tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60499220191212756722024-03-13T21:52:13.514-07:00Mixed Drinks With Dr. PepperA blog that covers several wholly unrelated topics:
1) Food we want to eat, or have already eaten.
2) What alcoholic beverages go well with Dr. Pepper.
3) Things we happen to be thinking about right now, whether or not you might want to read about them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger503125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-80787657544991155452011-06-22T10:09:00.000-07:002011-06-22T10:34:18.233-07:00Dinner Last NightDinner last night was mostly a success. Not just because it was tasty, but because I took pictures!<br /><br />Last night's dinner was kind of made up. Well, not entirely, but it was kind of random. But, we got some chard from our <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatcountryfarms.com%2F&rct=j&q=great%20country%20fsarms&ei=IicCTpS0L5DUgQei4czMDQ&usg=AFQjCNFAPD79It4Wj0SJhimpQpHohpG2RA&cad=rja">CSA</a>. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Pedant</span> and I wanted to make the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Vegetable-Recipes-Recipe-Classics/dp/1933615168/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1307996650&sr=8-7">Cook's Illustrated</a> recipe for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Assertive Greens with Kielbasa</span> that we made last week with <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/566669">soy chorizo</a>. But, it wasn't going to be enough for dinner. Plus, we had some leftover <span style="font-weight: bold;">Roquefort </span>that's been calling my name. So I decided to make a <span style="font-weight: bold;">pasta dish</span> with a sauce using bad wine in our fridge as a vehicle for the cheese. The tasty, tasty cheese.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step one:</span> clean greens. Please note the before.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AyB8aTkGYgk/TgIjsbVt_LI/AAAAAAAABYk/hyzAaN8fe90/s1600/kale.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AyB8aTkGYgk/TgIjsbVt_LI/AAAAAAAABYk/hyzAaN8fe90/s200/kale.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621094531071868082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step two:</span> put in pot of water.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NtrEoWk0L9E/TgIkS0pdCaI/AAAAAAAABYs/abgR670golE/s1600/chardpot.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NtrEoWk0L9E/TgIkS0pdCaI/AAAAAAAABYs/abgR670golE/s200/chardpot.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621095190700558754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Please also note my very favorite Le Cruset Pot. I love it so much.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Then</span>, drain chard. Please notice the after.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eD0EDssRf1s/TgIkjSkcamI/AAAAAAAABY0/XqMDyoQhwL8/s1600/chardafter.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eD0EDssRf1s/TgIkjSkcamI/AAAAAAAABY0/XqMDyoQhwL8/s200/chardafter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621095473610517090" border="0" /></a>So little left! Greens are funny that way.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, step 2 of the recipe is cook "kilbasa" in the pan and add the green.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GDphpSylNEA/TgIkz1lbfmI/AAAAAAAABY8/aDKdN8YH4C8/s1600/chardsoy.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GDphpSylNEA/TgIkz1lbfmI/AAAAAAAABY8/aDKdN8YH4C8/s200/chardsoy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621095757887798882" border="0" /></a>Also, this is in one of my favorite pans. It's super huge and lovely.<br /><br />And I swear, it's tastier than it looks!<br /><br />Then, I made the pasta.<br /><br />It was pretty simple. I chopped up an onion and sauteed it in some oil. I added a bit of garlic and then about a cup of the terrible wine and let it cook down. Not sure why it was terrible. It was probably very good at the winery or wine festival we bought it at. I used some frozen asparagus that I steamed in it's neat-o bag. Probably should have just added them in without the steaming. They were a bit overdone. Oh well. I then added some frozen peas (lots of fun spring vegetables! In Summer!) and let that cook. I finished cooking the pasta in the sauce, because Lidia tells me to, and voila.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WO_RQkZoMQY/TgIltuGLTsI/AAAAAAAABZE/2As3-7oe6wc/s1600/pasta.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WO_RQkZoMQY/TgIltuGLTsI/AAAAAAAABZE/2As3-7oe6wc/s200/pasta.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621096752310079170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then I put the stuff on plates and added the cheese:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4lrk3sgD2Y/TgIl4RXAXAI/AAAAAAAABZM/r3zJjREq5G0/s1600/plate.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4lrk3sgD2Y/TgIl4RXAXAI/AAAAAAAABZM/r3zJjREq5G0/s200/plate.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621096933574597634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The verdict: </span>the greens were tasty (I used MUCH more chorizo than last time, but I was trying to finish it). The pasta was fair. A bit tasteless, but a great vehicle for the cheese.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-33955053219860668802011-06-13T13:05:00.000-07:002011-06-13T13:27:13.077-07:00Weekend PLUS PICTURE!<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant </span>(while cooking breakfast): Oh, did you want to take a picture of it?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherbs:</span> Oh, right.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyxiy7fZdnA/TfZt3KIvQnI/AAAAAAAABX4/6zN5VohdMwg/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyxiy7fZdnA/TfZt3KIvQnI/AAAAAAAABX4/6zN5VohdMwg/s320/photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617798379572511346" border="0" /></a> (Taken with iPhone)<br /><br />This is basically about 1/2 of the cooking we did all weekend, which is unlike us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday night</span>, we ended up ordering in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chinese food</span>, which we haven't done in ages. It was warm out, we had little food to cook and we were really happy <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fdoctorwho%2Fdw&rct=j&q=dr%20who&ei=6XD2TcvZEYTAgQehq8TnCw&usg=AFQjCNFvZVr3_j7d3X8tsW29go2eX0mXCA&cad=rja">watching TV</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday</span>, we ended up eating at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.subway.com%2F&rct=j&q=subway&ei=_XD2Te6yNo_egQefy_W-Cw&usg=AFQjCNFUzGzAgPRpyg-LSFWuig-B_h38VA&cad=rja">Subway</a> for lunch and then had dinner with friends at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.notyouraveragejoes.com%2F&rct=j&q=not%20your%20average%20joes&ei=CnH2TdXwHsLbgQek1fi2Cw&usg=AFQjCNGPa0zLj-krzewV8E37uiliUHfAqA&cad=rja">Not Your Average Joe's</a>. Dinner was good. Nothing fancy, and well priced. The portions were also really reasonable, which is sometimes hard to find in chain restaurants (where they overcharge you for HUGE portions...<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecheesecakefactory.com%2F&rct=j&q=cheesecake%20factory&ei=IHH2TdyAMInQgAe5kLTsCw&usg=AFQjCNG-unJQZqFTbP6tuQiwmZP7dwgGWw&cad=rja">Cheesecake Factory</a>, I'm looking at you...)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday</span>, we made this for <span style="font-weight: bold;">breakfast</span>. It was a fun creation:<br /><ul><li>Leftover rice from Chinese food</li><li>1/2 a can of black beans</li><li>Salsa</li><li>1 egg</li><li>Taco seasoning</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>did most of the cooking and I took this token picture. <br /><br />We ended up having <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.costco.com%2F&rct=j&q=costco%20pizza&ei=UXH2Td-dLcedgQeOp-DKCw&usg=AFQjCNG4ch1CHRDZi4J9SWSPw12qhLBbeg&cad=rja">Costco </a><span style="font-weight: bold;">pizza </span>for lunch. Which was tasty. Tasty, tasty, tasty.<br /><br />I did cook for dinner (but 100% forgot picture...will work harder). We had gotten greens from our <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgreatcountryfarms.com%2F&rct=j&q=great%20country%20farms&ei=qnH2TZakOsHGgAewocnZCw&usg=AFQjCNE8ODi3Z1nns7zVIUgGTdLBdsmiRA&cad=rja">CSA</a> so I improved on a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Vegetable-Recipes-Recipe-Classics/dp/1933615168/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1307996650&sr=8-7">Cook's Illustrated</a> recipe for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Assertive Greens with Kielbasa</span>. We used <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/566669">soy chorizo</a> instead of the kielbasa. Quite tasty. Paired with roasted mini peppers and a low fat cherry muffin (random, but...) that <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span>'s sister made up the recipe for, it was great.<br /><br />The best part of dinner: <a href="http://www.thedailymorsel.com/2011/06/trader-joe%E2%80%99s-dark-chocolate-bar-%E2%80%93-caramel-with-black-sea-salt/">caramel sea salt dark chocolate</a> from <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/index.asp">Trader Joe's</a>. Mmmm...<br /><br />Tonight's plan is <span style="font-weight: bold;">sushi</span>. I was supposed to go out with friends and that feel through, so <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>and I will go out together instead. We've eat out a lot lately (we usually just eat out 1-2x per week, not 4+ times), but things change.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/dherber6/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/dherber6/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" />Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-66317583544543646692011-06-07T08:26:00.000-07:002011-06-07T08:28:15.905-07:00AppologiesSo this plan of taking pictures of what I cook is a great idea...but I keep forgetting to take pictures!!! I think about it as I put the dishes into the dishwasher. And, while our plates are pretty, there is no need to have a dirty plate picture.<br /><br />I will try harder tonight to remember. I'm making a Kale Lasagna for dinner. YumSherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-63448612378183518622011-06-04T13:19:00.001-07:002011-06-04T13:19:44.210-07:00On Droid<div><p>Just trying out the Blogger app from my smartphone. Went to DC today, walked for long enough that I could justify a gyro at Zorba's in Dupont Circle. </p>
<p>I think they put olive oil in the tzatziki sauce. It's smoother than most. </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-51688287555338121482011-06-02T11:22:00.001-07:002011-06-15T07:25:28.082-07:00We're Back!<div>Well, we will be back soon. Both <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> and I got smartphones in the last month and not only are we entering the 21st century, but we will try to post more about our eating adventures with <span style="font-weight: bold;">pictures</span>. There may be a few test posts this weekend...especially since we just got our first <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatcountryfarms.com%2F&rct=j&q=great%20country%20farms&ei=UNXnTarQDKbY0QHy-NSXCw&usg=AFQjCNFAPD79It4Wj0SJhimpQpHohpG2RA&cad=rja">CSA</a> box of the year!</div>Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-39737495775883476082011-03-09T07:21:00.000-08:002011-03-09T07:33:29.864-08:00Breakfast RutI've been having issues with breakfast lately. I usually don't have time for something fancy, plus I want something healthy and filling. In the summer, it's often Greek yogurt and fruit and in the winter it's often oatmeal. Lately, I've been having the <span style="font-weight: bold;">same breakfast</span> (well, 3-4 times per week):<br /><br />Oatmeal (with cinnamon and <a href="http://www.splenda.com/products/brown-sugar-blend">brown "sugar"</a>)<br />Apple with about a tablespoon of peanut butter<br /><br />It's tasty and I end up not getting hungry until noon. Plus, it's super fast. I used to combine it all: dice apple and microwave it with cinnamon and sugar, add oatmeal and peanut butter. But, dicing the apple took time. And I got bored.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The new problem:</span> I am SO bored with oatmeal. But it's SO fast. I love eggs for breakfast but I've been having trouble getting out of bed in the morning so I never want to take the time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today</span>: I took the time. And it was worth it.<br /><br />I made 1 serving of <a href="http://www.eggbeaters.com/products/original.jsp">egg product</a> and put in 1 oz of goat cheese. I made it in my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Joie-Vivre-50162-Nonstick-Surface/dp/B00068UTJI">little egg pan </a>(which I love) and it was perfect. I had it with a mini rye muffin that we made on Sunday and ate a grapefruit along with it. Lovely. And I'm not getting hungry!<br /><br />Will be happy to take suggestions for other exciting breakfast options...Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-36922151088050790052011-03-08T07:31:00.000-08:002011-03-08T08:33:57.688-08:00More Food!OK, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> reminded me with his <a href="http://worldtastesbetter.blogspot.com/2011/03/recent-food-developments.html">last post</a> that I've been bad at posting. We've done some great cooking and I should share. Since I just don't have time to let you know what I've made the last month, I'll start with the last weekend:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/health/nutrition/03recipehealth.html?ref=health">Rye and Cornmeal Muffins</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> I saw this recipe in the New York Times and it was great. Super easy to make and really tasty. We had them for dinner with a<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Quick Belgian Salad </span>from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Salads-Recipes/dp/1558322779">salad cookbook</a>. Very yummy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Minestrone Soup</span>: I have to say that I've become known (well, with <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span>) for my Minestrone soup. It' a pretty easy recipe: cook some veg in broth (usually water though - then it makes a broth plus LOTS of spices), add a can or two of tomato paste, put in beans and pasta, let it get thick and yummy. I made it again this weekend from a batch of vegetable soup I made a few weeks ago. It's super tasty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fennel and Onions with Capers</span>: <a href="http://www.lidiasitaly.com/">Lidia Bastianich</a> (whom I love) has a great and easy recipe for fennel and onions with capers. We made it in a much smaller pan than usual (since we were making it with some <span style="font-weight: bold;">chicken soup and turkey meatballs</span> for <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>- I'll let you hear about it from him) so it took longer for the veg to caramelize but man, this dish is tasty!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New obsession</span>: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joe's</a>. I like their low fat string cheese so much. Also, they have mini goat cheeses that come in a pre-packaged 1 oz block. Perfect for omelets. Or anything else. Mmmm.... And they have these super cheap pouches of beans - soybeans and chickpeas. So tasty.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-82930175059372421092011-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:002011-03-05T16:32:19.089-08:00Recent Food DevelopmentsWe'll get to the eel in green sauce in Belgium in a later post, despite it having been two months ago.<br />
<br />
First, <a href="http://www.javagreen.net/">Cafe Green</a> in Northwest DC is much tastier than a vegan restaurant with a large number of raw food dishes has any right to be. Their not-quite-bibimbap was pretty tasty, even if not served in a superheated iron bowl. And <b>the Sherbs</b> loved their raw food assortment. <br />
<br />
For dessert, the cake we got tasted like good pareve cake (better than meh), but the raw cashew "milk" shake I had was pretty fabulous.<br />
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Next, <a href="http://www.harristeeter.com/">the Teet</a> now carries individually packaged servings of freeze-dried fruits. As <a href="http://twitter.com/charliesheen">they say on Twitter</a>, #winning. <br />
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Finally, I tried to use an online "healthy recipe" guide which advertised that it could give me a healthy meal just by inputting three items currently in my fridge. I tried that, and these were the failures:<br />
<ul><li>soy chorizo + endive + mayonnaise</li>
<li>cheese singles + tuna salad + tomato (despite this being a pretty regular weekend lunch standby; fat free cheese singles on <a href="http://www.starkist.com/product/ready-made-tuna-salad-chunk-light">Starkist's "tuna salad in a bag"</a> is more than tolerable on toast).</li>
<li>ketchup + onion + beans (okay, no baked beans recipes?)</li>
<li>dehydrated onion + brie + vegetable broth (and I didn't even try to confuse it with the fact that I was using <a href="http://www.iledefrancecheese.com/index.php/Ile-de-France-Brie-Cheese/brie.html#single">Ile de France's "mini brie"</a> - which, for the record, is superior to Trader Joe's Mini Brie Bites; there's something off about the way the Trader Joe's ones taste)</li>
<li>mustard + orange + beans</li>
</ul>Okay, I do have some esoteric food in my house, but if I was down to just a couple things, I couldn't trust this recipe finder to help me with my "brown rice + whole wheat pastry flour + apple/grape juice mix." Or my "<a href="http://www.fiberone.com/product/baking.mix.aspx">Fiber One muffin mix</a> + San Marzano crushed tomatoes + anchovies" (two of which, however, will make a perfectly fine pasta sauce - just remember that there's no "apples and cinnamon" buccatini).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-44740713847869434912011-01-20T13:39:00.000-08:002011-01-20T13:54:39.717-08:00Lots of Cooking!In a nutshell, the rest of Belgium was amazing. We ate great fries in Brugge (and Antwerp), great waffles, and had an INCREDIBLE meal at a lovely restaurant in Brussels. We are SO sad to be home.<br /><br />But, since I haven't started classes yet, we've had some opportunity for cooking. Here's what we've made:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SOUPS</span><br /><br />It's the time of year where soup is divine. Plus, I find it an excellent lunch. So we've made the following soups:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vegetable Soup</span> - a big, big pot. I used it as a basis for a really lovely <span style="font-weight: bold;">minestrone soup </span>(which is quickly becoming something I'm REALLY good at)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Egg Drop Soup</span> - with lots of spinach. Really, a lovely treat</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alma's Cooked Water Soup</span> - From a <a href="http://www.lidiasitaly.com/">Lidia Bastianich</a> <a href="http://shopping.lidiasitaly.com/lidiasitaly.aspx">cook book</a>. Basically, water and chard. Then, you use the broth to poach eggs for a great meal. It's a keeper, and will likely be better at the end of summer when chard is actually in season...</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">STIR FRY</span><br /><br />Along with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">egg drop soup </span>we made a stir fry of our own creation, with lots of veg. Super tasty and really simple<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">COUSCOUS</span><br /><br />I tried a <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/">Vegetarian Times</a> Israeli Couscous salad that turned out great. It had couscous, saffron, tomatoes, leeks, fennel, arugula and a sauce from veg broth. Again, might have been better when leeks are in season (although I LOVE winter, I hate the lack of great produce), but still, a real winner. We might make it with less couscous and more veg (or a protein source? Chickpeas!!) in the future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CHILI</span><br /><br />Last night we made another <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/">VT</a> recipe for chili with dark ale. I guess Belgium got to us?? It was simple - black beans, corn, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cumin, onion, garlic, red pepper and beer (we used <a href="http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/beer/">Brooklyn Brewery's Dark Chocolate Stout</a>, since we have it) and let it get super thick. It was good, but a bit too bitter for me. (Darn sweet tooth!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PIZZA</span><br /><br />Last weekend my sister was in town and we invited our cousin to join us and her boyfriend for dinner. We had 2 bottles of wine, really good bread and cheese (thanks cus!), salad (thanks again cus!), minestrone and "make your own pizza." That was a hit! We had sauteed veg (mushrooms, onions, peppers), lots of seasonings and cheese. It was a hit! A really great thing to do for dinner.<br /><br />Tonight is a bean casserole. The beans have been soaking and I'm excited to start cooking it. Next week, food prep will be mostly on the weekends since I start class again.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-73866137776735181222011-01-07T20:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T20:00:00.729-08:00Thoughts on Brussels<blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant </span>has written about some of the many things we've done and eaten in Brussels. Basically, this city is lovely. It's small enough to walk everywhere and the architecture is beautiful. We seem to miss good weather: when we were here 2 weeks ago it was snowy and cold; this week it's been in the 40s but rainy and foggy. It's not too bad though. <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span> talked about chocolates and beer and other Belgian foods, I'll talk about the other foods we've had and thoughts about the city.<br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pastry</span>: We had a pain au chocolate and a pain au raisin the first morning we were here from a small bakery in the center of the city, Lowry. They were both very tasty and perfectly flaky. We also woke up after a nap yesterday and came down to the main room of our B&B just as the staff were having their King Cake for Epiphany. How could I object when they offered us to join them?? I've never had king cake before, but it was very good. The crust was flaky and there was a really lovely almond filling.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sandwiches</span>: As a cost saving measure, we try to eat on a budget during meals. Also, we don't really know how to rate restaurants - many just look fair and super touristy. Plus, I don't eat Mussels which is a big thing at these restaurants. We've eaten some great sandwiches. Thursday for lunch we had sandwiches with our fries. Tasty. Today, we had a cheese or ham-and-cheese sandwiches at a little Sandwich near the Central Station. It was nothing fancy, but very simple and tasty.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate</span>: What can I say? I walk into a store and get overly excited. I've eaten so much already...and we have bought many truffles to take home. And there are 2 more cities we have to visit!<br /><br />4) I am in awe of Belgians - they are able to eat chocolates, waffles, fries, nutella and then drink beer and are all THIN. I guess if I move here and eat all this stuff, I won't gain weight, right? Right? Right??<br /><br />5) The beers (well, lambics since I dislike beer) are often in smaller bottles here - 25 cL (about a cup or so). I think it's a great idea. I would totally enjoy a lambic or the Hogaarden Rosee we had at lunch with a meal more often since it's less than a bottle at home. That means a) fewer calories and b) less of an opportunity to get drunk. Really, much more civilized.<blockquote></blockquote>Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-34353349451816882362011-01-07T18:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T18:00:00.350-08:00Brussels Travel Tips1) Service at anywhere sit down is friendly but leisurely. They don't feel compelled to give you your check or follow up with you. Like, ever. However, once they come around to your table, the serving staff are your bestest friends ever.<br /><br />2) The Brussels Central (Bruxelles Central/Brussel Centraal) train station is like an alternate universe version of New York's Penn Station where everything is modern and clean, it's not too crowded, and there are informational signs everywhere.<br /><br />The Brussels Metro system is cleaner than the New York subway, but smells just as much like pee, if not moreso, as if someone decided to go all Mannekin Pis all the way down each walkway. Also, you don't need to swipe your ticket all the time, just have it validated in case someone checks.<br /><br />3) The road structure of Brussels completely thwarts the non-SAS or Green Beret in keeping a solid direction sense, especially on a cloudy day. You will find yourself heading in the exact opposite direction for several blocks, but then, since everything in Brussels is right next to everything else, you'll pretty much be where you want to be anyway. <br /><br />4) 25 centiliters of beer is remarkably cheap in Brussels supermarkets. Go buy plenty; it's less than $2 a bottle, which you basically can't get for beer of any real quality in the US. <br /><br />5) Coca Cola is cheaper anywhere but vending machines, which are cheaper anywhere but the airport. Coca Cola "Light" (what we call "Diet") with lemon seems to have real lemon juice in it and is worth drinking.<br /><br />6) The Magritte museum is closed this January, but that's probably for the best, given that it likely has a Magritte-style approach to geometry, and is therefore a madhouse of floating items, faceless men, openings to the sky where items should be, etc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-21509578759746949582011-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T16:00:03.019-08:00Brussels Chocolate and Other Dessert ReviewWe're doing this by manufacturer/retailer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jean-Phillipe Darcis</span>, 14 Petite Rue au Burre:<br /><br />A cute little shop we stumbled by almost through accident. They do a very professional job, although I can't say their assortment is that far removed from their competitors.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">La Cure Gourmand</span>:<br /><br />Off the Grand Place, La Cure Gourmand does not really sell much chocolate. They do cookies, hard candies, and chocolate novelties like their peanut M&M-style "chocolate olives," but for those looking for a Godiva-style seller of "pralines," this is not the right store.<br /><br />However, what they do sell and we found delicious were their exotic caramels, including coffee and sesame flavors. They also sell really pretty tins, both with and without candy in them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">De Rose Damas</span>, 19 Rue de Marche au Herbes:<br /><br />This is a Middle Eastern confectioner, making both traditional baklava-style sweets and Belgian/Levantine "fusion" desserts. We got a small assortment from the shopkeep, and everything was sweet, crunchy, and wonderful, although we preferred the pistachio-filled crunchy pastries to the softer ones filled with fig paste.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Passion Chocolat</span>:<br /><br />A small store off the Place du Sablon, Passion Chocolat surprised us with its slightly different approach to truffle-like chocolates. Here, immersion in particular flavors seems to be the theme; there's a peanut-shaped truffle filled with peanut butter, a coffee-cup shaped truffle filled with coffee ganache, and a truffle with a coffee bean on top filled with a marzipan/coffee mix. Those, and the almond-crusted Grand Marnier ganache truffle, make it well worth your visit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elizabeth</span>:<br /><br />We probably don't need to review this, since you get a 25% off coupon in your Brussels Card guidebook, but it's a pretty decent store, if a teensy bit touristy, off the Grand Place. Unlike several of the touristy places off the Grand Place, it does make its own truffles, and none of them look like the Mannekin Pis (the little peeing boy fountain that Brussels is famous for; it's great that the city can laugh at itself, but I'm not sure that anyone really wants to eat a rainbow-colored assortment of chocolates in peeing boy shapes, as one shop sold). We ate a bag of caramel lace cookies dipped in chocolate that we got from Elizabeth, and they were pretty incredible; despite their odd cup-like shape, I would call them nearly the Platonic lace cookie; the lace cookie from which all other lace cookies should be measured. We haven't yet tried their spoons with chocolate to be dissolved in hot milk (some including alcohol), but we're looking forward to.<br /><br />We also bought a bunch of things from Pierre Marcolini and Wittamer in the Place du Sablon, but we know both of those places are tasty, so you'll have to wait until we get home and eat them to learn about those.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-38298797982186314212011-01-07T10:30:00.000-08:002011-01-07T10:52:40.418-08:00Enjoying the Fruits of War and Colonization<div style="text-align: left;">Here we are in Brussels, a land made tasty by the subjugation of faraway lands. We have chocolate (gained in Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica, grown by forced African labor for many years), coffee (more conquering and plantations in Africa), french fries (potatoes gained from Spanish conquest of the Andean peoples), and pastry (gained during brutal French and/or Austrian occupation of Belgium). <br /><br />Honestly, you don't read this blog to learn about the historical stuff we saw, although the ruins of Coudeberg Palace and the comic strip museum are pretty awesome. So let's talk about food and drink.<br /><br />FRITES:<br /><br />We went to Fritland, just off the Grand Place (the city center in Brussels with all the 17th C. buildings). You have two fry options at Fritland - fries on a plate, or fries in a sandwich. The sandwiches are full of things that are either grill-fried or dunked in the same fry-o-lator as the french fries. You can also, instead of a sandwich, get fried foods along with your fries. <br /><br />The fries are awesome. There are too many sauces for us to rate (we had mixed feelings about the "curry ketchup," and whatever kind of spicy mayo "samourai" is, it's okay, but not awesome), but the fries are crispy-tasty-riffic. You will, however, order too many. The fry portions are big, and unless you are a massive glutton, one container of fries (or a sandwich-full, as "sandwich" means "foot of baguette-like bread with stuff in it") is already too much.<br /><br />GAUFRES (Waffles!):<br /><br />The most common waffle here is a large, puffy thing that people put various toppings on. We ignored many waffle places for not looking tasty enough (the truck with the Smurfs on it outside the Musical Instrument Museum, the waffle place down the street from the Central Station which everyone on Tripadvisor hated, the waffle place advertising "Australian" ice cream), and bought a waffle with whipped cream and strawberry slices on top at Elizabeth near the Grand Place. We didn't go to the one at Leonidas off the Grand Place because I kept making 300 jokes to myself in my head.<br /><br />If you can master the serrated-edged plastic fork that they give you with your waffle, the waffle is a tasty, pre-sugared delight. Do eat it sitting down, though; it's tough to cut with your funny plastic fork while standing.<br /><br />BEERS:<br /><br />You get a beer with your entrance to the Brewer's Guild Museum. The Sherbs and I both got a Bell-vue Kriek (cherry lambic), which, despite the bizarre lambic ritual that they do here (pour from tap, scrape off foam with knife, dunk bottom of glass in cold water to wash off scraped foam dribble, dry off bottom of glass on cloth), is pretty tasty. Frankly, we haven't had a kriek we didn't like - Bell-vue, Lindeman's, and Mort Subite "X-Treme" are all pretty tasty and cherry-flavored. They're still a little more beery than a "malt beverage," but that, I think, makes them more flavorful.<br /><br />There are also framboises, which are lambics with raspberry flavor. Both Mort Subite "X-Treme" and Hoegaarden Rose are pretty good; Hoegaarden is less sweet, for those who like that sort of thing.<br /><br />Not recommended: Delerium Tremens's "Cactus" lambic. It's green. It tastes more like agave than you want a fruity beer to taste. <br /><br />In the lambic family is gueze, which the Sherbs calls "beer for people who don't like beer"; it's lighter and sweeter than regular beer. La Morte Subite's house brand is pretty good in this regard.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-9193294265419129112011-01-02T23:52:00.000-08:002011-01-03T00:08:43.257-08:00More Foods of the Holy LandBack at Samir's on Saturday, where we got carrots and zucchini stuffed with rice and spices, then stewed. Also, in addition to the warm mashed chickpea dish <span style="font-style: italic;">mussabekha </span>(as <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Sherbs</span>'s uncle unhelpfully says, "rhymes with apricot"), we got some pretty tasty <span style="font-style: italic;">foul </span>(pronounced "fool"), made with some sort of kidney-looking beans. And, of course, the usual pita and salad.<br /><br />Last night, I went to Shuree Buree in Herzlia, the coastal town just north of Tel Aviv. Shuree Buree basically does one thing: first, you get lots of little dishes of salads and such. Then, you order a fish. You get the fish however you specified the chef to cook it, or you get it fried. That's it.<br /><br />Still, they do a great job with fish, and you get plenty of bread for the tahina, tzatziki sauce, and guacamole. You can also order french fries, called "צ'פס" (chips) in Hebrew; I use the Hebrew because I want to pretend that "tzips" are not as fattening as french fries. Especially not the ones at Burger Ranch which come mixed with onion rings and bits of hot dog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-15662573838035053022010-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:002010-12-31T00:00:11.619-08:00More Israel Travel Tips1) Israeli cellular phone companies do not want to do business with you. Their stores are like nice versions of the DMV: you take a number, sit and wait, and eventually someone will deal with what you need, like adding NIS 100 to your prepaid phone, but not with any alacrity. It was like they'd never done the transaction before, writing crap down on post-its and running back and forth from the mysterious back room and random computer terminals.<br /><br />2) The shouks have the cheapest veggies. A "shouk," for those who don't know the term, is the descendant of that Arabian market that was caricatured in the Disney movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Aladdin</span> as full of intolerant and pushy shopkeeps, vicious scimitar-wielding law enforcement officials, and a fez-wearing monkey.<br /><br />In fact, they look like any nation's street market, but here, the shouks in Jerusalem, Acco, and Ramla all have great vegetable assortments, as well as fresh fish and baked goods, for a price far below what you'd find in the local supermarkets.<br /><br />In Jerusalem, there's also a dumpling-in-soup place I hear is delicious, as well as a place that sells Judaic-themed health beverages. It would set off Penn & Teller's alarms pretty quickly, although the Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon-themed almond beverage and the angelically-themed chocolate drink looked tasty.<br /><br />3) <a href="http://elias-meat.co.il/">Elias's Butcher Shop</a> in Ramla is a great place for raw meat. Elias himself will cut you pretty much anything you want of whatever meat he's got, and he stocks enough for an entire barbecue in his shop, from firestarter to bamboo skewers to frozen french fries. I'm a sucker for any butcher that has a side of meat just hanging around, and can yank a leg of lamb out from under a table.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-28150666977300859402010-12-30T06:11:00.000-08:002010-12-30T07:50:41.134-08:00Notable Meals in IsraelDAY 1<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Brunch</span>: Shakshouka and a cappuccino at Si Coffee at the gas station just below the Latrun tank museum. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sherbs</span> already went over this, but the tomatoey dish with eggs and cheese cooked on top was pretty amazing, even for a chain cafe. Especially with the whole grain bread.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner</span>: Italian in Tel Aviv. Pizza, appetizers (including eggplant parm in individual ramekins), and a gnocchi in meat sauce. <br /><br />DAY 2<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Brunch</span>: "Couples Breakfast" for <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Sherbs</span> and I at Cafe Rimon on Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem. Each of us got two eggs, any way we wanted, and a salad, with a plate of cheese, tuna fish, and lox to share, as well as a bread basket with two croissant and four bagels. More than decent for a remarkably touristy establishment. <br /><br />DAY 3<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Lunch</span>: Chicken shnitzel sandwich at a small shop in Old Acco at (I think) the end of Chaim Weitzmann Street. Breaded, fried, and stuffed in a toasted baguette with all usual falafel fixings and a couple french fries for good measure. Not the best food ever eaten, but better than average and unbeatable at NIS 20 for sandwich and drink.<br /><br />DAY 4<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Samir's in Ramla</span>. Ramla is a small city near to Tel Aviv, and contains, in one of the many 12th-century structures still standing and in use, a restaurant called Samir's. <br /><br />I've probably mentioned this place before. But there is nothing bad at Samir's. Today's assortment (when we go with<span style="font-weight: bold;"> the Sherbs</span>'s uncle, it's always the chef's choice for the menu) was chicken kabob, ground lamb kabob, falafel, and a mixed plate of animal hearts and livers cooked with onions and pepper. I am not being facetious to say that the organ meats were incredibly delicious - as I said, there is nothing bad at Samir's. From the pitas to the salads to the baklava at the end (and the coffee with cardamom), everything was tasty-riffic.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sherbs</span>'s uncle's ice cream.</span> My better half's uncle makes his own ice cream, and has spent much of his life learning and perfecting the food chemistry of homemade ice cream. The flavors which we had too much of were a pineapple sorbet, a mint chocolate made with fresh mint (so much better than that spearmint oil stuff you get at the supermarket), and a dark chocolate ice cream with coffee and chocolate chunks mixed in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-13973283099371610942010-12-30T01:12:00.001-08:002010-12-30T01:24:53.101-08:00Wine and Waffles; Shakshukah<style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> described what <a href="http://worldtastesbetter.blogspot.com/2010/12/12-hours-in-brussels.html">we ate in Belgium well</a>. I had a breakfast of a poached egg and some toast pieces, which was perfect. Also, the cafe gave pieces of chocolate with the coffee. Any country that does that is a friend of mine.<br /><br />For crepes, I had a buckwheat crepe with cheese (Gruyere I think) that was filled to deliciousness and then topped with scallions and a fried egg. It was a lot of eggs, but really wonderful.<br /><br />For the Christmas market, we had a "regular waffle" (opposed to a waffle on a stick - it was just going to be too hard!) and then topped with a chocolate sauce. I also got a glass of their muled wine. The snack was perfect. The waffle was fluffy (and I'm sure since it was a food stall not even the best waffle we'll have in Belgium) and the chocolate was divine. Creamy and delicious. Since it was cold, the chocolate sauce hardened a bit on the waffle, which made it even better. (A little less messy!) The wine was also great. <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>and I traveled a few years ago to Quebec City and had Caribou, plus we've had homemade Glorgg (by <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span>'s mother, who is not Danish but learned from wonderful Danes) and this was different. It was, of course, much sweeter, as well as spicy. Not a clue what kind of wine they used, but it was excellent.<br /><br />Then we got to Israel. We've had some great food so far. The first meal we had here was at a coffee shop/cafe near my aunt and uncle that served amazing shakshukah with this incredible whole grain bread. We ate it outside with cappuccinos and espressos. I hope shakshukah catches on in the US. That night for dinner we went to an Italian place in Tel Aviv that was amazing as well. This afternoon we are likely going to Samir's restaurant, which has the best humus in the world, and I'm not even joking a teeny bit.</p>Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-17595841114965250162010-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:002010-12-30T00:00:05.081-08:00Israel Travel TipsThings to Ask the Rental Car People That I Didn't:<br />1) Will I be unable to figure out how to turn off the radio?<br />2) Why can't I lift the seat above a "recumbent bike" position?<br />3) Will it be remarkably easy to break my lease terms by taking the wrong turn on the road to Megiddo (in Israel) and ending up in Jenin (in Fatah-controlled West Bank)?<br />4) Will the tire unexpectedly spring a leak and your emergency service staff tell me to change the tire to a spare and have the flat replaced myself?<br /><br />Things I Learned the Hard Way:<br />1) Acco (aka Acre) is impossible to leave if the road you expect to get to the highway on is blocked by police with a bomb-disposal robot.<br />2) The Herzl Museum, on Har Herzl (and poorly signed) is not on the same Jerusalem mini-mountain as the Jerusalem Central Bus Station (which has all the charm and cheerful ambiance of the NYC Port Authority on 42nd St.). Nor is it a short walk.<br />3) The Herzl Museum requires reservations, and if you don't have one, they don't have any interest in helping you. <br />4) In Jerusalem, Yafo (Jaffa) Street is NOT perpendicular to King George Street. Even though they're really close. You make one wrong turn out of the Mamilla mall, and you're heading to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. AGAIN.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-41894030425060712142010-12-29T13:14:00.000-08:002010-12-29T13:31:47.453-08:0012 Hours in BrusselsHere we are in lovely Eretz Yisrael (Eretz Yisroel to you die-hard Ashkenaz), enjoying the sun and the above-50 degree temperatures while all y'all on the East Coast suffer under <span style="font-weight: bold;">BLIZZARD</span>.<br /><br />But, you know, Israel's suffering a terrible drought, so the constant sunny days we're having are actually tragic for agriculture and municipal water prices. So we spend a moment of silent contemplation before enjoying our coffee at an outdoor cafe.<br /><br />But back to the first day of our trip, when we were in both snow and honest-to-goodness slush: our twelve hours in Brussels prior to landing at Ben Gurion Airport.<br /><br />We landed in darkness, 7AM Belgian time actually being appropriate more to Berlin, so the sun comes up at 9AM and it stays light until 6PM or so, where it should be more like 8-4. In the purplish tones of early dawn, we took a train from the airport into Brussels Central (Dutch: Brussel Centraal) station, during which I listened to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Tron: Legacy</span> soundtrack on my iPod. Early morning Europe from the train is awesome to Daft Punk. You should try it.<br /><br />Once in the city, we saw many historic sights and learned that all of Brussels is right next to each other. So we went about trying to see every chocolate shop we'd heard of. Galler was closed, but we visited Leonidas ("These...are...truffles!"), Pierre Marcolini (which wouldn't accept our credit card, and lost a sale), Wittamer (100 years of tastiness), Neuhaus (just like in the Union Station mall), and Planet Chocolate, the last of which had (unusual for these stores) free samples, and even better (and not necessarily unusual but much appreciated), great service. We bought a lot of interesting chocolates there.<br /><br />For "real" meals, we went to the Wittamer Cafe in the Place du Sablon in the morning, as it was open and we wanted to miss the brief snow flurry. The breakfast was simple, but it was very tasty and the coffee came with chocolate truffles. <br /><br />For lunch, we went to the Maison du Crepes at the corner of Rue des Midi and some street just north of the Grand Place. The service was leisurely, but friendly, but the crepes were fantastic. I had a crepe "Paysanne," which was creamy mustard cheese sauce, bacon, scallions, and tiny potatoes, all in thin buckwheat. Yum. I had it with kriek, the Belgian near-beer flavored with cherries, which was a mildly sweet, tart alcohol. Both <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherbs</span> and I loved it.<br /><br />Following lunch, we hit a Christmas market, eschewing buying a wedge of cheese the size of a airplane wheel-chock for a somewhat lighter snack, but I'll let my better half tell you about that. Then it was onto the plane, and off to Israel.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-81157981858135497082010-11-28T09:19:00.001-08:002010-11-28T09:39:03.841-08:00Thanksgiving Part IIThanksgiving came and went. It was the first time I "hosted" a family meal (with more than 7 or 8 people) and it went well. It was VERY hard work. We had 35 people in total and it was 6 weeks of prep. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant'</span>s mother helped organize everyone with a google group and document, and everyone pitched in. <br /><br />My food came out great. The quinoa salad was a HUGE hit! Plus, I have 2 containers left (I would have had 3, but we ate it for breakfast Friday!). The Pecan Pies were also amazing, but the crust got a bit crispy - and broke 3 plastic knives. I made them in glass baking dishes and afterwords my mother said I might have needed to lower the heat. I will likely make the pie again for my work pot luck in December so will double check the cooking temp.<br /><br />Thursday was one of the longest days I've had: After having nightmares at 4AM that the pie was burned to a crisp, I woke up VERY sleepy at 7 and did a 5 mile turkey trot (with my best time ever in a race - under a 10 minute mile!). I came home about 11:30am to a full house: Parents, grandfather, aunt, 2 cousins and made a second pie dough. (My mom rightly thought 1 pecan pie wasn't enough.) After, we went to the supermarket for some lunch stuff - a big salad. At 1:30 or so, we started the cooking<br /><ol><li>Making pecan pie and cooking said pie</li><li>Making stuffed mushrooms (my mom made the stuffing earlier but we needed to stuff)</li><li>Making stuffing (which my mom did most of)</li><li>Making quinoa salad (which I did most of)</li></ol>About 2:30pm I realized I hadn't had enough water post race and had a THROBBING headache all night...<br /><br />About 2ish <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>went to his parents' house to get table cloths, wine, utensils and some other stuff since his mother was having a bit of trouble with the oven and the turkeys...<br /><br />About 3 I started setting up the room with my dad and assorted family members. People started coming about 4 and I finally got to shower about 4:15! It was a non-stop event but I had a lot of fun doing it!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">OUR MENU:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Appetizers:</span><br /><br />Artichoke dip (Sherb's aunt)<br />Guatemalan black beans (S's aunt)<br />Broccoli/Carrots (S/TP)<br />Salmon (TP's aunt)<br />Humus, crackers, pita (S's cousin's parents)<br />Stuffed Mushrooms (S's mom)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner:</span><br /><br />3 Turkeys (TP's mom, TP's aunt, S's cousin)<br />Stuffing with meat (S's cousin)<br />Stuffing with no meat (S's mom)<br />Broccoli (S's cousin)<br />Slaw with tasty, tasty ramen noodles (S's cousin)<br />Quionoa salad (S/TP)<br />Sweet Potato (TP's Mom)<br />Sweet Potatoes with tasty marshmallows (TP's aunt)<br />Cranberry sauce from jar (TP's aunt)<br />Cranberry sauce - exact same kind! (TP's aunt, S's aunt - a wonderful coincidence!)<br />Salad (TP's Aunt)<br />Roasted Veg (TP's mom)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dessert:</span><br /><br />2 Pecan Pies (S)<br />2 Chocolate Pecan pies (TP's mom)<br />2 Pumpkin pies (S's cousin)<br />Chocolate chip cookies (S's aunt)<br />Pumpkin bread (TP's Mom)<br />Cranberry Bread (S's mom)<br />Parve whipped topping (TP's Aunt)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Beverages:</span><br />Wine, beer, soda, TP's Grandmother's whiskey soursSherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-30561455940379689462010-11-23T11:09:00.000-08:002010-11-23T11:57:13.121-08:00ThanksgivingEvery food blog I read is doing a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thanksgiving post</span>, so why not my own?? I'm kind of hosting our big dinner - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> and I are combining families in the party room of our building. Other family members are making the Turkey, but we're still pitching in. <br /><br />I'm making a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pecan Pie</span> (recipe from <a href="http://www.thejoykitchen.com/">Joy of Cooking</a>, which I have heard from a friend is the easiest and best recipe for pecan pie) which I'm excited about. I'm making that Wednesday after work.<br /><br />I'm also making a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Southwest Quinoa and Sweet Potato salad</span> (ala <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarkbittman.com%2F&rct=j&q=mark%20bittman&ei=cxzsTL3MC8OC8gb96JSrAw&usg=AFQjCNEobKkP-ItLCd0qZ5kfn47pPVAUWA&cad=rja">Mark Bittman</a>). I've already cooked the sweet potatoes and will cook the quinoa and assemble the salad Thursday. But it will be a rush - I am running a 5 mile race that day (in order that I can enjoy my pecan pie!). I was originally going to make the quinoa Wednesday but am running out of room in my fridge...<br /><br />My mom and I will also be assembling <span style="font-weight: bold;">stuffed mushrooms</span> and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> finishing a stuffing</span>. It should be a hectic day, but fun.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-68516859757504925442010-11-18T07:09:00.001-08:002010-11-18T08:01:59.162-08:00Still EatingNot much cooking has happened this week - since again, busy life - but I have been diligently eating my cooked food. The parsnip soup is still amazing as is my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ziti</span> (and my mom's eggplant <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Parmesan</span>). <br /><br />I did go out for lunch this week with some coworkers and had a great risotto with autumn vegetables. I've made risotto before and The Pedant and I do a pretty good job, but this was superb. Really amazing.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-1565168671094329772010-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:002010-11-14T09:26:26.436-08:00Yesterday's FoodI've been thinking about this picture thing but can't get my act together I guess...<br /><br />Yesterday <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> and I had a fun day and it included lots of food. (And probably too much soda - we figure we both had about 1.5 liters each...and I had a bit too much trouble falling asleep...)<br /><br />So, our day in food:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Breakfast:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span> and I are taking a deep water cardio class at a local high school Saturday mornings. It's a lot of fun and an intense workout. Both of us needed new clothes, so we headed to a big mall after our class to beat the rush, but needed breakfast first. We had <span style="font-weight: bold;">"bagels"</span> (which I put in quotes because outside of New York "bagels" are never as good) at a local bagel place that is actually pretty good. Since it was pretty crowded, we sat outside (it was lovely!) and ate our "bagels" and read the paper. Then, we headed to the mall. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lunch:</span><br /><br />After the mall, we went to <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bertuccis.com%2F&rct=j&q=bertuccis&ei=TRvgTNSdLoGBlAfGgpHpAw&usg=AFQjCNFODWjHAc9pLprmW7_Hnx9IWv-NPg&cad=rja"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bertucci's</span></a> for lunch. As I get snobbier about my food, I have realized I don't really enjoy most chain restaurants. The food is usually fair and too greasy and the portions are WAY too large. I do however LOVE Berucci's, especially for lunch. They give you salad, their bread is worth every calorie, and their lunch portions are a great deal. <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span> got <span style="font-weight: bold;">chicken picatta</span> (which prompted us to plan making a version at home one day) and I got an <span style="font-weight: bold;">eggplant pannini.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food Prep/Dinner:</span><br /><br />We ventured on after lunch to <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.costco.com%2F&rct=j&q=costco&ei=jBvgTOu4AcWblgf8j7nBAw&usg=AFQjCNG4ch1CHRDZi4J9SWSPw12qhLBbeg&cad=rja">Costco</a> and the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.harristeeter.com%2F&rct=j&q=harris%20teeter&ei=lhvgTO-DN4aglAf4qLCpAw&usg=AFQjCNEDVeQxFBIS6lHixaclaPMs4nh6NA&cad=rja">Teet </a>for some essentials and then came home and napped for a bit. (I think we deserved it.) I did get up and then make some food for the week and for dinner. For dinner, I made a <span style="font-weight: bold;">baked ziti with vegetables</span>. It was about half pasta, half vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, onion, pepper, roasted in the oven while the pasta was cooking). I used ricotta cheese and made a tomato sauce and topped it with some mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan cheese. It came out well. Except, I have to remember to under cook the pasta more next time! The veggies let out a lot of water and the pasta got a bit too soggy.<br /><br />I also made a <span style="font-weight: bold;">roast parsnip soup</span>. It's really easy and really tasty. We didn't eat it for dinner (it didn't go with the pasta really and we intended to make a salad, but we got lazy/not so hungry when we made dinner) and I'm really excited to eat it for lunch today.Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-51077750299756252682010-11-09T08:09:00.000-08:002010-11-09T08:27:51.606-08:00Finally Back!I spent this weekend celebrating my grandfather's 90th birthday and it was lovely!! The only downside is that several family members asked how my blogging was going. I sheepishly admitted I have been lazy. So no more. <span style="font-weight: bold;">New goal: </span>posting at least 2 times per week. I will continue to debate about putting pictures up - at least about cooking (<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span> and I hate taking pictures of food at restaurants: it's rude). <br /><br />OK - a small update since August: We've been cooking a lot! Not much terribly new - we did make some great meals but nothing really out of the ordinary. I am excited that the weather is FINALLY cooling down and I can make more wintry foods like soups, casseroles, roasted vegetables, etc. <br /><br />Last week I made a black bean and butternut squash chili. the recipe came from NPR's <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/">The Splendid Table</a>'s weekly newsletter. It came out really well. I personally love chilis. I also love sweet and spicy foods. <br /><br />Also, I have a new project one day. My <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aunt M.</span> is an EXCELLENT baker. There is a cake from HER Aunt, that is a chocolate cake. It is a really rich chocolate cake with freshly made whipped cream and a chocolate "frosting." My mom makes the cake also and it is incredibly tasty. It has always intimidated me since it is a 2 step process and you have to add the chocolate sauce on top of the whipped cream. I really enjoy baking and have always wanted to have the time and space to bake (and the willpower to not eat everything as it comes out of the oven). When I was home this weekend <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aunt M.</span> showed me how to make this cake (well, the chocolate sauce that is the hardest part) and has now t<div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Save Now</a></div></div></div>old me it's time for me to bake it. She also chastised me for not owning a 9x13 metal baking pan. So now i have a project. Anyone want a tasty chocolate cake??Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049922019121275672.post-62977777102214992902010-08-04T08:33:00.000-07:002010-08-04T09:00:54.259-07:00Cooking NightLast night was a night of cooking. I sadly, didn't take pictures, but maybe will one day! Not only did I make dinner (with <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pedant</span>!), but I also made soup and zucchini bread and <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>made mac and cheese.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mac and Cheese (times 2)</span><br />There was a tiny bit of confusion between me and <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>about dinner. I was going to make a <span style="font-weight: bold;">baked mac and cheese</span> for dinner since I had milk to use. This is a <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vegetarian Times</span></a> recipe and it's pretty fantastic: using skim milk, you create a "cream" sauce and then add in 1/2 a cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. You top it with panko and then bake it. It comes out really great and much healthier than regular mac and cheese. So, I had to run some errands after work and asked <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP</span> to start water for the pasta. He got home earlier than I expected and started to make the pasta from the mac and cheese he got from the <a href="http://worldtastesbetter.blogspot.com/2010/06/q-freebies.html">BBQ festival</a>. Since it was Kraft and gooey and delicious (read: too many <a href="http://www.weigthwatchers.com">WW</a> points...) he ended up making the Kraft stuff for himself and we made the mac and cheese from VT for dinner still.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Green Beans</span><br />We got a TON of <span style="font-weight: bold;">green beans </span>from our <a href="http://www.greatcountryfarms.com/">CSA</a> and are making a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hungarian Strogonoff</span> in the slow cooker tomorrow, we made a sort of <span style="font-weight: bold;">French style green beans with almonds</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">TP </span>did most of the cooking (I was doing zucchini bread) and they came out great. The beans were still crispy and the slivered almonds were perfectly toasty. It was a great dinner: baked mac and cheese and green beans.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Squash Soup</span><br />Since squash is in season, I made (yet again) my new favorite soup - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chilled Curried Squash Soup.</span> (I already have 2 containers in the freezer!) Plus, since squash is in season and super cheap at the Farmer's Market, it's so tasty. It's pretty easy (I've blogged about it <a href="http://worldtastesbetter.blogspot.com/2010/06/less-free-more-food.html">here</a>) and fun to play with. For this one, I think I put in too much salt (or, parve chicken soup) and a bit too much curry, but I think it's still tasty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zucchini Bread</span><br />As I said in my <a href="http://worldtastesbetter.blogspot.com/2010/08/squash-and-such.html">last post</a>, I got a <span style="font-weight: bold;">TON of zucchini</span>. I used half of the GIANT one (which means I still have 1/2 a giant zucchini and a large one left!) and made 4 zucchini breads. The recipe I have makes 2 loaves, so I bought some aluminum pans at the <a href="http://www.harristeeter.com/">Teet</a> on Monday (I only have 2 loaf pans). It was a GIANT batter. I had to use my GIANT glass bowl to mix and it was a work out. Nonetheless the bread came out great and tasty. I've gotten several complements from my coworkers (I brought in a loaf) and will enjoy the other 3 loaves in my freezer.<br /><br />But now - I need to do something with the rest of my zucchini. Ideas??Sherbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00803254488713719738noreply@blogger.com3