Sad, and not a real post.

JD Salinger died today, at the age of 91. And while I haven't picked up Catcher in the Rye in years, I am still mourning the loss as if I knew the man.

Salinger may have been a recluse, but his work was some of the most influential writing that was ever put into the hands of young Americans. Name one person who didn't read Catcher in the Rye. Name one person who did read it and wasn't affected. Holden Caulfield was one of the most memorable and real characters of any work of literature, and he helped bring literature back to the masses of high school students who were turning towards other forms of media.

You may not have read his other novels, or you may have been turned off by the man's personal life, but you can't deny that he affected you.

I Love the Internet (Links I Love!)

While I was unemployed for a period of time this summer (almost four months) I found myself with a lot of time on my hands.

Even though I spent time at the gym or hanging out with a friend who was teaching summer school, that left a lot of hours of alone time. I did spent at least two hours a day applying for jobs, but that still left me with an exorbitant amount of "free time." I plowed through a new book almost every day, got obsessed with Mafia Wars on Facebook, discovered Twitter, and then mostly trolled the internet for interesting things to read.

I always started my internet meanderings with CNN.com, and one day I came across this article and literally found myself clicking through each and every site.

My top two from this list are:

This Is Why You're Fat
Awkward Family Photos

I also love (though it's not on that list) Passive Aggressive Notes - because we've all had that roommate....

But one day a friend took a Facebook quiz entitled "Ben and Jerry's Flavor or Pottery Barn Paint Color" and I said to myself "Hmm... that's interesting. I should check out that website."

Well, that took me to the wonderful world known as MentalFloss.com

Billed as a site where "Knowledge Junkies get their fix" this is an entire website (blog, trivia, quizes, etc) dedicated to random tidbits of information. Want to know the background on the State of the Union Address? What about the men behind the alcohol (Jim, Jose, and Jack to name a few), Take a quiz entitled "Ben and Jerry's Flavor or Band I found on Myspace?" or "Doogie Howser's Diary Entry or Random Twitter Update?"

This site is updated several times a day, but be warned, once you get on the site, you will find yourself clicking through to read more and more.

Plus, they have a store with some of the funniest T-Shirts I've seen.

In fact, I've been working on a mailing at work that requires me to HAND FEED envelopes through our printer, but since i have to feed an envelope every twenty seconds or so, I can't really accomplish any other work. What do I do? I go on Mental Floss and read and read while my left hand feeds the printer. That's what I call multi-tasking.

What are some of your favorite time wasting links?

Me, My Stories, and a little thing I call Geek.

Ah yes, television. I love TV. I love being able to cuddle up on my big armchair, wrapped in my 1970s era crocheted throw, snacks piled on the table before me, without a care in the world except what I have waiting for me on my DVR. (I especially love it when it's cold and rainy outside.)

I hate saying it, but I REALLY love watching TV alone. It sounds silly to say I enjoy watching TV alone, because I love sharing everything with my friends and family. I am constantly laughing out loud when reading books or articles, with the hope that whoever is around will ask, "What's so funny?" (This rarely happens.) But the thing about watching TV alone is that I never have to be concerned about whether the person I am with is also enjoying the show. I can laugh when I think it's funny. I can turn it off if I don't like it. I can have it as loud as I want, or as quiet. I can make a mess of the table in front of me, or I can eat my perfectly cut cheese with crackers and no one asks for a bite. I can fall asleep in the chair without a moment of awkwardness. Watching my stories is my time.

That all said there are certain shows I like to watch with people. Ghost Hunters, for example, is best enjoyed in a dark room, with my sister, and no food. When you are eating, you are not giving the show your full attention. And GH needs your full attention. I also enjoy sharing Lost with my sister. But let's be honest, you have to watch Lost with someone – every one has a theory and these theories must be voiced. Lifetime movies are best watched with another person – then you don’t feel quite as lame.

There are two shows that I absolutely adore sharing with others – Top Chef and How I Met Your Mother. Top Chef began as an hour that I could spend with my former roommate Beth, then turned into my alone time, and recently has begun resurfacing as a show I can enjoy with my friend Michelle. Beth and I bonded over the show when we met a contestant from the second season as a food demonstration. Ever since then, I’ve been addicted. When Beth moved back to Philly, I found myself lacking a cooking partner, and a fellow Top Chef fan. It wasn’t until a season or two ago that Michelle and I realized our mutual interest, and began watching together when we could. I also text my sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh, while I watch, as we tend to like the same contestants.

Now. How I Met Your Mother might just be my current favorite show. I enjoy it most while with my friend Leyla, who helped feed my addiction after my friend Jenna showed me an episode from season two. I was instantly hooked. After spending countless hours on the Internet scouring for free episodes, Leyla (who I had only recently met) invited me over to watch her DVD copy of the third season. Not only was a wonderful friendship born, but a viewing partner was born as well. Yes, I enjoy the show alone, but gosh darn it, it’s much more enjoyable when I have Leyla, with her adorable laugh and excellent taste in wine, by my side.

Of course, you’re now asking, well what the heck does Emily like to watch alone? Oh, you know, those horribly girly shows: Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Greek -to name a few. I also watch Glee with my sister and roommate. That is a show you should not watch alone.

I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I used to. Now I find myself watching a whole lot of movies with the boyfriend, or episodes of Family Guy and South Park (not complaining, I love both these shows). But I really enjoy few things more than a few hours in an empty apartment, just me, my TV, and a pile of cheddar cheese.

Makin' the (Pita) Dough

I know I mentioned it before, but I am totally digging on this meatless monday thing I'm doing this year. I'm sure it will be difficult at times, but right now I love being able to make and eat new foods.

 

Well, not only am I trying to eat vegetarian one day a week, I'm also trying to save money. When Monday rolled around two weeks ago, I wasn't planning on grocery shopping for at least another week and I had very few high-protein low-fat foods laying around. I knew I had a can of chickpeas in the pantry, so I thought I'd try my hand at making falafel (which, when it is good, is one of my favorite things to eat). I had all of the (relatively inexpensive) ingredients for the falafel patties (chickpeas, herbs and spices, an egg, and some panko). The problem? I had no pita!

 

As anyone who has ever eaten a falafel or gyro, you know that often times the pita is the best part. It's not anything like the dry, bland pocket bread you ate as a kid (don't get me wrong, I love a good pita pizza when camping or a pita tuna melt), it is something soft and chewy and light, with a lot of flavor.

 

So I set out to find (and make) an delicious pita recipe. I hopped on to my favorite recipe web site, typed Pita Bread in to the search bar and came up with this recipe. I tweaked it a little bit (used 2/3 white flour, 1/3 whole wheat), and was so impressed when it turned out to be really tasty. The first one off the stove was gobbled up by my boyfriend in about 2 seconds. In fact, that night he ate a dinner of just pita bread and some tomato sauce.

 

That night was January 11th. We ate leftover pita bread for three days, I made more dough to share with some friends this Monday, and I made another batch for a potluck dinner that I had to go to this evening.

 

I'm serious. You need to make this recipe and then eat all of the pita. Don't share. You too will become obsessed with this super cheap/easy/tasty recipe!

 

The Recipe: 

 

1 packet of yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tsp sugar
3 c flour (I did 2 cups white, 1 whole wheat)
1 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp oil (I used a good olive oil)

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

1. Mix sugar, water, and yeast together and set aside to proof (10 minutes)

2. In your mixing bowl, combine other dry ingredients.

3. Once the yeast is foamy, add to dry ingredients along with oil. Mix well.

4. You may need to add some more flour or water, to get a slightly stiff/tacky dough. If you're using a stand mixer, you want the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

5. Turn dough out on to a floured surface and knead (or, if you're me, just let the dough hook on the mixer do it's thing. You don't need to kneed for a long time. 5-10 minutes should be fine.

6. Divide dough in to 18 egg sized balls and place on a floured surface. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Cooking:

1. Roll dough balls (one at a time) between two sheets of wax or parchment paper. You want to roll at least 1/4 inch thick.

2. Place each dough sheet on to a preheated skillet (medium low) and cook until it bubbles

3. Flip over and continue cooking until slightly golden brown.

4. Place pita in a large plastic bag to keep warm and moist while you cook the rest of the dough.

You can also freeze the dough after it rises (I flattened the dough balls slightly and layered them between plastic wrap). When you're ready to cook, let them defrost and come to room temperature before rolling out then cook as directed above.