How do you get your protein?

Yes, that pick up line is weak. I know. But you try and come up with one about hummus. 


One of the biggest things I've had to adjust to with living in New York is that the produce goes bad.
Seriously.
Fruits and vegetables in Alaska are flown in. Meaning they are picked early and chock-full of preservatives to make sure they survive the flight and grocery shelf time. I've sat on avocados for 2 weeks waiting for them to ripen.
That's not the case in NY.
It still surprises me when my bananas turn brown after 2 days.

I'm learning the art of using up rapidly fading produce, fast.
I'm learning the art of the kitchen sink salads, stir fries and....


(Kitchen Sink) Spinach Hummus

-2 c chickpeas (or 2 15 oz cans)
-Leftover Spinach (or leafy greens, roasted red pepper, roasted onions etc...)
-2 tbsp tahini
-1/2 c pine nuts- toasted if you have enough forethought
-6 cloves garlic- see above.
-Olive Oil
-Cumin, black pepper, salt, cayenne, paprika, chilies, sun dried tomatoes, feta, cilantro, caramelized onions, whatever your heart desires and needs to get used.



-(if you are starting with uncooked chickpeas- soak overnight, boil in water for about an hour, cool).
-Put everything in a food processor. Blend until smooth. I like to use cayenne and paprika to kick it up a notch. Use within 3 days or freeze.

Note- make sure the garlic cloves get blended in or face the wrath of your co-workers the next day when you eat a whole one.

I finally gave a listen to The Shins new album, Port of Morrow. 

Like everyone else, I was a fan of The Shins in college. I went to the capital of easy listening, where people slack lined, long boarded, smoked bowls in the arboretum (not a euphemism) and listened to Dave Matthews like it was their job.

This is posted on the un-named schools website. 

Unsurprisingly, The Shins were very popular and in an attempt to be "cool" I jumped on the bandwagon. I wanted to shun the bluegrass, folk and klezmer music upbringing (with some Sound of Music to nurture the budding theatre nerd) and "get with the picture." I wanted to talk about seeing The Shins at the Gorge during Sasquatch and discuss how excited we all were to go camp for 3 days, with 80,000 people to see them again next year. 

I desperately wanted to be a part of pop culture and The Shins were my gateway. 

Being at this meant you were cool. 

I gained clarity in leaving undergrad, embraced my "local-yokel," back-country, frontier-esque upbringing and let go of The Shins. They were just a little too twee, too emo and too indie for me. I shunned The Shins and embraced the bluegrass. 

So when I saw they had a new album (and I just figured out how to use Spotify), I decided to give them a second chance. 

Still not doing it for me. 

They sound exactly the same, in style and in each individual song. There's nothing new and I don't feel the urge to sing along and cry (because that's what everyone does with The Shins..right?). 

I'm sorry to any Shins fans. But seriously!? Seriously. 

But... If I ever decide to try and embrace the long-boarding, rock climbing and drinking on the dorm roof to avoid the RA's lifestyle again, I might give them a 3rd chance. 

In other news. I saw Andrew Bird, unplugged and live on WNYC's Soundcheck this past week. 

A. Dream fulfilled

B. Inner fan girls (all of them) are running rampant

C. I can die happy

D. In no way am I hip enough to meld into this audience base here. But I'm now okay with my "I'm not from here" persona. 

You can listen and watch the webcast here