This was taken at about 3:40 a.m. the other night. And yes, that’s the dog behind the couch —

Let me back up for a minute.

3:30 a.m. My husband woke me up because he heard a banging outside. Rather than lay there and wonder, I pulled on my boots, demanded a flashlight and went to investigate. Let me paint this picture in full: me, in a little black tank top and flowered pajama pants with brown Uggs, stomping up my long driveway with a giant flashlight and a chip on my shoulder . . . I found nothing (we were concerned that the delinquents were back destroying mailboxes), no one, no source . . . probably a good thing. Anyway, back down the driveway and into bed I went.

Then, minutes later, there was a thud in the living room. Was it the delinquents? No. Was it a burgler? No.

It was the dog. Rolling off the couch. And falling behind it.

Stupid dog. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I quickly snapped the above photo before Shawn rescued him.

This was my dinner tonight. Leftovers from a weekend of recipe testing – cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, crispy catfish, a roll and a small chunk of brie, with a Diet Coke and a remote (of course, the remote wasn’t for eating — it was just me for dinner tonight with Shawn working and Will turning in early). I eat on luncheon sized plates so that I don’t overeat (though this plate was a bit overstuffed with all the veggies).

This was one of those meals that took minutes (since it was all precooked) and was really satisfying. Love that. And after eating, I quickly scanned my favorite blogs. It’s always interesting to see what others are writing about (and eating).

But there was one post that really stood out for me. Shauna’s post on Gluten Free Girl today really struck a chord. She wrote about how she doesn’t know why she writes her blog, but it’s a great joy in her life — so long as it’s for her, on her terms. I left a comment over there saying why I read it. In a nutshell: I am not gluten-free. I don’t have celiac disease. And though she has worthwhile and interesting recipes, I don’t look for them. I read her blog because her writing is inspiring. She has a magical way with words that I look forward to losing myself in, if only for a few moments a day.

My husband frequently asks me why I write this blog. He isn’t in a creative field, nor is he a writer. Each time he asks, I answer with “because I do.” I know it’s hard for him to understand why I would do something that he sees as work without pay or certain recognition. But writing is more than my career. Sure, I have been a journalist for five years and a writer for much longer. And sure, that is what pays my portion of the bills. For me, writing is not only my career, it’s who I am.

I am a writer.

Some people search for their careers, others are called to them. I was called to be a writer. One of my oldest friends and I were talking about careers the other day. He chose to go into engineering and said of his choice that it’s something he understands. For me, writing–words on the page–are what I understand.

But it’s more than that. I am a writer because I love writing. It brings me joy. It makes me complete.

Earlier this year, I pledged to give more of myself here and I think I have been doing that. Or at least I hope I have been. And that is what I am trying to do with my cookbook. I am trying to give more of myself in it. Like this blog, I hope I am succeeding.

Now, time to be disciplined and get to the book . . .

So. It’s been a few days. This whole cookbook writing sure makes it hard to keep on top of everything. But the stress is worth it, even if it means I don’t post every single day. But I am working on balancing everything so I can get back to nearly daily posts.

Anyway, since the cookbook features dinners, I will probably focus more on breakfast, lunch and dessert here until the writing is completed. I don’t want to share all the new recipes I am developing before the book comes out! So there is a recipe here . . . it’s for Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins . . . I have revisited a recipe I first posted months ago and made a few small alterations . . . still lovin’ it! I also discovered that a sprinkling of red decorative sugar makes the tops that lovely shade of pink you see (apply it before baking).

On the meat-free front, I have come to respect and realize just how imperative it is that I take my lunch to work everyday. Our cafeteria is a vegetarian’s nightmare. Many days, the only meat-free offering is the salad bar and one soup. Meanwhile, there are at least six other offerings for the non-meat-free world. No wonder my colleague orders out so much! Seriously, I just don’t understand the logic of the whole thing. How could you not offer at least a few entrees everyday for the veg crowd? I find it hard to believe that there aren’t enough vegetarians in the park to justify that.

Anyway, the plethora of meat offerings certainly doesn’t help my resolve either. I am beginning to fiend for meat. I would love a juicy cheeseburger, maybe some baby back ribs, and a loaded hot dog. But that is the whole point of sacrificing, right? Four weeks and one day until Easter (April 8, this year). Four LONG more weeks. Already, so it’s a little pathetic that it’s only been about two and a half weeks since Lent began and I am already complaining. But when you are cooking all sorts of new and exciting meat dishes, it’s only natural . . . I think. At least there will be a good chunk of vegetarian recipes in the book as a result.

And rest assured I will retest every meaty recipe after Lent, to taste it for myself.

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries, partially melted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Beat in milk and butter until well combined. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until just moistened. Gently fold in vanilla, raspberries and white chocolate.

Spoon evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out clean.

Let muffins cool until they can be touched.

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Place butter and sugar into separate bowls.

Dip each muffin top first in butter and then in sugar.

On Monday, I sat at my desk after lunch wondering how I could have possibly eaten all that leftover (roasted) garlic that was with the roasted asparagus I ate . . . a few chocolate covered ginger mints and a cup of coffee later, I was dealing with a slightly better bad breath problem.

On Tuesday, I discovered a painful zit in the center of my forehead while sitting at my desk. I managed to squeeze it a bit, leaving it a little less painful and a lot more red. Did I mention it being in the CENTER of my forehead?

Now it’s Wednesday and I can’t help but wonder what might be in store for me today. A skirt caught in my underwear? Toilet paper on my shoe? Perhaps a terrible cause of gas? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

On a separate and side note, I had a nightmare about cooking last night and forgetting to put expensive and key ingredients away when I was done with them (like filets and whatnot) then I wake up to find 3/4 of a can of evaporated milk left on the counter . . . not expensive, but a waste nonetheless. And I hate waste. Plus I had plans for the leftovers . . .

I held a mini-tasting in my kitchen for some family members this weekend. I test cooked about seven recipes for the book and several were clear winners, getting instant cheers. Meanwhile a few others are going back to the drawing board because they are just missing something. Obviously, it was productive. I wouldn’t want to include recipes that only make my taste buds tingle and no one elses.

Honestly, the tasting was so much fun that I would consider doing it every week. That sure would speed the process along too.

One thing I have discovered since I started writing less than a week ago is that if I think too much about what I am doing, I lose sight of it and have difficulty – writers block, kitchen errors, etc. But if I just do it, and forget why I am doing it, the whole writing and cooking process goes very smoothly. I guess when I am trying to write a cookbook, I put too much pressure on myself. But when I am just trying to write things are just normal. Am I making any sense here?

This recipe is from early February – don’t worry I haven’t broken my Lent. It was borne of the desire to fully utilize a roasted chicken I had made without any waste. From that 3 lb chicken, I made these chicken tacos, a chicken basil soup(that was a weeks worth of lunches for my husband), and ate the chicken itself for dinner. Talk about waste not, want not. Did I mention that the soup was made from stock from the chicken carcass?

Anyway, the taco recipe all started with this:

And a careful portion of Penzey’s Original Taco seasoning. This is less meat than would normally be used to make tacos (1 lb) so I used a lighter portion of seasoning.

I definitely recommend this taco seasoning. The flavor was excellent.

2 cups cubed roasted chicken
1.5 tbsp taco seasoning (such as Penzey’s Original)
3/4 cup water
shredded cheddar
4 fajita sized soft tortillas

In a medium skillet, combined the chicken, taco seasoning, and water. Cook on medium for 5-8 minutes, until the water evaporates leaving a thick sauce.

Spoon chicken onto tortillas, top with cheddar.

Serve these with salsa and low-fat sour cream, as well as a salad for a quick and easy meal.

I briefly posted about the cookbook I am writing this morning. But it’s all still a bit surreal for me . . . or at least it was until the publisher posted this today. Now it’s really starting to feel real . . . with a real deadline and (soon) a real bound book containing stories and recipes that I’ve created and whatnot.

I really am writing a cookbook. Holy crap.

I feel blessed and thrilled to be joining the ranks of great bloggers like Orangette and Gluten Free Girl, whose blogging adventures have led to book deals.

My situation is a bit different from theirs though – I won’t be leaving my day job to write this book, though I am working on a tight schedule. I imagine this is going to mean a lot of lost sleep, lol. But it will be so worth it to achieve one of my many goals.

Edited to Add: Unfortunately, things didn’t work out with my publisher and my cookbook never made it into print. Someday I will write another one though.

On vegetarians: I have a new found respect for vegetarians who work in my office complex. See, I have been lax about bringing lunch to work over the past week and have had to use the cafeteria to fulfill that dietary requirement. However I had quickly learned that the cafeteria isn’t always a vegetarian-friendly place. Granted, there is always a salad bar and usually a vegetarian soup available, but who wants to eat soup and salad every day?

On the best days there is a fish entree, the usual soup and salad and a vegetarian sandwich. But those days are few and far between. It’s no wonder to me now why some people I work with are forever just getting some fruit and salad for lunch – there are limited options if you aren’t eating meat.

On restaurant choices: After a meal out this weekend where I was forced to choose between a caesar salad and a plate of fried stuff (I went with the fried stuff for flavor), I remembered how hard it can be to eat out when you are on a restricted diet. Little things other people take for granted – like variety – become a serious issue when you are a vegetarian at a steak house (or a diabetic at a bakery, or some other similar situation). As friends and family members, we should be thoughtful of our loved ones limitations and help them to have a happy dining experience too.

And other stuff . . .

Okay, this was all a great big lead up. I don’t want to make a huge deal of it, but it is a huge deal for me. And I am super, super excited. Who wouldn’t be? Okay, okay, I will stop beating around the bush!

I was recently approached by a publisher to write a cookbook. After throwing around ideas for a few weeks, we came to an agreement on a subject and timetable on Tuesday. And yesterday, I signed the contract.

Edited to Add: Unfortunately, things didn’t work out with the publisher and my cookbook was never published. However, I do plan to write a cookbook eventually. It’s in my plan.