Took the subway into Manhattan from JFK. It is so quintessential New York, with the diversity of people, with the infrastructure of the transit system, and with the grime and scum of a big city (especially as compared to San Diego - quite possibility the most sterile city in the United States). Jon and I shared a piece of luggage. It’s not unusual to see people on the subway with luggage, but they don’t usually ride the subway all the way in to Midtown. Subway etiquette is similar to elevator etiquette, but the duration is longer and it’s on a different axis of movement. You see and notice everything but you don’t make direct eye contact. We didn’t directly stare, but we did notice someone else staring. He was staring at this Asian girl applying eyeliner. She just kept circling her eyes with the liner that I was certain she was a cast member for a Broadway show with singing raccoons. It takes a lot of skill to apply makeup on the subway. It’s not a smooth train ride; no, quite the opposite, it’s a bumpy ride of twists and turns with varying velocities. I couldn’t imagine getting something that close to my eyes while on the train. There was another woman putting on makeup as well. The train jerked and all the contents of her makeup bag spilled out onto the floor. That floor … Everything just went right back into the makeup bag (I’m sure she’ll spray it all down with Lysol later). I guess as a regular subway rider, one would get used to having people around. Americans have a big bubble of personal space, and people who are used to commuting in their own cars have even bigger space bubbles. More on this later. Other things I noticed on the ride in to Midtown: an indigent older man took a long pull from a fifth of vodka he had stashed in his pocket. (He seemed a bit clean for a subway bum) We took the E train and changed lines to get off at 42nd Street/Bryant Park. Our hotel was just a few blocks away, but it was raining up top and everything was wet coming up to the street. Not good weather for a baseball game in the Bronx.
Working for Steinbrenner
After checking into the hotel, we headed out to Yankees Stadium. We’ve been there before, so there was no pressure to see a game there. But still, we spent a lot of money on these lousy seats. Got there around 7:15pm. Game was delayed; the tarp was cratered with pools of rain water. We walked around, and went to look for our seats. Because of the delay, the stands were only half full (and most likely all tourists). The line for Monument Park was wrapped around the concourse. We decided to go get a hot dog; just a snack, didn’t want to fill up because we were planning on going to dinner after the game (can’t waste a meal in NYC). While waiting in line to order, someone came up to the counter asking for packets of mustard because they were out at the condiment stand. Hearing this, Jon asked for mustard as well, and the lady behind the counter got a paper tray, filled it with handfuls of mustard packets, and asked him to go refill the condiment stand for her. And he did. And he did a good job, even cleaned up a little. It was the least he can do after paying Steinbrenner hundreds of dollars for these tickets. After the game was officially rained out, we took the subway back to Midtown/East side. The subway was packed. It was like getting on to the morning commuter train in Tokyo. You just slam yourself into the train and make sure you’re inside the door. We got pushed in by the humanity who were still trying to get in. Stop it people – you’ll have to wait for the next train. So my personal space bubble totally popped. I was spooned up against this guy from out of town who came to see a game in the house that Ruth built. Since he was practically cradling me, I made a joke about it and introduced myself. He was upset the game was rained out because he wasn’t going to make it to the make-up game. (You’re probably wondering where Jon was during this conversation. He was right in front of me and I had my arms around him because I had nothing to hang on to)
Took the 4 train down and had dinner at Houston’s. We were so distracted with the bad weather and Hurricane Ike coverage at the bar that we totally forgot to order the spinach dip (who goes to Houston’s without ordering the dip?) After dinner, while we waited for the subway at Lex and 53rd to take us back across town, we listened to a guy singing and playing guitar. It was John Lennon’s Imagine. What a great song. It never fails to remind me of NYC; and now, it will always remind of that moment late night. We listened for 45 minutes before we realize that the V train doesn’t run after midnight. Had to drop some money into his case. Instead of going to Birdland, we have Mr. Subway guy entertaining us with his acoustic guitar. And all the while, we watched the gutter rats run around the tracks, feasting on the fine refuse provided by careless big city litterers. We took the subway over to Port Authority and had to walk through the theater district to get back to the hotel. I saw a man hailing a cab in front of us, and then waving him off after the cabbie pulled over. As we walked pass him, I turned to Jon and mentioned that was Tim Curry. He turned to look and confirmed it was Dr. FrankNFurter himself. You just never know who you’ll see on the street in New York.
Subway Stations:
Sutphin Blvd/JFK
Queens Plaza
42nd St/Bryant Park
161st St/Yankee Stadium
Lex/59th
Lex/53rd
42nd St/Port Authority
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
9/12/08 Flight to NYC
Flight Hour Minus 1
Jon’s dad dropped us off at the airport. Line through security was really long but it moved really fast – got through it in 15mins.
“Gate 26 Peg.”
“That’s not even in the Delta concourse.”
Walking down the terminal, the gate looked empty. Did everyone board already? Um, what? Air Trans flight to Atlanta?? Check the monitor.
Delta flight to JFK – Gate 38. What the ….
“It’s Gate 38 Jon. We’ve got 10mins.”
Walk back to the other side of the airport.
“The boarding pass says 26..”
“That’s seat number 26 A and B on the plane that’s at gate number 38.”
It’s exhausting to rush on an empty stomach at 6:30 in the morning.
“You owe for this J”
Get on the plane.
(That’s row number 26 for those of you keeping track)
Flight Hour 1
Plane pushed back at 6:40 so it can have an “on-time” departure. But we have to wait for the fuel guy to come back with more fuel. (We need more fuel Captain, said Scotty to Kirk). Story is (as the pilot explains) the fuel guy with the fuel truck didn’t have enough fuel for the plane. Had to go back to fill up the fuel truck and then come back and top off the plane.
Flight Hour 2
So there’s this woman in 25B. Yes, she would be the one sitting in front of me. She’s communicating with the man in 27E. Obviously, she and her _______ (fill in the blank – her MAN, her LOVER, her newlywedded husband, or someone she met in line) didn’t get to sit together. Both tragically in middle seats. She would stand up, turn around and try to have meaningless chitchat across the plane and back 2 rows. Not that easy to ignore, much less escape. She would lift up the SkyMall magazine and point to the items she found interesting. Neon palm tree lights for the patio
or Barcalounger couch sets with built-in fridge
Then she just sat on her knees in the seat and faced her lover and made lovey faces at him. But the FASTEN SEAT BELT WHILE SEATED light came on! She couldn’t possibly buckle the belt and silently communicate with her love at the same time. Well, the woman in 25C on the aisle had enough. She switched seat with the man. This superhero of a woman (bless her heart) was willing to endure another 2.5 hours of the flight in a middle seat than to be subjected to sitting next to the ants-in-my-pants-I-really-need-to-touch-him hussy. Then the love fest began. Row 25 B and C merged. I felt bad for the guy in 25A. Dude, best thing to do is go to sleep. You are trapped in the window seat with the horny-est couple ever to be in row 25. I was thinking if my father had been in 25A he would have turned and stared and watched (he’s at an age where he thinks he has the right to do things like that). The thought made me chuckle out loud. The kissing noises were loud enough to be heard over the din of the engine sounds. Jon looked at me, knew exactly what I was thinking, and got the computer out for me to start blogging. Thanks to bad weather and turbulence, the seat belt sign was on most of the flight, otherwise I’m pretty sure the horny guy (who will be named Manoli) would be on top of the horny girl (who will be named Caressa) in 25B. Jon and I were cracking up. Then he got the camera out to maybe get an action shot of them, you know, for the blog. I was going to stick the lens in between the seats and just go for it. No, I think of these things but I’m not bold enough to do it. Okay, maybe later at baggage claim.
In the veggie box (2 days before we left for NYC)
Peaches
Eggplant
Green Pears
Beets (with greens)
Red onion
Radishes
Green Kale
Romaine
Green Leaf Lettuce
Italian Date Plums
Oranges
Tomatoes
Jon’s dad dropped us off at the airport. Line through security was really long but it moved really fast – got through it in 15mins.
“Gate 26 Peg.”
“That’s not even in the Delta concourse.”
Walking down the terminal, the gate looked empty. Did everyone board already? Um, what? Air Trans flight to Atlanta?? Check the monitor.
Delta flight to JFK – Gate 38. What the ….
“It’s Gate 38 Jon. We’ve got 10mins.”
Walk back to the other side of the airport.
“The boarding pass says 26..”
“That’s seat number 26 A and B on the plane that’s at gate number 38.”
It’s exhausting to rush on an empty stomach at 6:30 in the morning.
“You owe for this J”
Get on the plane.
(That’s row number 26 for those of you keeping track)
Flight Hour 1
Plane pushed back at 6:40 so it can have an “on-time” departure. But we have to wait for the fuel guy to come back with more fuel. (We need more fuel Captain, said Scotty to Kirk). Story is (as the pilot explains) the fuel guy with the fuel truck didn’t have enough fuel for the plane. Had to go back to fill up the fuel truck and then come back and top off the plane.
Flight Hour 2
So there’s this woman in 25B. Yes, she would be the one sitting in front of me. She’s communicating with the man in 27E. Obviously, she and her _______ (fill in the blank – her MAN, her LOVER, her newlywedded husband, or someone she met in line) didn’t get to sit together. Both tragically in middle seats. She would stand up, turn around and try to have meaningless chitchat across the plane and back 2 rows. Not that easy to ignore, much less escape. She would lift up the SkyMall magazine and point to the items she found interesting. Neon palm tree lights for the patio
or Barcalounger couch sets with built-in fridge
Then she just sat on her knees in the seat and faced her lover and made lovey faces at him. But the FASTEN SEAT BELT WHILE SEATED light came on! She couldn’t possibly buckle the belt and silently communicate with her love at the same time. Well, the woman in 25C on the aisle had enough. She switched seat with the man. This superhero of a woman (bless her heart) was willing to endure another 2.5 hours of the flight in a middle seat than to be subjected to sitting next to the ants-in-my-pants-I-really-need-to-touch-him hussy. Then the love fest began. Row 25 B and C merged. I felt bad for the guy in 25A. Dude, best thing to do is go to sleep. You are trapped in the window seat with the horny-est couple ever to be in row 25. I was thinking if my father had been in 25A he would have turned and stared and watched (he’s at an age where he thinks he has the right to do things like that). The thought made me chuckle out loud. The kissing noises were loud enough to be heard over the din of the engine sounds. Jon looked at me, knew exactly what I was thinking, and got the computer out for me to start blogging. Thanks to bad weather and turbulence, the seat belt sign was on most of the flight, otherwise I’m pretty sure the horny guy (who will be named Manoli) would be on top of the horny girl (who will be named Caressa) in 25B. Jon and I were cracking up. Then he got the camera out to maybe get an action shot of them, you know, for the blog. I was going to stick the lens in between the seats and just go for it. No, I think of these things but I’m not bold enough to do it. Okay, maybe later at baggage claim.
Later in baggage claim...
In the veggie box (2 days before we left for NYC)
Peaches
Eggplant
Green Pears
Beets (with greens)
Red onion
Radishes
Green Kale
Romaine
Green Leaf Lettuce
Italian Date Plums
Oranges
Tomatoes
Thursday, September 4, 2008
8/26/08 Tomatoes
The CSA I belong to specializes in tomatoes. We’ve had heirlooms tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes. Been making a lot of pasta sauces with these tomatoes. We’ve also been lucky enough to try tomatoes from different people’s homegrown crops. So far this summer, our friend Mark has the best tomatoes. Jon and I went over for a BBQ, and he showed us all the fruits and veggies in the yard. I had garden envy.
At the end of the night, there was a huge stack of corn left over on the grill.
“You have to take some home.”
What am I going to do with all that corn? “OK, I’ll take some home but only if you give me a couple of tomatoes too.” Mark is a really good cook so he probably saw the idea bubble that was floating over my head.
He went off in the dark to pluck a few tomatoes. He came back with some large heirloom tomatoes. Score!
Best-tasting tomatoes of the season. Didn’t want to waste them on sauce, so the end product was a tomato-corn-avocado salad thing. Would’ve diced up a cucumber for crunch but didn’t have anything like that in the house. Didn’t need much dressing or anything else since the produce was so fresh.
Tomato Sauce for Pasta
Heat olive oil and saute diced onion until soft. Add minced garlic and saute until garlic starts to brown. Add diced tomatoes. Turn heat to high or medium high, and cook down tomatoes, about 15 mins. Turn heat down and slow cook on low for a bit more. Other veggies that can go in: zucchini, leeks (instead of onion), bell peppers, herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, whatever herb is growing on the windowsill – or outside in the courtyard in my case).
In the Veggie Box:
Arugula
Heirloom Tomatoes
Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Avocado
Purple Beans
Baby Bok Choy
Green Leaf Lettuce
Radishes
Oranges
Asian Pears
Red Onions
At the end of the night, there was a huge stack of corn left over on the grill.
“You have to take some home.”
What am I going to do with all that corn? “OK, I’ll take some home but only if you give me a couple of tomatoes too.” Mark is a really good cook so he probably saw the idea bubble that was floating over my head.
He went off in the dark to pluck a few tomatoes. He came back with some large heirloom tomatoes. Score!
Best-tasting tomatoes of the season. Didn’t want to waste them on sauce, so the end product was a tomato-corn-avocado salad thing. Would’ve diced up a cucumber for crunch but didn’t have anything like that in the house. Didn’t need much dressing or anything else since the produce was so fresh.
Tomato Sauce for Pasta
Heat olive oil and saute diced onion until soft. Add minced garlic and saute until garlic starts to brown. Add diced tomatoes. Turn heat to high or medium high, and cook down tomatoes, about 15 mins. Turn heat down and slow cook on low for a bit more. Other veggies that can go in: zucchini, leeks (instead of onion), bell peppers, herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, whatever herb is growing on the windowsill – or outside in the courtyard in my case).
In the Veggie Box:
Arugula
Heirloom Tomatoes
Slicing Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Avocado
Purple Beans
Baby Bok Choy
Green Leaf Lettuce
Radishes
Oranges
Asian Pears
Red Onions
Monday, August 25, 2008
8/11/08 The Return of the Pesto
Got a whole basil plant in the veggie box, yes, roots, dirt and all (but not in a pot). So much basil, the only thing to do is to make pesto. I was fairly well known for my pesto at one time, but that was eons ago. Can’t really remember why I stopped, but I seem to recall something about making pesto for a friend who had the stomach flu and he spent the whole night spewing pesto-flavored puke. Anything associated with GI evacuation is a complete negative reinforcement, but technically, it wasn’t caused by MY pesto…. Regardless, I think it’s been more than ten years since the last batch of pesto. I had to go digging through my notes to figure out how to even get started. Basil, check. Garlic and parmesan, check. Olive oil and salt, check. The key ingredient: pine nuts. I’ve used walnuts before, but it doesn’t come out as delicate as the pine nuts. Puree everything in the food processor and drip in the oil. Keep tasting during the process, and just remember that it will be better the next day. I made gemelli with pesto that first night. It came out pretty good, but the flavors hadn’t melded yet. Then, a few days later, I made a vinaigrette with the leftover pesto and used it for orzo with peas and mint. That came out surprisingly good. Very pleasant for a light summer dinner.
My brother drove down for a weekend. He hadn’t been down in 3 or 4 months. He brought a bottle of cab with him – 16 year old. The cork disintegrated with the slightest manipulation. Got about half of it out, and had to push the rest down into the bottle. Used a strainer in an attempt to filter out the cork, but that didn’t work. It looked like a layer of algae on top of the wine in the decanter. The 3 of us stood there brainstorming on how to separate the solid from the liquid. The brilliant idea came from the artist.
“Call me crazy, but how ‘bout if we use the gravy separator?”
Phil and I looked at the each other, and gave each other the Vulcan brow lift.
“He’s crazy but I think it’ll work.”
I went digging for it after the nod from Phil.
It wasn’t pretty, but it worked beautifully with minimal wine loss.
In the veggie box:
Avocado
Basil plant
Yellow beans
Beets (no greens)
Green leaf lettuce (3)
Bok choy
Leeks
Oranges
Heirloom tomatoes
Slicing tomatoes
Zucchini
My brother drove down for a weekend. He hadn’t been down in 3 or 4 months. He brought a bottle of cab with him – 16 year old. The cork disintegrated with the slightest manipulation. Got about half of it out, and had to push the rest down into the bottle. Used a strainer in an attempt to filter out the cork, but that didn’t work. It looked like a layer of algae on top of the wine in the decanter. The 3 of us stood there brainstorming on how to separate the solid from the liquid. The brilliant idea came from the artist.
“Call me crazy, but how ‘bout if we use the gravy separator?”
Phil and I looked at the each other, and gave each other the Vulcan brow lift.
“He’s crazy but I think it’ll work.”
I went digging for it after the nod from Phil.
It wasn’t pretty, but it worked beautifully with minimal wine loss.
In the veggie box:
Avocado
Basil plant
Yellow beans
Beets (no greens)
Green leaf lettuce (3)
Bok choy
Leeks
Oranges
Heirloom tomatoes
Slicing tomatoes
Zucchini
Sunday, August 3, 2008
7/19/08 Four More Legs
A friend of mine won’t eat any kind of animal that has more than 4 legs. I can’t decide if this is brilliant words to live by or bullshit. I make fun of him because that really limits him as an omnivore. He has obviously thought about this though, “Why would you want to eat those weird things?” True, true. Insects would be out (and thus his dream of winning $50K on Fear Factor, dashed). Shellfish would be out, but what about a clam or any of the bivalves? A clam has a foot but no leg, which technically would be inside the Venn diagram of animals with 4 or less legs. What happens during Thanksgiving when he is served the turducken? That’s 6 legs, unnaturally bound together for the sake of a holiday. I guess the turducken is not a REAL animal (unlike the jackalope), and the fowls in question which make up the unholy food tradition only have 2 legs each. Interestingly enough, this friend has been to Africa and eaten eland (legs = 4),
which I have never really entertained as food (I mean, food for lions maybe, but for people?) I guess it’s not that different from an elk, which I have had in Wyoming (with a cabernet reduction sauce – it was delicious). Lions would not have a cabernet reduction, unless you consider blood as a sauce. Speaking of blood, many Asian cuisines include blood as food. (It’s not food. It’s BLOOD. And isn’t it supposed to make you evil? Just look what happened to Indiana Jones when he drank blood…) Even though it’s taboo (think: satan worship rituals), its popularity isn’t diminished in food. Take for example, the 2nd most famous Taiwanese street food, Pig Blood Cake (the most famous would be, of course, Stinky Tofu). It’s a rectangular block of cooked congealed pork blood, seared on the outside and served on a popsicle stick. And this you dip in crushed peanut and chili paste, with a sprinkle of cilantro. Definitely would be a challenge for my eland-eating friend (not because it would usually follow a plate of stinky tofu, but it is on the varsity scale of flavors and textures), even though the source of the blood comes from a 4-legged animal.
In the Veggie Box
White Peaches
Apricots
Oranges
Green Kale
Leeks
Avocado
Parsley
Romaine (2)
Cucumbers
Zucchini
which I have never really entertained as food (I mean, food for lions maybe, but for people?) I guess it’s not that different from an elk, which I have had in Wyoming (with a cabernet reduction sauce – it was delicious). Lions would not have a cabernet reduction, unless you consider blood as a sauce. Speaking of blood, many Asian cuisines include blood as food. (It’s not food. It’s BLOOD. And isn’t it supposed to make you evil? Just look what happened to Indiana Jones when he drank blood…) Even though it’s taboo (think: satan worship rituals), its popularity isn’t diminished in food. Take for example, the 2nd most famous Taiwanese street food, Pig Blood Cake (the most famous would be, of course, Stinky Tofu). It’s a rectangular block of cooked congealed pork blood, seared on the outside and served on a popsicle stick. And this you dip in crushed peanut and chili paste, with a sprinkle of cilantro. Definitely would be a challenge for my eland-eating friend (not because it would usually follow a plate of stinky tofu, but it is on the varsity scale of flavors and textures), even though the source of the blood comes from a 4-legged animal.
In the Veggie Box
White Peaches
Apricots
Oranges
Green Kale
Leeks
Avocado
Parsley
Romaine (2)
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Thursday, July 10, 2008
7/3/08 Homegrown
I was only supposed to be at work for about 2 hours, but ended up staying half the day. This was after a hell 2-weeks of ten to eleven hours a day. Finally finished up everything and was heading out of the building, when I ran into Lew at the top of the stairwell. He handed me a grocery bag with his homegrown tomatoes. (Karma) Sooo awesome. I knew exactly what we’re having for dinner that night.
I planted some basil seeds a while ago. Since I had not been successful in my previous attempts, Jon and I were both skeptical. The seeds actually germinated this time, and real plants appeared. And on this fateful day, my homegrown basil will mingle with the karmic tomatoes I brought home. Of course, to complete the holy trinity, I will use up the last of the elephant garlic I bought at Casa de Fruta.
In the veggie box
Avocado
Green Beans
Blueberries
Bok Choy
Kale
Cucumbers
Honeydew Melon
Romaine
Green Leaf Lettuce
Zucchini
Grapes
7/4/08
Red, White, and Bloothie
In honor of 4th of July, I made a red, white, and blue smoothie. Strawberries, blueberries, white peach and banana (with a splash of orange juice). It was really good. (sorry this sounds like a book report. I'll try to use more compound sentences next time)
I planted some basil seeds a while ago. Since I had not been successful in my previous attempts, Jon and I were both skeptical. The seeds actually germinated this time, and real plants appeared. And on this fateful day, my homegrown basil will mingle with the karmic tomatoes I brought home. Of course, to complete the holy trinity, I will use up the last of the elephant garlic I bought at Casa de Fruta.
In the veggie box
Avocado
Green Beans
Blueberries
Bok Choy
Kale
Cucumbers
Honeydew Melon
Romaine
Green Leaf Lettuce
Zucchini
Grapes
7/4/08
Red, White, and Bloothie
In honor of 4th of July, I made a red, white, and blue smoothie. Strawberries, blueberries, white peach and banana (with a splash of orange juice). It was really good. (sorry this sounds like a book report. I'll try to use more compound sentences next time)
6/27/08 OJ Explosion
“Peg, I left you a mess.”
Holy Crap. I’m on my hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor with a towel Jon rescued last week from the donate pile. Forgot we don’t have any kitchen floor cleaner, so I’m using Simple Green. Did you know you can brush your teeth with Simple Green? Anyways, I digress. I look around and see one of the kitchen rugs, wadded up with a soaking wet kitchen towel. That must have been ground zero. Orange juice splattered on the other kitchen rug but not too bad, probably out of the blast zone. Okay, let’s do this methodically Peggy. Spray 1 row of tiles at a time, 5 tiles per row. Scrub the tile, scrub the grout. This is exactly what I wanted to do after working 11 hours and going for a half an hour walk; NOT. Maybe I can clean this later. It’s been a long day. Go sit down and watch the game. Okay, that’s not an option. The floor is so sticky, can’t even walk on it. Spray, scrub. Orange juice hardened mid-drip on the dishwasher handle and all over the dishwasher door. Jackson Pollack-like orange splattering all over the counter. So there’s more cleaning after the floor. Spray, scrub. Spray, scrub. Damn, this floor is dirty. Did he even get any juice? Okay, now the entire row of tiles in front of the refrigerator. Bleck. Now I know why he was so apologetic on the phone. Open up the fridge and sure enough, the white plastic jug of orange juice is in there, dotted with citrilline jewels. There’s still about a third of the jug left. This juice is super sticky. Good thing the Corky’s Pest Control guy came and sprayed the outside today so I don’t have ants glued to the floor. What’s in this stuff anyway? Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D. Ingredients: 100% pure pasteurized orange juice, calcium hydroxide, malic acid, citric acid, and vitamin D3. Contains juice from the US and Brazil. Shake well for best taste.
Left the house at 6:15 so it was a sleepy goodbye. He was just waking up. “Have a good trip honey. I’ll try to call you at the airport before your flight.”
Now the countertop. Less scrubbing but it was everywhere. Empty juice glass still on the counter. That could have been mine from this morning. Still don’t know if he at least got a swig.
“Hey! Are you at the airport?”
“Yeah, we’re all here. Peg, I left you a mess. I feel bad. I am so sorry.”
“What kind of mess?”
“Well, I was about to walk out the door and wanted to have some juice. I shook up the jug and the whole thing just exploded. It was all over my shirt and in my hair. It was so bad I had to get back in to the shower. I’m really sorry.”
Go upstairs and his shirt is laying on top of the laundry basket. Huge dry stiff stain on the front of the shirt. I stand corrected; the shirt is definitely ground zero. Tommy Bahama - Dry clean only. Walk over to the sink. What are those little white pieces of stuff in the sink and all over the floor? What is that?? (this is totally turning into orange juice CSI) Hmm, little pieces of rolled up toilet paper? He must have been trying to wipe down his shirt or something with toilet paper. What a mess. I’m way too tired to drag the vacuum upstairs right now.
“It took me over an hour to clean everything up. Did you even get any juice?”
“Aw, I’m really sorry Peg. Yeah, I got some juice. But the cap wasn’t on right.”
WHAT?!!#&*^?! Is he trying to say that I didn’t put the cap back on right??!!?? It’s a good thing I already miss him, or else I would have a few fighting words to say.
In the veggie box:
Asparagus
Cucumbers
Chard
Strawberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Honeydew Melon
(Juice) Oranges
Spring Mix
Zucchinis
Holy Crap. I’m on my hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor with a towel Jon rescued last week from the donate pile. Forgot we don’t have any kitchen floor cleaner, so I’m using Simple Green. Did you know you can brush your teeth with Simple Green? Anyways, I digress. I look around and see one of the kitchen rugs, wadded up with a soaking wet kitchen towel. That must have been ground zero. Orange juice splattered on the other kitchen rug but not too bad, probably out of the blast zone. Okay, let’s do this methodically Peggy. Spray 1 row of tiles at a time, 5 tiles per row. Scrub the tile, scrub the grout. This is exactly what I wanted to do after working 11 hours and going for a half an hour walk; NOT. Maybe I can clean this later. It’s been a long day. Go sit down and watch the game. Okay, that’s not an option. The floor is so sticky, can’t even walk on it. Spray, scrub. Orange juice hardened mid-drip on the dishwasher handle and all over the dishwasher door. Jackson Pollack-like orange splattering all over the counter. So there’s more cleaning after the floor. Spray, scrub. Spray, scrub. Damn, this floor is dirty. Did he even get any juice? Okay, now the entire row of tiles in front of the refrigerator. Bleck. Now I know why he was so apologetic on the phone. Open up the fridge and sure enough, the white plastic jug of orange juice is in there, dotted with citrilline jewels. There’s still about a third of the jug left. This juice is super sticky. Good thing the Corky’s Pest Control guy came and sprayed the outside today so I don’t have ants glued to the floor. What’s in this stuff anyway? Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D. Ingredients: 100% pure pasteurized orange juice, calcium hydroxide, malic acid, citric acid, and vitamin D3. Contains juice from the US and Brazil. Shake well for best taste.
Left the house at 6:15 so it was a sleepy goodbye. He was just waking up. “Have a good trip honey. I’ll try to call you at the airport before your flight.”
Now the countertop. Less scrubbing but it was everywhere. Empty juice glass still on the counter. That could have been mine from this morning. Still don’t know if he at least got a swig.
“Hey! Are you at the airport?”
“Yeah, we’re all here. Peg, I left you a mess. I feel bad. I am so sorry.”
“What kind of mess?”
“Well, I was about to walk out the door and wanted to have some juice. I shook up the jug and the whole thing just exploded. It was all over my shirt and in my hair. It was so bad I had to get back in to the shower. I’m really sorry.”
Go upstairs and his shirt is laying on top of the laundry basket. Huge dry stiff stain on the front of the shirt. I stand corrected; the shirt is definitely ground zero. Tommy Bahama - Dry clean only. Walk over to the sink. What are those little white pieces of stuff in the sink and all over the floor? What is that?? (this is totally turning into orange juice CSI) Hmm, little pieces of rolled up toilet paper? He must have been trying to wipe down his shirt or something with toilet paper. What a mess. I’m way too tired to drag the vacuum upstairs right now.
“It took me over an hour to clean everything up. Did you even get any juice?”
“Aw, I’m really sorry Peg. Yeah, I got some juice. But the cap wasn’t on right.”
WHAT?!!#&*^?! Is he trying to say that I didn’t put the cap back on right??!!?? It’s a good thing I already miss him, or else I would have a few fighting words to say.
In the veggie box:
Asparagus
Cucumbers
Chard
Strawberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Honeydew Melon
(Juice) Oranges
Spring Mix
Zucchinis
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
5/20/08 Boneless Skinless
Went grocery shopping at Henry’s for just a few things (had a list!) but ended up buying all sorts of stuff. Sale on chicken: A tray of eight drumsticks for $2.12. That’s a pretty good deal. Eight chicken thighs for $2.39 – what are the chances that these eight thighs came from the same 4 chickens as the drumsticks?? Why is it so cheap? Are these chickens local because the shipping alone in a refrigerated truck would cost more than that. How can this be sustainable??? I bought it anyway. (No hormones) Besides, I don’t feel like I have as much disposable income after paying the plumbers. Wanna know the real reason why they are so cheap? They are neither boneless nor skinless. Yes, that’s why boneless skinless chicken breasts cost so much, to pay for the machines to remove the bones. But they should also have on the label flavorless. (Maybe that’s why food in America comes wrapped in bacon these days)
I actually planned ahead and marinated the drumsticks overnight and baked them in the oven the next night for dinner. Not exactly the big turkey drumsticks you see at the county fair, but a dinner with meat for less than $3 can’t be beat (plus an organic salad). As for the thighs, they were browned on both sides and braised with garlic and caramelized onions in stock and white wine (totally made it up) with a bit of ground ginger and a splash of Grand Marnier.
I’ve been using more bone-in meat, partly because they are less expensive, but also because cooking with the bone adds a lot of flavor. I know Jon prefers boneless, easier to eat, less mess, less work. And he hates getting his fingers messy.
“Why are there bones in the chicken? Obama is not going to allow that when he becomes president.” Yeah, that’ll be a great campaign slogan.
A BONELESS CHICKEN IN EVERY POT
In the Veggie Box:
Artichokes
Carrots
Apples
Cilantro
Zucchinis
Cucumbers
Romaine lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Spring mix salad
Oranges
I actually planned ahead and marinated the drumsticks overnight and baked them in the oven the next night for dinner. Not exactly the big turkey drumsticks you see at the county fair, but a dinner with meat for less than $3 can’t be beat (plus an organic salad). As for the thighs, they were browned on both sides and braised with garlic and caramelized onions in stock and white wine (totally made it up) with a bit of ground ginger and a splash of Grand Marnier.
I’ve been using more bone-in meat, partly because they are less expensive, but also because cooking with the bone adds a lot of flavor. I know Jon prefers boneless, easier to eat, less mess, less work. And he hates getting his fingers messy.
“Why are there bones in the chicken? Obama is not going to allow that when he becomes president.” Yeah, that’ll be a great campaign slogan.
A BONELESS CHICKEN IN EVERY POT
In the Veggie Box:
Artichokes
Carrots
Apples
Cilantro
Zucchinis
Cucumbers
Romaine lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Spring mix salad
Oranges
4/27/08 Pope Hats
Homemade Won Tons. Yeah, it’s kinda crazy but the ground pork is like a ticking time bomb in the refrigerator meat drawer. I’ve made it before, but it’s been decades. I would have to use The Force. The filling is different everytime, and different from household to household, unless you follow a recipe to the letter (which you all know I don’t know how to do).
These on the plate look right, but when I first started wrapping them, they didn’t look right. I couldn’t remember how to fold the wrapper, so the first 8-10 came out looking like pope hats.
(Should’ve cut up a red jalapeno to make red Pope shoes…)
They are bunched up in the left upper corner.
These on the plate look right, but when I first started wrapping them, they didn’t look right. I couldn’t remember how to fold the wrapper, so the first 8-10 came out looking like pope hats.
(Should’ve cut up a red jalapeno to make red Pope shoes…)
They are bunched up in the left upper corner.So I finally prevailed with correct looking won tons. Here’s the cooked version.
and the plated version
In the veggie box
Chard
Carrots (with tops)
Lemons (4)
Green leaf lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Radishes
Zucchinis
Green onion
Strawberries
Oranges
Apples
and the plated versionChard
Carrots (with tops)
Lemons (4)
Green leaf lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Radishes
Zucchinis
Green onion
Strawberries
Oranges
Apples
4/16/08 Jury Duty
Hall of Shame to Hall of Justice
Have to sprint out the door this morning. OMG-I’m going to be late. But I have to eat something. Didn’t really eat dinner last night. Boy, that was a disaster. Spent all that time peeling potatoes and carrots and chopping bok choy, and then cooking over an hour on the stove. Something horribly wrong with the brown basmati rice. Potatoes were tender, carrots were tender, but the rice – did it absorb any of the broth?!? Answer: NO. Good flavor though. It was already 10:30p. AND, the flat bread I heated up tasted a bit freezer-burned.
“A little bit? No it’s totally freezer-burned, Peg.”
Profuse apologies to the husband. “ Can I make you something else?”
“No, I’m okay with this.”
(No, it’s not okay. It’s like when Marsalis Wallace was asked if he’s okay after the encounter with Zed.)
I was so pissed. Pissed and grumpy, since I was still hungry. Used a piece of bread to sponge away the rice pellets and picked out the large chunks of potatoes and carrots and chickpeas. Flavor definitely there though.
“Shake it off, Peg. What would Trevor Hoffman do. He would shake it off.”
“What the hell are you talking about?! How many saves has he blown already and it’s only the third week of the season!”
At least Trevor knows he’s going to the Hall of Fame. That curry pilaf is headed to the Hall of Shame.
Jury Duty
Report to the jury lounge at 8am. How long does it take to get to the Vista/North County courthouse from Olivenhain? Had to make some toast (see above). Had to gather enough reading material to endure the long day of waiting. Should I drag the laptop with me? No WIFI in the courthouse due to security reasons. Okay, bring a notepad (the original laptop). Various articles from the Sunday New York Times. I’ll have plenty of time to read and write, while also completing my civic duty for the year. Well, I didn’t get into the car until 7:20. Actually got to the courthouse at 8am. Huge line out the door for security screening. (What? You want me to take my shoes off?) Made it into the jury lounge just as the movie was ending. Then, more instructions for the prospective jurors. There were at least 70 people coming in behind me. Go over instructions for the late people. Welcome speech from a judge. He was nice, kinda funny, the usual speech and tone you’d expect from your airplane pilot. Instead of “we’ll be flying over the Grand Canyon and head north over Nebraska,” it was “all trials are open to the public and my department is on the 3rd floor, dept 21…Who watched the Padres game last night… blah blah blah”
Turn in summons. Immediately given a 45-min break. Wait for the line to die down at the restroom. Back from bathroom break and have to find another place to sit. I liked where I was sitting before, but it was in the middle of the row, and none of the people around were getting up. Now, the whole thing about finding another seat is a study in human nature (or just mine). The chairs by the TV are much cushier, but I don’t want to hear the TV (not that it’s even on). Picked a seat 3 in from the aisle. Lighting is better but ugh, the vent is blowing on me. Can’t stand that. It might get better so stick it out. Row is nearly empty yet this woman comes in from the other end, sits down 2 seats away from me, then proceeds to pull out all the fuzzy orange-creamsicle yarn that is to become some kind of a hand-knitted garment. Okay, I’ll read my articles and see what she produces.
la la la la la
What? No, I don’t want la la la la la. I want to see what 50/50-bar-colored thing is going to form during your civic duty. (I didn’t bargain for humming…)
And then, CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE. Someone just sat down behind me with a very crinkly bag of .. something. Wow, that’s one very crunchy chip. Kettle-cooked potato chip perhaps? Crunch Crunch. No, that chip had some heft. SNAP/POP. Some kind of soda to wash it down. That crunch is so loud I think the sound is coming from inside my head. But what is the taste that comes with that crunch??
(How obvious would it be if I turned around and looked?)
Hmm, pretzels and diet Dr. Pepper. Orange Fanta and double layer pork rinds. An endless permutation of possible flavor combinations. It is clear that I shant remain in this particular seat. Back to my old seat. But that’s the only seat open in the entire row.
Excuse me (to the older gentleman on the end)
Sorry (step over the Vietnamese girl’s purse – who, incidentally, giggled out loud during the judge’s welcoming speech. I am only assuming she’s Vietnamese because she had Vietnamese reading material, not because her giggle sounded Vietanmese)
Hi, I’m back (to Mrs. Gloria of San Marcos, who introduced herself to me earlier. She shamelessly admitted to watching American Idol last night during the judge’s speech)
No, I couldn’t endure the humiliation of squeezing back into my old seat so I sat in the seat direcly behind it. Just as good, no inconvenience to anyone, no vent blowing on me, no orange-flavored frozen treats, and no snap, crackle and pop.
They called out 45 people’s names. I didn’t get picked. Woohoo. Ten more minutes after that and they released the rest of us. I’ll be home by noon. That’ll give me plenty of time to mess up dinner tonight.
In the produce box:
Strawberries (2 boxes)
Apples (pink ladies)
Bok choy (largest head of bok choy I have ever seen)
Chard
Leeks
Romaine lettuce
Red lead lettuce
Fennel
Bell peppers (rainbow)
Beets
Oranges
Have to sprint out the door this morning. OMG-I’m going to be late. But I have to eat something. Didn’t really eat dinner last night. Boy, that was a disaster. Spent all that time peeling potatoes and carrots and chopping bok choy, and then cooking over an hour on the stove. Something horribly wrong with the brown basmati rice. Potatoes were tender, carrots were tender, but the rice – did it absorb any of the broth?!? Answer: NO. Good flavor though. It was already 10:30p. AND, the flat bread I heated up tasted a bit freezer-burned.
“A little bit? No it’s totally freezer-burned, Peg.”
Profuse apologies to the husband. “ Can I make you something else?”
“No, I’m okay with this.”
(No, it’s not okay. It’s like when Marsalis Wallace was asked if he’s okay after the encounter with Zed.)
I was so pissed. Pissed and grumpy, since I was still hungry. Used a piece of bread to sponge away the rice pellets and picked out the large chunks of potatoes and carrots and chickpeas. Flavor definitely there though.
“Shake it off, Peg. What would Trevor Hoffman do. He would shake it off.”
“What the hell are you talking about?! How many saves has he blown already and it’s only the third week of the season!”
At least Trevor knows he’s going to the Hall of Fame. That curry pilaf is headed to the Hall of Shame.
Jury Duty
Report to the jury lounge at 8am. How long does it take to get to the Vista/North County courthouse from Olivenhain? Had to make some toast (see above). Had to gather enough reading material to endure the long day of waiting. Should I drag the laptop with me? No WIFI in the courthouse due to security reasons. Okay, bring a notepad (the original laptop). Various articles from the Sunday New York Times. I’ll have plenty of time to read and write, while also completing my civic duty for the year. Well, I didn’t get into the car until 7:20. Actually got to the courthouse at 8am. Huge line out the door for security screening. (What? You want me to take my shoes off?) Made it into the jury lounge just as the movie was ending. Then, more instructions for the prospective jurors. There were at least 70 people coming in behind me. Go over instructions for the late people. Welcome speech from a judge. He was nice, kinda funny, the usual speech and tone you’d expect from your airplane pilot. Instead of “we’ll be flying over the Grand Canyon and head north over Nebraska,” it was “all trials are open to the public and my department is on the 3rd floor, dept 21…Who watched the Padres game last night… blah blah blah”
Turn in summons. Immediately given a 45-min break. Wait for the line to die down at the restroom. Back from bathroom break and have to find another place to sit. I liked where I was sitting before, but it was in the middle of the row, and none of the people around were getting up. Now, the whole thing about finding another seat is a study in human nature (or just mine). The chairs by the TV are much cushier, but I don’t want to hear the TV (not that it’s even on). Picked a seat 3 in from the aisle. Lighting is better but ugh, the vent is blowing on me. Can’t stand that. It might get better so stick it out. Row is nearly empty yet this woman comes in from the other end, sits down 2 seats away from me, then proceeds to pull out all the fuzzy orange-creamsicle yarn that is to become some kind of a hand-knitted garment. Okay, I’ll read my articles and see what she produces.
la la la la la
What? No, I don’t want la la la la la. I want to see what 50/50-bar-colored thing is going to form during your civic duty. (I didn’t bargain for humming…)
And then, CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE. Someone just sat down behind me with a very crinkly bag of .. something. Wow, that’s one very crunchy chip. Kettle-cooked potato chip perhaps? Crunch Crunch. No, that chip had some heft. SNAP/POP. Some kind of soda to wash it down. That crunch is so loud I think the sound is coming from inside my head. But what is the taste that comes with that crunch??
(How obvious would it be if I turned around and looked?)
Hmm, pretzels and diet Dr. Pepper. Orange Fanta and double layer pork rinds. An endless permutation of possible flavor combinations. It is clear that I shant remain in this particular seat. Back to my old seat. But that’s the only seat open in the entire row.
Excuse me (to the older gentleman on the end)
Sorry (step over the Vietnamese girl’s purse – who, incidentally, giggled out loud during the judge’s welcoming speech. I am only assuming she’s Vietnamese because she had Vietnamese reading material, not because her giggle sounded Vietanmese)
Hi, I’m back (to Mrs. Gloria of San Marcos, who introduced herself to me earlier. She shamelessly admitted to watching American Idol last night during the judge’s speech)
No, I couldn’t endure the humiliation of squeezing back into my old seat so I sat in the seat direcly behind it. Just as good, no inconvenience to anyone, no vent blowing on me, no orange-flavored frozen treats, and no snap, crackle and pop.
They called out 45 people’s names. I didn’t get picked. Woohoo. Ten more minutes after that and they released the rest of us. I’ll be home by noon. That’ll give me plenty of time to mess up dinner tonight.
In the produce box:
Strawberries (2 boxes)
Apples (pink ladies)
Bok choy (largest head of bok choy I have ever seen)
Chard
Leeks
Romaine lettuce
Red lead lettuce
Fennel
Bell peppers (rainbow)
Beets
Oranges
4/7/08 O'Stirfry
Trying out the new camera I got Jon for his birthday. It’s pretty handy! Here’s a photo of Stir-Fry O’Chiang I made on St. Patty’s day, starring the green cabbage from the last produce box. Jon thought it was more Chiang than O’. Organic cabbage, carrots, bok choy.
This is pork chops with apples and kumquats during the cooking process. Inspired by Alice Waters’ new cookbook, this dish came out really yummy, with a little help from Grand Marnier (that, of course, was my idea). The kumquat peel is actually sweeter than the juice. I finished it with a handful of currants.
In the produce box:
Asparagus
Green kale
Kumquats
Bok choy
Oranges
Strawberries
Apples
Romaine
Green leaf lettuce
Carrots
This is pork chops with apples and kumquats during the cooking process. Inspired by Alice Waters’ new cookbook, this dish came out really yummy, with a little help from Grand Marnier (that, of course, was my idea). The kumquat peel is actually sweeter than the juice. I finished it with a handful of currants.
In the produce box:
Asparagus
Green kale
Kumquats
Bok choy
Oranges
Strawberries
Apples
Romaine
Green leaf lettuce
Carrots
3/11/08 Mission Accomplished
Mission Accomplished! (No, I’m not wearing a flight suit and standing on an aircraft carrier in San Diego bay) He actually thought they were good. “This is pretty f-ing good!” Jon wasn’t describing my fried rice or pasta with Italian sausage. He actually said that after tasting the turkey enchiladas I made the other night.
This all started months back. It was my first attempt at making enchiladas. I mean really, how hard can it be?!?! Well, apparently, and if you don’t know any better, kinda tough! 1 can enchilada sauce. Label was in Spanish, so I’m thinking it’s probably alright. Corn tortillas (American brand) from the grocery store, plus a pound of ground turkey. Okay, cook up the turkey (that will be the filling). Take 1 corn tortilla, add turkey filling, add some shredded cheese, roll it up, and ACK! Hull breach!!!! Red alert – losing life-support on the lower decks. The corn tortilla ripped in the middle as I rolled up the enchilada. Ummm… okay. Let’s try this again. Take 1 new corn tortilla, add turkey filling (not too much this time), add some shredded cheese, and roll it up, Agh! Why the hell is it ripping??!!!!??
“Peg, maybe you need to warm up the tortilla,” comments from my gentle husband.
“Okay, pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.”
Now, take 1 (warm) corn tortilla, add turkey filling, add some cheese, gently roll it up, and DAMN IT. It’s like when Han Solo used the lightsaber to slice open the tauntaun on Hoth (minus the smell). Maybe I need to roll it against the grain of the tortilla. Okay, take 1 corn tortilla, turn it 90 degrees against the grain, add the filling/cheese, and roll – it – up – slowly. Eeeee, damn; ripped, but it’s just a little rip.
“Peg, maybe you need to warm up the tortilla and then roll it against the grain.” Again, from my gentle husband.
Now it’s turning into an experiment (let me get my lab notebook). After much trial and tribulation, the winner was a slightly warm tortilla rolled 45 degrees against the grain. I would say 10 out of 12 enchiladas were slashed tauntauns, but all of them were heavily bandaged in cheese and enchilada sauce. They tasted good, but not picture perfect.
Fast forward 6 months and I’m at it again. This time, FLOUR tortillas, Fresh Flour tortillas. Brown the ground turkey, throw in a jar of salsa, and some diced up green chiles (jalepenos if you have them), add in a can of corn if you want. Rolls right up. Finish with cheese and enchilada sauce. Perfectly presentable.
“This is pretty f-ing good!” (Do I detect a hint of surprise??)
So, until I hear back from Rick Bayless, it will have to be flour tortillas.
In the veggie box:
Strawberries (4 boxes)
Oranges
Broccoli crowns
Radishes
Spring salad mix
Green peppers
Carrots with top
Cabbage
Baby bok choy
This all started months back. It was my first attempt at making enchiladas. I mean really, how hard can it be?!?! Well, apparently, and if you don’t know any better, kinda tough! 1 can enchilada sauce. Label was in Spanish, so I’m thinking it’s probably alright. Corn tortillas (American brand) from the grocery store, plus a pound of ground turkey. Okay, cook up the turkey (that will be the filling). Take 1 corn tortilla, add turkey filling, add some shredded cheese, roll it up, and ACK! Hull breach!!!! Red alert – losing life-support on the lower decks. The corn tortilla ripped in the middle as I rolled up the enchilada. Ummm… okay. Let’s try this again. Take 1 new corn tortilla, add turkey filling (not too much this time), add some shredded cheese, and roll it up, Agh! Why the hell is it ripping??!!!!??
“Peg, maybe you need to warm up the tortilla,” comments from my gentle husband.
“Okay, pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.”
Now, take 1 (warm) corn tortilla, add turkey filling, add some cheese, gently roll it up, and DAMN IT. It’s like when Han Solo used the lightsaber to slice open the tauntaun on Hoth (minus the smell). Maybe I need to roll it against the grain of the tortilla. Okay, take 1 corn tortilla, turn it 90 degrees against the grain, add the filling/cheese, and roll – it – up – slowly. Eeeee, damn; ripped, but it’s just a little rip.
“Peg, maybe you need to warm up the tortilla and then roll it against the grain.” Again, from my gentle husband.
Now it’s turning into an experiment (let me get my lab notebook). After much trial and tribulation, the winner was a slightly warm tortilla rolled 45 degrees against the grain. I would say 10 out of 12 enchiladas were slashed tauntauns, but all of them were heavily bandaged in cheese and enchilada sauce. They tasted good, but not picture perfect.
Fast forward 6 months and I’m at it again. This time, FLOUR tortillas, Fresh Flour tortillas. Brown the ground turkey, throw in a jar of salsa, and some diced up green chiles (jalepenos if you have them), add in a can of corn if you want. Rolls right up. Finish with cheese and enchilada sauce. Perfectly presentable.
“This is pretty f-ing good!” (Do I detect a hint of surprise??)
So, until I hear back from Rick Bayless, it will have to be flour tortillas.
In the veggie box:
Strawberries (4 boxes)
Oranges
Broccoli crowns
Radishes
Spring salad mix
Green peppers
Carrots with top
Cabbage
Baby bok choy
2/4/08 Soup is Good Food
"Hey J - Where's the ladle??"
Well, it's been a cold January here (for southern California it's been cold - no seriously! Frost on the rooftops and enough ice at the end of Val Sereno Rd for my car to engage the stability traction). What better way to keep warm than a hearty bowl of soup ! I've made my share this month. The best part of making soup? I get to use my new James Beard special edition saucepot. I love that pan....
The standard: Pot Sticker Soup. Not that crazy as to make my own potstickers (though I've done it before). No, no, frozen ones (mom says to get the kind with a panda on the bag). Add some bok choy, or kale, or chard (whatever's in the box), or dare I use beet greens? Organic chicken broth, some green onion and cilantro -- done -- yeah, dinner.
The old standby: Vegetable Soup. This is pretty much a free for all. Whatever is in the house. The base is usually cruciferous (Jesus notwithstanding). Cabbage, kale, turnip, etc etc etc (spoken in Yul Brenner's voice). Sauté some onion and mushrooms in olive oil and white wine -- dump everything in. Cook until I think it's done. Then, it's done.
Mushroom Barley Soup: This is not in the regular rotation. I made it up a week ago and now I can't remember how I made it up. If I were to make it right now, I guess I would sauté the mushrooms with some onion. Deglaze with sherry. Introduce organic beef broth to the mix and allow all ingredients to mingle for a while. Then throw in the pearl barley. Another half an hour and it's slurp time.
And finally, Chestnut Soup: Fancy Pants in a shabby chic kinda way. It's fancy because it has chestnuts in it, but rustic because it's soup. Pancetta and finocchio (fennel). Very Tuscan (although I have yet to go there). It was really good, but took a long time.
All these soups, and no ladle in the kitchen. I have no idea where the ladle is. I had a ladle go missing in October. A cheapy plastic ladle I had for years. Finally gave up looking and bought a new one in November. A nice plastic one (name brand in fact). Gone. Cannot find it anywhere. Maybe the cleaning people put it somewhere. Somewhere safe. Somewhere safe from scalding winter soups.
In Produce Box 1/29/08
strawberries
oranges
beets with greens
bok choy
carrots
kale
red leaf lettuce
green leaf lettuce
limes (huge yellow ones)
radishes
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the new batch of ice cream. Blender cousin wrote back disappointed with plain vanilla. Blackberries were on special. Bought 2 pints. Note: Blackberries stain like beets (but the stain is more of a deoxygenated blue red vs beet red). Skipped the whole milk and used skim. Came out much better (and a little less fat). Can't wait for strawberry season.
Well, it's been a cold January here (for southern California it's been cold - no seriously! Frost on the rooftops and enough ice at the end of Val Sereno Rd for my car to engage the stability traction). What better way to keep warm than a hearty bowl of soup ! I've made my share this month. The best part of making soup? I get to use my new James Beard special edition saucepot. I love that pan....
The standard: Pot Sticker Soup. Not that crazy as to make my own potstickers (though I've done it before). No, no, frozen ones (mom says to get the kind with a panda on the bag). Add some bok choy, or kale, or chard (whatever's in the box), or dare I use beet greens? Organic chicken broth, some green onion and cilantro -- done -- yeah, dinner.
The old standby: Vegetable Soup. This is pretty much a free for all. Whatever is in the house. The base is usually cruciferous (Jesus notwithstanding). Cabbage, kale, turnip, etc etc etc (spoken in Yul Brenner's voice). Sauté some onion and mushrooms in olive oil and white wine -- dump everything in. Cook until I think it's done. Then, it's done.
Mushroom Barley Soup: This is not in the regular rotation. I made it up a week ago and now I can't remember how I made it up. If I were to make it right now, I guess I would sauté the mushrooms with some onion. Deglaze with sherry. Introduce organic beef broth to the mix and allow all ingredients to mingle for a while. Then throw in the pearl barley. Another half an hour and it's slurp time.
And finally, Chestnut Soup: Fancy Pants in a shabby chic kinda way. It's fancy because it has chestnuts in it, but rustic because it's soup. Pancetta and finocchio (fennel). Very Tuscan (although I have yet to go there). It was really good, but took a long time.
All these soups, and no ladle in the kitchen. I have no idea where the ladle is. I had a ladle go missing in October. A cheapy plastic ladle I had for years. Finally gave up looking and bought a new one in November. A nice plastic one (name brand in fact). Gone. Cannot find it anywhere. Maybe the cleaning people put it somewhere. Somewhere safe. Somewhere safe from scalding winter soups.
In Produce Box 1/29/08
strawberries
oranges
beets with greens
bok choy
carrots
kale
red leaf lettuce
green leaf lettuce
limes (huge yellow ones)
radishes
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the new batch of ice cream. Blender cousin wrote back disappointed with plain vanilla. Blackberries were on special. Bought 2 pints. Note: Blackberries stain like beets (but the stain is more of a deoxygenated blue red vs beet red). Skipped the whole milk and used skim. Came out much better (and a little less fat). Can't wait for strawberry season.
1/21/08 First Time for Everything
Happy New Year!
This year's movie marathon on new year's day was Planet of the Apes. Yes, they made FIVE ape movies. No, we did not watch the Tim Burton remake; these were the original movies with Roddy McDowall (although he wasn't in the second one). You may be asking yourself at this point why this made the veggie blog. Well, it took 12hrs to watch all 5 movies plus a 2-hour making of, and the only break we had was to go pick up the produce box.
1/1/08
beets
broccoli
carrots
limes
oranges
cherry tomatoes
slicing tomatoes
apples
Been cooking a lot lately. Got inspired to do a homemade pizza. Originally I was going to make calzones, using sauteed kale/chard from previous box and some kind of cheese concoction. But Trader Joe's had fresh pizza dough in the refrigerator section. Next to that was fresh mozzarella cheese. And in the same section, fresh basil. (Just on an aside, out of all the basil seeds I planted, only 1 sprouted. It didn't make it out beyond the fires in October. I thought maybe the ash/debris would be good fertilizer but it was probably more debris than ash in the courtyard). The outcome was a thin-crusted-amorphously-oblong pizza. Very similar to the pizzas at WholeFoods lunch counter. Jon was chosen to roll out the dough. I put an apron on him, and he said it was the first time he's ever worn an apron. He looked pretty good.
Got an ice cream maker for Christmas. First batch of ice cream completed Sunday night. Plain Jane Vanilla. It turned out ... okay. It was actually too vanilla-y, which I didn't think was possible for this household. My immediate thoughts were to use Frangelico and/or Kahlua for the next batch (yes, Peggacino flavored ice cream - yum!) The pint of organic heavy cream was more than $5 (sheesh) and dag, that machine is loud.
And the pièce de résistance of the week would probably be the spinach cheddar souffle. Except I didn't like it very much. It was all that a souffle should be, but to me, it needed more flavor. I've been fretting about having too many eggs in the fridge and was determined to make a souffle. There's a lot of science behind the making of a souffle - I enjoyed the research. For example, cream of tartar. What is it and why is this necessary for egg whites? Answer: it's dipotassium tartrate - an acid to stabilize the air bubbles in egg foam. Then there's the whole thing about separating the whites from the yolks, and the protein/fat content of each. Is this what food scientists do? It wouldn't be such a bad job... I think if I'm to make another souffle, it would be a chocolate or orange one (more flavor).
1/15/08
beets (different kind than last time but according to Jon taste the same)
broccoli
carrots
dill
fennel
red leaf lettuce
romaine
oranges
radishes
tomatoes
This year's movie marathon on new year's day was Planet of the Apes. Yes, they made FIVE ape movies. No, we did not watch the Tim Burton remake; these were the original movies with Roddy McDowall (although he wasn't in the second one). You may be asking yourself at this point why this made the veggie blog. Well, it took 12hrs to watch all 5 movies plus a 2-hour making of, and the only break we had was to go pick up the produce box.
1/1/08
beets
broccoli
carrots
limes
oranges
cherry tomatoes
slicing tomatoes
apples
Been cooking a lot lately. Got inspired to do a homemade pizza. Originally I was going to make calzones, using sauteed kale/chard from previous box and some kind of cheese concoction. But Trader Joe's had fresh pizza dough in the refrigerator section. Next to that was fresh mozzarella cheese. And in the same section, fresh basil. (Just on an aside, out of all the basil seeds I planted, only 1 sprouted. It didn't make it out beyond the fires in October. I thought maybe the ash/debris would be good fertilizer but it was probably more debris than ash in the courtyard). The outcome was a thin-crusted-amorphously-oblong pizza. Very similar to the pizzas at WholeFoods lunch counter. Jon was chosen to roll out the dough. I put an apron on him, and he said it was the first time he's ever worn an apron. He looked pretty good.
Got an ice cream maker for Christmas. First batch of ice cream completed Sunday night. Plain Jane Vanilla. It turned out ... okay. It was actually too vanilla-y, which I didn't think was possible for this household. My immediate thoughts were to use Frangelico and/or Kahlua for the next batch (yes, Peggacino flavored ice cream - yum!) The pint of organic heavy cream was more than $5 (sheesh) and dag, that machine is loud.
And the pièce de résistance of the week would probably be the spinach cheddar souffle. Except I didn't like it very much. It was all that a souffle should be, but to me, it needed more flavor. I've been fretting about having too many eggs in the fridge and was determined to make a souffle. There's a lot of science behind the making of a souffle - I enjoyed the research. For example, cream of tartar. What is it and why is this necessary for egg whites? Answer: it's dipotassium tartrate - an acid to stabilize the air bubbles in egg foam. Then there's the whole thing about separating the whites from the yolks, and the protein/fat content of each. Is this what food scientists do? It wouldn't be such a bad job... I think if I'm to make another souffle, it would be a chocolate or orange one (more flavor).
1/15/08
beets (different kind than last time but according to Jon taste the same)
broccoli
carrots
dill
fennel
red leaf lettuce
romaine
oranges
radishes
tomatoes
10/8/07 Caught Beet-Handed
"Peg, it still tastes like a beet."
It all started at the grocery store. There was this large display of beautifully shiny purple eggplants on sale. I was drawn to them and had to buy one. The next day, I got home from work, sliced up the eggplant, treated it with salt, and left the slices to drain in a bowl while Jon and I went for a walk. After we got back, I wrung out the eggplant and prepped the slices for oven-roasting. Had Jon been there in the kitchen with me, he would have seen the gears churning in my noggin. (But alas, he was not) "Hmmmm, what else can I roast in the oven besides the eggplant? Wait a minute, I have 3 beets from the last produce box. They need to be roasted."
Now, I don't know how many of you have ever cooked fresh beets, but they are really quite messy. The last time I cooked beets from the produce box, they were the golden and white varieties. No mess, no stain. But this time, they are the deepest, darkest, well, beet-reddest beets you have ever seen. I took precautions. Cutting board is out. Quartered them on a porcelain plate (not good for the knife but no stain). Three medium sized beets and my kitchen looked like a slaughter house. Into the oven they go, along with the eggplant slices. OK quick! Clean up before Jon sees any evidence of beets. Oh, did I mention Jon cannot stand beets? Um, yeeeeah, not a fan of the beet.
To blantantly serve just roasted beets and eggplant would be quite bold. And eating veggies really doesn't make it a meal. Meat as the main entree with the roasted veggies would be ideal, but no meat in the house. Then a grain perhaps... Couscous saves the day.
As Jon sat down at the dinner table, he asked what we're having. My response was "If you don't like it I'll make you something else." That alone should have tipped him off, but I often make disclaimers prior to serving a meal. He looked at the big bowl on the dining table and asked what it was.
"Couscous. It's couscous, with roasted vegetables."
"Hey, the couscous is pretty good. Hey wait a minute, what's that red chunk. Are there beets in here? What the..."
Okay, to his credit, he ate one. "Peg, it still tastes like a beet."
"I said I would make you something else if you don't want it."
"Disclaimer does not equal disclosure Peggy."
In produce box:
bok choy
cucumbers
kale
limes
apples
grape tomatoes
slicing tomatoes
zucchini
It all started at the grocery store. There was this large display of beautifully shiny purple eggplants on sale. I was drawn to them and had to buy one. The next day, I got home from work, sliced up the eggplant, treated it with salt, and left the slices to drain in a bowl while Jon and I went for a walk. After we got back, I wrung out the eggplant and prepped the slices for oven-roasting. Had Jon been there in the kitchen with me, he would have seen the gears churning in my noggin. (But alas, he was not) "Hmmmm, what else can I roast in the oven besides the eggplant? Wait a minute, I have 3 beets from the last produce box. They need to be roasted."
Now, I don't know how many of you have ever cooked fresh beets, but they are really quite messy. The last time I cooked beets from the produce box, they were the golden and white varieties. No mess, no stain. But this time, they are the deepest, darkest, well, beet-reddest beets you have ever seen. I took precautions. Cutting board is out. Quartered them on a porcelain plate (not good for the knife but no stain). Three medium sized beets and my kitchen looked like a slaughter house. Into the oven they go, along with the eggplant slices. OK quick! Clean up before Jon sees any evidence of beets. Oh, did I mention Jon cannot stand beets? Um, yeeeeah, not a fan of the beet.
To blantantly serve just roasted beets and eggplant would be quite bold. And eating veggies really doesn't make it a meal. Meat as the main entree with the roasted veggies would be ideal, but no meat in the house. Then a grain perhaps... Couscous saves the day.
As Jon sat down at the dinner table, he asked what we're having. My response was "If you don't like it I'll make you something else." That alone should have tipped him off, but I often make disclaimers prior to serving a meal. He looked at the big bowl on the dining table and asked what it was.
"Couscous. It's couscous, with roasted vegetables."
"Hey, the couscous is pretty good. Hey wait a minute, what's that red chunk. Are there beets in here? What the..."
Okay, to his credit, he ate one. "Peg, it still tastes like a beet."
"I said I would make you something else if you don't want it."
"Disclaimer does not equal disclosure Peggy."
In produce box:
bok choy
cucumbers
kale
limes
apples
grape tomatoes
slicing tomatoes
zucchini
8/21/07 Experimental Salads
"Peg, we've been having a lot of salads lately... "
From the produce box last week:
1 bag of yellow peaches
1 bag of juice oranges
1 cucumbers
1 bag of green beans
green chard
green kale
3 zucchinis
1 bag of spring mix salad
mizuna
1 bag of slicing tomatoes
1 box of heirloom tomatoes
experimental salad #3
heirloom tomatoes - green round ones, speckled red ones
spring mix of lettuces - mizuna/arugula/green leaf butter/frisee/red leaf
corn - cooked and off the cob
mint - chopped
thin cut chicken breast - what you would use for chicken paillard without pounding - pan-fried (about 2mins per side)
marinade:
salt
fresh ground pepper
garlic powder
a splash of leftover Lambrusco from night before
salad dressing:
juice from half of somewhat wilted cucumber (reamed and strained)
mint (muddled in cucumber juice and removed)
sugar
juice from 2 dried out mandarin oranges (leftover from last produce box)
pan juices and oil from pan-frying chicken (didn't have much olive oil left in the bottle)
plating the salad:
mix up all the veggies for the salad and place on plate
pour dressing over salad
cut chicken into strips and place on top
(wish I had something crispy to top it off but decided to call it)
From Phil
I am curious about the dressing. Was it tangy or sweet? light or heavy? What were the effects of the cucumber and mint?
Response:
As for the dressing, it was light because it was meant to be a summer salad. The chicken made it more substantial so it can be served as the main meal (reads: I wasn't gonna make anything else). There actually wasn't that much oil from cooking the chicken, and the dressing was a bit thin and not too emulsified. But the chicken flavor was there. It was more sweet than tangy since I didn't add vinegar or lemon juice, just the acid from the mandarin oranges (which were sweet). And the lambrusco added more sweetness. The effect of the cucumber juice and mint was suppose to cool and refresh, and the mint-muddling originated from techniques of making mojitos. Good call on the bacon as something crispy, but I didn't have any (had some pancetta though). Didn't want anything to compete with the chicken I guess. I feel like I'm defending my salad on Iron Chef....
As for a video, I don't know if I can ham it up like I used to. I don't think I would be as creative and spontaneous if I had to think about videotaping or writing things down. It would be like that surviver man having to record what was going on and doing things twice. And on top of that, we would not eat dinner until 11pm. But maybe a photo next time...
From the produce box last week:
1 bag of yellow peaches
1 bag of juice oranges
1 cucumbers
1 bag of green beans
green chard
green kale
3 zucchinis
1 bag of spring mix salad
mizuna
1 bag of slicing tomatoes
1 box of heirloom tomatoes
experimental salad #3
heirloom tomatoes - green round ones, speckled red ones
spring mix of lettuces - mizuna/arugula/green leaf butter/frisee/red leaf
corn - cooked and off the cob
mint - chopped
thin cut chicken breast - what you would use for chicken paillard without pounding - pan-fried (about 2mins per side)
marinade:
salt
fresh ground pepper
garlic powder
a splash of leftover Lambrusco from night before
salad dressing:
juice from half of somewhat wilted cucumber (reamed and strained)
mint (muddled in cucumber juice and removed)
sugar
juice from 2 dried out mandarin oranges (leftover from last produce box)
pan juices and oil from pan-frying chicken (didn't have much olive oil left in the bottle)
plating the salad:
mix up all the veggies for the salad and place on plate
pour dressing over salad
cut chicken into strips and place on top
(wish I had something crispy to top it off but decided to call it)
From Phil
I am curious about the dressing. Was it tangy or sweet? light or heavy? What were the effects of the cucumber and mint?
Response:
As for the dressing, it was light because it was meant to be a summer salad. The chicken made it more substantial so it can be served as the main meal (reads: I wasn't gonna make anything else). There actually wasn't that much oil from cooking the chicken, and the dressing was a bit thin and not too emulsified. But the chicken flavor was there. It was more sweet than tangy since I didn't add vinegar or lemon juice, just the acid from the mandarin oranges (which were sweet). And the lambrusco added more sweetness. The effect of the cucumber juice and mint was suppose to cool and refresh, and the mint-muddling originated from techniques of making mojitos. Good call on the bacon as something crispy, but I didn't have any (had some pancetta though). Didn't want anything to compete with the chicken I guess. I feel like I'm defending my salad on Iron Chef....
As for a video, I don't know if I can ham it up like I used to. I don't think I would be as creative and spontaneous if I had to think about videotaping or writing things down. It would be like that surviver man having to record what was going on and doing things twice. And on top of that, we would not eat dinner until 11pm. But maybe a photo next time...
6/12/07 Food Blog Asian Style
I made a chicken stir fry the other night (again, from Charles Phan of the Slanted Door). I took steps to make sure not to overcook the chicken pieces until it was completely dead. Halfway through dinner Jon asked me if the chicken is cooked through because it's soft. I had to laugh, partly because it's sad that I have subjected him to overcooked chicken so much that he thinks that's the way it should be, and partly because I was trying to become a better cook and the effort was noticeable. Still feel slightly humiliated though.
Been on a kick to cook Asian food lately, mostly Thai. Made green curry one night. It was really spicy, and I had forgotten to put the thai chiles in. Made lemongrass rice noodle soup. Still having trouble with lemongrass. Not the easiest thing to work with -- how much to discard?? I bought 2 lemongrass stalks and peeled off a lot of the outside but apparently not enough. Minced what I thought was the soft bulb. Well, Jon and I spent most of the time spitting out the little hard slivers like you would spit out watermelon seeds. It's so much work, Jon won't even eat the leftovers. He wanted to dump it out (trash night last night). I'm having it for lunch today, and it's just the solids, no more soup (it'll save me five bucks from lunch, right?) It's got good flavor.... and the lime juice is organic! Whoever sits next to me for lunch today better watch out. Last night was Singapore chicken stew. Yes, a lot of coconut milk, but not as devastating as I thought... (but I may have to make a trip to the spacious handicap stall later) First time using Chinese 5 Spice - did you know it's mostly cinnamon? I know nothing of Singapore cuisine. Where do people go for Singapore food? Singapore I guess.
last week's produce box:
2 boxes strawberries
3 lemons
red chard
fennel
parsley
romaine
red leaf lettuce
green onions
carrots
zucchini
Been on a kick to cook Asian food lately, mostly Thai. Made green curry one night. It was really spicy, and I had forgotten to put the thai chiles in. Made lemongrass rice noodle soup. Still having trouble with lemongrass. Not the easiest thing to work with -- how much to discard?? I bought 2 lemongrass stalks and peeled off a lot of the outside but apparently not enough. Minced what I thought was the soft bulb. Well, Jon and I spent most of the time spitting out the little hard slivers like you would spit out watermelon seeds. It's so much work, Jon won't even eat the leftovers. He wanted to dump it out (trash night last night). I'm having it for lunch today, and it's just the solids, no more soup (it'll save me five bucks from lunch, right?) It's got good flavor.... and the lime juice is organic! Whoever sits next to me for lunch today better watch out. Last night was Singapore chicken stew. Yes, a lot of coconut milk, but not as devastating as I thought... (but I may have to make a trip to the spacious handicap stall later) First time using Chinese 5 Spice - did you know it's mostly cinnamon? I know nothing of Singapore cuisine. Where do people go for Singapore food? Singapore I guess.
last week's produce box:
2 boxes strawberries
3 lemons
red chard
fennel
parsley
romaine
red leaf lettuce
green onions
carrots
zucchini
5/23/07 Foodie/Travel Blog
Made the most amazing beef bourguignonne Sunday night. But again, it took an hour to put everything together, one and a half hours to cook everything down, add the root veggies and cook for another half an hour, add the greens and cook for 10mins. But it used up turnips, carrots, parsley, green kale, and red chard. Next time, I'll adapt this for the slow cooker.
Been making different viniagrettes and dressings since we have been eating organic salad greens. Bombed miserable one night using margarita as a base for a viniagrette (yes, the tequila was already in there-maybe there was too much tequila in ME). The addition of sour cream and Cholula hot sauce made things worse. Can't remember if the sour cream curdled or not, but the Cholula gave it a red brick color that made it look nasty. Not willing to give up on my Mexican-themed dressing, I was about to add salsa to the mix and Jon stopped me. Put the whisk down Peggy. I think I pulled out a bottle of ranch dressing from the fridge that night, and Jon just had red wine vinegar. The only thing that made the salad Mexican was the cilantro.
Had a few really good meals in Boston 2 weeks ago. The best chicken marsala I have ever had at a tiny Italian restaurant in the North End, and frankly, I've had my share of chicken marsala. The place probably had protection from the mob, since it was cash only and all the cash was kept in a big ceramic bowl. Didn't look at the dessert list since Mike's Pastry was directly across the street. As far as I know, the best cannoli in the United States can be had at Mike's. Jon went there for breakfast one day (I don't think he had the cannoli that early in the morning, but I'm sure the thought crossed his mind). While I was at work (The mother ship for my company is in Cambridge), Jon went to get a bowl of CHOWDA at Union Oyster House - the oldest restaurant in America. I think they know a thing or two about chowder. Another really good meal was at Fig's, a small pizza/pasta place near the Boston Common by the celebrity chef Todd English. Very thin wood-fired crust with creatively delicious toppings. Great Italian Sausage sub from the Sausage King cart in front of Fenway "Pahk." The 2 of us stood there, on Landsdowne, and inhaled it before going for drinks on Newbury Street (trashy to trendy). Good trip overall.
This week's produce:
1 avocado
3 limes
2 yellow onions
red chard
2 heads of lettuce
bok choy
2 boxes of strawberries
carrots
zucchini
It's probably going to be guacamole, salad, zucchini bread and carrot cake
Been making different viniagrettes and dressings since we have been eating organic salad greens. Bombed miserable one night using margarita as a base for a viniagrette (yes, the tequila was already in there-maybe there was too much tequila in ME). The addition of sour cream and Cholula hot sauce made things worse. Can't remember if the sour cream curdled or not, but the Cholula gave it a red brick color that made it look nasty. Not willing to give up on my Mexican-themed dressing, I was about to add salsa to the mix and Jon stopped me. Put the whisk down Peggy. I think I pulled out a bottle of ranch dressing from the fridge that night, and Jon just had red wine vinegar. The only thing that made the salad Mexican was the cilantro.
Had a few really good meals in Boston 2 weeks ago. The best chicken marsala I have ever had at a tiny Italian restaurant in the North End, and frankly, I've had my share of chicken marsala. The place probably had protection from the mob, since it was cash only and all the cash was kept in a big ceramic bowl. Didn't look at the dessert list since Mike's Pastry was directly across the street. As far as I know, the best cannoli in the United States can be had at Mike's. Jon went there for breakfast one day (I don't think he had the cannoli that early in the morning, but I'm sure the thought crossed his mind). While I was at work (The mother ship for my company is in Cambridge), Jon went to get a bowl of CHOWDA at Union Oyster House - the oldest restaurant in America. I think they know a thing or two about chowder. Another really good meal was at Fig's, a small pizza/pasta place near the Boston Common by the celebrity chef Todd English. Very thin wood-fired crust with creatively delicious toppings. Great Italian Sausage sub from the Sausage King cart in front of Fenway "Pahk." The 2 of us stood there, on Landsdowne, and inhaled it before going for drinks on Newbury Street (trashy to trendy). Good trip overall.
This week's produce:
1 avocado
3 limes
2 yellow onions
red chard
2 heads of lettuce
bok choy
2 boxes of strawberries
carrots
zucchini
It's probably going to be guacamole, salad, zucchini bread and carrot cake
5/1/07 organic veggie blog
Well, I was really set on making polenta with leeks and fennel last night. But when I got home, I totally changed my mind.
Actually, I got home and realized it's trash day. There were 2 dark brown bananas sitting there and I knew Jon was going to make me throw them out. So I made banana bread. And since I had the oven heated, what was to be polenta with leeks and fennel became leeks and fennel gratin. Six red potatoes and no polenta. It was the first gratin I've ever made. Needless to say, we didn't eat until quarter after ten. Jon said it was good, but he was so hungry I could have fed him a shoe and he would have said yummy. Things I learned from making the gratin: Leeks love butter and potatoes. Organic fennel is much more powerful than store-bought regular fennel. Gratin dishes are very time-consuming. But I would make it again.
From Rick:
You are very funny. on Iron chef you would have 1 dessert and 1 main course for the judges (Jon).
Are you just coming up with your own recipe?
Response:
On Iron Chef, I would have been disqualified because I didn't decide on making the gratin until the banana bread was out of the oven and that took 55mins.
I've never seen an episode of Iron Chef when one of them didn't have enough time to make everything. What happens?
I've been looking at different recipes for the same ingredients, then sort of making up how I want to cook them. I had Jon read to me 3 times this one gratin recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook and then decided to not follow it. What does Chuck Williams know about cooking?!?!! :-) The recipes are mainly for reference anyway. If I had a sous-chef, I would probably drive him/her insane.
Wonder what Jon is going to have for dinner tonight.....
From Rick:
I’ve not seen an episode that they don’t finish. Some of the dishes are just quick and simple with a good sauce. that’s why they can do a few.
I think yours is better though. Creating something that’s new. It used to be like that on iron chef creating something new.
So, what did Jon had last night?
Are you writing these down for your new cook book?
Response:
Jon had pork chops with an organic salad 2 nights ago. I didn't make the kale with the pork chops because it's a lot of fiber...
Last night, I made Spicy Lemongrass Chicken - a recipe from Charles Phan of the Slanted Door. I, of course, had to mess around with the recipe because it uses oyster sauce and I can't have that. I just used soy sauce. What would be a good substitute for oyster sauce?? I was thinking maybe miso with that Vietnamese fish sauce (to get the stink factor in there) ???
From Phil:
Check out these links for ideas:
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/chinese/sweet-onion.html
http://www.thaigrocer.com/VegAdapt.html
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/359667
Response:
It's nice to have a personal Google filter... The BroGoogle or The Broogle
I'll have to go try to find that mushroom based mock-oyster sauce
Actually, I got home and realized it's trash day. There were 2 dark brown bananas sitting there and I knew Jon was going to make me throw them out. So I made banana bread. And since I had the oven heated, what was to be polenta with leeks and fennel became leeks and fennel gratin. Six red potatoes and no polenta. It was the first gratin I've ever made. Needless to say, we didn't eat until quarter after ten. Jon said it was good, but he was so hungry I could have fed him a shoe and he would have said yummy. Things I learned from making the gratin: Leeks love butter and potatoes. Organic fennel is much more powerful than store-bought regular fennel. Gratin dishes are very time-consuming. But I would make it again.
From Rick:
You are very funny. on Iron chef you would have 1 dessert and 1 main course for the judges (Jon).
Are you just coming up with your own recipe?
Response:
On Iron Chef, I would have been disqualified because I didn't decide on making the gratin until the banana bread was out of the oven and that took 55mins.
I've never seen an episode of Iron Chef when one of them didn't have enough time to make everything. What happens?
I've been looking at different recipes for the same ingredients, then sort of making up how I want to cook them. I had Jon read to me 3 times this one gratin recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook and then decided to not follow it. What does Chuck Williams know about cooking?!?!! :-) The recipes are mainly for reference anyway. If I had a sous-chef, I would probably drive him/her insane.
Wonder what Jon is going to have for dinner tonight.....
From Rick:
I’ve not seen an episode that they don’t finish. Some of the dishes are just quick and simple with a good sauce. that’s why they can do a few.
I think yours is better though. Creating something that’s new. It used to be like that on iron chef creating something new.
So, what did Jon had last night?
Are you writing these down for your new cook book?
Response:
Jon had pork chops with an organic salad 2 nights ago. I didn't make the kale with the pork chops because it's a lot of fiber...
Last night, I made Spicy Lemongrass Chicken - a recipe from Charles Phan of the Slanted Door. I, of course, had to mess around with the recipe because it uses oyster sauce and I can't have that. I just used soy sauce. What would be a good substitute for oyster sauce?? I was thinking maybe miso with that Vietnamese fish sauce (to get the stink factor in there) ???
From Phil:
Check out these links for ideas:
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/chinese/sweet-onion.html
http://www.thaigrocer.com/VegAdapt.html
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/359667
Response:
It's nice to have a personal Google filter... The BroGoogle or The Broogle
I'll have to go try to find that mushroom based mock-oyster sauce
About the Blog
Hi all,
I've finally overcome my fear of signing up for anything on the internet and set up a blog account. Some of you may have been following my intermittent musings in the form of emails for the last year. They are usually about food, cooking (trials and triumphs), and the organic produce box I've been subscribing to from my local CSA (community-supported agriculture). The first few entries are those emails with responses from people, and they eventually evolved to include what’s in the veggie box because everyone would always ask.
It's a work in progress, so take a look and let me know what you think.
I've finally overcome my fear of signing up for anything on the internet and set up a blog account. Some of you may have been following my intermittent musings in the form of emails for the last year. They are usually about food, cooking (trials and triumphs), and the organic produce box I've been subscribing to from my local CSA (community-supported agriculture). The first few entries are those emails with responses from people, and they eventually evolved to include what’s in the veggie box because everyone would always ask.
It's a work in progress, so take a look and let me know what you think.
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