I’ve been introduced to a new world today…both literally and figuratively. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind to this morning…

Guess who I met for breakfast today? Natasha from 5-Star Foodie and Jasmine from Sweet and Fit! How lucky am I to live close to two of the most fabulous bloggers ever?

If you’ve ever been to Natasha’s blog, you’ll be bowled over by all her spectacular and out-of-the-world creations. She seriously comes up with the most stunning recipes ever, some of which to I found out derived from her own husband and daughter’s contributions! What a family of genius foodies! Natasha is also really warm and personable, and I wish all of you could have met her!

And Jasmine…she is just exactly like the name of her blog: so incredibly sweet, and so gorgeous. Even her voice has a sweet-honey melody to it. But life has not been so sweet to her…She only recently got discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital for a rare combination of lupus and polymyositis…but she’s fighting on bravely, and I witnessed for myself her strong, cheerful spirit. Please read more about her and show her some support!

Anyway. My friend Jane and I met them at this huge glorious supermarket called Wegman’s…And holy cow…where has this gorgeous place been all my life? I can’t believe I only live about 15 minutes drive away and this is only my first time visiting it…It’s decorated like an European market, and has a eye-popping selection of hot food bar, salad bar, sushi, and baked goods…

Just like Whole Foods, except almost better (Coming from the #1-fan of Whole Foods, this is big). Yeah. I think I discovered yet another new territory to explore and salvage.

Okay, rave over. Let me recollect myself.

Right. We had a lovely time, talking about everything from food (duh) to dogs. Jasmine had to leave a bit earlier because of her poor dog waiting for her in the car and an appointment, but Jane and I continued to converse further with Natasha. And somehow we got to the topic of having kids as we talked about Natasha’s daughter, Hannah.

Kids. Oh, kids. People always get surprised when I say I never want to have kids. They get even more surprised when I add that I also  never want to get married.

I don’t know when I started having such vehement objections towards marriage and kids. When I was young I dreamed of marrying the perfect man and having three kids and living happily ever after. But now…the thought of getting married and giving birth and taking care of children gives me chills. I’ve shut my mind completely against that notion, and already have set my mind to be a spinster forever.

Perhaps it’s from my low self-esteem that I will never be able to find a guy who will love me. Perhaps it’s from the fear of losing my freedom, the scary idea of actually loving someone that much to spend the rest of my life with. Perhaps it’s the apprehension that God, in His justice, will give me horrible kids for all the grief I have given my parents as a daughter. Most likely, it’s the combination of all the above.

But hearing Natasha speak so proudly and lovingly about her daughter…and the pains she went through to get a child…it kind of opened my eyes to the possibility of having a child of my own. It also helped that Hannah (Natasha’s daughter) seemed like a perfect angel with multiple talents, and that Natasha talked about her with such joy.

Later Jane asked me if I changed my mind yet. At that time I still gave an ambiguous answer, but now, after much thinking…I decided it was stupid of me to close up my heart and mind already this young at age. Who knew how my future would turn out? And why not just be open to all options, instead of stubbornly rejecting them? I certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity to a great joy in life just because of my stubborn beliefs and ideas.

So. Thank you, Natasha, Jasmine, and Jane, for introducing me to a new place, and a new option, and new relationships.

Anyway, it was already time for lunch when I got home, so I rummaged through my fridge for a quick-fix lunch. And look what I found in the back of my freezer:

Two packets of 7-months-old freezer-burned Boca patties…-____-;;;

Yeah. These are back from my days of fearing real meat. I no longer fear red meat though, and it was such a waste to just dump them, so I decided to cook my last meat-substitute burgers…

“Cheeseburger” Flatbread Pizza

• whole wheat flatbread
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soysauce
• 2 cooked Boca patties, chopped
• handful of grape tomatoes, sliced
• 5-6 pickles, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix the ketchup and soy sauce to make an instant BBQ sauce. Spread it all over the flatbread, then top on the Boca patties, tomatoes, and pickles.
Mix together the Dijon mustard and mayo, then drop it by spoonfuls evenly around the pizza. Pile on the cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is crispy.

I swear to God, this smelled exactly like McDonald’s cheeseburger. But much healthier!

The only thing is I didn’t care much for the taste of Boca patties. I would
rate this a solid 9.5/10 if there were real hamburger on top.

The pickles were a nice addition. I know, you’re thinking, pickles on pizza? But really, it is such a nice tangy bite with the burger and the cheese!

The best part (besides the cheese) was the random spots of mustard/mayo mixture. Totally hit the spot!
Ooh…I love the crisp sound of the blade cutting into the bread…
Four sections of beauty…Bursting with flavor!

Come on, you want a bite, you know you do!

Altogether yummmyyyy~ But I’m never buying Boca again. I hope I don’t offend any vegetarians/vegans out there, but I’d rather have real meat or no “meat” at all…No imitation for me!

Anyway, I hope you all had a good Tuesday…sorry for the late post, I just came back from Discipleship Training…and waited an hour and a half while my dad was talking to one of the ladies in our church who were asking some spiritual question…Sigh…such is the sacrifice I have to make as a pastor’s daughter…

Question of the day: Was there any opinion/idea/anything to which you were close-minded that you later opened up to?
And what is your favorite grocery store?

Related posts:

1. Mmm…Umami…
2. Back to the ER
3. My Report Card in Relationships
4. Booty-shake-shake for Kabocha!
5. Just a Shadow

Tagged as: burger, cheese, pickles, pizza, tomato