tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61282919217915102852024-03-04T21:16:40.976-08:00eat rinse repeatjennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-28105671338042684112010-03-29T23:18:00.000-07:002010-03-31T22:43:16.728-07:00curried seitan + cauliflower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILR6LgGWI0SUW6tuGCVwfmqSYo0n3H4w8QP5DWGKk4-1S3YauVPYu8HKfcR3euk5J3kS_Iu-JjYYrXZPDqfWHVE3KpS6zbVGiRmE41xp2spiIjyEkfdqVASvP2pVDNmUCG6KkTXTDdK8/s1600/_MG_3761.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILR6LgGWI0SUW6tuGCVwfmqSYo0n3H4w8QP5DWGKk4-1S3YauVPYu8HKfcR3euk5J3kS_Iu-JjYYrXZPDqfWHVE3KpS6zbVGiRmE41xp2spiIjyEkfdqVASvP2pVDNmUCG6KkTXTDdK8/s400/_MG_3761.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455034801145126162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I was a kid, one of my favorite treats was miàn jīn, Chinese fried gluten. It is impossible to describe in a way that makes it sound appealing. Balls of wheat gluten that had been deep fried, and canned in some sort of mysterious and delicious oil. In terms of appearances, it was not a pretty thing. It also kept its shape fairly well, so when you peeled pieces out of the can with your chopsticks, they always retained its vaguely cylindrical, brainlike consistency, and is advertised as "mock meat". You're drooling right now, aren't you.<br /><br />So, like with most things, once I moved away to college and away from the sometimes astonishingly ... antique contents of our pantry at home, I forgot about most of these things.<br /><br />Until, a couple of years ago, <a href="http://www.hillsidequickie.com/">Hillside Quickie</a> happened. So the name of the restaurant is a bit of a misnomer, given that it is neither situated on a hillside, nor is the service quick, by any stretch of the imagination. What it does boast, however, is VEGAN SOUL FOOD.<br /><br />Now, I've already gone over my various and complicated feelings about "-an" classifications of eating, so you can take my word for it when I say that this isn't just good food by vegan standards (if you are one of those skeptics that believes that meat + butter related substances are key for anything delicious). This food is good, period. If you are ever in the Seattle area, it is definitely worth a stop. This place affirms the hypothesis that everything can be made delicious through the process of deep frying.<br /><br />Hillside Quickies can be wholly attributed to my discovery of seitan - namely, that it existed outside of the nebulous walls of my mother's pantry, and that <i>other people eat it</i>.<br /><br />Since I've started cooking in earnest this year, my roommate has pioneered many successful attempts at making seitan through baking. As I was doing research for our weekly group vegan dinners, I finally thought that I would try my hand at it. And let me tell you, there is a lot of shit to sort through about seitan.<br /><br />I encountered a few recipes that uttered dire warnings about boiling the seitan, others still who swore by it, tons of recipes that differed between cooking time, cooking method, amount of oil, type of oil, marination. You get the idea.<br /><br />So, deciding that it was time to just pony up and start experimenting, I glommed together various recipes from around the internets and came up with this.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyk-VX3Waoyg3OheuUwIIiW3VFwXpDbeBwd1esQT9aoqmeVT09tNmuDJo57yOGnNs1OiCTIQOO_CBn6iIAQIVZ3vw4BVYblw5MHsNM5JQpwiYSGoMG9jejysO6J7mR3bkRWNWA1Z7VjWY/s1600/_MG_3753.JPG"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 266px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454307624270253202" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyk-VX3Waoyg3OheuUwIIiW3VFwXpDbeBwd1esQT9aoqmeVT09tNmuDJo57yOGnNs1OiCTIQOO_CBn6iIAQIVZ3vw4BVYblw5MHsNM5JQpwiYSGoMG9jejysO6J7mR3bkRWNWA1Z7VjWY/s400/_MG_3753.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">Curried Seitan + Cauliflower</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">INGREDIENTS:</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">6-8 cups vegetable broth</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">2 2/3 cup vital wheat gluten</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 Tablespoon curry powder</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 teaspoon tumeric</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 Tablespoon salt</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 cup dry sherry</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">2 Tablespoons soy sauce</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 3/4 cup water</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 stalk green onions, chopped</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 head cauliflower, chopped</span></span><br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">2 cups rice milk</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 Tablespoon flour</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 Tablespoon curry powder</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tablespoons salt</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 teaspoon garlic powder<br /></span></span></li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80kdquTcGSm4dvSqLLfSkSRao3SIIWVd_Iq9gLtlOEXLNYsFb9TO6FZrD-TuYmMgsYie6C1m-PVx_GYreX-SQrwra2fMnKtZZjbFhMRsl-xkk5qE8pfZQsAEXWnbB8TnJkTl0-b8Nkjc/s1600/_MG_3754.JPG"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 280px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454307619085761170" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80kdquTcGSm4dvSqLLfSkSRao3SIIWVd_Iq9gLtlOEXLNYsFb9TO6FZrD-TuYmMgsYie6C1m-PVx_GYreX-SQrwra2fMnKtZZjbFhMRsl-xkk5qE8pfZQsAEXWnbB8TnJkTl0-b8Nkjc/s400/_MG_3754.JPG" border="0" /> </span></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">DIRECTIONS:</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1. Pour the broth into a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.<br /><br />2. Combine the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, curry, and salt into a medium size bowl.<br /><br />3. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, and water into another bowl.<br /><br />4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spoon. Knead into dough a few times until all of the ingredients are incorporated. The water will react almost instantly with the vital wheat gluten to make a tough dough.<br /><br />5. Tear pieces of dough off the larger dough ball with your hands and drop gently into the simmering broth. The pieces should be about an inch in diameter. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the seitan has expanded and risen to the top of the pot. Remove from heat and place in a shallow dish.<br /><br />6. Mix half a cup of rice milk with the flour in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until the mixture has thickened.<br /><br />7. Add the remaining rice milk and other sauce ingredients, and cook at medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.<br /><br />8. Pour the mixture over the seitan pieces and refridgerate overnight.<br /><br />9. The next day, allow the seitan to sit at room temperature for about ten minutes before cooking.<br /><br />10. Heat 2 tsp of oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Spoon the seitan pieces into the pan, reserving the sauce, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the seitan is slightly browned and firm.<br /><br />11. Pour marinade sauce over the seitan, add the cauliflower, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.<br /><br />12. Salt and pepper to taste, garnish with green onions, and serve over rice.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQxpCe-Dbj54xS46WKt-uJoD3AmNcUfEeZHY3uNUV7Atizdbc3EjOJ8I5rishF0sjluMvpSjE-135zAw5HzlZuKErDDAQTkpWdgY3igGbXZWPG5VeWV12vD5N_3Mpe-LQuQB24BrZMHw/s1600/_MG_3757.JPG"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 280px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454307612790347922" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQxpCe-Dbj54xS46WKt-uJoD3AmNcUfEeZHY3uNUV7Atizdbc3EjOJ8I5rishF0sjluMvpSjE-135zAw5HzlZuKErDDAQTkpWdgY3igGbXZWPG5VeWV12vD5N_3Mpe-LQuQB24BrZMHw/s400/_MG_3757.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I was a little nervous about making this, in the way that I am nervous about attempting to make cheese. When food texture is so important, it generally is common sense to assume that it would be really easy to screw up. And though I cooked my seitan a tiny bit longer than I should have (I modified the above recipe accordingly), the seitan just was a little bit tougher than was my preference, but could very well be exactly up someone else's alley. But the point is, the whole thing did not explode into a seitany, satan-y ball of doom, and was quite forgiving of all of the humiliations that I put it through. Do be prepared for the alarming rate of dough expansion among cooking, and learn from my mistakes and test the seitan frequently to make sure that it is at the consistency and texture that you like. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Though I will admit: I am still a little bit freaked out by the insta-magic of wheat gluten. The final product was a very convincing meat-like texture, with good flavor. In the future, I'm going to try slicing and frying cutlets (instead of boiling pieces), so we'll see how that works out. Also, I am well aware that this is the second curried cauliflower recipe that I have posted. I'm working on diversifying, I promise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was quite an easy make-ahead sort of recipe, and the vegetables could certainly be flexible, depending on what is in season. Seitan keeps remarkably well in the freezer as well, so you could always portion the seitan in freezer bags, instead of just marinating overnight.<br /><br />And while it is not quite as cheap an option as tofu or beans, it is quite a treat, and - it turns out - easy to make.<br /><br />Also, if anyone has any killer seitan recipes, then do let me know! Sorry for not having pictures of the final product (the first picture was the seitan, post-marinade) - but it always gets eaten up so fast...<br /></span></div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-89316196898733946572010-03-10T22:14:00.000-08:002010-03-10T23:06:12.405-08:00Vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5-glGPadyffyJdOlUp0cvRbh67pOpn9NtpGenMALmsGWqL4nH2dAaYy6Sz-lB8qZXhT_TNO2qN68V_b44b7DhoCBZKm5f_x08kY4WRm_1I5OdejjXwuNV1Ksj9kb1Ns6u94GWbfey0s/s1600-h/cake1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5-glGPadyffyJdOlUp0cvRbh67pOpn9NtpGenMALmsGWqL4nH2dAaYy6Sz-lB8qZXhT_TNO2qN68V_b44b7DhoCBZKm5f_x08kY4WRm_1I5OdejjXwuNV1Ksj9kb1Ns6u94GWbfey0s/s400/cake1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447256248426032034" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It's been a big week. A big week involving acceptance letters in the mail! And finally, finally, the previously distant future melding with my immediate present. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">So, with the prospect of moving to New York on the brain, I decided that celebration was in order. Specifically, celebration in the form of cake.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBmFml_7oolq_Q-eM7EexlBcvXweBwRW45ebbp2IpjLxVThK-OlPMX3IzSxodJauMLhCJ9r-op2YYSksqu0w8R6zu3SQ0P8BI8itBidJzPep-l261T9KbejnNjbtUxuuD2mLlrjA1-N4/s1600-h/cake2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBmFml_7oolq_Q-eM7EexlBcvXweBwRW45ebbp2IpjLxVThK-OlPMX3IzSxodJauMLhCJ9r-op2YYSksqu0w8R6zu3SQ0P8BI8itBidJzPep-l261T9KbejnNjbtUxuuD2mLlrjA1-N4/s400/cake2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447256241667006690" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC6600;">Vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">[copied verbatim from <a href="http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2010/02/vegan-mexican-chocolate-cake-get-ready.html">Foods For Long Life</a>]</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">INGREDIENTS</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 1/2 cups flour</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1/2 cup white sugar</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">2 teaspoons cinnamon</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 cup cold water</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 tablespoon vanilla</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; font-size: small; ">1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar</span></li></ul></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span style="font-family: arial, serif; "><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">INSTRUCTIONS</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Cut a piece of foil to fit the bottom of an 8 inch pie plate, and place in the bottom of the pan. Grease the sides of the pan with olive oil. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Stir in the water, vanilla, vinegar and oil until combined.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Pour mixture into the cake pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Cool in the pan, then turn the cake pan over and gently peel off the foil from the bottom of the cake. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Turn the cake back over so it is cooling on the rack with the top facing up and cool another 15 minutes. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, serif; ">Dust cake with powdered sugar.</span></li></ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div></div></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUrBvA77rHGOKj4oxeYc0d36MbWxwMH3ZHqAJL9vwF_s2DBiIFLtEVU3DAfhU_xHUqI9ZEFeUWf-584zS6sbH4Z9tcj2UNFbf_4cAUgCqkjXQ8qXYSMvxOkFu0LmeBSLi7aUC_deaXcc/s1600-h/cake3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUrBvA77rHGOKj4oxeYc0d36MbWxwMH3ZHqAJL9vwF_s2DBiIFLtEVU3DAfhU_xHUqI9ZEFeUWf-584zS6sbH4Z9tcj2UNFbf_4cAUgCqkjXQ8qXYSMvxOkFu0LmeBSLi7aUC_deaXcc/s400/cake3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447256158688406178" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div></span></div></div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-38917864936783620632010-03-01T23:42:00.000-08:002010-03-03T20:31:03.966-08:00clam pesto pizza<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwzU_tBC5isvz8NfKFnJVvD73V6j85Odj2fKXEwZ2M1vGrsfkaRKmamTPWrHfekZd587AUiGO7pIQ0eGWBttTBt64Wisfu4A6dMeRWRaN4PXk0csmfhAsZnqtSoroJ8wMuirE8Uev3Yo/s1600-h/clam5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwzU_tBC5isvz8NfKFnJVvD73V6j85Odj2fKXEwZ2M1vGrsfkaRKmamTPWrHfekZd587AUiGO7pIQ0eGWBttTBt64Wisfu4A6dMeRWRaN4PXk0csmfhAsZnqtSoroJ8wMuirE8Uev3Yo/s400/clam5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443938890467172114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To say that I'm a fan of seafood would be a major understatement. By and large, I'm fairly successful in eating very little red and white meat, but seafood is one thing that I know that I could never give up completely.<br /><br />I could rattle off a Forrest Gump-esque list that soliloquizes all the ways and manners in which I love all kinds of seafood - not just shrimp - but for everyone sanity (and limited attention span), I won't. I'll just say that we have crabs for Thanksgiving in lieu of a turkey, and leave it at that.<br /><br />So.<br /><br />Within the last couple of years, I've been lucky eough to have a monetary and gastronomic lifesaver nearby: Trader Joe's.<br /><br />Specifically, two ingredients: the pizza dough, and the basil.<br /><br />Let's break this down for a minute.<br /><br />The pizza dough, which comes infused with all of the herby/yeasty/premade (and therefore lazines enabling) goodness: is less than $2.<br /><br />The basil: comes in one boatsized denomination, which is not so great when you picked it up to make basil mozzarella sandwiches, but is the perfect amount for making pesto. In fact, I am fairly sure that it is humanly impossible to actually go through an entire box of the stuff without resorting to the "quick!-make-pesto-before-it-all-goes-bad!" strategy. All told, it's not too expensive to make amazing simple pizzas for dirt-cheap, and deluxe slightly-more-complicated pizzas for not too much more.<br /><br />This pizza falls into the second category. I actually made this a few weeks ago (obligatory referral to the bleating excuses that I have made in previous posts affirming that yes, I AM still cooking, but yes, I also similtaneously am too lazy to blog most of the things I make). I wasn't even going to post the recipe. But the next day, when I brought in my leftovers, I was met with a universal reaction of disgust.<br /><br />CLAM pizza? I might as well have brought in roadkill sandwiched between two pieces of Wonderbread. I found myself constantly having to defend my (apparently) odd recipe choice. I didn't think it was that strange.<br /><br />Really.<br /><br />I'd had clam pizzas at lots of places, usually with some incarnation of white sauce. Granted, I knew that this was not exactly something that you could pick up at Little Caesar's, but I certainly didn't think the combination strange enough to warrant an involuntary gagging sound. It's just like the clam sauce that you would have over pasta, people! The same basic meat+sauce+carb combo is still intact, I promise! It's just a slightly different variant! Now would you please put away your torches and pitchforks?<br /><br />Given the reaction, I figured I really had no other choice but to blog it, with the hope of alleviating prejudice for the poor overlooked clam pizzas of tomorrow.<br /><br />Obviously, if you are not a clam fan to begin with, this recipe is not for you. But on the off chance that you are fond of an occasional plate of Spaghetti alle Vongole at your local Italian restaurant, I beg you to consider this:<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-zTooxATdbkl4-yeiLcXKWm639QxyfSaBqh5Lei3bkHS8HDf7nJ0N9lWgb0BLfG1iAW1-PnK47_krAKkljIL4IZG5C-l1_vLNTRqlsgg_b0AabUJxgSdFM7eetJKOh6oE70_j5e6K3A/s1600-h/clam1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-zTooxATdbkl4-yeiLcXKWm639QxyfSaBqh5Lei3bkHS8HDf7nJ0N9lWgb0BLfG1iAW1-PnK47_krAKkljIL4IZG5C-l1_vLNTRqlsgg_b0AabUJxgSdFM7eetJKOh6oE70_j5e6K3A/s400/clam1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443938910480064434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Pesto Clam Pizza</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(pesto recipe adapted from the amazing <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001570.html">101 recipes</a>)</span><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >INGREDIENTS</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 package of Trader Joe's refrigerated pizza dough (I like the herbed version, but the whole wheat is also quite good)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 large bunch of basil leaves </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 head of garlic, separated into peeled cloves (from the above picture, you can tell I used two, but you all know my feelings on garlic at this point)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp lemon juice </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">A few tablespoons water</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 6.5-oz can of chopped clams</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3 tablespoons dry sherry</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">dash of white flour</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">salt and pepper, to taste</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmVWovZNa72ae1UJhCcg7HFw_-SLx_1k2t2FhNXnFSzQnUHmeOdsLsNDSbNRUdBK8K7ah7jTclpVrx9VauRVpprVh1996T1vSq4tmgQHtt3Xa0GOoEhorWA_hPhCsV-MmhvjYExhcWpg/s1600-h/clam2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmVWovZNa72ae1UJhCcg7HFw_-SLx_1k2t2FhNXnFSzQnUHmeOdsLsNDSbNRUdBK8K7ah7jTclpVrx9VauRVpprVh1996T1vSq4tmgQHtt3Xa0GOoEhorWA_hPhCsV-MmhvjYExhcWpg/s400/clam2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443938901571328082" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br />INSTRUCTIONS</span><br /><br />1. Take pizza dough out of the fridge and let rest on the counter. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br /><br />2. Mince a third of the garlic. Add 1/3 of the basil leaves and chop them into the minced garlic. Add the next third of garlic along with 1/3 of the parm cheese. Mince until integrated. Alternate chopping the remaining basil, cheese, and garlic into the mixture until the final overall consistency is a fine mince.<br /><br />3. Drizzle in the lemon juice and olive oil, and stir. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed, in order to achieve a thick pizza-sauce consistency.<br /><br />4. Open the can of clams and drain the clam juice into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the dry sherry and stir over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir in a dash of white flour to help the sauce thicken.<br /><br />5. Turn the heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the clam-wine sauce has thickened. Add in the reserved clams and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, salt and pepper to taste if needed.<br /><br />6. Use olive oil to grease a baking sheet (or use a pizza stone if you are lucky enough to have one) and hand-stretch the pizza dough to an approximate 12" diameter. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.<br /><br />7. Spread the pesto mixture in a thin layer over the semi-baked crust, then spread the clam sauce mixture over that. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top, if desired.<br /><br />8. Put back in oven and bake according to the package until the crust has browed.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8dJk87kxEV7IsT1TAy2CxprdAn4u-cJWsTH34lsXuQSNc8JDPiDicRFbvXd6d1Ycifl9aHNWG2FvfA9u429dpJ_GGgtgKiVDxn_wIBujPqRS3ajoWsk1NOHZ8v2Y8GhT04MMCixldAg/s1600-h/clam4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8dJk87kxEV7IsT1TAy2CxprdAn4u-cJWsTH34lsXuQSNc8JDPiDicRFbvXd6d1Ycifl9aHNWG2FvfA9u429dpJ_GGgtgKiVDxn_wIBujPqRS3ajoWsk1NOHZ8v2Y8GhT04MMCixldAg/s400/clam4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443938898993879490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Convinced yet? </span><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-10004410662975023482010-02-26T01:30:00.000-08:002010-02-26T15:37:52.387-08:00Shrimp and Cabbage Spring Rolls<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2qV5QW5e9sJb27R9BLMBuh_dSAWuxGG_RthahvSKduTMrsCSQdUkJoZSEluFNzAvwC9OQ_rGyEy3Vbg2CDYtHcRG2edMKVga4YEd5I4B-pyOo_hgURWQHDLqAPHq6a3WcShrt6UhxWI/s1600-h/springrolls1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2qV5QW5e9sJb27R9BLMBuh_dSAWuxGG_RthahvSKduTMrsCSQdUkJoZSEluFNzAvwC9OQ_rGyEy3Vbg2CDYtHcRG2edMKVga4YEd5I4B-pyOo_hgURWQHDLqAPHq6a3WcShrt6UhxWI/s400/springrolls1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442679334421214594" border="0" /></a><br />Oy.<br /><br />It pains me to realize that this blog is in critical danger of meeting the fate that most New Years(ish) resolutions face - extinction. There are lots of reasons for that which I could get into here, but the fact of the matter is, it's always life that tends to get in the way, isn't it?<br /><br />The time for cooking (or the time to set aside the time to devote to the completeness of the ritual) has been in short supply as of late. There is little space left over between interviews and applications, airports and bus shelters, reading and making endless barrages of words with varying importance.<br /><br />So in the meantime, there have been meals made of pretzels and mustard, hastily eaten sandwiches in rish hour traffic, days that I subsist on coffee until 5 PM. And, god help me, during one particular day of weakness - a microwave dinner.<br /><br />I know, I know. There's room for improvement, clearly. I have quite a backlog of photos on my camera from past meals that I just haven't had the time to document. And, quite frankly, most of the recipes that I've attempted in the past few weeks have been subpar, at best.<br /><br />When we moved from Michigan to the Pacific Northwest in 2005, my grandparents moved with us. Early on, my mother instated the ritual of taking my grandparents shopping for groceries in Chinatown every other Saturday. While I could never drag my sleep-deprived carcass out of bed early enough to ever come along (I use the term "early" in a way that could only be applicable to high school and college students), I could always count on finding a few extra Tupperware containers in the fridge nestled amongst the newly purchased bags of oranges and apples. Sometimes they would be </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >jia li jiao</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (curried meat turnovers), or </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >tsung you bing</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (green onion pancakes). Although all of these foods were definitely welcome visitors to my stomach, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >chun juan</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (fried spring rolls) were the key to my heart - and my grandmother's tour de force. Somehow, she had mastered the perfect alchemy of cabbage, carrots and dried shrimp, bound together with just the right combination of sauce, salt, and sweetness.<br /><br />Now that my grandmother has passed away and my grandfather is back in Taiwan, I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to fulfilling my craving for Chinese treats. When I was struck by a longing for spring rolls the other day, I was initially stymied by not having a recipe. After a little experimentation, the ultimate lesson became clear: never underestimate the power of nostalgic tastebuds.</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGhK44iA0UvZINWa0C_o0-rs8_vgVVhLmSMgNNiFgGYBSlu7s8gB4IDPaTCAS-CWa2f2vCQparg8VGeS3L3zROEiqOWw1bx3SvtrjLYFqABC6L-wmUsQBQFnb7ZS2Rtvn07CVAvmi6iE/s1600-h/skins.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGhK44iA0UvZINWa0C_o0-rs8_vgVVhLmSMgNNiFgGYBSlu7s8gB4IDPaTCAS-CWa2f2vCQparg8VGeS3L3zROEiqOWw1bx3SvtrjLYFqABC6L-wmUsQBQFnb7ZS2Rtvn07CVAvmi6iE/s400/skins.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442679339887238482" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shrimp and Cabbage Spring Rolls</span></span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ></span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"> INGREDIENTS</span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 large carrots, shredded</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 stalks green onions, chopped</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 cups dried shrimp (xia mi) - can also be substituted with 1 lb cooked and chopped coldwater shrimp</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 cups dried shitake mushrooms (or three large portobella mushrooms, sliced and cooked)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 heads garlic, finely chopped</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tbsp soy sauce</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tbsp black bean paste (salty, not sweet)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tbsp rice wine (or a dry sherry)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 tsp white sugar</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Salt and pepper, to taste</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 package dried spring roll wraps</span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:100%;" >INSTRUCTIONS</span><br /><br />Filling:<br /></span><ol style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">If using dried mushrooms and shrimp, you will need to presoak them before for a few hours until they are soft enough to chop. You might also get away with soaking them for less time in hot water.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Mix soy sauce, black bean paste, wine, and sugar into a small bowl. Set aside.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Saute garlic and sesame oil over low-medium heat until garlic is browned. Add mushrooms and shrimp and cook for an additional 2 minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add cabbage and carrots, turn to medium heat and stir fry until almost tender. (5-7 minutes)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add green onions, and sauce. Saute for an additional 2 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.</span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Making:<br /></span><ol style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Prepare a large pan of hot water.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Reconstitute a spring roll wrap in the water for 30 seconds, or until soft. Do not oversoak (or use water that is too hot), or the wrap will dissolve and tear.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Drop in 1/8 cup of filling towards the bottom third of the wrapper.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Fold in the sides, and then roll upwards to form a wrap.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Eat fresh, or fry in a pan with a little bit of canola oil. Makes about a dozen spring rolls.</span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao-vVnJT6z88z9ybTSjRySJW-eH5e8bAoMUveGRrVRLDSVzqfJHTWT4fJSWU63RKCB1a2Mwtwb5Ryk0l3FsLf6tetKpyoHR44VL2NEyHnw7gNJ8ZrhRJ214Jq9uHMVwY0Zve5w5osdZs/s1600-h/springroll4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao-vVnJT6z88z9ybTSjRySJW-eH5e8bAoMUveGRrVRLDSVzqfJHTWT4fJSWU63RKCB1a2Mwtwb5Ryk0l3FsLf6tetKpyoHR44VL2NEyHnw7gNJ8ZrhRJ214Jq9uHMVwY0Zve5w5osdZs/s400/springroll4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442679319517115202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">This was the perfect recipe for a big dinner with people that have a variety of food preferences, since the ingredients can be prepared separately.<br /><br />Spring roll wraps in themselves are vegan, so the recipe would be a good substitute for egg rolls (minus the shrimp, obviously). Obviously there is also quite a bit of latitude with the vegetables for the filling - I used the more traditional cabbage and carrots, but there is certainly a lot of room for experimentation. Portobellas can be used in conjunction with the shitakes for fungophiles. For people who like seafood, you can substitute oyster sauce for the black bean sauce.<br /><br />I ended up preparing all the ingredients separately (though you will need to probably make multiple batches of the sauce), throwing few pans of hot water and stacks of wrappers onto the table, and let everyone assemble their own wrapsm which probably wouldn't be kosher from a public health inspection viewpoint. But hey, let's not split hairs because let's face it, they're pretty damn delicious, germs or no.</span><br /></span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-56422968352466063332010-02-01T21:28:00.000-08:002010-02-01T22:10:28.119-08:00spinach and mushroom bread pudding<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3igUr8V4-wMz0eLjvJQzkyWcM9qbq1HhenCq1FYKjqNrgfwYxACy2fGd3FQIkMEApnVwS0BK0evkfOTcCS4fWrbHXEFiWrJFLOpQl71Pu8uE1qnIXQP_R-BqBNo8C3_0V9HfvceoCYDE/s1600-h/bread4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3igUr8V4-wMz0eLjvJQzkyWcM9qbq1HhenCq1FYKjqNrgfwYxACy2fGd3FQIkMEApnVwS0BK0evkfOTcCS4fWrbHXEFiWrJFLOpQl71Pu8uE1qnIXQP_R-BqBNo8C3_0V9HfvceoCYDE/s400/bread4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433516407108135298" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">All right, I'll admit it.
<br />
<br />I'm bad with bread. </span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Most of the time, I try to avoid bread, knowing this. If I had my way, I would pick up a freshly baked loaf every day. I get depressed at the notion of bread that is doomed to the fate of resealable plastic ties. In general, my rule is, if the bag it comes in seals, then it isn't worth eating.
<br />
<br />Naturally, this poses a problem for the feasibility of my bread consumption. It does not keep well. And, while the tortilla challenge of last week was entertainingly delicious (in which I successfully burrito-ed, cheese quesadilla-ed, and enchilada-ed myself to glory, FINALLY managing for the first time in my adult life to finish an entire bag of tortillas before the last few dried out), there's only so much love that I can give to sandwiches.
<br />
<br />I know, I know. 'But sandwiches are delicious! And versatile!' you're saying. And yes, these this is true. Soon I will buckle down and try to come up with a good grocery list for a week-long sandwich challenge. Unfortunately, the sandwich's structure is not, shall we say, renowned for its longevity or constitution. So, since every given day usually involves running around for several hours in and between unrefrigerated places, the glory of the intricately stacked sandwich tends to make a remarkably swift transition to Sogville.
<br />
<br />Despite all of these things, sometimes I can't resist. I walk past the bread in the bakery, and I'm doomed. In this particular instance, creamy roasted pepper soup was to blame. I had soup on the brain, knowing that the clock was ticking on the opened carton after making <a href="http://coffeebeansandcurryleaves.blogspot.com/2009/06/roasted-red-pepper-enchiladas.html">these babies</a>.
<br />
<br />So, despite my better judgment, I got a french baguette. I sawed off a fourth of it, and had a blissful soup experience.
<br />
<br />And then I promptly forgot about the rest of it.
<br />
<br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbAE7LMcTs3WU9fb5ivQBNC9ar2wqXUwI2vvYCdw4BKTaffkWe1sQgqczDe3q5zMcxmAcxZyVCHQphfzIOh5EyfMfaKg6EH503HSFHEEScfyhkTF8I9H6Gpk5tO4isHJzFmsYvJ-_Vgc/s1600-h/bread1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbAE7LMcTs3WU9fb5ivQBNC9ar2wqXUwI2vvYCdw4BKTaffkWe1sQgqczDe3q5zMcxmAcxZyVCHQphfzIOh5EyfMfaKg6EH503HSFHEEScfyhkTF8I9H6Gpk5tO4isHJzFmsYvJ-_Vgc/s400/bread1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433516428450675698" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Cleaning my kitchen this afternoon, I stumbled upon it. Or rather, I practically cracked my knuckles against it in passing, since at that point, it was creeping its way towards the consistency of petrified wood.
<br />
<br />After uttering a colorful menagerie of salty language, I was about to toss it into the bin when I dawned on me: <span style="font-style: italic;">bread pudding</span>.
<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja43k2ZXJkqrYCIpgB0qbRYkWPYqXbwsQc1mdGY5lrsRFFEr1LooIqv0637g8hxs9yjRTHjj9aSfaekyXKurVS7tq__xK2DhEuMehi_0X3oFa9pXm64v1x9VQ32G7KykSk1_L-mfbPPTE/s1600-h/bread2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja43k2ZXJkqrYCIpgB0qbRYkWPYqXbwsQc1mdGY5lrsRFFEr1LooIqv0637g8hxs9yjRTHjj9aSfaekyXKurVS7tq__xK2DhEuMehi_0X3oFa9pXm64v1x9VQ32G7KykSk1_L-mfbPPTE/s400/bread2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433516423594531586" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFUFyMWWyQd2MlQAMXYsquPQpI6FuPwehpd5YdQKfZY6vUkz82xJXHfjtZVqVpUccaqeJYIGr2bNDcw3GMrzgsehp7rgo5l-k1ttAWTT5myxrh_vElOnnCwhBPg5o6irXoQP9AxjIAbY/s1600-h/bread3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFUFyMWWyQd2MlQAMXYsquPQpI6FuPwehpd5YdQKfZY6vUkz82xJXHfjtZVqVpUccaqeJYIGr2bNDcw3GMrzgsehp7rgo5l-k1ttAWTT5myxrh_vElOnnCwhBPg5o6irXoQP9AxjIAbY/s400/bread3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433516417493024130" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Spinach and Mushroom Bread Pudding
<br /></span></div>
<br />INGREDIENTS:
<br /></div><blockquote style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">7-8 oz. firm tofu (I used half of a 15.5 oz twin pack)
<br />2 tablespoons mustard (if you can, try to grab Trader Joe's Garlic Aioli Mustard - heaven!)
<br />1 tsp peppercorns, crushed
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup almond milk
<br />4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
<br />1/4 cup basil, chopped
<br />1 head garlic, minced
<br />1 shallot, minced
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp thyme
<br />1/4 tsp rosemary
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">3-4 cups stale bread, cubed (i guesstimated with 3/4 of a stale baguette)
<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">2 cups spinach leaves
<br />9 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">
<br />INSTRUCTIONS:
<br /></span> <meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link style="font-family: arial;" rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/Jen/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Tzaristane Light"; panose-1:2 0 6 3 2 0 0 2 0 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:"Tzaristane Light"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:"Tzaristane Light"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <blockquote style="font-family:arial;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees</span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Saute mushrooms over medium heat until tender. Set aside. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Mash tofu, almond milk, shallots, garlic, and mustard together until well incorporated.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Add peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, and salt to taste. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Stir in spinach and mushrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Add bread cubes and basil. Toss until well incorporated. Prod one of the cubes to make sure that it seems to be softening - if not, then add a bit more almond milk. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Spread into 9x13 baking pan and place mozzarella slices on top.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 min, or until the cheese is brown and bubbling</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >
<br />(p.s: i realize i've been bad about logging groceries. i've stopped doing huge weekly grocery runs because i was tired of having my mushrooms be shriveled or my basil wilted by the time i got round to the recipes i wanted to make. so instead, i've been just running to the store(s) before cooking, since we're lucky to be so close. today i grabbed mushrooms (half of a package at $1.69), garlic aioli mustard ($2.49), almond milk ($1.69).
<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-74608368156795092882010-01-27T22:38:00.000-08:002010-03-03T13:27:09.609-08:00Cauliflower Pepper Curry<span style="font-size:78%;">.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Aq85lm_bpEwx8c4VMR62UXtoJFXL3ZcxT_QZkS2Ua3sTXNbv1NYvcZocKBFSsw3ZqCXEJHNwnPPIA5bqXorMNCEWqSNwkkNmz505r6db2ki6I3d5pR7mbzyVNHXT73AXYm1xANHxVr8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Aq85lm_bpEwx8c4VMR62UXtoJFXL3ZcxT_QZkS2Ua3sTXNbv1NYvcZocKBFSsw3ZqCXEJHNwnPPIA5bqXorMNCEWqSNwkkNmz505r6db2ki6I3d5pR7mbzyVNHXT73AXYm1xANHxVr8/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431677386042036882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">hello beautiful friends!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">so sorry for being quite MIA in the past week. a fatal combination of house guests, laziness, and a renewed inspiration to make work had culminated in a bit of stagnation, cooking-wise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">but as a peace offering, i have the recipe from the cauliflower pepper curry that i made for the second time in a week. so take that as an endorsement; this stuff is <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">this recipe is a great illustration of one of my favorite food policies: "more pepper". (the others being, 'more mustard', and 'more garlic'.)</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEleKRmI4ZWhRTIJhHNw0g_BOzt4jMe7RvdIbYwAH31OfWlmTfCNwtADy4yzCcD4LigVd6S4OU04a_U-eQ7uuWhdKTyf6HF3TvfWcw2GBv4Nd2L_3BxfjC9Dspov0icltRzSK3KE5_Hc8/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEleKRmI4ZWhRTIJhHNw0g_BOzt4jMe7RvdIbYwAH31OfWlmTfCNwtADy4yzCcD4LigVd6S4OU04a_U-eQ7uuWhdKTyf6HF3TvfWcw2GBv4Nd2L_3BxfjC9Dspov0icltRzSK3KE5_Hc8/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431677379039920386" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Cauliflower Pepper Curry</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">INGREDIENTS:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp mustard seeds</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp cumin seeds</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tablespoons olive oil </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">8 cloves garlic, chopped</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 can of coconut milk (14 oz)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tsp salt </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tsp peppercorns, crushed</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tablespoon curry leaves</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 bunch spinach, chopped </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 head cauliflower, chopped</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cubed</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">INSTRUCTIONS</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><ol><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cover, until the seeds have stopped popping. Add cumin seeds and cook until browned (1 min). </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Stir-fry cauliflower until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for an additional one minute. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Pour in coconut milk and scrape bottom of pan to release spice. Stir in salt, peppercorns, and curry leaves. Reduce and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add spinach, continue to simmer until cooked (about 5 minutes).</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Stir in tomatoes. Raise heat to medium-high, and boil uncovered for 3-5 minutes until tomato is warmed, and some of the cauliflower has broken down to thicken the sauce. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Serve over basmati rice, if desired.<br /></span></li></ol></div></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-family:arial;" ><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NnDWae90QJkvav1hXLPIIeCDyF8vcXQDJqYMe4zwRFPOlUmzSkfpwdoKwOSNMvNjFdmsCryewAqiYTbTGwds4ml6gJF_T867tkJFocHsc_PaKLjEOiEyzegpY-ooiKvSrQMFy3uzVDE/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NnDWae90QJkvav1hXLPIIeCDyF8vcXQDJqYMe4zwRFPOlUmzSkfpwdoKwOSNMvNjFdmsCryewAqiYTbTGwds4ml6gJF_T867tkJFocHsc_PaKLjEOiEyzegpY-ooiKvSrQMFy3uzVDE/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431677372407349058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bon appetit! Was a great, simple meal that could be left unattended for stretches of time. Perfect for listening to the State of the Union address and chipping away steadily at a cable-knit scarf that I have been working on since December. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">There are a lot of things that I could say about my feelings (or lack thereof) on politics, and political leaders, and rhetoric, and public relations. Clearly, there are many things about our nation's shared situation that are less than ideal, and things about my own situation that are the same. In some ways, the last year has caused me to become a skeptic. Skeptical about things working out, about the seemingly inexorable slide of our country towards desperation, about things falling apart more than they come together.<br /><br />As I made dinner tonight, I was a bit surprised to find that despite these precious feelings, I now have more gratitude than ever before. I no longer feel helpless. I no longer feel as if the things that happen to me are solely a result of unpredictable, inscrutable factors.<br /><br />I could focus on the negative. I could grouse about tuition costs, about squeezing in hours at work at any given opportunity, about always rushing endlessly from place to place with burning calves and lungs. About millions of things, really. But the truth is, I don't. I'm recklessly, stupidly grateful to have a job, to have the opportunity to work and be paid in exchange, to have faith in my ability to do things well, in good friends and in a warm cat on my lap. I'm grateful for having the will and health to put in the effort to make food for myself, to experience the satisfaction in preparing it for subsequent consumption. In exercising a conscientiousness and a certain joy in converting raw ingredients into something worth having.<br /><br />There are a lot of cliches that exist about the therapeutic effect of making food, about cooking to save yourself. I think I can buy into that to some degree, but it goes deeper than that. It's not just cooking that's saving myself. It's me. I'm saving myself. And small things, small things are saving me.<br /></span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-55716017376880394542010-01-26T00:16:00.001-08:002010-01-26T13:48:27.500-08:00groceries, week 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIscTu4n1BDjDwoqrPITV0YpcTA5q0-WKMlPg1_LC6tcDW6xXgVxNhWrk2uJMqJtpEHVGF7qb4osxifuyC6AyhlqhmCY-GgQvGGRZMcTF-q17bzyAmUA0tQsb70Egt2-jP4fgzEysK8p8/s1600-h/week+3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430959399926709586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIscTu4n1BDjDwoqrPITV0YpcTA5q0-WKMlPg1_LC6tcDW6xXgVxNhWrk2uJMqJtpEHVGF7qb4osxifuyC6AyhlqhmCY-GgQvGGRZMcTF-q17bzyAmUA0tQsb70Egt2-jP4fgzEysK8p8/s400/week+3.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">oof, it's been awhile. life has been busy! these are the groceries from two sundays ago - didn't do a formal grocery shopping trip last sunday since i was in a frenzy at the prospect for cooking for 7. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">as it turns out, i'm impossible at holding onto receipts for longer than a week, but i do remember that the bill for everything above came out to about $33. most of the last week was just making burritos and enchiladas in various forms, since i challenged myself to finish an entire package before they slowly withered into submission in my fridge crisper drawer. you know what i'm talking about. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">but the short list (sans individual prices). bought more items from trader joe's than normal, so it stretched my dollar a bit more than usual. </span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">whole wheat flour</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">tortillas</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">red cabbage </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">yellow popcorn</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">green onions</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">italian parsley </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">avocado</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">portabella mushrooms</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">crimini mushrooms</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">yellow sweet onions</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">mexican blend cheese</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">coconut milk</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">artichoke hearts</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">soy sauce</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">tomato and roasted pepper soup</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">cauliflower</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">basil</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Arial;">the last week and a half have yielded a lot of mediocre food and initial lukewarm results from new recipes. you can't win 'em all, eh? lots of deadlines and readings and makings have also led to a lot of dinners consisting of random vegetables and popcorn. having company for the weekend also threw off the clear delineation between weekly budgeting, but business should be resuming to normal soon!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">there was a single notable success with a pepper curry recipe, which i will have to post later (and cross my fingers that i remembered to take pictures of it. all of these meals lately have been blending together!)</span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-16458794691655185072010-01-18T19:23:00.000-08:002010-01-26T13:47:15.465-08:00French Onion Shrimp Enchiladas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QuVfJNFU7stWWtCagWMXIMI8uXUL9kvL48oWP6ed611CKvW4j_2R0dCJIpbhfp36x60hUDbmHeMiCX8U-Lpo_PYLHck0u-GQxfmC1LUrRP1VkxkOgxlp1enwtyaV963iIRc-GqSaHBo/s1600-h/quesidillas.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428286630750438178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QuVfJNFU7stWWtCagWMXIMI8uXUL9kvL48oWP6ed611CKvW4j_2R0dCJIpbhfp36x60hUDbmHeMiCX8U-Lpo_PYLHck0u-GQxfmC1LUrRP1VkxkOgxlp1enwtyaV963iIRc-GqSaHBo/s400/quesidillas.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Alright, so you might as well pencil these in the day after you make the <a href="http://eat-rinse-repeat.blogspot.com/2010/01/french-onion-soup.html">French Onion Soup</a>. It has been my experience that every soup recipe always yields slightly less than it purports to make. Slightly less, in that it is always, </span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:arial;" >always</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> just slightly less than a full bowl that you could justify sitting down to without making something else to accompany it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Needless to say, after the previous night's endeavors, I wasn't really in the mood to put forth a whole lot of effort into dinner. And then it dawned on me - <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">enchilada sauce. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAi3tchy1Yp73CI39D1Lt24M4ilT2N7NEVAoWtTnwUg3KAlE-nEH_gUEWPXGXfoN-HMqu9cwME8bKqoaRex3UBvxX2MvptWJTGz32Iq1NF6oYGdXtVtG3SNcZ_DMexrm-SoVAqF9CtQw/s1600-h/quesidillas1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 264px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428286623928194690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAi3tchy1Yp73CI39D1Lt24M4ilT2N7NEVAoWtTnwUg3KAlE-nEH_gUEWPXGXfoN-HMqu9cwME8bKqoaRex3UBvxX2MvptWJTGz32Iq1NF6oYGdXtVtG3SNcZ_DMexrm-SoVAqF9CtQw/s400/quesidillas1.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,102,0);font-size:180%;" >French Onion Shrimp Enchiladas</span><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:85%;">(makes four)</span><br /></div><blockquote>INGREDIENTS</blockquote><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3/4 pound coldwater shrimp (I used frozen, but obviously you can use fresh)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 can black beans</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 medium onion</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 tsp salt</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 tsp chili powder</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 tsp cayenne pepper</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 tsp cumin</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 tsp paprika</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp garlic powder</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 medium-large tortillas, slightly warmed</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3/4 cup leftover french onion soup (see <a href="http://eat-rinse-repeat.blogspot.com/2010/01/french-onion-soup.html">this recipe</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese</span></li></ul><blockquote><br />INSTRUCTIONS:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br /><br />Saute shrimp over medium hear in medium-large pan until fully cooked. Add onion and continue to cook, until onion becomes slightly transparent. Add spices and black beans. Simmer for a few more minutes, and salt and pepper to taste.<br /><br />Scoop a few spoonfuls of soup into the bottom of a dish (I used a 9-in pie dish).<br /><br />Roll the filling into tortillas, and place into pan. Spoon the remaining soup over the tops, making sure to drench all of the enchiladas evenly. Sprinkle with cheese.<br /><br />Bake in preheated oven for 15 min, or until the cheese is bubbling and becoming brown. </span></blockquote></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmVjbmkZIAeaSMPG7bqzDWw_IOKyljt0caTWM_myY6Uq8DONq_Q99NonwfgbxhH7SejdT93tXojJQuHrqjA733BF0NgT89RGP40jBk1S394R0nbMneu-dgzucIY_JvMQ6hJhnP_D2_5o/s1600-h/quesidillas3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428286617753270914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmVjbmkZIAeaSMPG7bqzDWw_IOKyljt0caTWM_myY6Uq8DONq_Q99NonwfgbxhH7SejdT93tXojJQuHrqjA733BF0NgT89RGP40jBk1S394R0nbMneu-dgzucIY_JvMQ6hJhnP_D2_5o/s400/quesidillas3.jpg" /></a><br />Perfect. A little spicy from the taco-esque seasoning a little sweet from the caramelized onions. I was a little worried that the flavors would clash a little bit, but a lot of the mushroom flavoring from the soup was absorbed by the cheesy topping - and the onions inside and out of the enchiladas brought everything together pretty nicely. If I were to make it again (and if I had had some on hand), I'd suggest using Gruyere cheese - a little throwback to the more traditional french onion soup.jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-75876324704988136202010-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:002010-01-18T19:40:52.917-08:00Vegan French Onion Soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBvsYR51bqL1rXie8Dz88UM4RdVCRT6Ox6Gg4A469TLeNmXzx12ug639XDTXs6U8QUPvbGKzBcoNXbZMpH2ouzgvK2w6t5mq-l66afJuyuF-IS6MbxbdCiWPv6crncrEMXBwqC_vqII/s1600-h/soup1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bBvsYR51bqL1rXie8Dz88UM4RdVCRT6Ox6Gg4A469TLeNmXzx12ug639XDTXs6U8QUPvbGKzBcoNXbZMpH2ouzgvK2w6t5mq-l66afJuyuF-IS6MbxbdCiWPv6crncrEMXBwqC_vqII/s400/soup1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428279096355218306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As a kid, you learn quickly that a good rule to live by is, "if it takes good, it is probably bad for you". </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But of course, as we grow older, we learn another valuable life lesson: "there are always exceptions to the rule", and "rules are made to be broken".<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUURa9QDfPWaKxvpVkiRWJQpOx0AjN4O-UX6BHTGvhQAfBnPoyknFvPAwkiZsGrhdoHb-xD-g6xCqmXo-TI4EOVRhE-_0Cr0Sp93K-9Q24LJM3eoD-NQOOdPgL-MMJvAwz_dm8T0E6ig/s1600-h/soup4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUURa9QDfPWaKxvpVkiRWJQpOx0AjN4O-UX6BHTGvhQAfBnPoyknFvPAwkiZsGrhdoHb-xD-g6xCqmXo-TI4EOVRhE-_0Cr0Sp93K-9Q24LJM3eoD-NQOOdPgL-MMJvAwz_dm8T0E6ig/s400/soup4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428279079331864050" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Vegan French Onion Soup<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">[from <a href="http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2009/12/healthy-vegan-french-onion-soup-with.html">Foods For Long Life</a>]</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">INGREDIENTS:</span></blockquote><div style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:85%;">8 cups water</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, cut in half</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2 stalks of celery, cut in four pieces </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 large carrot, cut in four pieces</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">8 peppercorns</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 bay leaf</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">5 cloves of garlic in skin, cut in half or smashed</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 tablespoon Tamari soy sauce</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 tablespoon olive oil</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">4 large onions, thinly sliced (about 10 cups)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/4 teaspoon dry thyme<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:85%;">salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste</span></span></span></li></ul></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELiMovn88RJ-PXGqmvB9NsZtUZb0EGspCxtcJOx6LfuuRiapMb9i31ePNlUeibU93gHwLnaRh__mBUApFwvnHo7WzWf1Swlpmy6rznyWzA7iOWZ2YDgfYazGkS4d08pF8ySzG61yDHug/s1600-h/soup2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELiMovn88RJ-PXGqmvB9NsZtUZb0EGspCxtcJOx6LfuuRiapMb9i31ePNlUeibU93gHwLnaRh__mBUApFwvnHo7WzWf1Swlpmy6rznyWzA7iOWZ2YDgfYazGkS4d08pF8ySzG61yDHug/s400/soup2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428279090320074914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhC-oWM1ESQ8ws1a2JOkkbRGxm3KvoN2Wg-BXmuPmuldWqvA8tQzPMvMUjNP_nw3Kb-h_6e_YrChmLSSimqjGRziSwmU4LqwyARcawB5R5gNmq-GUvbDZ6pz4yKxRlHl3bH1-iIaRAgJo/s1600-h/soup3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhC-oWM1ESQ8ws1a2JOkkbRGxm3KvoN2Wg-BXmuPmuldWqvA8tQzPMvMUjNP_nw3Kb-h_6e_YrChmLSSimqjGRziSwmU4LqwyARcawB5R5gNmq-GUvbDZ6pz4yKxRlHl3bH1-iIaRAgJo/s400/soup3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428279086502874882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><blockquote>INSTRUCTIONS:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Start with the broth. Combine water, mushrooms, celery, carrots, peppercorns, the bay leaf, and crushed garlic cloves in a large pot. Simmer covered, for about an hour.<br /><br />Meanwhile, slice onions. Saute with olive oil in a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat, until they start to turn translucent. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Add 1 tsp sugar, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to caramelize. Be careful near the end not to stir too often or too infrequently - if you stir too often, the onions won't brown, and if you stir too infrequently...well...you know what happens. Once the onions have turned brown, add crushed garlic and thyme.<br /><br />Once broth is done simmering, strain the vegetables out of the stock. Add the stock to your pan of (now caramelized) onions.<br /><br />Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. </span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br />Okay. Admittedly, this recipe takes awhile, about an hour and a half, with all of the simmering and caramelizing action that is going down. So don't attempt this recipe after a fifteen hour work day and your stomach is threatening to digest itself. In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that it is probably a "strictly weekend" sort of recipe.<br /><br />But think of the rewards! Don't lie, I know I had you guys at "ten cups of onions".<br /></span></span></div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-8831217865318665242010-01-13T00:11:00.000-08:002010-01-13T00:30:25.184-08:00vegan fudge brownies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFZRMp-EpENY7uM_VUxtCSyZMRbJjC4TQ-ix44gyAj-DX9fRKqSluzjY82JTJEgAJ1cOSyTmtAjRl0TPF-BPlDJKev9vLwCQorxf9vclGDIXptpELmfDxOASHJdy2t5SzGPO0R6ZWqnM/s1600-h/brownies1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFZRMp-EpENY7uM_VUxtCSyZMRbJjC4TQ-ix44gyAj-DX9fRKqSluzjY82JTJEgAJ1cOSyTmtAjRl0TPF-BPlDJKev9vLwCQorxf9vclGDIXptpELmfDxOASHJdy2t5SzGPO0R6ZWqnM/s400/brownies1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426134773754570546" border="0" /></a><br />hello friends!<br /><br />so this is the point (cerca week two, to be optimistic or cynical, depending on your point of view) in the year when new years resolve is starting to weaken a bit.<br /><br />though i am certainly far from throwing in towel, i'm starting to sense to feast-famine pattern of postings that is likely to start occurring, with emphasis on "feast" on these things called weekends, during which i occasionally manage to capture that rare beast known to some as "spare time".<br /><br />ok, there will be no more gratuitious use of quotation marks for the rest of this post, so you can put your rotten tomatoes away.<br /><br />what i am really getting at here is that though i am cooking consistently throughout the week, i will definitely need to make a more protracted effort to make sure that i'm posting in some semblance of real-time - with a liberal definition of being within the week.<br /><br />but, as a show of my good feelings (and attempt at appeasement), here is the most amazing brownie recipe i know of. say what you will about vegan foods, but these brownies are by far the best i have encountered. something about the creative substitutions for dairy that really does the trick if you are into the idea of dense baked goods - which i am certainly in favor of. caution - these are heavy. as in, can use as a doorstop heavy. or, can eat for breakfast and be sustained for a good few hours heavy. not that i've done that for the past two days, or anything.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSRHqombbHXUhxlcMaTStmQf8MR_IrrI1k8GWd4fLe1xTK9Z4_KeevK89RfBydPO0CJ0xZA7Z226tbKn1RqO_fFXAaPgN1tgwcMgAgwyZ_7Zbkf1at3fx8pUdxuwd_m8txJn5375WqQk/s1600-h/brownies2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSRHqombbHXUhxlcMaTStmQf8MR_IrrI1k8GWd4fLe1xTK9Z4_KeevK89RfBydPO0CJ0xZA7Z226tbKn1RqO_fFXAaPgN1tgwcMgAgwyZ_7Zbkf1at3fx8pUdxuwd_m8txJn5375WqQk/s400/brownies2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426134769442172594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Vegan Fudge Brownies<br /></span></div><br /><blockquote>INGREDIENTS</blockquote><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 16 oz package silken tofu </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup brown sugar </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 cups white sugar</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/2 cups flour</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp salt</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tsp vanilla</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup dark cocoa powder</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup Earth Balance</span></li></ul><blockquote><br />INSTRUCTIONS</blockquote><ol><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Puree tofu until smooth (in food processor, blender, or by hand). Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Melt margarine in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in white sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Combine cocoa mixture with tofu mixture until well incorporated. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Fold in flour. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Pour into pan, bake at 350, until toothpick comes out clean (usually around 30-40 min).</span></li></ol><br />Voila! In terms of difficulty and time commitment, probably not too much more or less than your standard recipe (unless your recipe consists of: opening betty crocker package, adding eggs and water, and baking. and even then, still not too much more).<br /><br />But trust me. It's worth it. Just a note, you might want to make some coffee during the last five minutes while these babies are baking to have with your first piece.<br /><br />(You can thank me later.)jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-24094997276250147822010-01-12T14:08:00.000-08:002010-01-12T14:09:36.916-08:00feelings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HflYhZCNzJvhslWMc8yDvqQiEWlhSZdV1-PnoQGVFKHfPFlKPG2gQfDn1RFWyKLSCNLp_OZLm9mOCN0OgboNztNp_o8IIRiTXCyCJWyNYT-_3Rhprt-jTe8Uo661EUooOiNcTZW9eZg/s1600-h/tumblr_kvst93EVPL1qa7bilo1_500.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425978891438632146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HflYhZCNzJvhslWMc8yDvqQiEWlhSZdV1-PnoQGVFKHfPFlKPG2gQfDn1RFWyKLSCNLp_OZLm9mOCN0OgboNztNp_o8IIRiTXCyCJWyNYT-_3Rhprt-jTe8Uo661EUooOiNcTZW9eZg/s400/tumblr_kvst93EVPL1qa7bilo1_500.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div> </div></div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-60734328440586973892010-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:002010-01-10T20:32:06.575-08:00groceries, week 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzuvJkydG7Xt2i3ZtBUb3mFkzYEWS8s816m-oEKdckdEx3SgIUY9iPeXTvBqDGmZLy8lMPor_UjlNtC2CuftdRKnLtOE7pvvckKgEfaFF0SXAyPEpH5gCt-16rRIqVjtsAOjO1U7rSE4/s1600-h/groceries.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzuvJkydG7Xt2i3ZtBUb3mFkzYEWS8s816m-oEKdckdEx3SgIUY9iPeXTvBqDGmZLy8lMPor_UjlNtC2CuftdRKnLtOE7pvvckKgEfaFF0SXAyPEpH5gCt-16rRIqVjtsAOjO1U7rSE4/s400/groceries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425293232262305218" border="0" /></a><br />whew! one week over, with success! just barely eeked in under $40, having had to run to grab some chocolate sorbet and more Earth Balance, which put me at $38.12. not bad, considering that included in this week's menu was a couple of group meals - one for 8, one for 3. i'm realizing now that i didn't document either of these meals for the sake of hospitality - which is something that guests in the future will just need to get over.<br /><br />this week's recipes of note:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">banana bread<br />spinach quiche<br />cajun mac n' yease<br />mushroom and barley pie<br />breakfast salad<br />curried quinoa </span><br /><br />a few of these are still works in-progress (or I didn't photograph them!), so the actual recipes should be making a reappearance here sooner or later.<br /><br />this week's groceries:<br /><br />Madison Market:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">fuji apples - $1.24<br />kidney beans - $0.99<br />yellow onions - $2.46<br />crimini mushrooms - $2.69<br />roma tomatoes - $3.16<br />tofu - $2.29<br />earth balance - $3.49</span><br /><br />Trader Joe's:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">sumatra coffee - $4.99<br />arugula - $2.29<br />artchoke hearts - $1.99<br />pizza sauce - $2.29<br />pizza dough - $1.29<br />mozarella - $4.29</span><br /><br />Total: $33.46<br /><br /><br />Off to do some more Sunday baking. Hint: chocolate and tofu is involved. Get stoked.jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-22808038925504094812010-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:002010-01-10T18:50:45.440-08:00Mushroom & Barley Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLled75kbO9Q0C26czdx3cppZwf5bCyC5nEEJ5P-6TRE0lgacQ8N4IgkHvqbT_PNTfeH0gfd4RCcxcp6Dv6vqAZJZrvd_eLf1aRyEGaZPEJSG9HpC04SeXVwbSd59lyWXMXGwqC7qTW3U/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLled75kbO9Q0C26czdx3cppZwf5bCyC5nEEJ5P-6TRE0lgacQ8N4IgkHvqbT_PNTfeH0gfd4RCcxcp6Dv6vqAZJZrvd_eLf1aRyEGaZPEJSG9HpC04SeXVwbSd59lyWXMXGwqC7qTW3U/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425226978198342930" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left">everyone has at least a few staple foods that they always have on hand. for some people, it's Top Ramen. Others have more nutritious go-to items, like carrot sticks and granola bars. Some people (and these friends are the best kind to have!) always can be counted on for having freshly ground coffee or beer on hand.<br /></div><br /><div align="left">my current cooking repertoire is well-perfected, but admittedly...unambitious. pasta, rice, and quinoa are my go-to items, usually augmented with an inordinate amount of garlic (by other people's standards), clams, or a handful of standard vegetables like onions, tomatoes, or mushrooms.<br /></div><br /><div align="left">SO. the resolution is to start trying recipes that contain most of the staples that i already have on hand, supplemented with a few other inexpensive ingredients. </div><br /><div align="left">i picked this recipe because i have always had a soft spot for savory pies. i blame reading this on reading too many redwall books as a kid - i remember skipping over lengthy descriptions of battle scenes to drool over the descriptions of the epic feasts that the animals would throw after they inevitably vanquished whatever bad guy(s) was in town. (am i alone on this? am i a nostalgic idiot sometimes? these questions are beside the point.) </div><br /><div align="left">but i digress. point is, i have a lot of spare time to spend on the internet, i may or may not have googled "redwall pasty recipe" because i'm subject to incredibly persuasive and completely random food cravings...and here we are.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIB3Jcb4riEOT0F_nh1NUFKjjdyfb73WWASCGbEOLSjXJNKS9HsnbxbixThdZc1g5496sG87cKPQpKQGP35gpt42bD6Kk9G9cmZDbZd3ZhXNM4oGfI_mGB4UoT1U03atsAimgCKnW4_c/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIB3Jcb4riEOT0F_nh1NUFKjjdyfb73WWASCGbEOLSjXJNKS9HsnbxbixThdZc1g5496sG87cKPQpKQGP35gpt42bD6Kk9G9cmZDbZd3ZhXNM4oGfI_mGB4UoT1U03atsAimgCKnW4_c/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425226989025546882" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Mushroom & Barley Pie</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">[adapted wildly from a smorgasbord of sources, most prominantly from </span><a href="http://yummysmells.blogspot.com/2008/04/eulalia.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">What Smells So Good?</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> and </span><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/mushroom-and-barley-pie/"><span style="font-size:78%;">Smitten Kitchen</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">]</span><br /></div><br />INGREDIENTS:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup barley<br />6 cups water<br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />1 head roasted garlic<br />1 medium onion, chopped<br />1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced<br />1/2 cup feta cheese<br />1 (1-pound) package frozen puff pastry, thawed<br />1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt</span><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>The night before</em>: soak barley in 6 cups water. The recipe can use pearl barley, but using hulled barley leaves the bran intact/is less processed/has more fiber, blah blah. If you use pearl barley, you don't have to presoak.<br /></span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5on9TD6xUditUlk4hx1xOFYrOVGLF5OKkERe3A8PafVn_zjY9HH5E4MKG9i5pxcp_BXI5A5GrqdAybkrboqa81_qYNAK8eAQqWcgDx-4WI6PzccgI2gGPCtD9AloRwudelBDGGvZZs4I/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5on9TD6xUditUlk4hx1xOFYrOVGLF5OKkERe3A8PafVn_zjY9HH5E4MKG9i5pxcp_BXI5A5GrqdAybkrboqa81_qYNAK8eAQqWcgDx-4WI6PzccgI2gGPCtD9AloRwudelBDGGvZZs4I/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425226972292765586" border="0" /></a> </p><blockquote>INSTRUCTIONS</blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><blockquote>1. Bring barley (still in water that you presoaked in) to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (around 1 hour). Drain and cool. (Reserve the barley water! You can water it down, add a little bit of honey, and drink it on its own.)<br /><br />2. Take pastry out of the freezer to thaw.<br /><br />3. While barley or farro cooks, cook onion in large saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms. Cook on medium-high heat until mushrooms are soft (about 5-8 minutes). Cool.<br /><br />4. Add barley to mushroom/onion mixture, then add feta and roasted garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.<br /><br />5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. </blockquote><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjAzXjKJblVsCA-3_BZfs6JPH3nD6boYDEqlmvvXpE5aZ6AauqMzwvgZEfaJ_gi-gV5fZr-7NzNl7qi_Ge7Op-jvRsuHTVysJLE-PhxrxEwi3l2dKDixe0sWsAsTqnNGLMlDIwLImrFc/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjAzXjKJblVsCA-3_BZfs6JPH3nD6boYDEqlmvvXpE5aZ6AauqMzwvgZEfaJ_gi-gV5fZr-7NzNl7qi_Ge7Op-jvRsuHTVysJLE-PhxrxEwi3l2dKDixe0sWsAsTqnNGLMlDIwLImrFc/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425226961572768050" border="0" /></a></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><blockquote>6. Roll out thawed pastry into two 9x12" sheets. Spoon filling over pastry, leaving a 1" border.<br /><br />7. Brush border with egg wash, then place the second sheet on top. Press edges to seal, then crimp edges. Brush the top of the pie with remaining egg wash. Cut steam vents on top of pie.<br /><br />8. Bake on middle rack of preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or under pastry is puffed and brown. </blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHn0l-YIx79_lwXdIfG9Wq7ZVy6ltls1Bk5qxr9fM2GbZvMTSQQIMaxHYLHP_bPddfSbh0qAYO8Bb_-kieebvafktiUwj4smS3FSJMHY53Hp1HoeHxhdgQH_rQD_zFt58XGbMOiJ8GMyQ/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHn0l-YIx79_lwXdIfG9Wq7ZVy6ltls1Bk5qxr9fM2GbZvMTSQQIMaxHYLHP_bPddfSbh0qAYO8Bb_-kieebvafktiUwj4smS3FSJMHY53Hp1HoeHxhdgQH_rQD_zFt58XGbMOiJ8GMyQ/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425226958820689682" border="0" /></a><br />In the pie that I had made, I'd added some sun-dried tomatoes, which turned out to be an awful idea - the tomatoes completely overpowered the other flavors, so I've omitted it in the recipe above.<br /><br />Another thought is that though I had been quite conservative with some of the ingredient quantities from previous recipes, it still made an enormous pie. An enormous pie that my vegan roommate can't really help me finish. So, if any of you out there are keen on having any of the leftovers and are willing to come to me, you know who to call. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />Also, today is FINALLY when I'm allowed to shop for groceries again. Hallelujah!</span><br /><p></p>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-71671011712382051602010-01-09T21:45:00.000-08:002010-01-09T22:16:20.295-08:00spinach breakfast salad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXT7NEeiojzzv672wekRfJFz1t_pWqrs5qq3Uc9DknfA4W2eEdz_yhSItwjE9vNRUft04VGSMs2SzU8NfT3mCznzb2J6GvIkrr267FncPJdmGZk6JwdojM6UESIyRoIzVnEEpvopUtFU/s1600-h/salad2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXT7NEeiojzzv672wekRfJFz1t_pWqrs5qq3Uc9DknfA4W2eEdz_yhSItwjE9vNRUft04VGSMs2SzU8NfT3mCznzb2J6GvIkrr267FncPJdmGZk6JwdojM6UESIyRoIzVnEEpvopUtFU/s400/salad2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424983361399122930" border="0" /></a><br />Don't get me wrong. I love breakfast foods. I love breakfast foods with a reverence and respect that is usually reserved for dudes with golden halos. Crispy almost-burned hash browns give me shivers. I am probably never going to procreate, lest I be tempted to trade my first-born for a perfectly browned pancake.<br /><br />That being said, there is one drawback to the all-American breakfast. Once you're done with your Denny's slammer breakfast of pancakes, sausages, eggs, biscuits and gravy, all dunked liberally in butter, you're only prepared to do one thing: go back to bed.<br /><br />Being as I had a manic day ahead of me, I didn't have the time to indulge in the wonderful world of breakfast. What I did have, however, was a bag filled with freezer-burned vegetarian sausage patties, some spinach that was on the verge of wiltage, and an assortment of random vegetables.<br /><br />So, in the spirit of experimentation, extreme hunger, and low expectations (I should have thought to snap a "before" picture of the sausage patties - they were in pretty sad shape) - I threw it all together. And it was delicious! So delicious, in fact, that I tried making it again, this time with a freshly opened package of veggie sausage. And guess what? It wasn't as good. The excess water that came from the melted freezerburn actually resulted in the creation of some meatlike gravy that became the perfect substitute for salad dressing. No olive oil required. So file this one away as a recipe to salvage the saddest foods.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPDEEQgZdcs431GWKNM_0UUj8gIEIvdYd2YBXf6_00AJIn7y47KFZp_joNfqo7frjlSC9vXaSSvk-YHLQ-58h9ZimfAxcmK4urXsyVbCdahjP-X2WneNls7BWc573yG5pZ80N3eeLbJU/s1600-h/salad1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPDEEQgZdcs431GWKNM_0UUj8gIEIvdYd2YBXf6_00AJIn7y47KFZp_joNfqo7frjlSC9vXaSSvk-YHLQ-58h9ZimfAxcmK4urXsyVbCdahjP-X2WneNls7BWc573yG5pZ80N3eeLbJU/s400/salad1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424983354251153506" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Spinach Breakfast Salad</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>INGREDIENTS<span style="font-size:85%;"></span></blockquote><ul><blockquote><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 cups spinach, chopped<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 cup carrots, preferably shredded (I only had baby carrots) </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3 stalks of green onions</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tomato</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">5 sausage patties, with freezerburn (I used Morning Glory veggie sausage, but can obviously be of the Real Meat variety as well)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Salt and pepper, to taste</span></li></blockquote></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><br />DIRECTIONS</blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><blockquote></blockquote>Cook sausage on medium heat until brown. Remove, leaving liquid in pan.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Chop all vegetables and </span><span style="font-size:85%;">sausage. Throw all the veggies into the pan, and toss to coat.<br /><br />Season with salt and pepper to taste. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></blockquote><br /><br />So yeah. Not the fanciest of recipes. But, I think the advertising euphemism would be, 'easy'. Takes ten minutes to make, tops. And let's face it, when was the last time that you've ever seen a recipe that called for x recipe, freezerburned? Yeah. Didn't think so.<br /></div></div><br /><br />p.s; sorry for the dearth in posts. am actually cooking quite a lot, but haven't had the time to update. will be catching up, today and tomorrow!jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-32428648112519112562010-01-04T19:15:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:50:51.663-08:00rum balls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI5xybSueqTbCGZopqhg6_4J2rt3vc9ACnu1EOZzDLZ-APw1wS4gA9AwPkS7dNlkZNv-vdDOu7eZoVMWS8iaxDVMwDQR8r-z35uO7RnOi916eQ4mJRG7m9XEjylZMf5-7zLzUG66psXk/s1600-h/_MG_2216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI5xybSueqTbCGZopqhg6_4J2rt3vc9ACnu1EOZzDLZ-APw1wS4gA9AwPkS7dNlkZNv-vdDOu7eZoVMWS8iaxDVMwDQR8r-z35uO7RnOi916eQ4mJRG7m9XEjylZMf5-7zLzUG66psXk/s400/_MG_2216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423105539357099154" border="0" /></a><br />I was not having a good day.<br /><br />Sunday, (that is, yesterday), I woke up late. Normally, this would not be a big deal, all things considered. Though I'm notorious for cramming my schedule to the brim with various obligations, I consider my Lazy Sundays to be sacred, serious business.<br /><br />Except for this Sunday, which was, non-coincidentally, the day before the first day of winter quarter. This is also normally not a big deal. One of the many perks of being an art student is, well...work is play. There are no tests, no menial assignments, no group activities that inevitably require spending far too much time in the vicinity of the Axe-wearing population. Wait, did I say 'wearing'? I actually meant, 'drenched'. In fact, just working on my thesis work these past couple of quarters has, in effect, totally divorced me from the academic life cycle of the typical college student. Until I decided to start and finish a minor in two quarters.<br /><br />On this Sunday, I not only needed to order textbooks (because, oops, forgot that Real college classes require those), and try to remember what it's like to be an actual college student - I also had signed up to make dinner for friends. Eight friends. It wasn't until after the invitations had been haphazardly issued that I realized: my apartment doesn't even have eight <span style="font-style: italic;">chairs</span>. However, what it lacked in furniture, it compensated for in filthiness (a combined effort from: my propensity for cooking complicated meals, evenings that often result an impressive volume of recyclables, and a cooperative laziness in that whole "taking-out-the-trash" activity that I hear that mature, grown-up people do sometimes).<br /><br />Needless to say, there were about five or six full trips worth of trash and recyclables to take out. In my slightly deranged haste, I forgot my keys on the kitchen table when I took out the first load.<br /><br />Of course, the "oh shit" moment of realization dawned on me right when the deadbolt was clicking into place. I panicked. Not only was my roommate at work, I also didn't have my wallet. Or a coat. So I did the only thing that I could have done, given the circumstances. I took out the damn trash.<br /><br />On my way back in, I frantically flagged down my sassy neighbor to see whether she had my building manager's phone number. I was positive that she would, given that she's the type to hang out on her balcony to put the drivers of illegal parked cars in their place. So I fully expected that she would be able to help me out. What I was <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>expecting was for her to point towards the floor above us (we have an open courtyard layout), and say, "Oh. Joe? He's right there."<br /><br />I wish I was joking when I confess that Handel's Messiah <span style="font-style: italic;">actually</span> starts playing in my head when this happens. Looking up, I behold the first glorious sight of my grizzled, bandanna-wearing landlord waving with his epic ring of keys - one of which could let me back inside my warm (slightly less smelly) apartment!<br /><br />I was so giddy with relief (and harried, as I still had a mess of an apartment to contend with, and a meal to make), and so preoccupied with entertaining thoughts of what I would have done had Joe not been conveniently to the rescue that - <span style="font-style: italic;">I did it again</span>.<br /><br />Now, this was not my proudest moment. But, I figured, I had just seen Joe. It would be embarrassing to come crawling back to his apartment, but it wouldn't be beneath me. So, I ashamedly went up and timidly knocked on his door. Then waited awhile. Then, thinking that perhaps I had knocked too softly, knocked again. Then waited some more.<br /><br />When it became clear that he wasn't home, I contemplated my options. And by options, I mean "trying to finagle the screen out of the only outfacing window to our apartment". Only thing was, in my hurry, I miscounted the windows. A pertinent point that becomes clear minutes later, as my neighbor judo-death-chops his hand through the venetian blinds to give me the stank-eye. Just as I am getting the screen off his window. To <span style="font-style: italic;">his </span>apartment. Once we both get over nearly pooping ourselves in surprise, he turned out to be a pretty nice guy. A pretty nice guy who also happened to have Joe's phone number on his fridge.<br /><br />So, a quick call and an hour and a half later, I was back. In my warm, even less smelly apartment. And I really could have used a drink. But, as I had been up for less than two hours (1.5 of those which were spent waiting to be let back in), I decided that making these would probably be better form. And hot diggity, what a great decision that was.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno2KWZz2RdUnI5_Tqbv_SZb5ezMx1xq8OrmlH32q-xXA1WAZtRbhBAPYsatr09Tzi8xUeOq2uufvx7s1mNV2ItUWm4zruqNREhXp9ycAL_mgA2T8JqL0OVH5X1X3Izm4DLq7izJvaRQ8/s1600-h/_MG_2187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno2KWZz2RdUnI5_Tqbv_SZb5ezMx1xq8OrmlH32q-xXA1WAZtRbhBAPYsatr09Tzi8xUeOq2uufvx7s1mNV2ItUWm4zruqNREhXp9ycAL_mgA2T8JqL0OVH5X1X3Izm4DLq7izJvaRQ8/s400/_MG_2187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423105526081656674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Rum Balls</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[only slightly tweaked from <a href="http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/2006/12/have-boozy-christmas.html">Everyone Likes Sandwiches</a>]</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote>INGREDIENTS<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3 cups pecans</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 1/2 cups vanilla cookies</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup powdered sugar</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tablespoons molasses</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 cup amber rum</span></li></ul></blockquote></span></span><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>DIRECTIONS</blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br /><br />Toss pecans on a baking sheet, for about 10 minutes, or until you can smell them. Cool, and chop coarsely.<br /><br />While pecans are toasting, crush the cookies into mostly powder.<br /><br />In a large bowl, combine chopped pecans, cookies, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa.<br /><br />Add the molasses and rum, and mix well.<br /><br />Try not to nip from the bottle.<br /><br />Chill for at least 1 hour.<br /><br />Try not to eat the dough.<br /><br />Roll mixture into bite-size balls and roll in powdered sugar.<br /><br /><br /></span></blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC-4IeAynN_4yQrB6vqwFabXUJkr9ZvAoSDaezX9eCHC9e91lKA8qakTuWMytadAhgGtFaZU2myKegWAmDUTdrjHti5GDJzn6SDBe94jXUE5TxFIyojleLjsOgyL_Kx2W1wMxZEgU5do/s1600-h/_MG_2171.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC-4IeAynN_4yQrB6vqwFabXUJkr9ZvAoSDaezX9eCHC9e91lKA8qakTuWMytadAhgGtFaZU2myKegWAmDUTdrjHti5GDJzn6SDBe94jXUE5TxFIyojleLjsOgyL_Kx2W1wMxZEgU5do/s400/_MG_2171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423105532360557618" border="0" /></a><br />They were perfect. Smashing helpless cookies to smithereens with a blunt object? Great outlet for pent-up frustration. No baking required, which was particularly helpful in my current state of mind. Bite-sized, and an easy candy alternative. Oh, and did I mention that they pack a bit of a punch?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUJdymv35mv9CO-gb2VJY0p7xJD86IeQQbFqqjwSvtM_2iaKYgoOYXN5vVvr4pwcU2Y82bv4oN5JtFfujMZ18r45dxh0sNyerB8PFK8-3A677PdjDBaL7AjojJtXDl5RnfME6A-Dy37Y/s1600-h/_MG_2202.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUJdymv35mv9CO-gb2VJY0p7xJD86IeQQbFqqjwSvtM_2iaKYgoOYXN5vVvr4pwcU2Y82bv4oN5JtFfujMZ18r45dxh0sNyerB8PFK8-3A677PdjDBaL7AjojJtXDl5RnfME6A-Dy37Y/s400/_MG_2202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423115238579477506" border="0" /></a><br />Good thing I made a double batch. More than enough for me, and apology gifts for my next door neighbor and building manager. Everyone wins!jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-21808963151365247772010-01-02T17:12:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:14:42.802-08:00curried sweet potato and rice soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHXJ6A5iB57JnWs7v8ulUi_f7wcdwgC6kBE24pKBuDvLFv-IomxjowQib47xiiyY_BknLr_z4REnhK5FdJBOOE68NHT9Am-V_4BS4igj74efA9apdaakzvhnhNYYRGCzzu4IGcebpONU/s1600-h/_MG_2157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHXJ6A5iB57JnWs7v8ulUi_f7wcdwgC6kBE24pKBuDvLFv-IomxjowQib47xiiyY_BknLr_z4REnhK5FdJBOOE68NHT9Am-V_4BS4igj74efA9apdaakzvhnhNYYRGCzzu4IGcebpONU/s400/_MG_2157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422315733792363762" border="0" /></a><br />for new years eve, my roommate and I decided to stay in and make dinner.<br /><br />our new years eve consisted of (in the following order):<br /><ol><li>taking a nap </li><li>taking a power bath with a book (think power shower, but in bath form - bliss!)<br /></li><li>making this soup </li><li>making the decision to stay in</li><li>beer, wine, and prosecco </li><li>deciding to ring in the new year listening to gwen stefani's 'what are you waiting for'</li><li>missing the actual arrival of the new decade (!), thanks to the fact that the website that that we had loaded with the new years countdown had <span style="font-style: italic;">frozen</span></li><li>having a miniature dance party to santigold in the living room</li><li>ending up going out anyway</li></ol>in retrospect, we probably knew that it was inevitable. but luckily, the brunt of our new years activities were absorbed quite nicely with being full of this delicious, delicious soup.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXL0u7yuh3k0CTt1QPjNC83dbBfdQaP76Es5vKpbNb-eo3pjH0Go3gpUwS_IrMU0Es3QN3-YnwimIMYgUfYwrG3I1vXE-jrSyZEg8YZSln-UJPZD440hve6UqcDwaooL9Rpzm36-Z47Vs/s1600-h/_MG_2152.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXL0u7yuh3k0CTt1QPjNC83dbBfdQaP76Es5vKpbNb-eo3pjH0Go3gpUwS_IrMU0Es3QN3-YnwimIMYgUfYwrG3I1vXE-jrSyZEg8YZSln-UJPZD440hve6UqcDwaooL9Rpzm36-Z47Vs/s400/_MG_2152.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422315745831208546" border="0" /></a><br />it's that time of year. in seattle, this means the beginning of three long months of not seeing the sun, and being constantly damp (not wet - this city specializes in doling out just enough constant drizzle to warrant being unbearably damp while being just short enough of moisture to warrant opening an umbrella). not to mention coming down with seasonal depression.<br /><br />and that, my chickadees, is when we collectively thank god for SOUP.<br /><br />i had a couple of leftover sweet potatoes maxin' and relaxin' in my fridge, leftover refugees from Thanksgiving. i had originally planned on just throwing them in the oven and roasting them until they were caramelized and gooey. this was one of the few things from the Thanksgivings of my childgood that my mom and I could agree on because it was so easy to make. (step one: preheat oven to 425. step two: throw potatoes in oven. step three: take out of oven after an hour. step four: eat.)<br /><br />but, given my sort-of new years resolution - (let's just call it a resolution, shall we? i feel like anything that is labeled as a New Years Resolution is doomed to failure around, oh, February) - coming across this recipe seemed pretty kismet. and what a recipe it is! slightly more work than just chucking them in the oven, but not too much more. and definitely worth that extra effort.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68XcPT-zIhpib139caZLeJlG5ZxHVx8HKeYSv5xwgI3aChDonsOWERoMrk41SEVnf8r-5S_w6mRlOoJ14PrkeX73tIvlyOdQ2o_k-lvnkHZSnCv3yQbqfe6Nj4NoFiIJc9X9sxI7o9Iw/s1600-h/_MG_2155.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68XcPT-zIhpib139caZLeJlG5ZxHVx8HKeYSv5xwgI3aChDonsOWERoMrk41SEVnf8r-5S_w6mRlOoJ14PrkeX73tIvlyOdQ2o_k-lvnkHZSnCv3yQbqfe6Nj4NoFiIJc9X9sxI7o9Iw/s400/_MG_2155.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422315740952049458" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Curried Sweet Potato and Rice Soup</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />[adapted from <a href="http://happyherbivore.com/2009/10/sweet-potato-soup/">Happy Herbivore</a>]<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><h3 style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">INGREDIENTS</span></h3> <ul style="font-weight: normal;" class="ingredients"><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>2 </strong>whole large sweet potatoes, cooked </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>1</strong> whole sweet onion, diced </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>6</strong> whole garlic cloves, minced </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>2 </strong>cups vegetable broth </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>2 </strong>tsp mild curry powder </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>0.25</strong> tsp chili powder </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>1</strong> cup rice milk </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>1/2</strong> cup rice, cooked (I used a blend of white, brown, wild, and red)<br /></span></li></ul> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">INSTRUCTIONS</span>:</h3> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 425F. Bake sweet potatoes until just slightly overdone, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Allow to completely cool, then peel away the skin and discard. Or eat. Whatever floats your boat.<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Mash potatoes in a medium bowl - if you have just overcooked the potatoes, you should be able to do this without a blender.<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In a medium saucepan, combine onion, garlic, broth, curry and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until onions are translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes).<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Transfer mixture to potato puree, add rice milk, and mix thoroughly.<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Return to saucepan and heat thoroughly. Season to taste.<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ladle into a bowl, spoon warm wild rice into the center, and serve.</span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p></blockquote><p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal;">The result? Soup that was rich and creamy. Sweet, with just a little kick from the chili powder, with a little crunch from the onions, and a little chewy, from the rice. Amazing. And delicious! I doubled the original recipe because I had two potatoes instead of the 1 that it had called for - and because I figured that the leftovers would be just as good cold, if not better.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: normal;">Turns out that it was just enough to make two hearty bowls for 2 - so if you want leftovers, think about doubling the recipe above. Another thought that would have been delicious, had I had some on hand, would have been a bit of fresh cilantro on top.</p><p style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></p></div></div>Happy new year, dumplings!jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-10977860911952490802009-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:34:52.212-08:00housekeeping<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir7i1O2HkMuMnOXF4AnAPhnqOxI_nEmdU_ZpNL6LvqZGyht_rdS9Vq31ippk3K7sNx5EhbDvdtxxvFMCfNtIVX1ka9I8_df731QwS4laqXM4APlUie-wGeQWJQZ5JVw_jl6z5HOr4d9U/s1600-h/_MG_2168.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir7i1O2HkMuMnOXF4AnAPhnqOxI_nEmdU_ZpNL6LvqZGyht_rdS9Vq31ippk3K7sNx5EhbDvdtxxvFMCfNtIVX1ka9I8_df731QwS4laqXM4APlUie-wGeQWJQZ5JVw_jl6z5HOr4d9U/s400/_MG_2168.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422336804117986882" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I should probably make a disclaimer before I go any further in this blog. As a person, I have very few adamant convictions. I was raised with very few prepackaged tenets: my parents never stressed any sort of religion, my father always emphasized the value of considering an issue from all possible viewpoints, the meals that ended up on our dining room table was an eclectic mix of seafood, meat, and vegetables.<br /><br />There are many things that I can say - positive and otherwise - about my college experiences that are about to come to a much-prolonged close. One of the most valuable lessons that I received was on the first day of freshman year, when the professor of my globalization class opened the first lecture he ever gave with these words: <span style="font-style: italic;">Whatever you believe, don't believe it too strongly.</span><br /><br />From a personal standpoint, this summed up, and also influenced any convictions that I had, and have. I've never been attracted to extremes. My lifestyle has never been too wild or sedate, my friend groups were never centralized, my activities are not too homogeneous, my tastes too singular. The advice jived nicely with the most valuable points that I took away from my subsequent psychology classes - not only in the constructed nature of subjective experience and the value of interpretation, but also in thinking about the interaction of various internal and external factors that result in human experience. It influenced my decision to add a BFA in photography to my BA in psychology, and it had a place in my last-minute impulse to add a minor in education.<br /><br />So what does this have to do with this blog?<br /><br />Simply put, my feelings about food are complicated. I have wholehearted respect for my friends (and my roommate) that manage to have completely vegetarian and vegan diets. Pescetarian? Locavore? Organicophile? Fair trade fanatic? More power to all of you. I think that there are good lessons to take away from all of these lifestyle choices.<br /><br />But for me, it doesn't work. Much akin to my compulsion to consider a variety of factors in life, and in art, I'm not convinced that any one of these ways of life can provide the final solution. Part of it is hedonistic - I like eating meat. I don't like eating a lot of it. On the contrary, meat is reserved for those rare occasions when I go out to eat, and even then, gyros are one of the few foods that make me weak-kneed enough to warrant this. Part of it is skepticism - anything that is nationally USDA certified as organic, or free-range, or x, y, or z is bound to vary. Part of it is less obvious - while there are indisputable benefits to buying all local goods, how does this impact other foreign communities that may subsist entirely on exporting a certain commodity?<br /><br />So in terms of food, I believe in eating ethically, eating well, eating mostly vegetarian. I believe in trying to mitigate the decision to eat animals and animal byproducts by buying food that is sustainable and ethical. I believe in making meals in a way that nothing needs to be thrown away or wasted. (Big caveat: I know that sometimes, all of these things won't always be possible.) I believe that I can make all of my meals for less than $40/week, and that one shouldn't have to compromise between cost, nutrition, and morals.<br /><br />I have quite a bit already stocked in my kitchen. For personal house-keeping purposes (and for those of you following that want to be sure that I'm not cheating on this $40/week thing!), I decided to inventory the things I already have. I'll also be keeping track of my weekly groceries, so this documentation should make sense in conjunction with the recipes that I subsequently make that use common ingredients.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">STAPLES (in bulk)</span><br />rice (basmati, rice blend, brown), potatoes (russet, red), quinoa, whole wheat penne<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">FREEZER: </span><br />vegetarian breakfast sausage (Morning Glory), vegetarian meatballs, salmon, shrimp, edamame, Boca burgers<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />FRUITS/VEGETABLES</span><br />oranges, apples, asparagus, carrots, onions (sweet, red), vine tomatoes, cheese (feta, provolone), spinach, garlic, bananas<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">CONDIMENTS</span><br />lemon juice, sundried tomatoes, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, curry paste, jam (peach, strawberry, raspberry), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, unground pepper, earth balance, butter<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">SPICES</span><br />basil, rosemary, curry, tumeric, honey, cloves, bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon, chili powder, oregano, coriander, parsley, nutmeg, garlic powder<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">PANTRY</span><br />chicken soup , artichoke hearts, bread crumbs, garbanzo beans, no-bake lasagna noodles<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">BAKING NEEDS</span><br />baking soda, baking powder, dark molasses, dark cocoa powder, sugar (powdered, brown, white), whole wheat flour, pecans<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">MISC</span><br />rice milk, amber rum, vodka, bourbon, coffee beans (dark Sumatra), vanilla wafers</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Today's groceries (all organic, bought at Madison Market): </span><br /><ul><li>frozen puff pastry (20 oz) - $7.59</li><li>lacinato kale - $3.49</li><li>local crimini mushrooms (0.63 lbs) - $3.14</li><li>barley (2 lbs) - $2.64</li><li>cayenne pepper (0.05 lb) - $0.67</li><li>dozen brown eggs (cage free, local) - $4.69</li><li>nutritional yeast (1 lb) - $7.84</li></ul>Altogether, it came to $30.06, after tax. Big splurges were obviously the puff pastry and the yeast, though I have a recipe planned for said pastry that should be more than worth it. Paid a little more for eggs that were laid by free-roaming chickens, from a local farm in Yelm WA. The nutritional yeast and barley were bought in bulk, and should last for awhile.<br /><br />Whew. Done. So now, all of you know my kitchen as well as I do.<br /><br />I've got a couple of things up my sleeve from a big, timely day of baking here, so stay tuned!<br /></div></div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-16816159887456697702009-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:01:01.039-08:00Greek Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ-Tcd0ir4BcS5OOcR-jC2lQd_7EE-bK6D9VbXUAZ0_0MnK2fNyJEJ4bphxmEMnEw2dcCDqJsb2pS-0sgGoary42DpKQ2ALdDqL4t2jr6v7N8T3gq8HcRQG2SMxu_4CoQ8tVFWEGBlQ0/s1600-h/greeksalad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ-Tcd0ir4BcS5OOcR-jC2lQd_7EE-bK6D9VbXUAZ0_0MnK2fNyJEJ4bphxmEMnEw2dcCDqJsb2pS-0sgGoary42DpKQ2ALdDqL4t2jr6v7N8T3gq8HcRQG2SMxu_4CoQ8tVFWEGBlQ0/s400/greeksalad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421315722133799618" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have never been a fan of salads.<br /><br />Call it a residual leftover from childhood. Maybe it’s cultural conditioning (not going to lie, I still harbor an immature…wariness of Brussels sprouts), maybe it was the time where I vividly remember almost choking to death on spinach as a kid (I’m not making this up), maybe I’m just not really anything that’s not drenched in salt, sugar, or butter. So sue me.<br /><br />That being said, I’m not a completely unhealthy person. I’ve never deep-fried anything in my life. When I cook for myself, I'm mostly vegetarian. The majority of the things that I spy on <a href="http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/">This is Why You’re Fat</a> makes my arteries feel more clogged just through visual consumption (though, handy tip: the site is an excellent appetite-suppressant if you are trying to hold out a little longer until your lunch hour at work).<br /><br />I began to see the light that is the joy of salad consumption last year, largely due to the herbivorous impulses of my roommate, Maddie. I'm talking about a girl that practically has larger biceps from her salad-spinner usage alone. There were always various scary-looking unlabelled jars in our refrigerator full of unidentifiable leftover dressing (did I mention that she always made her own dressing? Because she did). Though I never made salads myself, I often was lucky enough to be around at the right time and place to poach the leftovers. And the same thought always occurred to me as I chewed on a forkful of romaine lettuce, spinach, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper – this would be so easy to make! <em>And it is.<br /></em><br />The following salad is not the salad I remember from my youth. You know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about that pile of wilted iceberg lettuce salad that languished untouched at all-you-can-eat buffets, limply sporting a couple shreds of carrots and a few shriveled olives. The type of salad that you raced past in favor of loading your plate up with kiddie kryptonite (known colloquially as, "lime Jello").<br /><br />No, this salad is the type of salad that you feel guilty about because it seems too good to be true. And then you realize that it isn’t, so you bring it home to meet your parents. This is a salad whose shoulder you can cry on when you didn’t get the job, who won’t judge you when you’re still in sweatpants at 4 PM, who will be there for you when you come home after a long day. Am I still talking about salad here? You be the judge.<br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Greek Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables</span> </div><p align="left"></p><blockquote><br />INGREDIENTS:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1 red bell pepper, julienned<br />1 eggplant, cubed<br />6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes<br />1 cup arugula<br />1 1/2 cup spinach<br />1/4 cup chopped fresh basil<br />2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar<br />2 tablespoons minced garlic<br />1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese<br />8 oz (half package) pasta<br /></span><br />DIRECTIONS:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, toss the pepper and eggplant 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and pepper and pepper to taste. Arrange on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake vegetables 25 minutes in the preheated oven, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned.<br /><br />In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente, and drain.<br /><br />In a large bowl, toss together the roasted vegetables, cooked pasta, sun-drained tomatoes, arugula, and basil. Mix in remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and feta cheese; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.</span></blockquote><br />My favorite thing about salad recipes is that it’s not like baking – you can add, subtract, and substitute anything in this recipe to suit what you already have, personal taste preferences, and time constraints. Depending on the time of TLC you want to put into it, this salad could take anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to make. <p></p>Don’t want to wait for the veggies to cook in the oven? Coat them lightly in olive oil and roast them on a frying pan on the stove (just be careful not to use too much oil, or the eggplant will acquire that dreaded sog factor). Finangle with the proportions of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Vegan? Nix the cheese, and toss in some nuts instead. Add, subtract, and mix up the greens in the salad, throw in fresh tomatoes instead of sundried, chuck in some olives if you’re feeling particularly sassy. This recipe can handle it. It’ll let you use and abuse it until the cows come home, and will still come through for you (deliciously, I might add) in the end. And that’s more than you can say about most things. </div>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128291921791510285.post-29652203088555862522009-12-29T16:35:00.002-08:002010-01-13T00:31:06.666-08:00new year, new blog - and chocolate stout ginger cake<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />i would be lying if i said that this year didn't knock me flat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">somehow within these twelve months, there have been two apartments, three countries, more than a thousand photographs in pixels and film, eight airplanes, breakups, makeups, makeouts, many goodbyes, oceans and deserts, hundreds of cups of coffee and text messages and hours worked. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">this is a familiar story, of not having enough. not enough time to divide among too many places and obligations, pages to read, words to write. not enough time to spend time working, to scrape by after bills and rent with enough to remain at equilibrium. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">so this year, the new blog will be about food. it will be about trying to have it all - about eating healthily, about the pleasure of making and consuming small things from nothing, about buying food ethically, about being conscientious and taking care. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">oh, and of course, about spending as close to nothing in the process.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">sometimes it's too tempting to want to crumple and give up. but when that's not an option, what do you do? you make do. you make it work. you make cake.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSeqtSFgJpL5aM3qTSTo7iHJZqICybM8lArIZmkeEQ2BaykPy1kDddQnnGaR4Iemzo71x5uY83zqbGZnGrQJ3PE-iUF0mUsQlTUY2b_GuuuqySeMAq3Fgf48fvvaHBDkl3NZ1J6BVoww/s1600-h/cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 400px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420925383564735938" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSeqtSFgJpL5aM3qTSTo7iHJZqICybM8lArIZmkeEQ2BaykPy1kDddQnnGaR4Iemzo71x5uY83zqbGZnGrQJ3PE-iUF0mUsQlTUY2b_GuuuqySeMAq3Fgf48fvvaHBDkl3NZ1J6BVoww/s400/cake.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Chocolate Stout Ginger Cake</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />[adapted from the <a href="http://www.sassyradish.com/2009/12/guinness-stout-ginger-cake/">Sassy Radish</a>]</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">INGREDIENTS</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 1/4 cups stout</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 1/8 cups molasses</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 tbsp baking soda</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3 large eggs</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/8 cup dark cocoa powder, plus an extra pinch</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup white sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup light brown sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3/4 cup vegetable oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 tsp ground cloves</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 tsp nutmeg</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 tsp ground ginger</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan with dark cocoa powder to avoid having white specks on your cake. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mix stout with molasses over high heat. Bring to a boil, remove, and add baking soda. Mixture will bubble, so do this first to give it time to settle and cool.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Beat together eggs, brown sugar, white sugar. Add oil. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mix the dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder) in a separate bowl. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Whisk the stout mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Add the egg/sugar mixture, and ginger.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Pour batter into pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick come out clean.<br /><br /></span>jennifer maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770117357255877790noreply@blogger.com0