#22 Part I of II

Finally paella has been accomplished!  This is 1/2 of goal #22.  We used the recipe from my last post and it was delicious.  Here is the photographic evidence:

Rick and Libby stirring the paella

Adding the garlic

Showing off the finished product

I ate the paella.  It was yummy.  Nom.

Paella recipe

It looks like we will not be making paella until tomorrow.  In the meantime, I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe we are going to use.  I am a vegetarian (although I do eat shrimp), so we are creating a variation on the "normal" recipe.

From Vegetarian Times:

Ingredient list

(Serves 6)

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 7-oz. pkgs. spicy marinated tofu, finely diced  (we are substituting shrimp)

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 14-oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 cup short-grain brown rice

¹⁄8 tsp. saffron, crumbled

1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup lemon juice

3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add tofu (or shrimp) when ripples appear

in oil, and season with salt. Sauté 10 minutes, or until tofu (or shrimp) is browned, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms release liquid and begin to brown.

2. Stir in carrots, corn, tomatoes, and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes more. Stir in rice, 2 1/4 cups water, and saffron. Bring paella to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with wok lid, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Add peas on surface (do not stir yet), cover, and allow peas to steam 1 to 2 minutes. Remove wok from heat, and stir in lemon juice and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. 

Doesn't that sound yummy?

Mid-month update

It is a new year and progress is being made on my 30 before 30 list!

Sometime in the next week, expect an update with pictures on goal #22 - I am cooking paella this weekend (with the help of my friend Libby because I suck at cooking).  So that will be part I of II for goal #22.

Also, I am making progress on #27 -- I am on day 6 of 120 Days of Sodom.  I already want to scrub my brain with steel wool, but I will press on!

I'm a little worried about #29.  I'm afraid the Harry Potter theme park will not be open in time for me to finish that one.  But progress is being made!  Click here for the latest pictures (or don't, if you would consider that "spoilers.")

#12, Wardrobe purge - Part II

Today I have completed the grand purging of the wardrobe! (And there was much rejoicing!)

I kept track of the number of items tossed, and I managed to meet my goal of cleaning out 1/3. Final count of all of the clothes I own (except socks) came to 320. (You can see why I needed to purge.) I am keeping 213, donating 90 to Goodwill, and bringing 17 to a consignment store. Here are some pictures to illustrate the process.

Before closet:

Before t-shirt dresser (yes, the ENTIRE dresser is full of t-shirts):

A picture of all of my t-shirts (I had 46 of them!):

This is a bridesmaids dress that I wore to my friend Erica's wedding. She got married years and years ago (maybe 8 years? Actually I think it was more like 9). Anyway, I decided that it was finally time to let it go, but realized that I didn't have any pictures of myself in it, so I decided to take some. Frankly, I'm pretty impressed that I could still squeeze into it. (Face is cut off cause I had a goofy expression.)

Two big bags of clothes headed out the door!

After picture of closet:

So, my clothes finally have a bit of breathing room. And I got rid of quite a few things that I should have tossed a long time ago. I have no idea how I managed to amass so many clothes, but I really very rarely get rid of anything, so it was past time for this.

Next goal to be accomplished will probably be #27 - Read Something by the Marquis de Sade. Fortunately, my friend Libby loaned me a copy of The 120 Days of Sodom, so I didn't have to check it out at the library or anything. I've read about 50 pages and it's already disturbing. Apparently there's also a movie, so if I really like it, I guess I can check that out, too.

#12, Wardrobe purge - Part I

I have started working on the wardrobe purge--it's taking longer than I thought.  I sorted all of my clothes into different categories:

-dresses

-skirts

-jeans

-dress pants

-casual pants

-etc.

Then, for each category, I am separating everything into "keep," "toss," (= Goodwill, except for underwear), "consign," and "undecided."  Rick is helping me sort the "undecided" piles.

My goal is to reduce the total amount of clothes I own by 1/3.  I think I'm doing pretty well so far--I've gone through about half of my categories and have filled one big garbage bag of "toss."  I'm hoping to finish up on Wednesday--my first day off of work for the holiday.  So, hopefully then I will have a full update, complete with pictures.

Next up...

It's been less than a month, and already I feel like I'm falling behind, as I've only accomplished one thing. I have 24 months in which to do these 30 things, so I need to do roughly 1 thing a month.

Here is an update on random 30 Before 30 things:

I went to buy the stickers for defacing stop signs and found that Glarkware is having a sale! Which would have meant that I could buy my beloved stickers for $1.00! Except that I got there too late, and they are all sold out. So, #10 will have to wait until they get more in stock.

Also, I have booked a room at the Atlanta Hilton, so we are definitely/probably attending Dragon*Con (#23) in 2009! I am excited. I am also planning awesome geeky costumes, which is a blast. Perhaps I will actually learn to properly use the sewing machine I own.

I've heard that Billy Joe's Pitcher Show (where the Rocky Horror Picture Show is shown every weekend) is probably closing in February, so I need to accomplish #15 in the next month or so. Otherwise I will have to find a less convenient venue.

My friend Libby has offered to cook paella for me (#22), loan me a book by the Marquis de Sade (#27), and create a beer bong for me (#24). Did I mention that my friend Libby is awesome?

The wardrobe purge (#12) has not yet begun. I've been exhausted when I get home from work and busy on the weekends. But I should get started soon!

#20. See a psychic

I have accomplished my first goal! Last Saturday (11/22/08), I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival and saw a psychic. I suppose technically she was a fortune teller, but she did a tarot reading for me, and also looked at my hands at one point.

Here are some of the things she told me:

1. I worry too much
2. I should stop letting other people put their problems on me
3. My job outlook is good
4. I am going to make a lot of money next year
5. I am going to have one kid

Are any of those future things true? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.