Everyone needs an update!

So madame Sandra is here, and feelin' pretty good!

I finally have a break from my staying-up-late-to-finish-procrastinating work, so I have the lovely privilege of entertaining Mr. Andy's sister and one of my best friends.

We are both cupcake lovers who appreciate the baking process, so we've hit Magnolia, BabycakesNYC (Where I am praying for a counter job! Keep your fingers crossed!), and soon Butterlane.

I don't have nearly enough time to divulge into many topics I've wanted to write about, but here's a few.

1) Border's in Evanston closing. As much as I sold my soul to pay my rent, I met a lot of people and solidified my love of literature and everything books. Hopefully the e-books don't take over!

2) Japan. Tragic. My love goes out to absolutely everyone affected. One of my friends from LUC is doing business in Japan and my heart about stopped when I heard the news. Thankfully she's ok, but we realize that life is short. Working in a senior center, I fear for the older generation in Japan who saw Nanking and Hiroshima. They are put in this horrible position of having survived this trauma, only to re-live it.

3) On a lighter note: New cookbooks! I have pre-ordered the books seen above. Super excited!

Sending so much social worker love to all! I was accepted to our Dialectical Behavioral Therapy special project for second years. To learn more, click this link. Marsha Linehan, PhD created this remarkable therapy to help those with suicidal thoughts and who engage in self-injurious behavior. I cannot wait for this exciting and thought-provoking opportunity!

Some extra love to my family. When I was back home I realized just how much I love them, and how much support they have given me over the years.

xoxo!!

P.S. I've started to at least type the recipes!

Cultural competence, a reflection

In our Direct Practice course (basically clinical work 101) we are studying how to be “culturally competent.” This is a subject that I think social work students could gab about for ages because our sense of justice and equality comes from a very personal place in each of us.

Our current discussion involves the clinical treatment of Native Americans. I wanted to comment on how marginalized this group can be. A social worker in his own right, Marlon Brando’s famous Oscar acceptance (or rejection) where he sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his place to accept the award for Best Actor (the Godfather). The reception was far from inviting, and is still seen by some as a time when the Oscars became too political.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU

Even as a huge Natalie Wood fan, the image of Native American culture in the Western “The Searchers” is really laughable.

This reminded me of an episode from when I was in 1st grade: the whole classroom was dressed in typical “cowboys and Indians” garb. Typically mistaken for an ethnicity other than my Polish heritage that I felt so close to, I felt particularly excited to dress as an Indian. For one day, my ethnicity was not in question ~ I was in costume!

My father’s family is from South Dakota, a state that still has a rich Native American culture. Even from a young age, I was always told to respect the culture with the proper terminology. “Indian” was not ok, because the people that my family saw, and the culture surrounding us, was not connected with people from India. As a kid, I thought “gee, that makes sense.”

So, “Native American,” or preferably whichever tribe someone was in, was the most appropriate. I have always loved my parents for this strict “terminological” upbringing. I felt like I could bring myself closer to others, with the given knowledge of how to respect someone.

So, in 1st grade (or come to think about it, maybe even kindergarten), when we were sitting around and talking about what “Thanksgiving” was about (we know now as adults is a water-down representation of a giving ceremony), I felt the need to be a mini-social worker. When we began talking about “cowboys and Indians,” I spoke up and said that I preferred if we said “Native American.”

Possibly out of concern for my feelings, my teacher’s first reply was “Are you Native American, Sandra?” to which I replied, “No.” There was an awkward silence, and then nothing more was done. I felt ashamed and embarrassed that my desire to be warm, inviting, and especially thoughtful, was not met with any encouragement from this teacher. Likewise, the other students kept asking me why I had made such a “big deal” about it.

This is similar to the feelings I get when I defend Latin American/Hispanic people and their plight, being mistaken frequently for being Mexican, Spanish, etc. People find out that I’m Polish and suddenly my opinion is irrelevant.

Without being a member of the oppressed group, we are far too frequently disregarded as having a valid opinion. This also applies to the never-ending plight for gay rights. In college, it was understood by many that I had to be “at least” bisexual (even though, to me, one’s sexuality is not on a greater/lesser scale). I wanted equality for something that spoke to me as inherently equal and necessary. It’s normal for people to fear the “other,” it’s quite another thing to deny rights to people who differ in sexual preference. Although on a superficial level I don’t care (anymore) what people think about whether I “swing that way,” or not, but it says something awful about our culture and our ability to speak on behalf of the RIGHTS of others.

So the next time you hear someone talk about what is right, ethical, proper treatment, biased, tragic….hear what he/she is saying, and not if it directly applies to that one person.

Newbies!

A few of my new favorite products and/or trends :)

Origins full story mascara. The gentleman at the counter said that even though my hair and eyes were dark, that I should use brown mascara so as not to over-power the rest of my makeup when wearing it at work (everyday makeup, rather than going out). It coated extremely well, and the fact that it's natural and uses recycled packaging, it's about as green as it gets.

ALSO if you bring in your old shampoo bottles, makeup containers, any primary cosmetic container...you get free samples! I have already tried their Checks and Balances facial cleanser (worked very well!), and Modern Friction (their facial scrub- you can tell that there are oils in it, so I would recommend this scrub for ladies and gents with drier skin).

Ahhhh Fresh! One of my faves. Their mascara is wonderful, too, but this fragrance really stood out for me! I'm not sure if it's too sweet for me, but it definitely caught me off guard (and I have sampled MANY fragrances looking for the perfect one). The whole Fresh fragrance line is great to look at, especially for when summer rolls around~ their scents are very light! Their soaps also make pretty presents!

YUM! Now that I have my blender, Sambazon açaí smoothies are back in my life! These packs are about $6.00 and include 4 smoothie packs. I prefer the unsweetened. If you try the juice by itself, it has a dark and sweet flavor that many say resembles chocolate. Delicious!

Nature's Gate has been known for their natural lotions, soaps, etc. I was starting to run out of mine and decided to try their fragrance-free lotion for sensitive skin. My skin is not particularly sensitive, but I didn't want a lotion that conflicted with my perfume, etc. It is great, and at Whole Foods is a mere $7.00 for 18oz.

Up next I will be reviewing the soap bars from Dirty Business Bath Company. After all....they keep it clean so we don't have to! ;)

I'm off to drink some honeydew+pineapple juice...yum!

A moment of quiet in New York City

I have always been a bit advocate for VALENTINE'S DAY. Singles Awareness Day- haha! I always liked that play on the holiday too :)

From a young age, I decided that I was NOT going to let V-Day get me down!

I know that this cute Chicagoan may seem like she always had it goin' on in the boyfriend department...but NO WAY. I feel like so many of us in our small town suburb of Chicago made it our prerogative to compete about almost everything. One of them was who had the most boyfriends.

As I was rarely able to compete in this category, so I always made it MY day, my day to relax, eat chocolate, watch rom coms, and not care that I was single. The past few years have been different, boyfriend in tow. Although Andy is less inclined to make Valentine's Day a big deal, he knew to schedule his NY trip to be close to February 14th. Smart guy!

So now my few pointers and tips for a FUN Valentine's Day!!!

1) Watch a romantic comedy- duh! :D

I

These are just a few of my faves! Of course I had to throw in 2 Natalie Wood movies- because she's awesome!

2) Recipe hunt, and try something wonderful!

I love that people are beginning to branch out with new uses for dishes with typical foods/drinks. For example, this fabulous strawberry shortcake recipe (from none other than The Barefoot Contessa herself!) uses martini glasses for strawberries! Don't forget that you can easily use this with gluten free, vegan, or allergen-free biscuit recipes!

As an only occassional drinker, I swoon at the opportunity to utilize the classy use of flutes, Tom Collins glasses, red wine glasses, etc. for non-alcoholic class. The best use recently that I saw was Bestselling author Kris Carr utilizing wine glasses for green juice- genius!

Of course you could also whip up a cute martini, too! Betty Draper loves her gimlets ;)

Don't forget that Martha Stewart's Living magazine has one of the best Valentine's Day recipe issue. This year, however, I might splurge and buy an issue of Donna Hay's Australian cooking magazine. FABULOUS!

3) Write a love letter. Even if it's to your mom, your sister, or yourself. Pen pals are the best! Share the love! Everyone loves to get mail!

4) Wear something red or pink! :) I also like the idea of eating something red at every meal. Lots of "red" foods are really good for you, from the vitamins in strawberries, to the lycopene in tomatoes. (remember...red meat is brown when you cook it- so that doesn't count!!)

Try something like a strawberry smoothie, caprese salad, beet soup/borscht (hey Polish people!), rooibos tea (swoon), ruby red grapefruit (huge bags of deliciousness at Trader Joe's!), red pepper and spinach sandwiches, and of course, red kale ! There is so much to do with food- make it a day for you!

5) Just LOVE yourself! Seriously, do NOT fall into the commercialism trap. This is the one day you can be filled with love for everything and blame it on a holiday! :)

MUAH! xoxo!

Crumbling with love!

Ah this ridiculous cold has made me want to BAKE BAKE BAKE-

So I went with Kelly Rudnicki's vegan staple of French Puff Muffins. When presented at Fakesgiving 2009 it was met with lots of love! Check out her book Vegan Baking Classics!

Kelly has really whipped some Chicagoland advocacy butt! Check out her posts on her blog about the recent policies (or lack thereof) in Gurnee and surrounding areas: http://www.foodallergymama.com/

This time around, turbinado sugar from Trader Joe's made for a delicious crusty topping...

gluten free (with apple peel and walnuts):
with brown sugar, spelt, and oatmeal:

I also decided to use Sophie Dahl's Voluptuous Cooking for her blackberry apple crumble! (pics above) I AM OBSESSED with this woman's work! I first heard about her in this article from Food and Wine. She makes you want to start saying that you "fancy" your man, and that strawberries are "bloody delicious!"

I had a delicious crumble in individual containers at the Spring St. Natural Restaurant in Soho, so I thought I would adapt Ms. Dahl's recipe to make it myself!

The recipe is originally for a pie dish, but I love ramekins so much that I went to Crate and Barrel and bought their tall ramekins (10 oz). So I used about 5-7 oz of my mixed fruit in each cup, but the baking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes still made it come out perfectly!

Some alternatives:

using margarine instead of butter for the topping makes it vegan

I sliced apple peel and mixed it with walnuts, so my wonderful gluten-free roommate could try the dish without worry for the spelt or oatmeal!

I used brown sugar, but to make it low-glycemic, I would use some blue agave to keep it's delicious warmth.

Try your own mix of fruits for this!

I think for Valentine's Day I might try it with fresh strawberries! ;)

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Kris Carr at the Barnes and Noble on 82/Broadway, the beautiful and Crazy Sexy Diet author who talks about green juice and loving yourself!

I have been making juice with cucumber, apple, and lemon. DELICIOUS! Truly goes to show that natural foods make you feel wonderful!

Speaking of wonderful: A shoutout to my sister! :) Allison, I love you so much and I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! This genius is doing the creative writing program at Northwestern, and is really kicking up her brunch skills. Maybe I can get this awesome chica to guest blog!

Ok yuppies! Start baking!

New tips for the New Year (well...it's approaching anyway)

Hey everyone!

I know I've been...nonexistent on my blog, but I had a few requests for a post! So I thought I'd kick start with a few tips for a great winter season. Surprisingly, I survived my first semester of grad school with only one minor cold! *knock on wood*

Hopefully I can keep my streak goin'!

TIPS FOR WINTAHHHH

1) Drink water. I'm really big on trying not to do things "too cold." I think the body just needs replenishment, and I definitely don't like ice cold drinks when it's super cold outside. Lots of magazines feature cute columnists suggesting adding lemon wedges to your water to make it more "spa like". I dig!

2) Herbal tea is the way to be! Of course I can't live without my coffee....because I'm a crazy addict, but non-caffeinated tea is a great way to explore new tastes! It's a great way to nourish your blood at a time when it's hard to keep warm!

3) SPF, my friends! A certain effeminate friend of mine told me that I was depleting my skin and my body of Vitamin D. However, as sunscreen only lasts 2 hours, and you need about 15 minutes of sun to get your daily D needs, so for a crazy walkin' and talkin' city girl that I am, I feel like I get quite a bit of sun even AFTER my sunscreen wears off. So to keep both my friend's vitamin deficiency worries at bay, and to prevent pesky wrinkles and sunspots, just be mindful of sun exposure and be safe!

4) Watch those foreign films that have been on your list! If you're a student, you probably have fewer stressors and more time to focus on reading the television than those mindless films you watch during the year to reduce your stress levels. They also make for great conversations in those hipster spots (Lincoln Park/Wicker Park in Chicago; Williamsburg/The Village in NYC).

5) Freshen up your look! I just got a hair cut, and although my bangs look a little tragic, I generally feel lighter :) I love this Lucky Guide. There are different sections that outline different looks without requiring specifics brand with which to complete your look. I still longing gaze at everything in issues of Vogue, but I know I can't afford it. This guide helps me at least attempt the look! I am very partial to the POSH ECLECTIC look and the GAMINE look :D

6) Use this time to just let yourself think. I like to think of New Year's as a post-breakup opportunity: reflection, rejection, and rejuvenation. In this case....I'm still with my wonderful boyfriend.

7) Speaking of wonderful boyfriend, finding time to really appreciate the people you are close to is ESSENTIAL. Nothing makes me feel better than a good long chat with people I love (which is quite a few!)

8) Read those cheesy romance novels. Better to read something than to NOT read!

9) Try the 29 Day Gift Challenge. Excellent, excellent thing idea that helped me put quite a bit into perspective.

10) Learn to love yourself. If you are reading this, you know that you've at least got one very big fan!! :) If you approach everything with this perspective, people will be much more open to you- in ALL aspect of your life!

New York!

Hey all,
I have been SUPER busy with this whole "Graduate School" business. Phew! My boyfriend is the one constantly training for 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons....but I have been exhausted from just the first week. Our advisors are always telling us that come December we will "collapse into happy exhaustion"

This does not surprise me one bit.

EXCELLENT things have happened, and some NOT so excellent things have happened.

Given my work that I selected (social work- ta da!), I have to always be mindful of how I am feeling, and try to care for myself.

1) Leaving home was REALLY hard. I have wonderful friends here, but very little can make up for the comfort of family, friends, my boyfriend, and my established sense of independence that I felt in my cramped little studio in Rogers Park. On the other hand, I really lucked out in NYC real estate, and found TWO veggie minded roommates within 10 minutes of campus. One also happens to be a veggie trained chef who works in Chelsea....what?!

2) It's taking a while for me to get my job solidified. This work-aholic is NOT used to this! I am getting a lot of homework done, which is wonderful considering that I have a tendency to procrastinate like CRAZY. (Especially at the beginning of the semester). Hopefully this barista will be serving the thousands of commuters by Madison Sq Garden!

3) I am finally getting the trains/buses here. Chicago= +5000 points for its bus system. NYC= -5000 points for its bus system. NYC= +5000 points for its subway. Chicago= -5000 points for the "el". It all evens out, I guess!

4) Holy vegan friend, Batman! NYC has so many cool vegan restaurants. Too bad that I'm now in a financially compromised position that I can't afford all of them! Oh bother! Candle Cafe and Sacred Chow have already had me, and Scotters and I did my favorite Spring St. Natural Restaurant where I indulged with what I can only describe as the BEST veggie burger I've ever had! EVER! Once the funds come in (and Travis and Jonathan!) I will probably report in more or less detail about these places. Especially Lula's Sweet Apothecary- YUM!

5) Cheese. Oh gosh. When you are on a supreme veggie/student/poor girl budget, it is hard to resist the canned soup and mac/cheese staples for nourishment. I was pretty good about having some hearty fruit/veggie/low fat good foods...until stress and long days came about. I also didn't realize how much I depended on a blender for my quick food smoothie fixes. Thank god for the Mexican fruit and veggie carts throughout the city. If the fruit is right in front of you, how can you NOT eat it?! And hey...PB &J is veggie! Huzzah!

6) My classes rock. I've only had 2 days of class so far (once a week classes....my favorite!), but I can tell that I will be challenged and simultaneously have the ability to thrive. Likewise my field work in Queens looks super cool.

7) I MET JONATHAN FRANZEN! Yep, I'm a book nerd. Always will be. For my birthday I was able to meet the author of Freedom, one of THE most anticipated books of the year- for me AND the NY Times- haha! I told Mr. Franzen my sister's suggestion of his running for Mayor of Chicago. He told me he'd put it on his to-do list. The experience rivaled meeting David Sedaris. Jon Stewart is coming to town as well. So is Jamie Oliver.....

Looks like I need to start writing a book! :D

I miss you all in Chicago, and I feel so welcomed by the NYC crowd.

Now to try to correct the Starbucks folks on what a REAL Red Eye is..... ;)