No Goals In 2010

During most of my 20s and 30s, I made New Year’s Resolutions.  I think I actually achieved many of these, especially once I learned to make measurable goals instead of vague goals (i.e. like do yoga every other day versus get healthier). I stopped drinking soda, reduced caffeine consumption, drink green tea 4-5 times a week, went back to school, switched careers, took classes to improve my work skills, increased retirement savings by a certain percentage, traveled to places on my must-see list, etc…

I’ve also missed too many goals to name.  I did not climb the corporate ladder, buy a house, or max out my retirement accounts.  I still haven’t volunteered or improved my photoshop skills or learned another language.  Too often I still take my husband, family and friends for granted. I haven’t even attempted to make chicken salad, one of the easiest goals I’ve ever set! Yes, seriously….

At one point, I just stopped making New Year’s Resolutions.  I still accomplished things throughout the year but instead of writing a long list each January, I just kept a list of anything I was somewhat proud of doing.  Even reading eight books in 2009 counts as an accomplishment.

Not making resolutions now doesn’t mean that I won’t do so in the future. If I read an inspiring story, I often make up a goal mid-year.  I quit drinking soda a few summers ago and started my Just Ask! negotations challenge in October.

I am a bit worried that I will be too unfocused without firm resolutions.  We’ll see. There are so many things I still need to achieve.

How about you? Do you always make resolutions? Is this a dead giveaway that I’m a proud member of the apathetic Gen-X?

Spicy Lamb And Potato Stew

Even though it’s not that cold in Los Angeles right now, I’m always craving stews and soups (and finding any excuse to wear scarves and boots).  My husband has created several delicious dishes with lamb but a stew felt perfect for the season. 

Ingredients:

Lamb shanks (4)

Russet potatoes (2)

Peperoncino (1)

Yellow onion (half)

Black Kalamata olives

Rosemary

Red Wine

White Wine

Peeled plum tomatoes (2 cans)

Sugar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Garlic

Fine sea salt

Black Pepper

Recipe:

1 ) Marinade the lamb with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag.  Let it sit for a few hours.

2 ) Transfer the lamb shanks to an oven pan.

3 ) Sprinkle chopped rosemary on top of the lamb.  Broil both sides, turning to make sure it bakes evenly.

4 ) Add 3 tablespoons of peeled plum tomato and half cup of white wine.  Set aside the rest of the plum tomatoes for later use.

5 ) Seal pan with aluminum foil and bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes. 

6 ) Meanwhile, start the red sauce.  In a large pot, saute chopped onions with olive oil.  Deglaze with white wine.  Add minced garlic and one crushed Italian peperoncino.

7 ) Add in the two cans of peeled plum tomatoes. Add one tablespoon of sugar.  Simmer for one hour.

8 ) Take lamb out of the oven and cut meat off the bone.  This doesn’t have to be perfect because you will transfer the cut meat and the bones into the pot of red sauce.

9 ) Transfer meat and bones into the pot of red sauce.  Add some red wine and black olives. Cover and simmer for half an hour.

10 ) Chop potatoes and add to the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes on low heat, or until potatoes are soft and done.

11 ) Turn off flame but keep the pot lidded.

This should be ready to eat in an hour. 

Although it takes time to cook, the overall preparation time is approximately one hour.  Plus, you can walk away and do other things while the stew is simmering.  This was really worth the effort. Even if you are not a fan of lamb, you might change your mind after this dish.  Because of the spices and stewing, it’s less “gamey” than usual yet still has a unique tender flavor.

With the extra sauce, we made lamb over polenta. Recipe to come later….

Thoughts on Blogging

I came up with a few observations after years of reading blogs and a few months of blogging.

1) Titles Matter

I found a blog titled “When Adobo Met Feijoda” that chronicles the life of a Filipino woman (adobo) and her Brazilian husband (feijoda is a typical Brazilian dish) and I thought it was so clever. I should have named this “When Soy Sauce Met Olive Oil” instead! 

I noticed that I tend to skip blogs that have Finance or Money in the title; there are simply too many of these and they don’t stand out as much in my mind.  I like assertive or intriguing blog names like “Give Me Back My Five Buck”, “Budgets are Sexy”, or “Punch Debt in the Face”.  A lot of women seem to think small, if you go by titles alone, with names like “Stacking Pennies”, “Counting Pennies”, “I Pick Up Pennies” or “The Art of the Coupon”, while men dream big and have blogs like “I Will Teach You To Be Rich”.  Of course women also helm blogs like “Well-Heeled” and “World of Wealth”.  Food bloggers seem to have a wider range of names and I haven’t pinpoint why I may click on ones and not others.

2 ) I still confuse various bloggers

As you can tell from the list above, I do skim through a lot of blogs even though I only read a few on a regular basis.  I subscribe to a few feeds and then click on a random list depending on most recent updates.   Because I tend to speed-read and not read the “About Me” page, I don’t remember much detail about bloggers.  Is “Fabulously Broke” an Asian female or was that “Well-Heeled”?  A few are getting their masters or additional education but I can’t remember the subjects. I think “Stacking Pennies” is studying Engineering, or is that “M is for Money”?

I’m surprised that many anonymous bloggers get “outed” by friends, family or colleagues.  For all I know, one of the blogs I read regularly is written by my best friend and I wouldn’t put two and two together!

3) Mom blogs Are Very Similar (Stepford Moms?)

There are exceptions of course but many “mommy bloggers” seem to write about the same things and could be written by the same person.  I get that parenthood, especially motherhood, changes you but I still don’t understand why they change a person so drastically.  A punk-rock artist friend and a conservative doctor friend could now write the exact same blog!

4 ) Diversity Rules

In real life, we all tend to pick friends based on similarities.  I admit that my closest friends have been Asian or a minority, just not white.  I have many white friends but I feel a stonger bond with those who are a bit outside the mainstream.  I just don’t get it when my American friends rave about smores or canned tomato soup!  In the blogging world, it’s different.  Yes, I read a lot of blogs by middle-class white Americans or Asian women.  I also read many blogs by white American men.   However, a lot of blogs I like are written by 20-somethings even though I don’t have any friends in that age range in real life.  I also read a blog called “Funny about Money” written by a retired woman living in Arizona.  We have little in common but I like her writing style.  I just found an interesting ex-pat blog by a black Caribbean woman living in Italy.   I read a few Canadian and English blogs.  The list goes on.

What about you?  Do you prefer blogs by people similar to yourself? What attracts you to a blog in the first place? 

Risotto With Taleggio And Bacon

My husband hasn’t made risotto in a while. I’ve always loved his risotto but the wait made this dish taste even better!  This is actually a new recipe that he created with items we had on hand.  If you have pancetta, by all means use it.

Ingredients:

Arborio rice
Taleggio cheese
Applewood smoked bacon (1 strip) or pancetta
Beef Bouillon
Yellow onion (half)
Parmigiano
White wine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Recipe:
1 ) Chop onions and sauté in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.

2 ) In the same pan, sauté the sliced bacon.
  
3 ) Add a little white wine to the onion and bacon. Turn up flame and let evaporate. Once onion is caramelized, turn the flame down. Add rice and sauté it with the onion and bacon, stirring frequently for a few minutes.

4 ) Add a few ladles of boiling water enough to cover the rice and bring to a low simmer.  Add a dollop a beef bouillon and stir. Keep adding water as needed to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom. Simmer 20 mins.

5 ) Turn off flame, stir in the cubed Taleggio, grate Parmigiano and pepper. Let rest for 5 minutes (or as they say in Italian, “mantecare”).

I had a lot of help from my husband in writing out the recipe. Despite years of enjoying risotto, I can’t remember the steps. He also mentioned that Taleggio is aged in caves. I don’t know if that makes the difference in terms of taste.   This Italian cheese has a strong smell but it has a divine creamy taste that is perfect for risotto.  Try it!

Simple Joys Are Not Enough

I have been cataloguing simple joys that make me happy, or at least happier, like daily yoga, eating well at home, early mornings, a husband’s gift and a nicer backyard.  However, all those little things are just not enough when you go through life’s inevitable crisis.  At least they don’t seem enough at this moment.  I wish I could be one of those people who truly only need the simpler things in life.  Right now, I want anything by Missoni, a Foley + Corinna handbag, a J. Crew cashmere sweater, plane tickets to Barcelona and lots of STUFF.  STUFF that show others (and myself) that all my hard work is worth it, that I have extra money to spend on frivolous things and don’t have to worry about bills and cut coupons.

Update: I went shopping but ended up buying nothing.  I didn’t want to buy just for the sake of buying.  Even the J. Crew online sale did not entice me.  After some thought, I guess I realized again that shopping isn’t a solution.

Evil Health Insurance Company, Why Do You Bother Denying My Claims?

Over the past three years, I’ve gotten quite good at battling my health insurance company, or hereforth known as Evil Health Insurer, for their denial of office visits and diagnostic tests recommended by my doctors.  I have to thank the internet for my newfound expertise. When my insurer first denied a legitimate visit to a specialist, I did some research and found very helpful tips on letter writing and on navigating the process in general.  Using these tips, I wrote a letter and included documentation to back up my claims.  A month later, they said I was correct and paid for the visit.

Since that first victory, they’ve denied various claims (for the same medical condition) at least four times. I’ve lost count.  Each time, I pull up my letter template…yes, I now have a handy insurance letter template…fill in the blanks, and re-attach supporting documentation from my benefits manual.  I recently won my latest battle and I admit that I’m feeling cocky enough to post about this. I want to say or shout from the rooftops:

Dear Evil Health Insurer,

You may screw over millions of people just when they need healthcare the most but you’re not screwing me. In fact, the next you see a letter from me, why don’t you just approve the claim without re-reviewing the case because you know I’m right!!!

Or better yet, why don’t you stop denying legitimate claims in the hope that the victim is too illed, too uneducated, or too busy to fight back?  I truly cannot believe that each denial is an honest mistake. I saw Michael Moore’s “Sicko” and have read enough horror stories to know that this is simply how most insurers conduct business.

Hopefully this post will become irrelevant if healthcare reform actually goes through. In the meantime, here are my tips if you ever get denied:

1 ) Your letter should not be emotional.  Be as factual as possible. Throw in legal-ese if you can!

2 ) Send your letter via certified mail. Don’t bother calling more than once. A paper trail is critical.

3 ) Back it up! Copy pages from your benefits manual that support your claim.

4 ) Keep a copy of your letter and use it as a template if/when you are denied again in the future. This saves a lot of time and makes the process less of a headache.

You can also ask your HR department for help if you’re not able to resolve this on your own. Remember, most people don’t fight back and insurers know this. They are more likely to approve your claim if you’re one of the few who bother to fight back. I don’t know if fighting back counts in my “Just Ask! Negotiations” challenge.  After all, my company and I pay for health insurance and expect legitimate expenses to be part of the deal. It’s not the same as asking for a better deal on rugs or shoes.

I’ve left out the name of this Evil Health Insurer because they’re all pretty much the same so I don’t feel the need to single them out by name

Supporting “Starving” Artists

I just came across a website of a local Los Angeles artist who was profiled along with others in a Los Angeles Times article.  The artist paints birds and sells prints and notecards through Etsy and his own blog (with the interesting name of mincing mockingbird), although I think you can also inquire about original paintings.  At only $14 for an 8″ x 10″ print, it’s a pretty good deal.  Plus, you support a working artist and get away from the boring, generic prints found at Ikea and other mass merchants. I haven’t decided if I should purchase any myself.  We don’t have much wall empty wall space left and I hate to clutter up the house. 

It’s funny that I was so attracted to this image since I don’t normally notice nature/bird prints.

The artist comes up with interesting titles, too.  The above 8 x 10 art print is entitled ”A Vague Sense That There Is More To Life Than Eating Gnats”

Oh, I doubt the artist is really starving. My apologies to any artists out there who may find the post title offensive!  I also hope the artist doesn’t mind that I took images off of his blog and put it up here.