Well, SO MUCH has happened since my last update that it seems a bit intimidating to catalogue it all. So I’m not gonna. Instead, you get a bunch of Instagram posts. Continue reading
Category: Uncategorized
CUPCAKES, Y’ALL
So, I don’t wanna brag [that’s a lie], but I’m a pretty good cook. I’m not sophisticated – my idea of a perfect meal tends to be along the lines of a roast chicken, some potatoes, and a huge pile of roast asparagus, or a mound of pasta with a creamy, meaty tomato sauce.
And something what I am awesome at, if I do say so myself, is baking. Again, not exceptional, which I leave to the Sara-Janes of the world, but pretty fucking good. My mother is a truly gifted baker, which I’m sure will embarrass her to read [she’s very modest]. Some of my fondest memories are waking up on Sunday morning to see she’d baked bread for church [you Episcopalians in the audience know what I’m talking about] and set aside some tiny rolls for us, or helping to measure out flour for the best brownies ever.
The most requested birthday cake in our family is, hands down, the Madam X chocolate cake. Anyone who has come to any of my birthday parties for the last … ever, has had the good fortune of trying this simply outstanding cake.
All of this build-up is to say that I made some goddamn delicious cupcakes last night. Check it: My coworker is suuuuuuper pregnant and we’re throwing her a shower. I volunteered to make cake because, obviously, and another coworker immediately said, “MAKE THAT CAKE YOU BROUGHT IN FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY.” So I was like, “No doubt.” Then I decided, hey, why not cupcakes. Because, why not cupcakes?!
Cut to last night: I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work to stock up on cupcake wrappers and sprinkles and like, sugar and stuff. When I got back out to my car, there was a woman standing next to it, talking to someone who was idling in the middle of the lane, blocking my car in. I grumbled to myself, and put my groceries in the car before resolving to ask the driver to move their car instead of my usual MO, which would be to glare at them silently until they noticed my rage and move. It’s super effective! [Not.]
As I got closer, it became apparent that there was some sort of emergency going on. I asked the woman who was standing near my car if everything was alright.
Nope, definitely not; the poor thing had accidentally locked her keys in the car – along with her three year old son.
OH GOD. I handed over my phone so she could call her husband [while silently vowing to memorize my boyfriend’s phone number in case I’m ever in a similar, phoneless situation] and made faces at the kid, who was freaking out. Then I called AAA to see if I could get a locksmith out ASAP just in case.
But it was all good – her husband arrived SUPER fast, maybe 5 minutes after she called him, and everything was fine. I got a high-five from the kid who had calmed down, and everything was okay. VICTORY.
So after that excitement, the rest of my evening went like this:
- Get home, cook chicken nuggets, make cake batter.
- Settle down to watch Adventure Time while eating said nuggets.
- Idly wonder if recipe should have been changed due to cupcake changeup.
- Decide to google, just in case.
- Discover baking time should be cut in half.
- Realize half of baking time had already elapsed.
- Race upstairs to check cupcakes.
- Cupcakes fine, remove from oven.
- Watch boyfriend play Uncharted 3 while letting cupcakes cool.
- Get absorbed in story and realize an hour has passed.
- Make icing and frost cupcakes.
- Take a bunch of Instagram pictures of frosted cupcakes.
- Get to bed super late.
Blah blah, get to the recipe, Molly. FINE, HERE. GAWD.
Ways to help after a disaster.
If you want to help after today’s tragic events in Boston, but are unsure how, here are a few options:
Donate Blood. If you give locally, it helps replenish the entire nation’s supply. [As of 4/15/13 5:15pm the Red Cross site is down, probably due to sudden traffic. Give it some time, make an appointment later this week or weekend. The need for blood everywhere is constant.]
Reach out through e-mail, twitter, facebook, and tumblr to your family and friends in the Boston area. Phone lines may be jammed or intentionally down, but e-mail and social networking will likely still get through. The Red Cross has a Safe and Well tool, and Google has set up a Person Finder, too.
And for ways to help yourself in the days and weeks to come:
Seek counseling if you need it. Violent events are potentially triggering for many people for many reasons. If you have a mental health professional, reach out to them and check-in. If you have a friend or family member you confide in, reach out to them. You can visit http://www.211.org, or dial 211 on your phone to be connected to counseling services in your area.
There’s no reason you have to deal with any of this on your own.
Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, emergency personnel, or expert on any of these topics. I am a healthcare professional with a lot of experience in gathering resources for people in need [it’s kind of my job]. I’m always willing to talk to anyone about anything, my inbox is open.
Happy Things – Holiday Edition
Well, I haven’t done one of these for a while. Let’s just dive right in, shall we?
- Love.
- chocolate cheerios
- Happy Endings on ABC.
- water
- chocolate chip oatmeal [do you see a pattern here.]
- space heaters
- little dogs who sleep on my side of the bed and keep me warm when my boyfriend SLEEPS WITH THE CEILING FAN ON IN DECEMBER WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT.
- New jobs [okay, that happened in June, but whatever, it’s still making me happy.]
- post-it notes
- YES
- music
- the holidays
- Portland
- Baltimore
- you.
There you have it. I may or may not do a Year In Instagram in January, depending on how lazy I’m feeling at the beginning of 2013.
Word Press Migration!
How busy it looks like I’ve been! In fact, I just imported all my posts from blogger to this here wordpress platform with the eventual plan to incorporate wordpress into my website… whenever I get that rolling.
So, welcome, have a seat. Take a look around. Don’t touch the wet paint, it will never come out of your clothes.
New Mollexicon Post!
[I am in Portland right now, eagerly awaiting my sister and brother-in-law’s first child. Tomorrow is my birthday, I hope I get a baby!]
Testing out flickr to twitter!
Recipe: Lisa’s Pasta
Lisa’s Pasta
[Gluten Free if you use rice pasta or similar, Vegetarian] serves 4-5 [or three roommates with a few lunch leftovers.]
2 TBSP olive oil
2-3 large onions [or like, 4 medium ones. Use as many as you want, they’re delicious.] halved and then in thin strips
3 large bell peppers [4-5 smallish organic ones – I like the purple ones best] sliced into thin strips
3 large portabella caps, sliced into finger-size and then in thirds or quarters.
3 large zucchini [4-5 small ones – i like to mix and match yellow and green] sliced into thin half-moons if zucchini is large, or rounds if small.
1C balsamic vinegar. [this is an approximation – you may not need all of it, or you might want more. I basically pour until it’s slightly saucier than I want, and then I let it reduce for a while.]
3 TBSP pesto. [this is what really makes this dish awesome – I have gone without pesto, and it’s just not as good.]
1lb pasta [shapes work better than strands here, but knock yourself out. also, use rice pasta for gluten-freeness.]
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on.
salt and pepper to taste.
Start the water for pasta and before everything else. I like to add lots of salt and garlic powder to my pasta water before the pasta goes in.
In a large skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil until caramelized. Anyone in the house with you will wander into the kitchen and miraculously keep you company the rest of the time you’re cooking. You’re welcome.
Add in the bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini and let cook for a few minutes until things start to soften.
Add the vinegar until it’s a tad saucier than you want. Let things mellow for a few minutes with a lid before adding the pesto. Add some cracked pepper and salt if you think it could use some more – just wait until after adding the pesto as it is sure to be salty.
Side note – I make a batch of pesto and then freeze it in ice-cube trays for individual servings. This recipe works best with 2 cubes, which I’ve calculated to be roughly 3 tablespoons. The more the merrier, though. This dish can only be improved by it, and I really believe you can’t add too much.
Let everything hang out for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat with a lid, stirring occasionally.
Serve over pasta with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese.
I know the photo is terrible, but when I’m hungry I’d rather be cooking than taking arty food shots. *shrug*
10 Extremely Compelling Reasons for SPX Attendance
10 Reasons you should attend the Small Press Expo on Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th.:
1: You will be supporting independent artists. [This is, I feel, the most important point, because art is extremely important to me.]
2: You will have a chance to buy neat swag that’s not available elsewhere.
3: You will be able to meet COMPLETELY AWESOME PEOPLE who make amazing things for you to read and view.
4: I will be volunteering there on Saturday, from 1pm to 5pm. I don’t know what I’ll be doing yet, but you better believe I will be doing it ENTHUSIASTICALLY. Watch my twitter on Saturday for details, cos I am going to tweet my little heart out. Also keep an eye on #SPX2010, cos I have a feeling it will be jumping.
5: Bethesda is quite pretty, actually, and the hotel is GORGEOUS.
6: It’s only $10 for a single day pass, and only $15 for both. This is an Outrageous Deal, y’all.
7: It’s easy to get to, wot with a Metro stop across the street, not to mention tons of parking in several garages nearby.
8: There is a Chocolate Fountain, y’all. I am not even making this up.
10: Proceeds benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
If all this doesn’t make you want to go SO BAD, then you might be a robot and incapable of persuasion. If this is the case, can we be BFF? I’ve always wanted a robot BFF.
Photos courtesy of Rachel, SPX2009
Ughhh.
this is my life right now. They had to plow THREE TIMES today, and it’s still coming down.
I hate the snow. I work for a hospital, and therefor I don’t get snowdays. If this doesn’t improve by Monday morning, I’ll have to hike to the bus in a foot of snow.
I DUN WANNA DO IT.
Thankfully, I’ve got SG-1 and tea [buckets and buckets of tea omg] and my dog is sleeping under the covers on my feet. Carry on.
Molly Blogs Baltimore 
