star struck

I'm not one to get star struck. Not usually. But...I do get a little star struck when it comes to writers. And yesterday...I was in the presence of greatness.

I got to the National Book Festival a little earlier than I had initially planned and so go to take in a couple of other authors I was interested in. But my Saturday plans revolved around getting a good spot at the fiction tent for Sir Salman Rushdie.

I have always been so struck by his writing. He's such a prolific writer, and his words just grab the reader, taking the reader into this world that he creates. His language is rich and vivid, and I've enjoyed reading those books that I have. I recently purchased his new book and hope to begin it within the next few weeks.

As to Rushdie the person, he was very amiable, and funny too. And that just made it better, you know? Especially to have gone through what he's gone through, and to come out still writing books and still be so congenial. And what he's gone through is also a testament to the power of words. Yes, it's cliché, but it's the whole "the pen is mightier than the sword." Words are the inspiration behind the action. I know when I look for inspiration, I look to past speeches and past essays and that's what motivates me to continue or to change course.

It's why I love words and language.

It was definitely a highlight to living in DC. Last year's Book Festival was as well, and the festival is definitely a motivator. Maybe it's just being around all those authors and aspiring writers that the motivation just seeps in. And it was also worth braving the potential rain to head down to the mall and have a chance to hear Rushdie speak.

I'm also looking forward to next year (definitely hoping the festival continues!) and who the author list is going to be. I just wish I'd known about the Festival when I first came to DC for a semester and then when I moved here!

perfect bike weather

And I don't mean that kind of bike. I mean:

I saw at least two people out last night enjoy the cool evening with their bikes. They had the right idea. Some who know me know that I love motorcycles. Yes, I am aware they're dangerous (I've always worn a helmet when I've ridden), but I don't think that's what the draw is. And it's very important to be alert riding them, especially since if you're driving a car, they can seem to come up out of nowhere on the highway, at least in LA that was the case.

I think the draw is similar to why some people drive around in convertibles or with their windows rolled down. It's that rush of air all around you, only multiplied on the back of a motorcycle. And yes, it's even the roar of the engine over everything else. I don't know...it's just...in a word: cool. It's more...free.

My Dad used to have a Harley, and of course, of all the bikes I've since seen, I still like his the best. Even with the short period with shortened Longhorns. I would never have been able to learn to drive on that one though, I could barely stand that thing upright it was so heavy. But I loved riding it. And with last night's weather, I wished that back was here in DC. Well...minus the traffic.

There weren't too many beautiful evenings like yesterday in Texas though to cruise around though. At least on the highways there was enough of a breeze generated to take a little bit of the heat off. Just a little.

I don't drive one, but maybe I should set a potential goal for the time I'm 30 to have my motorcycle license. Or make more friends with people who have them.

I feel so domestic

I have spent nearly most of the day over the kitchen counter and stove, cooking. I made two batches of spinach empanadas for a potluck tomorrow, and another batch of puppy chow (seriously...the greatest thing ever). Granted, the empanadas took a little longer than I thought, seeing as how once I had the filling made I realized I'd forgotten to thaw out the pastry sheets.

I probably could have just gotten away with another thing of puppy chow for the potluck, but I don't want to fall into a rut. And the spinach empanadas I last made junior year and college and remembered them being very good. I just never got around to making them again. So...this was a very good opportunity. But here's one thing I have had confirmed. My oven is weird.

I first started thinking this when it came to baking cookies. Nine minutes or so right? Hmmm...not so much. Unless you count the bottoms of the cookies which were burned. But the tops weren't really cooked all the way through. I've since tried moving the rack all up and down the oven and shifted the pan, but the cookies still get burned. So today, my recipe called for 15 minutes baking time in a preheated oven at 350.

Check.

Only after 15 minutes...my empanadas weren't golden brown. They weren't even slightly golden. I kept checking periodically for the next 15 minutes or so, and even turned the heat up a little bit. Of course, then I got paranoid and thought the bottoms were burnt (they weren't). So...very strange. My recipes aren't usually off that much.

Long story short...my empanadas turned out ok, just took a little longer to cook. So then I took a break and made more puppy chow. This came about since a) they were very popular and b) my officemate wasn't in the day I made them and so I said I'd make them again for the next potluck.

Now what can I make next weekend? The pastry sheets I bought for the empanadas had a recipe for tiny strawberry Napoleons. I'm thinking I may have to try that for the next potluck.

success with the "dog stuff"

"Dog stuff" was how my puppy chow was referred to later in the day. But it was a term of endearment, as evidenced by the fact that there was maybe only a handful or so left at the end of the day.

And it was requested again, so I've decided to make it again next weekend for some birthdays in the office. And hopefully I'll be able to get the regular Jif, though it wasn't bad with the low sugar. I may end up sticking with the Ghiradelli chocolate chips though.

Apparently the other day was National Chocolate Day (how come this holiday isn't more popular?) and truffles and chocolate cake was brought into the office on Friday to celebrate. Mmmm. I have decided I need to look up some recipes for truffles and try my hand. In college several of my friends once made a few different kinds of truffles and they were delicious.

I'm open to suggestions.

puppy chow

I think I may have waxed poetic on the greatness that is puppy chow before, but seeing as how it has come up again, I figured now was a good time for a refresher course.

My office is having a potluck tomorrow and when it came time to think of something that I could a) make a lot of and b) carry to work quite easily and c) appeal to a large group of people, the first thing that came to mind was puppy chow. So I wrote my name down and shortly thereafter, had quite a few questions along the lines of "what are you bringing? What is that?"

Sadly...puppy chow does not appear to be widely known. And I say that because the last time I made puppy chow for a different office in a different building...only one other person knew what puppy chow was beforehand. Though...everyone who tried it will definitely remember it.

I was a little nervous making it this time around because I'd only made it one other time and it's messy. Not to mention that my grocery store didn't have regular Jif. Well, they did, but in a large jar and I haven't really been in a real peanut buttery kind of mood. So I got the low sugar. And then to add to that, there were no regular Nestle chocolate chips. They had semi-sweet, but I was already getting reduced sugar peanut butter.

So...I grabbed a bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips. Already two things were different than the last time, and the other times my sister has made this (and let me tell you, she makes a mean batch of puppy chow).

I won't get into the whole recipe here, just Google puppy chow and you'll get quite a few variations. Most match what I use, but I saw another one that called for vanilla extract. So it's up to you.

One warning...it doesn't really look appetizing when you make it. The first time I mixed the chocolate and peanut butter together (see picture) I almost called my sister to see if I was making it right. It really didn't look like it would turn into the sweet goodness that it does turn into. But everything turned out ok.

I now have two good-sized containers full of puppy chow to take to work and hopefully will get the same response I got the last time I made it. And for my sake, I also hope that response turns into no puppy chow remaining. It's so hard to stop munching on it.

So if you choose to make it...enjoy! I'll let you know how the office response goes. Wish me luck!

the letter q

I don't know about you, but whenever I put down a q word longer than "qi" on the Scrabble board, I get a very small thrill. It's quite possibly one of the best moments of the game. Other than winning, of course. Or getting a triple word...especially a really good triple word. Oh...how about a triple word with the letter q?

The reason, for me anyway, is when you pull that dreaded q, the thought is "oh...I have to get rid of this!" Because heaven forbid you end the game with a q...since there go 10 points right there. So...usually my go to word of choice? Qi. Which, argue some of you may, is an accepted word.* Common usage people.

So earlier this weekend my word was "quill." It wasn't a standard "quite," "quiet," or "quit." Too bad it wasn't a triple word. I'd even settle for a double letter, but we can't have everything I suppose.

Any other go to words of choice for q? Come on, help a girl out. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I get another q. Poor q...it has such a bad rep when it comes to scrabble. And I don't know why...but z isn't that bad. Maybe because it's easier to do "zoo," or "zed," than it is to do "quote" or something.

*One beef with the accepted scrabble words I've seen. If qi is going to be accepted, why not zen?