Spicy Almond Satay Quinoa Bowls

Now I'm quite sure that I've elaborated to many of you on the virtues of quinoa. It sure is a tasty and nutritious discovery, though I find many people are unsure how to prepare it.

In an effort to partially remedy this problem (also known as mitigating) I thought I'd share this recipe. TABS and I made it yesterday and it turned out fantastically!

Spicy Almond Satay Quinoa Bowls

There are three parts to this recipe. Two of us made this. TABS chopped the veggies for the stir-fry while I made the sauce and quinoa. In the amount of time it took to cook the quinoa, the veggies steamed beautifully and the sauce thickened up. Perfect!

First, the vegetables.

The vegetables for the stir fry. We used one white onion, a small eggplant, two small zucchini, a striped eggplant (medium), two portabella mushrooms, and one yam, and two broccoli stems. TABS cut th veggies into chunks. It doesn't matter what kind of chunks as long as there are chunks. I would point out, however, that it is a good idea to use the broccoli stem too. It adds great texture. The only caveat here is that the onion has to be cooked first. So sweat the onions while you finish your cutting of the rest of the veggies.

Then, the quinoa.

As for the quinoa, I like to cook mine in left over tea that I keep when I make a pot. Yesterday we used green tea with goji berries and mushroom soup stock to cook the quinoa.I always try to make too much tea so that I can have leftovers. I store it in the fridge and use it to add extra flavour to cooking or I add some stevia and have a delicious sweet tea drink during the day.

Anyway, when you're making quinoa, I find that 1 cup will make a healthy portion for 2 people. With quinoa a little goes a long way! Add 1.5 to 2 parts water for every portion of quinoa. Cook it for around 15 minutes and then remove it from the heat and let it stand. Like rice, I find it fluffens up if you give it a quick forking. To test if it's done before removing it from the heat, look to see if the little tail on the quinoa has unfurled from the shell. You'll know it when you see it.

Almond Satay Sauce.

Mix together in a food processor:

• 3 fresh red chilies
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 3 shallots
  
• 2 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin
  
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/3 can coconut milk
  

A quick note on the lemongrass. I've found that bruising lemongrass helps to release the flavour and makes it easier to cut up. Just thwack it with the back of a knife, or really any other blunt object.

Place in a frying pan and cook at low to med-low temperature for 3-5 mins, enough to heat thoroughly.
Add:

• 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
• 1 tablespoon granulated white, or palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
  
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon spicy garlic sauce (the green lidded sauce you find at Asian restaurants)
• 1 tablespoon of sriracha (be careful here! This is where the heat comes from!)
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.

Stir over low heat while the rest of the food cooks. A word to the wise. You do NOT cook this at high temperatures! Sesame oil has a low flash point and you don't want it to burn. Beware the sesame oil!

Serve with a couple of tablespoons of crushed peanuts over top.
Let me know if it works for you!

Friends at the Defense

So I just wanted to write a quick note of thanks to everyone for all the support that they've given me over the years as I fought to finish my degree. There were a lot of people who played important roles in helping me to the finish line.

Because everyone's support has been so valuable in getting me to the finish I tried to take as many people into the defense with me as possible.

I did this by wearing totems, of a sort.

I wore a black pearl tie pin that belonged to my father and was given to me by Momsie.

Thanks, poppa. I hope I would have made you proud.

You'll also note that I wore Itinerant's tie to have him there with me.

I also wore the cuff links that Giraffe and Rawr Hot gave me at their wedding to remind me that my friends were there with me and supporting me through it all.

I wore the ring that I got in Peru to symbolize to myself that I'd already been to my lowest and I was, at last, summiting another mountain.

And I wore funny underwear with writing all over it that made me smile because as well-dressed as I was under it all, I could still be me. Under it all, who I was was something that none of these people would ever know nor ever change.


So yeah, thanks again to an innumerable number of people that lent me support over the years. I can only begin to imagine what the future holds for me!

Excelsior!

Doctor Jump

I just wanted to share a quick summary picture of what it felt like to finish my degree.

In back is the building in which I was situated for the last several years.

Current mood: Elated!

Hipster Snuggie?

Uh, no. Adding booty to the description of an already unreasonably lame product does not make it cool. What does this have to do with booty anyway? Is it because it's hiding the booty? There's no sign of booty anywhere in these pictures.

It is not a buddy either. A buddy would never let you wear a fashion mumu, nor would they let you wear an ugly one. Mumus are always wrong, even when worn in jest.

And I'm sorry. Navajo pattern was marginally cool in the 90's. Adding it to a Snuggie does not help - unless you are trying to be ironic, because that's what you've achieved Urban Outfitters. You've achieved irony in bold, sweeping, triumphant slovenly greatness*!

What's all the fuss for? See below.
Hipster Snuggie

p.s. buy this for your least favourite relative.

*where greatness is, ironically used to mean its opposite. Wrap your hipster cotton covered head around that!

Maru is back!

Do you remember Maru? Maru has been gaining popularity on his international scene. He has his own blog now!

Today Lawlass sent me a video (three actually) of him. Could he be any more delightful? Clearly the answer is no. Everyone needs a Maru!

And blue

Up To The Minute: Pretty

Have You Heard? I'm a DOCTOR!!

I mean, just in case you missed it. I'm working on editing the pictures from the celebration party, but I have this to share in the meantime. It's me after I was given the news that I passed!

Couldn't help myself...

Good times, right?

For those of you who haven't heard the story, this is how it goes.

You enter into a room that no one else has arrived at yet apart from the person that doesn't live in the city. This means that your external examiner is the only person to arrive before you. It's a good idea to introduce yourself to minimize awkward silences. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

From there the remainder of your committee will trickle in as you try to set up the projector and what not. Of course it's up to the candidate to set up everything for themselves. While doing so, I had the distinct honour of being unable to pull down and keep down the projection blind. It was pretty awesome. I must have tried 10 times as the room slowly filled and people started making jokes about how this was the true test and I was failing. Yeah, that's great. I can't work a hanging blind. Very funny. Stupid blind. What did I do to it? I just wanted to move it to either all the way down or, later, all the way up when I was done with it. Was it so important that it hang there dangling halfway in between? Apparently it was. Apparently it needed to humiliate me. It was one of those kinds of blinds. After a great struggle and a near-swearing streak it finally stuck.

From there the rest of the committee trickled in and we got ready to begin. Introductions were made, and I was kicked out. (This is normal.) I was asked not to travel too far.

I wandered around the library watching all the students using the research computers to check Facebook. I noted a statue called Darwin's Chimpanzee. This statue and I became very well acquainted. I continued waiting. The top of the statue, I noted, was polished from where people had rubbed it's head - friendly little chimpanzee holding a human skull. I could imagine people rubbing his head and saying, "Hey little fella, whatcha got theREEEE!"

The door opened and the chair of my committee came out looking for me. I rushed back to the room.

My first task was to summarize my research over the past 5-and-some years in a 15 minute talk. Seems fair. The premise is to talk non-specifically about something you've spent entirely too much time being specific about. This is what it means to do a PhD. I think I fared rather well.

Although I had practiced my presentation a lot, I had not yet memorized it. Nor, do I think I could have given my nerves. I decided to hold onto my notes as there was no podium provided.
I kept my memory cues in front of me lest I flub up. I think it took about 3 sentences for me to flub.

In order to save time I had worked very carefully at selecting precise and succinct wording to describe the global problem that my research addressed. I got through a rehearsed sentence or two and then blanked. After a brief fumble, I referred back to the notes. I'm sure I'm the only one that noticed, but it was enough to get me into one of those strange meta-thinking moments where I was analyzing myself whilst talking and moving around.

Stop walking so much! Remember to speak s-l-o-w-l-y! Try to look at people... did I just say that right? Several slides passed without my noticing it.

Soon I was showing videos of my apparatus and things were sailing along; the rest fell into line. And that's the practice effect.

Once the presentation was finished, the questioning began. Each of 5 committee members was given the opportunity to ask questions for 25 minutes. This, it turns out, is a very long time for you, while being desperately short for the committee member asking the questions. They regularly checked in with the chair to find out the amount of time they had left, shuffling through their notes as though these questions had just been revealed to them.

My external examiner was to lead things off. The first question came. I think she thought she was throwing me a softball. "Could you define the Equilibrium Hypothesis?"

...

......

............!!!!!

Uhm, no. No, I can't. Here's why. No one uses the equilibrium hypothesis. Well, except for this one dude. That's it. It's a widely discredited theory that receives no citations in any of the work that I am familiar with. So here's the trick: She and my super trained in the same lab. They also trained with the dude that came up with this ill-fated theory. Turns out My Super and this fellow (let's call him Dizzy because he lost his equilibrium) have a rather, *achem* terse relationship. They have well-known, shall we say, stances on each other. So yeah, okay, that's a fair assumption to make. Ask any student about their supervisor's favourite theories or their most hated theories. This seems fair. Most often students and supervisors have discussions while they are being trained about this sort of thing... most often.

I discerned that she was not given "the memo" about this dissertation.

I had to admit that all I knew was that it was discredited and that was that. I was pretty thrown! She eventually got to the point where she explained what it was. For you see, this was not really her question. What she really wanted to ask was how the theory that I put forth in my dissertation fundamentally differs in explaining behaviour than Dizzy's. Ooookay. Given my lack of familiarity with the theory, even after it was explained, I don't think I did a great job with this one...

Strike one.

Question two was a labrythine exposition on what sort of framework that I might be placing my current theory into.

I didn't follow her at all. After asking her to reframe the question several times and taking a stab, wrongly, at what I thought she was talking about she looked down and said under her breath, "internal model". Which in my field is like asking someone if they can tell their ass from their elbow. Apparently I cannot.

Annnnnd Strike two!

I must admit at this point, there was more than a slight concern that I wasn't going to pass this silly thing! I caught myself panicking and forced myself to take a deep breath and slow down.

At last a question came I could answer, and to be honest, I don't even know what it was. I just know I could answer it. From there things picked up and we started to have an actual back-and-forth conversation of sorts.

Perhaps the illusion of this conversation bolstered her spirits. She decided to take a stab at upping the ante again. I was doing a degree in Neuroscience and it was time to discuss the brain, however loosely.

I was asked, where I think the behaviour I describe is taking place. From my perspective, this was like asking where in Saskatchewan Canada is. Uh... Everywhere? I probed for more specifics and she offered a few as though I were missing the obvious. Thinking that we must be speaking globally, I offered what I viewed to be the key area involved in the behaviours we were discussing.

"No," was her answer.

Ah, we're having one of those conversations. I guessed at what is more commonly supported in the literature.

"Well not really," she corrected. I interjected with a further explanation and defense as I didn't really want to sound as though I was guessing (when really, I was guessing as to the question and not the answer). "Anywhere else?" she tried again.

"SPL?" I queried. The best way to answer a question is with another question.

Ah! She was pleased. Okay, we were there. She balked at asking me further questions but I urged her to. A concrete question followed about patients with damage to SPL and how that would affect performance. I was all over it. I think this helped tremendously.

Soon her questions time was over and we moved onto the next speaker. Thank goodness! From there things went much smoother. I understood the questions that were being asked, and was able to answer them well. Time ticked by. I did a lot of talking. My coffee disappeared. I started on my water.

As the internal/external examiner (from another department at Queen's) began asking me her questions something amusing occurred to me. Part of the last round of questions was confusing because of the pomp. The pomp kept getting in the way of the clarity.

Here's how it works. Everyone acknowledges that this is a serious occasion and that they are the last bastions against idiocy invading the ivory tower. This is a very serious postion to uphold - sacred even. As such, everyone must demonstrate that they are worthy gatekeepers by demonstrating their knowledge as they ask their questions. This leads to some rather long exposition that somehow ends in a raised voice at the end as though it's a question. It would be quite entertaining if it didn't, you know, also mean that your degree hung on your ability to decipher these querying knowledge broadcasts.

We moved onto my internal examiner who teased me quite a lot. It turns out I have a propensity to use adjectives. While this seems to be beneficial in the rest of the world, adjectives are reviled in science. They are subjective. Subjective is bad. Adjectives are a science fail.

I suppose he has a point. We all had a good laugh at how a contextual misquote in my abstract, when read improperly, essentially nullified the entire career of the head of my department. I'm good like that.

Luckily this nullified researcher was next to question me. We all agreed that some editing was necessary before the final submission was given to grad studies.

The head of the department is a scientific dreamer. One of his favourite things to do is "blue sky". So that's what my questions from him entailed. What do you think, if given unlimited powers, you could...>insert hyperbole here
My Super was last, and as he had promised the day before, asked me only questions that clarified answers I'd given to others. It was short and sweet.

It dawned on my while looking in his direction that all that coffee and water needed to go somewhere and after 2 hours, it had reached the end of its journey... mild panic began to build.

Following everyone's first questions, a second round was allowed. I like to call this the lightning round. The questions are fast and furious and the answers are often short and to the point. The lightning round flashed by. (clever eh?)

Following the questions, the chair reviewed to all that I was to leave the room while they discussed my defense. I mentioned that I was going to quickly run to the washroom.

The deliberators deliberated. I peed. I peed more than I have ever peed in my life. I peed so much that someone came in after I started, peed, finished, washed their hands, dried them with one of those air dryer things that takes forever, and then left again, and still I peed.

Not surprisingly when I finished my committee was wandering around the library looking for me.

I approached quickly, as everyone was standing. I could feel every part of me vibrating with anticipation. I knew it already that I was done, but seeing people standing confirmed it.

Given that I'd failed my comps, I knew the body language of failure. This was not it. People were not sitting, nor looking awkwardly at the table. I rushed to the finish line. My internal examiner waited for me by the door guarding my entrance. As I approached I saw My Super give me a thumbs up. I couldn't help myself, I loudly declared, "YAY!" as I entered the room.

My internal examiner tried to get out the mandatory, "Congratulations Dr. Bowman," but I'd ruined it. He joked with me, "I haven't even said anything, you don't know the answer yet!"

"Oh I knew already! I got a visual confirmation!"

From there many hands were shook and so on and then... I was finally done.

I was a doctor.

I am a doctor!

Speaking of Amazing: Shane Sings Five Octaves

The Storyteller just posted this. I thought I might throw up I was laughing so hard when I watched it. It makes me unbelievably happy.

Hot Pink Mess

Taskmaster recently showed me this atrocious website. It's so bad, I can't stop looking at it. This was one of my favourites.
Hot Pink Mess
p.s. I'm sorry for the irrevocable psychological damage I insist on bestowing upon you.

Hallowe'en Highlights!

The day after the Party Bus Airport Pick-Up Costume Party, was actual Hallowe'en. I traveled back to Toronto to meet with Itinerant and his friends for a costume party.

Of course, first we had to hand out candy to the throngs of little kids that came to our door. Even with swine flu threatening, we gave away about 400 pieces of candy! There were some pretty great costumes though.

Drinking wine makes Trick or Treating fun for the adults too!

The Obama costume was certainly a highlight. Also the little boy dressed as a lion who roared ferociously for his candy and who's mom took a picture of me made me pretty happy. It also turns out that being a pirate wench makes you terrifying to little children. So many of the little kids wouldn't come into the house because I was so scary! Our neighbour's daughter knew that I knew her, but wasn't liking it. I had to ask if she wanted her candy from Itinerant. She would only nod.

Meanwhile, as we handed out candy, the rest of Itinerant's friends got ready. The group was going as Trekkies. Their costumes turned out really well. I'm sad that I was such a disaster (but not too sad, cause my costume turned out rather well!)

I know! I wasn't expecting Spock's unit to look like that either!

Sadly, I was too dumb to get why the character of Scotty was so funny.

After trick or treating was finished we possied out and headed to the costume party across town.

Haiku came with several other girls as a pre-teen birthday party.

All he could find was a kid's size. SO ridiculous.

Spiders Are Attracted to Aarrrr!

My word did I get around that night! I tried doing it with just about every decoration in the house (and there were a LOT of them) since non of the human folk would let me touch them.

This spider was especially frisky.

You want to stick your stinger, WHERE?

Well, okay, but only if you call me in the morning.

A Wench Finds Her True Love.

You know what's all the rage right now? Besitality.
Yeah, I know, I'd missed the memo too. But it's true. Everyone is into animals (in that way).

Pirate wenches are not an exception to that rule. Indeed they likely started the craze. When I saw that sultry rat working it's thang on that antique piano I had to get me some o' dat!

I may have been yelled at by the hostess of the party, but that's okay. It was worth that brief moment of bliss!

You like it when I touch where?

Rats like milk right?

Quick, no one is looking. Climb up my skirt.

I think the pre-teen told on me.

My love was to be denied, however. Evidently coitus with animals was banned from on top of the piano. By the time I found a suitable place for us to be romantical, the rat had moved on...

Cleavage Envy

Well, what did I tell you? My cleavage aspires to gain the attention of many. It's like it has its own mind that way.

Many people oogled from afar, but few were brave enough to get close enough for an actual feel. Rest assured, there was no regret from anyone that this happened!

I've always wanted to use the word pert in self-description.

Please! You wish yours were as lovely!

Sadly pirate wenches get turned on by nearly anything.

Though out of her league, the pirate wench attempts to win over The Paperbag Princess.

A Love Told in The Stars!

Who can deny that Spock was a little freaky? I mean look at him. You just know that under that cool and collected demeanor there is a sex-crazed alien! Fortunately for him a sultry and available pirate wench happened into his path when he was "hunting".

Ech... does this make anyone else uncomfortable?

Yeah, I thought so. Here's some photos that we thought would be a good idea at the time.

A little leg humping goes a long way.

New interpretations on the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Good things his ears are wearing protection!

The passion is undeniable!

Star Wreck?

After the party I had some fun editing the photos of the Star Trek gang and came up with these. I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out.

You hardly even notice the belly in the photo.

So the pirate wench might be a little misplaced...

Spock loves the ladies!

The Paper Bag Princess Needs an Underage Escort

Haven't you heard? Derelict and Midriffs are in!

Have You Seen This Woman?

In case Zoe Saldana backs out of the next Star Trek movie...

Beaming Into Hostile Territory

Our phaser blasts are fired in peace.

Children Stay Away!

While in K/W Marlito took me to a nearby house to show me the Hallowe'en "decorations."

Where the saying WTF came from.

This is surely the sorriest decoration I've ever seen. And I'm sorry, if you are nine and you made this, even you could have done better. You and your parents should be ashamed.

So many questions come to mind:

Why is the body square shaped? What is the horrible pumpkin creature supposed to be? Is this creature walking it's "dog"? Is that a single blue finger or a wand? Why does it stride with so much confidence when it is clearly so lame?

Is it a pirate? Is it a wizard? Why does it wear boots?

Also did this creation poop itself? What's going on in the pants area? It's like it has suitcase bum in reverse. Perhaps it is aroused. Do we even know what arousal on such a creature looks like? I feel violated suddenly!

Don't you have the distinct feeling that you could catch something from this?

Miraculously we witnessed zero car crashes while we were photographing this. Motorists in K/W are enviably conscientious to avoid rubbernecking while driving by this and crashing into other things. Were it in Toronto it would surely have caused a news team from CP24 to come on in and investigate the disproportionate number of car crashes on this certain street corner.

The Real Party Begins!

Once we got back to the house, the real party began. We enjoyed a multitude of delicious snacks and caught up on the old times. Of course Lacy/Lisa's famous chocolate caramel cookies were there. We tried not eating them, but they were so good! The ingredients? Lacy/Lisa herself describes them, "There nothing that's good for you in these." To which I reply: except for the delicious!

Ohhh Snacky-snacks!

Fake smiles for the crazy pirate wench with a camera!

Lacy/Lisa knows one thing is in her future!

Wayne.

King of Ping brings the edge to the party!

Pirate Wenches love to seduce. Beware the seducing!

A Sharp Costume!

This costume deserved it's own post because of it's originality.

I didn't get it at first, because... well because I'm dumb. But come on, it's clear that she's a cactus. Well done!

Extra points for cactus-accurate face pose.

Eat it Luigi!

Obi Won't Knot-obi

Once upon a time Chaz purchased a lovely Yukata for Marlito. But where does a girl get to wear such a lovely garment?

Why that would be Party Bus Airport Pick-up Costume Party! It wouldn't be for a casual trip down to the corner store. Nor would it be to a fireworks festival, because Canada is lame and doesn't have those. Stupid Canada!

But back to the Yukata, literally back to it! The Yukata, though lovely to look at it, is exceedingly complex. It requires a team of dressing women all of whom have at least two degrees! This is not for the layperson!

Dressing to the power of three! (that's a math joke, but I'm not very good at math.)

So much for Japanese efficiency.

But when does the rabbit run 'round the tree?

Perhaps if you tried flapping your arms?

If you like go ahead and put a bow on it!

Marlito celebrated the successful tying by joining the last 10 minutes of the party. (and by thrusting her bow-clad bottom in peoples faces.)

True Story: Vagina Means Sheath

Etymologists have been discussing it for centuries but it still seems to avoid coming into common knowledge. Vagina originally meant sheath. As in, let me stick my sword in your sheath...

Marlito always wants people to learn.

This is not a sheath.... I don't get it...

People are attracted to my breasts

Due to all the sexitricity, I was motivated to show off my breasts.

Who can fault people from being amazed by my breasts? I myself couldn't help but touch them regularly throughout the evening. Really, after having a pair for an evening it stuns me that women aren't more regularly fondling themselves. They were pretty fun to play with. That and they were totally in the way! I mean, I don't know, they were pretty small and I still kept rubbing them against things and getting them into trouble.

You ladies with the full sized fun bags have real things to take into consideration!

I reveal my secret: just like in high school, the secret is socks.

Yeah, you just push in a pair of socks and voila! Boobies!

Of course designer Boobies are best. Calvin Klien means comfort!

True story: In grade seven a friend of mine had a sock fall out of his pants while walking to the front of the class. It was amazing. I knew for sure he was stuffing. He claims that it was static cling and laundry (quick thinking really) but seriously, we all knew. He was stuffing his pants and we caught him.