Monthly Archives: May 2015

1

Geeky in Atlanta

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So, one of my responsibilities as a co-organizer of PyLadiesATL is determining a new regular date for a our monthly meetings! I reached out to some folks via Twitter to get a sense of Atlanta’s existing social opportunities across a variety languages. I figured why not go ahead and share what I’d learned, in case anyone else is interested?

Numbers below refer to the first, second, third, or fourth instance of a given day in a month. For example, Atlanta’s Clojure meetup, Atl-Clj, meets monthly on the second Tuesday. Let me know if this is unclear, or if there’s a better way of organizing!

Our PyLadiesATL Meetup page will be updated when we’ve picked our new date. Links to Meetup pages, where applicable, included below.

Monday
1: AllTheNerdyLadies.com monthly social hour
2:
3:
4:

Tuesday
1: PyATL Jam Session monthly meeting
2: Atl-Clj, Atlanta’s Clojure Meetup, monthly meeting
3: WomenWhoCode Atlanta monthly meeting
4:

Wednesday
1:
2: ATLRUG: Atlanta Ruby Users Group, monthly meeting
3:
4: Rails Girls Atlanta monthly meeting

Thursday
1:
2: PyATL: Atlanta Python Programmers monthly meeting
3:
4:

Friday – Saturday – Sunday
No meetups on these days!

Please let me know if there’s anything that should be added. Thanks so much in advance!

3

Saturday mornings are for homemade waffles

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So yesterday I made what feels like the weightiest career decision of my adult life. I’ll be ready to share the specifics on Tuesday afternoon, but for now, please know that your kind thoughts are very appreciated. I’m not intentionally trying to keep you in the dark, either – just waiting on things to be finalized. ❤️


To prepare for the big things to come, I got up early and set up my laptop, journal, and to-do list book. Right now I’m more anxious and scared than excited. When I feel this way, it’s helpful to remember all the many good things I have in my life: friends who care, a safe and comfortable home, food to eat, and so on. Writing it out makes it real.

Also, I just looked out to my porch to see two teensy black-capped chickadees enjoying some of the sunflower seeds I put out. They sang a little song and fluttered off. Nothing like a happy birdsong to make you feel like things are gonna be okay.

Or waffles, right?

A decent breakfast can go a long way with nerves.

Yesterday I was in a hurry and relied on some tasty boxed waffles, but Saturday mornings are for the real thing. Here’s a recipe. It feeds one extremely hungry person (even then, they’ll have leftovers) or two people happily. Since I’m flying solo this morning, I ate well.

Note: this recipe requires the use of a waffle maker. If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend it. An investment of $25 will feed you many, many, many brunches. And since waffles only take about a half hour to make, you’ll be inclined to make them more often than not. Just think about how many times you’ve gone out and spent $25 on a single brunch – once you count the mimosa, the sides, the fancy coffee. Treat yourself to a gift that will keep giving!

I have a cheapo Proctor Silex “My Morning Baker” that I bought off Amazon. The name makes me giggle.

Dry:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Wet:
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp neutral oil (canola, veg)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional but recommended, if you have it: 2 drops maple extract

Instructions:

Preheat waffle iron.

In a small bowl, combine soymilk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk with a fork.

Place a sifter atop a mixing bowl and add dry ingredients. Sift well. If all ingredients do not totally sift, dump remnants into bowl from sifter. Use a wire whisk to aerate mixture.

Return to soymilk mixture. Add oil and extracts. Mix vigorously with fork.

Pour wet into dry and whisk to combine.

Cook according to your waffle maker’s instructions. I just spray canola oil on mine, pour in batter, close, and wait till the light clicks off.

Top per your preference, noting that it has a sweet and, if you use the maple extract, a gentle maple flavor as is. You may find it needs less than you expect! This one is also good for sandwiching things – a little veggie sausage, some tofu scramble… you get the idea.

Go forth and waffle!

2

Super quick creamy coconut chickpea curry

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Recently I had some friends over for the first time for dinner and board games.

andy

Ticket to Ride, in fact. Have you played? It’s one of the best!

I was pretty short on time, having worked that day, so I put together one of my favorite quick recipes: creamy coconut chickpea curry. I felt super guilty as they heaped praise upon me, because this is one of the quickest and easiest things I make! So quick and easy, in fact, that I threw it together on my lunch break today when I ran home to grab a few things I’d forgotten and needed at the office.

pretty

It’s also quite pretty!

I think it’s about time that I share this magic with you. You need only a handful of ingredients to eat well:

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (you can also use vegetable or canola)
  • 2 medium to large onions, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small knob ginger, minced (optional but great)
  • 1.5 tablespoons spices – curry powder, chana/chhole mix, or your own blend (see below)
  • 3 cups of chickpeas
  • 1 28 oz can organic chopped tomatoes, partially drained
  • 1 14oz can organic full-fat coconut milk
  • salt to taste
  • juice of one lemon, or chaat masala (per instructions)
  • optional: squeeze of agave nectar or teaspoon of sugar for sweetness
  • optional: fresh methi (fenugreek) or cilantro, chopped
  • optional: a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, for extra spice

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You have three choices for the spice mix. If you have a standard curry powder on hand, feel free to use it. If you have an Indian market nearby, you can search the spice aisle for a packaged chana/chhole mix and use that, making sure to follow package instructions. Or you could make your own blend – I previously shared a nice spice mix from PPK in this post.

I usually make my own blend, but recently I picked up my first box of packaged spice mix and wanted to give it a try. Regardless of your choice, the instructions that follow will be the same. It’ll taste slightly different, of course, but still great!

To start, soften the onion in a large skillet, with a pinch of salt. Be sure to warm your pan first, then add the oil, then add the onions.

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Next, Add the garlic and ginger (if using) and mix well, cooking over medium about a minute.

Now add the spices and toss well to coat:

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Add the can of tomatoes, partially drained, and increase heat:

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Add the chickpeas:

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I used chickpeas that I’d prepared from dry. If you’re using canned, you’ll want two cans, drained and rinsed. If from a can, expect your chickpeas to be a little softer.

Add the can of coconut milk and mix well to thoroughly incorporate.

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Let simmer on medium-high for about 10 minutes to reduce and thicken.

Add salt to taste. Start with a half of a teaspoon and go up in quarter-teaspoon increments til you get to a place you like. Taste, taste, taste!!

Add the juice of a whole lemon or, if you have it on hand, the chaat masala. It’s a blend of salts and spices that will give your dish a tangy taste. Ingredients are listed below to the right:

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If you find you need a little sweetness, add in a bit of agave nectar. You could also use a teaspoon of organic sugar or coconut palm sugar. Again, very flexible!

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For a little something extra, add chopped fenugreek (fresh methi leaves) or chopped cilantro.

Play around with the finished dish adding this or that to your taste: a little more salt, sweet, spicy, sour. This is a great way to learn more about your taste and the way flavors play together. Don’t be afraid to be a little adventurous.

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This dish keeps very well in the fridge for about a week. Some say it even tastes better the next day!

Instructions re-cap (so easy!!):

  • Warm the pan
  • Warm the oil
  • Add onions and a pinch of salt
  • Soften/brown the onions (about 10 minutes)
  • Add the garlic and ginger
  • Add the spices, stir to coat onions
  • Add the tomatoes
  • Add the chickpeas
  • Add the can of coconut milk
  • Simmer 10mins to thicken
  • Add salt, taste for salt
  • Add the lemon or chaat masala
  • Taste of salty, sweet, spicy, sour and adjust as needed by adding more salt, sugar or agave, cayenne or red pepper flakes, lemon, etc.
  • Optional: add fresh fenugreek leaves or cilantro

Serve on rice! Play a board game! Be happy.