A Rant // A Poll

I’m naturally inclined to be a bit down and moody–having General Anxiety Disorder and Seasonal Affective Depression will do that to a person–but the state of happiness is something I enjoy and the philosophy of joy is something I embrace; hence, I’m very rarely truly in a ‘dark’ place.

Little things make me smile: bird song, sunshine through the clouds, my favorite word (currently: wonderful).  Unfortunately, it can often be little things that make me moody and angry and hateful, and it all whirlpools together as I further my discontent by being moody and angry and discontent about being so.  What I am angry about today is that over the weekend, I have been gone from lovely #8, to visit my parents, and I have come back to dirty dishes in the sink and dirty dishes lined up in the dishwasher.

‘A clean plate’ is a common term, with many meanings that can be imbued by context; in this one, I really want my dear roommates to take responsibility for themselves post-gustatory activities.  It’s only a little extra something effort to clean while you cook, or to rinse off your plate when you’re done with some cake, but to just leave the dishes there, in piles, as if they’ll sing and dance and then do a synchronized routine in sudsy water is a bit too much.  The kitchen is cluttered, messy, and in the cupboards, nary a clean dish–crisis! crisis! crisis! just repeats over and over in my head. >.<

So, dear reader (if you’ve made it this far!), I have only one question to ask: WWMD?

*Please don’t be offended by this; I love Martha Stewart.  I worship at the Altar of Martha.  I’m a subscriber!  WWMD is my life motto. Really. ;D

Like Mrs. Dalloway // Asparagus Tart

On February 12, the guys of AIVcf 2013  (Asian InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Class of 2013) threw us gals a Valentine’s Day appreciation dinner; one month later, March 12, we girls did the same for White Day (an Asian holiday of reciprocation).  As my roommate Grace and I are the only sophomore girls who live outside of the dorms, we hosted the party at #8.

This photo's by my roommate Lily, who does some sweet landscape photography in her free time. The ugly photo down below is mine. =P

It took ages for me to decide what to make, but finally, remembering this old Martha Stewart recipe and being in the mood to play with puff pastry, I decided to make an asparagus tart.  It’s awesome that it’s super easy, but super pretty. :D

The original version involves Gruyere, which I couldn’t find in my rush at Meijer, so I grabbed Fontinella instead–Gruyere is nuttier and slightly harder, while Fontinella is softer, a little creamier, kinda like fancy cream cheese. I also like prosciutto (Italian dry-cured ham), and sun-dried tomatoes, so I added those.  The natural oils and saltiness of the prosciutto also act as additional seasoning, so I’ve taken out the olive oil, salt, and pepper from the original.

Asparagus Tart

Ingredients
1 pound asparagus
1 sheet puff pastry
1 1/2 cups fontinella cheese, grated/sliced
4 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 slices prosciutto
flour, for rolling surface

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the puff pastry on your floured surface into a 10 x 17″ rectangle; transfer to baking sheet. Using a knife, score a rectangular 1″ border, then score the dough inside your rectangle every 1/2″ or so. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.

Remove the puff pastry from the oven, then spread out the cheese in an even layer within the rectangle you previously scored.  Trim the asparagus to fit within the square, and then begin layering the stalks atop the cheese, alternating tips and ends.

Spread out the four slices of prosciutto atop the asparagus and sprinkle with the sliced sun-dried tomatoes. (If you still want the taste of sun-dried tomatoes but don’t want them to get burnt, sprinkle atop the cheese before you layer the asparagus).

Bake for another 20-25 minutes, then enjoy!