Month: September 2013

In defense of online dating

/ SallyJBrz / Leave a comment

Why I love online dating:

  1. It connects me to with cool, smart guys who I missed out on meeting earlier in my 20s since I went to a women’s college (and loved it!)
  2. It allows me to screen for that perfect dude who loves Back to the Future and London and agrees with gay marriage and actually likes his life – something you can’t know about an average Joe at a bar
  3. It gives me great stories to tell my friends
  4. It has led to love and happiness for at least 2 of my close friends, probably many more!
  5. It introduces me to videos like this one of Bill Murray’s awkward kisses, shared by the overpriced but hilarious folks at How About We… 
  6. … and to videos like this powerful talk from Meg Jay on “Why 30 is not the new 20”.  More on that later. 

And hopefully, someday, it will lead me to someone awesome who gives me a great incentive to leave it all behind.  Until then, I’m off to answer some dating questions!

Kitchen Adventures: Simple southern greens with bacon

/ SallyJBrz / Leave a comment

There are two things you might not know about me if you haven’t seen me cook:

  1. I am terrible at following directions.  If I have even an inkling something should be done a different way (this would be better minced! Surely they meant that amount of butter was optional! I love sugar – ADD MORE!) I jump in and do it that way.
  2. I have no patience.  None.  Zip. Nada.  So when things need to be done slowly, I tend to crank up the heat just to get it finished with sooner.

I tried to quell both those urges with my recent cooking adventure, and had a 50% success rate.  Even though I didn’t follow the directions, I did cook this much longer than I pretty much ever cook anything, and my patience definitely paid off.  This is one of the most decadent and delicious dishes I’ve ever made and it will definitely become a staple in my cookbook.  I was inspired by this recipe.

southern greens

Southern (Collard) Greens with Bacon

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium to large onion, chopped
  • 1 bag southern greens from TJ’s
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper (optional)
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  1. Heat oil in a large pot.  Cut up the bacon by stacking the slices and then cutting across the grain into about 10 pieces (or whatever – this isn’t rocket science.  Just make it smaller).  Add bacon to the pot and cook about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and onion to the bacon and cook 5 minutes, until onions are mostly cooked and bacon is crispy.
  3. Add greens to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes, until wilted/lightly fried.
  4. Add remaining ingredients and stir.  Cook covered for 45 minutes or until greens are done – they might look finished while they’re still crunchy, so go ahead and try them if you’re not sure.  It’s quite hard to overcook this, so don’t worry if your other dishes or your greens need more time beyond the first 45 minutes.
Greens before and after cooking

Greens before and after cooking

And enjoy!  I ate mine with fresh bread and a poached egg – perfection!  Good for breakfast, dinner, guests, or leftovers – they’re just plain good!