All the new that is the new

In case you were wondering, the new job is working out pretty well. The work is interesting enough to keep me from falling asleep, which is always a plus at a desk job. There are only two of us actually in the office, so, aside from the sounds of marines drilling in the distance and the tiny screams emanating from the child development center across the street, it is quite peaceful.

A few years back, the warehouse where my office is located used to be the clothing dispensary for the base. Apparently someone hasn't yet realized this fact, as yesterday we had a fairly steady stream of guys with bad haircuts and funny hats coming to our door wondering if they could get dress blues or P.T. clothes.

On the food front, I made a few things that were good, but that I wouldn't make again without alterations. I thought the mapo tofu was delicious and R agrees, but he thinks next time I should leave out the tofu and put in some broccoli instead. Orange olive chicken had two strikes against it in R's book (namely olives and the whole fruit with meat thing), but he found it edible. I think the general technique would be useful for making other dishes with a creamy sauce, possibly over pasta.

Making something delicious

R loves caramel. If he had to pick one kind of sweet to have for the rest of his life, caramel would be it. Nothing else even comes close.

Ever since we received an ice cream maker, R has been asking me to make caramel ice cream. Apparently he meant 'ice cream with caramel in it,' but when I finally got around to making the requested ice cream, I took the request at face value and started looking for a recipe for caramel-flavored ice cream. When I didn't find one, I decided to get creative.

Inspired by this recipe's transformation of a jar of Nutella into ice cream, I decided to try combining a batch of caramel (I used the recipe from The Perfect Scoop, but any recipe would probably do) and a can of evaporated milk. The results were amazing. Rich, creamy, and so very caramel-y.

R says next time I should include a caramel ripple.

Caramel Ice Cream
(utilizing the recipe for creamy caramel sauce from The Perfect Scoop)

• 1 c sugar
• 1 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1/4 t coarse salt
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 can (12 oz or so) evaporated milk

1. In a large, heavy sauce pan or Dutch oven, spread the sugar in an even layer. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring to encourage even cooking. When it starts to stay melted and darken, tilt the pan and continue stirring.

2. When all the sugar is melted and turns caramel-colored, remove from heat and whisk in half the cream. One everything is dissolved, add in salt, vanilla, and the rest of the cream. If any chunks of sugar remain, cook over low heat until they melt.

3. Pour caramel into a bowl. Add evaporated milk, and whisk until incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture until chilled, then use your ice cream maker to freeze it.

Making the days count

Seeing as I will be returning to the workforce on Monday, the malaise that had overtaken my weeks had dissipated and I've become filled with the desire to get all the things I need to do done while I have the time. Today I cleaned, dropped off a load of stuff for Good Will, and went grocery shopping. With the skin and fat from the chicken thighs I found on sale, I rendered myself a little chicken fat (thanks to this lovely tutorial). Perhaps there will be some kasha varnishkes in my future. I then used some of the thighs to make chipotle chicken tacos (meh). I also made a little ice cream (delicious, but a very tiny recipe).

Tomorrow I go in to fill out paperwork, though I won't see my actual job site until Monday. I'm going to be working at the location of the project, rather than the main office where I interviewed. I have no idea what this job is going to be like. It's a little nerve wracking. I'm not even sure what to wear.

Success!

I'm employed!

I had a job interview yesterday. I came back from it feeling like I wasn't really what they were looking for, but I recieved an e-mail last night saying that they wanted me. At the end of the interview, they said that there were also other applicants and that they would get back to me. The pessimist in me thinks that there weren't other applicants, but that they had to decide if I was the best they were going to get (as the job posting had already been up for 20 days).

Whatever the reason, though, I got it. I'll be a AutoCAD drafter for a telecommunications company (a slightly redundant title, as CAD stands for 'computer aided drafting'). Just in time, too, as all this staying home was starting to make me slightly loopy.

Trapped in the world (of Warcraft)

You wanna know where I've been since I last posted?

Playing World of Warcraft.

What else, you may ask?

Not a whole lot else, I tell you.

A new patch for the game came out on Tuesday, and ever since the servers came back up, I've been pretty much glued to my computer. I was planning on making bread on Tuesday, but then 2 pm rolled around, the servers came back up, and I was lost to the world. You see, they've put these achievements into the game, giving you credit for doing all sorts of things. I think it is the slightly anal-retentive side of myself, but part of me finds them irresistible. So, for the past several days, I've been exploring zones, acquiring pets, cooking, fishing, learning first-aid, and running through low-level instances. All in order to see little achievements flash up on the screen.

Hopefully this mania wears off soon. I've got other stuff to do!