I’ve been noticing the bold colors that have been springing up all over the place since the seasons have changed… or is it always this beautiful around town? Even my laundry looks prettier. Cheers, lovelies!
Autumn is here, friends!!! Okay, well it’s been here for a couple of weeks now, but today I walked to the store and felt this beautiful autumn breeze that I somehow hadn’t experienced yet… so I was suddenly in the mood for something totally seasonal and hearty.
Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine circa 2004, I modified this recipe to suit my requirements: no oven for baking (don’t want to talk about it) and a slight substitution of ingredients to make this baked veggie recipe into a soupy delicious meal.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp fine sea salt
1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 cups veg broth (I use Organic Better than Bouillon – 2 tsp in 2 cups H2O)
2 lbs cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, quartered
2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, halfed lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
Instructions:
Combine olive oil with sea salt, pepper and thyme in a small bowl. Put squash in a pan and set stove to med-high heat. Toss squash with seasoned oil and pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cover, then turn down the heat to medium. Let sit for 20 – 25 minutes, add the mushrooms, stir, and re-cover pot for another 10 minutes. Voila!
The mushrooms added a bit more liquid to the pot after cooking down, and the squash turned out so tender it started to fall apart. The end result was the stew-like texture (rather than roasted veggies) and could easily become a soup with the help of an immersion blender (or just the addition of more veg broth). Plus, thyme is one of my favorite herbs… and it is definitely the time of year to showcase it in a variety of recipes. It was so delicious… I hope it lasts until tomorrow!! Prob not, though.
I really needed to take two days off in a row this week – my brain is fried!! So unfortunately for my loyal readers, this is an attempt to suck you back in and love me again. I’ve been lazy.
So in the spirit of Amelie, here are a few things you may (not) want to know about me…
I am a science geek at heart – I have my BS in Chemistry and used to work in a lab as a protein chemistry research associate!! Ahhh, proteins. How I love thee.
Is it bad that I have a file on my computer named "Protein Images"?
Sometimes I go to the convenience store to look through the aisles of beauty products… I love to read the labels!
When I was younger, I used to sit in the bathtub and try to teach myself how to read barcodes on the backs of shampoo bottles so I could write my own secret messages. I always wanted to tattoo one of my creations on myself and get scanned at the store. $1.25!!!
I cry every time I hear the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.. but especially when Judy Garland sings it.
My favorite thing to do in the summer is run in the pouring rain!!! Seriously. I’ll hold off on running all day if I hear it might start to rain later.
I’m a pretty great Indian cook… but my passion is really baking!! If only my oven was working… ahem, landlords…
I’m terrible at waitressing… no joke, it’s laughable. You would never guess that I’m half decent at bartending.
I adopted my first cat in early 2005 and named him Oscar de la Renta – and had to leave him in my apartment (with tons of food and water!!!) during Hurricane Katrina. Had no idea it would take 2 weeks to rescue him… I promptly renamed him Oscar de la Hoya. He is such a tough guy. Look at him.
Trouble
I have always wanted to love my job the way that a coroner I once observed did… he zigzagged a pattern to remove a man’s skullcap, took out his brain, and accurately guessed how much it weighed, down to the 0.00something ounce. He was very taken with himself. I admired him. =)
I hate that adults can’t go trick-or-treating… so lame. When I tried to go once (I was 15!!), I was scolded by a lady for being too old. I was really upset!! And what’s even funnier was that when I was 15, I think I looked like I was 10. Hahaha
I have a sandwich named after me!! It’s the Swillie Special – at CG’s Cafe @ the Nail in the Warehouse District!! It’s a veggie burger with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, coleslaw and green onions. It’s delicious!!!
Alright, that’s all you get today, kids. Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be back on the game!! Word.
Follow my blog with bloglovin!
‘Sup, fiending friends… this little link will let you know when I post, if you absolutely must read as soon as it’s available… cheers! Swillie
A blurry start to Mardi Gras 2010 
Lazy Monday
Unlike most people, Monday is my favorite day of the week!! While the rest of the world is starting the new work week, I have the house to myself and have all kinds of fun with doing little projects, cooking, and catching up with my favorite fashion blogs and tv shows on Hulu.
I recently went to Thrift City to find some new project material – I frequently score items that with a little DIY and creativity, you can turn clothing that you wouldn’t be caught dead in, into something that totally matches your style!
Exhibit 1: ugly turtlenecked sweater, 3 sizes too big. I’ve been seeing really delicious looking slouchy sweaters lately all over the net – apparently they have made a comeback for Fall 2010, and they are freakin’ expensive!!
Segmented Pullover, Derek Lam $590
Chunky Wool Sweater, Rick Owens $965
Looseknit Sweater, Alexander McQueen $1,965
Luckily, this project was too easy… I really do love a good comfy sweater for a good comfy deal.
Materials Needed:
One (1) thrifted sweater
One (1) pair scissors
Sweater Before:
Thrift City, $4.00!!
After:
Post-op
Instructions: Cut across the neckline underneath the collar line. Wear. Easy peasy.
I really lucked out with this find – I really like how the longer I wear it, the texture of the collar loosens and it becomes more slouchy as some of the knitting comes unraveled. Even though it was pretty warm outside today, I wore my sweater all day anyway. Too awesome to not. Weather be damned!
PS – Anybody know how to format pictures in WordPress? I’m wasting tons of space between pictures, and I feel like I’m missing something really simple… which wouldn’t be the first time.. ha!
iamge via objectsandpixels.com - I was too distracted by my sandwich to take any photos...
I had the lovely idea to ride my bike down to Audubon Park with the bf and have a picnic – bus barn sandwich and a ginger ale from Whole Foods… beautiful weather, fun people watching, listening to a bit of Yacht Rock on the iPod speakers. The perfect afternoon for how I’ve been feeling all day today… and then this song came on…
HAhahaha 
Got a few glares… how I love the park with all its snooty Uptown ladies..
Happy Saturday!!!
More evidence that Voodoo Fest organizers are rooting for my demise: the Sunday lineup (which I will be missing due to work) also features my favorite New Orleans bounce MC’s. What have I done wrong?!
Big Freedia, Sissy Nobby, Katey Red
I’m gonna have to get on the board of organizers to make sure I don’t miss out again….
On a brighter note, my cousin Charlie’s punk rock – ska band, Fatter than Albert, is playing at 11:15am Saturday morning! Check them out – they are so awesome!
Every Sunday night, after an excruciatingly long day of pouring beer and listening to my adoring customers scream about football, I reward myself by going to Blue Nile on Frenchmen St. to see some live music and hang out with friends… before collapsing of utter exhaustion.
Enter the music ninjas: MAIN LINE!
My friend Professor John Dobry is Jazz Guitarist Extraordinaire, and he has some seriously talented band mates, several of which are in the super hot brass band, Soul Rebels. Main Line plays every Sunday night, and they are so damn good. They have a very grooving, brass-band-meets-jazz sound and I don’t know how I find the energy to dance as much as I do
So my boyfriend and I are standing at the front, and the band is getting ready to play their last song before they go on break – and the MC announces they have a special guest sitting in. Oh, some more awesome soloists from around the city? No, no. That would have been too easy… and something that happens like every show anyway. No, it was 50 Cent. 50 CENT!!!!
Dobry says my face was priceless as 50 walked to center stage, standing five feet in front of me. I literally couldn’t believe it. I’m so glad I had my trusty camera with me! Although, in my stupor, I forgot how to actually use my camera, so Nathanael took over because he is smarter and more coordinated than I am… and plus, if I had been recording, it would have been impossible to tell it was 50 up there because the video would be bouncing all over the place. Nathanael’s a professional.
Check it out!! We recorded the entire song, so you get to check out Main Line’s awesome performance after 50′s all done. Yay Dobry!!!
Sidebar: 50 Cent was with an entourage that included CHELSEA HANDLER!! I love her. I worked on my liquid courage to go say hi to her, but then realized I would make a fool of myself and stand there similar to how I stood in front of 50. Deer in headlights. I am so shy sometimes… how the hell am I a bartender?!
