The car ride home was exponentially more enjoyable this time. Not only did I not constantly feel like throwing up, the Garmin sent me on the most scenic drive it could come up with. I went through the tip of Tennessee and for the first half hour drove alongside a river. It was gorgeous and made it so picturesque with flyfisherman in the river and horses running (not just grazing!) in pastures. If the school systems were better I would push for us to live wherever it was I drove through. But, sadly, Tennessee isn’t known for its scholars. The only part of the trip that left my upset was passing only about a million christmas tree farms. You’d think that they’d be much cheaper than they are come christmas time with the sheer volume that is grown in North Carolina.

When I got home I managed to clean my room, including moving a bunch of Steve’s stuff into boxes. It’s amazing how much that boy has yet how little of it he actually uses/wears. I’m anxious to see where it all ends up. We’re currently waiting for Cornell to give a response but I’m hoping Steve will give a bit more consideration to getting his PhD at NC State. It would definitely make next year less like this one.

I’ve been amazed with the support both he and I have been getting during his trip. Everyone in Raleigh is thinking of him and wishing the best and it’s amazing how many people are living vicariously through him right now. His story always seems to spark that nostalgia of adventures past or tinges of regret over adventures that never were. My father, in this respect, is Steve’s most vocal and adamant supporter. A hiker and camper in his own right, the Appalachian Trail was a goal he always wanted to do but eventually never had the time to complete. I’m happy to see the Alaska/AT year has brought my family closer to Steve in a way I don’t think anything else could have. Sometimes I almost wonder if I’m becoming a Walsh or if he’s becoming a Mastropole.

I got an email this morning about shipping food for the boys for the next week. I’m a little intimidated by the sheer amount this will require and the cost of shipping but I’m also excited that it will give me the chance to pack in a couple of goodies for them. Knowing Steve I’ll probably include a lot of king sized snickers bars and reese’s. My friend, Susan, and I will be using this as an excuse for a Chipotle night as the Walmart is right next door (how convenient!).

With Steve gone and no real reason to stay at the house I’ve been spending longer days on campus. This is probably to my benefit as not only have I been able to get my work done faster but I’ve also been able to finally set real roots here in Raleigh. With the prospect of Steve ending up here for his doctorate I’ve been trying harder to make the most of my experience at NC State and I’m glad to see this being mostly a success. Just need to make it to an athletic event… :-/

I think the fact that they were actually going to hike the Appalachian Trail finally set in as they were trying to organize the food. I could sense that both of them were a bit nervous about it all but the excitement seemed to prevail most of the weekend. Jimmy said he would take pictures but I don’t know if he was sober/not hungover enough to take any good ones. I’ll let you know if they come to me.

Click for the full gallery.

We drove down to Atlanta Friday afternoon and, like always, we hit major traffic around Charlotte. If I had known it was going to be that bad I would have pit stopped at my parents and took my time getting down there. Silly Angela. The hotel was really nice and the part of Atlanta it was in has not been featured in a rap song, which apparently dictates your safety in any given location. The hotel had a very “zen” atmosphere and almost everything had a haiku written on it. I’ll scan the room key–it’s the only thing I took with me. Friday night was very low-key as we were planning meeting Dan (Dan’s AT Blog) for grocery shopping and pack consolidation. We watched a lot of curling this weekend and I think I’m finally able to understand most of the rules.

Anyways, Saturday morning we walked around and waited for Dan to get up after the 3rd consecutive frat party. Poor guy. We ended up at Atlanta’s Flying Biscuit. The wait was just as long as here in Raleigh but the biscuits are nowhere near as good. When Dan finally awoke we picked him up and I schooled both of the boys in the art of grocery shopping. Apparently only girls (and possibly Bri) are taught the rules of a grocery store. Refrigerated goods on the outside walls surrounding dry goods. Pretty simple. Not. I felt like a momma duck bringing them around to get what they needed. The selection was improvised but generally on target. They have a lot of peanut butter.

We also went on a quest for denatured alcohol for their fuel. Google was zero help in locating a sherwin-williams but the garmin managed to get us un-lost. By the way, if you’re ever in Atlanta and are driving don’t be deceived by your surroundings. One minute you in a residential are and then BAM! you’re back by stores. It’s very confusing and only adds to the the whole driving frustration.

To take a brief sidetrack: Don’t go to Atlanta. Ever. Especially if you plan on driving yourself. Whoever designed that highway system should have their PE license revoked. REVOKED. 3 different highways merge on each other at once and the highway becomes 8 lanes of total confusion. Most of the time the Garmin doesn’t even know where you are and by the end of you trip will be very annoyed at constantly having to “recalculate.” Also, the lights are designed so that no one moves more than 200 feet at once. So even at 2 in the morning there is traffic. Blegh.

Back to the story: Dan couldn’t take any more of the frat life so I had to bring him back and forth to his hotel so that he could shower and we could eat. This is where the bulk of my problems started. I had a delicious dish of linguine, chicken, red peppers, and peas in a cream sauce. Note to self: NEVER ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS PLACE THAT REQUIRES MEAT BE COOKED. I won’t post the name (because I forgot it) but let you tell me I am putting a curse on their Italian cucina. The rest of the night was spent watching the men’s curling gold medal match and driving Dan back to his hotel. As soon as we got back home, however, my stomach decided to play the game “which way is out.” I’ll spare you the details but I feel very sorry for the cleaning lady who had to empty out our trash.

Sunday came and as I moved at the speed of smell in fear of repeating the previous night, Steve and Dan were busy carb and bacon loading at Dan’s complimentary hot breakfast buffet. (future note: stay at residence inn’s.) We found pretty early on that somehow in the process of repacking both of their pants got switched so poor Daniel had to look like an old school paper boy while Steve looked like a Beegee until we could get the two of them together to change.

Dan’s brother Jimmy hiked with them today so I said my goodbyes at the frat house. I would like to wholeheartedly apologize to the redhead who we had to kick out of his room to get him awake. But, it had to be done. Now they are somewhere in the mountains of Georgia, hopefully keeping warm and not too tired from today’s leg. Roughly 2190 more miles to go before Steve is finally done with his major adventures. I doubt this will be the absolute last, though.

I promise to provide supporting pictures in the coming days but right now I have a cozy bed and a long sleep calling me. Also, a large water bottle.

With the increasing number of wives and fiancees, Steve’s family has implemented the use of Secret Santa to reduce the number of presents we have to buy during the holidays. It’s great, because everyone gets one or two awesome gifts instead of 6 $20 ones. Although the downside to this process is it never stays a secret and everyone ends up  just asking their person what they want. Steve’s mom Kathy picked my name and I have to say if Steve didn’t open his big mouth I would’ve been surprised. But that’s a different story.

Anyways, yesterday I found this pasta maker waiting on my doorstep. I had gotten the drying rack the day before so I had an idea it was coming. But I had no idea just how much my foodie life would change.

I immediately declared last night pasta night and found a recipe for homemade fettuccine with alfreado sauce from Tyler Florence. At Harris Teeter we ran into my friend Julie so we also found another person to try both recipe and machine on.

The pasta dough took a bit of negotiating, mostly by me adding 3 more eggs than stated (I ended up adding probably way more flour while rolling it out too, but whatevs). The sauce was actually really easy to make and for once I didn’t curdle the cream. Speaking of cream, I knew alfredo sauce wasn’t good for you, but I didn’t really to the exact extent! Heat cream. Add butter and cheese. The end. I’m actually shocked that Paula Dean doesn’t make this every episode of her show because it is right up her alley.

The pasta maker worked wonderfully and I wish I had remembered to take pictures along the way. The drying rack is actually really useful and much, much better than having every square inch of my countertop covered in fresh pasta at various stages of drying. Oh! and I also forgot to mention HOW FUN IT IS TO MAKE PASTA! Like, multiply the fun you had as a kid with the various play-doh machines by like 100. Because unlike play-doh in the end YOU CAN EAT WHAT YOU MAKE. Between rolling out the sheets and watching the cutter actually make the spaghetti…absolute entertainment right there.

What I do have for you, however, is a picture of the final product. Paired with a nice white wine and a warm crusty baguette, this was the perfect dinner. I’m going to blame the weird colors of the second picture on the fact that I used Steve’s camera instead…

Mmmmm....butter...

Pasta for the win!

So Steve is coming home tomorrow after 24 weeks in Alaska. I’m really excited about this because, well, I haven’t seen him since May and we’ve only been able to maintain a Sunday Phonecall each week. I’ve been wanting to do something to celebrate his homecoming and figured what better way than to bake him a cake. Because the way to Steve’s heart is definitely through his stomach. With cake. I came up with the idea for this particular one a while ago but it wasn’t until Friday that I figured out just how I was going to incorporate what I wanted into it. It only took me a couple of hours, but I think you’ll be able to see it turned out pretty damn awesome.

Mmm....funfetti

Really, the cake choice was obvious. Funfetti is not sold in Manhattan (believe me, I’ve been on late night quests for it many times) so when I saw it here I had to get it for him. Also, CAKE MIX AND ICING IS $0.88 AT WALMART! They may treat their employees as sub-human but you just can’t ignore the amazing deals that Corporate America can offer.

Attempt at a tent

At first I had dreams of making his actual tent, the Clip Flashlight. When I made the batter I realized that was not going to happen unless I mixed another box. Not. Going. To. Happen. but I was like Tim Gunn and made it work. Standard tent it is.

A river runs through it

Rather than buy a shit ton of icing I bought those gel food colors, which are amazing by the way, and just piped all of the icing. I’m like Sandra Lee only my kitchen doesn’t color coordinate with the meal of the day and my voice is not the equivalent on nails on a chalkboard.

We have grass!

Almost there...

The lettering definitely could have come out better but I’m going to just explain it as “the water is carrying the letter away.” Yeah, I’m deep. He also spent 2 weeks picking dandelions in Katmai (they are an invasive species and Katmai National Park is the only place they’ve been able to keep them at bay) so thus the yellow flowers. Um, weeds.

Welcome Home, Steve

The bear I made with modeling chocolate. I found a recipe online and it was actually super easy to do. Sculpting wasn’t too hard considering  a bear is rotund and whatnot. Anyways, I really hope he likes it, we’ll see tomorrow!!

I'm pretty sure this is to scale, actually...

The aftermath

]]> http://frommylensonly.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/the-sweetest-of-all-homecomings/feed/ 4 Angela DSC_0004 Attempt at a tent DSC_0016 DSC_0020 DSC_0022 DSC_0023 DSC_0024 DSC_0026 http://frommylensonly.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/just-when-i-was-starting-to-miss-manhattan/ http://frommylensonly.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/just-when-i-was-starting-to-miss-manhattan/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:33:22 +0000 Angela http://frommylensonly.wordpress.com/?p=117 ]]> Raleigh goes and does something that takes my breath away and leaves me with the peace of mind that I made a good move leaving the city–for now anyway. Today was that kind of gray and rainy fall day that makes you just want to sit inside and read in bed. But what’s extra great about these muted days is they make the colors of the fall leaves really pop. The reds are more brilliant and the yellows take the place of an absent sun. And unlike places farther up north where the conifers dominate, it’s like this everywhere in town. Nature is something you have to seek out in New York, go beyond its borders to find. And while the city is an amazing place filled with things you’d never see elsewhere, it cannot remind you of how awesome the world as an organism is sometimes. It also doesn’t have that slightly decomposing leaf smell that is so crucial to an October-December experience. But I can’t really take a picture of that, now, can I?

Yesterday I went with one of the admissions officers to speak as an alum at a Cooper Union info session. The high school we went to is currently where my brother goes so it was really nice to see him when I wouldn’t have otherwise. The kids seemed really enthused about Cooper and I had to say that no part of me wanted to tell them not to apply. It’s amazing how quickly the feelings towards Cooper shift towards respect and fondness once you don’t have to be there anymore. I ended up at the end being realistic about how the environment is not for everyone and how it is why-am-I-doing-this-to-myself difficult, but also absolutely gushing. I am proud of where I came from and what I went through to do it. And I think my answer to one of Susan’s questions really sums up the aftermath of The Cooper Union really well. Cooper may not have opened up all these doors for me, but the doors that were open were so much easier to walk through. I hope I get to do more alumni outreach things like this. I think my grandpa would have been very proud.

Also, if you’re ever in Durham definitely hit up Hog Heaven. Best barbecue I have had in a long time and they have the perfect sauce. Get the fried okra. Going to the gym earlier that day definitely helps too.

When I was younger I had my heart set on being a chef. When most girls were still in the ballerina phase I was with my grandma in the kitchen. In fact, the only reason I can make a mean chili  is because of her; I’m pretty sure the only time we even had it when I was a kid was during our trips to her house. During the summers when I’d have my turn at a week alone with Grandma I learned how to bake bread, make ice cream, her whatever it is egg noodle dish. Not to belittle the influence of my parents, when I was home I was taught the  German-Italian fusion that prevailed most dinners and I’m pretty sure I was the only 13 year old girl in town who not only knew how to light a grill but also who knew how to use it.

My culinary ambitions eventually took a back seat to chemical engineering when I got to Cooper and  had to live in the worlds smallest kitchen, although even today Steve and I talk of opening a cake shop if for some reason the engineering job market takes a major hit. Recently, I’ve taken a detour from my traditional Italian repertoire and have ventured into the unknown. This week was totally a soup week since Autumn finally decided to show her beautiful face in Raleigh but I didn’t feel like spending a whole day making chili. Instead I split my day between homemade tomato sauce (I SOO could beat my dad in a sauce throw-down with my new recipe) and lentil soup. I’ve always wanted to experiment with  lentils because they’re super cheap and really healthy for you but because they are similar in looks to dried beans I was afraid of the commitment I’d have to put into these babies. But oh, was I so wrong. Because 6 photos of a bowl of soup is stupid, there’s no gallery today…

Recipe and thoughts after the jump…

I sort of adapted this from a recipe that I had found on the internet. I don’t have that recipe because after I wrote down the ingredients I neglected to bookmark it and was left to fend for my own in terms of its execution. I didn’t include measurements for the seasonings because I never follow them on recipes I read and it always seems to change each time you make it.

Ingredients:

2 red potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large carrots, peeled, sliced

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

2.5 cups green lentils, washed and inspected (that’s what the bag said to do but really, they all looked fine to me)

4 stalks of celery with leaves (I took them from the heart) roughly chopped

Olive oil

Rosemary

poultry seasoning

cumin

2 bay leaves

Balsamic Vinegar

One box of low sodium chicken stock

salt/pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

In a large pot heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and garlic until onions start to soften and become translucent. Stir in lentils and sautee for another couple of minutes before adding chicken stock to cover. Add bay leaves, rosemary, poultry seasoning, cumin, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about an hour or until lentils have softened. Taste before serving and adjust seasonings.

I have to say that I didn’t realize how tasty it would come out and just how beautiful it would be, too. I ate it with some toasted slices of sourdough bread for dipping but it definitely will stand alone as a hearty and comforting meal. I’ve been bringing the leftovers with me for lunch everyday and it only seems to get thicker and yummier with time. I think this is definitely going to be a go-to on those perfectly chilly days.