Sausage and potatoes

Is your fella a meat and potatoes kind of guy? Do you say meat n' potatuhs?

Then you might be a redneck. Or it's your Midwestern accent in which case, we accept you as you are.

For a quick week night dinner, I recommend this one pot meal that's on the table in 30 minutes. My mom used to make this for my two sisters and I when we were growing up. I'm not sure why she thought a hearty meal such as this was a match for three skinny girls who ate like birds. Maybe she was trying to fatten us up. Heh. I'm on to you, Mom!

Did I mention you only need three ingredients?

You'll need...
Polish sausage
5 small potatoes (or 2-3 big ones. You can use red, Russet, golden, whatever you have on hand)
One onion (white or yellow, or both)
S&P

I really like the flavor of kielbasa sausage, but you can use another variety. But really, Polish is where it's at. (They make a mean cabbage roll)

Grab a handful of potatoes.

Peel 'em up. I wasn't too particular about the skin so if you feel the need,  peel until they're completely naked.

Slice 'em up. The thinner the slices, the quicker these will fry up.

Thinly slice an onion. 

Add some oil to a large pan and crank the heat to medium high. The pan needs to be hot, hot, hot!

Add to the pan.

Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. I go easy on the salt since the kielbasa is already really salty. 

Unwrap from the package.

And slice into coins.

Add to the pan.

At this point, cover with the lid. The moisture from the onions and potatoes will create a steam room to help the cooking process.

Like dis!

This is about 5 minutes in. The onions should look translucent and the potatoes should start to brown.   Flip mixture with a spoon or tongs to cook evenly. Cover with the lid again and let this cook for another 8 minutes.

Do not be disturbed by the carmelized crunchiness of the potatoes. Those are the flavor bits! 

Serve in a bowl and you'll still have time to watch at least three episodes of Parks and Rec.

Not that I've done that or anything.

Cheesecake in California

I started making this cheesecake in Kansas.

And then I woke up in California.

I swear.

It happened just that fast.

Life happens and a year goes by and sometimes ya gotta stop and eat some cheesecake. Take a bite and reflect on the year. It's a bit salty sweet, no? Because in a year, I:

Danced, got kicked out of a bar, got married, drank in Mexico, celebrated graduations and weddings and fights against cancer, made a cheesecake for the first time, sang karaoke, went hippie at a DMB concert, moved to California (still in shock), saw a meteor shower and thanked God for all these sweet moments of 2015.

So make this cake. Cuz damnit, it was a good year. And if it wasn't your year, let this keyboard send light to you through my fingertips. And start 2016 with a new recipe.

And you'll have the satisfaction of making what seems like a really confusing cake. I mean, you bake it, eat it cold and it's made with cheese.

Hrrmmm...

Let's get into it shall we?

You'll need these ingredients....

Cheesecake

Graham cracker crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

Filling
4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream

And you'll need a spring form pan to bake in. Preheat oven to 325°.

Stock up on blocks of cream cheese. You'll need like, a gajillion for this cake. (Just kidding, you'll need four!)

Measure out one and a half cups of graham cracker crumbs.

Plus a half cup of brown sugar.

One heaping teaspoon of vanilla.

And a whole stick o' butter, melted! 

Toss together in a bowl.

And mix'er up!

I sprayed my spring form pan with cooking oil, but I don't think it needs it. If you have a Calphalon pan you're in good hands. Dude, is there anything better than a pan that you can take the sides off of? 

Pat down the crust mixture with your hand so that there's an even layer along the bottom and halfway up the sides.

Admire my nails.

It look like dis. Now for the filling.

The filling is best mixed with a handheld mixer, like this one from KitchenAid. 

Make sure the cream cheese is soft so you don't break your mixer. I leave the cream cheese out for thirty minutes before I need it. If you forget, you can also zap it in the microwave. It does the trick!

Add a shizznit of sugar! Or 1 2/3 cups of the stuff.

Three tablespoons of flour.

1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Combine, shake yer booty, mix while listening to your playlist mix.

Zee eggs! Add four whole eggs plus two egg yolks. 

It's very, no, extremely important to mix in the eggs one at a time. And don't over mix! Mix until just combined after each egg. 

Eggsellent! (Yeaahh...woof.)

Save the egg whites for a healthy omelette and eat while the cheesecake bakes so you don't feel so guilty for devouring the whole thing later that evening.

One egg...

Whipped.

Repeat until all eggs are in the batter.

Add a 1/4 cup of sour cream.

And 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Mix until just combined. It's a beautiful thing, no?

We will do a water bath for the cheesecake. Yes, it needs its own hot tub. This prevents cracking on top and will create a smooth surface when finished. Prepare your spring form pan by wrapping the bottom in aluminum foil and place in a baking pan with deeper sides.

Like mine.

Except less crappy and rusty. Heh.

Pour the batter into the pan. Dreamy and creamy, oh my!

Smooth out the top with a knife or spatula.

Place the pan into a 325° oven and add water into the baking pan until it's just about halfway up the side of the spring form pan.

Bake for 90 minutes.

Let it completely cool. I usually let it sit on the counter for an hour before putting it in the fridge. I know what you're thinking:

Daayyummm! It take a long time to make this stupid thing! But trust me.

It's not stupid. It's stupidly delicious.

Add a fruit topping, hot fudge, caramel or eat it straight up. You'll be the envy of all your baking friends. (Note: I said baking, not baked. Ahem.)

Life hack #1: you can't stop the train.

I act like I am surprised.

That life moves this fast.

But it does.

Steady and constant.

Like a chugging locomotive. One that I can't stop. Because before I knew it, we were flying halfway across the world to a land unknown. To a beautiful land filled with beautiful people and pricey restaurants and breathtaking backdrops. Before I knew it, he was down on one knee, dangerously too close to the blackened lake and my mind dangerously spinning and before I knew it my head was shaking yes. Yes!

And here I am, on the train and wondering how the hell did we get this far? Two years ago I was uncomfortable in a big city, contemplating whether or not to take my walls down. (And wondering how they were built in the first place.) And maybe I think too much. And maybe I overanalyze. But I know one thing for sure. My gut tells me to shut up and be happy! So I am.

I say "I love you" every day.

And I don't worry as much when he is near.

Cuz he helps me with the over-thinking and over-analzying, too.

Love can be complicated and effed up and scary and amazingly beautiful. And if you are scared like I am was, take a shot (cuz it helps, no seriously) and take a chance and you might just fly instead of fall.

And this love will feel good. Steady and constant. Just like this train.

Cuz we'll never stop.
This.
Train.

Sometimes it'll feel fast and all you can do is hold on tight. Squeeze your eyes shut only to open them and realize you're in a whole new place. Sometimes it'll feel slow, like the engine can't seem to pick up speed. Either way, I promise you, it will move and you will move with it and maybe you'll be different or you'll remain unchanged just like the rails of the track.

Wherever you are going, I hope you enjoy the ride. And no matter where you are, we're all right there with you.

Don't for a minute change the place you're in. Cuz in the end, you can't stop this train.

Tuna Tastes Better Debt-Free

I posted on Facebook about a month ago about my journey to becoming debt-free. This journey wasn't overnight, and I want to reiterate that here. Candor really is a lifestyle -- not just how you prepare your food. And I'd like to think I'm pretty candid when it comes to personal finance.

I know what you're thinking.

*Yawn!*

Just hear me out.

When I graduated from college I moved back in with my folks, you know, to save money on rent and because -- well hell, I didn't have any place to go! I was starting my internship which would ultimately lead me into my first big-time job at the advertising agency. I didn't have much and before I knew it, the student loan notices were coming in.

That's when panic started to set in that oh my God, I really am going to be a broke college student for the rest of my life!

Then I picked up Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey and read it cover to cover. I thought maybe somehow I could actually pull myself out of these knots of worry. Gahh, doesn't it SUCK to worry about money? Where's it going, what little there is, how the hell am I getting back to the beach?

I drank, calmed down and then made a promise to myself. That I was going to pay off this $30,000 plus debt in 5 years and be done.

I went into ninja mode and wrote all of my expenses down in my typically Type A fashion in a color coordinated spreadsheet.

Every time I spent money on gas. I wrote it down.

Every time I spent money on food. I wrote it down.

Every time I farted. I wrote it down. Hah, okay no, just kidding. That would be odd.

The truth is, I didn't want to be making payments for the rest of my life. I thought about what I could do with the money. Who I could give it to that needed it or how to give myself a comfortable life without going overboard. It was those thoughts that motivated me to get rid of the debt.

I was doing really well on literally paying 10x as much on the small payments and double on the big ones. I was on the fast track to getting rid of the debt in 3 years at this point!

Then this happened:

I got whiplash, I got pissed and then I cried. What was I going to do!!?? That's my freaking car bumper smashed to pieces. And by the way, that shit looks expensive to repair!

I could have easily slipped into another loan payment for a new car. I mean, I already had the student loans, right? My inner Dave said no and as luck had it, insurance deemed the car totaled and offered me cash - double the value of what the car is actually worth.

Check, please!

I took the money and threw it at the debt. No body shop was gonna touch that thang with a ten-foot pole. So I drove the car for 3 months without a bumper.

People say that's dangerous.

I say it's living on the edge.

Or living redneck.

.... Okay, redneck.

Also, as luck would have it, my dad and I treasure hunted at a you-pull-it junk yard and found the exact same bumper, same color for my vehicle all for 25 bucks. I was amazed. My dad was amazed. We drank beer to celebrate. *Burp*

2 years, 5 months, $35,000 and a lot of tuna, discipline and self control later, I am debt free!

I'M DEBT FREEEEE!!!!! (I'm practicing my debt free scream)

My journey in getting to this point was not an easy one. I had to sacrifice many a sushi date in order to save and slave to get rid of Sallie et al. I downgraded to the canned fish variety and thought there's gotta be a tastier way to eat poor man's tuna.

So, I made this. (A LOT!). Still do. You kinda get hooked.

Tuna Salad with Crackers

You'll need....
2 cans of albacore tuna in water
3-4 tbs. of mayo
1 tbs. of parmesan cheese
1 tbs. of dried onion
1 tbs. of dried parsley
1 tsp. of dill
Pinch of garlic powder
Pepper to taste

It really just takes a bit of spices and you'll soon forget the delicate fish you're consuming was only 79 cents a can.

I normally get albacore packed in water, but I've used this recipe with tuna in oil. Tuna is as tuna does!

Toss two drained cans into thy bowl.

Add one tablespoon of parmesan. 

And one tablespoon of dried onion. 

Change up the perspective on the camera to confuse you. And then one tablespoon of dried parsley.

One teaspoon of dried dill. You could use fresh dill if you have it. 

A tinkling of garlic powder.

About 3-4 dollops of mayo. Don't go overboard -- we don't want the tuna swimming. Heh, even though it was swimming at one time. Awwhh, that's sad....

A tinkling of pepper.

Mash'er up with a fork until it looks good and binded.

Serveth with a cracker of your choosing. I had multi-grain on hand but buttery club crackers or even between two slices of honey wheat have also satisfied the craving.

Load and stuff. Try this now! Make a tuna melt out of it with some swiss cheese. Add a teaspoon of curry powder for some Indian flair. Chop some fresh tomato and avocado and make it a tuna garden salad. Any way is cheap and delicious. And it just might give you that extra protein to go out and kick debt's ass!