Only a minor offense

I have a confession to make. I am an accomplice in stealing from the City of Ottawa. That's right folks, Larry O'Brien may be plotting to come after me. Honestly though, I would openly admit to my involvement in the theft and maybe even blame Larry for pushing me to it. I'll even admit to it right now. We have taken an unclaimed City of Ottawa kitchen compost bin. See, it's not so horrible.

I'm happy to say that Ottawa has finally changed their garbage program to incorporate composting. The downside of all this, and the reason we have an unassigned bin, is that they have not yet implemented the program in apartment buildings larger than six units. While I suppose it takes time to completely change a garbage program in a large city, there is a huge fraction of the population of Ottawa not yet taking part. In addition to the lack of residential infrastructure, I don't believe I've yet seen composting bins in any public buildings.

Sometimes I believe it's better to do things quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. People will have a hard time getting used to this new system, but not far down the road they will feel as though this is the way it's always been done. By slowly ramping the program up and having resources in only certain venues, people will undoubtedly get the feeling that the rules are not being enforced.

Ottawa is not, by any stretch, the first city to incorporate a composting system. Halifax has had one for as long as I can remember and PEI began composting around 2001. The vast metropolis of Toronto even has a system in place. I can't help but wonder if Ottawa is trying to reinvent the wheel. If so, why not swallow your pride and learn some lessons from some other success stories?

I fear I'm now hammering on without much factual basis for my rant. I really have no idea how the decisions are made downtown and what has prompted this slow introduction to composting. I do know that I'm a concerned citizen and will do my part to be sure the food scraps coming out of my kitchen are composted. I'll even steal a bin to do it.

The winner is.....Carrots!

The other day my roommate asked me, 'If you could have only five vegetables for the rest of your life, what would they be?'. I pondered this for a few moments. We were eating yummy asparagus at the time, so I was tempted in that direction, but really, I'm not such a huge fan that I would plan my life around it. I could have chosen a favorite, but infrequent item, like corn on the cob. I do love a plate of fresh-from-the-farmer corn, slathered in butter with fresh ground pepper. The problem is, I associate corn with august and it just seems so much more special when it's only enjoyed a couple times a year. No, if I was going to choose five vegetables for the rest of my life, they had to be versatile and resilient enough to withstand day after day of attention. My final list was quite practical, but perhaps controversial as two of my entries are technically fruit.

First, I chose onion. My father is probably laughing out loud right now; I used to hate onions as a child. As I've come to cook for myself I see how much a little bit of onion can do for so many dishes. It's not often the star, but it can certainly turn things from drab to complex. Next, avocado (the first of the fruit/veggies). I have a weakness for guacamole, egg and avocado sandwiches and the avocado salad at The Green Door. The second fake veggie was the tomato. Strange, since I also hated tomatoes as a child (it was a texture thing). Now though I say, how can you go wrong with a tomato? Perfect in a sandwich, as a base for so many sauces, soups, and salsas and it goes splendidly with avocado! For my greens I chose arugula. Once you've had an arugula salad, it's hard to even consider regular leaf lettuce as an option. Finally, I chose carrots.

Carrots? you may ask. It's a fair question, I even kind of questioned myself as I said it. I'm certainly not talking about the old bagged carrots from the grocery store. I'm thinking of one that has been freshly plucked from the garden. It's one of those things that tastes like an entirely different vegetable when eaten fresh. On top of that, it's incredibly versatile. It's more than just the sliced wedges alongside a meat and potatoes supper. The carrot can find a place in a warming soup, a healthy smoothie or even in dessert. Carrot cake, my friends, is one of the best fates for a carrot.

After buying a huge bag of market carrots last fall, I went on a bit of a carrot cake baking spree. This is not a bad thing, in fact my roommate and lab mates were all quite happy with this development. When the bag of carrots was ending it's lifetime, the last remaining ones were shredded and packed away into the freezer for future cake adventures. Today, with a baby shower to attend, was a day for an adventure. You might not think that in a cake, market versus grocery carrots would make a difference. I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. Even after spending some time in the freezer these carrots still managed to bring a fresh flavor, one reminiscent of summer days laying in the grass by the garden.

I took this recipe from my mom, whose carrot cake with cream cheese icing has always been my favorite. I modified it here to make a, not too sweet, mix of carrot and savory flavors. The oil also gives it a crunchy exterior, an excellent contrast to the moist interior. It doesn't need any icing, but I have found that a dollop of whipped cream or a layer of cream cheese icing with toasted coconut are both quite delicious.

Carrot Cake Modified from my mom's recipe

• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• ~3 cups of grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups of white flour
• 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp all spice

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and grease a cake pan. Beat the oil and sugar together, then beat in the eggs. The mixture should look something like thick caramel sauce. Stir in the carrot. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Fold the dry into the carrot mixture until it is just mixed. Pour into the cake pan and cook for 35-45 min.

Pad Thai....sort of

I go through phases with food. My interest in a certain dish generally falls under the categories of devotion or indifference. When in undergrad, Pad Thai was one of those dependable dinners that gained my attention and reverence. It was perfect for a poor student; it required the least flashy of veggies (carrots and celery), a few condiments and some rice noodles. Somehow in the transition from BSc to PhD my interest in this dish waned. After a long break, the other day I had an urge to revisit the old classic, but with some minor alterations.

I hit the grocery store with a plan, but admittedly it was a little vague and fuzzy. Noodles were easy, but when it came to the vegetables I decided I wanted to experiment. The bok choi showed little promise. It was sad and wilty, wishing I'd had my craving at least three days earlier when it was at the prime of it's game. The fennel on the other hand winked at me. I didn't remember fennel being a common ingredient in asian meals, but I figured I could call the dish 'fusion' and everything would be okay. For some color, I picked up the reliable carrot, green snap peas and slightly daring radicchio. A veggie bag perhaps more suited for a pasta dish with butter, pepper and pamesean cheese (I made this dish too and it was very tasty), I had confidence it would work for pad thai.

This was not my most successful experiment in the kitchen, but neither was it a complete disaster. The veggies sauted nicely, making for a very colorful picture and a very full pan. Thinking I was surely on the road to success, my heart fell a little when I combined everything together and the veggies all but disappeared under the pile of noodles. My heart sank even a little lower when my bowl, made prettier by a pile of cashews, seemed bland. I blame this on the poor veggie to noodle ratio per bite. Not to fear, all was saved by my favorite condiment: the red rooster hot sauce. I read an article about this sauce the other day (see the Jan 2010 issue of Bon Appetit), apparently it's made by a small family-run business. Clearly that family is hugely successful as this sauce is seen on restaurant tables all through Chinatown. Score one more for Huy Fong Foods, because it certainly saved my pad thai.

Pad Thai
I hesitate slightly to post this recipe as I don't have the best feel for how all the flavors would come together with fewer noodles in my bowl. My version showed promise, so I suspect it will find it's way into my meal rotation again soon. I've increased all the vegetable amounts so that you won't have the same problem I did.

- 1 bulb fennel, white parts only
- 4 carrots
- a handful of snap peas
- 1 small radicchio
- 1 medium onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 8 tsp ketchup
- 5 tsp brown sugar
- 6 tsp lemon juice
- 6 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 1 package of flat rice noodles
- cashews (or peanuts)
- Rooster Hot Sauce

Mix together ketchup, sugar, lemon juice and white wine vinegar to make sauce. Saute the chopped onion and fennel until the onion is translucent and the fennel tender. Add the garlic and peas. Boil the water for the noodles, following the directions on the package for cooking. When the noodles are close to being done, add the grated carrot and chopped radicchio to the onion and fennel. Ideally, once the noodles are ready they would be mixed with the veggies in the pan with the eggs. My pan was not large enough, so I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl (I believe everything was hot enough to cook the egg), only mixing my portion in the hot pan and saving the rest for later. Top the dish with chopped cashews and add as much hot sauce as desired. Makes four large servings.

Runners supported

It is officially spring in Ottawa. I know this, not because the canal is soupy and closed for skating, or because my feet are too hot in winter boots or because it's now mostly bright when I walk home in the evening. The true sign of spring in Ottawa is when the runners emerge and take over the canal walkway. These are no casual runners. Many of them may be middle aged, but they all seem quite capable of carrying on lengthy conversations while in full stride. I wouldn't be surprised either if the majority are training for the Ottawa full or half marathon. The most striking thing about the movement of runners is that they actually run in waves. You do not see one or two pass by every few minutes, oh no, they travel in packs of 5-20 people.

As someone who finds no real enjoyment out of running (just for the sake of running) I can see the advantage of a support system. I'm sure I would probably consider my running mates as the incentive to actually get up and go out. In the short stint in undergrad where I did run for exercise, I most certainly wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for Sara and Kelsey who consistently pushed me to keep going. I can understand why the beginners appreciate the group run method; there are other people sharing your pain (literally, shin splints and stomach cramps are not fun) and there is a sense of guilt to the 'team' if you don't show up.

The more advanced runners must use the group mentality for a different reason. Clearly, they are at the stage where they love to run and probably don't need any conscience prompting to get up and go. I suspect they run with a group for the same reason many of us run through our lives surrounded by people we love. They're perfectly capable of continuing on their own, but the group brings new perspectives, laughter, challenges and a quiet smile. When they stumble the group is there to brush off the pebbles and when they set a best time in a race, the group is there for high-fives and a congratulatory hug. The group recalibrates your outlook; the lows seem not so bad and the highs are all that much better when shared. In honour of spring and busy walking/running paths I'd like to thank all my fabulous friends and family for being the best running group a girl could ask for.

Time

Time is a strange thing. Unquestionably, time is a quantitative descriptor measured in years, weeks, days, minutes or seconds. Unlike their qualitative cousins, quantitative values are generally thought to be concrete, and without subjectivity. Time, though is an outlier. On how many occasions have we all said 'that week really flew by!' or 'that movie was so bad it felt like an eternity'? Clearly, our perception of time is highly influenced by our environment and our activities. If you get down to the physics of the issue, time is relative and is only a means for us to understand our surroundings. It is much more complex (especially when considered in terms of the universe) and abstract than most (including me) would care to consider.

Efficiency and productivity play a large part in my definition of time spent. I will reflect upon days and consider, 'how much did I get done?' and 'what did I do?'. This is undoubtedly a side-effect of being a graduate student who has to deal with long project arcs, and, out of necessity, a considerable amount of time/project planning. Conveniently, experimental research lends itself nicely to gauging time through productivity. All one needs to do is check through their labbook (essentially a scientific diary meets a recipe book) to see how many experiments were done in a given time period. Things get a touch more tricky when the daily routine shifts more towards tabulating data and writing about the results (i.e. writing a thesis).

I must admit I haven't quite started the thesis writing process, but I am in the middle of writing a few manuscripts for publication. Some of the biggest challenges I find are to: a) not get side-tracked on a tangent, thus wasting time; and b) feeling a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. A considerable amount of time can be spent on one paragraph; the wording must be accurate and succinct, the facts must be properly referenced and there must be a narative flow. If you're me, this can take a relatively long period of time to get right. With this in mind productivity and time are much more difficult to assess. Perhaps, when it comes to writing, I need to set aside my analytical and quantitative way of thinking.

A catalyst for productivity

I must say, I'm a little surprised. I thought the first comment/question I'd receive about the blog would be about the name. It's science geeky enough that a google search does not shed any light on it's meaning. I certainly wasn't trying to alienate you all, it really is a very self serving reminder of what I set out to do here. After six posts I had one person finally ask, so I figured I would bring you all up to speed. Get ready folks, I'm about to teach you a little bit about chemistry. I'll try to make it more tangible and exciting than the first year course that you may have taken. Or, if you've never opened a chemistry (or science) text book, hopefully I'll have explained it in a way that it makes sense to you anyway. So here goes....

The reason I like cooking so much is that, in reality, it's a lot like chemistry. You start with some ingredients, you mix them together, then you have something new. In the cooking world you often see things like, 'mix flour, salt, butter, etc. together, bake and enjoy your delicious biscuits'. Chemical reactions are often written as 'A + B -> C', or in words 'Add A and B together to make C' (where A, B and C are chemical compounds...perhaps a lesson for a different day). That's it, that's what I do during the day.

You may have noticed one very important word in the description of making biscuits. Bake. It's a no brainer that in order to make biscuits from all the ingredients you must pop the mixture in the oven. Otherwise, your dough will remain sticky and not at all appetising. It's the same with chemistry. Often you need to add energy (in the case of the biscuits, heat) to turn A and B into C. But why is this energy needed and how do you know how much is necessary? For any chemical reaction there is an Activation Energy (or Ea, for short) barrier. I realize this sounds fairly abstract, but let me explain. Imagine yourself sitting on the couch in front of the TV at midnight, perfectly comfortable, but also aware that you should migrate to your bed for the night. Your bed is more comfortable and appealing, but in order to get there you need to get out from under the comfy blanket, give a longing glance at the toasty wood stove, climb the stairs to your bed and try to make a warm nest there. I'm sure you will agree that it takes a certain amount of energy to overcome the desire to stay on the couch. By investing the energy you have jumped over a figurative barrier and have reached a more comfortable state. It is much the same with a chemical reaction; an Ea barrier exists between states A/B and C. Upon addition of energy to A and B, C can be made. Make sense?

One of my jobs as a chemist is to make catalysts. Basically, a catalyst decreases the amount of energy needed for a reaction by making the Ea barrier smaller. For example, if there was wood stove by your bed, instead of by the couch, the move to go to bed would require a lot less energy. The wood stove has catalyzed the move, by lowering the Ea barrier. Everyone still with me?

If you remember, my goal for this blog was to make the writing process easier. By doing this I'll be able to write my thesis and graduate with a PhD. In other words, I'm using this blog as a catalyst to lower the activation energy (Ea) barrier for writing.

Traditions

I'm not an overly ordered person. I don't feel a need to organize my books, clothes or papers. In fact, my desk (both at home and in the lab) tend to be in a constant state of disorder. When I travel, I prefer to go somewhere new than to visit the same place twice. When I do eat out, I like to be adventurous and have a dish I've never tried or one that I wouldn't make at home. Despite all of this, there are some things that I don't like being tampered with. I suppose once I have that view point on a particular thing or event, it has become a tradition.

I feel this way about most of my Dad's cooking, particularly the traditional Acadian dishes. When I go home I look forward to certain meals and I expect them to taste the way I'd been remembering and imagining. Right now, I can almost taste the gooey cheese on the buttery, piping hot French Onion Soup. I realized, not too long ago, that I had better make an effort to learn how to make these classic dishes. For one thing, I live too far away from my parents to pop over for a bowl of soup. More importantly, I want to be able to continue to hand these recipes down to the next generation.

Many of the Acadian dishes have roots in French cooking, but are heavily influenced by the local maritime environment. When the French settlers first arrived on PEI, cod fish was plentiful and the soil was perfect for growing potatoes. I like to think that fish cakes were concocted as a portable variation on the boiled fish and potato dinners that I'm sure were popular. Though, to be fair, I really have no idea how and when the dish originated. I do know that the recipe has survived centuries and generations and, I suspect, has undergone very little revision. Today, it's no longer necessary to preserve the summer catch of fish in thick layers of salt for winter sustenance, but the fish cake is still a nostalgic treat.

















Yesterday I found myself in the fortunate situation of having salt cod in my fridge and finding PEI potatoes at the grocery store. I set to work. There isn't much to it: desalt the fish, boil the potatoes and saute some onions (in butter of course). The ingredients are simple and won't overshadow the salty fish flavour. I add parsley to my recipe, not so much for the flavour, but for the splash of color it adds. The final product was crispy on the outside and opened to the silky smooth potatoes, which contrasted perfectly with the chewy fish chunks. Even if you aren't of Acadian heritage, you might find that fish cakes become one of your traditional treats.


Fish Cakes
From Ronnie Blacquiere and all the Blacquiere's (and LeClair's) before him.

• 1 lb salt cod
• 9 medium potatoes (~ 4 lbs)
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 small onion
• ~ 1 tbsp butter
• pepper
• 1/2 bunch of parsley

Rinse the fish to remove the surface salt. In a pot, cover fish with cold water and bring to a boil. Discard water and repeat two more times. Meanwhile, boil potatoes until tender, saute the onion in butter and chop the parsley. Break up the fish into small chunks (this is best to do while the fish is still quite warm). Mash the potatoes, no lumps! Stir onions, pepper, eggs, parsley and fish into the potatoes. Form into small patties and coat with flour. Pan fry the fish cakes, turning when browned. Note: If not eating at once, wait to flour and fry until just before eating.

Served above with carrots, parsnips and sauted kale with almonds.

Collaboration

One of my favorite parts of my day is walking to and from work. It's a 30 minute walk along the canal in Ottawa, where I can pretend I'm not really in the city. This time of year is especially nice; the crisp cool in the morning helps to wake me up and in the evening I can watch all the people skating on the canal beside me. I take this time to either think about my day ahead at work, or to decompress and plan what will be on the supper menu. The part I look forward to most however, is listening to music.

I'm not overly picky when it comes to genre, but right now I'm completely addicted to CBC Radio 3. A few years ago I discovered Vancouver's The New Pornographers, composed of a few fantastic musicians, one of which is Neko Case. She had a new album last year called Middle Cyclone and I dare say it was one of my favorites of 2009. I'm not the only one to say this, as it hit many 'best of' lists in December. Generally, when I listen to music first (or for the second, third or forth times) I focus only on the melody and the beat, not paying much attention to lyrics. Neko Case has such a beautiful voice it wasn't hard to enjoy this album straight away. As my play count increased, I began to really listen and then I couldn't stop. How could I? with lyrics like 'It was so clear to me, that it was almost invisible' found on the title track (sorry no official video for the song, but this was the best quality audio link I could find). The more I listened the more I was interested, which led to reading articles about the album and how it was made.

If you've read any of these stories you probably know how she recorded the album in her farm house with old salvaged pianos; that she filled up the space on the end of the CD with the relaxing sound of singing crickets; or that a musicbox is a prominent instrument on the album. What I was most interested by, was how collaborative the album is. Nearly every song has a guest appearance by some other well known artist (people from Calexico, The Sadies, Sarah Harmer...). I really have no idea what the nature of the collaboration was, and just how much input each collaborator had, but by the feel of the songs, I suspect Neko was very willing to allow others to layer in and mix their influence with her own. It sounds like such a fun and inspiring atmosphere, don't you think? Perhaps one that some of us could learn from.

I think it must take a certain amount of selflessness to let go of a creation and let another elaborate on it. From a scientific perspective, collaboration amongst research labs is certainly not the norm. Ideas are closely guarded, to prevent getting 'scooped'. It's a ruthless game where the first to publish a result is the winner. Recently, there seems to be more of a push for collaborative efforts, particularly as we're faced with global problems, such as fuel shortages. I certainly hope that these collaborators eliminate the proprietary attitude and that they are as fruitful as Neko Case was with all her friends.

PS. I made this lentil soup the other day and it was delicious!

Pizza Recipe

This won't be a long post. I got a request for the pizza recipe and figured it's only fair that if I write about food that I share the recipes with you. For the macaroons you'll have to wait until I have the recipe perfected.

Pizza Dough
Modified from Bon Appetit March 2007

• a little greater than 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
  
• 1 cup flour*
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar (not packed)
  
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Add the warm water to the yeast and let sit for ~ 5 min. Mix together the flour and sugar, pour in olive oil and yeast mixture. Knead on a floured surface until elastic, continuing to add flour until the dough only just doesn't stick to your hands. Let rise in a oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap and a towel. It will rise better if it's in a warm place. After an hour punch down the dough. At this point you can either use the dough or I like to put it in the fridge for the next day. I like to make it a day ahead, otherwise it takes too long to make your pizza after work when you're stomach is grumbling. When you're ready to use, spread the dough on a greased pizza sheet. This is enough dough for one pizza.

*NOTE. Sometimes I add flax (I usually just pour some in, I'll guess it's between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup) to the mixture. If you do this you will want to wait to add all of the flour as you may not need the full cup.

Topping
Be creative

• tomato sauce (I don't really remember how I did this, perhaps I'll do another post when I make another batch)
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
  
• a small onion, chopped
  
• mushrooms, sliced
  
• green olives, sliced
• spinach
• goat cheese

Cover dough with tomato sauce. Saute the onion, pepper and mushrooms and spread over the sauce. Add the olives. Cover with spinach and add goat cheese. Bake at 425 ˚F for ~ 20 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.

Enjoy!

Preserving health and happiness

First of all, thank you(!) to all you lovely people for the comments and the encouraging emails. It has certainly given me more incentive to get back here and write another post. In fact, the day after writing the last post I spent most of my walk to work thinking about what I would write next. I actually had a great idea, but I had to shuffle it aside this evening....once again, food takes priority. Don't worry though, I will get that other post to you eventually.

What dinner item could have possibly upset my blog plans? It was pizza. I'm sure some of you are groaning, as pizza is generally not overly spectacular, and I think some of you may not be fans of this food item at all. However, I'm going to argue that there are several reasons this pizza was special and worthy of a blog post. First, it was beautiful, look at that lovely spinach green color contrasting so effectively with the blobs of goat cheese and tomato sauce. And can you see the olives underneath? I feel healthy just looking at it. Secondly, it was a fairly unique pizza. It would have been an embarrassment to the likes of Chuck E. Cheese as it did not have layers of gooey goodness. Yes, I do love cheese (I have been known to eat a massive block of Havarti for supper), but it's nice to change things up once in a while. Third, the crust is homemade made from my favorite recipe. It always comes out crispy and just the perfect thickness, so that you don't feel as though you've eaten a loaf of bread by the time supper is over. The last, and most important, reason for the pizza to be distinct was the sauce.

The sauce was also homemade, which I have done on many occasions, but this sauce I made way back in September. No, it was not moldy sauce I found at the back of the fridge, but some I had canned and preserved. When I think of canning, for some reason I picture a turn of the 20th century kitchen with a wood burning stove/oven and a well stocked larder. The process could be considered to be antiquated, especially in a world where all kinds of out of season veggies, fruits and sauces are available year round from any given supermarket. However, I've been hearing from more and more people about their chutney's, pickles or whole tomatoes that they have canned this past fall. You may or may not be surprised to know that several of these people were not of an older generation who were raised on this method of food preservation. It may simply be a reflection of my friend group, but I think it does show a shift in people's priorities towards food with a known origin and composition.

So you see, this pizza wasn't just a yummy meal, but it also represents the way I strive to eat. Fresh, local and homemade. In fact, we gave thanks to our favorite market tomato-man over dinner.

mmmmacaroons

I have a bit of a deadline coming up so I spent most of the day working. Generally, when I have a day filled with work requiring me to sit in front of my computer, I tend to periodically get bored. Today that turned into a slight (this may be an understatement) detour into the world of food blogs. Anyone that knows me will say that I love food. As a result, I find it to be quite a challenge to tear my attention away from something as intriguing as a recipe for caramel corn, that can insight feelings only a teenage love affair could. I may be leading you astray here; it is the recipe that I find so appealing, not the teen-romance. However, like a good novel, I find I can easily let several minutes, then a half hour or an hour just slip by while browsing for new food ideas.

While it was a very successful distraction, it also inspired me to be a little more proactive for my love for food and cooking. If I have this blog, why not include an entry about a delicious treat now and then? I make the rules here, so I say 'let's eat'!

A few months ago my roommate introduced me to the packaged Jennie's Macaroons. They are perhaps the most surprisingly delicious thing I've ever tasted. Ever since I've been on a mission to recreate them. The ingredient list: unsweetened coconut, egg whites and honey. Usually the most simple things are the most challenging to understand. This is my third attempt and I must say it did not quite go according to plan.

Whipping the egg whites is the most crucial step to this process. It is very important bring the froth to a consistency where peaks will form before the sugar (or honey in this case) is added. Then further whipping is required. In fact, it's best to add the honey in small portions, whipping after each addition.

My error occured when I underestimated the amount of coconut I'd need. Of course I ran out, and of course it was 10 pm and my favorite bulk food store was most definitely closed. Not to be dismayed, I consulted with Nigella (thank you Robin) who suggested I add ground almond. Success! My macaroon mixture no longer looked like pancake batter but instead a fluffy little white haystack.

Check out the final result. The true test will be when my roommate tries them. Decision is pending.

Taking the plunge

I'm finally doing it; I'm writing a blog. I've been thinking about doing this for several months now, which seems quite appropriate considering why I've decided to start a blog. The reason I want to write a blog? It all comes down to my lack of motivation for writing. So you can see, since it has taken me months to start this up, I have some room for improvement.

My biggest goal with this blog is to practice. For more 'hands-on' activities, such as knitting, cooking or sports, it's quite apparent that practice makes perfect. I'm not striving for perfection, but a more efficient writing process. I'm hoping this will come in handy over the next eight months while I write my PhD thesis.

I had thought I might write in a journal for practice but, my brother wisely pointed out that I may need a deadline or external motivation. I suspect he's right, so please bear with me.

I'll be writing again soon.