Supperin' Succotash!

Flank Steak & Greens!

2009-07-07T21:39:00.002-05:00

I made 1/2 lb of flank steak with salt & pepper and Melinda made spinach with olive oil & pine nuts. It was awesome. Oh, and we topped it with shredded robusto cheese!

From the pages of Real Simple

2009-07-07T08:37:00.004-05:00

Last night, Melinda and I made our version of this recipe, 20-Minute Shrimp with Carrot Slaw. M made the shrimp as described, but with added garlic. I cut the carrots into discs instead of chopping them julienne and, since I had no cayenne in the house (!), I added a touch of pepper and extra lime for a kick.

Overall, the meal was okay. It was a easy-to-make dish for sure, and we didn't spend more than 20 mins making it. I have a lot of leftover sour cream now, so I have to figure out what to do with it. I'm not sure I'll make carrot salad again, but I certainly don't regret trying it.

Dorito Chicken!

2009-05-19T15:07:00.005-05:00

I know what you're thinking --- eww. Well, prepare to be surprised by this easy and delicious recipe! For six or seven drummies, you need 2 cups of crushed Doritos. Crack an egg and brush onto raw chicken, then shake chicken with Doritos in a closed bag. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (or until thoroughly cooked). Enjoy!

You can see the colorful veggies Melinda made here to accompany our experiment.

Rainbow Chard

2009-03-03T09:25:00.001-06:00

Last night, Melinda cooked up some rainbow chard from Aubrey's and my lil' organic garden! It tasted great. I'll post pics of the garden soon.

The Two-Week Menu

2009-01-15T12:31:00.004-06:00

Melinda and I started something new this month. We sat down, came up with 10 dinner ideas and wrote them down on post-its. Then Melinda created a template in Word and we put one sticky note meal on each weekday (weekends are for spontaneity and restaurants).

We then made a list of ingredients we'd need and headed out to the grocery store. Now we had 2 weeks' worth of ingredients and a flexible list of menus! This way, if we don't want the spaghetti that's on Tuesday's spot, we can switch it out with something later. No more, "What do you want to eat? I dunno, what do you wanna eat? I dunno," in the evenings!

Meals have been easy to make and we've had a blast making them together.

Dr. Tima Honey Ginger Ale

2009-01-14T20:41:00.004-06:00

Don't let the fact that I'm too lazy to take or find a picture of the bottle mislead you--this is a wonderful drink. It has a honey sweetness, balanced by a slight fruity tartness, good ginger flavor, and a balanced amount of carbonation. It comes in a clear bottle, with the label pictured wrapped around it. Apparently Dr. Tima has other honey sodas--being a lover of honey as well, I'm intrigued.

This was a good drink on which to end the gifted ginger ale reviews. I plan to continue this, though. I'll post reviews up of ginger ales that I come across, as well as ones I've had before but have never documented how I feel about them. Maybe I'll include other sodas as well.

Jackson Hole Ginger Beer

2009-01-14T20:35:00.002-06:00

I really didn't like this one. It was way too sweet, with barely any ginger flavor, and the flavor it did have was sort of detergent-y.

Regatta Ginger Beer

2009-01-12T20:39:00.002-06:00

Regatta Ginger Beer is a sweet, mildly fruity soda, with a flavor somewhat resembling Fresca. It has mild carbonation, and slight ginger taste that's stronger as an aftertaste. It's a decent drink, and is even kind of refreshing, but it doesn't wow me at all.

Sprecher Ginger Ale

2009-01-09T19:24:00.003-06:00

Cute bottle with a penguin, but only a so-so drink. I think some ginger ales have more of a root beer taste to them, and this is one of those. Not that I dislike root beer, but it's not what I'm looking for when I pick up a ginger ale. Medium-bold ginger taste, good carbonation, decent sweetness, but overall, I'm just not that impressed with this one. There's almost a bitter aftertaste to it.

Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer

2009-01-09T18:44:00.004-06:00

Clearly a provocative name, and an attractively designed label, the bottle also says "Since 1946, The Extra Ginger Soft Drink." This is a pleasant, bold, and balanced soda. The good strong ginger taste goes with the heavy (for ginger ale) carbonation, and sweetness.

Blenheim Ginger Ale

2009-01-06T20:15:00.004-06:00

This is a lovely drink, all around. It's nicely sweetened, with a healthy amount of fruity tartness, and a good ginger bite that shows up more after you swallow it than when it's in your mouth. It almost tastes Jamaican, but it would have to have a stronger ginger and fruity flavor, and probably be sweetened with honey.

It's also a beautiful bottle. I wouldn't have expected something in a clear bottle to be so flavorful, because they say beer (and other beverages) in clear bottles degrade over time because of the molecules' exposure to light. Maybe that's part of their process? Regardless, a really nice drink, and I'll definitely have another when I can.

Empire Bottling Works Ginger Ale

2009-01-06T19:55:00.002-06:00

I drank this one just before I traveled, and didn't get around to taking a picture of it to post. In the "group" picture 3 posts below, it's the bottle on the far left.

It was a tasty sweet (but not too sweet) soda, with nice light carbonation, but I could barely taste any ginger in it. The ginger level was about on par with Canada Dry's ginger ale. As a soda, it does taste better than most sodas, so it does make me kinda interested in checking out other Empire sodas. However I'd like something labeled "ginger ale" to have at least a little bit of a, well, gingerness to it, and I'd hope that, for example, Empire's orange soda does actually taste like orange.

AJ Stephans Jamaican Style Ginger Beer

2008-12-16T21:48:00.004-06:00

AJ Stephans makes a ginger drink with very good flavor, where the spiciness balances the sweetness that one might expect in a Jamaican style ginger beer. It has good carbonation, and a slight but appreciable frutiness. There's just a slight soapy aftertaste that doesn’t last very long. The spiciness lingers a for a little while after you swallow—it's a pleasant sensation if you’re into that.

Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer

2008-12-16T21:32:00.006-06:00

This one has the cutest bottle label ever. It has a pretty good mild flavor going in, without being too sweet, and a nice smooth texture with mild carbonation. However, it's got a not-so-nice aftertaste resembling detergent—honestly, I had to stop drinking it after only a few sips.

Don't judge a drink by its label, hmm?

Ginger Ale and Beer Reviews

2008-12-16T21:07:00.004-06:00

I got one of the best birthday presents ever this year: a collection of 9 different ginger drinks! I happen to love ginger ale/beer, and would consider myself a connoisseur if I'd only had a chance to try a lot more than a handful of varieties, not including the standard Canada Dry and Schweppe's fare. Now, here's my chance, and I can't think of better way to (finally) get me to start posting on this fancy blog than an opportunity like this.

I'm definitely going to review these 9, but I will also gradually include reviews for other kinds I've already tried outside of this batch--most of the Reed's flavors, Maine Root, Natural Brew, and the like.

Austin Urban Farm Bike Tour

2008-12-07T20:08:00.006-06:00

Yours truly participated in the Urban Farm Bicycle Tour yesterday, sponsored by Edible Austin and the Bicycle Sport Shop. It was a 10-mile ride around Austin. We visited Boggy Creek Farm, Zhi Tea, and Rain Lily Farm. We rode at our own pace and got to sample all kinds of yummy foods and drink, including yummy Zhi Tea. I spotted lots of roosters and some goats. The weather was really amazing and we had a great time. Best of all, we stopped by Food Heads on 34th street after our ride and had a delicious lunch.

The great Christmas Temptation(s)

2008-12-07T20:00:00.002-06:00

I managed to get through Thanksgiving without overindulging. Well, without overindulging in food anyway. (I had quite a few cocktails to get me thr0ugh...)

Christmas brings visions of cookies, cakes, divinity, fudge, candy, cheese, special holiday beers, red wine, white wine, pork, potatoes, pies, chocolates, chicken salad, duck, cashews, almonds, walnuts... the list goes on. For me, the holiday season is about food, friends, and family. Unfortunately my waistline tends to get neglected. Perhaps I should start a Holiday Biking Tradition?

Turkey time!

2008-11-13T10:16:00.006-06:00

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching: have you made plans to secure your turkey yet?? Well, if you are into local, organic turkey, I have just the place for you.

In Del Valle, a small family farm is located right down the street from yours truly. The Alexander Family Farm is raising two types of turkey this year: Broad Breasted White and Bourbon Red Turkeys. The Bourbons are heritage turkeys and primarily brown meat while the Broad Breasted Whites are...well, white! The price is a premium of $3.75/lb for the white and $5.00/lb for the red but sizes range from 10-20 lbs for the white and 6-14 lbs for the reds. Lest you think that these turkeys are not worth it, just look at them:

Happy, healthy, cage-free, only eating stuff from the ground, and very loud. They also think I have food or something else of turkey interest when I pass by them. If you are interested in reserving a turkey, drop me a line and I will forward the email that they sent me. It's worth it, I think. We ordered two turkeys last year and they were quite good. They come dressed and fresh (no feathers and cleaned/gutted) in a plastic bag from a big vat of bloody ice water.

If you are interested in the Alexander Family Farm, local foods, small farms, or just about anything about where your food comes from, you might enjoy this short documentary on the farm. We get most of our meat from them and pretty much all of our eggs. Their prices for eggs is about $.50 cheaper than buying the organic eggs at HEB. It really works out for us but I can see where, if you don't live down the road from them, it wouldn't work out for you. However, check out Local Harvest to locate your nearest local food source!

Pic of the day: my little turkey

Fogo de Chao

2008-10-28T13:29:00.002-05:00

Melinda and I went on a "meat date" last night to Fogo de Chao. We called it that because that's the main attraction of this place. You pay $45 a head and flip over your 'cue card' to green, and waiters bearing various cuts and varieties of meat come by your table and slice off servings onto your plate.

It was awesome!

We started off at what appeared to be the world's largest salad bar, then sat down to await the meat purveyors. I sampled pork ribs (which were mouth-wateringly good), chicken wrapped in bacon (yum!), and savory beef and lamb. There were also little sausages, but they were over-seasoned for my taste.

Our waiter was very nice and explained how everything worked. He was prompt and checked in with us often but wasn't obtrusive. Three sides come with your meal, mashed potatoes, plantains, and fried polenta (which I simply couldn't get enough of!). We also ordered a half-bottle of wine to wash everything down. The selection we enjoyed was a Merlot from the vineyards of one of the Coppolas.

This place is certainly not cheap and had Melinda not had a gift certificate, we probably would never have been able to try it; however, I enjoyed every minute! I would go again if I had the cash just lying around. The service was excellent and the food was so tasty. We stuffed ourselves so we didn't order dessert; but the fried plantains were sweet enough to serve as an after-dinner treat.

My Birthday Cake

2008-10-22T14:55:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this a long time ago, but better late than never! This is the fabulous birthday cake that Melinda made for me this year. It features all my favorite "evil" characters, Wario, Bender, and Plankton. Oh, and it tasted good too!

Paula Deen's Evil Genius

2008-10-22T14:50:00.004-05:00

Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package chewy fudge brownie mix

1 (12-ounce) package peanut butter chips or 24 miniature peanut butter cups

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill the cups half full with brownie batter. Place about 1 tablespoon peanut butter chips in the center of the batter, or press 1 peanut butter cup into the batter in each muffin cup until the batter meets the top edge of the peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Wow -- I cannot wait to try these!

How to make: Homemade Granola Bars!

2008-08-11T10:47:00.004-05:00

I've made this recipe three times and all three times have been fabulous!! I didn't taste the second batch because it was for a work party and there were no bars left. :) YUMMY!

I'm very very pleased with this recipe because you can add your own mix-ins, it's gotta be cheaper than store bought granola bars, and it's so freakin' easy!! AND: they last forever if you store them properly. So, without further adieu, homemade granola bars (chewy):

2.5 cups rolled oats

2 cups rice krispies type cereal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups mix-ins

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan (or don't, I had minimal trouble with sticking when I didn't grease it).

2) In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

Then add wet (I separate them so I can reuse my measuring cup. Sometimes I can use one cup this way....I don't like doing dishes...).

Stir. Then stir in mix-ins.

3)Press mixture into pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes (22 works best for me).

4) Cool down and enjoy!!

The original recipe can be found here. I modified it based on other user comments (increasing the butter and honey to 1 cup) and because I didn't want chocolate chips but did want fruits and nuts. I also changed the 4.5 cups of rolled oats to 2.5 cups oats, 2 cups rice krispies type cereal. It gives a better texture, I think.

In the past, I've used slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. But you could use whatever mix-ins you want!! I used whole almonds this time which I worried about but I just ate part of a bar and it was a nice, satisfying crunch. Something substantial!!

Some advice:

1) If you really want bars, use the 9x13 pan. The cake pans worked just fine but I have wedges now instead of bars. Not an issue, just different. I was going to use the 9x13 for something else but never got around to it.

2)I used dates this go around because they were on sale, I was recently introduced to them (thanks Tricia the Red!), and I wanted something that was more than just good tasting (dates are high in fiber and I've been lacking in that department). Since they were whole, I cut them up. Observe: 3)You can really keep the cost down on your mix-ins if you buy in bulk and buy what's on sale. Again, gotta be more cost effective than the store-bought variety.

4)You could make these as healthy as possible! You can also opt for local and/or organic honey, flour, cereal, oats, fruits, and nuts. Lots of other homemade granola bars incorporate germ. The possibilities are endless.

5)I'm storing this current batch in a large tupperware type container. The previous two batches I wrapped individually and the first batch lasted at least a month. :) I hope this one lasts that long....if I don't eat them all first!

6)They are very filling. I rarely eat a whole one in one sitting. A lot depends on the size of the bar but usually half a bar is enough to keep me satisfied. I think I probably got 12 bars in the first two batches and 16 wedges this go around.

7)The bars are indeed chewy and moist. They might be a little crumbly and they may dry out depending on your method of storage.

If you make these, let me know how it goes!!

Pic of the day: Mix-ins!

I haven't tried the peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe I will make half a batch of those someday! The top left mix-in is sunflower seeds and the bottom right are dried cherries that were quite expensive. But I wasn't paying attention when I bought those ;)

Adventures in Disturbing Food: Part One

2008-06-26T11:34:00.004-05:00

So, this weekend, I was at Wal-Mart. True, it's not the most high-end of the grocery arenas but I only wanted to go to one place for groceries and I needed some more "big girl" shirts because I have limited casual maternity wear. There aren't any maternity shops other than Wal-Mart plus they have a nice selection of larger shirts for cheap. Win, win!

So when I was checking out, I noticed that the people behind me had the largest log of meat that I have ever seen. What is a log of meat?? It's this:

But this log was like....15 lbs or more. It was freakin' huge!!! A huge log of meat. I disturbed me. You could literally hold it like a beauty queen holds her bouquet of winner's roses, as observed in the following picture:

Yeah......if I was adept at Photoshop or the like, I could photoshop the log in place of the flowers for the ultimate in visual display. Alas, I am not so you must use your *gasp* imagination!!!

And that is my disturbing story.

How to kill a chicken

2008-06-05T15:27:00.003-05:00

My beloved Slate has posted an article from a part-time chicken farmer on the ins and outs of killing a chicken. Personally, I know I could do it but I don't want to do it. Mr. Wonderful has been throwing the idea around of having chickens. Especially if I don't return to work. I think it's a good idea if we have them for eggs but I don't know about the meat part...I can't see us with five chickens one day and the next, there's only four. I can just picture it:

Jackson: "Mommy, where did Pete go?"

Me: "Who's Pete?"

Jackson: "He's the brown chicken."

Me: "They're all brown."

Jackson: "Yeah, but he has the little *some characteristic that only a child can pick out*. Where did he go?"

Me: "Uhh....maybe now is the time to talk about the purpose of chickens and how some chickens go to Chicken Heaven. By the way: did you name all of them??"

Yeah, not a pleasant conversation. Although: look how great my son* is!!

*My son is currently six months in utero. But I bet when he's born, he's going to be just as inquisitive, smart, and meticulous. :)

Bette Midler Cake

2008-06-04T10:09:00.003-05:00

Melinda and I did some baking this weekend for a friend's birthday party. Obviously, our pal is a Midler fan, so we decided to use a combo of the Divine Miss M album cover and Ms Midler's stint on The Simpsons as inspiration for the portrait.

I baked the cake, iced it and added a tasty border of slivered almonds. Baby G did the fabulous Bette portrait in whipped icing. It was a success! Not only attractive, but tasty (thanks, Betty Crocker!).

Top Chef...Okay okay, I'll post something!

2008-05-29T11:38:00.004-05:00

I admit the past few episodes have bored me to tears, hence no commentary. Fortunately crazy smug guy, Dale, got kicked off last week. This week's victim? Spike. No more wacky hats. Sigh. Not.

So the final four head to Puerto Rico to battle it out. Things are getting interesting, especially since I don't like Lisa or Richard, I think Stephanie needs to grow a pair, and Antonia rox my sox.

Have you ever eaten a sandwich that can taken a bite out of you?

2008-05-22T11:25:00.004-05:00

O.k....that's a line from the Simpsons when Grampa puts his false teeth in a hamburger bun so that he can liven up his job at Krusty Burger. Unfortunately his teeth sandwich gets wrapped up and served to a drive through customer. And it does bite the customer.

I did not try to eat a false teeth sandwich but I did try lengua this past weekend! Lengua is tongue and it is popular in Mexican dishes. Presumably, the taco could taste me...right?? I had a taco that looks very similar to this one:

It was good! It surprised me that it was gray which almost constantly reminded me that it was not a "regular" meat to me but a special meat. And that specialness was the fact that it was tongue. If you looked closely at it, you could also see the tastebuds but I tried not to look too closely.

It was very tender and tasted like chicken but a very tender chicken. The taco pictured above is pretty much like it was served: lengua, cilantro, onion on a flour tortilla. I'm not a big fan of cilantro so I took large chunks of it off but I kept some of it.

My advice is to try it! But if you can't get past the gray color (and it was really hard for me), I suggest mixing it into your rice and beans or covering it with salsa. I couldn't finish my meal so I saved it as a leftover and mixed it was my chalupa fixin's. When I couldn't see the grayness, I ate it readily. I could have not cheated but it was much easier to eat both items (chalupa and lengua) all mixed together.

I have heard that some lengua is served in a sauce so if you try it in a different restaurant, you might see something not gray. Or it might be cooked differently and not look the same. Any way you try it, try it! It's worth a trip out of your comfort zone :)

Conan's Pizza: A review

2008-05-02T12:34:00.002-05:00

Actually, I won't be reviewing the pizza. I will be reviewing the best salad of all time: the Conan's Salad.Just look at it!! The mound of cheese, the black olives, the Club crackers. The only thing that is missing are the pepperoncini peppers and the anchovies, available on request. From their website:
"The original, a mix of Romaine, Leaf and Iceberg Lettuce with black olives, onions and green bell peppers, topped with shredded mozzarella cheese."
I've ordered this salad at least half a dozen times and nary an onion or bell pepper has made its acquaintance. That's o.k..you don't need them, especially if you add the peppers and the anchovies. I also recommend you get either the Bleu Cheese or Caesar dressings. Both are great and very creamy.
I usually get two salads and that is more than enough for a meal. As you can see by the picture, the salad is overflowing the bowl so we usually dump the salad onto the plate. It's a little bit more manageable.
Conan's itself is an interesting restaurant. I've been to all three locations and I have to say the one up north is the nicest. The south location is o.k...just small-ish. And the booth seat was weird. The central location has barely any seating and lacks in the decor part in a major way.
The decor...what can you say??? The decor is comprised of mostly fantasy themed posters, keeping in line with the Conan the Barbarian tradition. I have noticed that the ladies bathroom always has the same dolphin posters...not sure what is up with that.
Bottom line: go try this salad!! You could also get the pizza...I don't even remember it so that's not saying much. But since I get the salad every time I go, it's easy to see why I would forget the pizza.
Tip: you can make this salad at home. Just procure all the ingredients (I got deli-slice mild peppers). I bought Newman's Own Creamy Dressing and it was pretty good. The only complaint: incredibly salty. The whole salad is incredibly salty. But worth it...so very worth it...

Top Chef, you're killin' me.

2008-04-24T08:52:00.004-05:00

Last night's episode was a wash. I mean, come on! Tofu won? Richard? Dale? Blech! Those two are my least favorite characters. As a television viewer, I don't exactly get to taste any of the dishes, so all I have to go on is the egregious personalities of certain cast members and the judgment of the panel, and I don't like those two punks.

I was sorry to see Jennifer go home. She had a funny idea for a dish that looked good and sounded tasty. And she even cooked what she was supposed to, not some "interpretation." (Um, chorizo is not polish sausage.)

Wow, I'm starting to sound like a little old lady. I'm gonna go take a breather now. Oh, and Bravo needs to get their webmaster in gear --- the Top Chef page is a mess and the picture for Ep 7 is from 3 weeks ago.

A Review: Outback Steakhouse - South

2008-04-22T16:13:00.004-05:00

Mr. Wonderful celebrated his birthday a week ago (god, was it only a week ago??? I feel like it was a million years ago!)

Anyway, I told him for his birthday that I would take him out and make him a cake. While the cake turned out awesomely (Thanks Duncan Hines!), the birthday dinner was disappointing.

He narrowed down his choices to BBQ and steak. I opted for steak since I never get steak (we just don't eat it but we should) and we could try a nicer restaurant for his special day. I read reviews, looked at menus, tried to find prices, and I wanted to take him to a uniquely Austin restaurant that didn't break the bank. After I got off work, I called him up and presented his options. He said "How about Outback?"

I said "sure" and off I went to battle downtown, 5:00 traffic.

Apparently Austin has two Outbacks: one south on Lamar and Ben White and the other up north...maybe Arboreteum area?? Whatevs, we live south east so we opted for south.

I have been to Outback numerous times and I've never really been disappointed. Good beer bread, good steak*, good sides, etc. That was not the case this go-around.

I can't speak for Mr. Wonderful but I did not enjoy my experience. First: beer bread was too hard. Second: a table of "business guys" sat next to us and the one guy in direct line with my ear did not SHUT UP, the ENTIRE meal. I'm pretty sure he talked while he ate. And it wasn't even interesting. Third: we both got Caear salads and they were both too salty. Fourth: my potato was too dry. When I tried to get Worcestershire sauce, Mr. Wonderful had to physically get up and find a waiter, despite the fact that they were corralled behind our booth having a gabfest. Our waitress was good at first but after our food was delivered, she disappeared. Fifth: Mr. Wonderful had to flag someone down for a refill. My steak was good but.....

I was very disappointed. Not only was this his birthday meal but we were throwing $50 towards it. I've never had a disappointing time at Outback..at least, not to my memory. In hindsight, we should have gone with an Austin original. Next time, we will know. Until then, stay away from the Outback in South Austin!!!

*I have never really had lots of bad steaks and I'm certainly no steak connoisseur.

If you plant it, they will sprout

2008-04-21T10:10:00.006-05:00

I've planted Cherry Tomatoes, Lavender, and String Beans! So far, the beans and tomatoes have sprouted (those pics coming later) but the lavender remains dormant. I plan to transfer these babies to bigger container soon and will hopefully have a nice crop of veggies and herbs this summer. My compost pile is coming along very nicely and I plan to implement it in growing these plants.

El Cheffo Del Toppo, Numero Cinq

2008-04-17T08:48:00.006-05:00

The judges awarded Dale the win for his tailgating food effort of barbecued ribs. While I didn't want him to win, I have to remind myself, it's only a challenge win, not the overall she-bang. Those of you readers just joining us, I can't stand Dale. I think him pompous and silly, the kind of person I have a hard time tolerating on television. He actually apologized to Lisa for yelling at her after the previous challenge (which their team won, by the way) but he kept insisting that she was a negative person. Some apology. "Uhhh, I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I still think you're awful, Lisa..." Wow, were I Lisa, I would have ran my fingers through my disgusting hair then slapped Dale right across his smarmy little face.

I digress.

Loquacious Ryan got sent home for his inappropriate tailgating fare. He attempted to serve high-end cuisine to Bears fans. It's not that they didn't like it, they were just confused why he was serving a poached pears with creme fraîche dessert at a tailgate party. I'm kinda sad to see him go -- he seemed like a nice guy. My 10 cents.

Last night's dinner: chicken stuffed with jalepeno and almond

2008-04-15T10:49:00.003-05:00

Yes, it was as good as it sounds! Unfortunately it took forever to bake. The package said bake at 350 degrees until internal temps got to 160 degrees. After waiting an hour and still not seeing any progress, I raised the temp to 400 and covered the dish with foil. That sped things along and we were able to eat 20 mins later. Melinda made rice and some broccoli with cheese for sides and we washed it down with a not-bad Cabernet Sauvignon from "Man" vintners. (It's a screwtop wine, but it was quite tasty!)

Feeling better now...

2008-04-11T13:16:00.004-05:00

I had a delightfully tasty (and responsible!) lunch consisting of:

a small cup of jalapeño soup
a tossed salad of fresh greens topped with a handful of grilled shrimp
a tall glass of ice water.

I feel full and satisfied. Ready for a light siesta, actually, but work is kind of in the way.

The Smackdown from Dr. B

2008-04-11T10:46:00.007-05:00

I saw my doc this morning for my routine checkup. He diplomatically asked me what my exercise routine was and I diplomatically told him it was "sporadical." Okay, no, I didn't really reply with a Clueless quote, but I did pathetically tell him, "I climb the stairs at work..."

Needless to say, he was not impressed. He continued on that at my age my metabolism is slowing and for all intents and purposes I need to get off my ass and move more. I agreed with him, saying I couldn't get by on eating the way I always have and not exercising.

Getting older sucks. Trying to look 21 when you haven't felt 21 in, oh nine years, is tough. I guess the notion of entering my 30s hadn't really hit me yet. It's hit me now, friends.

Sigh.

So, I guess I should have gone to aerobics last night and I should probably eat more of those veggies I posted pics of earlier this week. But I have to be honest here -- it's much more fun (and tasty!) to order a pizza and watch Top Chef than it is to hop on a bike and hit the pavement in the Austin heat and pollinated air. Yeesh. Let's just hope my cholesterol level comes back as "normal." I don't even want to know my liver results.

Erik speaks

2008-04-10T15:14:00.002-05:00

Okay, I don't dig his "tough guy" act, but I do agree with Erik when it comes to how much Rick Bayless and crazy Andrew both suck. I like Bayless about as much as I like Rachel Ray, i.e., not much. I like Andrew about as much as I like a scorpion in my shoe. Check out Erik's interview at chow.

Eau de Top Chef No. 5 (a.k.a. Buh-Bye Zoi)

2008-04-10T09:20:00.011-05:00

Last night's episode was a doozy. Not only did Spike wear his most bizarre hat yet, the chefs were randomly put into 4 teams, each team based on the 4 elements, and told to cook a related dish for a charity event. Team Fire won the challenge with a spicy shrimp plate, but not after Dale and Lisa bitched and moaned for the entire episode. Lisa won for her wacky Asian-inspired hoity-toity bacon. Guest Judge Ming Tsai (hello, hottie!) awarded her the win because he said he really liked her innovative approach. I just wish Lisa would be innovative in the shower and wash her hair for once.

The two losing teams lost hard. For the Water Team, Richard ("Dough Boy") and his team made some scaly salmon that was apparently mushy and unappetizing. Ugh! It looks like an autopsy (see left). For the Earth Team, Zoi and her gang (which included immune Antonia, and "Hat Boy" Spike) made some bland mushrooms and a limp-looking salad. What irked me wasn't the food, but that Bravo (one of the gayest, if not the gayest channels) only showed Jennifer giving her partner Zoi a tiny little peck on the cheek goodbye when Zoi got kicked off the show. What gives?! Oh well, Zoi needed to go home--she apparently can't season her food. Such hesitation is never good in the kitchen. Although...I would have rather seen Richard go home last night. At least his ego got cut down a notch.

The most ridiculous part of the show? Not the scaly fish, nor Lisa's constant negativity. No, that honor goes to Dale, who actually grabbed his own crotch, gangster-style, when he was yelling at Lisa after the elimination! Who does that? I mean, really! Tiny Dale thinks he's ghetto? What?! I was almost on the floor laughing. Almost. I was too busy being confused.

Our latest Greenling order

2008-04-10T09:15:00.006-05:00

We gots us some fresh veggies! We scored all kinds of delicious looking greens (and pinks!) last night from the organic delivery service.

Sno Cones for adults: update

2008-04-04T15:32:00.005-05:00

Triciathered and I did indeed obtain a Sno Cone!!! We went to Molly's Sno-Caps (or Sno-Cups...I don't remember) off of Lamar before you hit Barton Springs. The stand is in an old school Airstream trailer.

She got strawberries and cream. I got cherry with...get this....SOUR!!!! Never in my 28 years of existence have I seen a Sno Cone stand with sour! I don't know what the "sour" was but it was clear, in a squirt bottle, and it was great!!!

So essentially I got a cherry sour, like the candy. The sour part was very good and my only complaint was that there was too little sour. However, the small Sno Cones are $1.00, sour, cream, chocolate, and carmel are not extra, and you can have a scoop of Blue Bell on your Sno Cone for a little extra. But remember what Mama Booklahver said about "too much of a good thing"....

One small note: Theresa, Melinda, and I tried to obtain a Sno Cone the following Sunday. The place was not open so if you cruise down there for a cone, maybe have alternative plans.

Another yogurt post

2008-04-04T15:18:00.004-05:00

O.k...so the same time I first tried Yo Mommy yogurt, I also bought four Rachel's Dairy yogurts: two pomegranate acai and two pomegranate blueberry. Perhaps the reason I am so fond of the Yo Mommy yogurt is that I'm not at all fond of the Rachel's Dairy kind and it is easy to compare the two since I bought them at the same time.

My first complaint is the lack of fruit chunks. This yogurt is blended and I like to chew my yogurt. But I could get over that if the taste wasn't so tart. I guess it's the pomegranate that makes it very tart, to the point that a little wincing occurs with every first bite. Looking at the other flavors in the Exotic Yogurt line, I might be willing to try them if I should see them on sale again. But I'm not running out to hunt this one down like I was with Yo Mommy.

If you're adventurous and looking for a more "grown-up" yogurt taste, you might like Rachel's. But I'm not a fan. That last little pomegranate acai is staring at me in the fridge and it's going to have to keep on staring.

Top Chef Ep 4: Let's just get this over with

2008-04-03T08:31:00.004-05:00

Last night we said au revoir to Manuel, that boring guy nobody noticed until he got kicked off the show for going along with Hat Boy's universally-panned Vietnemese-themed dish for the Film Food Challenge. Each contestant picked a partner, then a movie, then a dish based on that movie. Spike and Manuel picked Vietnamese cuisine first, then chose, yes, Good Morning Vietnam, as their movie. Why? Because Spike's specialty is Vietnamese. It must have hurt extra hard to be in the bottom 2 teams for cooking one's specialty.

Richard, everyone's favorite pink croc model, won the challenge for his team's take on Willy Wonka, thus insuring the world will not go another week without at least one badly-coiffed dude on TV. I've actually decided to call him Dough Boy. And Andrew, another arrogant little man, I've decided to call Monkey Boy because he's always hopping around. He actually wanted to dress like an Oompa Loompa to serve the Willy Wonka dish. I think he should have; then he would have gone home instead of Miguel. I mean Manuel.

The judges simply weren't impressed with Spike and Manuel's dish. They actually said it tasted like something one could get in a neighborhood restaurant for $8. Ouch. I'll be honest, even the plating looks boring on this one...

Top Chef: Contestant #3 go Bye-Bye

2008-04-01T13:39:00.012-05:00

I'll admit the first few weeks of any "reality" competition TV show are kinda boring. A large group scrambles to perform various tasks and one gets the boot for whatever dinky reason the judges deem plausible. It's probably why I don't bother writing these episode blurbs until the night before the next episode airs.

The most recent challenge was to divide into 2 groups, "raid" people's houses for ingredients, then prepare said ingredients for a gourmet block party for the people who had their kitchens raided.
Erik (of the Red Team) made Corn Dogs with Homemade Pomegranate Ketchup & Spicy Mustard. While that sounds really fabulous, the dogs got soggy between the time they were made and the time they were served. C'est la vie, Erik. You seemed like a cool guy, dorky cap notwithstanding. We hardly knew ye.

One final note: Will someone puhleese tell Richard it's not okay to wear a faux-hawk after the age of 25 (he's 35)?

And it's never okay to wear crocs, much less pink ones. I don't care how avant garde you think you are in the kitchen.

UPDATE: After reading Booklahver's comment, I realize it's not so much Richard's age that bothers me about his hairstyle, it's the ridiculous ego which he "hides" behind his "cheeky" haircut that gnaws at me. He's jerky on the show. He's not one of those "nice people with an unconventional hair style." Sure, outer appearances count! But one's inner self and personality are what make you who you are.

Yo Mommy!

2008-03-28T16:26:00.003-05:00

I really like yogurt. I'm not going to say "love" because yogurt and I go in phases. I guess I get bored with it, then I "rediscover" it, then bored, etc. Well, it's back.

My new favorite yogurt is Yo Mommy from Stonyfield Farm Organic. I picked up this little gem because it was on sale. They also have Yo Baby and Yo Kids as well as non-themed yogurts.

The Yo Mommy meets all of my yogurt needs:

Visible chunks of fruit. I hate those "blended" yogurts. I want my fruit chunks!
Nice snack sized container.
Appealing taste.
Nice consistency.

The pack I bought has strawberry and peach. I must say I'm a sucker for all things peach (except for peach tea but that's for another post). The strawberry has better consistency and flavor. The peach isn't bad, just a little runny.

All in all, I say give Yo Mommy a try! You don't have to be a mommy or soon-to-be mommy to benefit from the folic acid and DHA* added in. If you don't like that, I bet the others are pretty good too. And good for you! *wink*

*Don't be creeped out by the DHA. It's listed in the ingredients as Fish Oil with the fish oils listed. Anchovies in yogurt?? There's a first for everything! There's no fish taste so don't worry.

Taverna: A Review

2008-03-24T11:13:00.004-05:00

Taverna is a restaurant in Austin's trendy new 2nd St section of downtown. It was Easter Sunday and we weren't starving so we went in knowing we'd nosh on appetizers and share a bottle of wine. We didn't have huge expectations, and I think that attitude served us well. We ordered these three dishes:

Tagliere ($12 for the table) Mortadella, Prosciutto, Sopressata, Parmesan, Speck & Polenta Crostini. The meats were delicious, as was the fried cheese. The Parmesan chunks were too hard to chew, so I didn't finish mine.
Bruschetta ($6) Chopped fresh tomatoes on three large pieces of bread soaked with Garlic & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was delightful and filling. The toast was crusty on the edges, soft in the middle....just like I like it.
Fritto Misto ($9) Calamari, Shrimp, Shallots, Zucchini & Carrots with Spicy Tomato Aioli in a ramekin. These were lightly fried and delightful. The shrimp were large and juicy. I think this was my favorite.

All of the food was delicious the presentation was also nice-- the Tagliere arrived on a wooden chopping board covered with butcher paper. The Bruschetta was in a large bowl and featured huge servings. The Fritto Misto came heaped on a big platter with a healthy side of aioli for dipping.

For dessert we had

Balsamic Ice Cream ($6) Sauteed Strawberries & Biscotti. It sounds weird, but it was actually quite nice. It was a sweet ending to our trio of savory dishes, but the balsamic gave it a pleasant edge. The strawberries complimented the flavor quite nicely and the two chocolate biscotti did not overwhelm.

The restaurant itself is pleasantly decorated in traditional Italian-style dark wood, with the walls done in burgundy and gold paint. The main room is not large, but the high ceilings and the open kitchen make it feel bigger than it is. The bathrooms were okay -- nothing to write home about, but at least there were no holes in the wall or any tacky wallpaper.

Our waiter was really the only bad thing about our dining experience. He was overly chatty and flirted openly with the three of us. I don't mind a little flirting, but this guy just wouldn't shut up. He didn't know anything useful about wine and he over-explained the dessert tray. After sharing his life story sprinkled with many DOA attempts at humor, we learned he'd been there since the morning, had served the brunch crowd, and wasn't getting off work until much later. (We arrived for our meal at 7pm.) I got the distinct feeling he was either high or had one too many cups of coffee. While our waiter's stream of consciousness was quite quick, the service was unfortunately pretty slow. After we ate, it took a long time to get our check, then even longer to get processed as the credit card machine was down. They had to make a physical impression of my card.

This place isn't cheap, but it isn't outrageously priced either. We ended up spending $82 (before tip) for one bottle of wine ($40), three apps, and one dessert. Taverna isn't exactly a place I'd go to regularly, but I'm not against trying it again. Hopefully Chatty McChatterson won't wait on me next time.

Austin Cooking Classes

2008-03-24T10:50:00.002-05:00

Want to learn some basic culinary skills? There are a variety of places to choose from when it comes to non-credit cooking classes.

Culinary Academy of Austin fun classes.
Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts community classes.
Hudson's On the Bend has a cooking school.
Central Market cooking school.

Ta-Ta For Now, Valerie

2008-03-24T10:24:00.006-05:00

Valerie was the 2nd participant sent home from the Top Chef kitchen because she made a batch of black olive blinis with mascarpone that just didn't keep well and apparently weren't very blini-like according to the judges.

That's too bad because I thought the other team did worse -- they made a turd-looking mushroom dish that was apparently cold and unappetizing.

Note to self: never serve a dish that looks like poop at a zoo fund raiser. People may mistake your creation for something the monkeys dragged in.

Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival

2008-03-24T10:13:00.003-05:00

I would love to go to this festival; however, it's way outta my price range. I put together a mock-schedule and once I saw the price for just one of my chosen events, I balked.

It sounds like it would be a wonderful way to spend an April weekend, but I guess I'll stick to my own kitchen and watch re-runs of Top Chef instead....

Top Chef is back

2008-03-19T16:37:00.003-05:00

Season 4 of Top Chef started last week. The competitors began their battle with a deep dish pizza contest. They finished out the hour by making classic dishes like lasagna and souffle. Nimma (left) was sent home because she over-salted her shrimp scampi. I felt bad for her, especially after she admitted her father hadn't been proud of her desire to be a chef until she was accepted as a contestant on the show. Ouch. I'm watching ep. 2 tonight and will post thoughts/reactions later.

My Tomato Pie Recipe

2008-03-19T11:42:00.003-05:00

This is my version of Tomato Pie. I use 2 pie crusts because more pie crust = more love. Enjoy it!

4-5 cups' worth tomatoes, peeled and sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 3-4 tbsp of "Italian seasoning")
1/2 cup chopped green onion (or regular onion, lightly sauteed)
2 (9-inch) pie crusts (top and bottom!) (You can find them next to the croissant tubes at the grocery store)
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light mayo -- it's just as tasty and has less calories)
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes. (The salt helps "shrink" the tomatoes and the draining keeps your pie from turning into soup while baking.)

Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes, cover with pie crust and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let sit for a few minutes, then cut and serve.

Hint: Cover the edges of the crust with tinfoil. This will keep them from burning.

Booklahver's Tips for Adults: Sno Cones

2008-03-17T13:52:00.005-05:00

I love Sno Cones. Love them. I usually only get around to having one per season but I have noticed that the stands are open now so that means I get a "spring" cone and a "summer" cone. Or really, it means I get to have multiple cones because I see that stand and think "AH!!! SNO CONE!! WANT ONE!!"

So, I have some tips for buying the perfect Sno Cone. These rules do not apply to kids because kids have a much higher tolerance for sweets than adults.

1) Always buy the smallest cone. Anything larger than a "regular", "small" or "junior" is going to be too much. I had a Sno Cone this weekend (a "regular") that was too big. And that was the smallest one. I say get the smallest because too much of a good thing is too much and you might not be able to have multiple cones if you burn yourself out on a gargantuan at the beginning of Sno Cone season.

2) Only get one flavor. I've tried two at once, half and half. It was like half raspberry, half tiger's blood or something like that. Maybe coconut was involved?? I just remember it was way too sweet and I didn't enjoy eating it after the first half.

3) Always get a straw with your spoon. I did not have a straw this weekend so I was forced to spoon all the melted bits or drink them like drinking a regular drink. A straw would have been so much better.

4) If you see a Sno Cone like this: run away. Do not purchase this Sno Cone. I purchased one like this in DC in July (JULY!!!) and it was hard as a rock. I then tried to squeeze the bottom to break up the ice and it promptly squirted out of the paper cone and ended up on the sidewalk. Oh yeah, many people laughed. It was not a good experience. Since this was my only Sno Cone outside of Texas, I don't know if it was an isolated crappy cone or a routine crappy Sno Cone from the North. I imagine that it was isolated.

5) The perfect Sno Cone looks like this: Again, this one is probably too big and is missing it's spoon and straw. However, it is one flavor and the ice is of slushie-like consistency so that it is probably not too hard.

Now you are ready to seek your perfect Sno Cone. If you live in Texas, any shack with a list of 50 flavors should do. I recommend any berry flavors. I do not recommend "pickle" or "wedding cake". I've never had these flavors but I just can't imagine that they taste good. It's like getting wedding cake ice cream: if I want cake, I'll get cake. I want my ice cream to taste like ice cream, preferably with peaches in it. But that's for another day~

Does this pregnancy make me look fat?

2008-03-11T10:14:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I've been keeping this life altering event on the DL the last six weeks because I didn't want to miscarry and then have to retract previous statements. Since (HOPEFULLY *crosses fingers*) the miscarry part won't happen, I can now shed light on the highs and lows of pregnancy. Well, keep in mind that the first trimester is supposed to be the hardest...so that means mostly lows.

The most surprising thing that has changed: how I eat and what I eat. Since I was nauseous every day, most of the day throughout the first trimester, the nausea affected what I ate. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, made me want to throw up. I'm a huge spaghetti fan and the thought of it made me search for a bucket. So the way I dealt with the nausea was to lie still and not think about it. Then, when it seemed like my stomach wasn't making me wonder if the nausea would ever end, I would think about food. What about XYZ?? No, makes me sick. ZYX?? Sick.

The one thing that didn't make me want to wretch: Taco Bell. I know, Taco Bell. The place that made rats celebrities was the only place that made me think "Wow, I can eat again!"

The time when I'm supposed to be eating leafy greens, whole grains, and just all the yummies to ensure non-flippered children, I have been eating questionable meat with factory raised everything. And it was delicious.

The few people that I had told about my pregnancy (don't worry you guys, I had to tell them. My nausea affected me so much in the morning, I had to tell my boss why I was slumped over and then had to rush into the bathroom to dry heave for a while) and of those, the ones that had been pregnant, completely agreed with me. It was better that I eat whatever I thought I could than try and choke down some arugula and then possibly threw it up*. That was comforting.

We have cancelled the CSA since my desire of eating anything is so unpredictable. Our last order: I did nothing with it. Nothing. I was so tired and then nauseous, and then both that I didn't have the energy or the clearness of mind to think about it.

Because of all of this laying around and eating junk, I have probably put on more weight than I'm supposed to this early on. 9 weeks in, I had to get maternity pants. My other pants and skirts (anything with a button, basically) was causing so much pressure, I had to walk around with them unbuttoned under my clothes. The maternity pants are a God send though. So comfortable. My jeans are the only ones that I'm not 100% satisfied with but as I get bigger, I'm sure I won't care.

The upside: I feel 1,000,000 times better now and I've been more active. I actually think I've lost some weight (maybe not). But at the point when I thought "I can't go on with this nausea, I can't do it anymore" I woke up the next day with none. Thinking it a fluke, I wasn't too optimistic. Next day: none. Yeah!!

Another downside: I think I'm going to have to get my wedding ring resized. I had to shove it on my finger this morning and now, can't get it off. *sigh*

Another upside and downside: my boobs are big. Swollen, but bigger. You know, that's only an upside for people who care about the bigness of my boobs. Me: don't care. Boo!!

Upside: I have an image of what my baby will look like!

I've eaten so much of it, I wouldn't be surprised.

* I never did try to choke down a healthier option. I hate throwing up, HATE IT. And nothing was going to make me choke something down. I would rather not eat. And to date: haven't thrown up. Huzzah!

A week of real food...

2008-03-10T10:14:00.004-05:00

After suffering through three weeks of microwave dinners, I switched back to cooking real dinners and bringing homemade sandwiches to work for lunch. (See menu here.)

First of all, having a menu and the necessary ingredients on hand made enacting my dinner plans easy. I didn't have to think about what to make. Second, I started making dinner right when I got home from work. This way, I was able to satisfy my typical 6pm hunger and if anyone wanted to eat later, they were free to reheat any leftovers. We're all adults in the house, we can fend for ourselves! I needed to give up my "Mother Hen" point of view and re-evaluate my need to have "dinnertime" be a regularly-scheduled group activity. I have, and it feels great!

Third, I wanted to be flexible in what day I ate the meals on the list. I've found that if I make a list of menus that are not date-specific, I fare better than if I commit to having fish on Monday and chicken on Tuesday, for example, because I never know what I'll feel like eating that evening. I shopped for all the ingredients on my weekly list on Sunday and was ready to go Monday-Friday. The one day I did commit to was Wednesday when I made whole wheat noodle lasagna for everyone who came to our Project Runway finale party. Every inch was gone by the end of the show!

Lastly, I incorporated fresh meats and vegetables into the dishes. Not only did they taste much better than any microwavable food, but my hunger was satisfied longer. I managed to make everything on my list, save for the shrimp gumbo. Fortunately, that will be on this week's menu list, as the shrimp are safely stowed away in the freezer and can be thawed pretty quickly.

The Meatrix

2008-03-05T13:40:00.002-06:00

Ideal Bite posted a link to The Meatrix, a Flash animation parodying The Matrix but regarding the meat industry.

It's pretty cute, if you can get past the pig's stupid voice. I only watched the first one but it made me happy that Mr. Wonderful and I have tried to adopt a more farm friendly approach to buying meat.

My food warrior friend, Triciathered, has a few blogs about the corn industry and her recent readings, watchings, and musings about some things that she has discovered re: the corn industry. Check it out!

In a few weeks, I will post my recent food discoveries. But not today. In the meantime, please enjoy Porn on the Cob.*

*I did not make this up but man, I wish I had!

Back to Basics

2008-03-03T13:55:00.002-06:00

After three weeks of nothing but The Great Microwave Experiment (blugggg) for dinner, I have planned a weekly menu of home cooked meals for the next 6 days.

Fish tacos
Thai chicken with string beans and rice
Lasagna with veggies and pork sausage
Rosemary garlic pork chops with rice and peppers
Shrimp gumbo and jalapeño cornbread
Chicken noodle soup and toasty ham & cheese sandwiches

Hopefully these slow-cooked meals will give me satiety and some pep. The frozen dinners were tasty but they never really filled me up nor did they give me the energy I need. I feel sluggish and foggy all the time now. Some real food is needed, stat!

Shoal Creek Saloon

2008-02-26T10:31:00.007-06:00

Shoal Creek Saloon offers up delicious Louisiana-style cookin'. Fried seafood, piles of boiled crawfish, and gumbo. We went to this cajun place last Saturday night and found a table by the bar. The room was crazy packed because of the annual seasonal crawfish boil so service was exceptionally slow. The food was quite tasty, however. They had run out of shrimp earlier in the evening so we split a basket of fried oysters, crawfish and catfish. The four accompanying hushpuppies went fast. Mark had a huge serving red beans and rice with sausage. He cleaned his plate easily and hungrily. We shoveled satisfying spoon after spoon of garlic mashed potatoes and Southern-style green beans into our mouths.

Shoal Creek Saloon has a full bar, but we opted for the cheap and wonderfully cold cans of Pearl for $2 a pop. It was a hot night for February, even by Texas standards and I welcomed the perfectly chilled Pearl sliding down my throat. There's something about cheap American beer that really hits the spot sometimes.

I would like to go back when there isn't such a huge crowd. SCS is a laid-back kinda place that caters to all kinds of folk. There are multiple TVs so no matter your favorite team, they're probably on one of them. The waitstaff, although slow when we went, were really nice guys. I give this place a thumbs-up.

Fun at the Farmer's Market!!

2008-02-04T14:09:00.000-06:00

It's been at least 13 weeks since we have last been at the Farmer's Market. How do I know that?? Because, 13 weeks (at least) before that, the San Miguel Seafood people had been selling their wares of fresh fish to the good people of Austin.

Saturday they had shrimp, grouper and red snapper. I don't know how often you have had fresh fish but if you haven't had it in awhile, go down and visit these fine folks next Saturday at the Farmer's Market. At 10 they will have a chef prepare fish (I think they said grilling) for tasting! Yum yum~~ Also: they had a whole Red Snapper in their cooler! How awesome is it to haul out a big fish?? Very awesome! And it kinda made me want to buy the whole fish...

We also bought some bison jerky. I'm sorry: bison is the best thing on Earth! I'm not a huge jerky fan but this jerky is like eating dried steak with spices. Seriously, best jerky ever. Mr. Wonderful gave his thumbs-up and we split some yesterday ($6.00 for four thick sticks* isn't exactly cheap but DAMN it was awesome) during a jerky break. Yeah, jerky break.

We took the shrimp and intended to make something on Saturday but cravings dictated we push that to Sunday. We made Shrimp Creole and it is really good. If you've never deveined and peeled shrimp, you're missing out. Peeling shrimp is a nice stress reliever and deveining makes you wonder how the shrimp functioned in the ocean. "It's pretty much just meat", as Mr. Wonderful recounted.

We paired the Shrimp Creole with some slaw that I made from CSA radishes and cabbage (with some oil, scallions, and BBQ sauce) and a dish I modified. I basically decided to clean out the fridge for the next CSA installment so that meant getting rid of all the greens that were still salvageable. I found a greens and potatoes soup that I made into a side dish. I cooked the greens (which include Kale, Swiss Chard, Beet Greens, and I think that's it) with a little bit of butter and then added the chopped potatoes with some water. It made a surprisingly flavorful dish! I was happy that I got rid of so many CSA items too, in such a timely matter. Especially since it was initially hard to find radish dishes (in fact, only one cookbook even had an entry for radishes).

All was ready just in time for the Super Bowl. Which we watched for approximately 15 minutes before switching to Mythbusters. Which showed them emptying a pig belly full of "jelly" that made me sick so we switched to "When Animals Attack IV" or some such nonsense.

What a great day! Go Giants!

*hehehehehehe "thick sticks"

Update from the Booklahver

2008-01-30T12:12:00.000-06:00

I have seriously neglected this blog as well as all blogs. What can I say?? I'm lazy.

So here's an update on Booklahver and Mr. Wonderful life:

*Today I ate a meal I entirely prepared myself!! Yeah! It's Shake'n'Bake and I hay-lped!
Seriously, I did make all the things I'm eating with the exception of the chocolate-covered cherry and the free snacks that were calling my name from the breakroom. What was my magnificent lunch feast? I had cabbage and potatoes (the potatoes were scalloped from a box but the cabbage was from the CSA), kohlrabi with honey, butter, and carrots, and 2.5 tea-soaked eggs. The kohlrabi and carrots were from the CSA and the eggs were from our very local family farm. It was pretty good. Next time I make the kohlrabi, I'm going to treat them like carrots. I'm not a big fan of sweet veggies.

*The CSA and my perception of it has gotten a lot better. Mr. Wonderful and I had a heart to heart about the CSA and we are taking it one session at a time. It helps that we are getting more things that I know what to do with (beets, carrots, lettuce, cabbage and the like). I'm not a big fan of greens so we have been feeding wilted greens to the horses that sometimes border our fence. I suppose we can feed the cows the greens too.

*I tried to make sauerkraut. It was not successful. The problem: I did not use a good seal. I used a plate with a rock on it but I should have used a bag with water. So yeast or other bacteria got in it and made it smell funk-eee!! I may have not used enough water for the brine either.

*Complete the analogy: Booklahver loves purple.
Beets and red cabbage are purple.
Therefore, Booklahver loves _______ and _________.

Beets have become my new favorite veggie! My favorite part, besides the eating, is the beautiful color of them. I like staining my cutting board, my hands, my pans, everything with purple. It's just makes me think of the beauty in nature...man, I want some beets!

*I had a salad the other day from the salad bar at the local cafeteria. You know, it was o.k. But I missed the flavors I'm used to. And I have to say, it's because I eat locally grown food. Everything just tastes so flavorful. The salad bar food tasted alot like water, crunchy water. I know that this may sound like I'm biased but I could really taste a difference. After I drowned it in bleu cheese, not too much :)

*We are remodeling our kitchen and I am BEYOND excited! Magnolia Blossom cabinets with Yellow Brick Road trim, white tile with blues, greens, and yellows...pure heaven. Mr. Wonderful is going to install frosted glass in our cabinets to break up the monotony of the wood. Also: I pulled off half the wallpaper already. Our brown wallpaper revealed a "straight from the 80s small roses floral". In strips, no less. I also bought fabric for curtains. Triciathered and Tiny Robot helped me seal my decision. Thanks ladies!!

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

What we're eating

2008-01-29T09:57:00.000-06:00

Last night we had mac n' cheese with organic beef mixed in. I browned the beef (see left) and Melinda made the noodles. It was delicious. I had seconds, in fact.

We also found that one of our onions decided to sprout. It's grown another two inches since I took this photo last week! I may just pot it and see how far it grows.

Kashi makes pizza?

2008-01-11T08:44:00.000-06:00

Yep, they do. In three varieties, to be exact. I tried the Roasted Garlic Chicken pizza last night. It's a smaller-sized pizza that will run you about $5.00 or so. It has a whole-wheat crust and a fair amount of toppings and an even serving of shredded cheese. I put it in the oven, directly on the rack and waited to be amazed.

I have to say, I wasn't. While Kashi has done a good job with the flavor combination and offering a wheat crust, the pizza was just kind of "ehh." It was on the dry side and had barely any sauce. I don't think I'll bother with the other varieties next time I buy a frozen pizza.

For an alternative, may I recommend the Digiorno Thin Crust pizza? It bakes wonderfully and is very yummy. I like to get the 4-cheese kind and top it with my own organic mushrooms, peppers, and pork sausage. Delicious! Oh, and apparently they're coming out with two new varieties --- Spinach, Mushroom & Garlic and Pepperoni, Mushroom & Bacon. Both sound quite tempting.

Things I love to eat, but have never prepared

2008-01-10T11:43:00.001-06:00

I'll be honest, I like cooking, but i love eating. I'd rather indulge in someone else's gastronomical delights than stand over the stove any day.

However I think it's time I learned how to create my own versions of the following dishes so as to not have to rely on others when I want a taste-treat.

Here are 10 dishes I like to eat but don't know how to make:

Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup
Pad Thai
Chicken Enchiladas with verde sauce
Bread Pudding
Bacon-wrapped anything. (How do you get the bacon to stay on?)
Ice Cream
Baklava
Hummus (not from a box!)
Naan
Calimari (do I really want to know?)

Wacky Wedding Cake

2008-01-08T16:11:00.000-06:00

I've seen some interesting wedding cakes, but this one is in a class of crazy all it's own.

What's in season?

2008-01-08T14:44:00.000-06:00

If you're like me, you have no clue when various veggies and fruit are "in season." Well, I found this CDC website that has a handy chart! You can also check out recipes for said fruits and vegetables...very helpful for figuring out what to do with the more exotic selections that end up in your organic delivery box.

Dormez-vous?

2008-01-08T13:29:00.000-06:00

It feels like I've been sleeping, yes. I admit I've been very slack lately in my food writing. I have to confess that I've been eating a lot of junk food lately and have been too embarrassed to write. For example, last night I ate fried chicken. Lots of it. And I washed it down with a couple beers and finished the meal with a slice of chocolate silk pie. As nutritionists say, "The are no bad foods, only bad choices." As I say, "There are no bad choices, only easy ones."

That is, I haven't touched an organic this or that in a while and I'm feeling the consequences and they're not pretty. I feel fat. I feel sluggish. I have trouble buttoning my pants. I'm cranky and irregular. TMI, I know. But I'm just laying all on the line here. Yes, we're still getting bi-weekly deliveries of fresh delicious veggies at the house and yes, I've eaten some of them, but I've also given in to sodas, beer, and sugary snacks. Oh god, I'm drinking Dr Pepper right now. Sigh.

But I know the power of food is purely psychological. I have the ability to make choices that are not only good for me, but tasty and filling as well. I've made these choices before. Intellectually I know what choice to make. Emotionally, I ignore that choice in favor of a quick sugar buzz or a fix of salty snakins.

Leunz lent me her copy of YOU: on a diet and I've been reading it for a week now. It's full of factual biological processes that really illustrate exactly how/why we eat. It's quite fascinating to see how food goes through your system, where it stops, what gets taken out, what hangs around as fat, and what leaves through your poop chute.

It's also interesting to read up on what triggers hunger and why we crave certain foods. Overall it's a postitive book that avoids preaching and dieting scams. It gives you the info you need to plan meals so you're never in starvation mode, and plan exercises so you're fit and healthy, not sluggish and reaching for a coke.

I did NOT make a new year's resolution to lose weight. I don't believe in resolutions. Nor did I set out to do this simply because it's January. I have been feeling physically off-track for months now. It's just time I woke up and took the reins back in my hands. It may be winter, but dammit, it will not be the winter of my discontent.

To CSA or not to CSA, that is the question

2008-01-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

And that has been the question for the last month or two. I like the CSA. I like that I am supporting local farm fare, I'm exposed to new veggies, I am trying out new recipes, and warm fuzzies abound when I accomplish all of these feats. But more often than not, I waste the food. It spoils. We are on an "every other week" CSA so we get a big box every other week. But most of the stuff in it is a mystery to me.

I have four heads of cabbage in my fridge that are staring at me, three turnips, some wilted greens, possibly a stray onion or so, peppers that have started turning colors, and kohlrabi that I'm sure is bad. If I can find a recipe for the foods that sounds appealing to me, I don't have the ingredients. And we live about 20-30 minutes from the nearest grocery store.

To top this all off, I'm very lazy. That's probably the main problem, this laziness. When I get home from work, I'm completely content to curl up on the couch for the remainder of the evening and cross stitch, read, watch TV, whatever. Everything except tend to the food in a preservation or preparing mode.

The Farmer's Market worked out well because we could buy smaller quantities or we could freeze it (meat products). But the variety is not as good as the CSA.

Other CSA-ers have suggested "oh, just put it in a soup" or "stir fry!" but I'm an emotional eater and if I don't want soup, I'm not eating soup. I've gotten better with that but it's not a bam bam done project.

Right now I'm in the third week of a ten week session of the CSA. I suppose after this session is over, I will end it? Or will I get a sudden burst of inspiration and continue.

I constantly have to remind myself of my progress. I mean, this time last year, it was definitely "Taco Bueno tonight? Yes!" Our living in the boonies has definitely changed the way we eat but not enough for me to make that leap from former food junkie to living off the land.

I think I have a sincere problem of trying to tackle the entire situation instead of breaking off chunks and tackling that. For example: focus on the cabbage tonight. Or get rid of the spoilage tonight. Instead I think "what the Hell am I going to do with all of this food? And why didn't I do something to it before?" Then I feel guilty and the cycle rinses, repeats.

Any advice before I chuck everything out and get McDonald's??

My advice to myself....*sigh*

Eat Local Week

2007-12-04T16:25:00.000-06:00

It's next week, Dec 8-15, here in Austin! Check out the Edible Austin page for participating restaurants.

My Thanksgiving Dinner

2007-11-26T09:10:00.001-06:00

This year I bought an organic, cage-free 11 lb turkey for our annual meal of thanks. It was delicious! I'd not had such turkey before --- it was light and flavorful and juicy. I didn't miss the salt that comes with the frozen rocks from the grocery store. Nor do I think I'll go back to eating them next year. I am not a huge turkey fan, but this year was different. I think eating an animal that was treated humanely while it lived and killed quickly with dignity for my table is not only ethical, but more flavorful. I can honestly say I was thankful for that bird.

We had the usual sides, sweet potatoes with marshmallow, creamed corn, green beans, and pork sausage stuffing. Of course, we had pumpkin pie for dessert. Oh, and red wine...lots of red wine.

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture

2007-10-26T12:44:00.000-05:00

It just occurred to me that I have not posted about my CSA! Mr. Wonderful and I decided to sign up for a "every two weeks" CSA for an unremembered sum of money. So every two weeks, we get a box of veggies. The first box contained:

Collard Greens

Okra (Burgundy, Cajun green and Clemson spineless)

Basil

Sweet Peppers (Blushing Beauty, Yolo Wonder)

Hot peppers (Albino, Jalapeno, Slim Jim)

Zucchini

Baby Arugula

Squash (straigh neck yellow and starburst patty pan)

Sweet potatoes

Sun Gold cherry tomatoes

Some onion

In addition to our haul, an email newsletter was sent with a list of the veggies differentiating the varieties (in fact, I just read the letter because I didn't know we got different kinds of hot peppers, I just thought they were different sizes!), a few recipes, and storage tips. So far, very happy!

We have used some of the veggies to make a few dishes including a squash casserole (VERY YUMMY, recipe coming soon), spicy collard greens (another post about this one soon also), salads, and a baked sweet potato (well, that's not a dish but we ate it. Yum!)

This weekend, we are going camping. We sliced the squash last night and packed it for grilling. We also combined the basil with oil for a brush on for the squash. Can't wait!

We also preserved the basil by freezing it into ice cubes for freezer storage and I strung some up for drying. This isn't a new idea but a borrowed one from Tricia the Red and her pesto cubes. Hurrah!

I'm also going to try to pickle the okra, another Tricia the Red lifting. I tried her pickled okra and they were freakin' awesome! I would like to repeat or at least try it out. Wish me luck.

My brother and sister-in-law sent us two books for Mr. Wonderful and mine's first anniversary: Food to Live by and another one that I can't remember the name of. They both look very promising as the recipes remain simple and seasonal foods are paired together. So there's a good chance that we will have multiple ingredients together already without saying "crud, I can't make this, I don't have blah blah!"

HUZZAH!

Food pic of the day: Patty Pan Squash

Oaxacan Tamaleo: a review

2007-10-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

Mr. Wonderful and I decided to try out another Farmer's Market favorite: Oaxacan Tamaleo.

This place hardly needs more publicity (a quick Google search yielded many hits from foodies of a professional and amateur nature) but when I'm impressed, I'm impressed. And I can't keep my mouth shut.

Tamaleo's story is a feel-good, only in America type story with a happy middle (which I hope is what is occurring right now). It's family run with local food and authentic flavor. We were greeted by Leo's stepson greeting us and her husband taking orders from the other tables. It's small and only three people were working on Wednesday night (no dine and dash for this place!). But the reason everyone loves Tamaleo?? The food! My God, the food.

I had a chicken mole tamaleo. Tamaleos are Leo's specialty. It's a tamale, made with less lard and some other things her stepson told me but I have forgotten :(, wrapped in a banana leaf. The banana leaves are huge and I asked her stepson if I was supposed to eat it. He said "no, it's indigestible" and we all laughed at my ignorance. Hey, I was willing to try anything!

Mr. Wonderful had lamb barbacoa. Fall off the bone wonderful!

We both got rice and beans and they were as flavorful as the meal. My only regret was that I did not order two tamaleos with my dinner. I thought they would be really big but they weren't incredibly huge. Next time: I'll order two.

The great thing about this place is that it's authentic. I couldn't put my finger on it but everything is flavorful and simple. I feel like Tex-Mex is too much sometimes, especially compared to this. Like they have to outdo themselves by deep frying this and refrying. Tamaleo didn't need to do that. It is perfectly able to let each item taste magnificent in it's own way.

I highly recommend Oaxacan Tamaleo. It's less than the price you would pay for Tex-Mex and you feel better after you leave it. Not only do you eat some outstanding food, you just supported a local business!!

Special note: Mr. Wonderful doesn't like rice and beans. He ate every last scrap of the ones at Tamaleo because he enjoyed the flavor so much :0)

Simply Asia: a review

2007-10-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

Melinda turned me on to these microwavable noodle bowls. I love the Roasted Peanut variety. Everything you need comes in 1 package: the bowl, lid, ingredients, and even a fork! You mix the noodles, a splash of water, and the sauce together, microwave for 2 mins and voila! lunch is ready.

Top with peanuts and you're ready to go! I highly recommend Simply Asia noodle bowls.

The things we do for love

2007-10-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Mr. Wonderful did not have to be at work at a specific time so I suggested he make a stew! You know, one of those "throw all this stuff in the crockpot" kind of things. Well, he did (after modifying a recipe) and I was greeted at 5:50 with a wonderful, wonderful stew! I call it Impromptu Stew and it is full of hearty goodness that is too good to keep a secret. So here it is (I don't know the measurements for everything so I'm just going to put down ingredients with some guesstimates):

Mr. Wonderful's Impromptu Stew

2 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 lb of bison stew meat (or use whatever meat you wish)

zucchini

squash

small red potatoes

onion

1 can of corn

flour for thickening

at least 1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of beef granules

I think that was it. It is soooo yummy! I dunked whole wheat sourdough bread and then whole wheat bread from Texas French Bread until it was so soaked, I had to use my spoon to get it out! You can put in whatever veggies you like, your own meat, just whatever you want!! I especially liked it because everything we used (with the exception of the canned corn) was local and it will be a good solution to "hurry!! we gotta eat this NOW!"

I'm surprised I had never thought of this before but then again, I'm a little gunshy in the kitchen.

Bison Bill sez: "Try bison meat!! You'll love it!"

New foods, same ol' faces

2007-10-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends!

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I would update people on what I've been eating. Mostly it's been the same old, same old but I have tried two new things I wanted to talk about.

The first: bison.

From Thunderheart Bison, a local grower from the San Antonio region. They are profiled in the current version of Edible Austin and the company has been at every farmer's market I have been to. I think, when I first bought my bison, I actually talked to the guy in the article (the owner) so that was pretty cool. He was friendly, personable, and he seemed to like me (he was joking with me about buying stuff for my brother, not knowing he was my brother. Good times for all!).

Anyway, we bought a pound of ground bison and it was yum! I didn't notice a huge difference between it and beef. But the bison guy gave me a list of bison facts and, if they are all true, bison is 10 times healthier for you than just about any meat. Even chicken! Mr. Wonderful and I went back to the Farmer's Market after a hiatus and bought another pound of ground and some stew meat. Thunderheart is reasonably priced (although I'm not splurging on strip steaks) and the meat tastes great! The article in Edible Austin talks about the humane way of killing (basically shooting them with a gun from a reasonable distance) because bison guy said that you could taste the adrenaline when the bison went through a conventional slaughter. I heartily endorse bison!

The next interesting thing of an eating variety: prickly pear. HEB was selling a bag of prickly pear for $3.00 so I thought I would give it a whirl. The prickly pear is good but full and I mean FULL of seeds. Like you can't take a bite without eating ten seeds which are too hard to chew. So Mr. Wonderful and I spent the majority of the time eating a small bit of flesh and the rest of the time spitting out seeds. For the record: these prickly pear were skinned and looked to be green, not like this picture of prickly pear that I got when I googled "edible prickly pear."

This prickly pear actually looks really good and easy to eat. So maybe I can find something to do with my pears??

On an HEB downer note: HEB had one of their "buy this, get that free" and it was for organic apple slices and Central Market greens. Hm....that's healthy and I was going to buy apples anyway....why not??

Well, I haven't eaten the greens yet but the apple slices are disappointing. First: they are packaged in four individual bags. Ick! Just pack them together! And the four individual bags are packaged in a larger plastic bag. They taste like watery air and retain very little of the incredibly juicy flavor that I have tasted of other organic apples (store bought and farmer bought). Not doing this one again.

On a happier note: my CSA starts this weekend!!! Community supported agriculture that is. Edible Austin, again, provided a great article on the CSA I joined (I was happy about that because I got to know a little more about them before venturing onto their farm). The CSA is with Johnson's Backyard Garden and I am hoping that it will be a wonderful experience (I think it will be). I'm boning* up on all sorts of preservation methods...well, canning and freezing. Methinks I need to purchase canning equipment? Si.

And on a sad note: The Bull and Boar is closed. :( It was great while it lasted, I hope it comes back, and in the mean time, you can purchase yummmmy meat from Peach Creek Farm at the Austin farmer's market or online (I think). Check these guys out: they're great!

Today's Pic:

Doesn't "Local Lucy" sound like a strumpet name?

*Principal Skinner: "And bone I will!"

New Magazine

2007-09-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

I have been checking out edible Austin, the paper version, for its past two issues now, and must say that I am quite pleased. They're in Issue 2 now, but Issue 1 was where I learned about the Ethiopian restaurant here in Austin, Aster's, and more about Ethiopian food that I knew before--particularly, how difficult it is to make authentic injera outside of Ethiopia. I wish I could give a review of the restaurant right here and now, but going to Aster's currently still sits prominently on my list of need-to-do's.

For all you kids really into local and/or organic food, edible Austin does seems like a good resource. I believe it's published quarterly, and it includes a list of what's in season--a useful list, even if it does double as a Central Market ad. Issue 1 had a great article about local vs. organic food, and the current issue outlines how to make a full-fledged local Thanksgiving feast as well as a feature on Austin street food vendors. The issues are free and there are stands all over town. I'd recommend picking one up, if you haven't already.

Star of India

2007-09-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Last night I dined at Star of India over on Anderson Ln. I was starving when we arrived so I went the buffet route and was not disappointed. I had veggie korma and rice, a divine salad with chunky seasoned cucumber, and 3 wedges of naan, my most favorite bread in the world.

Now, this isn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it was still very tasty and falls neatly into my comfort foods category. The server was excellent, save for her shy quiet voice. She refilled my water glass four times! Yay! I left her a nice tip.

The buffet is $10. Not bad for a spread that includes salad, multiple main dishes, and choice of dessert. (I had the perfectly-sweetened rice pudding --- it was lovely.) Check this place out!

In praise of strawberries

2007-09-13T13:16:00.000-05:00

I think strawberries are just about the most perfect fruit ever. Tangy, sweet, berry-like, they're great! I know it's hard to grow them but for those that do: thank you!
That is all.

Tuesday night dinner

2007-09-12T08:43:00.000-05:00

I decided to make burgers last night. I scored some all-natural organic beef at the Randall's for 1/2 price because it was the last day to sell it ($7/lb. meat for $3.50? I'll take it!). I mixed it up with lemon pepper seasoning and garlic powder and served them with fries and fixin's*.

Daxie begged and begged for some burger but we didn't give him any. Too much seasoning for the little guy. Besides, he has his own food.
*That's Southern for lettuce, tomato, cheese, and condiments.

Chicago, Dawg!

2007-09-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday, I was in Chicago. Well, probably closer to a suburb of Chicago but you get the point. Anywhoo, I decided to try a Chicago-style hot dog. I have been curious about these creations and when in Rome, you eat the fare.

Mr. Wonderful and I stopped in a Fuddrucker's-esque eatery and I ordered a Chicago-style dog with onion rings. The onion rings were meh and the dog was even worse.

I'm all for trying new things. But I will never have one of these hot dogs again. The best part of it: all beef frank. The worst: tie between suuuuper spicy sport peppers and celery salt. Ick. The peppers, o.k., they were just too spicy. But the celery salt was like tasting bad air. And I couldn't see it to remove it. Everything was standard: the pickle was large but fine, the relish was fine, onions, fine. Tomato: meh. But those two items alone ruined the hot dog for me. I ate it because I was hungry but no relishing (and no pun intended) came from my first and only experience with this hot dog.

Then I started thinking: how did people decide to combine these ingredients? I believe it was out of desperation. Hot dogs are cheap and easily made (I assume, I mean, you don't need choice cuts of meat), pickles, relish, sport peppers, and onions keep for a long time, and the tomatoes may have been a later addition or perhaps these were a summer food?? The celery salt: I just don't get. But whatever. To each their own.

We tried getting some Chicago-style pizza but it just didn't work out. Even more reason to go back! :)

Dripping Springs Vodka

2007-09-09T18:09:00.000-05:00

Last night at Grapevine Market, I saw a new vodka in the aisle: Dripping Springs Vodka. It was sitting next to the Tito's and it was $14.99. I thought, "Hell, why not?" I bought a couple bottles of Dr Pepper to get trashy with and headed home.

This is not sippin' vodka. It's got a clean but mean punch. The nice thing about it was it had no funky aftertaste like Tito's vodka sports. (No, I'm not a Tito's fan...) The not so nice thing was it kicked my ass. I'm no stranger to vodka, but this stuff is well-worth the money in terms of chemical escapism. You want a martini? Stick with the good stuff, your Grey Goose, your Belvedere (that's for you, Angela!). You wanna sing karaoke with your friends? Get some Dripping Springs.

A locally-produced vodka that's cheap and enjoyable? Sign me up!

You live, you learn

2007-09-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

How appropriate this song is on right now!

This weekend, my family visited me. This installment of family consisted of my parents and my two brothers (plus hubby, of course). I planned on serving a dish made from a family cookbook (that Tricia the Red crafted for me as a wedding present and that I will forever cherish) called Texas Hash which consisted of ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and a few spices like salt and pepper. I also bought new potatoes from the Co-op and squash. I had a cucumber but the night before, when peeling it, noticed that it was beyond saving. So long little cuke!

I thought I would make the hash, new potatoes, and cuke. Well, that was out. So I planned on the squash but when presented with that, my parents balked. Eh......did I mention that I was extremely hungover from the night before, when drinking cachaca and staying up until 5:00 am seemed like a good idea? Well, it was because I got to hang out with great old friends.

Anyway, on to the meal. My parents were urging me, in my hungover state, to just pick up some BBQ but I stood firm. The squash was out so I went for the next best thing: biscuits. Sure, our meal would be full of starch but what the heck?

I mixed the biscuit batter and it was very runny. I added some more mix and it still was runny. Or not firm enough to put on the pan. So I thought: "I'll put it in a muffin tin." And I did. And it worked! My bi-muffins were a hit! So was the hash!! A hugely simple recipe that everyone gobbled up with the new potatoes (except my dad who doesn't like onions. He got barbecued chicken from the farm that we had made the week before).

Best of all: everything was local or organic!!! Yeah me!

Now, before I pat myself on the back, I shall speak of the remainder of the weekend. Admittedly, we did not have concrete plans of who would be where and I didn't have enough local food to supply endless amounts of wonderful goodness. So that night, my brothers stuck around and we had frozen pizzas and chips and queso.

The next day, my mom, hubby, and I went to the Bull and Boar for Sunday brunch while my brothers and dad made fantasy football picks (don't ask). After brunch, we took advantage of the Labor Day sales and drove around looking for housing for my mom (they eventually want to move down here). We stopped at HEB for some sandwich fixins for later on that day since the boys and my dad were coming back to watch Sci-Fi's greatest and play games.

Nothing about either one of these two meals was organic or local. My mom was desperate for lettuce and we bought a head of iceberg, which I have been eating off of all week. Chips, queso, sandwiches with watery air crunch, frozen pizza....all of these left me feeling very guilty and bloated. I used to work in a store very much like Wheatsville but it wasn't a Co-op or particularly local. It was like a very small version of Whole Foods. Anyway, I worked in Supplements and Health and Beauty and, despite working there for only three weeks, I learned a lot. Many times, people would ask about detoxers or whole body cleansers. These cleansers flushed out your whole systems, freeing you from toxins in your body and allowing you to start with a clean slate. I have also heard they leave you kind of sick since your body is ridding itself of all that stuff.

So Monday, I was a blob. I think I poisoned myself with all of that stuff. Not necessarily becauase it wasn't organic or local but because I had fallen into a small pattern of eating more fruits and veggies and instead, I went to completely processed materials for a 24-hour period. It was awful!! I blobbed around all day, playing with the kittens and just felt like a slug. I couldn't bring myself to do anything. It was awful but call it poetic justice. Now I just have to remember what I felt like as a blob, poisoned by my own devices.

It made sense though, after learning about supplements. You can poison your body with food, and while that doesn't sound like anything new, I think it's hard for people to recognize it. I certainly never had. One could argue it was my late night/bad sleep, but I think it was the food. I've been hungover before, but I've never felt so useless as I did on Monday.

On a brighter note: I was able to feed my family one meal of local and/or organic food. So it is possible!

Too bad these stamps came out when I didn't know who she was :( Ayn Rand is coming to get you!

My Sunday Brunch at Bull & Boar

2007-09-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

What can I say? Booklahver's review of Bull & Boar made my mouth water. She and her husband invited me to brunch 2 Sundays ago and I of course said yes! The restaurant resides in a quaint, remodeled building on Pearce Road.

We arrived around 11:30. We were greeted at the door by smiling faces and led to a table in the back by the buffet, next to three other tables of diners. The buffet stretched out over a long white tablecloth covered table, ending with an omelet and waffle station.

I chose links of locally-procured sausage and strips of bacon, a serving of Eggs Benedict (a new steaming-hot tray of which had just been added to the table), and some plump strawberries. I also got some Texas toast and covered with it with homemade mixed berry jelly. The Eggs B were a delight! The Hollandaise sauce was delicate and flavorful and the pork was perfectly chewy and salty. The sweetness of the strawberries and the jelly balanced the savory foods quite well. The coffee was lovely, too. My cup was refilled multiple times without my having to ask or wait.

After finishing my plate, I requested a waffle from the made-to-order station. A few moments later the cook signaled it was ready. I was directed toward the bar to choose from a variety of toppings including strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, butter, and whipped cream. If ever breakfast had dessert, this was it! I covered the waffle with the fruit and its juices and hurried back to my seat. The soft waffle with crisp edges soaked up the juices and it melted in my mouth.

Overall, I rate Bull & Boar highly. They know how to put out a spread of delicious locally-grown foods that satisfy. And for $15, it's an experience well worth the drive to Del Valle.

Ripe for the ganking

2007-09-04T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm totally stealing this from Theresa because she is awesome.

My favorite weird food: pickle and cheese sandwiches.

California: where all the fruit seems to come from. Curses! You're harshing my local mellow!

My least favorite herb: fennel. Just prefer to stay away all together.

Do I consider myself a "foodie"?: No, because I like eating intestinal casing mixed with leftover hog parts way more than I like buying expensive cheeses. Mmmmmm, intestinal casing.

Am I afraid to eat American beef? Nope, because I can see my beef daily! We get it from a farm and it's bloody good (literally, very bloody). I am afraid to eat McDonald's.

What is my most guilty eating pleasure? Queso. It's not good for you, it makes me have weird poo, and it makes me feel like a land monster. But dammit, it tastes like the redneck gods ambrosia.

Dog Almighty: a review

2007-09-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

We had dinner at Dog Almighty last night. We went to the Guadalupe location because the Burnet one was closed. I had two Deep Eddy dogs (the plain dog with either ketchup or mustard) and I nibbled on Melinda's fries. I also had a frosty $2 beer (a perk of that location) to wash the delightfully tasty and completely satisfying hot dogs down.

Melinda had one of their corn dogs. These are awesome -- they're battered and fried with a corn and buttermilk batter when you order. Mark and Stef finished their specialty dogs and went back to order corn dogs for themselves. I can't recommend this place more! It's filling, delicious, and cheap! Oh, and you can get the veggie-version of any of their menu items if you're not a meat-eater.

LOVE IT!

Getting to know Me, part 2

2007-08-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

My favorite weird food: cheese toast where the bread isn't burned but the cheese is. Lucky for me, my partner has perfected the method of making cheese toast this way!

South Africa: country where I think the best wines currently come from! I've bought SA wines 3 out of 4 times at the past four wine tastings I've attended. (The oddball was from Portugal.)

My least favorite herb: definitely cilantro. I can't stand it. It tastes like soap. Ick!

Do I consider myself a "foodie": No, not if you consider a foodie to be a snob. I just enjoy food --- preparing it, serving it, and eating it.
I will try anything once -- it's how I found out I don't fancy anchovies or Phoenix Claws, but that I love green olives, edamame, and raw tuna.

Am I afraid to eat American beef? Sometimes. I only use soy burger in my spaghetti recipes, but there are times I feel I just gotta have a big juicy all-meat burger from Hut's or I'll die!

What is my most guilty eating pleasure? Homemade vanilla buttercream icing and a spoon.

Bacon Placemats?

2007-08-30T14:36:00.001-05:00

While I have a special place for bacon in my heart (and my arteries...) I don't know if I am brave enough to attempt to eat a bacon placemat on my own. Perhaps I should throw a bacon party?

Gorton's Tilapia...not that good

2007-08-30T14:06:00.000-05:00

Blech. I was so keen to have a fish filet last night that I ripped open the box of Gorton's Tilapia. The breading turned a beautiful golden brown and the baking smell was inviting; however, the fish, while white and flaky, had a weird sweet taste to it. I was really hungry, so I ate it, but I was quite disappointed. Is this what I get for buying frozen fish patties?

Daxie (see left), on the other hand, ate three bites ravenously! It would seem he rather enjoys sweet fish.

Dove

2007-08-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

**does anyone else think it's weird to have a chocolate bar and a lotion with the same name?? They book spark creamy riches to mind via their commercials....hmmmm...a real dove is not creamy and rich....weird**

I can't make myself buy organic chocolate. Why? Because I'm in LOVE with my Dove dark chocolate. I have one little square every day and I put it in mouth and let it melt. I don't open my mouth (or try not to) for the entire time it takes for it to dissolve completely. It's decadent, it's bad, but it's sooooo good. I love it! And yet, it would ruin the experience to have more than one per day. Just doesn't seem right.

I also must confess that I like the little phrases. Today was "Hey, Why not?" The other one I like is "Be fearless." Sometimes they are very topical for the day and when they are, they are saved. I saved today's because it seemed right.

So here's to you, little Dove chocolate square. I love thee!!!

Paula's Tomato Pie

2007-08-29T10:56:00.000-05:00

Last night I made this recipe for Tomato Pie. It turned out pretty well, but not because I followed Paula's recipe. First, the temperature is way too low to finish baking a pie stuffed with 4 large tomatoes in 30 mins. You should set your oven at 400 degrees and wrap the edges in foil so they won't burn. I ended up baking at 350 for 65 minutes. Way too long to wait for dinner.

Second, you should layer some of the cheese/mayo spread on the bottom of the pie, not just on top. This will spread the flavors around better and the pie won't separate so much when you cut it.

Third you should add a bit of garlic to the recipe for a stronger flavor. The green onions only add so much. Overall, this pie is a damn tasty one, but the recipe needed some work.

Strawberries and Tomatoes

2007-08-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

Last night at HEB I tried to be a "local" produce buyer, but I found only Californian tomatoes and strawberries. Yes, I admit August is a little late to be expecting local strawberries, but for Pete's sake, Texas tomatoes are surely still around! The strawberries smelled so damned good I couldn't not buy them.

I had promised the kids a homemade Tomato Pie for dinner tonight, so I bought the West Coast tomatoes anyway. I honestly tried to buy local, but it just didn't pan out. Looks like I'll have to head to the farmer's market for actual Texan produce.

Kenichi: A Review

2007-08-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

The Austin branch of Kenichi is a chic little place downtown. The host was quite gracious to us when we entered and he sat our party quickly, even though we all looked pretty haggard (we'd just walked 5 blocks from Flugtag and were hot, cranky, and sweaty). The decor was very modern and warm and the other patrons were well-dressed and sipping expensive-looking drinks. I honestly felt out of place, but none of the staff seemed to notice, which speaks really well of their professionalism and hospitality.

At the table we were presented with steamed paper towels instead of cloths. (Am I too much of a traditionalist to want cloth?) We also had to wait a little longer than we expected to be greeted by our waiter and have our drink orders taken. I had a Metropolitan, a mix of raspberry vodka and berry liqueur. It was refreshing, and most importantly, it soothed the frustration headache Flugtag had given me. For an appetizer we had spicy edamame in the pod. It arrived steaming hot, coated in what I assumed was a spicy hoisin sauce. Delicious!

Kenichi offers a wide variety of food, including Pan Asian entres and a long roster of sushi choices. For my entre I ordered some fairly standard stuff: sweet potato tempura, spicy tuna rolls, and shrimp tempura rolls. I usually get 3 rolls when dining for sushi, but since each roll cost at least $9, I held back in favor of getting a refill on my $10.50 drink. The sweet potato was great --- the tempura was light and crunchy. The dipping sauce was nothing to write home about so I pushed it aside and favored the soy sauce instead. The two maki rolls I had were tasty, but not the best I've ever had. Certainly not for $9 a pop.

So for $61, I got some decent food and a mildly pleasant experience. Not bad, but not mind-blowing either. This is not a good first date restaurant --- it's very noisy and busy, especially on Saturday night. While the food is good, you can get the same quality or better for less money elsewhere. The staff is neat, accommodating and professional, which is really the only reason I would return, as Austin is full of restaurants that treat customers poorly "just because." Oh, and the ladies room is the last door on the left. There are no standard men's and women's room signs on the doors, only 3 fish, pointing in meaningless opposite directions.

Flugtag Texas: A Review

2007-08-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

Flugtag was this past Saturday in Austin. Since it's an event orchestrated and sponsored solely by a beverage, Red Bull, I felt it fair game to review it here. Flugtag Austin 2007 was, in a word, awful. The parking shuttle was a joke, taking riders three (3) blocks from 4th and Guadalupe to the north side of the South 1st St Bridge. What a waste of gas, time, and effort. What a frustration for riders to discover they weren't being taken to the entrance of Auditorium Shores, but a mere 5 minute walk away where they'd have to negotiate a bunch of inflated Red Bull arches and what seemed like a zillion people?

After walking and walking and walking, we finally made it through the actual gate and found a spot to spread our blanket. We sat down and waited. Unfortunately, a large group of people in front of us stood up to see the platform, thereby prompting everyone else to stand to see as well. We had hauled our blanket for nothing.

The event announcers were from one of the local radio stations' morning crews. Ugh. They introduced the judges, being sure to note multiple times that the sole Olympic athlete on the panel had also posed nude in Playboy. Klassy. I'm sure all the parents in the crowd appreciated their 4 and 5 year olds hearing this. As a feminist, you just know it made me beam with pride knowing an Olympian isn't as well known for her athletic skill as she is for baring her body in the pages of a magazine. [Insert giant eye roll.]

On to the event! Or so we thought. The first group appeared on the runway and music started. Turns out it was the wrong music. There was much fumbling and the announcers cracked jokes and referred to the Olympian's breasts again. Then new music started. Oops, it was wrong too. Wait, no it wasn't. It started again. Finally the first group took off toward the water and fell in. Like the team's plunge, the event was all downhill from there.

The beer line wasn't that bad; however, when I got to the front, after being skipped by two very self-entitled WASPs, I was informed they were out of the first two beers on the menu and I had a choice of Tecate and Lone Star. Seeing as how Lone Star makes me ill, I got Tecate. It was so hot that afternoon, the beer was warm by the time I found my way back to our blanket. I couldn't see the teams anymore since everyone was standing up now and the heat was so unrelenting, I gave up and sat down, grumpily drinking my beer. A woman behind me rejoined her group, telling them the vendors had run out of bottled water. Uh-oh. That did not bode well.

We decided to leave after the third team had their turn. We called our friends who were going to meet us to tell them not to bother. I felt the afternoon to be a total waste and I vowed never to go to this poorly planned event ever again. Thanks Red Bull--your event managed to make me feel miserable... definitely without wings.

Eating Locally in Georgetown

2007-08-22T10:34:00.001-05:00

Mr. Wonderful and I stopped in Georgetown, TX on our way to Oklahoma (we took the new, delightful toll road. BELIEVE ME: it was worth however much we paid in tolls) for a bite to eat. Originally, we were looking for just food of the fast variety but then I recognized where I was and we found the Monument Cafe once again!!

Suppersister Theresa had told us about this wonderful place when we made our only other trip to Georgetown to accompany our wondermous niece Mandi on a college tour. Anywhoo, Monument, Monument, wherefore art thou Monument?

Besides being exceptionally good food, Mr. Wonderful and I were delighted to know (we are often delighted) that the food is locally grown and organic! We really had no intent of eating completely locally, we just wanted to go to a place that we remembered fondly.

I had a chili burger *oh yes, it was great!* and a mixture of onion strings and french fries. Truly "junk" food but Kobe beef burgers, organic everything, and locally grown onions makes it the best junk food choice we could make!

Mr. Wonderful had a club sandwich and the same mixture of onion strings and french fries. We didn't have room for dessert but some day, we will. All of the desserts sound fantastic!

Theresa can provide a much better review but I have nothing but glowing feelings about Monument. Definitely a place to stop when we make our way through Georgetown.

Eating Locally in Del Valle

2007-08-22T10:07:00.001-05:00

Last night, Mr. Wonderful (aka my husband) and I ate at The Bull and Boar. Oh My GOD! Wonderful! I'm still tasting it, in a good way. We went all out and got dessert AND a beer apiece. I had the Skinny Dip...it was o.k. Mr. Wonderful had a Shiner 98 which he really liked. I thought it was o.k. I'm not a huge beer drinker and mostly stay on the wheat/pale ale side of things. Anyway, on to the food!!

I had the Pan-fried Rainbow Trout. It was served with a corn and onion relish with lime. I'm still salivating. It was served opened (like the split it down the back) with tail intact. :) My sides included macaroni and cheese and sauteed squash. The squash was exceptionally good. I have found a new veggie: squash!

Mr. Wonderful had the Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and a small Caesar. He said it was good. We split a creammmmmmy cream cheese icing carrot cake for dessert. It was served with a strawberry and the coolest orange syrup glazed thing on top. Yum! We also had sourdough bread that was baked fresh that day!

The Bull and Boar supports local farmers and makes many of their own dishes on site including frying their own chips, smoking their own salmon, and other things. They are owned by two brothers (we talked to one of them) who are also the chefs and their mother waited on us. They have been open for four months. A brunch occurs on Sunday: all you care to eat for $15. I remember Belgian waffles, made to order omelets, and a whole host of other things were on the menu, definitely enough to get your money's worth.

The atmosphere was pleasant. It looked like an old diner inside. Everyone was very nice and we were the only people in there. We got out of there paying about $33. Overall, great experience!!

What do you say Suppersisters??? Care to brunch this Sunday?

**I forgot to add that the portion sizes were adequate (as in: I was served on a plate, not a platter so I could not overeat!) and the availability of food is seasonal so the menu is always changing. If you go to their website, you will notice the carrot cake and the Rainbow trout are not displayed. Even more reason to go!**

Chicken-By-the-Seat-of-My-Pants Chicken

2007-08-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last night I was charged with making dinner for the household plus 2 guests for a total of 5. Melinda told me she had put chicken in the fridge to thaw. I thought they were chicken breasts, so I searched for recipes matching that ingredient. I found one for Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Bacon, and Bleu Cheese. It was easy and tasty-sounding. SOLD!

So I headed to HEB, bought a bunch of fresh spinach (ignoring the recipe's call for the frozen variety), some Amish-made bleu cheese, and some Doritos to snack on while I concocted dinner.

I had made 12 strips of bacon, set them to dry, and crumbled the cheese. I washed and chopped the spinach and mixed them all in a large bowl. Then I took the almost thawed chicken out of the fridge and realized there were no breasts, only tenders and dark meat. Oh dear, no stuffing was going to be possible.

After stress-eating a handful of Doritos, I calmly washed the chicken pieces and layered half on the bottom of a casserole dish. I then put the cheese/bacon/spinach mixture on top, and covered that with the remaining chicken pieces. I baked the dish (covered) for 45 minutes at 375. It turned out fairly well. Unfortunately I forgot to make a starch...rice or something so Melinda graciously made toast. As everyone finished their bowl o' chicken, I think the experiment turned out fairly well.

Adventures in Canning, Part Trois

2007-08-21T11:03:00.000-05:00

I aided in the process of canning tomato sauce this weekend!! My best friend, Tricia, made several jars of tomato sauce that we were going to use on homemade pizzas but it was a little runny so we opted for some readymade Bertoli sauce. However, several jars await the winter. Tricia forgot to add lemon juice (for proper acidity) so she had to reseal the jars but all was not lost.

Canning tomatoes was a lot more extensive than canning jam. The tomato sauce needed to be on the stove for a few hours, there were more steps because there were tons more ingredients, but everything worked out. Huzzah!!

This past weekend was spent in Oklahoma with said friend. She is very adept at cooking wonderful foods so I will post pictures from her Flickr account of some of the foods we partook (is that a word?) of:

We grilled the buttered bread and it was wonderful!! Tricia's husband Matt grilled yummy yummy steaks and the bread was exceptionally wonderful grilled. It was from a local bakery!

These little jalapeno peppers had real big bite! They were stuffed (by me!) with a cream cheese and bacon mixture. We also stuffed some other kinds of peppers that were very light in spice which added a nice flavor without killing us. Matt ate a whole jalapeno and then promptly drank lots and lots of milk for the rest of the night. :)

I have to tell you: I LOVE THIS DRINK! It's called a caipirinha and it is made of Brazilian rum (called cachaca or Cachaca Khan as I like to call it), half a lime (sliced into quarters and crushed to get the juice out, a tablespoon of sugar, crushed ice, and add the rum! I always add water because I can't take the rum straight. I LOVE IT! It's like alcoholic limeade. I'm a huge limeade fan but this drink is to die for. Some info about the drink is available here.

We also had homemade pizzas with eggplant and caramalized onions on one and sausage on the other. Oh! and mousse:

I never have to worry about eating well at Tricia's house. It's always tasty and made with love. So cheers to you!

Torchy's: One Incredible Roach Coach

2007-08-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

Perhaps you are offended by the endearing term "Roach Coach," but that's how I have come to recognize some pretty unique fare. That said, don't dare drive to South Austin for another meal (and certainly not to El Mercado) until you check out Torchy's Tacos on South First.

The milieu: a cute trailer setup in a parking lot, creekside; tables and chairs scattered around under pretty electric string lights. Screams "South Austin." Don't dare go across the street to crappy El Mercado when Torchy's awaits.

Some Scary Farming News

2007-08-20T08:46:00.001-05:00

According to this report I heard on the radio this morning, the agricultural weed killer, Roundup, has been used for so long, weeds have finally genetically mutated to resist it. Now it seems farmers, instead of plowing their fields to get rid of the weeds, are instead adding MORE chemicals to their arsenal.

Mega-corporation Monsanto owns the patent on Roundup, as well as those of the seeds it sells to produce Roundup-resistant crops, like soybeans and corn. Yes, genetically-modified foods now compete for sun and soil with mutated Roundup-resistant weeds. Is it just me or is Monsanto going to genetically modify our food supply out of existence? Hie ye to ye olde organic farmer's market!

The Impulsive Diner

2007-08-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

After a very long day of tree trimming and shopping, I craved a frosty beer and something to eat. What better to compliment said beer than a tasty hot dog on a bun? So we went to the grocery store and Ball Park turkey dogs caught my eye. Not only were they "bun size" dogs, but they had only 45 calories per frank! So I ate two!

Made from all-white turkey meat,
I took comfort in knowing I wasn't eating any "mystery" parts of cows or pigs. The flavor was a little different from the standard hot dog, but quite pleasant. So, toast some buns, get out the mustard, and enjoy!

Eating locally in Austin

2007-08-16T11:57:00.000-05:00

James McWilliams interview on KUT about the environmental impact of eating "locally" in Austin.

Adventures in Canning, part deux

2007-08-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

NPR has a nice story on canning, complete with two recipes!
**sorry, needed to clean that up a bit, eh??**
This weekend, my best friend and I are going to can tomatoes. Wish us luck!

Foot-In-Mouth Disease

2007-08-16T08:18:00.001-05:00

So far on this blogging adventure I've written about food and drink that I've had. Now is time for me to speak of food I've gone without.

Yesterday I decided not to have coffee. Well, honestly I decided the night before. My coffeemaker has one of those handy-dandy timers that allows you to set up coffee to brew at a later time. It's quite brilliant, actually. Anyway, I was very tired Tuesday night. I didn't feel like washing the coffeepot and the filter cup, or grinding beans and measuring water, blah blah blah, so I decided to forget it all and go to bed. I could just do without coffee on Wednesday. Of course I could. It's just a beverage!

Besides, the coffee I'd had Tuesday morning had been a bit funky and I guess the unpleasantness still lingered.
Wednesday morning came and I had cereal but no café.

I was fine.

Until about 3pm--when I started to get punchy. And began to feel the pangs of a headache. And lost any hope of being able to concentrate on anything. At all.

I arrived home after work and met up with my roommate and friend, and, during a simple innocent conversational exchange, the caffeine-thirsty monster leapt out of me and the simmering crankiness from my coffee-deprived brain bubbled over with a response of jerkiness that not only hurt their feelings, but left me feeling even worse.

Later, after apologizing profusely, I pledged silently to prepare my morning drug every night no matter how sleepy or lazy I felt. I'd like to make clear my coffee-less-ness was no excuse for my rude behavior, but it certainly was a factor in my poor judgment and my complete lack of diplomacy. Why is caffeine's thumb so hard to get out from under?

Adventures in Canning

2007-08-15T12:18:00.000-05:00

This Sunday marked my first successful adventure in canning!!! My husband and I found some wild Mustang grapevines along our street. We gathered a bakery box full and took them back home (he later went back and filled a five gallon bucket full for wine-making).

I have never canned anything in my life so we did some Internet searching (they have the Internet on computers now??) and found a Mustang grape jam recipe.

First: let's meet the grapes. Mustang grapes are very, very acidic, so acidic that if you handle the grapes and get the juice on your skin, you start to itch. The skins are very bitter but the fruit inside is tart and palatable. The seeds are large, like a smaller version of lemon seeds. You can eat the grapes off the vine but I recommend squeezing out the fruit and eating that, spitting out the seeds. We had a vine on our fence when I was growing up in Joshua but we rarely ate them. Sometimes, if we did eat them, our mouths, lips and throat would itch! Not fun. :)

So I began the canning process by removing the skins, leaves, and stems. Then I put the grapes in a hand "grinder/sifter": something with holes and a crank so I could turn the grapes to get the juice out. I put the grapes in the blender to chop them and the seeds up. Next you cook the pureed grapes with pectin and a sweetener. At first, I was opposed to any sweetener but the Mustangs are so tart, they needed something. Honey was the alternative that we chose because it just didn't seem right to put in sugar or Splenda.

The canning process involved lots of sterilizing the jars, then warming them up, then putting the cooked mixture into the jars, then sealing them. I think the sealing process is by far the most important process. If something goes wrong, you will get bacteria into your jam or you will have the potential for getting bacteria into the jam. The seal should be tight enough that if you press on the top of the lid, nothing should pop back at you.

For two weeks, the jam jars sat in a cabinet, protected from light and other annoyances. And then: jam! I made homemade biscuits Sunday morning for our jam debut. Well.....the biscuits were disgusting (note: shortening is gross) so I thought the jam was tainted. After more biscuit testing, I determined it was not the jam. The jam made it's workplace debut on Monday morning.

It is tart but palatable. The seeds did not get chopped up small enough to not have a noticeable crunch but it's like eating crunchy peanut butter...except that it's jam. People at work were very kind and said that the jam was good.

Next time I will try straining the seeds out so we don't get the crunchiness. But, overall, I said it was quite a success and I will happily do it again!