Adventures in Cooking

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

An Assertion

The perfect almost-summer-but-not-quite-yet-oppressingly-hot-so-you-are-still-technically-enjoying-the-newness-of-sunshine-and warm lunch is this:

Toast topped with freshly sliced super ripe homegrown tomatoes, sliced avocado, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Sunday, May 23, 2004

What to make for added zing....


30 Second Chimichurri..... Posted by Hello

Process together:
Some fresh parsley
Some garlic
Some olive oil
Some sea salt
Some red pepper flakes
Some champagne vinegar (or whatever vinegar you please)

Whirl, taste, adjust as needed.....

Et Voila!

Good on ANYTHING, seriously. (Anything savoury, that is...)

Gardening Triumph!

I am a self confessed plant killer. I am. My attention span is such that after a few deays of not really noticing any sort of progress, I lose interest. Usually D ends up having to save any gardening spasms I have. This year? Well, I'm still waiting for "real" stuff to grow, but meanwhile the herbs are going mental. Look!

There's
pineapple sage Posted by Hello, chocolate mint, cilantro, dill, orange mint, lemon balm, lavender, and parsley. I have to try to restart the oregano (Ruby's favourite) and encourage the lemon grass to propagate and grow.

So, anyone know what to do with pineapple sage? Anything special?

Thursday, May 20, 2004


Have I told you that I love making "spaghetti" with my spirooli? Posted by Hello

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Bento Pictures

Bento Pictures

You have no idea how much I love cute bento!

Tokyo Food Page -- Ramen Museum

Tokyo Food Page -- Ramen Museum

Oh! I so badly want to go to Tokyo on holidays!

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Chocolate & Zucchini: G�teau au Yaourt � la Framboise

Gateau au Yaourt a la Framboise

I'm helpless to resisting this cake. I may have to make one tonight! And, I will not only NOT wait for it to cool, I may eat it straight out of the pan....for dinner.

I have a problem......

I have a confession to make....

I'm a condiment junkie.

It's true.

D's regular mantra in the kitchen these days is "you are going to have to get rid of some of these sauces/marinades/jelly/marmalades/mustards clogging up the door shelves."

Ack!

Blasphemy!

I can't help it. I can avoid most junk foods....but novelty condiments? I can't control myself! That being said, when he's not complaining, he is enjoying the fruits of my compulsion.

For starters, HP sauce (regular and curry flavour) are not optional. You must have these in your fridge for sarnies, or chips, or just for whatever.

Plum Chiptole Cooking Sauce was a real hit, albeit a bit on the sweet side. It is ridiculously yummy poured over a block of cream cheese and served with some whole wheat crackers. D calls it "seventies porn party appetizer" but he still eats it all up.

Any mustards are not extraneous. You never know if you'll need a sharp biting mustard, or more of a vinegary mustard. I recommend having at least two or three varieties at all times.

Jars of olives, tapenade, pickled onions, green tomato relish, capers and other pickley treats are not optional. You never know when you'll need an emergency snack (I reccommend green tomato relish on saltines), or something to perk up a pasta dish. Or you never know, you may find yourself compulsively eating an entire jar (ahem, pickled beets do not last long around me).

Tomato sauce or ketchup/catsup. Do we even need to discuss the necessity of this item?

Horseradish. If you don't have it handy, then you don't know that this is exactly what you need to perk up a blah gravy or sauce.

BBQ sauce/sauces in a plethora of flavours/textures are totally necessary, especially to perk up a seitan sandwich.

Soy Sauce/Ponzu/Oyster Sauce/Katsu Sauce .... all essential when many of your "quick I need dinner this instant" dinners involve some sort of stir fried veggie and rice. They are also essential for marinading tofu.

So what jars of compulsive condiment buying madness do you have lurking in your fridge?

Monday, May 17, 2004

A super quick, and ridiculously yummy sweet treat (for those of you that don't know the covenient joy that is biscuits/crescent rolls/cinnamon rolls in a can, I think you could probably substitute a light sweet pastry/ puff pastry? for the croissant tins here):

Cream Cheese Yumminess (elsewhere somtimes called Sopapilla Bars)

2 cans of pillsbury crescent rolls
2 blocks of cream cheese
1.5 c sugar
.5 c butter

Unroll one can of crescent rolls into a 9 x 11 pan. Whip cream cheese and 1 cup sugar and spread evenly over crescent roll base (you can add yummy stuff here, like sour cherry preserves, lemon curd, or any paste/spread). Cover with reserved can of crescent rolls. Melt butter and reaming sugar and drizzle over crescent roll top layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375 for 15ish minutes until gold brown. Attempt to wait until it has cooled sufficiently to slice and eat.

Super Yum!

Takitos!

I love this product idea!

Monday, May 10, 2004

Currently, one of my favourite little indulgence is a piece of toast slathered with tahini and honey. I try to resist the temptation, but usually it is to no avail. The honey and tahini drip off the edges of the bread as you try to eat it, something which pleases the dogs to no end. I spend the rest of the evening with sticky spots all over my hands and arms (????)

Cheat Cooking

Yesterday afternoon was set aside for some "bulk cooking" I wanted to do for the coming week. I call it "cheat cooking" (see, because I'm so punny like that). I like to have some things already made so I don't have an excuse to eat crap convenience food during the week on days when I'm not so enthusiastic about cooking or doing anything other than ruing an especially difficult day.

So yesterday I made a pot of pinto beans using a jar of salsa we didn't love, but it tastes really nice as a base to the beans. I brought 5ish cups of water to a boil in my stovetop to oven pan, dumped in the salsa (some roasted red tomato based stuff which was too salty and a bit blah when used as a salsa), and then added half a pound of picked over pintos. I let that all come back to a boil, then popped it all in a 350 degree oven for an hour and a half. Mmm. Beans. It does my little mexican heart good knowing that there are beans waiting for me should I need them. I put half in the fridge and half in the freezer.

I also made some "cheat" vegetable dumplings. I just bought a packet of fresh/prepared dumpling wrappers and made a filling out of stuff I had at the house. I used some rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger, five-spice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and some rehydrated tvp. In all, I think I made up about three dozen. They too are in the freezer awaiting a quick steaming and instant dinner.

Finally, I made a double recipe of my saag tofu (which has become a requested favourite from the staunch non-vego in our house). This has been parceled out into 4 servings, and is also in the freezer awaiting reanimiation.

I feel all proud and super accomplished... and am hoping this will get me back on track with cutting out the processed junk food eating that has really fatigued me the past couple weeks.

After coveting a rouet for over a year, but refusing to pay over a hundred bucks for one.... I broke down and bought aSpirooli Slicer! On ebay.

I haven't yet used it, but I have visions of curly fries, and zucchini "pasta."

The D was less enthused. He believes I may have a kitchen gadget addiction problem.

But! I am completely certain that I will win him over when I make some shrimp, wrapped in a potato curl and then fried (served with sweet chili sauce).

Don't you think that should justify the spirooli purchase?

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Here's picture proof of the pickling frenzy at my house.

Cereality

You have to be freaking kidding me.

Saturday, May 01, 2004

I am not kidding you need to try this icecream immediately!