Tori’s Writing Hole

Ok, I’m sort of *obsessed* with bath and beauty products. Why, you ask? But Tori, you’re already so damn beautiful? I like to smell good, that’s why. But I think my little proclivity for lotions and sundries has rubbed off on Julia. She, each morning, must sniff my deodorant as I put it on (mmm, pretty!). Then, if I am to put on lip balm, she must also get a little dab on her lips. Lotion - well, she wants to slather it on her arms just like mommy.

This has led to some mishaps - including the destruction of a pot of lip balm when she decided it was actually lotion, and put finger-fuls of goo on her arm - Sticky, Daddy! She’s also gotten into pots of cream - screw caps are nothing to my little Houdini. So now I’ve had to stash all skin lubricants away from her little grasping hands.

At least she always tells me I smell yummy.

Technorati Tags: bath, lotion, lip balm, mommy

Well, I have. My friend Virginia posted in my comments, like, two weeks ago, and I’m only now beginning this post. So, without further ado, the rules:

Type eight interesting things about yourself and then forward your blog entry/link to eight blogging chums.

1. I am a priestess. A first degree priestess of Correllian Wicca, although I am not in a coven or a practicing group. I’m not even 100% Wiccan anymore, just generally pagan with a splash of Buddhist.
2. I learned to read when I was 2.5. When I was 3, I could read from the local newspaper. I wrote my first book when I was 5.
3. I love learning new crafts and old-timey housewifely pursuits. I know how to crochet (including lace), knit, embroider, needlepoint and construct things out of recycled items.
4. I’ve survived a serious car accident (actually truck accident) that left my family without any belongings or place to go (we were moving cross-country) at the age of 3. My dad was ejected through the windshield (he lived), my mom’s neck was sprained, my brother got 11 stitches in his head at the age of 9 months. I was totally unharmed.
5. The first time my poetry appeared in print, I was 7 and in the second grade. Our local newspaper, The Daily Mail, printed my poem in praise of Martin Luther King Jr Day. I also got to read it on local AM radio.
6. I have a half sister that my mother gave up for adoption when she was young who found us later in life. She’s eight years older than me and we’ve visited several times. Our next visit is in August.
7. I love to bake, and have spent many hours perfecting my skills and feeding my experiments to family members.
8. I’m an accomplished musician and singer. I have been classically trained as a soprano, and I also play the flute, piano, guitar (though badly), bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet and alto clarinet. I am self-taught on the piano. I compose music as well.

Hmm, so who to tag next? If you get a mysterious comment from me, you’ll know. Until then, see you next time, same bat time, same bat blog.

Technorati Tags: tag, blog, comment, writing

Hmm, my second food post in a row. A few days back, I made Spanakopita for the first time. I’m not Greek, and actually never tasted the dish until a couple of years ago (due to the fear of spinach - greensophobia? - that my mom put into me since I was young). I found out I actually like spinach! I like feta too! So, I decided to make some of this lovely dish for myself.

Last weekend, we went to the Troy Farmers Market for the first time. Nice - a small space but plenty of vendors (including evilly yummy pastries). While there, I had to buy some of the fresh goat’s milk feta I saw for sale. It called to me. I thought of spanakopita right away, so I went in search of some spinach and bought some baby spinach to go with it.

I looked for a recipe that seemed “right” to me, but most of the spanakopita recipes seemed to be missing something - so I glommed a couple together and made my own. Next time, I think I’ll replace the dill with some parsley.

Spanakopita

• 1.5 lbs baby spinach, well rinsed, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, rinsed and chopped (including tops)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small bunch dill, chopped
• 8 tbsp butter (2 tbsp + 6 tbsp melted)
• .25 to .5 lb feta cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• .5 lbs phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 350º. Melt 2 tbsp butter in frying pan and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add dill and spinach to pan, cook until just wilted. Take off of heat. Crumble feta and mix with eggs, salt and pepper, and then carefully add in spinach mixture (take care not to cook the eggs). Brush bottom of 8″x8″ pan with melted butter, and layer phyllo onto dish, coating each layer with butter before laying the next. Use 1/2 of phyllo, then top with spinach/feta mix. Repeat the phyllo process, making sure to coat the last layer with butter. Score the phyllo on top with squares, and put into oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until phyllo looks golden brown.

This did make a hit with everyone, including Julia.

Technorati Tags: spanakopita, cooking, feta, spinach

Sometimes, you just have to have cookies. I love Good Eats - perhaps my favorite show on the Food Network. Even so, I’ve only tried a few of Alton Brown’s recipes. This one is by far the most successful. The Chewy (click link for recipe) chocolate chip cookie made slightly differently than most, uses melted butter instead of creamed softened butter, and bread flour instead of all purpose. Unusual for me, I made these cookies *almost* exactly like the recipe. I microwaved the butter instead of melting it in a pan (I’ve figured out the exact timing for this in my ‘wave) and I doubled the vanilla (I always do). I also used sea salt instead of kosher.

My ingredients were as organic as I had on hand - Sunspire Vegan Semisweet chips, organic local eggs, organic vanilla, organic bread flour.

They are chewy, and yummy as predicted. Must not eat them all before Stephen gets home. Oh, and they get the Julia seal of approval too.

Technorati Tags: cookies, chocolate chip, organic, good eats

At least health-wise. I’m feeling pretty good today - I managed to actually get some work done last night, which does wonders for my esteem. I also managed to write (well, finish) a poem this morning, also good! I have some pain today but I’m not as bad as last week, which was totally a wash for pretty much everything.

I seem to be having some issues with thinking right now - probably caused by the Sesame Street blaring in the background. Damn that Cookie Monster. But I’m still here, still hanging on.

Technorati Tags: health, poem, writing