Reviews #7
Welcome back to another review segment! I’m excited to share with you today some of the fun stuff I’ve been up to over during my last weeks in Florida. My time at home has come to an end, which means I’m finally going back to NYC for the foreseeable future. It’s always bittersweet to leave the Florida sunshine and my closest friends. I will admit that I’m weirdly excited for winter and to brave NYC during this next phase of COVID shutdowns. I’ll make sure to keep everyone posted on what there is to do in the city during this time. For now, I’ll share what I’ve been up to - all from home!
One of the things I’ll miss the most is cooking with my friends. My high school friends and I love food - we love to eat it, look at it, learn about it, and make it. Last Monday, we got together to cook dinner and watch The Bachelor. We used my friend Matthew’s coconut rice recipe. I wish we could figure out where the recipe originates from because it deserves recognition. This recipe is delicious and never fails to impress. If you’re ever tasked with bringing a rice dish to a dinner party, this is the recipe for you.
4 tablespoons of oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of basmati rice
1 (14 oz) can of unsweetened coconut milk
2.5 cups of water
½ cup of raw cashews or peanuts, chopped
1 cup of thinly sliced scallions
½ cup of shredded unsweetened dried coconut
In a medium/large pot (make sure you have a lid for this pot that fits), boil the unsweetened coconut milk and water.
Heat oil in a separate medium sized pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Sautee for 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure not to brown anything. Add the rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
One the water is boiling and the rice is read to go, add the rice mixture to the boiling pot. Bring the pot temperature down to very low and seal with a lid. Cook the rice for 20 minutes. You can fluff the rice about half way through. You will know the rice is ready when there is little to no liquid left for the rice to absorb.
In the pan you were previously using, you can toast the nuts and dried coconut in a little more oil. This will take about 10 minutes.
Once the rice is ready, mix in the toasted nuts and coconut mixture. Top with the scallions. Enjoy!
While we’re on the topic of food, let me put you on one of the most wholesome TV specials I’ve seen in a while, Bobby and Giada in Italy. The show follows famous Food Network chef’s Bobby Flay and Giada DiLaurentis on an Italian food adventure. The pair visit Rome and Tuscany for a couple of weeks while learning the art of Italian living and cooking. To me, the show was an incredible form of video escapism; it really made me feel like I was traveling the world like I used to. Shot pre-COVID, one can’t help but feel nostalgic for what our lives were before the pandemic. My favorite scenes from the show are the ones where the chefs offer small tips on how to make your Italian food more Italian, like what kind of meats you should be using, temperatures you should be cooking at, and what dishes and wines pair well together. If you love Food Network shows, the chefs, Italian food, or travel, I guarantee you’ll love the show. You can stream the show on Discovery+, the new Discovery streaming platform that launched earlier this month.
I also finished “The Upside of Being Down” by Jen Gotch earlier this week. I don’t remember how this book was recommended to me, but I’m glad it was. I would classify this book genre as memoir with a side of light self-help. It was very inspiring to read about the successes of a young female founder in LA struggling with her mental health. Jen Gotch covers everything from finding her passion and making a living off of it, balancing internal emotions in outward facing environments, battling perfectionism, depression, and more. I highly recommend reading the book if you’re in your 20s and struggling to find direction or purpose (hello, all of us 2020 college grads!) Some of my key takeaways from the book are as follows:
Take responsibility for the role you play in problems
If you’re stuck in a really bad place for 3 days, watch yourself. If you’re still not ok after a week, call a doctor or a friend.
Trust and respect take a long time to build, and they need to be tested and survived over and over again
There’s passion in fighting
Pay attention to when your reactions are irrational
Be better than great but less than perfect
Accept the imperfections in yourself to accept those of others
Self help is the long term pursuit of feeling better. Self care is the short term strategies to help along the way.
Be honest about what actually makes you feel better
Don’t pretend everything is going to be ok. Believe it!
And to end this week’s reviews on a high - here’s a picture of all my newest shoes. They all serve a different purpose, which is why I love them all equally. From left to right we have Asics running shoes (run large), Nike Blazers (fit true to size), and Zara loafers (true to size). Click the hyperlinks to purchase!
