Sunday, January 17, 2016

Savory Oatmeal

I have to admit, the first time I read about savory oatmeal, my first thought was some version of "ew."  Now that I got over my initial reaction and dove in to try it, I'm more like, "Where have you been all my breakfast life??"

It was so unexpectedly delicious, and such a filling, hearty breakfast.  I stumbled on the recipe in an unlikely spot - on the Crate & Barrel blog in their recipes section.  Strange, right?

You can check out the recipe here - and I wholly recommend that you do.  Even though it sounds weird, trust me - it's unforgettable & well worth the effort.

There's so much flavor going on between the soy sauce and the sesame oil.  And the poached egg just ties it all together and gives it a richness that's just damn good.

By the way, if you've ever struggled with getting your poached eggs just right, you need to go here.  I've been following Alton's tips on poached eggs for years and I haven't had a bad one since.  Whirlpool method, baby!

I threw some kale into the savory oatmeal too because we had some, and it was a nice touch.  It's always a plus when you can easily add some veggies to breakfast.

I was full until about 4pm that afternoon after this meal!  It's an excellent contender for a pre-hike breakfast that'll dole out all the energy you'll need.


I'm telling you.  Savory oatmeal.  Go make it!

Ta-ta for now.



Sunday, January 10, 2016

Procraftination

I'm blaming the holidays for my rampant lack of blogging as of late.  It's really a 50/50 combo of "I've been holiday busy" and "I don't have anything to report."  Well, besides my New Year's Day Polar Plunge nonsense.

But, enough of the excuses.  I decided it was time to kick myself in the butt and get back into a regular blogging routine.  And also try to self-motivate.  Because frankly, I've been a crafting deadbeat.

I can name about seven projects right off the top of my head that I started at some point in the past year or, um four, and just didn't get around to finishing.  It's a sad state of affairs in my crafting world.

So, it leads me to the inevitable.  I'm not a big new years resolution kind of gal, but I think this year might be the time to make a resolution.  I've forced my own hand with my flagrant crafting procrastination.  Procraftination?  These random started and never finished projects need to get the eff done already.

So I'll call it a win here:  I've posted something new on the old blog, and I'm putting a little fire under my ass about ending my procraftination.   Do you like that portmanteau as much as I do?  Probably not!

Here's to a new year...and less creative dilly-dallying.  Wow.  I just channeled my 6th grade teacher with that turn of phrase!  Short but sweet & picture-free post this week. It's all I could manage. 

Happy New Year!

Ta-ta for now.




Saturday, January 2, 2016

The 2016 Kodiak Polar Plunge

Forty-Two degrees.  That's what the water temperature was at Mill Bay Beach when I pulled the trigger on the 2016 Kodiak Polar Plunge.

And it wasn't exactly a sun-drenched, picturesque day.  It was extremely Kodiak out.  Imagine around 40 degrees, dead overcast, winds at about 30 mph, and rain blowing sideways.  Beautiful day for a swim, no?  Ha.  Hey, it only makes it more legit.  Not just any Polar Plunge.  The Kodiak, Alaska Polar Plunge.

The obvious subtext being that I'm hard core.  Ha, again.

The conditions on 1/1/16 at Mill Bay Beach, Kodiak, AK

For those who may not be familiar, the Polar Plunge is exactly what it sounds like.  A bunch of slightly imbalanced folks pull off a somewhat coordinated group run into the ocean on New Year's Day every year.  And this year I decided to join them!

The hubby was the opposite of interested, so he came as my unofficial documentarian. Is that even a word?  Whatever, he took pictures and stayed dry and sane on the beach while I ran willy-nilly into the freezing cold Pacific.  What a riot!

I guess it's time to do this shit!  Here we go!

I managed to persuade a co-worker and her husband to take the plunge with me, and what a frickin' blast it was! I'd do it again, no question!  It was a short dip, to say the least.  We - along with somewhere around 100 or so other crazies - were in & out in no time at all.

Aaaaand, we're out!
I have to say, it took all of 30 seconds for my legs to start numbing after we bolted out of the icy water!

But, how invigorating!  It's just too fun when there are countless others, from little tykes to oldsters, running next to you doing the same insane activity.

This won't be my last Polar Plunge!  I might just make it a new New Year's Day tradition.


Me & my co-worker - who I persuaded to join my nonsense!

Cause you know what?  Any activity that extracts that much joy, endorphins, and all around hilarity for such a large group of wackos inside that short amount of time is worth repeating!

Polar Plunge, baby!

Happy 2016, all!


Ta-ta for now.