Love & Links - March 28

I've been trying this new thing called consistently recently. Or I've been trying to try this new thing called consistency recently, where I post on a consistent basis. And I decided Fridays were my hyperlinks days - this way I would have all week to collect the posts and things I wanted to share. I normally end up with about 30 links in my gmail from myself to myself and this is one of my favorite posts to create.

But this week has mostly just been off. I can't find the time or the energy to do almost anything. While I like these links..I really, really like them - nothing can make me hyper this week, especially not today at the end of a very long week. There's not enough coffee in the world. Anyways, these are my not-so-hyper links.

This article comparing Kermit the Frog to Michael from Arrested Development aka two of my favorite TV shows.

The Office Time Machine - all of the cultural references from The Office. I have to share this with one of my friends from college. We were both obsessed. We used to communicate solely by sending each other clips of The Office. One of my favorite memories is binge watching it with her after a rough day and then deciding we needed cookie dough on our ice cream and making an interesting trip to the student Union, but this is a story for another day.

Cecily Strong from Saturday Night Live gets me and I want to be her friend.

These Baca di Dama (Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies) look soooo good. Definitely on my rainy free day list.

I can't wait to try these lemon recipes from Joy the Baker. Lemon is seriously one of my favorites. You go, Glen Coco.

I really want this cookbook by Ruth Wakefield, aka the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie. Her story is so much better now that I know it wasn't a mistake.

Don't tell my dad, but I'm thinking of trying this baguette recipe instead of our normal one.

And because its been a rough week and its Friday: who's cuter Ryan Gosling or the puppy? There are some tough choices in here.

On Hosting: Move Night & Waffle Bar

I originally misspelled the title as "waddle bat." Oops. What even would that be? Nope, I don't want to know.

Anyways, a little while ago a friend asked me for some hosting tips. Probably one of the most flattering questions I've ever been asked. Not like that time the bus driver asked me if I had accidentally sat on a pair of glasses (this definitely didn't happen last night).

I never really considered myself a great host, but that was quite the compliment. And I've decided to try and put some of my hosting habit and anxieties into words. 

So, here's the menu from one of my favorite nights. Movie night accompanied by a waffle bar. 

Guinness and Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Ganache

Guys. I have been on a donut KICK. Like I've said before: that donut pan was the best worst decision I've ever made. Anyways, I had a bottle of Guinness leftover from a party - and I'm really not one to drink by myself, so it's just been sitting around for a couple months. Until it dawned on me to kick up chocolate donuts a notch just in time for a St. Patrick's day party. I loved the Sweet Chick's Guinness and chocolate donut recipe - I would have loved to try the dark chocolate version she posted, but didn't have time to run to the store and didn't have them on hand.

They were a huge hit. The recipe makes 2 dozen and I had 4 left over the next morning.

Guinness and Chocolate Donuts
Recipe adapted from The Sweet Chick
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Guinness beer
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. In a stand mixture combine the flour, cocoa, sugars, and baking powder. Mix on low until well blended.
3. Add egg and beer, mix on low until completely mixed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
4. Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
5. Finally, add chocolate chips and mix just until well distributed.
6. With a Ziplock bag with the tip cut off, fill greased donut pan with the batter
7. Place pans in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and top with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
1 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions:
Melt chocolate and butter. Add milk. Stir in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Sweeten with additional sugar and thin with milk to taste.

Toffee Biscotti

After cleaning up the previous day’s donut mess I could only think of one thing to do… more baking. And a partially used bag of toffee from a waffle and ice cream Sunday bar movie night was calling my name. Toffee biscotti was inevitably the only acceptable answer.

And acceptable it was. I’m in love with this easy biscotti recipe and intend to use it as a base for many, many future biscottis – subbing out the toffee for all other sorts of mix-ins.

It was a perfect Monday morning pick- me-up with a cup of coffee. And lent itself to being packaged with a cheesy note for Boyfriend.

Recipe adapted from On Sugar Mountain

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temp
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup (very generous) roughly chopped toffee bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In ta large bowl beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, a full three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, being sure to incorporate each one completely before adding another. Beat in vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture, slowly, until dough comes together. Gently mix in toffee bits. You may need to use your hands right at the end to ensure even distribution.
4. Divide dough in half and shape into two logs, approximately 9inch long. Pat each log down so that it is only about 1 1/2 inch high. Place logs on prepared cookie sheet with at least 2 inches of space between for spreading.
5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top just begins to crack and brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cutting board. Using a large serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into slices roughly 1 inch thick.
6. Place sliced cookies back onto the baking sheet and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until completely dry in the center. Let cool on wire rack before packaging or serving. I dipped mine in chocolate ganache from this donut recipe.

A Year Ago This

Because a year ago I was here (New Zealand) doing this (hiking Tongariro aka Mt Doom) with them (my dad, little sister and one of her friends).

Because so much has changed in such a short year, but I would give almost anything to go back for a moment. 

Because it truly was one of the most grand adventures and a memory I'll hold onto forever. 

Because some things aren't perfect and we love them anyways and we need them anyways. 

Because one day I'll be back and I'll plan the trip my way. But because nothing will ever replace the inaugural most perfect imperfect trip to New Zealand. 

Love & Links - March 21

I browse the web. I find links I love. I send them to everyone I know with multiple ideas, usually in all caps. I can't wait to get home and start them. But, I have a serious problem with follow through. Here's a collection of links that got me unreasonably excited this week.

The White House pastry chef is leaving.. and he sounds like a really cool guy. Would love to chat with him over a cup of coffee/hang in the kitchen/be best friends.

Things I slept through: this gorgeous sunset yesterday morning.

Breakfast sandwiches that I want to make in the not-vegan from: this guy

Chocolate bread is a thing?! Officially on my weekend to do list.

Maps of countries made out of the food they're known for. I love it.

Love the washi tape name tag for glasses idea. Definitely going to keep this in mind for my next party.

Dreaming of summer and the appropriate time for strawberry biscuits, but in the meantime maybe thyme lemon bars.

Kitchen Dreams: Another Bread Book

I wasn't going to wait until Friday to tell you about this, but I can't. I just can't. The next cookbook on my never ending list to buy is Josey Baker Bread.

I read this article on Bon Apetit and now I want the book so bad I can't wait for it to come out.

Because basically I love bread. And more than bread, I love toast. and that cover makes me drool. And Tuesday night I tried to make english muffin bread (because I love english muffins and thought it would be fantastic), but it was awful. I hated it. It was dense, not fluffy. And way too overly sweet. Color me incredibly disappointed.

And then I went to bed and dreamed of owning this book.

Bacon, Apple, Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich

On days when I'm home at lunch, you can pretty much bet I'm eating some sort of grilled cheese. There's nothing better than crunchy homemade bread and ooey-gooey, melted cheese.

But, a girl can only eat a cheddar grilled cheese sandwich so many times before it starts to seem a little bit...jaded. So, in order to change things up a bit, I added a few slices of granny smith apple and crunchy bacon. It adds depth, brightness and interesting textures to the otherwise standard and perfect grilled cheese.

Ingredients:
Two slices of bread
Several slices of cheddar cheese (enough to cover 1 slice of bread)
Two slices of bacon
1/2 granny smith apple, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Fry bacon a few minutes on each side until crunchy. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain oil. 
2. Butter one side of each slice of bread. In a heated skillet place bread butter side down, top with cheese, apple slices and bacon. Place second slice of bread on top, butter side up.
3. Cover pan with lid and let it cook for a few minutes. Then flip and toast the other side, covering the pan again. (Covering the pan traps the heat and melts the cheese quicker.
4. Remove sandwich from pan, slice, marvel and enjoy.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar & Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts

Because I’ve got donuts on my mind and in my heart. Indeed, the way to win my affections is most definitely through a donut. I really really like the maple glazed ones at Dunkin. And in the fall, nothing beats the pumpkin one. And really who can turn down the cake or glazed ones on any given day. And don’t even get me started on Munchkins. I could eat the whole box myself.

And then I bought a donut pan. And my world was forever changed. Homemade donuts (with no chemicals and which definitely haven’t been frozen) were within a timely reach.

For my first batch, I made a vanilla cake donut and glazed half with chocolate and dunked the other half in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar donuts were by far the favorite, though I thought the chocolate glazed ones got better after a day or two.

To answer my dad’s question, “can you even bake a donut?” The answer is yes, yes indeed you can.

Recipe adapted from Baker Bettie

Ingredients:

for the donuts
5 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
11/2 cups all-purpose flour

for the cinnamon sugar topping
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

for the chocolate glaze

1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg, followed by milk and vanilla.
2. Mix in the dry ingredients. Pour batter into a ziploc bag and pipe into greased donut pan.
3. Let donuts cool on a wire rack. 
4. For cinnamon sugar donuts, dip in butter then in cinnamon sugar
5. For chocolate glazed donuts, microwave chocolate, butter and corn syrup on 50% power for 1 minute. Stop half way through to mix. Add hot water and mix until smooth. Dip tops of donuts into chocolate glaze.

Media Monday - March 17

As many of you have probably seen, Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook and author of Lean In) has linked up with Anna Maria Chavez (CEO, the Girl Scouts), Beyonce and Condoleezza Rice to ban the word bossy. Fortunately, among the significant media coverage of this move are dissenting opinions which argue against the ban.

I personally agree with Peggy Drexler’s op ed on CNN. Drexler argues that while Sandberg makes valid points, including that “bossy” is disproportionately directed at girls and women, usually with negative connotations, “the problem isn’t the word itself, but how and when the word is used.”

Sandberg’s “Ban Bossy” campaign would be much more effective and powerful if instead of trying to ban the word – which may just foster the use of “bitchy,” “cold” or “aggressive” to be used in its place – focusing on how to reclaim and positive nature of “bossiness.”

Drexler goes on to state that: In fact, moving to abolish the word "bossy" risks sending the message that there's something wrong with those characteristics associated with bossiness: taking charge and speaking your mind.

Drexler closes with a powerful lesson for children, teachers and parents – “there is pride in being opinionated, motivated and motivating – that is, bossy. There is also pride in being not-so-bossy, and in  recognizing whatever other specific traits make them special, whether they go on to become leaders or not. There’s a word to describe that too: individuality.”

Love & Links - March 14

I browse the web. I find links I love. I send them to everyone I know with multiple ideas, usually in all caps. I can't wait to get home and start them. But, I have a serious problem with follow through. Here's a collection of links that got me unreasonably excited this week.

It's been a crazy week - so crazy I've hardly had time to chase down my favorite links! I guess you could say not much is making me hyper this week, let alone keeping me awake.

Why Sheryl Sandberg is wrong on banning the word "bossy." This could be a really fun rhetorical research project if only I had the time.

This recipe for mac and cheese bites.

This infographic of the United Steaks of America. If each state had an official meat...

This video of Mindy Kaling at SXSW. I love her and think we could be best friends.

Life Hack: How to open a beer without a bottle opener. Genius. Have to learn as a new party trick.

This recipe for corned beef hash. Because breakfast and St. Patrick's Day.

Kitchen Dreams: Porcelain Paper Plates

What I’m crushing on this week: I love these porcelain paper plates. I honestly love paper plates. They’re clean and simple, and there’s no mess involved. This would be such a fun way to serve pizza for a low key girls night or game night – we’re big into game night.

Sigh.. I dream of porcelain paper plates.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Garlic mashed potatoes are practically a family motto in my house. We live and breathe by them. We’ve all tried our hand at them and honestly can’t pick a favorite way. They’re so quick and easy to whip up that they’re the perfect side for almost any meal.

Most recently, I made them to serve this Dijon Beef Stew over. Best idea ever. I managed to make the mashed potatoes in the last 30-40 minutes while the stew was finishing. I like to leave the skins on red potatoes because it a) saves so much time and I the vegetable peeler I was using had already been put in the dishwasher and the dishwasher had been started and b) it looks so pretty.

Ingredients:

5 red potatoes

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp milk

4 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place a large pot of water on stove over high heat and add a pinch of salt. Wash red potatoes and chop into ½ - 1 inch pieces. Peel I clove of garlic. Drop potatoes and peeled garlic clove into boiling water.
2. Over medium to low heat, roast 3 garlic cloves with peel still on. [Be sure to watch over these so the peels turn golden brown, not blackened. I always get distracted and forget about them, burning a few of my cloves and they turned out fine.] After roasting, peel cloves.
3. Boil for 15 – 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic. Add butter, milk and roasted garlic cloves. Mash. Add more butter and milk as needed and salt and pepper to taste.

Dijon and Brandy Beef Stew

If you ask me, cold rainy/snowy days demand warm, rich soups and stews. Which unfortunately take several hours to make and often don’t fit into my schedule since I don’t do most of the cooking. I also have a very selective palate when it comes to soups and stews – try as I might, I can’t find a tomato soup I actually enjoy, butternut squash soup is often too sweet. I find that beef stew is often just a watery, mushy, mess filled with the most dreaded vegetable I can think of … peas.

That was, until I stumbled upon this kicked up beef stew recipe on Smitten Kitchen – which calls for brandy and lots and lots of mustard. The fact that the recipe calls for nearly ¾ c. of mustard nearly turned me off at the start. Sure, I like mustard, but do I like it that much? And would my sister, who hates mustard and really all dressings/condiments like it?

As it cooks, the smell of the mustard wafts through the house, making it feel cozy and rousing our appetites. The end result was absolutely delicious and the mustard was not at all overwhelming. Deb at Smitten Kitchen served hers over noodles, but I know my family – and we went for garlic mashed potatoes and a side of challah bread.

Serves about 6 and takes about 3 hours total, but I cooked mine in stages and for a bit longer.

 Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen adaptation from NY Times

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp vegetable oil, as needed

1 large onion, finely diced

3 shallots, chopped

4 Tbsp butter, as needed

2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup brandy

2 tsp. beef boullion + 2 cups water

1/2 cup smooth Dijon mustard

4 Tbsp coarse Dijon mustard

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into circular slices on an angle

1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and eighte

1/4 cup red wine

Directions:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium-low, and add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl. 
2. If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season lightly with salt and more generously with pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef. [Here I paused for about 2 hours because I got distracted and Boyfriend came over].
3. Add Cognac to the empty pan, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and any crusted-on bits come loose. Add stock, smooth Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon coarse mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pan. Lower heat, cover pan partway, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. [I flipped the lead on and off and on and off, etc. because there were too many cooks in the kitchen.] [Don’t forget to stir your stew! I let mine sit untouched for quite a while and it stuck/burned to the bottom a bit – didn’t seem to affect the taste at all, but I would recommend stirring relatively frequently.
4. Add carrots, and continue simmering for 40 minutes, or until slices are tender. [At this point, I added about 1 cup of water since the stew had thickened quite a bit.] As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté mushrooms until browned and tender. Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Media Monday - March 10

GUYS. 1 in 10 Americans thinks HTML is an STD. Wait… really? For today’s Media Monday, I thought we’d chat about this. I’m not exactly technologically savvy. I don’t really know a lot about HTML, despite taking a very beginner course about it in college. But, I do know this. It’s NOT an STD. [Really ironic timing with last week’s episode of Brooklyn 99, when Boyle shares his STDs… Save The Date cards, duh…].

Vouchercloud.net, a coupons website, conducted a study to determine how knowledgeable users are when it comes to tech terms. And the answer would be… not very. Apparently a lot of people need to learn some tech terms. Even my mom, who once picked up her phone after receiving a text message and said “hello,” [CAVEAT: I love my mom. She’s one of my best friends and she thought this was funny.] knew these people were hilariously wrong.

Some of the other findings include:

• 77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for "Search-Engine Optimization" [Family consensus of two engineers, myself and my mom – this one was a hard one, don’t know if all of us would have picked the right answer either.] 27% identified "gigabyte" as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device. [1 in 4 people. SERIOUSLY?]
• 42% said they believed a "motherboard" was "the deck of a cruise ship." A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
• 23% thought an "MP3" was a "Star Wars" robot. It is actually an audio file. [I’ve never seen Star Wars and even I know its C3PO]
• 18% identified "Blu-ray" as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
• 15% said they believed "software" is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs. [More people think software is clothing than HTML is a disease.. how is this possible?]
• 12% said "USB" is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.
• Despite the incorrect answers, 61% of the respondents said it is important to have a good knowledge of technology in this day and age. 

Would you have known the answers to these questions?

Love & Links - March 7

I browse the web. I find links I love. I send them to everyone I know with multiple ideas, usually in all caps. I can't wait to get home and start them. But, I have a serious problem with follow through. Here's a collection of links that got me unreasonably excited this week.

This time lapse video of a journey through New Zealand – makes me flash back to my own New Zealand adventure that took place almost exactly a year ago!

I think this wooden wall art mosaic would make the cutest wooden hot pads. Put that on my to-do list.

I love Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwiches (they remind me of college) and I’m so excited about this copycat recipe, since I can’t find a Chick-Fil-A restaurant near me.

I’m obsessed with the idea of this salted caramel French toast bread pudding – seems like the perfect morning treat, or late night indulgence.

Seriously love this bag at such a reasonable price, and actually considering buying. It seems like it may be time to trade out my winter commuting tote for a spring one.

This infographic about pizza toppings around the world makes me so happy. And also, I’m craving pizza now. Curiouser and curiouser.

Kitchen Dreams: Coffee Bean Ice Cube Tray

This is silly. I want this coffee bean shaped ice cube tray. But, I saw it on Emily's Cupcakes and Cashmere Five Things post and immediately thought those are silly. And after careful consideration I thought, I really want them.

Normally I try not to purchase things without multiple purposes. So, this may stay on my wishlist for a while. It just seems like the perfect addition to sweet, cold iced coffee. Which I'm inexplicable craving because I saw the sun last week.

Photo from Cupcakes and Cashmere

They're cute and quirky and totally unreasonable. Otherwise known as four words I would use to describe myself.

Homemade Challah Bread -- Holla

At our house, there is typically at least one freshly baked good roaming around the kitchen. Most often it’s a loaf of our favorite peasant bread or some cookies, but occasionally, when we’re feeling adventurous, other goodies make an appearance. Like last weekend, when I made my attempt at croissaints (recipe to follow).

I saw a recipe for salted caramel upside down challah French toast casserole on Smitten Kitchen and fell in lust. And like any naturally sane person, my immediate next thought was to make fresh, homemade challah bread for the French toast casserole. I dreamt of waking up to a snow day where I would be working from home and baking my indulgent French toast casserole.

However, as the challah bread baked while I was cooking this delicious Dijon and brandy beef stew and the snow forecast dwindled, it became immediately clear that I would be commuting to the office, the casserole would not be made that night and we would be consuming the bread with dinner. The challah bread was so simple and fuss-free to make. I have a horrid tendency to loosely follow directions and get entirely distracted mid-project. Hence, there’s a pound of unbaked croissant dough in my freezer right now. I also woke up early to make a few slices of French toast with the challah bread and still make it on time to the bus.

I also really like saying challah bread, hollaaaa.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry or instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water4 - 4 1/2 cups (20 - 22 ounces) all-purpose flour1/4 cup white granulated sugar2 tsp salt3 large eggs1/4 cup neutral-flavored vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Sprinkle dry yeast and a generous pinch of sugar over warm water and dissolve. Let it sit for a few minutes after stirring to combine until it forms a light and frothy layer on top.
2. Mix 4 cups flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, creating a well in the center. Pour 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (reserve matching egg white for egg white wash) and oil into the well. Stir with a whisk pulling a small amount of flour from the edges of the well to create a slightly thickened dough in the center surrounded by a ring of flour.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the egg and oil mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined and difficult to handle.
4. Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed if it becomes to stick or knead with a dough hook attachment on a stand mixer for 6-8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. [I always choose to knead by hand because I’m a crazy person and I actually enjoy it].
5. Oil large mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
6. Separate dough into six pieces and form 1 x 16 inch ropes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then braid dough. Connect the strands at the top. Pick up the outer-most left strand and lift it over two strands and place under a third. Then pick the outer-most right strand and lift it over two strands and under a third. Continue alternating sides until you reach the bottom. It took me a couple tries and I’m still not sure, I got it right, but either way the dough turns out very pretty.
7. Dust the braid with flour. Place braided loaf on parchment paper on a baking tray, cover with a cloth and let rise until puffy and pillowy, about an hour.
8. Brush braid with beaten egg white, being sure to coat the entire outside, edges and all cracks and crevices [don’t’ overload it with egg whites or you’ll have scrambled eggs on top of your bread]. Bake for 30 minutes at 350, dough should read 190F with an instant read thermometer.
9. I highly recommend enjoying it warm!

Breakfast Tostada

I LOVE breakfast sandwiches. I don't know if you know this yet, but I do. If I wasn't mildly (always) concerned about my cholesterol level, I might eat them every day for every meal for the rest of forever. Or until I got bored.

Which I do. Which is why I made this oh so yummy breakfast tostada. It's a crunchy, yummy open face breakfast sandwich, and would have been great with some pico de gallo - next time!

Ingredients:
1 corn tortilla
2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices onion, diced
3 slices red bell pepper, diced
1 slice ham, diced
1 egg
1/2 avocado, sliced
a few Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Fry tortilla in a little bit of oil until golden brown. Top with cheddar cheese.
2. Saute onion and bell pepper 5ish minutes, until soft (or to taste). Add ham at the last minute to warm it up.
3. Top tortilla and cheese with onion, bell pepper ham mixture. Fry egg over-medium (this is up to you - I put a lid on my pan to cook the top of the egg without frying it and keeping it still slightly runny.
4. Top tostada with avocado, egg and salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Media Monday: March 3

In a world (everything sounds more epic when you start with “in a world”) where news is available 24/7 and is outpacing the newspaper, radio and TV. Where news comes from the consumer. Where its sometimes not even real news.

IDK. These are my thoughts on some media from the past week.

Say goodbye to “got milk,” because milk has an odd new slogan “milk life.” Personally, I’m not a fan. Got Milk? Seems to sum up my childhood and is fact the only advertisement from that era that sticks in my mind – that’s good marketing. I also saw the first commercial for this last week – and it’s odd, even off putting.

Good news: In a new study, strawberries have been linked to lower cholesterol levels. Bad news: you’ll have to eat two baskets a day to reap the benefits.

In case you missed it, Seth Rogan gave an emotional and appropriate (surprisingly) testimony to Congress about his mother-in-law’s battle with Alzheimer’s. Rogan makes a few jokes, but largely focuses on the little-known impact of Alzheimer’s. Disappointingly, while many members of Congress met and took pictures with Rogan, only 2 stayed for his testimony. Shameful.

So, California’s been in a drought. No raging wildfires like there were a few months ago, yet. But here’s an interesting look at what it might mean for some of my favorite foods (SPOILER: walnuts, almonds, those cholesterol-lowering strawberries and broccoli could all be in short supply).

Google doesn’t care about your GPA. Well, not exactly. For new hires, they’re looking for learnability, or how quickly you can learn a new skill. Your GPA is not directly indicative of this, but “good grades don’t hurt.” And they’re specifically looking for math, computer science and coding skills.