ErinNudi.com

Author: Erin Nudi

  • Making heroes flawed (writing exercise #14)

    A little catch up before we begin for regular readers…if you’re just here for the writing exercise, go ahead and jump to that.

    I’m back from a month-long hiatus from the blog, in lieu of some Big Life Changes going on.  You’ll probably notice some changes with the blog as well.

    I’ve already announced a break from my most popular category I wrote about the most, the Difference Betweens.

    You might have also noticed a few categories that didn’t really take off – Tara’s Tutorials With Baking, which was great in theory but time consuming and now I’m going to be moving, and won’t be just down the street from my baking expert sister-in-law.

    Then there was Operation Declutter, which is actually still an ongoing process in real life, as it has died on the blog. As I got into it, I realized there were uh, things I was getting rid of that I didn’t really want to broadcast on the internet. I still very, very much believe in decluttering and having less Stuff around, but this has turned into more of a private process.

    As I’ve started a new, full time writing job, I’ve stopped my main freelancing gigs, so I’m not writing as much at home anymore. Although I took a break from ErinNudi.com as I got settled into my new, awesome job, oddly enough, I’m actually going to have more time to blog than I did before.

    And the whole not freelancing thing also leaves room for another passion of mine: fiction writing.

    I wrote a novel a couple years ago, Sober in Connecticut. The whole thing. About 96,000 words. I put it out there to publishers and didn’t get a bite. That will probably be revisited at some point.

    Over the course of several months, several months ago, I wrote roughly half of the most difficult short story I’ve ever worked on – about 10,000 words – and had to stop. I hope to revisit this one as well. We’ll call it “The Animal Story” (a working/terrible title).

    As I jump back into fiction, I wanted to start fresh with a new story.

    I know, I know. It’s classic to start stories and not finish them, and I swear I don’t normally do that and “The Animal Story” is a fluke.

    But a story idea just came along recently, like they often do, and I’ve been plotting it out and doing some character development before I dive in…

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  • Difference between: coffee and decaf coffee

    Okay folks, small blog update before I get into this one.

    I started a new job this week. 

    I’ve transitioned from being a freelance writer on the side, to being an actual, full-time, writer and editor for a well known marketing company. This is awesome.

    In lieu of the big changes happening in my life, I thought it was time to take a gander at the Difference Between category on this blog – the one I post in the most frequently.

    I started this blog in April of 2013. (Three year anniversary!) My first Difference Between post was in July of 2013, on Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing. I’ve done a Difference Between post once a week, with few exceptions, for two years and nine months. 

    And I think it’s time to switch it up.

    I have an idea of what I want to take my once-a-week post place, but I’m not sure enough to announce it just yet.

    In the meantime! Feel free to continue emailing me with Difference Between post ideas, because I’ll probably pick it up at some point.

    Here’s the last Difference Between post for awhile: coffee versus decaf coffee.

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  • Difference between: red and green grapes

    Grapes! They’re great for snacking, good for salads, and can be made into jams, jellies, raisins, and wine.

    What’s the difference between red grapes and green grapes? 

    As in turns out, not too much – this will be one of our quicker Difference Betweens.

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  • Difference between: seltzer and tonic water

    For today’s Difference Between, I thought we’d check out the varieties of carbonated water available – specifically seltzer water and tonic water, but we’ll delve into club soda as well.

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  • Beef chipotle burritos

    Oh my gosh. This is so. Good.

    And if you try to stay away from red meat, I bet it works great with chicken too.

    Thank you to Better Homes and Gardens for this one, and a hat tip to FlavorMosiac.com for the salsa topping.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak
    • 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
    • 1/3 cup chopped onion
    • 3 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, minced (come in 7 oz cans)
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 1/4 tsp cumin
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 6 (9 or 10 inch) flour tortillas
    • 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (optional, seriously tastes great without it)
    • Pico de Gallo salsa*

    *Pico de Gallo salsa – this is the recipe I use, which I love, but by all means use a different one if you wish. Once again this is from FlavorMosiac.com, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite recipe sites.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
    • juice of 1 lime
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Use your judgement here – keep your own personal preference in mind in terms of spiciness (remember, the beef has chipotle peppers in it, which is also spicy), and the size of the vegetables can of course vary greatly. The recipe calls for one onion but I didn’t end up using the whole thing. Also, you can omit the salt if you really want to.

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  • Why are nuts expensive?

    Let’s talk about nuts and why they cost so much.

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  • Difference between: cottage cheese and ricotta cheese

    Other than one being more lumpy than the other, what’s the difference between these two soft cheeses?

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  • Difference between: cappuccino and latte

    Definitions:

    • Cappuccino: a hot beverage consisting of espresso coffee and steamed milk, often served with powdered cinnamon and topped with whipped cream.
    • Latte: hot espresso with steamed milk, usually topped with foamed milk.

    And since they both include espresso…

    • Espresso: a strong coffee prepared by forcing live steam under pressure, or boiling water, through ground dark-roast coffee beans.

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  • Difference between: a blender and a food processor

    They’re obviously similar, but what’s the difference between a blender and a food processor?

    Let’s find out what exactly we should be using each kitchen appliance for.

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  • Difference between: green chiles and jalapenos

    I use canned green chiles in my cooking often; jalapenos I usually buy fresh, but I have used jarred and canned as well.

    What’s the difference between these two popular peppers?

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