 years old, and in better shape than most people I know my own age. He lives along a golf course and walks the entire length every day, collecting lost golf balls for my father. He uses the cardio equipment in his retirement home. He walks to the grocery store instead of driving. He makes very healthy food decisions, is not a smoker, and only drinks on occasion. He is in such great shape, the past two times he has had surgery, his recovery has taken less than a third of the time he was told it would take, to the shock and amazement of his surgeons. My grandfather has always been indestructible, and at his last physical, was told that he should easily live to be well over 100.

My grandfather just had a heart attack. He isn't a candidate for stents and the surgeon thinks he is too old to undergo bypass. He was essentially told today that his heart is a ticking time bomb -- they can't predict when, but he'll have a massive heart attack and drop dead.

And do you know what he said in response? That all he wants is to live one day longer than his wife, so she never has to be alone for a single day.

I think my mean old heart of coal just broke in two.

My grandfather, brightening my world since 1983.