I was unaware of this, but it seems that announcing your plans makes you less likely to accomplish them.

As I see it, you could use this knowledge either as a tool to foster procrastination, or a means to keep yourself driven to get things done.

In retrospect, my own behavior with respect to projects totally bears out these findings.

This is by far one of the biggest ways I have procrastinated in my entire life.  This is a “simple” 2D space shooter internet game that came out around 1995 when I found it on-line in my freshman year of college and have spent sick amount of time playing since.  In fact thanks to a lovely in game command I have spent over 4971 hours in the game since September of 1998 which is when the official records were restarted.  It is grossly addictive for being an old game.  I had given it up for awhile but am back at it again.

subspacedownloads.com

Having trouble getting things done? Is your procrastination controlling you instead of allowing you a fun respite from your obligations? Here are some ideas that may help.

I just found a really good recipe for asparagus soup that is both low fat and fast to prepare!

The original is linked above, and here are the instructions for mine, you can compare to see where I made adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2-3 bunches of asparagus (1-2 lbs) – remove the tips (top 1/2 inch or 1 inch) and set aside for later, remove the bottom 2-3 inches of the stems, and chop the rest into 1/2 inch pieces (I find it’s better to chop the veggies up more finely than most recipes suggest).
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 leeks, diced
• 3 or 4 cups of fat-free reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used one 32 oz container)
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley (flat leaf)
• Optional: 1 lb bag of mixed seafood (shrimp, mussles, calamari, crab, etc.)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven.  Add the asparagus, onion, celery, and leeks.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add broth and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
3. Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth.  I did it in two batches and left the second one a little chunkier, for texture.
4. Return the soup to the pot over low heat.  
5. Add the defrosted seafood (chop into bite-sized bits if there are any large chunks), the asparagus tips, and the parsley.
6. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the sour cream.  Stir until blended.
7. Ladel into bowls and top with freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4-6

 

 

On Sunday I promised I would write up the proceedings from the Caribbean-themed dinner I made. I started with a recipe from the Food Network for Mojito Chicken, which I modified ever so slightly: I added a habanero pepper to the marinade, and I grilled it instead of searing on the stove and finishing in the oven. I still think it was tasty, so here you go:

Mojito Chicken (courtesy of Guy Fieri @ foodnetwork.com)

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken: Note, I used two packages of leg-thigh combos for a total of about 6 chicken leg quarters.

Spice Rub:
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Marinade:
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum
1 habanero pepper, seeds removed, diced

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:
Mojito Glaze:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium sauce pan, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

The process:
Prepare the spice rub. Rub all over chicken, including under the skin. Place in a ziplock back in the fridge for 30 minutes. While this is chilling in the fridge, prepare the marinade. Add the marinade to the bag and return to the refridgerator for at least 1 hour (I let it go for about 3).

Preheat your grill to low and remove your chicken from the bag. Drain off most of the marinade so the meat does not burn on the grill. Cook over low/somewhat indirect heat for 45 minutes, turning once mid-way through cooking. If you use smaller pieces or boneless breasts, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly (i.e. shorten it). I used a meat thermometer to make sure everything was safe when I pulled it off.

Once the chicken is on the grill, prepare the glaze as directed above. When the chicken is nearly done, brush each side with the glaze and allow it to simply warm. Remove from the heat and serve.

Our second dish was Coconut Rice. I took a basic recipe from a Caribbean cookbook I have and modified it a bit because I didn’t have enough coconut milk on hand.

Ingredients:
approx. 3/4 cup long grain rice (I used Jasmine)
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk – not coconut cream or coco lopez. You want the stuff they sell for making Thai curries and the like.
1/2 can of chicken broth (the recipe called for 3 cans of coconut milk and slightly more rice; I modified it by adding this broth I had opened to make the chicken glaze and it turned out fine).
1 T kosher salt
1 T butter/margarine

Bring the coconut milk and broth to a boil in a pot with a good lid. Allow to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces a bit. Add the rice and cover, stirring occasionally for about 5-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally, but not so much you let out all of the steam (once every 5 minutes is enough). Turn off heat and leave covered until ready to serve, about 10 minutes.

The side dish was Fried Plantains.
2 ripe plantains, cut in half and then chunks
canola oil

In a heavy pan, heat about 1″ of canola oil. Once hot, add your pieces of plantain. Turn as they begin to turn golden brown. When both sides look done, remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt to taste.

Finally, we served up the meal with a couple of rummy drinks. This is my best recollection of the recipe:

1 part Bacardi
1 part Malibu
1/2 part Myers’s Dark Rum
1/3 part Creme de Banana
splash of grenadine
Fill with equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice (about 2 oz each)

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour all contents into a tall glass. Sip and enjoy!

Are you looking for something to spend time on, but ran out of internets to read?

Check out these four awesome free fantasy novels online. They have everything:

• magic
• sword-fighting
• gods
• programming
• zombies
• detectives
• curses

Seriously, go read! And show some support by chipping in to the author’s Paypal link, so he’ll write new stuff 😀

Lifehack, that vile source of productivity-enhancing, get-off-your-duff-and-Get-Stuff-Done nuggets, has finally figured out the Power of Procrastination.

I give you Seven Ways to Procrastinate for Better Results. Which we would have written here, but, well, you know…

I put together this concoction for dinner last night and it was pretty good. I want to remember it for another time.

Ingredients:
1-2 c. brown rice – note, we used a 2-serving size packet of Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice. You could also prepare some in a rice cooker, but you’ll need to start that first since it will take longer than the rest of the dish.
1-1.5 lb ground turkey
2/3 bag Trader Joe’s “Brittany Blend” frozen veggies, with green beans, wax beans, baby carrots
1 medium onion
2 T. dijon mustard
1/2-3/4 c. dry white wine (I used Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc)
2 t. dried tarragon
2-3 T. flour
olive oil
salt
pepper

The Process:
Heat about 2T. of olive oil in a large skillet. Add turkey and brown most of the way through. Drain fat, remove turkey to separate dish and set aside.

Defrost vegetables in a microwavable dish for 1-1 1/2 minutes, until mostly thawed.

Slice onion. In same skillet, add about 1 T. olive oil and saute onions until golden. Salt and pepper to taste.

Push onions to the side and add about 2 more T. olive oil and the flour. Combine, stirring in with onions until you have everything coated with flour. Start adding some of the wine and stir. The flour will thicken this sauce as it finishes.

Add vegetables and turkey back to pan. Stir in dijon mustard and remaining wine. Add dried tarragon, additional salt and pepper to taste. Incorporate all ingredients and continue cooking over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, until flour has time to cook and the everything is lightly coated with the mustard-wine sauce.

Spoon rice onto each dish, then add turkey and vegetables on top. Enjoy!

I made up this dish for dinner last night, and it turned out pretty well. We enjoyed it with a semi-sweet German Auslesse white wine (a $5 bargain at Trader Joes!), which I also recommend 🙂

Baked Chicken with Apple Raisin Dressing

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I used 6 pieces from a bag of frozen tenders for 2 people.
1 stick of butter or margarine
4 slices of bread – I used the wheat sandwich loaf I had on hand
1 small or 1/2 of a medium red onion
2 apples (I believe mine were golden delicious)
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
water

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare a 13″x9″ or other baking dish.

Heat a small mug or bowl of water in the microwave, approximately 1 minute. Add your raisins to the hot water so they will plump a bit during the prep.

Core and slice the apple into segments, then chop into 1/2-1″ chunks. Next, peel and slice the onion. Add apples and onions to the pan.

Dice bread into 1/2″ cubes. Melt about 3/4 of the stick of butter/margarine in a microwave-safe dish. Toss the bread cubes in with the melted butter until all are coated.

Layer the ingredients in the pan as follows:

Apples and onions on bottom.
Drain the raisins and sprinkle throughout the pan. Add about 2 T. of water, just enough to moisten the bottom of the pan.
Salt this layer, then add some ginger and nutmeg allspice. Dot the apples and onions with remaining (non-melted) 1/4 stick of margarine or butter.
Next, lay the chicken breasts across the top. Season this layer with salt, pepper, ginger and nutmeg allspice.
Finally, place all the bread cubes all over the dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and a bit of salt.

Cover dish with foil, and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and the apples reach desired softness. I recommend starting the pan uncovered or finishing it uncovered at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes in order to crisp the top layer of croutons.

Notes: Since this was the first time I made this, the recipe could use some tweaking. For example, it might be best to start the dish covered, and then remove the foil, stir contents, and turn it up to 400 for the last 10-12 minutes in order to crisp the croutons on top. Feel free to try it and let me know if you have any suggestions 🙂

n. frozen fruit that comes in bags in the grocery store, and may not be identifiable any longer as a fruit

-ferrix

Ingredients:
5-6 pound beef brisket
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 onions, large, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 5 cups total)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 pound baby carrots

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a dutch oven or heavy baking pan large enough to hold the brisket, heat one tbsp of oil in oven for 10 minutes. Pat brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Do NOT remove any fat! Roast brisket in pan, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

While brisket is roasting, in a large heavy skillet cook onions in remaining 2 tbsp. oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden brown. Reduce heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until deep golden brown. This can take 20 minutes or more. Stir in garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook 1 minute. Stir in beef broth and red wine and bring to a boil.

Spoon onion mixture over brisket and bake, covered, with cover 1/2 inch ajar, for 2 hours. After 2 hours add carrots to brisket mixture, recover, and cook for an additional 1.5 hours, or until brisket is tender and cooked all the way through. Check pan about every hour and add more water if necessary. Remove brisket from oven and let cool in onion mixture for 1 hour (covered).

Remove brisket from pan, scraping onion mixture back into pan, wrap in foil, and chill over night. Spoon onion mixture into a container and chill overnight as well. You’ll find that a lot of fat rises to the top of the onion mixture container.

On the day you will serve the brisket, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Discard layer of fat from onion mixture and add enough water to the mixture to measure 3 cups total. Remove baby carrots and set aside for the moment. Blend mixture in a food processor or blender until it is smooth. Slice brisket against the grain and trim off excess fat. In a large pan, heat gravy in oven until hot, add brisket and baby carrots, and heat in oven for 30 minutes or so.

Notes:
This is Melissa’s mom’s recipe, and serves 8-10 people. You’ll have to set aside about 5 hours to make this on the day that you actually cook the brisket, and maybe 45 minutes to an hour the day you serve it. Note that the brisket should be made at least one day ahead so the flavors can mix!

This is Melissa’s Kugel recipe. Very easy, and delicious!

Ingredients:
8 oz. egg noodles, medium width
8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup raisins
small amount of milk
butter or margarine

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8×8 inch baking pan or casserole dish. Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Pour into prepared pan. Dot with butter. Bake in oven for 45-60 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes and then serve!