Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 402

Day 12: Shrimp with White Beans and Toast

Today's recipe was prepared by Erin Henry, assitant editor/producer for RealSimple.com. Like Antigoni (who prepared yeterday's recipe), Erin builds the stories on RealSimple.com.

 

 

There are few things that I enjoy more than shellfish. So when I saw this straightforward Shrimp with White Beans and Toast, I was excited to give it a try. Frozen shrimp requires no prep, which made getting started a breeze. Once the shrimp had completely thawed, I went to work buttering the bread and slicing the garlic as the pan heated up. After toasting the bread, you use the same skillet to cook the shrimp (something I appreciated, since I don't have a dishwasher). The remainder of the recipe—making a sauce of the butter and wine, then cooking the shrimp, beans and greens in it—was just as easy as it looked. My entire apartment smelled great as I doled out the mixture onto plates for my boyfriend and myself.

 

 

This dish was delicious and very flavorful. It was warm and buttery, and the crunch of the toasted bread contrasted nicely with the softer textures of the beans and shrimp. I generally shy away from arugula because I'm not a fan of bitter foods, but wilting the greens in the butter sauce took the bite out of them. We had plenty of leftovers (the meal was intended for 4), which made for great lunches throughout the week. It did take me a little more than 15 minutes to make, but this is likely because my skillet was just a touch too small for the amount of shrimp (the biggest skillet I have is 10 inches). The meal was quick, filling, and very tasty—definitely something I will make again!

 

 

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments, and share your photos by following @RealSimpleFood on Twitter and using the hashtag #OctDinner.

 

Play a Game, Do Some Good!

The merits of playing games on your smartphone may be debatable—while so many of the games seem silly or without much value, research has shown that doing more vigorous mental gymnastics such as crossword puzzles is good for the brain—what if you could make those minutes with your device actually help others? Here's one way.

During this month, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when you play Bliss Mobile Game you can accumulate in-game points that can then be turned into actual dollars for the non-profit breast cancer educational organization, Beautiful Day Foundation.

It's that simple. No pink lipstick or mauve scarf or other item to add to your clutter. Obviously, you do need to purchase the app, for $2.99, and log in some QT with the shape and color matching puzzle, but how hard is that?

Anyone with a long train commute, or facing a snaking line at the DMV or just in possession some other idle moments may have found a way to play games for some good! Or heck, ask your teenager who's so good at Minesweeper or Tetris to take some time away for Bliss! For more info, look here.

 

"When You Reach Me": Part Two

Well, Kristin H called it in the comments last week: Marcus traveled in time and left the notes for Miranda. I saw that coming, too, at a certain point and honestly? I was slightly annoyed about it.

 

Don't get me wrong: I think this is a remarkable novel, all the more so considering its slim size. Stead packs quite a bit into her pages. I was nearly moved to tears as Sal hurtled toward the truck, and touched by the scene in which Miranda becomes Alice's bathroom partner—not to mention her first, tentative kiss with Colin (awww). I was brought back to age 12 in ways both good and, frankly, mortifying—and it's been a long time since a novel affected me that powerfully.

 

But.

 

I'm just not a big science-fiction person, so the time travel plot (and really, the whole conclusion of the book) didn't resonate with me as much. I was so carried away by the complicated web of friendships and crushes and middle-school politics that it felt unnecessary to me. (Of course, this overlay is exactly why the book has been so acclaimed, so I may be out to lunch on this one.) What did you think—did you love the science-fiction elements of the novel, or prefer the coming-of-age elements? Or did you feel they both worked?

 

I'd love to hear, and while you're at it, pass on any questions you have for author Rebecca Stead by 6 p.m. EST on Friday, October 22. She'll be answering your questions in an upcoming blog post.

 

—Noelle

 

Are you reading this via an e-mail or RSS feed? If you wish to comment, please click here.

 

 

Day 11: Chicken Paprikash

Kicking off week three of our Four-Week Dinner Plan is Antigoni Gouras, producer on RealSimple.com. Antigoni is one of the people responsible for building the  articles and galleries on the site.

 

 

The recipe for Chicken Paprikash was very simple to make—and didn't require much clean-up! Instead of skin-on, bone-in thighs, I ended up using skinless, boneless ones since I have a plentiful supply of them from Costco. The missing bone made the chicken a little dry, so I'd recommend sticking with bone-in.  

 

 

Overall, the dish was good, but next time I would increase the amount of both the garlic and the pepper. My Greek-American palate has grown immune to those two ingredients due to daily consumption. A bay leaf might also be an interesting touch that I usually add to my Greek-inspired stews.

 

 

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments, and share your photos by following @RealSimpleFood on Twitter and using the hashtag #OctDinner.

 

Positioning Yourself for a Raise

I recently covered a new study that found, not surprisingly, that job satisfaction declines when workers find out they are making less than their peers. What was a bit shocking was that finding out they made more than their peers had no effect on workers at all. It got me thinking about how better disclosure on salaries might help people get paid what they're worth.

 

Economists at the University of California at Berkeley and Princeton made use of a 2008 Web site created by the Sacramento Bee newspaper, which lists the salaries of all state employees, including faculty and staff at the University of California. The researchers contacted a random subset of employees at three UC campuses, informing them about the existence of the site. Some 80 percent of those contacted checked out their colleagues' wages.

 

A few days later the researchers surveyed all campus employees about their use of the site, their pay and job satisfaction and how likely they were to search for a new job. They compared the answers from workers in the treatment group (who were informed of the site) with those in the control group (who were not). Then they matched survey responses to the salary data.

 

For people below the median income in their department or work unit, knowing what others earned made them less satisfied with their earnings and jobs overall, and increased the likelihood of searching for a new job. "By comparison, those who are paid above the median experience no significant change in any of these outcomes," the researchers write.

 

So in an uneven pay environment, the taboo on sharing salary information helps lower-paid workers avoid painful envy. This de-motivating force is one reason employers strongly enforce pay secrecy. "A lot require you to sign an agreement that you won't disclose your salary," said David Card, who co-authored the paper with Enrico Moretti and Emmanuel Saez of Berkeley and Alexandre Mas of Princeton. "But if the labor market operated like an idealized market, public information would be the standard. The neoclassical setting effectively assumes there is a market wage, everyone knows it and everyone should get it -- and that's definitely not what's going on. It's the discretionary element that's making people unhappy."

 

For example, one of the problems at UC Berkeley, Card said, "is it's a very strange wage-setting system, and there's a huge amount of discretion. Salaries are set on the basis of your last job offer; (bosses) respond on a case-by-case basis to keep the people they want. So people who aren't out looking for job and don't bring in an offer don't get big wage increases. We don't have any kind of standardization, so it's very common for people objectively to be doing similar work" and have different salaries.

 

But on the downside, pay secrecy hurts competent workers who don't realize they deserve more in an environment where salaries are discretionary. Being dumb may make you happier, but it's no good for your bottom line. When you're able to get more intelligence on what the market will bear, "some of the information you're learning is what you can negotiate," said Card.

 

Although not many companies are offering raises in the tough economy, It's not a bad idea to position yourself for a pay hike when the recovery finally comes. Get some perspective by visiting sites such as salary.com, payscale.com; see if a professional association or industry group in your field conducts salary surveys. (If you work in the public sector, do an internet search to see if your state has a database similar to California's.)

 

If your salary is way below the median, find out why. Examine your annual performance reviews. How have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? Have you promoted your accomplishments to the right people? Document the ways you have added value to your company and helped it achieve its most important goals. Then look for an opportune time to discuss a raise – at your next performance review, or at the beginning or end of a major project.

Don't hand your boss an ultimatum unless you're ready to leave. And if your firm doesn't have the cash for a raise, how about more time off, or a bonus attached to a specific project? If you do find out what your co-workers make, I wouldn't mention it in your negotiations. Your goal is to get paid what you're worth, not to overhaul an employer's questionable compensation policies.

 

Adorable Way to Dress Up Halloween Cupcakes

A few months ago I came across these innovative, charming toppings for cupcakes: Ticings! They're edible sheets of icing that have cute designs printed on them for any occasion, from baby showers to birthdays to Halloween. And they're especially perfect for those of us non-bakers who want a way to simply dress up cupcakes from a store-bought mix. Plus, they're super easy to apply: Once you frost your treats (buttercream frosting works best), you simply peel off the top sheet of the sticker and press down firmly. (And don't worry, you can't taste them and they're made with food-safe, non-toxic inks.) 

For Halloween, the company has debuted a festive assortment of creepy spiders, Jack-O'-Lanterns, and black cats. What do you think? Would you use these in place of sprinkles?

 

Day 10: Ravioli with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

Our last recipe of week two comes from art director Abbey Prokell. Part of our magnificient design team, Abbey designs several of the features each month, including the story that all these recipes are coming from—Your Four-Week Dinner Plan.

 

 

I made the Ravioli with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon for my family on Sunday, and it was easy and delicious! I did some of the prep work while my 2-year old was napping, I cooked the bacon, chopped the pecans and sliced the Brussels sprouts, which made throwing it all together at dinner time a breeze. I should note, that frying the bacon in a skillet was a bit messy, but the crispness it added to the dish was worth the mess.

 

 

After just 10 minutes of cooking time, the final dish was delicious. I loved the texture of the Brussels sprouts with the crumble of the bacon. And while I enjoyed the pecans in the recipe, I can also envision using toasted pine nuts. I may just try that the next time.

 

 

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments, and share your photos by following @RealSimpleFood on Twitter and using the hashtag #OctDinner.

 

Etiquette: How to Retaliate Against a Boss Who Fired You

As soon as I learned I'd be blogging about etiquette, I started phoning friends and family to announce the big news: "Guess who has good manners, after all?"

 

Some of my brothers were skeptical ("Clearly they didn't dig into your past," Dan said, dredging up tired claims that I "hogged the TV" in the 1970s, forcing bystanders to "endure Mannix"). But most people were supportive, you could even say thrilled, if only because my new job presented an opportunity to get answers to questions that had been bugging them.

 

"OK, here's my dilemma," my friend Liz (not her real name) said the other day, over dinner (pasta) at a neighborhood restaurant. "Did I ever tell you about this boss, the one who fired me when my old company was downsizing?"

 

"No," I said, adding loyally, "But she was clearly an idiot if she fired you."

 

(Etiquette tip: Always show this level of support if a friend has been fired, even if the firing occurred years ago.)

 

"Yeah, she was," Liz agreed. "She got fired too, a few months later. I just found out she has a new job—at the company where I work now."

 

"No!" I said.

 

"And she is going to be at this meeting I have tomorrow. It's the first time I'll be in a room with her since she fired me," Liz said. "So?"

 

"So...what?" I asked.

 

"What should I say when I see her?" Liz asked.

 

That's when it hit me. Oh my God, Liz was asking my advice. Like I was some kind of an expert. I examined my qualifications: wife, dog owner, mother of three nearly grown daughters with passable manners.

 

So I went with it.

 

"Here's what you do," I said, in a very certain tone. "Go up to her, and in front of everyone, smile as if you feel genuinely sorry for her and say, in a sincere tone, 'Gosh, I hope you didn't get fired after they found out you fired me.'"

 

At that, Liz laughed so hard she snorted a little carbonara.

 

(Etiquette tip: This is OK, as long as other diners don't notice.)

 

And I realized, this could be a really fun job.

 

So, what do you think? Is there a statute of limitations on holding grudges in the workplace? What would you say to a difficult former boss?

 

5 Tips to Make Sure You Eat Breakfast Every Morning

I'm not a morning person at all. When my alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button at least three times; I have a set getting-ready-for-work routine that I can't deviate from; and most of my friends know not to try to engage me in conversation before, say, 11 a.m. at the earliest. As part of my morning routine, however (shower, brush teeth, blow dry hair, etc), I always make sure to grab something for breakfast. I'm sure you've heard it a million times—nutritionists and experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I'm usually not hungry in the morning, but I'll force myself to eat something small at work to keep me going until lunchtime.

 

I know it's tough trying to squeeze in breakfast every day, so I've come up with five tips to help make sure you get something in your stomach (besides coffee) each morning.

 

1. Think outside the cereal box. Breakfast doesn't always have to mean scrambled eggs or a bowl of cereal. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a handful of trail mix, a healthy smoothie, even last night's leftovers (pasta salad, chicken and vegetables) can make a decent start to your morning. You've eaten breakfast for dinner before, so why not dinner for breakfast?

2. Prepare for the week ahead on Sundays. When possible, try to prep your breakfast ahead of time, whether it's making a big batch of smoothies, whipping up extra brunch waffles and freezing them, or portioning out trail mix into individual baggies for you or the kids to take with you. I do this with my lunch, too—I'll pack up whatever I've made into individual containers at night and stack them in the fridge, so each morning I just have to grab one as I'm headed out the door.

3. Pack breakfast in your work bag/kid's backpack the night before. If you're bringing something non-perishable like a muffin or a banana, go ahead and put in your bag before you go to bed. (This applies to anything else you might need to take with you the next day, like an umbrella, gym clothes, or work papers. The less you have to think about in the morning, the better.)  If it is something perishable that needs to be refrigerated, leave a reminder note on the front door so you'll be sure to remember before you leave the house.

4. Leave something at work. These days, I bring in an apple from home, then keep a stash of almonds (which is also great for afternoon snacks) in my desk at work so I can have a little protein with my fruit. A jar of peanut butter also works well; leave some crackers in your desk too, and you'll always have a quick breakfast on hand. Or you could bring in several yogurt containers and keep them in your office fridge (just remember to label them with your name to ward off thieves—there's one in every office!).

5. Remember, the microwave is your friend. Besides zapping a bowl of oatmeal in minutes, it can also cook eggs and bacon. For scrambled eggs, crack a couple eggs in a microwave-safe bowl, add a bit of salt and whatever seasonings you like, then whisk. Microwave on high for about a minute. For bacon, lay a few slices on a paper-towel-lined plate (both the paper and the plate should be microwave-safe, obviously), then cover with another paper towel. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes. In both cases, you'll have to play around a bit with the times to adjust to your specific microwave.

 

Here are nine more fast, healthy breakfast ideas you can eat while on the go. What are your tricks for making sure you or your kids eat breakfast in the morning?

(image: Tom Grill/Iconica/Getty Images)

Uncluttered Phones

There are times when too many features can clutter up a gadget. An example of when too many features might not be a great idea is if you want to buy your elderly grandmother a cell phone for safety reasons. Although an iPhone is a cool machine, it's probably not the best option for someone with severe arthritis, poor eye sight, limited access to an internet connection, and even less experience with touch-screen technology.



You also might be interested in getting your kindergartner a cell phone so he can give you a call in case of an emergency, but you obviously don't want him texting his five-year-old pals.



For situations like this, I recommend looking into phones that are created for exactly these situations. They have buttons that are made for easy dialing, pre-programmed numbers so people can be reached with just the touch of one button, and other features available to help in an emergency.



The Just5 phone ($90) is great for folks who are visually impaired, and it also has a button on it that will call up to five numbers until a connection is made on the line:






The Migo ($50) has four pre-programmed buttons (mom, dad, brother, sister) and Emergency:






The Firefly Glowphone ($50) is great for kids -- one button looks like mom, and one looks like dad:






If bells and whistles are clutter to the user, find a phone without applications and go for one that is actually made to be used in emergency situations.