12 Pieces Of Wisdom From My Grandmother And Others
Who in their life hasn’t picked up tips and nuggets of wisdom from the people in their lives here and there? Today, I found myself using and acknowledging those little pieces of gold. Read on and you might even learn something new, if not at least see some good eats 😉
The Heat Is On Tofu Salad, Scrambled Eggs, Steamed Broccoli, Kombucha
1. A splash of milk makes scrambled eggs 10 times better. My grandmother was sooo right on this one! Of course, she probably didn’t use almond milk like I did here 😉 But the results were the same: perfectly moist eggs. I feel like there’s no way I couldn’t take advice on eggs from the woman who made them for me almost every day during the Summer. On the side, I had simply steamed broccoli, and some “tofu salad” made with 3oz soft tofu and a tablespoon The Heat Is On.
The Heat Is On Peanut Butter
2. Do what you know and love, and 3. follow your dreams. I’d like to think all our parents weren’t blowing hot air here telling us this when we were growing up. For Lee Zalben, it certainly worked out. If you weren’t aware, he started off pretty much knowing one thing: he loved peanut butter. Now he runs a successful NY sandwich shop and produces the beloved and famous PB&Co. Peanut Butters. What I love about this way of thinking is that things “just work out”. I have no clue what I’m going to do with my major or where I’ll be after college but I truly believe that something will “work out”.
Botanic No 9 Kombucha
4. Don’t eat it if it’s still alive. Well, grams can’t be right on everything, right? This flavor was my 4th of Synergy Kombucha and my 3rd for review. It tasted very “blue”(definitely a welcomed change of pace from “green”) and wasn’t nearly as harsh on the vinegar flavor of kombucha as I’ve come to know. Unfortunately, I love that strong vinegar taste! But I’m guessing this would be friendlier to the new palate. Did anybody else not realize that those things floating in the kombucha often is cultures? That was some words of wisdom I didn’t need to read.
Zevia Cola And Kombucha Collection
5. Everything in moderation. These timeless words also sum up nicely all the comments on this post from this morning. What did I end up doing? Grabbing a diet Zevia. While it avoids the aspartame of Coke zero(oh, how I miss thee), it’s also important to remember that 0-cal sweetners, natural or not, should be taken in moderation, and other occasions just call for the sweet white stuff. For reference, I use stevia in coffee, tea, yogurt, and pudding, and will occasionally enjoy an erythritol sweetened soda. But Chicken Cacciatore over pasta with Splenda? No thank you. Also, this gave me a chance to highlight my kombucha bottle collection; isn’t it purdy 😀
6. If it makes you happy it can’t be that bad. You sing it, Sheryl.
Forming Beef Patties
7. Always have a clean work station laid out and 8. Don’t sh*t where you live. Mom always told me the first one; she’s where I get the “neat-freak” gene. Would she approve of my forming burger patties in the dorm? Good question. If it’s any consolation, I used 1 hand to make the patties and didn’t touch anything else without washing them. And number 8… my dog, Montana, could tell you that. Not like he follows his own advice.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding With Hemp Seeds And Sea Salt
9. Salt makes everything better. Another treasure trove from mom. The sea salt on this made the sweetness of the chocolate and the savory-tone of Bob’s Red Mill‘s hulled hemp seeds explode! We can do this loud and proud, too, because we have low blood pressure(sorry, dad!).
Red Delicious Apple
10. To properly pick an apple, turn it upside down and twist. I didn’t pick this apple, but that’s one piece of knowledge that I learned on a field trip in 1st grade and never forgot. On the contrary, this was from the dining hall. But, amazingly, it was delicious, firm, and ripe!
11.You weren’t the first. You won’t be the last. I don’t know who said that but–damn–were they a downer and spot on! This actually occurred to me when I started thinking “I wonder what blogger started up sweet potato fries” and realized that sweet potato fries predate blogs by a lot. No one “started” them up; they just remembered to do them. I was also reminded of this when I came upon a dirty joke in Petronius’ Satyricon I would have never thought was that old, but there it was! I can’t say it on the blog because… I just can’t.
Grass-Fed Beef 1/4 Pounder, Sweet Potato Oven Fries
12. Let your meat rest 5-10 minutes, knowing it will continue cooking. Another gem from mom, not like she ever follows it herself! Whenever I cook my burgers, chicken, eggs, or really any protein, I keep in mind not to overdo it, and to let it sit. Since I have to photograph it and then clean the dishes, it’s not too much of a problem not diving in immediately. But once I got started at this meal, I couldn’t stop; it was that good! It definitely makes up for last nights pancake disaster.
There you have them. 12 sage pieces of advice. Got any more? I’d love to hear them in the comments, as random as they could be! I’ll add a 13th: Don’t eat yellow snow.
And, while you’re at it, you can check out a Zevia giveaway, a Chobani giveaway, and a Lightlife giveaway!
LOVE IT!!! Here’s my fave:
Karma is a b*tch….SO TRUE!! 🙂
Kelly
February 23, 2010
Awesome post! I think this advice probably goes along with Kelly’s, but:
Treat others the way you like to be treated! 🙂
Emily
February 23, 2010
Your last post re sugar and all the diff forms, xylitol, stevia, etc…boy I feel like that some days, too. I have no real issue with sugar, it’s not my “hot button” like it is for some bloggers’ who really get worked up about it, I try not to go toooo crazy, but if i do, oh well 🙂
Love the don’t sh*t where you eat comment. I didnt know you had a dog. Well i am now realizing dog probably lives at home, not with you in your dorm. I had a hamster in my dorm that was snuck in there. LOL
and the Banana Pineapple Rum Jam= go make my rum cake balls. I gave some to madeline today and she said they got her thru her p.m. at the DMV 🙂
and raw food restaurant blogger meetup. would be heaven!!!!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
February 23, 2010
If it makes you happy it can’t be that bad— love it!
Just started following your blog and look forward to reading more!
musingsofthegranolagirl
February 23, 2010
these are great 🙂 Sheryl Crow is awesome… never realized how true those lyrics were though in that song!
tropicaleats
February 23, 2010
Seriously, the milk and eggs…is a must! I read about pouring a little milk on the scrambled eggs in Julia Child’s book and I decided to do it…my kids thought I was a brilliant. I gave her credit, but dang that would have been one for me to hold on to! I am a germaphobe mom, so I am super happy that you kept one hand clean so you could open the door to go wash your hands after making the burgers! Great blog! I will definitely be checking out more of your writing!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen)
February 23, 2010
love this!
i LOVE salt-i always put it on my oats. one time sombody emailed me yelling at me for that..really lame
kbwood
February 23, 2010
love the list! and i am a huge advocate of the follow your dreams, but more of a do what makes you happy. don’t let the money be the dividing factor…as long as you can put a roof over your head and food on your plate, and you can wake up happy to go to work everyday, what else do you need?
Melissa S.
February 23, 2010
sing it sheryl! love her. your g-ma sounds like a wise lady. everything in moderation!
Stef @ moretolifethanlettuce
February 23, 2010
Petronius is so dirty, haha. You almost make me miss translating Latin… almost. Perhaps I’ll dig out my latin dictionary and old textbooks sometime soon… 😛
Kristie
February 23, 2010
Try adding a little butter to your scrambled eggs. I adding in some Earth Balance a few weeks ago and I haven’t looked back!
Matt
February 23, 2010
#9 = my life
marathonmaiden
February 23, 2010
I had my first Kombucha today and I LOVED that vinegary taste, too! I could spend a lot of money on these things…
Katie
February 23, 2010
my favorite?
it was known as the secret of life when i was in college…
“transcend the bullshit”
you can find it hidden a couple places in downtown spokane (where i went to school) because the secret of life is in the details…
eatingmachine
February 23, 2010
You are such a wise sage Evan! My high school choir teacher always told us to “do whatever makes your heart dance.” As cheesy as it is, I kind of love it!
Madeline - Greens and Jeans
February 24, 2010
that apple does look very firm and delicious!
actorsdiet
February 24, 2010
Something about the cultures in kombucha (and the fact that it tastes like prison hooch) just doesn’t sit well with me. Blegh. Maybe I will try the blue one, though.
I had sweet potato fries last night too! And I’m so jealous you found a dining hall apple that wasn’t totally nasty!
Errign
February 24, 2010
I live by: It’s happy hour somewhere!
MelissaNibbles
February 24, 2010
yeah salt makes everything better! Amen to that.
and I bought that new almond butter with flaxseeds from TJs last weekend – amazing.
brandi
February 24, 2010
Since I work with kids I’m always throwing little gems like that at them. Yesterday was ‘if you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all’ which I followed up with ‘or I will be a VERY unhappy insert-job-here.’ They got the message 😉
ksgoodeats
February 24, 2010
Any advice on the sweet potato fries? Mine always come out too soft. Never crispy!
Jenna
February 24, 2010
Mine come out crispy, too, or on the verge of burnt. With my taste buds, I somewhat prefer the latter 🙂 But oven fries will just never taste as “fried” as real ones I’m thinking
Evan Thomas
February 24, 2010
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn 🙂
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
courtlove111
February 24, 2010
I think it is amazing that you are a guy blogger, but I have a question… do guys that you live with in the dorms know about your blog?? Does your family know about the blog and how do you cook so much food at school?? I have lived in the dorms at my college and there arent really the facilities to cook the food you do!!
learningtocookeatandenjoydeliciousfood
February 28, 2010
I don’t really hide my blog but I don’t really advertise. I’m not sure who knows but I do leave it available on Facebook. My dad knows as for my family. And as for my dorm there’s a communal kitchen in the basement with a stove and an oven, and that’s about all I need(besides a good microwave, of course)
Evan Thomas
February 28, 2010