Martha's So-Called Life

i'm going to africa

As some of you may know (and some of you may not), I am headed to Africa in January.  John and I will be going to Burkina Faso with one of the doctors with whom I work.  

Where's that?  It's in West Africa.  Here's a link the the Burkina Faso page on Wikipedia.

You can read about Dr. McCreary's previous trip there on her foundation's Facebook page.  

I don't have a lot of details.  They are slowly coming together though, which is exciting.  I just spoke with Dr. McCreary yesterday and it sounds like I will be spending some time at the Protestant hospital with the other nurse who is going (I believe she is a family practice nurse from Nome, AK).  I'm not sure what exactly we are going to be doing, but it sounds like the doctor who Dr. McCreary works with over there definitely has a plan for us.  One of the other important tasks that has been identified is for us (specifically Dr. McCreary) to perform cervical cancer screenings. 

When I first decided that I wanted to go on this trip, I decided that I was not going to go unless John came with me.  It just didn't seem like a place I wanted go without him, nor an experience that I wanted to have without him.  Fortunately, he loves to travel and never hesitated at the idea when I suggested it.  Dr. McCreary's husband went with her on her last trip and had a great time doing projects and spending time with kids in the orphanage there.  I'm not exactly sure what John is going to be doing, but I have been assured many times that he will be an asset and there will be things for him to do. 

Here's where I ask all of my friends (both Internet and real life friends!) for help.  Plane tickets are expensive and the foundation is paying for me to go.  If you would like to donate money towards this trip, you can donate through Alaska Medical Missions and designate the funds to the 2014 Burkina Faso trip.  You can also give donations directly to me (as some of these funds will go towards my ticket).  

I am also working on getting information about specific supplies that might be needed, or how we can get funds directly to Burkina Faso so that supplies can be purchased there.  

We will also be doing a couple of fundraisers in the coming months.  I'll post details about those as soon as I have them.

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to help!  You can email ([email protected]), comment, text, Facebook, or Twitter!  

I am both very excited and quite scared about this experience.  I'm looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to put my knowledge and skills to use in helping others outside my job (I help people every day, but not in the same way I anticipate I will be helping people in Burkina Faso). 

 

good read: south of broad

(photo from amazon.com)

Last year, I read Prince of Tides* by Pat Conroy while on a cruise (here's the link to the review I posted).  I can't remember what compelled me to read it, but I really liked it even though it was extremely depressing (massively dysfunctional family).

While I was at the used bookstore a month or two ago, I was perusing their selection of $3.99 books, and I picked up South of Broad*.  The blurb on the back sounded good enough, I had liked my previous selection by the same author, and you definitely can't beat $3.99!  

Long story short, I liked it more than Prince of Tides.  It was overall pretty dark, but there was a lot of humor, and of course excellent writing.  

I knew I would like this book from the very beginning.  One of the best passages in the whole book occurs three paragraphs into the first chapter.

But fate comes at you cat-footed, unavoidable, and bloodthirsty. The moment you are born your death is foretold by your newly minted cells as your mother holds you up, then hands you to your father, who gently tickles the stomach where the cancer will one day form, studies the eyes where melanoma's dark signature is already written along the optic nerve, touches the back where the liver will one day house the cirrhosis, feels the bloodstream that will sweeten itself into diabetes, admires the shape of the head where the brain will fall to the ax-handle of stroke, or listens to your heart, which, exhausted by the fearful ways and humiliations and indecencies of life, will explode in your chest like a light going out in the world.  Death lives in each one of us and begins its countdown on our birthdays and makes its rough entrance at the last hour and the perfect time. 

Not particularly bright and cheery, but good writing that made me want to know how the story was going to end!

Many of the reviews say that this is not one of his better books.  They said the dialogue was "stilted" and the characters were cardboard and unrealistic.  I disagree and I loved this book!

fall adventures: morro bay

At the butt crack of dawn on Friday 9/13 (yep...we flew on Friday the 13th and lived to tell about it!), my dad and I headed to the airport for our 5am flight.  We flew to Seattle, then to Santa Barbara, CA and then drove the two hours North to Morro Bay.

Once we got there, we did some shopping, and when we got to the house, I went running.  It's all fun and games until you have to run back up the giant hill to get home...

After a shower, we went and found some dinner - shwarmas from a tiny Middle Eastern place in San Luis Obispo.

On Saturday, we were picking up my friend from college, Margaret from the airport around noon.  She was flying down from Portland for the weekend to hang out, since we had not seen each other for quite a while.  Unfortunately, her flight out of San Francisco was delayed, so she didn't make it in until after 1pm.  

I went for a foggy morning run before we had to pick Margaret up.  

That afternoon, we attended the Avocado and Margarita festival in downtown Morro Bay.  The unfortunate part of that was that we had just eaten giant sandwiches for lunch and were not hungry.  My dad and I did manage to choke down some deep fried artichoke hearts though.  After that we sat on the porch at the house and enjoyed some late afternoon sunshine.

Sunday I went for another run. It was hot, but I mostly ran along the beach so at least there was a breeze!

We went to Cayucos for lunch (smoked fish tacos!) and took a walk along the beach there.  

On Monday, Margaret and I went to Montana De Oro state park and checked out the beach.  It was pretty foggy, but still lovely.

In-N-Out Burger for lunch!

Monday after lunch we headed into San Luis for a couple of errands and some afternoon coffee in the sunshine.

On Tuesday, I headed out for another foggy morning run.

And then Margaret and I went to play tourist at the Hearst Castle.  The photos from that are all still on my camera...I'll try to get around to dealing with those soon.

After playing tourist we had to take Margaret to the airport to head home.  I'm so glad she came down to play! 

After she left, my dad and I did not do a whole lot for the rest of the week.

There was lots of reading in the sun on the porch.

And some walking on the beach.

On Friday, we took a hike in Morro Bay State Park (which is about a 5 minute drive from his house).  It was pretty short, but had some great views, and was nice to get out and do something other than running.

Then I ate lobster mac and cheese for dinner!

Saturday was our last full day in Morro Bay.  I went for a very wet long run on Saturday morning.

And then dried out on the porch...

Sunday we packed up and hit the road!

Even though we did not do much (my dad and I did both read two books though), I had a really great week hanging out with Margaret and my dad.  It was nice to get away and not have to worry about anything other than what to eat!  

Just over three weeks until my next adventure!  

what we're eating: week of september 23

I'm back!  I kept meaning to blog while I was away, but it just never happened.  Recap of my trip is coming soon...but for now...what we are eating this week!

Colder temps and some snow have left me feeling like I need to make soup and things that require roasting. This is a welcome change from dreading having to turn the oven on because it's too hot in the house.

Monday:
Roast Chicken with Olives and Dates (recipe calls for prunes...I use dates) and potatoes 

Tuesday: 
White Bean Soup

Wednesday: 
Mushroom, Sun Dried Tomato, and Onion Saute with rice

Thursday: 
Artichoke, Kale, and Ricotta Pie 

Friday:
Chicken Pot Pie (made with leftover chicken from Monday)

Saturday: 
Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onion (Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Cookbook* pg. 437) 

Sunday:
Salmon Broiled with Gingery Greens (How to Cook Everything pg. 583) 

*disclaimer

off i go...again!

I'm headed to California (again) this morning.  This time it's Morro Bay...where I don't plan to do much!  

One of my good friends from college is coming down from Portland for the weekend to hang out as well.  I haven't seen her (other than briefly at her wedding last year) in several years.  

Other than that there will be some running, lots of avocado eating, and some relaxing.

I'll try to check in at least once or twice while I'm gone.

Have a great week!

pork ragu

Apparently it's all food all the time over here on the blog.  

A couple of nights ago I made Jenny's Braised Pork Ragu...with a few modifications of course! The biggest change was that instead of braising it in the oven...I busted out the crockpot and ignored it all day until the meat was melty and falling apart.  

Braised Pork Ragu 
from Dinner: A Love Story 

2 to 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 28oz can whole or crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 cup red wine
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh oregano
Small handful of fennel seeds
1 tablespoon hot sauce, for smokiness 
Pasta or rice
Freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total.

Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and put in oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid  if needed (water, wine, or tomato sauce). The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork. The meat is done when it’s falling apart.

Put the meat on a cutting board and pull it apart with two forks, then add it back to pot and stir. Cook pasta or rice according to package directions. When it’s is ready, put into individual bowls and top with ragu and lots of parmesan.

If you chose to go the crockpot route, I would suggest draining the tomatoes as I feel like cooking things this way often leads to more liquid than necessary at the end.  I like to take the lid off at the end to let some of the liquid evaporate, but that seems like an avoidable step if you just use less liquid.  

I browned my meat in the pan and then transferred it to the crockpot.  I also deglazed the pan with the white wine called for in the recipe and added that to the crockpot as well.  I would hate to waste all the delicious crispy bits in the pan after browning meat!  Then I cooked it all on low for 8-10 hours, shredded the meat, and cooked it for another 30 minutes or so.  

 

dinner: a love story

On Sunday, I read Dinner: A Love Story* by Jenny Rosenstrach.  Yep, I read it in one day.  Well actually just a few hours.

This book is part memoir, part cookbook, part practical advice.  Most of it did not really pertain directly to me (i.e. feeding children), but it was still full of good advice and tasty sounding recipes.  

The author takes us through the various phases of her life (early, newly married, and new parents) and how she incorporates several sit-down family dinners into the chaos of her life each week.  

One of my favorite parts is how she employs marketing techniques in order to get her sometimes picky kids to eat new foods (she calls cauliflower, white broccoli).

I also like the simplistic approach she takes.  Most of her recipes are pretty straightforward and easy and don't use a huge list of strange ingredients. Dinner does not have to be complicated and a little planning and preparation can go a long way!

I purchased the kindle version since it was $2.99 (on sale all month, I believe), but I think I'll be ordering this as a hard copy as well.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who has kids or struggles with dinner.  

Jenny also writes a blog of the same name, which has a lot of similar information and tons of recipes (some from the book, some not).  I'm currently working my way through the archives and taking recipe notes!

*disclaimer

dinner communication

Yesterday, John had the day off and I was at work.  

Early in the day I sent this text message...

And this was on the table for me when I got home...

I'm lucky to possess such wonderful communication skills, and have a significant other who follows directions so well!  I'm also lucky that it's virtually impossible for me to offend him. He thinks he's lucky because I do all the "hard work" of figuring out what to eat.  Seems like a pretty good system we have figured out... 

The meatball recipe can be found here.  They were delicious!

what's next?

Since I failed miserably at meeting my goal for the Disneyland Half (although, I'm claiming heat stroke, which I had no control over), I'm planning on running another half in October.  

The Zombie Half Marathon is October 12.  I ran it last year (without much training) and it went alright, so I feel like I'm already in a better place than I was last time.  I'm taking a week to recover, then it's back to training for a few weeks.  I was originally looking forward to being done with running for a bit, but I feel good about sticking it out for a few more weeks.  I really want to end the year with a race where I feel like I've done my best.  I definitely did the best I could given the weather at Disneyland, but I know it won't be hot here in October, so I think I'll feel even better about this one.  

Today Kiva and I ran three super easy miles...in the rain.  Which I loved.  Kiva didn't mind the getting wet part...she loves catching rain drops.  She did mind the getting dry part though.  So not impressed.

what we're eating for the rest of the week

My travel schedule this week put a damper on menu planning (but let's be honest, I haven't been good at it lately anyway).  Then I had dinner plans with a friend last night, and a dinner meeting tonight, which makes it even harder to get my act together.

However, I'm working three days in a row starting tomorrow, so I really needed to pull together a plan for dinner...otherwise there will be a lot of cereal and eggs eaten after work.

Thursday:
Black Bean Polenta Burrito Bowl

Friday:
Veggie & Chicken Sausage Saute (my own creation)

Saturday:
Scrambled Eggs Rancheros (made with eggs, instead of tofu)

Sunday:
Asian Meatballs and veggie noodles