This is an actual, factual website I had to seek out as part of my Thanksgiving meal planning.
http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17669
There are reasons for the title of my blog. And don't worry, I'm recommending to not use the year and a half past its expiration mayonnaise despite the website saying it's safe to eat.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Hobo Whatever: Bastardization Galore
Being the first week of the month, it's Hobo Tuesday time. I actually made this on Tuesday too. Forgive me, it's been a busy week, and that's why I'm only posting now. Truth be told, I'm not actually sorry and there's nothing you can do about it, so you'll just have to deal.
Luckily for both you and me, this ended up being a very delicious dinner that pulled double duty, creating a full fledged 2 meals for 4-5 people. Oh snap. On top of it all, the original dinner was vegetarian (and easily made to be vegan) and the second version, actually vegan.
I've probably lost you and you're likely wondering what it is I'm blathering on about. Well, if you'll recall, Michelle over at Thursday Night Smackdown hosts Hobo/Tight Ass Tuesday the first Tuesday of every month. And every month has themes. This month, we were charged with creating a fusion dish all while keeping it to $5 for 2 or $4 for 10. Fusion cuisine: Why bastardize one culture when you can shame as many as possible at once? For a while I was stumped. I was baffled. What could I possibly do?
Not wanting to be "that guy" and throw fallafel in a taco shell, I devised the following. It occurred to me that Italian and Thai cooking share a number of ingredients, concepts and even cooking methods. With this realization, I started formulating something of a curry tomato cream sauce.
Thai Red Curry, Tomato and Coconut Milk Sauce with Ravioli
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs thai red curry
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp sugar
7 oz lite coconut milk
salt and pepper
1 60 pieces ravioli
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion starts to become translucent. Add curry and mix well. When the curry becomes fragrant, after about a minute or two, add tomatoes, lime and sugar. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Blend thoroughly. (I love my immersion blender) Add the coconut milk and let simmer for at least another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the water for and cook the pasta. Season the sauce to taste, plate and serve!
You will only need about half the sauce for 5 servings of ravioli.
Pan Fried Potato Crisps
4 medium white potatoes
cooking spray
salt
Wash potatoes well and slice 1/3" thick. Heat 12" sauce pan or skillet. Coat well with cooking spray. Place potatoes in a single layer in the pan. You will probably need to do this in two batches. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes, flip and do the same on the other side. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt on both sides. Enjoy.
Cost Break Down
olive oil - pantry
garlic - pantry
onion - FREE!
tomatoes - $0.50
sugar - pantry
curry - pantry
lime zest - (what the hell is the zest worth? let's say...) $0.25
coconut milk - $0.50
frozen ravioli - $2.67
potatoes - FREE!
cooking spray - pantry
Total: $3.92 for 5 servings or $0.784 each.
So, first, the free potatoes and onions came with a coupon. We walked into the grocery store last weekend and were handed a coupon. Free 5lb bag of potatoes, 2lb bag of onions and 2lb bag of carrots if you bought of roast of 3lbs or more. So obviously we did. The roast made a lovely meal and leftovers of hot open faced sandwiches. I'm still working my way through some of the root vegetables. Obviously. Also helping with the price is truly that only half the sauce is needed. Don't worry, that was used and has all been eaten as well. So has the poor zested lime in my new favorite addiction.
For the other portion of sauce... Peel 4 white potatoes. Cut into about 1/2" cubes. Boil for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain. Combine sauce, potatoes and about 3/4 bag thawed frozen peas. Heat through, serve over rice.
Luckily for both you and me, this ended up being a very delicious dinner that pulled double duty, creating a full fledged 2 meals for 4-5 people. Oh snap. On top of it all, the original dinner was vegetarian (and easily made to be vegan) and the second version, actually vegan.
I've probably lost you and you're likely wondering what it is I'm blathering on about. Well, if you'll recall, Michelle over at Thursday Night Smackdown hosts Hobo/Tight Ass Tuesday the first Tuesday of every month. And every month has themes. This month, we were charged with creating a fusion dish all while keeping it to $5 for 2 or $4 for 10. Fusion cuisine: Why bastardize one culture when you can shame as many as possible at once? For a while I was stumped. I was baffled. What could I possibly do?
Not wanting to be "that guy" and throw fallafel in a taco shell, I devised the following. It occurred to me that Italian and Thai cooking share a number of ingredients, concepts and even cooking methods. With this realization, I started formulating something of a curry tomato cream sauce.
Thai Red Curry, Tomato and Coconut Milk Sauce with Ravioli
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs thai red curry
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp sugar
7 oz lite coconut milk
salt and pepper
1 60 pieces ravioli
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion starts to become translucent. Add curry and mix well. When the curry becomes fragrant, after about a minute or two, add tomatoes, lime and sugar. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Blend thoroughly. (I love my immersion blender) Add the coconut milk and let simmer for at least another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the water for and cook the pasta. Season the sauce to taste, plate and serve!
You will only need about half the sauce for 5 servings of ravioli.
Pan Fried Potato Crisps
4 medium white potatoes
cooking spray
salt
Wash potatoes well and slice 1/3" thick. Heat 12" sauce pan or skillet. Coat well with cooking spray. Place potatoes in a single layer in the pan. You will probably need to do this in two batches. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes, flip and do the same on the other side. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt on both sides. Enjoy.
Cost Break Down
olive oil - pantry
garlic - pantry
onion - FREE!
tomatoes - $0.50
sugar - pantry
curry - pantry
lime zest - (what the hell is the zest worth? let's say...) $0.25
coconut milk - $0.50
frozen ravioli - $2.67
potatoes - FREE!
cooking spray - pantry
Total: $3.92 for 5 servings or $0.784 each.
So, first, the free potatoes and onions came with a coupon. We walked into the grocery store last weekend and were handed a coupon. Free 5lb bag of potatoes, 2lb bag of onions and 2lb bag of carrots if you bought of roast of 3lbs or more. So obviously we did. The roast made a lovely meal and leftovers of hot open faced sandwiches. I'm still working my way through some of the root vegetables. Obviously. Also helping with the price is truly that only half the sauce is needed. Don't worry, that was used and has all been eaten as well. So has the poor zested lime in my new favorite addiction.
For the other portion of sauce... Peel 4 white potatoes. Cut into about 1/2" cubes. Boil for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain. Combine sauce, potatoes and about 3/4 bag thawed frozen peas. Heat through, serve over rice.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Glamorous Eclectic
Saw a post about a home style survey on a friend's blog, and thought, "Why not?"
So, according to Home Goods, I'm Glamorous Eclectic - and here's what that means:
So, according to Home Goods, I'm Glamorous Eclectic - and here's what that means:
You are a Glamorous Eclectic
You have wide-ranging interests and influences and so appreciate a mix of whatever you deem fantastic. You would be bored to tears using a matching suite of furniture or could never stand a home that seemed cookie-cutter. You fearlessly embrace luxury, beauty and fun. Velvet, silver, graphic patterns, even wallpaper; you understand the old-Hollywood, movie star sense of theatrical extravagance. You do not understand the minimalist idea of less is more. For you, more is more, so long as it is chic and exciting.
You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.
Weirdly, it's mostly sort of true. My taste is all over the place, fortunately, theoretically, I have professional training and experience to help me hone it and keep it in check. What's your home style?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Hobo Tuesday: Take that 1893 Supreme Court
I was going have the title read something to the effect of "Supreme Court be damned," but I didn't feel like damning the highest court in the land. I may not agree with all their decisions, but there's no need to be rash. And in this case, I think that tomato is a fruit, no matter what they want to tax. So, for the fruit-requisite Tight-Ass Tuesday, I needed a dish laden with the controversial love apple (sounds dirty, doesn't it?). But to be extra cheeky, I decided on something so laden with ambiguous produce, it would confuse even the best of botanists. Sure the potato dish doesn't have much in that regard. But I found a dish that requires eggplant and tomatoes and pepper. Did I dare? The real question is, how could I not?
Also, I have a confession to make. I'm a real hobo. Well, of sorts anyway. I'm not homeless by any stretch of the imagination. But I am camera-less. In the flurry of moving, it seems to have up and disappeared. This could be my subconscious forcing me to buy a new one. (ahem! what should I buy???) In true hobo form, I've been mooching off of boy and using his camera. Which is in his G1 phone. That's right, camera phone pictures. As bad as my pictures were before, I can firmly say that that is why the quality of photos has really dropped off as of late. Granted, for a phone, they're really good pictures.
Today, I request the pictures of Sunday evening's meal for posting and submission purposes. And I am, apologetically, told that when he reformatted his phone earlier this week, the pictures were lost. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. So sorry. This hobo lost her pictures. (I really fucking need a camera. And I actually got a good shot of a dish that was basically just a bunch of mush. Cilantro sprig and all. For shame.)
But, tale of woe aside, there was still food. Cheap food. That tasted really good. I might be a hobo, but a girl's got to eat.
Spicy Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cilantro
2 small to medium eggplants halved lengthwise
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 Santa Fe Grande Chili, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1/8 - 1/4 c canola oil
3 tbs finely chopped, peeled ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 c chopped, fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 350. Oil or coat with cooking spray a rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves flesh side down on the baking sheet. Roast eggplant until the flesh is soft, about 1 hour. After letting it cool slightly, scoop out the pulp with a spoon into a bowl and mash it up. Or, you can do what I did, use your hands and smoosh it right into the mixture when it's ready for the eggplant.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft to golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add ginger and stir for about 1 minute. Add garlic and stir for another minute (those two steps probably could have been combined). Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, coriander and cayenne. Saute for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Next, add the eggplant (this is eggplant smooshing time for all you hands on cooks out there), and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
Spiced Potatoes and Green Beans
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbs canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 c finely chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c water
3/4 tsp salt
1 handful of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into approx 1" pieces
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard to pan, saute 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Add the onion, saute for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes and cook for another two minutes. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for about 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add beans, cover and cook 5 minutes or until beans are wonderfully tender, but still have that nice crunch. Or, you know. Until you finish cooking your na-an which took way longer than you thought. Add the cilantro and serve.
Na-an from a box - follow the directions there while I hang my head in shame. To further cut costs and shame, serve with rice, a pantry staple.
So the cost break down (I'll count my farm share stuff as I have, unlike *cough* some people)-
Farm share eggplant - $1.00
Onions - $1.80
Chili - $0.40
Canola oil - pantry staple
Garlic - pantry staple
Ginger - $0.20
Farm share tomatoes - $1.00
Cumin - pantry
Paprika - pantry
Coriander - pantry
Farm share cilantro - $1.00
Farm share potatoes - $1.00
Farm share green beans - $0.50
Chili powder - pantry
Mustard powder - pantry
Turmeric - pantry
Water - faucet
Salt - really?
Boxed na-an - $1.80 (makes twice what you need for this meal)
Total - $8.70 for 5 servings or $1.74 each.
Also, I have a confession to make. I'm a real hobo. Well, of sorts anyway. I'm not homeless by any stretch of the imagination. But I am camera-less. In the flurry of moving, it seems to have up and disappeared. This could be my subconscious forcing me to buy a new one. (ahem! what should I buy???) In true hobo form, I've been mooching off of boy and using his camera. Which is in his G1 phone. That's right, camera phone pictures. As bad as my pictures were before, I can firmly say that that is why the quality of photos has really dropped off as of late. Granted, for a phone, they're really good pictures.
Today, I request the pictures of Sunday evening's meal for posting and submission purposes. And I am, apologetically, told that when he reformatted his phone earlier this week, the pictures were lost. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. So sorry. This hobo lost her pictures. (I really fucking need a camera. And I actually got a good shot of a dish that was basically just a bunch of mush. Cilantro sprig and all. For shame.)
But, tale of woe aside, there was still food. Cheap food. That tasted really good. I might be a hobo, but a girl's got to eat.
Spicy Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cilantro
2 small to medium eggplants halved lengthwise
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 Santa Fe Grande Chili, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1/8 - 1/4 c canola oil
3 tbs finely chopped, peeled ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 c chopped, fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 350. Oil or coat with cooking spray a rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves flesh side down on the baking sheet. Roast eggplant until the flesh is soft, about 1 hour. After letting it cool slightly, scoop out the pulp with a spoon into a bowl and mash it up. Or, you can do what I did, use your hands and smoosh it right into the mixture when it's ready for the eggplant.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft to golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add ginger and stir for about 1 minute. Add garlic and stir for another minute (those two steps probably could have been combined). Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, coriander and cayenne. Saute for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Next, add the eggplant (this is eggplant smooshing time for all you hands on cooks out there), and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
Spiced Potatoes and Green Beans
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbs canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 c finely chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c water
3/4 tsp salt
1 handful of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into approx 1" pieces
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard to pan, saute 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Add the onion, saute for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes and cook for another two minutes. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for about 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add beans, cover and cook 5 minutes or until beans are wonderfully tender, but still have that nice crunch. Or, you know. Until you finish cooking your na-an which took way longer than you thought. Add the cilantro and serve.
Na-an from a box - follow the directions there while I hang my head in shame. To further cut costs and shame, serve with rice, a pantry staple.
So the cost break down (I'll count my farm share stuff as I have, unlike *cough* some people)-
Farm share eggplant - $1.00
Onions - $1.80
Chili - $0.40
Canola oil - pantry staple
Garlic - pantry staple
Ginger - $0.20
Farm share tomatoes - $1.00
Cumin - pantry
Paprika - pantry
Coriander - pantry
Farm share cilantro - $1.00
Farm share potatoes - $1.00
Farm share green beans - $0.50
Chili powder - pantry
Mustard powder - pantry
Turmeric - pantry
Water - faucet
Salt - really?
Boxed na-an - $1.80 (makes twice what you need for this meal)
Total - $8.70 for 5 servings or $1.74 each.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Whip It Up: Week 8: Make your own take out
Plus, it's been hot as hell. This means any energy I might have had has been sucked out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I wouldn't want summer to think I'm already tired of it and up and disappear. It's just that heat and humidity do little to make one crave time in the kitchen.
I found the perfect recipe when over the weekend I was flipping through last month's Bon Appetit that was sitting on the coffee table. They had an entire collection of recipes to create a week of no cook meals. I found myself immediately craving the Chinese Egg Noodles with Smoked Duck and Snow Peas. As the week went on and it became obvious that pizza just wasn't going to happen, I knew what my take out would be.
Chinese Egg Noodles with Smoked Turkey and Snow Peas
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
Dressing
2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs hoisin sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
Noodles
3 1/2 oz snow peas, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 7 oz packages fresh egg linguine
2 lbs smoked turkey wings, cut into matchstick size pieces
(next time, I'm using drum sticks, way less bones to navigate around)
1 -2 tbs fresh cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
Whisk together all ingredients in the dressing. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the rest of the dish.
Bring water enough for pasta and some extra to boil in a large pot. Place snow peas and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour some of the boiling water over the snow peas and pepper. Let stand for 30 seconds, drain well, rinse and drain again. While water is still boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions , about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Combine all remaining ingredients, pasta, snow peas, peppers and sauce in a bowl. Divide and serve.
So...
Was it easy?
Totally easy. The hardest part was getting the turkey off the bones. I really only have myself to blame.
Was it good?
So good! It was the perfect light, refreshing, but still filling meal that I wanted. It also made for some fantastic lunches - 6 servings all told. To make it a real meal, we ate it with sliced silken tofu, drizzled with soy sauce, chili paste and green onion.
Will you make it again?
Definitely!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Whip It Up: Week 7: Favorite Chef
For now, it seems these posts are getting worse and worse. However, tonight, I promise you a recipe! Instructions! Comments! and Pictures!!1! In the mean time, I found a recipe for Franklin Cafe's signature Turkey Meatloaf with Chive Mashed Potatoes and Fig Gravy. (I promise to even include the measurements for, oh, say, 1 lb of ground turkey, instead of, you know, 30 lbs)
I was away all last week so intended to make it for dinner Saturday or Sunday evening. But Saturday was a beach day followed by picking up our newest roommate, Bailey, getting her acclimated and stoop night with the new neighbors. Sunday brought key cutting, gift purchasing and shower attending followed by grocery shopping. We we stuffed and it was late. So the dish was made last night. But will not be consumed until lunch today.
It all smelled super wonderful. Bailey kept coming over to sniff for anything that might have made it to the floor. There weren't any figs in the grocery, so I made a plum gravy.
I was away all last week so intended to make it for dinner Saturday or Sunday evening. But Saturday was a beach day followed by picking up our newest roommate, Bailey, getting her acclimated and stoop night with the new neighbors. Sunday brought key cutting, gift purchasing and shower attending followed by grocery shopping. We we stuffed and it was late. So the dish was made last night. But will not be consumed until lunch today.
It all smelled super wonderful. Bailey kept coming over to sniff for anything that might have made it to the floor. There weren't any figs in the grocery, so I made a plum gravy.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Whip It Up: Week 6: Appetizers
This post will have no pictures and be very brief. I'm at the beach - be happy I'm on the computer at all.
Not wanting to spend much time in the kitchen, not wanting to turn on the oven and in a flurry of unpacking, I kept this week's choice exceptionally simple. Don't worry, I was sure to not skimp on the scrumptious factor.
This is, apparently, the Best Tzatziki Sauce Ever. Well, maybe I added the ever, but that would be my guess. I'm so lazy, I'm not even going to post up the recipe itself. But, what you want to know is...
Was it good?
Yes. I may never buy store bought again.
Was it easy to make?
Again, yes. Simple, straight forward directions. It's hard to mess up, even for me. Admittedly, it would have been easier had I had a food processor.
Will you make it again?
I most certainly will. I can't vow off the store bought stuff and not replace it.
Not wanting to spend much time in the kitchen, not wanting to turn on the oven and in a flurry of unpacking, I kept this week's choice exceptionally simple. Don't worry, I was sure to not skimp on the scrumptious factor.
This is, apparently, the Best Tzatziki Sauce Ever. Well, maybe I added the ever, but that would be my guess. I'm so lazy, I'm not even going to post up the recipe itself. But, what you want to know is...
Was it good?
Yes. I may never buy store bought again.
Was it easy to make?
Again, yes. Simple, straight forward directions. It's hard to mess up, even for me. Admittedly, it would have been easier had I had a food processor.
Will you make it again?
I most certainly will. I can't vow off the store bought stuff and not replace it.
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