now, that's good eatin!

i'm baaaaaaaack....

2009-10-01T08:13:00.005-04:00

I thought when I came to check this blog after--eek!--nearly six months, that it would have been overgrown with weeds and brambles, and I'd need a scythe just to find it. But, wouldn't you know? It was right here, patiently waiting for me to come back. Not even tapping its foot with irritation. So, I'm going to give it a go again, and see what happens.

Speaking of happenings, there have been SO many since I last checked in here! Here are some highlights:
-we moved (again) to a new apartment. love the neighborhood, but hate the heroin business our neighbors are running upstairs and just the general too-closeness of living in an apartment building
-we got en-gay-ged!!!!!! yep, our engagement shower is on this Saturday. We have friends and family coming into town especially. So awesome! Super-casual potluck style on the afternoon after we ...
-are running our first 5K!!! Can you believe it? We started training in June, and it actually happens on Saturday (if you happen to be out and about in Shadyside on Saturday morning between 8-9 am, cheer for us and/or sing "Don't Stop Believin'" as we jog past you)! I'm half thrilled, half terrified.
-have eaten a bunch of new things--new recipes, old favorites, new restaurants, old favorites

So much to catch up on! And, I will make an effort to do that.

And, here's a little tidbit for you hot from the presses:
I was very excited when I learned a few weeks ago that a new little donut shop had opened in the Strip, right near my favorite coffee spot, 21st Street Coffee. Until...bum, bum, buhhhmm...someone forwarded me the owner's blog yesterday. It's so crazy that at first I wasn't sure it was even real. But, it checks out. It's frighteningly real. Homophobic, racist, extreme right wing hate under the guise of a good Christian fella. What would Jesus do? I think he'd probably boycott that donut shop with it's oh-so-ironic name (referencing peace and love and feeding inner hippies). Here's his blog post on the day that President Obama was inaugurated. Wow. The entire blog is just insane. Read as much as you can before you have to toss your donuts. This topic is all the buzz on the mailing list I moderate (with about 750 queer women in Pittsburgh). My favorite suggestion so far is that everyone should stop into this shop every time we're in the area and tell him that he's lost a customer. I plan on doing this every Saturday--which is when I otherwise would have been buying his donuts to enjoy with a cup of the fantastic joe from 21st Street. Sad all around.

2009-04-24T11:47:00.004-04:00

I recently joined Twitter. I'm still not sure I really understand it--or rather, understand the hype, but I'm in. I can't stand to be left out.

One of the people I follow is China Millman, the restaurant critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Thanks to her tweet this morning, I saw that she has a new blog on the PPG site. You can find it here. The most recent post is about more accolades being heaped onto, as you know, one of my favorite restaurants ever...Eleven, how I love thee. I work for the same parent company as Eleven, and speak to and email the chefs there pretty often. Sometimes I send them fan letters. Sometimes I let it slip that I have a chef-crush on Chef Derek Stevens. Sometimes then he doesn't write back, and possibly is afraid. I have that effect on people.

I'm actually visiting another of our restaurants this evening--Kaya, here I come! It's always delicious. I've been looking at the menu this morning trying to decide what I'll enjoy later. It's hard to decide. The tuna dish that I tried of E-dawg's that pushed me into pescatarianism is on the menu. I might have to get that. But the Edamame and Shittake Risotto sounds pretty fantastic, too. Oh, dang.

In other news, Barbara and I went down to the WV/PA border last weekend, and met up with my parents to visit a ramp festival. It was great to see them, and the ramp offerings were yummy (well, most of them--I suggest you avoid the ramp wine). I got sunburnt to a crisp, and forgot to buy fresh ramps when we were leaving, but it was a success apart from that. I just realized that my pictures are on another computer, so I'll have to post them later.

Anyhow, have a nice weekend, folks. xoxo

oh, cool!

2009-04-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

I was just looking up something on Urbanspoon.com, and saw this:

So cool!

birthday & easter eggstravaganza

2009-04-12T10:58:00.005-04:00

My birthday this year was pretty low-key, but also just perfect. I had a fun Work Birthday Celebration on Thursday (my birthday eve), and we got lunch from Dormont Dogs and one of the most fantastic cakes I've ever tasted and seen from Vanilla Pastry Studio. (the folks at big Burrito know how to celebrate).

Dormont Dogs is a little venture started by Chef Captain Barnes and his wife, and they make the best dogs I've ever had. Great ingredients and clever combinations make for some delicious hot dog fare. You can almost get everything on the menu in a veggie dog version *and* they have sweet tea on the menu. It doesn't get much better than that. We had a FEAST.

And, if that wasn't enough, the cake that Vanilla sent over was just unbelievable. I'm sad I didn't get some pics of it, but it just didn't last long enough for that. It was a four-layer vanilla cake with a melt-in-your-mouth, light-as-air buttercream, covered in shaved coconut. And, between the layers alternated the buttercream and the most delicate and perfectly tart lemon cream. The cake was so moist, and while I'm sure it was far from a "lite" treat, it tasted so light, so spring, so sunny, so delicious that even after consuming my fair share of slices, I still can't stop thinking of it. Really, really stellar.

And, that was just Birthday Eve!

On the day itself, Barbara gave me some fantastic handmade gifts, and we had a quiet evening at home. Check out The Meerkat Johaansen with his new friend The Meerkat Snicklefritz! You should have seen them laughing and playing!

On the next day, Barbara made me breakfast in bed, and I had a half-industrious/half-lazy afternoon around the house. In the evening, we went out for my birthday dinner at Eleven (my favorite restaurant in town) where Chef Derek Stevens works magic with food as his medium. We had the Chef's Vegetarian Tasting Menu (this is available every day, folks!). The meal was beautiful, and we even lucked into an extra course that the chef sent out for us to try. Here's the run-down...

Amuse Bouche:
a tiny little grilled cheese sandwich on house-made bread with morels, Upland Farms Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese and ramp pesto.
A fantastic way to start the meal! My first taste of morels and ramps for the season, and a taste of a cheese that I'd been wanting to try since Chef Bill Fuller declared it "the best cheese produced in America".

First Course: Soup and Salad
golden beet puree, whipped goat cheese, sumac
Three Sister’s Farm mesclun, olives, lemon, garlic, mint
A beautiful plate. The greens in the salad were so perfectly tender, and expertly dressed with a hint of lemon, and balanced with briny olives and delicate mint. Lovely.
The soup was the texture of velvet, and delectably sweet, and nicely balanced by the tang of the goat cheese. There was another odd taste that I couldn't place in my tastebud memory banks--I guess the sumac? I don't know anything about it. Will have to do some googling.

Second Course: Asparagus and Peas
raclette, sauce gribiche, fingerling potato crisp
This dish was Spring personified. Not only was it just a beautiful plate, but it had it all--bursting with seasonal freshness, rich colors, a mix of bold and delicate flavors and a little whimsy thrown in.
This was the only photo I took during the meal. I wish I'd captured everything, but I was too busy enjoying everything to concentrate on documenting it. But, really, wow. I'd never had sauce gribiche, but our server described it as a "tartar sauce, in vinaigrette form". It was briny with little capers, lemony, and super-fresh tasting while also being rich and satisfying. A perfect foil for the tender spring veggies. And, the tiny little whisper-thin fingerling potato chips were the perfect topping. Not only completely adorable, their crispness provided yet another layer of texture. Again, wow.

Bonus course!
Morel and Ricotta Ravioli
ramp pesto, Swiss chard, Parmigiano Reggiano
This is one of those moments that make me love my job. Getting to work with really talented chefs, and best of all--getting to try the fruits of their labor! The chef sent out this plate for us to try, and it was easily one of our favorites of the night. The ravioli were pillow soft, and stuffed with a rich ricotta and morel filling, and topped with some braised ramps and Swiss chard with a drizzle of ramp pesto. Fantastic!!!

Third Course:
Trumpet Royale
dandelion greens, semolina gnocchi, cipollini onions, balsamic vinegar
The main course was our least favorite, but it still had some great components. The mushrooms themselves were lovely (the surface just perfectly scored), but the texture just was a little tough. We ate around those to try the perfectly bitter dandelion greens and the rich little gnocchis. Yum.

Dessert:
Ehrrin - Meyer Lemon Meringue Shortcake
lemon ice cream, lemon curd, blueberry hibiscus tea, candied lemon
Oh! This plate was just beautiful! And, the lemon ice cream was rich and sweet, but the curd and blueberry tea was tart. The meringue and the shortcake rounded the whole thing out, and it was just divine. How I love a lemon dessert!
Barbara - S’more
marshmallow ice cream, graham cracker, milk chocolate Godiva mousse
Mmm! Rich and light at the same time! The mousse probably was the standout here, but the whole plate was just amazing. I had to sneak several bites to confirm.

Mignardise:
Salted Caramels
Ah, a perfect send-off for our last bite. Perfectly lovely little caramels, just with a hint of saltiness and with the bottom coated in a superfine granulated sugar.

A meal to remember indeed! Oh, Eleven, how I love thee!

Ah...

And that brings us to Easter morning. Barbara and I both woke up to Easter baskets chock full of tempting treats (the first thing I tried was a Smoked Chocolate square...interesting). And, after we'd dug through our baskets, I went to the kitchen to unpeel the eggs I prepped yesterday. I'd seen a photo of these on my favorite food porn site, Tastespotting , and needed to know more. The photo was from the Barefoot Kitchen Witch blog, and she walks you through a step-by-step of how to create these stunning Easter treats. I can't believe how simple it was! I'm following her to a tee, and making deviled eggs with them for our Easter dinner at Barbara's sister's house this afternoon. I hope everyone is as charmed as we are!

Happy Easter folks!

vegetarian

2009-04-08T13:11:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

preserved lemons - manna from heaven

2009-04-07T10:11:00.004-04:00

I had my first taste of preserved lemon when some delicate little curls of them were stationed atop a delicious spring risotto last year at Casbah. I am a lover of all things lemony, and these little bites bursting with salty, lemony brightness just rocked my world. But, it was one of the things I assumed was strictly the business of restaurants, and that I could never make something that ethereal in my own humble kitchen. But, then I stumbled across a very simple recipe for them, and undertook it--only about 20 minutes of kitchen time, and then a couple months of waiting, and voila: perfection!

I looked at a bunch of recipes online, and ultimately decided to forego any added seasonings because I wanted to be able to use them for a variety of purposes--although next time I might do them the Morroccan way because that sounds utterly heavenly, too. (David Lebovitz has some nice instructions and recipes here). So, next time you're at the market, grab a big bag of organic lemons (you definitely want organic here since you're going to be eating the skin), and some coarse sea salt, a jar, and you're ready to go.

Here's what I did:
Scrub 12 organic lemons (I preserved 8 of them, and used the others just for their juice). Here's another tip: whenever I'm juicing citrus, I always zest it first--whether or not I need it for the recipe--and keep it in the freezer. That way I always have some zest on hand when I need it. It's pretty great for sprinkling on lots of things.

Anyhow, I scrubbed my lemons, and juiced 4 of them. I got my jar ready, and made sure it and the lid were scrubbed clean. For the other eight lemons that were on their way to being preserved, I cut just the hard tip off of both ends, and then on one end I cut vertically twice in an X shape until about 1 1/2" from the other end (so, like you're quartering it lengthwise, but stopping shy of separating the quarters).

Now, you want to pack those babies with the salt--don't be shy, really pack it in there. And, throw about 1" of salt in the bottom of your jar. Now, start loading up the jar with the lemons, and really squish them in there tightly to get them to give up some juice. Keep doing this until all your lemons are packed in tightly, and squished. Throw another few tablespoons of salt over them, and then fill up the jar to the tippy-top with the lemon juice. Now, just set it on your kitchen counter, and admire it. And, also give it a few turns/shakes daily for about 4-6 weeks.

Now, open them up, and enjoy! You're going to use the rind here, so just slice it off, and discard the flesh. Use it in pretty much everything.

I used it to make a really fantastic risotto for Sunday Dinner. I just made a straight-up risotto: melt some butter, add some onion and garlic (1/2 an onion and 3 cloves of garlic), cook for a few minutes, add the aborio rice (2 cups), cook for a couple more minutes, and then start adding broth--and a couple glugs of marsala--1 cup at a time, stir, stir, stir while it soaks up each addition (adding about 3-4 cups of broth all told). It should take about 20-25 minutes. Then finish it with whatever goodness you want. For this one I added: 1/2 c. grated parmesan, some freshly ground pepper, some chopped chives and basil, and one of my preserved lemons (sliced off the skin of 1 lemon, and did a small dice). Sprinkle it with a little more of each of those things upon serving. I'd planned to also add some steamed asparagus and peas, but forgot. Ah well, still fantastic.

I served that as a main dish with some roasted green beans with onions, garlic, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic (from a Mollie Katzen recipe in The New Moosewood Cookbook), and some chive-parmesan popovers (from this month's Vegetarian Times magazine - April 2009). FYI - if you make those popovers, add a little more salt and pepper than the recipe calls for; and I made some in a proper popover pan, and the rest in a regular muffin tin. The ones in the popover pan turned out way better (the muffin tin ones were a little tough on the outer edge, as opposed to the popover pan ones that were perfectly crisp-ish).

It was a lovely meal, and tasted of spring--especially with the gorgeous weather (and then there's today - snow!? really?!). Here's a pic. See those lovely little flecks of preserved lemon in the risotto. Pure love.

Yum.

ps. stay tuned. Barbara and I are having dinner at Eleven on Friday for my birthday. I can't wait!

China-Bear, cat friend extraordinaire 04-08-92 - 03-28-09

2009-03-31T13:44:00.004-04:00

I don't have a whole lot to say, because when I start saying, I start crying, and I've been in the depths of despair for days with missing my sweet little cat. China-Bear and I were together for just-shy of seventeen years, but it doesn't seem nearly long enough.

When I first got China-Bear she was so tiny she could squeeze under little body under my bedroom door (when she got locked out at night for being an insane kitten). Over the years, she's been a best friend to me, to our other cat Loudmouth (gone now 11 years) and the K-Bear (more than friends). She had the sweetest disposition and the softest fur. Sometimes she held her breath. Sometimes she looked like a Thanksgiving turkey. She inspired songs. Once she took a big breath, and her front feet came up off the ground. She created and succeeded on the Catkins Diet.

She was loved. Very much.

And, I miss her terribly.

sea kittens

2009-03-25T13:35:00.005-04:00

My dear friend Schwatts came to visit weekend before last. She's not only one of my favorite people on the planet, but also a/an:
-real good time
-awesome chef
-hi-freakin'-larious lady
-sweet as all get-out

I wanted to, nay, needed to make a fantastic lunch for her arrival. She's fed me so many fabulous meals over the years, taught me lots, and I wanted to impress her while making it all seem, you know, effortless.

She arrived at noon that Friday (I'd taken the day off), and Barbara got home from work not long after that. After a tour of our place, a little walk with the dogs, and some chatting, I got our lunch on the table. I made:
-watercress salad with fuji apples, Cypress Grove Purple Haze chevre and a lemon vinaigrette
-Spicy Autumn Vegetable Burgers with sharp cheddar on homemade hamburger buns
-carrot and sweet potato oven fries with chipotle-orange dipping sauce
-chewy-chocolate ginger cookies for dessert

Those hamburger buns were amazing. One of my favorite things I've ever baked. They came out so well, and were so soft and tender. Loved them! I think I might make some more this week.

The cookies are heavenly. I made them for my holiday cookie exchange at work. They have such a fantastic flavor and texture, and the little crust of sugar is super. YUM.

After lunch we just visited until it was time for our next meal--a stupendous feast at Eleven. I was extra excited about the dinner because they'd just received a really fantastic review the day before.

I'd been considering starting to include some seafood in my diet for a while. A month or so ago I tried a few bites of a delicious tuna dish E-dawg was having at Kaya. So, I decided to indulge at Eleven. I know that they have options that are sustainable, and preparations that honor the ingredients.

But, I never do anything halfway. I had four courses of seafood. It was stellar. A truly memorable meal. My guts hated me for about a day and a half while they were readjusting to fish and the like, but it was truly fantastic. Eleven's food is so thoughtful and so precise that I think I had an Eleven-hangover that still lingers.

Here's the menu:
1/2 dozen Long Island Sound oysters on the half shell
(we each got a cocktail - mine was the Badlands-hattan and she had something cucumbery)

then the Chef's Tasting with Wine pairing:
-Spicy Tuna Tartar & Yellowtail Sashimi
kumquat ponzu, seaweed salad, lemon miso, cucumber, radishes, spicy soy
(the ponzu was served in a tiny little kumquat half!)
served with champagne (Leon Palais Blanc de Blanc, Doue La Fontaine)

Wild Striped Bass
calamari, Israeli cous cous, oven roasted & sundried tomatoes, watercress and caperberries
served with some delicious red wine that tasted like dried cherries and smoke (2003 Poderi La Collina Platinum Nebbiolo-Barbera)

Chatham Cod
Jonah crab risotto, forest mushrooms, leeks
served with a really great white wine (not sure what this one was, but I just emailed the restaurant to ask)

Black Forest Trifle
dense chocolate cake, dried cherries, Kirsh, milk chocolate cream, a little fudge on the bottom and a cocoa nib tuile
served with an unbelievable sparkling dessert wine (2007 Castello Banfi Brachetto d'Acqul Rosa Regale)

Wow. Just wow. Chef Derek Stevens is a rock star.

So, anyhow, to get to the title of this post, Katherine (aka "Schwatts") said that she'd read that PETA are now referring to fish/seafood as "sea kittens" to discourage people from eating them. And, we talked about the irony in that anytime anything is Super Cute we want to bite and/or eat it--you know, like babies' toes and, well, kittens. Oh, those wacky PETA-ers. I was down with them when I was younger, but the parade of blatantly sexist shock ads over the years, among other antics, soured me on them. But, that said, I do feel a little guilt at eating fish. I've been a vegetarian on and off since I was 13, largely because of the treatment of animals. But, I've also constantly and consistently missed the fish. My plan now is to occasionally eat seafood, but still primarily with a vegetarian diet. And, to make sure that the seafood I eat is sustainable. Just fyi.

Okay, so back to the incredible Schwatts. I mentioned to her that I have a problem with groceries. I buy A Lot of groceries. I spend a lot of time reading cookbooks and food magazines and food blogs and such, and every time I read about some new exotic or esoteric ingredient I feel like I.Must.Have.It. Even though, I already have a pretty bangin' pantry. I want to change this because I want to spend less and not overflow my space. So, she marched me into the kitchen with some boxes of glass jars and a sharpie, and we went through the entire kitchen--pantry, freezer, refrigerator--and cleaned out stuff that was old and/or unused and labeled and dated everything. And, then we went grocery shopping, and got some things to make some bulk snacks for the week. She made an enormous fruit salad, and we roasted four pans of veggies. She labeled all my leftovers. It was brilliant and such a lovely sight to behold! I feel so much more organized, and prepared to cook from my beautiful and well-stocked pantry. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Schwattzie-Bear.

I took fruit salad to work every day, and some incarnation of the roasted veggies. Here are some pizzas I made last week. One used the roasted veg, the other some sauce from a big batch I made, and I made a big batch of pizza dough, and froze some, so we've been able to just grab it and make a quick lunch or dinner any time.

I'm trying to be better about planning out our meals ahead of time, and having yummy stuff already ready to cook and eat. AND, trying to eat down the huge stockpile of food from the pantry.

Last night I made a variation of this wonderfully simple recipe from Mark Bittman's column "The Minimalist" in the NYT. I started my water boiling with some carrot, onion and garlic, and then swapped out the rice wine vinegar for an umeboshi vinegar, added cubed nigari tofu, swapped out the egg noodles for soba, and added some frozen peas right before serving. All told it probably took me twenty minutes, and it was completely delicious (and pretty low-fat and low-cal) and super fragrant. I brought the leftovers for lunch today, and it was even better. I love this recipe!

sea kittens

2009-03-25T11:31:00.005-04:00

bullied into blogging

2009-03-24T15:52:00.004-04:00

Well, I guess not actually bullied--just encouraged. Pal Jess told me to sign up for Yelp, so I did, and was really curious about the Sousa dinner. So, I just did a quick review. I'm cross-posting it here. And, I'll backtrack on the other topics I mentioned next time.

Luckily, I found out about Kevin Sousa's guerrilla dinner series (while his to-be restaurant is still in its raw state) from a friend and fellow dining aficionado.

I read an article in the New York Times a few months ago about "The Anti-Restaurants" by Melena Ryzik and about a book called Secret Suppers by Jenn Garbee, and I was totally intrigued about these underground chefs and dining experiences. And, then I got to try one!

This dinner (03/22/09) was an all vegetarian six-course feast. The space is totally raw--no kitchen, even. Long tables, covered in paper and set with plastic-ware, and we saw friends and some usual suspects from the local dining scene. I really loved the atmosphere. Super casual, and charged with excitement.

The menu was:
1st: mushroom
wasabi, ginger, seaweed, rice cracker, avocado, ramp pickles, soy, cilantro, sesame

2nd: beets
endive, blood orange, truffle, mustard, fiore sardo, croutons, rosemary honey water

3rd: soy kefta
tomato, cumin, onion, chick peas, mint, parsley, shepherd's bread, quail egg

4th: miso risotto
chive blossoms, preserved meyer lemon, bok choy, smoked paprika, tofu

5th: eatloaf
tempeh, potato puree, green bean casserole, shiitake gravy, fermented pepper ketchup

6th: chocolate
yuzu, basil, lime, malt, yogurt, pumpkin seed rice krispies, peant butter

My preferences of courses was: 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 6.

3: The soy kefta was phenomenal. Very rustic, seemingly simple street food-esque. Fantastic flavors. The spicing tasted Moroccan to me (kefta, in general, is a Middle Eastern/Greek-style dish). It also tasted like it could be the filling for the Best Sloppy Joe In The World. The little (soft) fried quail egg on top is a twist on a classic preparation, and totally key. The soft yolk with the spiced filling is just perfect. I could seriously eat this pretty much every day.

1: The mushroom course was very sashimi-ish. I was sad that the ramp pickles were left off my plate, but luckily my dining companion shared. The mushrooms were royal trumpets, and someone commented that the texture was similar to a scallop, and I definitely got that. Really nice and fresh-tasting. A perfect way to start.

4: The miso risotto was a revelation. I'd never think of putting miso in risotto, but it really gave it a wonderful richness. The preserved lemon brightened the flavor and provided a really lovely contrast. The risotto was perfectly cooked--quite impressive without a real kitchen.

2: The beets were tasty. I always love beets for their sweet earthiness and their gorgeous hue. I think this dish could really have been stellar with some spiffed up knife skills (pretty rounds of beets and small radish batons would have sealed the deal) and more blood orange.

5: The eatloaf meal was a nice spin on a classic Sunday supper. I really like tempeh, but several folks at the table weren't fans (of tempeh in any incarnation). It was good, but just didn't pop my socks off the way some of the other courses did. I liked the ketchup a lot, and the gravy was yummy, but the rest was largely forgettable.

6: My least favorite course was the dessert. It had a lot going on, and just felt sort of disjointed. The chocolate slice incorporated peanut butter, and felt really heavy compared to some of the other components. Also, I'm not really a foam fan. It just kind of looks like spit, but that's a personal preference. I would have loved a dessert concentrating on the citrus and basil flavors, but that's also a personal preference for me. I love chocolate, but I love fresh citrus even more.

All in all, it was a really great meal, and really fun atmosphere. I wish I'd taken my camera. I hope I get to attend another of these before the actual restaurant opens, but I'm also looking forward to the seeing what the space and menu end up looking like.

If you have a chance, check out one of the upcoming dinners. And, reserve early; they sell out.

foiled!

2009-03-23T09:25:00.002-04:00

Well, I loaded all my images in on Friday evening for my bloggin' extravaganza on Saturday morning, and then...my NEW computer broke. Yep, the laptop I bought one mere month ago. The display went out. And, despite the best efforts of the help desk, it didn't come back. Now I have to wait for a mailer, ship it in, wait for the repair, and then to have it re-shipped home. It could be as long as a month. And, my hard drive will be wiped. My heart is broken.

And, then a couple hours later my glasses broke. Snapped in half. Luckily the awesome lady at Perle Vision in Waterworks (thanks, Jamie!) was able to find a pair of frames that kinda fit my lenses, and was able--through heat and ingenuity--to reform the frames around my lenses. Phew!

So...my blogging was foiled despite my solemn swear.

But, I'm going to try to get some time on a computer in the next few days because now I have even *more* to report! I did some great eating this weekend. On Saturday, Barbara and I went over to the home of our pals Liz and Emily (and Ben B-R, Erma and Janet-Angel-of-the-Lord) for a Liz-made Indian feast, and I went to one of Kevin Sousa's guerrilla dinners last night that was really fun and delicious.

i solemnly swear

2009-03-20T10:12:00.002-04:00

I really do. I solemnly swear to blog some time this weekend. I have SO much to share!

-a truly memorable meal at Eleven
-a visit and kitchen overhaul from my dearest Schwatts
-some baking adventures
-some other assorted good eatin'
-a change in the way i'm eating
-trying (and struggling) to get back on track

advice corner

2009-03-01T10:04:00.007-05:00

1. Do not get kidney stones.

Well, that's pretty much all the advice I have right now, but it's valuable, peeps. After two ER visits, two nights in the hospital, and a surgery, I can say with certainty and some authority that kidney stones are a drag. And, they said that it was the size of a freckle. It's unbelievable what a freckle with bad intentions can do to a body.

I am very lucky to have Barbara to nurse me and play Scrabble endlessly. (thanks, baby).

I got home from the hospital on Friday late morning, and am definitely feeling better, but it's relative 'cause I still feel pretty darn cruddy. Also, all the medicine than I'm taking has it's own set of issues. Let's just say that there's some irregularity happening, and leave it at that.

Well, one more thing about the irregularity, but only because it ties into a recipe. I shuffled downstairs this morning determined to try to deal with it from a dietary angle. I made some buckwheat waffles with flax seeds and blueberries. I adapted it from this recipe that was adapted from a recipe in The Pancake Handbook (I just requested that from the library), but here's what I did:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup golden roasted flax seeds, ground coarsely
1 egg, separated
1 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup blueberries (I used some I had frozen from this past summer)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. In a smaller bowl mix up the egg yolk, yogurt, water and butter. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients all at once and stir just to blend. Like usual, whip the egg white with a hand mixer or a whisk until soft peaks form, then fold the whites gently into the batter.

If using a waffle iron, let it heat up first, then portion out about 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter into the iron. Liberally sprinkle the blueberries (I used them frozen, straight from the freezer). Close it, and wait for it to stop steaming. The waffle should become slightly browned and crisp. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Fun fact that I learned from the Dinner With Kirsten blog: buckwheat is an herb, not a grain, and is a cousin of rhubarb. Crazy!

I have been trying to do some baking each weekend, but I don't think that will happen today. But, I am trying to score some sourdough starter, so hopefully I'll have a post about that soon. I've never made a sourdough bread, but I'm excited to try it. Last weekend I made some basic whole wheat bread from a recipe in the The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole Grain Breadmaking book. Barbara made some potato-leek soup to go along with it. The bread was good, but not that exciting. The soup was souper!

backsliding

2009-02-17T06:11:00.003-05:00

So...I'd let myself slide by here and there with not eating the way I should, and then with the kidney stones, I did a lot of justifying about how I needed a little comfort (from food). So, I didn't weigh myself this week. I'm afraid. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gained back five pounds. Ugh. I need to rededicate, but I haven't done it yet. Why is it so hard???

I've still been cooking, just not as healthfully as I should.

Um...

Okay. In other news, B and I just celebrated our second valentine's day. This year we decided not to buy one another valentines, but to exchange ones we made for one another. She made me this really sweet card with stitching and a fancy button, and I embroidered her a ladies handkerchief. But, she said that she wouldn't ever blow her nose on it, so framed it instead.

We also went to the Pittsburgh Glass Center on Valentine's Eve, and did this couples' workshop on pulling glass flowers. Really fun! We get to pick them up today, and I can't wait to see how they turned out.

On the day itself, I made Barbara some valentine's pancakes with blueberry syrup and veggie sausage (the pancake recipe was, guess who's...Heidi's!).

And, then for dinner, I made the Vegetable Wellington I'd been planning on making last year for V-day dinner (before the comedy of errors set upon me, and we just ordered pizza instead).

The wellington is based on this recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine. I didn't use the pesto or tomato sauces, and used Cypress Grove Purple Haze goat cheese (oh dang, that's good cheese), and the veggies were onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, spinach and parsley. Barbara made some garlic green beans to accompany it. So yummy.

On Sunday, I made West Virginia delicacies--pepperoni rolls, vegetarian style (using LightLife faux pepperoni slices). I used this recipe for the dough (almost ALL the recipes I found called for frozen dough or canned biscuit dough, but this dough was easy and slightly sweet and just worked out swell). I used the faux pepperoni, a little grated parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, and in some of them, hot pepper jack. I had to bake them longer than the recipe said (about 22 minutes), but they turned out so well. Seriously, they taste just like the best versions of the real thing.

Incidentally, has anyone heard anything about a successful Pepperoni Roll Diet? If so, I'd be eager to hear about it. Just sayin'.

the best of times, the worst of times

2009-02-11T08:53:00.002-05:00

It really has been a mixed bag lately. On the positive side, things with my lady have never been better, I got my tax refund within 5 days, and bought myself a brandy-new laptop, had a stellar dinner out at Kaya the other night, and am still slowly making progress towards my goal (15 pounds down). But, now I'm laid out with the slow and steady descent of a kidney stone through my system. Luckily, it's not this kidney stone (thanks, Kramer). But, I just feel pretty cruddy. And, I had a dream last night that I passed it, and it already had a little thingy on it so that it could be put on a necklace. Weird.

I want to write more, and show off my new laptop, but I just don't feel very well. So, I'll do that later.

oh, dang.

2009-01-27T10:33:00.004-05:00

Luckily, I've been doing better with my eating than with my blogging. Although, a combination of some hard times and a surly uterus did contribute to a couple un-diet-y indulgences this past weekend. For the most part I'm going okay. Thirteen pounds down, and I'm feeling good about it. Just over half way to my first goal of twenty-five pounds. Woot!

And, I've definitely been doing some good eatin'. Last night I made this recipe for Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh, recently featured on 101cookbooks.com. As Heidi promises, it's lick-your-plate good. It's a recipe that she tweaked by Jude Blereau. Her new cookbook (that contains this recipe) isn't available in the US yet, but I found her previous one used on amazon, and it should arrive any day. I can't wait.

I paired the tempeh with wheatberries, per Heidi's suggestion, and Barbara made some garlic green beans to go with it. It was a taste and textural dream! Really. Make this tonight.

Other recent highlights have been:
-Heidi's firecracker cornbread with spicy rice and beans

-homemade flour tortillas for burritos with leftover spicy rice and beans

-chili verde with seitan (using one of my holiday gifts - some of Chef Bill Fuller's home-canned green chili sauce)

And, just for fun, here's a picture of our dogs in their new coats!

struggling

2009-01-16T11:46:00.002-05:00

I've just gotten started, and I'm already struggling. When it's zero degrees (or less) outside, all I want is some comfort food--something, anything that is warm and gooey and bad for me.

And, I also feel pretty depressed--possibly the weather, or just a regular bout of what I'm prone to.

I know, logically, that eating well and making progress on my goal will make me feel good, but in the moment it's tough to remember that.

Also, work has been sucktastic for the past few months, and I'm just feeling stressed.

But, I'm trying to soldier on. I went swimming with Kramer at the Oliver Bath House a few days ago, and we're planning on going again today (though the thought of being damp even for a second in this frigid air is scary!). I'm trying to remember that it felt really nice, and was a great low-impact exercise that doesn't hurt my feet and my ankle.

At least it's Friday, right?

another one bites the dust!

2009-01-12T14:48:00.003-05:00

Actually, another five. Pounds, that is. Down ten in total so far!

It's really satisfying to see some movement on the scale going down instead of up. It's always slower than I'd like, but I'm just glad it's happening.

The weekends are more challenging for me since there's more time around the house for snacking and such, and more opportunities to feel like I'd like to indulge, but all in all, I did okay. I did splurge on making pancakes on Saturday morning, which didn't seem so bad until I entered them in the recipe calculator. And, there were other, more reasonable splurges, like some homemade vanilla-coconut frozen yogurt with fresh mango (with the 0% Fage Greek yogurt).

Tonight I have my monthly "Queers: They're What's For Dinner!" dinner, and I'm not sure what the menu will be, but i just have to keep portion control in mind, and I think I'll be okay.

the week in review

2009-01-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

I don't remember how long they (the ever-present "they") say it takes to make a habit, but it hasn't happened yet. I've been doing well, but it's always a struggle in the evenings. When we're huddled around ye olde television set watching some "Lost" or "Office" dvds, I want something to have, something for snacking. Usually chocolate comes to mind.

But, I've actually done okay, despite my cravings. I've been tracking my food and intake on www.sparkpeople.com. It's really helpful for me to have to log everything because it completely cuts out the mindless snacking--which was happening A LOT, at work especially.

I didn't stick exactly to the meals we'd planned, but pretty closely, which was really nice to not have to turn circles in the kitchen for a half hour before deciding what to make for dinner. And, nice to have leftovers to bring as lunches. I've been planning out my days at work every day, and that's been working great. I bring breakfast, a.m. snack, lunch, p.m. snack, and then I feel well-fed all day, and am not ravenous as soon as I walk in the door at home.

Here's a sample of my feed bag for work:

from l-r:
1. Steel-cut oats, soaked overnight (not cooked) w/ red grapefruit, raspberries & blueberries w/ Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey
2. a raw carrot, sliced into bite-size pieces
3. leftovers from the night before--Thai pineapple curry
4. 2% milkfat cottage cheese with a little fresh pineapple
5. down in front, a whole-wheat lavash roll-up with cheddar, avocado, spinach and a little diced quorn

Taking snacks like this, I feel satisfied and healthy all day.

I've also been having water chug-offs with my favorite work-pal every hour on the hour. That guarantees that we've gotten our eight cups by the time we leave for the day.

And, here's the curry before the brilliant colors were dulled by a night in the fridge. I just threw this together, but next time I'll add tofu and onion for sure. And, a little more heat.

I bought myself a rice cooker for ease of making grains (confession: I suck at making rice), and I love it!! That was the first run, and the rice was perfection. I LOVE it.

Okay, have a super weekend, and keep on keepin' on.

the first week

2009-01-05T14:27:00.005-05:00

So, today officially marks a week into the Health Quest 2009! (I started a couple days still in 2008). I am planning to weigh myself each Monday morning to chart the progress, and this morning I was down by 5.4 lbs! Woot! That's encouraging to see! I attribute this all to all the water I've been drinking. And, I was thinking that I'd start to keep a list of some tips that are helping me.

1. Drink LOTS of water. I'm trying to make sure that I drink, at bare minimum, 8 cups of water per day.
2. Track everything I eat. For one, I find this fun, for two, I'm less likely to mindlessly snack when I know that I have to log everything.
3. Try to be flexible.

Number Three is a hard one for me. I'm rigid by nature, and I find this trait to be both a positive and a negative, depending on the circumstance. When I began my Health Quest in 2007 I was so strict that I ate no (zero) processed foods. I didn't eat out. I didn't eat at other people's houses. I spent pretty much all my time cooking and logging and blogging. Which did help me learn to cook a lot of things that I'd never attempted before, but also contributed to my feeling of being so completely invested in the strictness of my program that when I fell off the wagon, it felt overwhelming to have deviated from the plan.

So, I'm trying to be much more relaxed about it this time. The truth of the matter is that it's going to take a long time to lose the weight and gain the health that I want, so I need to be realistic in settling into something I can live with for a long time. So, if I eat something out that is higher in fat or calories (or whatever), then I just need to balance that the rest of the day(s) to make sure that I'm continuously heading in the right direction, but not feeling constantly hungry or deprived. I don't want food to be a reward or punishment tool anymore. Instead I want it to just be something that I love--to cook, to learn about and to eat.

To those ends, I did a little cooking this weekend. Just some simple things. I made the Caesar Salad from Veganomicon (just tweaked a tiny bit to cut back on some of the oil while retaining the fantastic flavor), some egg salad (replaced half of the mayo with greek yogurt), and some awesome peach frozen yogurt that I made with some home-canned peaches I got as an xmas gift (in the work Secret Santa exchange from Chef Bill Fuller). I love yogurt. I especially love frozen yogurt. And, I especially-especially love having the taste of REAL peaches in the dead of winter.

Here's my uber-simple peach fro-yo recipe. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker, but here's a great article by David Lebovitz about making frozen treats even if you don't have a machine.

Peach Frozen Yogurt
makes 6 servings

8oz 2% Fage Greek Yogurt
8oz 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
4 peaches (separated)
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Using a food processor or blender, combine the yogurts, 3-3.5 of the peaches, the sugar and the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust sugar and lemon juice as necessary.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. About halfway through the freezing, throw the remaining peach (cut in small chunks) into the mix.

My machine finishes in about 20 minutes, and comes out the consistency of soft serve. If I can wait to dig in, I freeze it for about a half hour to firm it up a little.

.........

Oh, and Number Four is a big one: Plan my meals for the week in advance! I've always just sorta cooked by inspiration, and by digging around in the pantry, but I tend to WAY overbuy groceries and often don't have that one ingredient I'd need for whatever it is. But, again, I don't have to be super rigid in the plan. Things can change. The loose sketch for this week's dinners is:

Monday: Beans & Greens with pasta and a salad
Tuesday: Butternut-Bean veggie burgers
Wednesday: Big Salad
Thursday: Thai Pineapple Curry over jasmine rice
Friday: leftovers or a stir-fry or big salad
Saturday: Wheatberry Salad & Sloppy Janes
Sunday: Veggie Chili and corn bread

I'm trying to think about what ingredients may be used in various meals, as well as planning for lunches to take to work. Another project for this week is that we're going to start washing and prepping all our veggies to have them ready at a moment's notice for salads, stir-fries, etc.

Anyhow, keep on keepin' on, peeps. And again, please share any little words of encouragement or tips you have up your sleeve. It really does help.

re-dedication 2009

2009-01-02T11:45:00.004-05:00

When I first started this blog, I had a couple of months under my belt of Health Quest 2007. In the preceding months, my father had died of diabetes complications, I'd discovered Michael Pollan and Heidi Swanson, and I was afire with dedicating myself to get my health and weight under control. And, I did really, really well for six or seven months, and then I started gradually adding back in sweets and processed foods until I'd gained back all I'd lost (plus four extra pounds), and found myself in the doctor's office with a mysterious rash that was explained as a pre-Diabetes warning sign. And, then a few days later I saw a picture of myself, looking not unlike Jabba the Hutt, shoving a forkful of food into my mouth. Yuck.

So, this is my re-dedication to Health Quest 2009. I'm going to start blogging more regularly because it helps to have to be accountable. And, I'm starting fresh. Making sure I am drinking my 8 cups of water (at least). Cutting out all the processed crap that eked back into my diet over the past year and a half. Keeping an eye on my nutritional intake. Exercising.

And, all the while trying not to get so obsessive with it that I give it all up when I have one misstep.

I fired up my old www.sparkpeople.com account to track my food and exercise. I like data. It helps me stay focused. And, it's a free site. If you're trying to lose weight and get healthy, you should check it out. It works much like a Weight Watchers-style plan.

If anyone has some supportive words of encouragement, a personal story, or any such thing, please post it in the comments!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, Xmas/Chanukah/Kwanza and New Year!

wintry mix

2008-11-17T11:57:00.005-05:00

It snowed this weekend.

While I think snow is pretty when it's lain like a blanket over everything and iced the trees in lacy white, I still hate to see this time of year come. (this is NOT the kind of snow we had this weekend, btw).

But, I did do a little cooking in my effort to once and for all eradicate the cold/flu-type thing that's been pestering me and trying to get a foothold for the past week or so. Heidi posted a recipe from Super Natural Cooking on her blog the other day, and it's one that I'd overlooked previously. You can find the post and recipe here. It seemed like the kind of soup that fights off colds. It was good and easy, if a bit plain. I made her "Cornmeal Crunch" recipe to have alongside it. We had that for Sunday dinner along with some roasted acorn squash and onion and some little buttermilk biscuits, and Barbara's Garlic Green Beans with Buttered Breadcrumbs. Luckily, the green beans saved the meal from being completely monochromatic (and I was drinking apple cider, to add another element of golden goodness).

Speaking of that cider, actually, you guys (in the Greater Pittsburgh area) should seek out the cider from Kistaco Farms. I first tasted it when we got it a couple times in our CSA. It's so, so good. The co-op is carrying it right now. Get some! It's the best cider ever!

And, now I have some sad news to report. The last Saturday of the season for the Firehouse Farmers Market is this coming Saturday. And, the last week of the season for the city Farmers Markets is next week. There is one year-round market, but it's a bit sparse.

Farewell, fresh local produce. I'll miss you terribly, and I'll be waiting with bated breath for you in the spring.

celebration

2008-11-12T10:54:00.002-05:00

I can't, as I'm sure many of you can't, stop thinking about Election Night. Never in my lifetime have I seen so many people celebrating--so joyous, so together as one. All over the country, all over the world, even! It's an amazing thing. I know, of course, that Obama isn't a one-man fix to all our problems, but his win has made me, and so many of us feel HOPE for the first time in so, so long.

Here's my favorite video of the celebrations because it also includes another of my favorite things...Journey.

Enjoy!

for fun

2008-11-11T14:18:00.004-05:00

I snagged this from Bill Fuller's blog. While I'm currently a vegetarian, not an omnivore, I have been an omnivore at various times in life, and have always been an adventurous eater. Here's how this little meme works:

Here is the original link. (The parentheticals are mine--ek).

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (no, but have tried alligator)
6. Black pudding (hockey pucks of doom)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (no, but I've seen it. i think that's close enough)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (oh, how I miss oysters...)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (I'm always curious to try this, but always go for the sweet or mango)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea (this just means a traditional tea w/ clotted cream scones, right?)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat (Have had goat; just not curried)
42. Whole insects (only by accident, which I don't think counts)
43. Phaal (i will rely on its reputation)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (Hurd, remember that trip to Toronto?)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (clay?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (i really want to! i love the idea of a fruit that's been banned for being stinky)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost (this sounds yummy)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (someday...French Laundry or Per Se...)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

beans, beans, good for your heart

2008-11-10T14:41:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I hadn't really thought about it until last night, but I made several dishes with beans as the central player. And, that became obvious in our household yesterday evening. I'll say no more.

Except this.

Here's what it looks like the first time you introduce a new bean dish in your home:

And, here's what it looks like when you've introduced the fourth bean dish in one weekend:

And, speaking of bean dishes, here's one of them that I remembered to photograph. We had the Spicy Autumn Burgers last night with some oven baked fries and a basil aioli. (and, I actually had the last burger for lunch today, and they're even better the next day!).

Okay. Enough of beans.

Tonight I think we're going to have pasta with tomato sauce and "meat"balls. There's a recipe in my How To Cook Everything Vegetarian with nuts and rice as the base. Seriously, if you're a vegetarian, you should own this cookbook. It has EVERYTHING, and variations on each recipe. I love it. Mark Bittman thinks of everything. And, he's not even a vegetarian. Amazing.

And, though it has nothing to do with food, I'll share this photo with you of my number one boy and his friend and cuddle buddy, Chewbacca.

fall back

2008-11-09T14:47:00.005-05:00

Okay, before I say anything about food or cooking, I'd just like to express my extreme JOY and ELATION that we have a new President(-elect)!!! I actually feel hope; the dark ages are drawing to a close after eight long years of fear, hate and general idiocy. Hallelujah! We Baraked the vote! Woot!

Alright. I've been posting so infrequently over the past few months that I never even think to photograph my plates until they're at least half-devoured. I'm going to try to start remembering, though because I just love all the colors in autumn cooking. There was a time when I compulsively photographed everything I ate. My hard drive is full of memories of meals enjoyed. So, yeah, my fall resolution is to remember to do that, and hopefully that'll make me blog more.

Anyhow, I cooked a lot this weekend. I was inspired by my new issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, and by my very own copy of Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian that Barbara got me since I kept repeatedly checking it out of the library, and not giving anyone else a turn.

On Saturday morning, we got our sustenance for our trip to the Handmade Arcade from some lovely pumpkin pancakes from the VT recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes with Honey Raspberry Syrup in the article "Kitchen Prescriptions"--recipes for fighting off colds and flu (B has a bad cold, and I'm trying to fend it off), though we just used maple syrup since I didn't have any raspberries on hand. They were soft and tender and delicious, and totally hit the spot. I had a yummy veggie dog from Franctuary at the arcade, then headed home to enjoy our fantastic new art purchases, and make dinner. I tried another recipe from the same VT article for Soupe au Pistou. It's a hearty veggie bean soup. The pistou (kind of a French pesto) comes into the picture when you serve it. You put a couple tablespoons of the pistou in the bottom of the bowl, and then ladle the hot soup over it, so the heat releases the flavors without cooking it. It was heavenly, and just extremely lovely to boot. I paired that with some warm Yogurt Herb Bread (a quick bread recipe from Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoi Forest). E-dawg joined us for our fragrant dinner, and showed off her own arcade purchases. We made hot cocoa with fluff for dessert, and all was right with the world.

And then late last night while cleaning out my book bag (no, it is NOT a purse), I came across a recipe I'd printed from somewhere (maybe Chow.com?) for Butterscotch Brownies (they were really blondies, not brownies, but anyway). They were super-simple, and really nice.

Sunday morning's breakfast was a grilled cheese sandwich with the Yogurt Herb bread with some cheddar and roquefort, and a couple small squares of the butterscotch bars and coffee.

For lunch, I turned to Mark Bittman's gigantic tome, and made his recipes for Braised Turnips, Spicy Autumn Burgers and Fast, Down-Home Barbeque Sauce. I put the burgers on a toasted bun, and topped them with some carmelized onions, cheddar and the bbq sauce. The turnips and a cup of yesterday's soup rounded out the plate, and were washed down with some apple cider. A cup of hot tea with a butterscotch bar made dessert.

Even though it's cold outside, I feel all toasty warm and sated, and ready to sit down with a crossword and some Iron and Wine playing softly in the background. This has been my kinda weekend.

sunday dinner

2008-10-13T10:55:00.006-04:00

I love a good old-school style Sunday dinner. Comfort food like my mom used to make. Or, still does make, I'm just not there to eat it. (But B and I are going down for Thanksgiving, and I can't wait!).

So, yesterday I made us a Sunday dinner of "meat"loaf, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed mixed greens with onions, garlic and pinenuts. It hit the spot. I based the "meat"loaf on how Mom used to make it with a few updates:

1 roll of Gimme Lean ground beef style
1 small onion, minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, minced (I was out of this, but would have used it if I'd had it)
1/3 c. minced crimini mushrooms
1/2 c. whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan
1/3 c. freshly shredded cheddar
2 eggs
1/4 c. ketchup
1 1/2 T. mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mush it all up, and put it in a greased loaf pan. Cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and stir together some extra ketchup and mustard for the glaze. Spread that over the top, then put it back in the oven, uncovered, for another 25 minutes.

Voila! Lovin' from the oven. (what the bleep? this photo isn't showing up giant-size! still working on it...)

(aren't those plates great? a gift from Maggie. i LOVE them).

I'm really looking forward to the Veggie Dinner at Kaya on Wednesday. Check out the menu here. Yuh-um.

yikes!

2008-10-08T10:13:00.005-04:00

Wowza. I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd blogged. I've thought of it often, and have wanted to, but life kept getting in the way.

Work, as always, has been kind of insanely busy. And, non-work, too. Barbara, my number one lady, was hit by a car while biking to work at the end of August. She's okay, but had some broken bones, some sprains, and lots of bruises and scrapes. It was so scary. If you're a biker, please always wear your helmet. If you're a driver, be cognizant of bikers on the road. The week before Barbara was hit, the E-dawg was, too. Just three blocks up. In the bike lane. By an uninsured driver. Effed up. She's okay now, too, and back to running races.

Also, in the meantime Hurd celebrated her big 3-0, and Mags celebrated her 30-something. A big wish for a lovely year for both these fine ladies. They've enriched and enhanced my life in countless ways, and I'm forever indebted to their mothers for birthing them, and raising them up right.

In other friend news, Nowlzie is going to be doing some birthing herself soon! I cannot wait to meet this little guy. He's going to have the best parents in all the land, and undoubtedly going to be quite the handsome fella.

And, for food, I've been doing some fabulous eating over the past few months. I've been hitting the Kaya Veggie Dinner monthly. I've known about this for a couple years, but had never made it. Now I'm completely hooked. August's dinner was seriously yumazing. September's dinner was not quite as good as August's stellar offering, but it was also really great. And, it's just always a fun night with friends over a leisurely dinner. And, it's always extra fun that the chef, Danielle Cain, stops by to say hello. She's super sweet, as well as a really gifted chef. Her two sous chefs are also really fantastic, Dave and Jason always put out some great dishes also. in fact, we're still all talking about Jason's dessert from August--grilled local peaches with a Point Reyes blue cheese ice cream, candied pecans, and blackberry coulis. Really, really great. The next dinner is next Wednesday, October 15th. I think (hope!) they're going to publish the menu today or tomorrow. I can't wait to see what they have planned. It's always fresh, largely local ingredients prepared in really interesting and beautiful ways. Yum.

And, one more big Burrito-related item, and I'll be done plugging. big Burrito is hosting an event, big Benefit, supporting the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank this Sunday, October 12th. 100% of the food revenue for that night's dinner will be donated for this third annual event. It's a great way to have a lovely evening with fantastic food, and also support a super local organization.

Okay. Enough big talk.

I'm excited about the season change. I love--LOVE--summer produce and the bounty, but I'm thrilled that the weather is changing (although not the early darkness; that's a bummer), and I love the new seasonal additions to my CSA and the farmers market. Winter squash, apples, pears, the last of the foraged mushrooms, and the cutest vegetable of all--the brussels sprout. I haven't seen any sprouts yet at the market, but I'm hoping they'll be here soon. They're best picked after the first frost. I can't wait.

In the meantime, I've renewed my love affair with the butternut squash. Last night I prepared a big one, by slicing it in half, seeding it, and cutting out a big hollow in the stem part (the most difficult and time-consuming part of this dish. everything else is easy-peasy). I did a small dice of the squash flesh I'd removed, tossed them with a little splash of olive oil and a little splash of balsamic vinegar, and some sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and covered them with foil, and baked at 350 for about 20-25 minutes--until it was tender, but not falling apart. And, with the two whole halves of squash, I put a little honey and cayenne into a baking dish, and put them cut side down, and put about 2T of water in, covered them with foil, and cooked them for about 40 minutes, until very tender (the time depends on the size of your squash).

In the meantime, I cooked some red quinoa (you don't have to use red, it just looks really pretty with the other ingredients). Then I tossed about 3 c. of the quinoa with the cooked, diced squash, about 1/4 c. of freshly grated parmesan. While the quinoa was cooking, I lightly sauteed about 1/3 c. of chopped onion, about 1/4 c. of this gorgeous fragrant celery (with the leaves) that I got at the market, a clove of garlic, a splash of olive oil, some chopped fresh sage (about 2T), and some chopped fresh parsley (also about 2T). I folded that into the squash-quinoa mixture.

I melted some butter in a pan, and browned some whole wheat panko bread crumbs, and put that on top, and popped the whole thing back into the oven for about 15 minutes. When that was done, I scooped it into the halves, and served it with some chopped fresh chives on top. It was beautiful, seasonal, and absolutely delicious. I wish I was a better photographer.

Welcome, Autumn. I salute you.

oh, life.

2008-08-18T14:10:00.007-04:00

I've sure you're sick of reading me say it, but I've been so busy! Work is kicking my ass, there are always a million things to do around the house, a million things to do with family and friends and assorted obligations and responsibilities and the like. In sum, I'm tired and no end is in sight.

But, I have been eating and cooking a little along the way. Some highlights along the way have been...

1. this Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake from (guess where!) 101cookbooks.com, Heidi Swanson's blog. Barbara and I, along with the E-dawg, went to dinner at some friends' house last week, and had a lovely evening with lovely food. One friend eats a gluten-free diet, so when I saw this recipe I knew it was the winner. Even those among us that hate goat cheese (I know! Blasphemy!) loved it. My photo of the cheesecake right out of the oven isn't as pretty as Heidi's, but it smelled so good I almost dug in right then.

2. While I was on a zucchini-grating bender for the cheesecake, I decided to play around with making some veggie pancakes with all my zucchini. I grated a few zucchini, drained them (and squeezed more moisture out for good measure) and a couple potatoes. Threw in some minced onion and herbs (dill, parsley, chives and basil), a couple beaten eggs, some freshly grated parmesan, salt and pepper and about 1.5 cups of flour. Mixed it all together, and dropped it by heaping spoonfuls into a skillet that was over medium-high heat with some olive oil. I served these with a drizzle of crema, and they were really tasty! And, they were so easy and nice, I have been thinking of all sorts of variations with different vegetable and herb/spice combinations.

3. Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese from Mark Bittman's, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. He said that boiling and then roasting the quinoa would give it a crispy, nutty texture. Some of it on the edges was, but mostly it was just like quinoa when you just boil it. However, I did take it out halfway to go pick up Barbara (and loosely covered it with foil), and then put it back in the oven, so it definitely was user error. It was pretty and colorful (would've been more colorful if I'd had red bell pepper; I used green), and tasted really good. It was plain-ish, but nice in a stick-to-yer-ribs way. The cheese definitely made this. I just used a straight-up cheddar because my lady doesn't like smoked cheeses. I had some gorgeous baby purple potatoes from the farmers market, some red potatoes and a Hungarian hot wax pepper from my CSA, so I used all those.

Roasted quinoa with potatoes and cheese (from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)
(4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb small waxy potatoes, like fingerling, new red, or Peruvian purple, peeled if you like, and cut lengthwise into wedges
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
salt
3/4 cup of quinoa
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup scallion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1-2 tbsp minced fresh chile (like jalapeno or Thai) or add hot red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste
6 oz cheese, preferably smoked like gouda, cheddar, or mozzarella, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup minced parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Grease an 8 x 10 inch roasting pan with a tbsp or so of the olive oil.

2. Put the potato wedges and garlic into a large pot with water to cover, salt it, and turn the heat to high. When the water begins to boil, stir in the quinoa. Adjust the heat so that the water boils assertively and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 5 minutes.

3. Drain the quinoa, garlic, and potatoes in a strainer, but leave them fairly wet. Spread them into the prepared pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and gently toss with a spatula. Spread them out again. Roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Gently toss again, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender on the inside and golden on the outside.

4. Add the scallion, bell pepper, and chile and toss everything one last time. Taste and adjust the seasoning, keeping in mind that the cheese will add some saltiness. Spread the cheese over all and return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

4. Peach ice cream. I'd already made some peach frozen yogurt, but last week we had a great scoop of peach ice cream at Kaya, and had been thinking of it since. So, I made some yesterday with the recipe from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I mean, it tasted good, the texture was nice, but with the sour cream in the recipe it just made it taste tangy like frozen yogurt. I wanted strictly sweet creaminess this time. I LOVE frozen yogurt, and the tanginess is the biggest selling point for me, but I wanted ice cream this time. In fact, I still do. I might have to do another batch this week because I made some delicious blackberry syrup that is crying out for ice cream.

6. Blackberry Soda. As I mentioned, I made some blackberry syrup yesterday. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I got two pints of gorgeous blackberries from the farmers market, and had read some recipe for a fresh blackberry lemonade or cocktail or something a few weeks ago. So, I cooked them down with a little water, some sugar and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and decided to make a blackberry soda. The syrup tastes fantastic on its own, but then I realized you can't just add that to perrier and expect a miracle. You have to add a lot more sugar to sweeten up mineral water. So I did. It was good. But, next time I'll just use a ginger ale or something. I'm having some friends over for drinks and a game of Foodie Fight on Wednesday. I'm going to make some kind of Blackberry Fizz.

And, after we have drinks and game fun, we're heading to the monthly Vegetarian Dinner at Kaya. The menu looks fab. I can't wait! (and will report back...).

comfort food

2008-08-05T09:44:00.005-04:00

I felt the need for some comfort food last night. I was crampy, cranky and all worned out. And, I'm in the middle of a YA vampire book that I'm currently obsessed with* so I don't really have time for time-consuming cooking.

I have the book How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman out of the library. (And, have How To Cook Everything Vegetarian on request). This is one of those books that I'm going to hate to return to the library, and probably going to convince myself before long that I need to actually own. I will justify it by stating indignantly to myself (and maybe to Barbara), "I mean, what well-stocked kitchen doesn't have a Bittman cookbook on the shelf? I mean, really!". Nevermind that the answer is, I'm sure: plenty. But, still. Baby gets what baby wants, right? Uh...

Anyhow, last night I needed to comfort food, and I remembered this recipe I'd paged past in the book where Bittman argued that there was no reason to EVER make mac-n-cheese from a box (or any "convenience food") when you could make this recipe in the same amount of time, and have the result be so much more satisfying and delicious. So, I did, and it was. Apart from the time it took to boil the water, it was about ten minutes start to finish. You just boil some salted water for your pasta, and in the meantime, melt 6 T. of butter (I used half unsalted, half salted) in a saucepan, and add 20-30 fresh sage leaves (or the equivalent of dried--I don't remember what that was) and some freshly ground pepper. Cook that over low heat until the butter is lightly browned, and the sage leaves are crispy and fragrant. Grate about 1 c. of parmesan cheese. When the pasta is done, drain (I used penne), reserving 2-3 T. of cooking water, and add it to your warmed serving bowl. Toss the pasta with the butter, sage and half the parmesan. Pass the rest of the cheese for serving. Enjoy!

It was SO good, so simple, and so perfectly what I wanted.

*Seriously. I went with some coworkers (who led me into this obsession) to Barnes and Noble at the Waterfront at 11pm on Friday night for the book release party. It was us, a few other adult nerdladies, and about three hundred tween/teen girls (and about five boys). We made t-shirts. We got tweens to help us with the trivia contests. We raced home with our books and read them into the night. I'm on page 607 (of 753) now. I can't wait to read the rest. And actually, the writing's not even that great. It's often painfully cheesy. But, I still can't stop reading. One of my co-workers (and the genesis of the workplace frenzy over these books) pointed out that the writing isn't really good, but the storytelling is. I think that's the key. Plus, I just like fantastical books. Especially about vampires. Because I'm a nerd. So?

more summery goodness

2008-08-04T11:49:00.006-04:00

Last week a co-worker got to talk to Lynne Rosetto Caspar! He'd called in with a question, left a message, and then got a call back with a time to call in and speak to Lynne herself, to possibly be aired on The Splendid Table. So cool! He suggested I call in about my mint conundrum/fascination. Speaking of, I asked a farmer from Goose Creek Gardens (a local herb farm) at the Firehouse Farmers Market (where he was selling spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint--and who'd supplied the spearmint in my CSA last week). He said that spearmint was his default, and he felt like it just went better with most things. So, the debate continues...

And, speaking of the Firehouse Farmers Market, I got some delicious stuff this week in the Strip:
-Next Life Farms: poona kheera cucumbers, a mix of baby tomatoes, a bunch of red and purple (I think Cherokee Purples?) tomatoes
-Blackberry Meadows: a big basket of white (?) potatoes with this odd peel-y skin (pretty starchy and really tasty, yellow-y flesh), a bunch of parsley, a bunch of Thai basil
-Goose Creek Gardens: some little greens that I was really excited about, and now can't remember what they are for the life of me
-Mushrooms For Life: chanterelles
-Najat's Cuisine: the best hummus EVER
-Puckerbrush Farms: some really fantastically sweet bread and butter corn and a small bag of fresh figs

And, not at the market, but also in the Strip:
-those unbelievable flour tortillas from Reyna
-some Cheddar-Onion bread still hot from the oven from Sunseri
-yummy coffee from 21st Street Coffee

In a word: Mmm.

So, beyond just hunks of bread, and thick slices of tomato, I did a little cooking this weekend. More from the vein of my summer cooking style--don't mess with it too much because it's hot in the kitchen and already pretty perfect the way it is.

D'oh, that dinner got rabbit ears!

dessert:

That dinner is potato taquitos--based on the Mad Mex version that I constantly crave, tomato salad, cucumbers with dill, Mexican street corn (Ellen calls this "goopy corn"), and carrots with a honey-dijon glaze. Fresh peach frozen yogurt with blueberries for dessert. And mint iced tea (spearmint, fyi).

The peach frozen yogurt is SO easy, and it's a peach party around here right now! To make yourself some...

4-5 ripe peaches
1 32oz container of your favorite organic plain whole-milk yogurt
about 1 cup of sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1/2 t. vanilla extract
a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Puree in a blender or food processor most of the peaches (save a couple for the end so you'll have some chunks) with all the rest of the ingredients. When the mixture is well blended and the sugar is dissolved, add in the last 1-2 peaches and puree for just a few seconds so you have some fruit chunks. If it's already well chilled, put it right into your ice cream maker, and follow your manufacturer's directions. (mine takes about 20 minutes!). If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can follow David Lebovitz's instructions here.

Wow. I was just looking around this site, and this recipe jumped out at me. Dang. (E-dawg--this sounds like one for you, too). Barbara got me his book (along with my fantastic ice cream maker--mine actually came with two freezer canisters. so awesome) for my birthday. It's so amazing. I need to make some ice creams--I've been fixated on frozen yogurt for months, but ice cream's good, too, right? I need to make this SOON.

Oh, and the corn that I mentioned above--in the style of Mexican Street Corn? I think I've mentioned this before (recently), because I'm obsessed with making corn this way, but here's what you do:

Boil some water (I put in a bit of salt and sugar in the water; I'm not sure why), and cook the shucked corn for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Remove it, and slather on some crema (Mexican sour cream. You can find it locally at Reyna--make sure to get the sour, not the sweet, kind), crumble or grate some cojita cheese (again, you can find this at Reyna--2031 Penn Ave in the Strip; don't forget to get some of their housemade tortillas while you're there), sprinkle with some kind of chili powder or cayenne (I've been using a chipotle chili powder), and serve it with wedges of fresh lime. Give it a squirt, and eat it up until you're too full to move. Such a wonderful flavor--the sweet corn, the sour, creamy crema, the saltiness of the cheese, and the bite of the lime. Perfection.

I had some great goopy corn at Kaya last week, too. The corn was roasted, and given a generation slather of chipotle aioli, sprinkled with Idiazabal cheese and served with lime. I'm going to (finally!) check out the Vegetarian Dinner at Kaya this month on the 20th. The menu has me drooling already.

mint follow-up & more CSA goodness!

2008-07-30T09:54:00.000-04:00

So, I've polled as many people as I could get my hands on (and luckily have lots of chefs within arms reach) regarding my mint conundrum, and maddeningly I've gotten lots of different answers. I'm stumped because peppermint and spearmint are such different flavors it's hard for me to believe that everyone's just using them interchangeably. But, one of the chefs told me yesterday that if she saw "mint" listed in a recipe, she'd just look at the other ingredients to see what made the most sense--using her innate chefly instincts. Which makes sense if you're a real chef. But, when you're just a gal who likes to hang out in the kitchen, it's confusing! Most people said they'd assume "mint" with no context would mean peppermint, but one fine dining chef said he generally uses spearmint. Another said that he almost always uses peppermint, because spearmint is spicier, and has a more distinctive flavor that doesn't always meld as well with the other flavors (but I kinda think the opposite is true! maybe he's confused, too!).

I looked at ingredients of some minty things over the past few days to just better acquaint myself with which is which--Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream is spearmint, a lot of mint teas are a blend of the two, xmas stuff is peppermint, tabbouleh calls for spearmint, mojitos generally say spearmint, but I saw a few with peppermint. Not to mention there are countless other varieties of mint. Seriously. These are the varieties I've come across (other than peppermint and spearmint) in the course of my "research": chocolate mint, orange mint, banana mint, basil mint, Moroccan mint, Habeck mint, Egyptian mint, lemon bergamot mint, orange bergamot mint, lavender mint, pennyroyal, curly (or curled) mint, Kentucky Colonel, apple mint, pineapple mint, eucalyptus (yeah! it's in the mint family!), Austrian mint, Chinese mint, English mint, Corsican mint, ginger mint, lime mint, black-stemmed peppermint, grapefruit mint, Japanese mint, variegated mint, Scotch spearmint, menthol mint, silver mint, Swiss mint, Vietnamese mint, water mint, berries and cream mint, candy-lime mint, pink candypops, Hillary's sweet lemon mint, Julia's sweet citrus mint, margarita mint, Marilyn's salad mint, marshmallow mint, oregano-thyme mint, sweet bay mint, sweet pear mint, mountain mint, Bowles' mint, Nana peppermint, Hairy spearmint, candymint, doublemint, Persian mint, Blue Balsam mint.

Okay, that's enough for now. I read in one place that there are rumored to be over 600 varieties!

Now I feel like Bubba--that shrimp guy from Forest Gump.

Okay, anyhow. It's CSA day!! C-S-A! C-S-A! C-S-A!

This week's box contains:
-free range eggs
-head of lettuce
-spearmint (!!!)
-peaches
-carrots
-green peppers
-green beans
-garlic
-zucchini
-crookneck squash
-cucumbers
-beets
-Hungarian hot wax peppers

w00t!

the bounty

2008-07-28T12:09:00.000-04:00

While I'm not really one for summer weather (I'm a sweater. Not a cardigan-style or pullover style. I'm a Sweat-Er), I do so love the bounty of produce! And, I love that it's so delicious that it doesn't even take much fiddling to be ready for the plate. I've made some lovely dinners lately, if I do say so myself, that didn't require much more than a trip to my counter/fridge for my CSA goodies or the farmers' market. I'm in love with corn and tomatoes and cucumbers, and can pretty much have them for every meal, along with anything else that happens to come in my CSA box or show up at the market.

One meal was simply slices of tomato (salt and pepper) with ears of corn (butter, salt and pepper) and a couple Veggie Masala "burgers" from Trader Joe's (they're these curried potato-veggie patties that I adore):

Another meal was in honor of my friend Alex's visit from Poland. I made my ol' stand by, Heidi Swanson's Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers (but I used canned chickpeas instead of sprouted) with some smoked cheddar, lettuce, spicy sprouts, avocado and tomato. Served with some cucumber "salad" (just tossed with a glug of olive oil, salt and pepper), and some corn prepared Mexican street vendor style with crema, powdered chipotle pepper, cojita cheese and wedges of lime. And, vanilla frozen yogurt--fresh outta the maker!--with black raspberries and blueberries for dessert. (I forgot to photo that one, but I wish I'd taken a picture of the corn. It's SO good this way!).

On Saturday I was picked up bright-n-early for the farmers market in the Strip by Liz and Emily, and we met the E-dawg down there. I even got to ring the bell (that opens the market) this week! I picked up some Poona Kheera cucumbers--the first time I'd ever seen them. They're an heirloom variety that was originally from India. They're really lovely--bright yellow (thin) skin, crisp, a bit sweet with a very pale green firm flesh. I've been on the look-out for lemon cukes, too, after having some in a dish that pal Kara made last summer. If yinz see any, lemme know! Other delectable farmers market items are:
-eggs
-big bunches of basil
-radish microgreens
-chives
-dill seeds (and an actual dill plant from Liz and Emily's garden)
-lime basil
-red tomatoes (not sure of the variety)
-a pint of mixed little tomatoes--cherries, sungolds, jelly beans, and some others I don't know
-candy onions
-morels !!! I thought it was too late for these babies, but there they were! and the Mushrooms for Life guy (Jonathan Cingota) also had made this incredible spread that he shared with us that I have to make this week. I'll report back on that.
-Emily and Liz also gave me a pepper from a plant I remarked on in their garden. It's a Black Czech pepper, and they compared the heat level to a jalapeno, and said that the flesh is white. I can't wait to try it. I think I'll use it in a quick salsa this week, and the little flecks of black-and-white pepper will hopefully stand out and be lovely.

Then E-dawg and I hit the PASA Farm Tour (PASA stands for Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). We went to a couple farms during the tour last year, and decided to just go to one this year--Morris Farm near Irwin, PA. They're an organic farm that does pick-your-own. E-dawg selected this one because they mill their own flour. We got to watch them milling the wheat, which was fun, and much simpler (as a technological process, I mean) than I'd have guessed. While it was being milled, the farmer (Farmer Morris) put some fresh flour into our hands, and the warm, silky, aromatic stuff was practically enough to send us into fits with visions of freshly-baked bread and doughy possibility. We each bought a good-sized bag, and I can't wait to use it. E-dawg was contemplating using that evening for pizza crust, but I haven't heard if she did or how it turned out yet. Kara pointed out that it's a great find for the locavores in the area. (You can buy wheatberries there, too, which I almost did until I remembered my full-to-bursting pantry). It was interesting (and really cool) to hear this guy who seemed like a very old-school farmer talk about organic solutions to pests and using sea minerals in his soil. We didn't pick any veggies there since we'd gone so crazy at the market that morning, but you can see below the 1920s-era potato digger, and our excitement at viewing the delicious tubers (Farmer Morris said his potatoes had one 2nd place that same week at a fair).

After that adventure, we hit the pool to cool off (I discovered I'd gotten quite a passenger-side burn on my right arm from hanging it out the window of E-dawg's car). Then went home to have one of my favorite seasonal snacks (also had this for breakfast this morning, and many, many other times over the past couple weeks)--tomato slices on buttered toast. And, some ice cream (vanilla ice cream with Rita's root beer ice).

That evening I made a dinner to highlight all the freshness I'd gotten that day. We had a tomato salad (the little tomatoes tossed with a vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, onion, salt, pepper, lime basil and a splash of vanilla extract--E-dawg heard of using vanilla with tomatoes last year on The Splendid Table), some lightly sauteed morels with shallots in a little butter, some gorgeous beans tossed with some fresh dill and salt (I used both green beans and royal burgundy beans--which actually turn green when you cook them--see the before and afters below), some of those gorgeous Poona Kheera cukes, and some roasted new potatoes with some garlic-herb mayonnaise (used garlic, chives, dill, marjoram and thyme).

Beans, before:

Tomato salad:

the full-meal deal:

Summer, I heart you.

p.s. Hey--I have an unrelated question for you, dear readers. When you read a recipe that calls for mint, do you typically assume that means peppermint or spearmint? I've gotten mixed results in asking this question of a lot of people over the past couple of days, but today I asked a couple chefs here at the ol' big Burrito, and they said it'd be peppermint unless otherwise specified. What do you think?

i feel fine

2008-07-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

I feel fine in lots of ways today! I'm finally, finally, finally over the plague I had. I went to the doctor on Thursday, and he thought I may have mono, and sent me for blood tests and ordered me to do nothing but "Eat and use the bathroom. Seriously, NOTHING else." So, I took off work on Friday, and laid around for a few days, and then I felt better when I woke up on Sunday, and now feel like a new lady. Phew!

As an aside, Metro Family Practice is pretty awesome. I saw a doctor who's not my regular (who's awesome), and he was really great. Seriously, some of the best doctor's visits I've had in years have been at this place. It's like they actually listen and actually care. If you're in Pittsburgh, and looking for a good PCP, check out this place.

I also feel fine because it is now tomato and corn season!!! There's really nothing better. They're delicious even completely unadorned, and perfect for eating on summer days when it is Hot As Hell and you Do Not Feel Like Being In a Hot Kitchen. Yum.

I had some of the best corn I've ever tasted last night via pal Lisa. She sent an email this morning telling us about this place based in the Strip that is a "virtual farmers market" where you can order local and non-local, and even do a CSA, all through their site, and schedule a pick-up either in the Strip or at another location in the area. They're called Good Apples, and I think I'll swing by there after work and pick up a dozen ears of that corn (on their site they say it's from local farm Yarnick's (in Indiana, PA). A dozen is only $5! Worth its weight in gold, I tell ya!

I've been immersed in reading (like, actually reading the entire thing) Deborah Madison's cooking bible Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. I've been checking out cookbooks from the library constantly, but want to buy the ones that I feel I'll use all the time. This is one of those. It's chock full of billions of recipes and technique tips, and is broken down by ingredient--which E-Dawg pointed out is perfect for figuring out what to make with your CSA stuff. A few people have mentioned not liking her tone/style, but I don't mind it one bit. I kinda like a bossy lady.

Speaking of CSAs, our box last week contained these delights:
-free range eggs
-an italian herb mix
-green beans
-carrots
-black raspberries
-zucchini
-green bibb lettuce
-beets with greens
-cilantro
-new potatoes
-cucumbers
-Hungarian hot wax peppers

And, tomorrow we're getting:
-green beans
-basil
-blueberries
-Methley plums
-salad mix
-onions
-cucumbers
-cilantro
-zucchini
-sweet corn

I cannot wait!!!

I also cannot wait because my friend Alex is visiting tomorrow from Poland. It's been a while since I've seen her, and I can't wait to catch up, hear about her globe-trotting adventures and introduce her to Barbara and our new house (which is looking totally adorable, by the way!).

I also feel fine because I was asked to contribute my photo and a quote from and link to my blog from this outfit called We Feel Fine for their upcoming book. They're a site that "harvests human feelings" from weblogs. Every few minutes they search on "i feel" and "i am feeling" to see what the people out on the interwebs are emoting about. It's pretty interesting, and I feel excited (I'm in the "Excited" section) that they decided to include me. Also, I feel special. It's nice to feel special.

And, just for kicks, and for your viewing pleasure, here's a pic of our Libing Room (half library/half living room). It's that green fantastic?

And, here's a picture of me with the gal that makes it feel like home:

even with the mini-plague

2008-07-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

For the last few days I've had a virus that I was convinced for a few days that was some mutant strain of malaria or something. It's passing around our office, and everyone who gets it gets their own little twist on it. Luckily I did not get the version that included "a million tiny mouth sores" (ouch). But, even so, I've felt pretty cruddy since Friday evening.

However, I did do a little cooking in the times when my fever broke. I had a bunch of beautiful blueberries that I scored from the farmers' market, and I had big plans to make this pie, but I just wasn't quite up for all the rolling and such. Instead I made some blueberry muffins out of the cook book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook by Martha Hall Foose. I'd come across this cook book because Heidi featured the recipe for the Blackberry Limeade on her blog, and so I borrowed it from the library. It's really a lovely book, and lots of scrumptious-sounding recipes. Lots of them feature some form of pork, but still. I'd like to try a few more of her recipes before it's due back.

I only had my camera phone on me at the time, but you can kinda see them.

Blueberry Muffins
makes 18
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, melted)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon grated lemon [ek note: 1 used more like 1 1/2 T.]
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Grating of nutmeg [ek note: i was out of nutmeg, so used a little cinnamon instead]
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

Preheat the oven to 475 F [ek note: most of my muffins got burned on the outside at this temperature. i'm not sure if it's the oven that i'm just not used to yet, or just that that temp is way too high. i'd probably go for 375-400 degrees F next time]. Grease or line 18 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
In a large bowl with a whisk, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Toss the blueberries to coat with the flour and evenly distribute. Ina separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, zest, and almond and vanilla extracts.
Using a rubber spatula, combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until everything is moistened. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.

Bake for 15 minutes [ek note: if you lower the cooking temp, these will take longer], or until the tops spring back lightly when touched. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then turn out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Don't let them cool completely in the pan, or the bottoms will get soggy.

[And, I also opted for the optional streusel topping, but changed it a tad. I used 2/3 c. granulated sugar, 1/3 light brown sugar, 2/3 c. flour, 1/2 t. cinnamon, a good bit of slivered almonds--maybe 1/2 c.?, and 4 T. melted butter. Just mush it all together, and sprinkle on the unbaked muffins].

I made some tasty burritos on Sunday night, too, but now I'm all worned out from typing about the muffins, and need to go rest. Carry me!

CSA! CSA! CSA!

2008-07-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

On days when I get my CSA I like to chant "C-S-A! C-S-A!" like the peeps do at sporting events (and military events?) when they chant "U-S-A!". It gets me excited, and tickles my fancy, and there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

But, seriously, I would like to take a moment to expound on the virtues of having a CSA. I know I've said it before, but then I talked to a couple people this week who'd never heard of a CSA, so I'm gonna say it again.

Here's how wikipedia describes a CSA, but the basic run-down is that CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and what the deal is that you subscribe to a weekly farm share from a local farm, you pay up front, and then every week (usually early June-ish through mid-Novemberish, in this part of the country) you get a delivery (in various drop-off points around the city) of fresh produce that the farm(s) have picked mere hours or days before. Some of them also offer meats, breads, eggs, honey, cheeses, etc. In Pittsburgh I've used both Kretschmann's and Penn's Corner. I've loved them both. This year I'm doing Penn's Corner. I know they still have slots open, as do many other local CSAs. Here's a good list of all the CSAs available in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, and you can check here for national listings.

To give you an idea of what one gets in a CSA subscription, here's what my last few boxes have consisted of (I split my box with eDawg):

Week 1 (6/18):
free-range eggs
strawberries
rhubarb
gourmet lettuce mix
head lettuce
baby beets
sugar snap peas

Week 2 (6/25):
new red potatoes
strawberries
sugar snap peas
shelling peas
romaine lettuce
red ruffled lettuce
spinach
green cabbage
zucchini
carrots

Week 3 (7/2):
free range eggs
zucchini
carrots
sugar snap peas
snow peas
baby beets
head lettuce
bibb lettuce
hydroponic cluster tomatoes (1st tomatoes of the season! i can't wait for the onslaught!)
chervil

Week 4 (7/9):
black raspberries
new potatoes
young onions
zucchini
patty pan squash
red cabbage
cucumbers
black seeded simpson lettuce
swiss chard

My CSA box paired with some goodies from the farmers' market almost covers all my eating! Also, when you subscribe to a CSA you're getting healthier food because it's freshly picked, and all the nutrients are still going strong. And, you're supporting your local agricultural community and local economy. And, you're cutting down on fossil fuel usage by choosing foods that don't have to be transported from all over creation to get to you. And, you're further helping the environment when you subscribe to organic farms that aren't using the pesticides that end up as run-off and the like. And, you're more in touch with seasonality as you see the growing seasons for various plants in your particular region. It feels good, do it!

So, don't you wanna go sign up for a CSA right now?

baby's first risotto

2008-07-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

I love risotto. And, I fear risotto. I've heard for years how easy it is to mess up, how labor-intensive it is, how often after stirring for a half hour you're likely to end up with a soupy/sticky/undercooked/overcooked mess. So, it's usually something that I order when out, and only fantasize about making at home.

But, this past weekend I got up the gumption to try it, loosely basing it--naturally--on a Heidi Swanson recipe. In her book, Cook 1.0: A Fresh Approach to the Vegetarian Kitchen, she lists several varieties for risotto. She uses wine and water as her cooking liquid, but I stuck with vegetable broth and a little water. I didn't have any white wine on hand, and knew that broth was the traditional choice. But, I did take her process suggestions, getting all my ingredients ready beforehand, because once you start, there's no stopping to the stirring. I did use Barbara as a pinch hitter a few times so I could powder my nose, and take some other stuff out of the oven. And, you know what? It turned out great! Creamy and comforty with a nice al dente bite. I threw in some grated parmesan (and topped it with a little more shaved parm), a handful of fresh herbs (I think I used basil, oregano, parsley and lemon thyme), salt and pepper and lemon zest right at the end, and it was rich and fresh-tasting. It made a big pot, so I'm using the leftovers for risotto cakes this evening for dinner, and I think I'll throw in some fresh peas and onions and whatever other veg I have hanging out in the fridge.

I served the risotto with some roasted green beans (a Mollie Katzen recipe; I just subbed toasted walnuts for the pinenuts. I can't remember if it's in the original Moosewood cookbook or The Enchanted Broccoli Forest), a green salad (with tender yummy radish microgreens) and a pitcher of sangria I made earlier in the day, then chilled in the refrigerator for several hours (it was even better the next day!). Yum.

Oh! And, lemon pound cake for dessert! I used a recipe that a former co-worker of mine used. I hadn't made it myself, but remember loving it, and then after having some lemon birthday cake a couple weeks ago, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's a Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) recipe, and you can find it here. It seems that Oprah and I like the same things.

On a related note, one of the best Halloween costumes I saw last year was a guy dressed as the Barefoot Contessa at the Spell party. It was Spot On.

Sunday morning Barbara and the E-Dawg were taking a big bike ride, so before they left, I whipped up some buttermilk pancakes (I had leftover buttermilk from the lemon cake, so I hadta!) and Gimme Lean "sausage" patties. For the pancake recipe, I again consulted Heidi's Cook 1.0. They came out fluffy and delicious. Yummers.

Now, I'm hungry.

the man is trying to keep me down

2008-06-30T14:32:00.000-04:00

This weekend I did a little cooking, and was planning on photographing it for You, lovely readers. But, then my camera was outta batteries, and while I know that my battery charger is somewhere amongst the boxes in my house, I can't begin to guess which box. Ah well. So, I guess it wasn't necessarily The Man trying to keep me down, but I am feeling really, really tired of packing and unpacking and not knowing where stuff is. But, it's coming along. In fact, Barbara and Mags spent all day yesterday painting the room we like to call The Multi-Media Room (I was unboxing the kitchen stuff which still isn't done, cooking, etc.). First they painted the entire room and when we came back to look at it, we all HATED it. I'd picked out this coral for the walls, and an orange for the trim and ceiling, and it was just way, way, way too bright--to the point of making you feel claustrophobic and crazy as soon as you walked in. So, they had a little color lab mixing extravaganza from the paint colors we already had, and now the room is a lovely and soothing pale-ish green with antique white trim. Ahhh.

Friday I made us a big salad, pappardelle with pesto and a bunch of veggies from my CSA. Saturday I made some roasted veggies to take to my friend Tracey's birthday party. The dinner theme was Mexican-ish, so I roasted some bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. I tossed them in some lemon juice and zest, chipotle chili powder, and after they roasted, in some chopped cilantro. The dinner menu was outta this world--little black bean and sweet potato cakes, goat cheese enchiladas with salsa verde and/or mole, guacamole and crema. It was so fantastic! The host/chef was Leslie, and she's just a really excellent cook. It was an intimate dinner party, and one of the best times I've had recently. At one point we swapped Bad Date Stories, and I'm still chuckling over some of them. Sunday Barbara made us a lovely breakfast of challah french toast with tofu scramble, and I made us a lunch of lemon thyme tofu with buttered peas, orange glazed carrots and turnips, and roasted baby new potatoes. Then for dinner I made fakin' bacon and green pepper grilled cheeses with homemade slaw and some oven-baked fries. You'll just have to take my word that it all looked colorful and pretty. And, I used most of my CSA and farmers market goodness. Now I just need to make some big salads to power through my cache of lettuce. I can't wait to see what we'll get this Wednesday.

I also finished the book I'd been reading for Queer Book Club last night--Dog Years by Mark Doty. This author was actually here reading during Pride Week for the American Shorts series, but I missed him due to moving madness. I wish I would've heard him read. The book was fantastic. He's better known as a poet, and you can definitely feel that type of lyricism and imagery, but the main focus is the love of his two dogs throughout the death of his partner from AIDS, his next relationship and lots of moving around. It's a beautiful story, and turned me into a puddle of goo after two seriously hardcore sobbing sessions--half for the book, and half for missing my dog Ursa who I lost in October 2006 to kidney disease and then subsequent failure. If you've ever had a dog in your life, you should read this book. So.Good. The book club discusses it tomorrow, and I'm eager to see what everyone thought, and hear reports from the people that saw him speak.

the neverending move

2008-06-26T12:40:00.001-04:00

I finally moved the remainder of my stuff last night! I never have to go to Troy Hill again. Thank the baby jesus.

The new house is great, but boxes are littering the place, so we still have a way to go. But, after everything (or most everything) is situated, I'll post some pics. It's going to be really cute.

I haven't been cooking much at all because where's my big saucepan? where's my chef's knife? where's my mixing bowl? and on and on and so forth. But, I've promised B a home-cooked meal this evening, and I've got some gorgeous CSA goods so cooking will happen come hell or high water. I'm thinking a veggie pappardelle with spring pesto and a big salad with a citrusy vinaigrette and some crusty, chewy bread. Will report back.

In other news, you may remember my pal Kramer from various posts. She just started a really cool blog of her own that is like an Amber Alert for bikes in the Pittsburgh area. She just started it today, and it's such a great idea. You bike riders out there should check it out, now-like. Also, for the bike riders in the Burgh, check out this great multi-event bike extravaganza, Pittsburgh Bike Fest.

One of Kramer's other bike-related good deeds:

As for myself, I hadn't ridden my bike since last summer until a few nights ago. I was weak and winded, but it felt good. I want to get back into it, and get to the point where hills (even tiny ones) don't make me feel like I'm gonna die. Wish me luck (I need it).

Pedal on, peeps.

oh, you have forsaken me!

2008-06-19T16:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't really forsaken you, I've just been losing my mind with work and moving and cleaning and stressing out and barely sleeping. But, even so, I have done a little cooking here and there!

Barbara's birthday was last Saturday, and we had a little soirée at her sister's lovely home. Her brother and his bf were in from Vegas, and I finally got to meet them and they were gems. You can see from this photo what a good time they were. Their sense of fun and adventure is all over their faces!

I made a Red Velvet Cake and some chocolate cupcakes, but forgot to photograph them until they'd been near-decimated.

Happy Birthday, Sweet B.

Okay, more soon. Swear. Really.

nothing says Memorial Day Weekend like knishes!

2008-05-27T14:01:00.001-04:00

It was such a lovely weekend! I woke up early on Saturday morning, and finished reading the book (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith) for my Queer Book Club on Wednesday (if you're here, you're queer, and you're a book nerd and want in, lemme know). Then I hit the Strip and met up with the E-dawg, and ran into lots of other pals down there. At the Firehouse Farmers Market I got some shittakes, "walking onions", baby greens, basil, eggs, asparagus, turnip greens pie, baba ganoush and pita chips, and these teensy little baby turnips that the woman I bought them for called them something like "hot currans" or "hot callans" or "hot somethingorother". Anyone know the name I'm searching for? I wish I'd photographed them. Whatever they were, they were really delicious and pretty cute. I chopped them up raw into a salad. The texture was sorta like water chestnut, the taste was sweet and mild. Yum. I also hit 21st Street Coffee for the best coffee in the 'Burgh, and a chat with the E-dawg. Then E-dawg went off with Barbara to do a 50-mile bike ride, and I stopped in to Cafe Richard, where sadly someone had already bought up all the veggie quiche (wild mushroom with goat cheese and scallions - sob!), so I just got a coconut custard tart.

Sunday we met up with some peeps, and trekked out to the Rachel Carson Homestead for the Sustainable Feast. That evening Barbara wanted to make knishes, so we used the recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (we just made the potato and the spinach, not the sweet potato. also, for a non-vegan detour, we added some cheese to the spinach ones). We had Mags over to hang with us, and also used her for a little kneading power. They are serious comfort food. Little pastry rolls of warm potato-y goodness. Yum. We paired that with a salad made from my farmers market bounty: the baby greens and some leftover spinach from the knishes, some roasted asparagus cut into 1" pieces, chopped red bell pepper, the baby turnips I mentioned above, several of the walking onions, carrots, chevre, and a quick lemon vinaigrette with lemon zest and juice, olive oil, shallots and salt and pepper. Again, yum.

I had the leftover knishes for breakfast on Monday morning. (OH MY GOD THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN A LONG WEEKEND, HUH?).

Last night we went in completely the opposite direction. Ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery (my favorite combo is Chocolate Cake Batter Ice Cream with strawberries and yellow pound cake folded in) and fries from the O.

One can't be virtuous all the time.

[this post is dedicated to the memory of a sweet little cat I once knew. Sports Kramer, rest in peace].

spring fever

2008-05-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

You wouldn't know it by how often I've been blogging, but I really do have spring (food) fever. There's nothing like the bursting forth of green after a long, grey winter. When the farmers markets and CSAs kick it into gear, when you can start getting local produce again. This is my favorite time of year.

The Firehouse Farmers Market started up again two weeks ago, and the city farmers markets are on their second week this week (they're still a little slim this time of year, but that'll change soon!). I had to switch my CSA. Unfortunately one of the owners of Mildred's Daughters had an injury recently that made their CSA program unworkable for this season, but luckily the good folks at Penn's Corner took the E-dawg and I under their wings. (Some of my work friends did the spring share, too, and it's been amazing! I can't wait for mine to start! I know they still have some openings if you haven't signed up for a CSA for this year yet). And, if you're wondering what the heck a CSA is, here's the wikipedia listing that tells you all about it. It's a fantastic idea that gets you the freshest produce available, and helps you support the local economy. You can find info for the various CSAs in the area here.

It feels good. Do it.

I love having a Saturday morning ritual centered around the Farmer's Market. How it usually goes down is that I meet up with E-dawg at some point (we carpool or ride bikes, or she rides and meets me, or whatever). Lately our itin has been that we hit the farmers market first, then Cafe Richard (which recently just changed into the hands of Raymond, one of the long-time staples in the kitchen), sometimes Reyna (for the softest, most delicious tortillas ever), sometimes Mon Amiee Chocolat (especially great during cold weather because they have the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted), sometimes Penzeys or Penn Mac, or Enrico's or wherever else we need. Then roll up into 21st Street Coffee for some fantastic brew and we sit upstairs in the little loft--sometimes a friendly game of Foodie Fight (nice play, opponent), sometimes just chatting and people-watching. It's something I look forward to every week. I love having a little ritual of 100% pure fun, and I'm elated to see fresh local goodness in the market.

I love the Strip District on Saturday mornings. I love the bustle of it. I love all the different shops. I love the incredible smells. It feels like I'm in a city the way I imagined living in a city would feel when I was a kid.

Anyhow, I've made a couple dishes that I really enjoyed recently from my market bounty. One of my favorite vendors at the farmers market is Mushrooms For Life. They have a fantastic variety of cultivated and wild mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Week before last I got some shittakes and some royal trumpets, and used them in a dish I took to a friend's birthday potluck. I based this dish on Heidi's Spring Butterfiles with Lemon Cream from Cook 1.0. While the pappardelle pasta had a great flavor and texture, I think it'd be better with a lighter pasta, like the butterflies Heidi suggests or orecchiette or something like that. Here's what I did:

Spring Pasta
(makes enough to take to a potluck)

Boil salted water, then throw in your pasta and cook until pasta is al dente. When you have about one minute to go, through in some asparagus (a small bunch, cut into 1" pieces) and some peas (I used frozen petit green peas, about 2 c.). Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, chop up a mix of mushrooms (I used shittake and royal trumpets, about 1/3 lb. each), and saute in some butter (about 3 T.) with some diced onion (1/2 onion) and minced garlic (about 3 cloves). Add in a few shakes of crushed red pepper, salt (helps the shrooms to give up their moisture) and pepper. Cook long enough that the mushrooms gave up their juice and are golden brown. When they're ready, add 2 c. heavy cream and 1 c. milk and cook over low heat until it thickens into a cream sauce.

Pour the cream sauce over the pasta/asparagus/peas and stir gently.

Now zest three lemons, chop up a handful of basil, and grate about 1 cup of cheese (I used about 1 c. of parmesan and about 1/2 c. of this wonderful raw goat cheddar I got at the market from the East End Food Coop's booth; I forget who the maker is). Chop up about 1/2 - 3/4 c. of pine nuts. Reserve about 1 T. each of the zest, pinenuts, basil and cheese, and mix the rest in. Sprinkle the reserved items over the top for good looks. Salt and pepper to taste.

This flavor is all about spring.

[I want to mention as an aside that while I don't often stress this, I do use all "organic" ingredients when I cook. Not necessarily all certified organic (you can read about that distinction in the brilliant book The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan), but grown without chemicals. I try to buy as much local stuff as I can, and to eat as seasonally as I can. It's better for you because the food is fresher, it's better for your local economy because you're supporting local farmers and growers, and it's better for the environment because you're not contributing to adding additional chemicals to the soil (and the subsequent run-off), you're not using fossil fuels to bring your food from across the globe, etc. I'm just sayin'. I do make exceptions, but I like to keep these goals in mind when I'm choosing foods].

Okay. Back to cooking and eating.

Last week I heard tale that Mushrooms For Life were bringing some foraged morels to the market. I got there early, but there was already a line. The word spread back down the line that he'd brought about 1 pound of morels, and was divvying them up in 2 oz portions. I crossed my fingers that I'd make it to the front before they were sold out. And, I did! There was enough for me, and for the people behind me, and then everyone else had to console themselves with other beautiful mushrooms and ramps and the like.

I hadn't had a morel in a couple years. My stepdad used to forage them in a couple secret patches on their property, but a couple years ago someone found his stash, and made it there before he did. Last year Kramer and I talked about joining the Western PA Mycological Club (I think that's the name), but never got around to making it to a meeting or foraging with the group. Anyhow, morels are wonderful mushrooms. They're kind of lovely and creepy looking at the same time. And, they have this really amazing flavor. It's really kind of meaty. Like, steak-esque, but gamier and earthier. They live up to the hype.

I made a dish with the morels, and my leftover shittakes and royal trumpets. I didn't really have much of a vision to start with, but I just made it up as I went along (often my cooking method) it turned out fantastically well. The texture was almost risotto-ish and the taste was reminiscent of stroganoff. In other words, yummalicious.

My method was to cook some brown rice.

Then to saute the mushrooms in some butter with onions and garlic. Keep the heat kinda low so you can cook them for a while. I wanted the onions to be soft and sweet, but not browned. I through in some minced rosemary, salt and pepper and crushed red pepper. After about 15 minutes or so, I deglazed the pan with a little sherry, and when that moisture was gone, I added a couple glugs of heavy cream. Let it bubble for a minute and thicken.

Then I made a big dip in a bowl of rice and scooped in some of the mushroom mixture, and crumbled some (okay, lots) of goat cheese. I photographed it at this point, but it really was kicked up a notch when I stirred it all together. The goat cheese lent it a fantastic creaminess and tanginess, and the morels made it so meaty that if I hadn't made it myself I'd have sworn that there was some kind of beef or something up in there. I made enough for two servings, and accidentally ate them both for dinner. So simple, so incredibly delicious.

Want to get your local and sustainable grub on this weekend? Check out the Sustainable Feast at the Rachel Carson Homestead on Sunday noon - 5pm. E-dawg, Kara and I went last year, and it was really super. $5 gets you in, and tastes of all the lovely food. Some big Burrito peeps will be cooking up some goodness (Corporate Chef, Bill Fuller and Casbah's Executive Chef, Alan Peet), too. It should be a Real Good Time. And if there's one thing I like, it's a good time.

busy with overflowing goodness

2008-05-15T13:22:00.001-04:00

I'm going to say this again. It won't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I have been so freakin' busy! Busy at work, busy looking for a new place in which to cohabitate with my lady-love, busy with other general life things. Work especially has been kicking the ol' hind-end with regularity. It's the high season in the catering world--weddings, communions, graduations, etc. On one hand it's great, on the other, I'm a tired lady. But, things are good all-around. I'm still loving the job, and Barbara and I found an awesome place to live! It's so cute and perfect, and had everything (except a dishwasher...) on our wish list. We're going to be residents of the fine neighborhood of Bloomfield-ish/Lawrenceville-ish/Strip-ish/Garfield-ish soon! I'll post some pics when we get in there and set up all our stuff just exactly how we want it. And, there's room for a small garden in the back yard, and already has a compost pile going. I'm so, so, so thrilled--both about the place itself, and to live in sin with my gal. Good stuff.

I promised to tell the tale of my fantastic dinner at Eleven. Seriously. It was so good I actually wrote a fan letter (er, email) to the Executive Chef, Derek Stevens (like the nerd that I am). He wrote back a really nice note. I'm supposed to have a work meeting with him soon, and I'm kinda nervous. See, chefs and authors, (and, uh, some musicians/rock stars) are my rock stars.

Anyway, to the meal. Eleven's menu changes daily, and there's always a Chef's Tasting Menu, and a Chef's Vegetarian Tasting Menu ($45 for five courses). It's not often that you find such a thoughtfully created and prepared menu especially for vegetarians. I love food and love eating out, and always look wistfully at tasting menus that sound fantastic but are heavy on the meat. So, Barbara and I both opted for the Chef's Vegetarian Tasting Menu. I should mention also, that we have pretty different palates, but that we were both pleased as punch. It was interesting, delicious and varied. Our menu was...

amuse bouche:
pea puree with roasted red pepper and chili oil
This was a really nice taste--very fresh-tasting and very lightly spiced with the red pepper adding a slight bit of acidity and the oil adding a tiny bit of heat)

soup course:
Cauliflower Puree w/ nasturium, herb & brioche salad
This soup was a really wonderful presentation. the soup itself was rich and lovely, and the nasturium and herbs (basil and parsley, i think) looked beautiful on the top, and added a nice balance. The brioche croutons were really flavorful and just-crisp. This plate was so pretty that another diner being seated stopped in his tracks to ask us what it was. The servers also brought around some of the lovely house-made breads (I tried a sunflower one with golden raisins and also a walnut one with the entree. Both were delish).

salad course:
Three Sisters Farm Mesclun with lemon-rhubarb vinaigrette
The greens were gorgeous and tender as they only can be at the height of spring. The salad was very lightly dressed (as it should be!). The dressing was mouth-watering, and just a little bit creamy. Maybe a little yogurt as the base?

appetizer course:
Chili Relleno with Capriole goat cheese, salsa romesco, local honey, oregano
Whoa. I think that's exactly what I said when I tasted this. The presentation was stunning, and I think I've thought about that salsa romesco every single day since this dinner. It was the epitome of freshness, and the nuttiness pushed it over the top into richness and perfection. The local honey drizzle on the plate was genius. This is one of the single best plates of food I've ever eaten. For reals.

entree course:
Spring Pea Ravioli with black truffle, Parmesan cream and basil
So, I thought nothing would EVER be able to top the Chili Relleno until I tasted my first mouthful of this dish. The raviolis were tender little pillows of love, the Parmesan cream sauce was incredibly rich and velvety, the truffles added an utterly amazing level of earthiness, the basil cut through the richness and brought the freshness back into the forefront. I seriously thought about donning a ski mask, and running into the kitchen with a weapon and some huge containers and demanding the kitchen fill them up tout suite. Ah-mazing. Uh-mazing. I'm not even hungry, and my stomach growled in agreement while I was typing that.

dessert course:
So, here's the thing. The chef's dessert pairing was an Orange-Buttermilk Creamsicle house-made ice cream with lavender, white chocolate shortbread and orange salsa. But, they let us peek at the complete dessert menu, and I was overwhelmed with choices. I went with the Meyer Lemon creme brulee (and Barbara got the Molten Chocolate Cake with cashew ice cream and black pepper-cherry coulis). It was good, but not quite as tart as I like. Plus, I just wished I would've stayed with the chef's suggestion since I think the interplay between courses is one of the great things about a tasting menu. I couldn't help it, I looked at the list of desserts and couldn't think straight anymore.

But, anyhow, the service was fantastic, the food was utterly phenomenal, I had a really delicious glass of vino (2006 Chateau de la Vieille Tour Bourdeaux Blanc), a beautiful dinner companion, and a lovely evening out. It doesn't get much better than that.

Okay. Amen. I have much more to say and many more topics I'd like to write about, but I've reached the end of my block-o-time. In the meantime, check out the E-dawg's new blog. She's a fantastic and interestingly introspective writer.

xo.

Susie's brownie recipe

2008-05-02T18:13:00.000-04:00

I wanted to follow through on my promise of sharing my favorite brownie recipe that was given to me by my good pal Susie. She's a great baker, and since she moved to California last year, I've missed her treats. Luckily I got this recipe out of her (and her recipe for banana bread) before she split town. I love this recipe for the intense chocolatiness and the ease of preparation. I'm not sure if she made this recipe, or if she just knew a good thing when she saw it, but it's definitely a good thing. Without further ado...

Easy Cocoa Brownies (a la Susie)

Preheat your oven to 350 (F).

1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten

Mix butter and sugar thoroughly. Stir in vanilla and beaten egg mixture.

1/2 c. all-purpose flour (EK note: I made these once with WW flour, and didn't like the texture as much. Now I usually use King Arthur)
1/4 t. aluminum-free baking powder
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 t. salt

Sift together, and mix with the wet ingredients.

Spread in a greased 9" square pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the edges of the pan or when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Voila!

For the version I made for Saturday's rampin' road trip, I used just slightly less sugar (maybe reduced by 2 T.), and added a vanilla buttercream frosting with a few drops of red food coloring to make it a soft pink fluff color.

I used:
3 c. powdered/confectioners sugar
1 c. softened butter
1 t. vanilla
2-3 T. half and half (you could use milk, that's just what I had on hand)
3-ish drops of red food coloring
some colored sugar sprinkles, if you wanna

It makes a lot. Use the leftovers to make your girlfriend "icing balls" (don't ask), or refrigerate for about a week or so.

Stay tuned next week for tales of my fantastic dinner last night with Barbara at Eleven. Wowza. Up there with one of my all-time favorite meals. Fresh, seasonal, interesting, delicious. That is what I'm talkin' about.

ramp, ramp, ramp it up!, the reprise

2008-05-01T14:15:00.000-04:00

First of all, if you are down a little windy West Virginia road, and you stop to ask a backwoodsy type of fella for directions, and he looks surprised, and cautions you to take another route, you might wanna listen. Just sayin'. Unless of course, you feel like taking your friends and your friend's brand new car on a True West Virginia Adventure (tm), being over two hours late to meet your parents, and missing out on a significant portion of the Ramp Day festivities. I mean, if that's how you roll, go for it.

That is how we rolled. Not really on purpose, though. We had some Google directions that instructed us on the shortest (by distance) route (which would be fine as the crow flies, but we were not crows and not flyin'), which were made tougher to follow since most of the roads are not marked in that part of the world. These are roads that you only know the name of because you grew up there, as your mothers and their mothers before them. You just know where to go because you've been going that way (on a four-wheeler, mostly) since before you can remember.

But, luckily we had some road snacks to sustain us and good times to keep us going. And, we made it eventually. But, let's start with the road snacks.

I made, as is tradition, curried pea and potato pocket tarts with a shredded mango dipping sauce (I didn't actually make the sauce. I think I got it at Kohli's Imports a while back. Or maybe Trader Joe's. I don't remember). Anyhow, these are based on a recipe from Heidi Swanson's Cook 1.0: A Fresh Approach to the Vegetarian Kitchen (aka my guru). They are delicious and they are cute. It doesn't get much better than that.

I also made some brownies. I pretty much always use this fantastic recipe I scored from my friend Susie a couple years ago, and then just do variations on the theme. This time I reduced the sugar a little bit, added some chopped walnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and then frosted them with a vanilla buttercream that I dyed pink, 'cause, again, cuteness. Plus, some little hot pink sugar sprinkes. They were yum. I'll try to remember to post the recipe because it really is the best brownie recipe ever. And, it's really easy.

So, anyhow, yes, we finally arrived, and met up with Ma & Pa, and got in a (very long, very windy) line. The logistics for this dinner were a little wack. Helvetia was originally a Swiss craftsman community, and they do stay true to that ideal in large part, but whatever Swiss efficiency they had seems to have been bred out once they started mixing it up with the West Virginians. 'Cause West Virginians, as a general rule, are not in a hurry. But, we did eventually eat. Unfortunately pretty much everything had some type of pork (ham or bacon) in it, except the applesauce and the coffee (and I'm not so sure about the coffee). I did a little suspension of disbelief and ate a few things that were surely bacony, but not as overtly so. Unfortunately, we'd arrived late so we missed out on hitting up the Cheese Haus (with goat cheeses made by a trio of Helvetian sisters) and the arts and crafts. But, I did get a couple bunches of ramps to take home.

Reacting to the stinky outhouse (strangely, E-dawg looks pleased!)

Look how beautiful it is behind us! (not the Joe DeLong supporter, the mountains...)

The line to ramp it up

The fam

Since Barbara and I were feeling a little left out of the true feastiness of the ramps, I made us a vegetarian ramp feast on Sunday evening: ramp-cheddar cornbread, ramp roasted potatoes, rampy pinto beans and deviled eggs. It was full of yumminess. That's my kind of eatin'.

the majestic ramp

ramp-cheddar cornbread

deviled eggs (before they got squished in the car)

the pinto thingy

I have to say, that the inspiration for the pinto thingy was just trying to figure out some kind of protein, and just throwing some stuff from my pantry together, but it was really fantastic! Super simple, it probably took under ten minutes, but was so delicious. It's just:
-1 15 oz can of pintos, drained and rinsed
-about a 1/2 c. of canned diced tomatoes
-some Gimme Lean sausage-style. I probably used the same amount as I'd generally use for about 5-6 patties, so like, 1/4 of a tube
-3 big handfuls of fresh spinach
-3 cloves of garlic
-1/2 c. onion, small dice
-a little olive oil
-a mess of ramps (I probably used the bulbs and leaves of about 4-5 ramps)--minced the bulbs, and chopped the leaves
-a small handful of jarred banana peppers, small dice
-a little shaved parmesan for serving

I just sweated the garlic, onions and ramp bulb for a few minutes with the olive oil, then added the Gimme Lean and sauteed for a couple minutes, then threw in the tomatoes, banana peppers, spinach and ramp leaves, and let the leaves wilt for a couple minutes. Then shaved some parm on top. Easy, peasy. So fantastic. You could easily leave out the ramps, and it'd still be super.

we are happy to present....Nowlze!

2008-04-28T09:53:00.003-04:00

As promised, Nowlzie's guest blog appearance! And, stay tuned for my Rampin'-It-Up Reprise this week!

from Nowlze....

well, dear e, allow me to tell you about my lunch at google....

my friend, chealsea, works for a company called double click, who were recently bought out by google. i had heard tale of google's fantastic meals, and of their compound in CA, replete with pool, lounge chairs, smoothies made to order, etc. in fact, our good friend deidre's (aka "dabby's") husband was working there in CA, and i believe dabby was told that she, in fact, could not just stay there all day and hang out. bummer.

but new york is not cali...there is no pool, not a lot of craziness of that ilk aside from some lounge areas set up with guitar hero and coffee areas brimming with complimentary snacks (pita chips, power bars, gum, mints, candy, fresh fruit, all manner of soft drinks, waters, and juices...all complimentary.)

cheal gave me a mini tour, and we waltzed through many micro-kitchens as well as two cafeterias on two different floors. these were less cafeteria and more mall food court (but mall food court if whole foods took over and everything was fresh and organic.) there was a sushi bar complete with chef. as we got our trays, i grabbed a smart water (heh) and swiped a pack of gum. we traipsed through the caf, surveying the day's selections.

one area was completely raw and vegan...of course, they had the typical salad bar fare, but i also spied daikon salad among other prepared raw salads. i helped myself to some roasted tricolor beets, quinoa salad with cranberries and orange zest, and various other delicious fresh veggies and drizzled it all with an avocado dressing (wish i had a recipe for that.)

in the hot areas, there were lots of pastas made to order and, of course, many meaty things. for lunch that day, i went greek, and had some DELICIOUS roasted artichoke bottoms in a creamy yogurt dill sauce with some gorgeous salty greek olives. it was divine.

for dessert, a homemade, hot-from-the-oven pecan chocolate chip cookie. fantastic.

did i mention that all of this was free? gratis? on the house? little does cheal know her fatal flaw: she just may have a bi-weekly visitor, as goodle ny is but blocks from the tv studio that generally provides us with meat, meat, more meat, and oily pasta with salad from a bag. such a contrast. cheal says that she could eat three different meals there a day, any time of the day.

ah, to be a programmer...

............................................

Thanks, Nowlzie!!!

If you'd like to read more about what Google spends on (free--for employees) employee food, here's an article about the $72 million (!!!), about $7530 per employee, per year.

meatless loaf

2008-04-25T11:11:00.005-04:00

I'm so annoyed with myself that I didn't have my camera last night to photograph my dinner because it was so perfectly A Home Cooked Meal.

I'd been wanting to try to make a version of "meat"loaf since I'd had the Meatless Loaf Hero sandwich platter at Kate's Joint when Barbara and I were visiting NYC. I'd asked our waiter what the base was, and he thought it was Gimme Lean ground beef style. So, I found this recipe, and tried it out last night. It was so good! It totally reminded me of my mom's meatloaf when I was growing up. Unlike lots of other kids (if the TV can be believed), I *loved* meatloaf. It was one of my favorite comfort foods. Now it is again! It was perfectly moist with the fantastic (and so simple) tangy glaze. I had it last night with roasted blue potatoes, sauteed green beans, and some challah. Today I'm going to have it for lunch on a sandwich of challah bread, and leftover green beans on the side. Yum.

I'm going to try to make a snack either tonight or in the morning for our road trip to the Ramp Festival. Last year I made some of (a riff on) Heidi's pocket tarts (and, while delicious, they were a pain in the behind to make because I used phyllo instead of puff pastry). But, I made the curried potato-pea puffs for new years (using actual puff pastry), and they were great and not to difficult. I've had a request for them again, so I'm gonna try to redd up some. Will report back...

Also, stay tuned! My good friend Nowlzie will be guest blogging for us about her recent lunch at a Google location (they're known for their FREE gourmet-style meals. I can't wait to read all about it!!

ramp, ramp, ramp it up!

2008-04-24T10:03:00.004-04:00

I know I'm probably sounding like a broken record, but I have been busy! All good stuff, but still. Blogging has been a diminished priority. And, I'm sorry, dear readers. I do miss you, and going forward I'm going to try to post twice a week. Try, I said. We'll see. At least once. Okay.

There definitely have been some good times and good eatin' going on. Some have been photographed, some not so much. One of my favorites, which was coincidentally photographed, was brunch last Sunday. Barbara and I went over to Maggie and Ellen's. Mags made her famous french toast, I made some fresh frozen yogurt and sliced some strawberries, and we put that on top of the french toast for a beautiful breakfast sundae kinda thing. Isn't it lovely?

I also got to have lunch on Monday afternoon with the chef from Casbah, Alan Peet. I'm such a nerd when it comes to writers, chefs and artists. It was super fun, and the food was great. We started with some hummus, muhamara (which I learned how to say, and then promptly forgot), and eggplant spread (that was super light and fluffy, and the texture reminded me of pumpkin pie filling). Then I had a tomato and grilled vegetable sandwich and a small salad. Annnd, I wrapped that up with the Strawberry-Rhurbarb Mille Fueille. Wowza.

And, since spring has officially sprung, it's time for ramps! Barbara, Mags, E-dawg and I are hitting the festival in Helvetia this year. Helvetia is a magical place, and I haven't been for many years, so I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, my parents are meeting us there. Which, incidentally, will also be there first time the 'rents meet Barbara. Or, uh, any girlfriend. (gulp!)

Here's a great article that E-dawg found on Helvetia. And, here's a recipe for Ramp Pizza I made last year (and a confession about harassing Alison Bechdel...).

Okay, will report back about the festival and the ramps!

so much stuff, so little time (to blog).

2008-04-15T10:18:00.006-04:00

My birthday was super. It was nice to go the low-key route, especially since this sinus infection has pretty much Taken Over My Life. But, even though (on my birthday, last Thursday) it was just a leisurely dinner, and I didn't have anything stronger to drink than water and herbal tea, just being up until 1 a.m.-ish kicked my behind. I was exhausted the entire next day.

It is this way with those of us who are old(ish).

For the big night out, I'd asked around to some people for suggestions. I couldn't decide where to go, but I wanted somewhere off my regularly beaten path--somewhere festive, somewhere good, somewhere not crazy-ass expensive. And, a friend suggested we try The Melting Pot in Station Square. I have a long-time love for fondue, since my mom went through her Fondue Period in the mid-70s, so I thought it just might be wacky enough to work.

To start, it was just kind of surreal to be in Station Square. It's weird down there. I think it's for tourists who desire an inauthentic glimpse of Pittsburgh. Or, suburbanites who want a taste of the Big City, but to not get dirty. I'm not really sure. The Melting Pot is in the mall-type thing, which is also very bizarre. Any time I've been there I've wondered at all the odd shops and the nearly non-existent clientele. How do they stay afloat? But, anyway, back to dinner. It was fine, but not stellar, definitely designed for meat-eaters, but we had a great time nonetheless. Our group was a small foursome--just me, Barbara, Mags and the E-Dawg. We think our waiter may have been very, very stoned.

Afterwards, we met back at Barbara's. She'd made a strawberry jello cake (which I'd reminisced about several times). And, E-dawg complimented the cake with some Toasted Coconut ice cream. Yum!! The (figurative) icing on the cake, was that B got me some awesome cooking-themed gifts that I LOVE! A Cuisinart ice cream maker (electric! with an extra canister!), a copy of David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, and a set of baking ramekins. So fun! (the next day I made some frozen yogurt--exactly how I like it, maybe better than Pinkberry).

We stretched the celebrating on out to the weekend, and had a little family party (I borrowed Barbara's family) on Saturday afternoon with her mom, sister, brother-in-law and niece. She and her sister, Sissy, made a snowball* cake!

*Now, it must be noted that Barbara broke the news to me several months ago that Hostess Snowballs are not vegetarian. I didn't realize this, and had long considered them to be my favorite of the snack cakes. I'd been missing them sorely. And, maybe, holding a grudge since Barbara ruined it all for me--as if she'd added the animal fat all by herself. All is forgiven now! It was SO good!!!

And, yesterday I concluded (?) my multi-day birthday extravaganza with my pal Maria. We had dinner at Casbah. It's been one of my favorite Pittsburgh eateries for years, but my pocketbook hasn't allowed for very frequent visits. But, now with my fantastic employee discount (and a generous friend celebrating my birthday), that has changed! We really had a beautiful meal--the food was gorgeous and delicious, the service was really nice, yet understated, the presentation divine.

I started out with a Parisienne Fizz to drink, which was a glass of champagne with a splash of an elderberry liquer. I love champagne and champagne cocktails, and this one didn't disappoint. It was light and floral and a little sweet, but in a good way, not cloyingly. And, I chose the Mixed Greens salad which was a mix of romaine, raddichio and spinach, with feta, crispy fried banana peppers, fried blue cheese stuffed olives (don't let the "fried" make you think this was heavy--it wasn't, but was extremely flavorful and interesting), tossed in a creamy red pepper dressing. Some fantastic bread on the side (I think it's the Mt Athos Fire Bread from Mediterra).

My entree was one of the best things EVER. I had the Sweet Pea Risotto, and it was like spring on a plate. It was the most perfectly creamy risotto I've ever had with tender little peas studding the rice, and it was accented by some wild forest mushrooms, julienned slices of preserved lemon, some beautiful al dente baby carrots, and topped off with a little shaved parmigiano reggiano. If I couldn't gotten away with it, I'd have licked the plate.

For dessert, I chose the Meyer lemon crepes. The crepes were filled with house-made ricotta and Meyer lemon curd, the plate was drizzled with a Meyer lemon-vanilla vinaigrette, and topping this lovely plate was a scoop of olive oil gelato. Woah. Wow. Geez. Gosh. It was amazing!!! (Thank you, Maria, for the lovely meal and the sparkling conversation!). Maria had the Arugula Salad, Orecchiette pasta, and the dark chocolate and raspberry bread pudding. She also loved her meal (I had a few mouthfuls here and there, and it was fantastic). I wish I had photos of my meal. It was truly stellar. [And, for work, I get to meet the chef (Chef Alanson Peet) tomorrow! I'm totally geeked about it. (Geek being the operative word)].

i like a fuss.

2008-04-10T14:32:00.004-04:00

...because it's my special day! Yep, the big 3-5 (although I was guessed at 36 this morning, dangit)!

As you know, I recently started a new job with big Burrito. It is busy as all get-out, but I'm really enjoying it. It's a great working environment, super co-workers (even the one who guessed me at 36), a challenge (in a good way), and a pretty good time all around. *Especially* if it's your birthday!

Seriously. These peeps treated me right! I got to order lunch from wherever I wanted (Spice Island for some Java Fried Rice--vegetarian with tofu; egg okay. natch.), got the dessert of my choice (I said "coconut cake or cupcakes with ice cream", and got some *amazing* coconut cupcakes in both white and chocolate cake, with a coconut custard center, and white coconut buttercream from Vanilla Pastry Studio--YUM), a gift certificate for the restaurants, some gorgeous hot pink roses, a really cool little succulent houseplant, some Incredibles note cards ('cause I'm incredible), a mug, some cookies, an amazon gift card....

Have you ever heard of such a thing?! I've never had a fuss like this from a workplace--especially considering I've only worked here for a month! It's so super sweet, and I'm just blown away by the generosity, and that it feels really genuine. It's like a big family here, and I'm the newest baby.

Other than all that goodness, I did get something else for my birthday--a sinus infection! Yesterday I felt like something or someone was standing on my face. My body hurt. I wanted to cry and I wanted my mom. But, I got squeezed in for a doctor's appointment, and got some antibiotics. I generally try to avoid taking them, but I'm so thrilled I'm taking them now! I feel a gagillion times better today than yesterday. I [heart] antibiotics, and you--I'm looking at you, Louis Pasteur.

Tonight I will be celebrating with my lady, Mags and E-dawg in a low-key kind of way. I love having a birthday as my own personal holiday of all that is right and good. Hooray!

3 items! "Happy Birthday, China-Bear!" & "A Dozen Delights!" & "An Update on the K-Bear!"

2008-04-08T11:50:00.005-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHINA-BEAR!

In more pet news this week, China-Bear, my cat and long-time companion, turns 16 today! She was all in a flutter yesterday picking out her birthday outfit, birthday meal(s), gifts, and other such festive fancies. Here she is thinking about it:

Also, I'm not exactly sure what happened after I went to bed last night, but all I'm sayin' is that the China-Bear woke up feeling mighty darn frisky this morning, and the Meerkat seems to have become a man. Coincidence?

and, now...

A DOZEN DELIGHTS!

You may have already surmised that I'm a big fan of Dozen Cupcakes, Dozen Bake Shop, and the owner of both, the King of Cupcake Manor himself, James. Well, now there's even more to love! Dozen Bake Shop just started doing a vegetarian/vegan dinner on Friday and Saturday nights (three seatings each night, go here for more info and to RSVP).

Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot in the way of vegetarian dining, which constantly hurts my little heart, so I'm thrilled to have another option! I went on Saturday evening with Barbara, and met up with Mags and the E-dawg. We sat upstairs in the new seating area (with a little outside seating area/balcony, too!). The structure is that you RSVP in advance, then you come in, there's a limited menu on the board while you're waiting, you order at the counter, get your drinks and a table number, and then shortly some fantastically delicious food arrives at your table.

We all ordered the eggplant lasagne, which was a HUGE crock of bubbling goodness--eggplant, sauce, lots of ricotta, breadcrumbs, cheese, with a little lightly dressed (as it should be) side salad. We also ordered the starter/small plate of the 7 Onion Tart with red wine reduction. It was YUMazing! Seriously--so good! We didn't order some other items, but James dropped by with some to share--and I'm SO glad he did--the Seitan Po'Boy (with sweet potato fries) and a slice of some beautiful red velvet cake. By the time we left, I was stuffed beyond all reason, but happy as a (vegetarian) clam!

The Seitan Po'boy and the 7 Onion Tart tied for first place in my affections. The seitan was perfect with a vegan (onion?) gravy, and a spicy sauce, and the bread was also fantastic. The onion tart was simply a taste sensation.

In fact, all of our food was so delicious that I only remembered to start snapping pics after we'd already made a significant dent in the offerings. But, check 'er out.

Eggplant Lasagne:

Seitan Po'Boy, and a space where the sweet potato fries once were:

7 Onion Tart, nearly completely decimated:

Red Velvet goodness:

Good food = good times:

*note--there was also a butternut squash casserole with maple infused creme fraiche on the menu, but we didn't taste it. sounds good, though, huh?

Check it out! Support LGBT-owned businesses and good vegetarian food options! Where it's at, yo!

AN UPDATE ON THE K-BEAR

Okay, and lastly, I just wanted to say thanks for all the sweet messages, emails and calls about the K-Bear. He's actually doing really well! He seems to have shaken off the soreness, and has started to heal. He now likes to go by the nickname "Face" (he thinks it makes him seem tough. never mind the yellow kerchief...). He's looking pretty good, eh?

who could hurt a k-bear???

2008-04-06T16:33:00.004-04:00

A big brutish pitbull, that's who. Not that I'm saying all pitbulls are bad. But, I am saying it IS bad to have an aggressive one off-leash in the dog park.

On Thursday evening I was walking into the off-leash area with Zeke (my dog-sit pal, and spottiest man about town) and Caleb. I'd just taken off Zeke's leash, and was bending down to take off Caleb's when he was charged and attacked by the aforementioned pitbull. And, then pack mentality took over, and several other dogs got into the mix. I thought I'd been bit at first, too, but only got a couple scratches and bruises. Caleb, on the other hand, sustained some bad facial injuries. A couple milimeters higher and he would've lost his eye.

Here's a link for the post-attack photo. I'm posting it as a link so you don't have to see it if you don't want to. It actually looks worse in person, but you get the idea.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb286/ehrrinkeenan/IMG_6995.jpg

I rushed him to the vet, and they gave me two options--to have surgery right then, and take the chance that his organs could handle the anesthesia (he's over twelve years old), or to try cortizone, antibiotics and neosporin first, and then reevaluate if it's not healing properly. Option 2 results in a slower healing time, and bigger scar, but also didn't potentially risk his life by putting him under anesthesia without the blood test to see if he could handle it (the test would take overnight to come back, at which point the surgery option would be moot; if he has to have surgery later, they'll have to "trim" the tissue first).

So, I opted for Option 2. And, it actually seems to be already starting to heal. He was pretty sore and stiff for the first couple of days, but seems to be pretty much feeling back to normal now. It was just a really scary experience for both of us.

I found the owner yesterday, and she agreed to pay the vet bill, but still seems to feel it's okay to take her dog into the park. I'm relieved about the first part, but bummed about the second part. I'm not going to take Caleb to that dog park anymore, and am considering whether we should possibly just avoid dog parks from here on out. This stinks because dog parks are his favorite spots. (It was in West Park, in the North Side adjacent to the Mexican War Streets, fyi).

[This is the second time Caleb has been attacked by a pitbull. The first time was ten years ago, right after we'd moved to Pittsburgh. That time his arm (right front leg) was fractured. That time it was a dog in the neighborhood with an owner, but off leash].

I wish dog owners would be more responsible--especially when they have a dog that powerful in their care.

If you're a dog-owner, please be responsible, and also be cognizant about the other dogs around you and their demeanors. And, please wish the K-Bear a speedy recovery.

NYC or bust!

2008-04-02T21:54:00.020-04:00

We had a fantastic time in NYC! Spent time with friends (though not enough, never enough), ate fantastic food, shopped 'til we dropped (literally), racked up walking miles like they were going out of style, laughed until our armpits hurt, enoyed one another to the fullest, showed the meerkat the sites, got the most use out of a whoopie cushion ever in the history of whoopie cushions, and generally had the Best Trip Ever. I [heart] NY. For sure.

Here's a little run-down of our adventures, day-by-day style.

Thursday:
We arrived in the afternoon, and headed straight for Kensington to visit pal Sarah, drop our bags, and start the eating tour. We walked down to a 'hood haunt called the Vox Pop Cafe for some eats, while the Meerkat read (with a little help) and laughed it up over how we'd used the whoopie cushion on the plane.

Then we wandered over to Park Slope to check out the ladybar Ginger's where they were not having karaoke, despite the advertisement that proclaimed they were. Still a good time, though. But, after a beer, our travelin' caught up with us and we retired back to Sarah's to have a chill evening and get some rest.

Friday morning we met up with my pal (and Beach Baby!) Doggie. She showed us around her 'hood in Williamsburg. We lunched at Bliss (where a mean Heidi Klum-ish waitress deigned to serve us between sneers). The food was eh, but it was a great time catching up with the Dog and people watching. Then we set out touring the nabe. Doggie showed us her favorite shop, Fuego (formerly Loveshine) which featured all kinds of awesome little things and Alex, the friendliest shopkeep ever. He had a little lotteria game that we got to play when we checked out that earned us 20% off. And, then he threw in an extra 5% because he wanted to play, too. Seriously, one of the nicest guys I've ever met. If you find yourself in Williamsburg any time soon, definitely stop in. Definitively a Good Time.

We stopped into the Bedford Cheese Shop. All I can say is: wow. I've been lucky enough to try cheese from this shop when the NYC Beach Babies have brought some to the beach. It surpassed all my hopes and dreams. The shop is fairly small, but was packed with fantastic, unusual and interesting cheeses, cute-funny-snarky signage, and uber-knowledgable staff. I tasted several, and lamented not being able to throw away everything I'd brought with me to stuff my bag full o' dairy delights. Another must see/try.

After that we bid Doggie farewell for the afternoon (although she and her pup, Java, did make another brief appearance!), and sat in a cafe for a bit. The one we wanted to try was filled to the gills, so we went across the street and settled in at New York Muffin. Perhaps we were asking for it by shunning the muffins in a muffin-based establishment, but our snacks were kinda grody. Great people-watching, but bad eatin'. Eh. Barbara fears and loathes any kind of wetness on a bread, and her eclair was actually dripping. However, I have a theory on how it got that way:

After that we made our way over to Nowlze and Bdub's. I love the Wolfinellis! They're in B-Burg, too, so after we made their dog, The Biscuit, sit on the whoopie cushion (and he called us "jackholes"), we hit the town for a dinner of fancy pizzas and more whoopie cushion hijinks. Dinner was at Fornino, and was fantastic! We each got a small pie. I had the special which was fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, spicy olive oil, arugula and figs. Barbara got the Spinach Pie with olive oil, garlic (she swears she didn't taste any, but I swear it was loaded with garlic), mozz, spinach and pine nuts. Nowlze got the Margherita Classica, that was straight-up classic and delish. Bdub got the funghi misti with mixed wild mushrooms, truffle oil, thyme...and I forget what kind of cheese. We split a salad of baby greens, frisse, walnuts, dried cranberries and humbolt fog cheese, with some little cheesy crackers on the side. And, we had a pitcher of some of the best sangria I've ever tasted. Yum and yum.

The Wolfinellis had to work on Saturday, but we met back up with Doggie for a lovely breakfast at the Roebling Tea Room. The restaurant is housed in a gorgeous old building (I'm really curious what it used to be). The service was plagued by hipsteritis, but the food was interesting and exciting, and the food was so good the blasé attitude of our waitress ceased to matter. I had the Scrambled Egg with wild mushrooms, thyme and marscapone on brioche with a side of grits served with a sharp white cheddar and chives. Seriously fantastic. It tasted like a highbrow version of my favorite breakfast my mom made as a kid (called "egg gravy"). The eggs were creamy without being overly wet, the mushrooms were perfectly toothsome, the brioche was perfect, the grits divine. Really super. Plus they use as much local and organic ingredients as possible, which I always love. Yumazing.

Afterwards, we hopped the train with Doggie to Union Square to hit the market. So great! We almost skipped it, and I'm so-so-so glad we didn't! I bought several small prints at great prices from friendly and talented artists, we got the most hostile looks so far from some yuppies when we used the whoopie cushion and then howled about it, bought several flavors of locally-ish made maple candy (pure, pecan--my favorite, coconut and ginger), and looked at some gorgeous produce and other various offerings. It was sunny, and the perfect afternoon activity.

We then bid Doggie adieu, and hit The Strand--18 miles of books! Heaven! It was so packed that we didn't stay awfully long, but had a great time browsing. It's amazing to see that many books, and even though navigating the stacks was difficult, it was inspiring to see so many people in a book store.

That night we checked into a hotel (courtesy of my Marriott points!), dropped our bags, relaxed for a bit, then headed out to the East Village trekking to Kate's Joint. This place is a vegetarian/vegan dream! It's all about the comfort food, and has a huge menu of mouth-watering choices. We both started with an awesome caesar salad (that tasted like the one I made from the Veganomicon recipe) I went with the Meatless Loaf Hero, a "meat"loaf sandwich on foccacia with grilled onions and "special sauce" with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Barbara got her favorite, the Tofu Francese. It's a "crispy pan fried tofu in a lemon, herb, caper, garlic wine sauce" with mashed potatoes. This was definitely one of my favorite meals of the trip.

And, then afterwards all my hopes and dreams and prayers to the baby jesus were answered when we spotted a Pinkberry! I LOVE frozen yogurt, and it's hard to come by in the 'burgh. The craze has definitely hit NYC. There were gagillions of fro-yo spots newly popped up on every corner, but none compared to Pinkbery. It's freakin' awesome. Seriously awesome. I'm now officially an addict, or groupie as the case may be. I gotta get a new ice cream maker so I can make my own every single day. I got Pinkberry twice while we were there (and one knock-off pinkberry). I could probably live on it for every meal forever. I like the original with strawberries and mangoes. Dang.

Sunday we were going to stay with another friend, but loved staying in a hotel so much that we decided to keep on keepin' on. However, that particular hotel was a little rich for our blood so we checked into the Comfort Inn in Park Slope. The rooms were small, but it was great! Really good location, super-friendly (and predominantly queer) staff, free breakfast--what more could you ask for? Highly recommended! I love hotels. I could live in hotels 4-eva, TLA.

We got up early, and combed the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood for a breakfast spot, and found Teresa's, a Polish cafe near The Promenade. It was fine--not bad, not great. The Promenade was lovely. Then we went to Vegetarian Dim Sum House in Chinatown for lunch, but it was disappointing. (Nowlze and Bdub were planning to join us, but poor Nowlze got some kind of flu-ish nastiness. Suck.) It's long been one of my go-to spots when visiting NYC, but it was really just kinda eh, and after fighting our way through all the foot traffic in Chinatown it made me grumpy for a moment. But, then we walked over to Soho and did a little shopping at Pearl River, another of my must-hit spots--which lived up to my rememberance. We peeked into the MoMA Design Store, the Paul Frank store, and Babeland, but were so tired, we just hopped a train back to Brooklyn to rest a while before dinner.

For dinner we met up with Sarah again, and hit Veselka for some delish Ukranian food--pierogi (potato and an arugula-goat cheese special), vegetarian borscht, challah, and Barbara's favorite--baked chocolate custard. Afterwards I hit up Pinkberry again (love!). Then we retired back to Brooklyn to a nice little neighborhood bar, Great Lakes (with a fantastic jukebox). By a weird coincidence I'd actually been to both Veselka and Great Lakes before!

Monday morning we strolled in the drizzle around Park Slope starting with a great diner breakfast at Dizzy's where I had some (really, really hominy-y) grits, hashbrowns, and chocolate-almond stuffed french toast. Plus, we were greeted by a friendly dyke when we walked in, our waiter looked like The Jesus from The Big Lebowski, and a little girl at the table next to us infiltrated our minds with her sing-songy chant of "yellow tur-tle, yellow tur-tle".

We wandered around afterwards, popping into any shop that caught our eyes, got some tea at Cousin John's, and then stopped next door at La Taqueria for some giant burritos and street-style corn (mmmm). Then a quick stop to YogoMonster for a Pinkberry-style knock-off (good, but you sir, are no Pinkberry).

After that, it was time to depart. Sarah picked us up at our hotel, and hauled us out to JFK where we had the only real bummer of the trip. Our flight was repeatedly delayed, so we didn't get home until 3 or 4 in the morning. (I lost count at that point). But, the rest of the trip was so great, that even that was pretty okay when I was in the company of the finest lady in this here township or all of NYC, and the cutest meerkat in the land. All in all one of my favorite trips of all time.

[p.s. darn it. i had some really cute slide shows included in this post, but i keep getting errors about the html. hmm. perhaps i'll try again tomorrow from another computer...]

no time for nuthin'

2008-03-26T19:24:00.005-04:00

Halloo, peeps. I hope you all had a nice Easter, if you swing that way. I did. Barbara and I went to her mom's on Saturday night, and woke up to easter baskets (so fun!). Then we went to her sister's for lunch, which was awesome--I brought scalloped potatoes (loosely based on this recipe). Her sister (Debbie) made ham (and some veggie-rice cakes for us vegetarians), this really awesome sweet potato/pineapple/apple/cranberry dish, homemade rolls, her mom made broccoli casserole (and made B & I each an individual one to take home!)...I feel like I'm forgetting some stuff...and some delicious brownies and ice cream for dessert. When we were sitting down to dinner I also pulled off an AWESOME gag based on the whoopee cushion I got in my easter basket. Hi-larious.

In other news, Hurd has left the building. Well, actually, left the Greater Pittsburgh Area for New Orleans. Town just won't be the same.

And, in other, other news E-dawg is heading down to Atlanta this weekend to run her first full marathon!! Send her speed and endurance vibes!

And, in other, other, other news Barbara and I are headed to The Big Apple for a long weekend tomorrow. I can't wait! I'll report back on our many meals next week.

mwah!

yum.

2008-03-19T13:44:00.007-04:00

Sorry about my lame post yesterday. I started it, then got busy, then was having connection problems, so I just gave up. Eh.

Things have been busy lately (when are they not?)--new job, pet-sitting, cleaning up my act at home (my apartment--now looking great!), out-of-town friends visiting, upcoming mini-break to NYC, etc, etc, etc. All good stuff, but I still have been feeling a little overwhelmed with everything. However, getting my apartment in shape is definitely helping with the mental clarity. And, I feel more like cooking when I have a clean place, for sure!

I've been really into sandwiches lately. For a long time I was sort of anti-sandwich. For no particular reason I can think of, but they never sounded good to me. But now, it's all sandwiches, all the time.

On Monday evening I used my brandy-new employee discount at Kaya to have dinner with my old pal Jen and her husband, Errol--here in town for a clay convention. Even before I mentioned that I was now part of the bB family, we were already getting amazingly friendly and fast service from our server, Chaz (who, incidentally, the next day had a new baby with his gf - welcome to the world, little Violet!). After I did mention that I was part of bB, the manager, the chef, and the chef from Soba all came over and introduced themselves to me. It was so nice! They made me look like rock star in front of my friends. And, the food was amazing. We started out with some Mango Mai Tais and tofu cracklins. I don't know what they do to the tofu cracklins, but they're the most amazingly fragrantly delicious little nibblets. Some kind of barbeque-peanut lightly sauced on perfectly pert and just a tiny bit crispy tofu cubes. They are awesome. And, then I had an avocado-egg sandwich, which was also fantastic. And, the chocolate-banana bread pudding is off the hook! I got home afterwards, sat on the couch, and was immediately asleep. Visions of delicious Carribean-inspired dishes dancing in my head. Yum.

I made a sandwich for dinner last night, too. I had some lovely fresh shittakes, so I sliced them thinly, and sauteed them with some onions in a little olive oil and salt for about...maybe 12-ish minutes? Until the onions were soft, translucent, and just starting to brown, and the mushrooms were golden. Then I set them to the side, and grilled some wheat bread with some smoked cheddar. Spread that with some roasted red pepper-eggplant tapenade-ish stuff. Had that with some Russian Banana fingerling potatoes that I roasted with a little olive oil, pepper, and a salt-spice blend I made with some herbs de Provence, tarragon and grey sea salt, served with a dollop of aioli. Washed down with a cold glass of cinnamon sweet tea. Yum.

Okay, now go home and make yourself a sandwich.

success!

2008-03-18T16:08:00.005-04:00

Okay. I found my camera's card reader, and was able to once again upload some photos. Now if I can just consistently remember to bring and/or use my camera...

I did actually remember to take a picture of a little dish I made the other day. I just made a version of Heidi's millet fried "rice". I've made this before, and it's always good. And, you know how I feel about fried rice...like, equals love. Well, my version (riffed from Heidi's version) is no Java Fried Rice (no, you need lots more oil and...something magical...for that), but it's good. And, pretty healthalicious.

More tomorrow!

it's a new dawn...it's a new day...

2008-03-13T12:52:00.006-04:00

The times they are a-changin'. And, evidently I'm feeling like quoting old song lyrics today. So, for good measure, I wear black on the outside 'cause black is how I feel on the inside.

But, not really. The sun is shining, it looks like the end of winter and onset of spring may not be too far away, I'm embarking on new challenges and new adventures, and...I'm feeeeeeelin' good.

[small tangent--years ago, when Nowlzie and I first discovered chatting On The Internets, we sometimes would have entire conversations in Smiths/Morrissey lyrics. good times.]

Okay. I'm slowly getting back into action after being off for a week, being outta town, starting a new job, and just figuring out what the hell is going on in general. Over the past couple of weeks I have cooked and I have eaten. The most memorable meal was my going-away from the old job lunch. A big group of us went to the Church Brew Works (the pesto portobella pizza is fab, btw), but the best part was after lunch. I mentioned that a few of the guys were forming a small band to play a little going-away. They were great! They played two songs--one an Irish jig, and the other an Irish funeral dirge--something about "she's gone tomorrow". It's the best, sweetest send-off I've ever gotten. If I ever find myself at a computer again that is not dial-up and has the drivers I need to upload the video I'm going to post it on youtube under "Ehrrin's lads".

The new job couldn't be more different in atmosphere from the last. The last was in an all-beige space, it was quiet, you had to have security clearances to enter the office, it was cerebral in a very tech-saavy way, many of the jokes included formulas and code, nearly half the words spoken were acronyms, and there were mad scientist/aspergers types littering the place. The new job is colorful, loud, raucous, risque and moving at breakneck speed. I think each of the environments complements a different side of my personality. I'm a lucky gal.

My restaurant discounts should kick in soon, but I'm trying to save all my pennies for a trip I have coming up at the end of the month. Barbara and I are heading to The Big Apple for a long weekend. I can't wait! We're planning out The Homosexual Agenda for our trip based on restaurants we want to hit. Some of those on the list so far are Shopsin's (home of the mac-n-cheese pancake), Kate's Joint, Vegetarian Dim Sum House, some little tea shop in Nowlzie's 'hood, some fancy veg place (I think in Park Slope?), B's favorite bagel shop...and more!

Okay, I'm going to try to post more regularly again, but bear with me--change is hard.

unrelated PSA: sign up for your CSA now! CSAs are where it's at! And, after you sign up, it feels like spring and summer are way closer! If you need some help on figuring out which Greater Pittsburgh Area CSA might be right for you, send me a message. I have lots of info!

hiatus

2008-03-09T17:12:00.005-04:00

Hi all. I've had a little hiatus between jobs--spent meeting my new niece, spending time with my already niece, my mom, my step-dad, the deer herd (including Dixie, the little semi-tame one), some good napping, reading, and some good quality time with my gal. Good stuff. I think I'm well suited to a life of leisure.

Well, I'll be back in action soon. I start my new job in the morning. Wish me luck!

welcome to the world, baby girl!

2008-02-27T14:57:00.005-05:00

I got a new niece last night! Kaitlyn Rose Keenan, 9lbs, 1oz. I hear that she has lots of hair, and looks like she's already three months old. And beautiful.

I'm going to WV next week for a couple days, and can't wait to meet her, and to see her big sis, Savanah. I haven't seen any pictures yet, but I'm chomping at the bit.

I'm really, really grateful to my brother and his wife for giving me these gals. While I'm not interested in having any for my only self, I love being an aunt.

This isn't an actual photograph, but rather my guesstimate of what she probably looks like all swaddled up:

someone is a bad blogger

2008-02-25T10:00:00.004-05:00

I'm not naming names, but someone forgot their camera all weekend, and thus did not capture a bunch of deliciousness. Someone will just have to describe, and hope for the best.

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I was feeling pretty low energy, but I still managed to pack a lot of activity in. Friday I was dogsitting Zeke, and we made a quick-but-delicious dinner of some frozen cheese ravioli's I'd picked up on the way home at Groceria Italiana. I used to get these raviolis a lot, but hadn't in probably a couple years. They're so good! And, so easy, and it feels like a very comforting home-cooked dinner, even though it requires very minimal effort. You select your flavors (I got one box of "cheese" which was a ricotta-herb filling and one box of "artichoke-gorgonzola"). Then you just preheat your oven, spread a little sauce on the bottom of your baking dish, put the ravs in (still frozen), then cover them with a mix of half sauce/half water, cover them with foil, bake them for about 45 minutes, take them out, sprinkle on a little freshly grated parmesan, make a little garlic bread (I used a Mancini braid loaf, also sold at Groceria Italiana), and enjoy. Yum!

After my belly was full I went to the Queer Songwriters Night, where I was emceeing the show as MC SweetE! The music was fantastic, I had the best seat in the house (on a couch in the front row with Barbara, Mags and E-dawg), and I got to make some announcements, tell a few stories that I hope were funny, and generally have a great time.

Saturday I hit OUTrageous Bingo with Barbara, Jr., Kramer and Kara. And, none of us won a g-d thing! I wasn't even close this time. Yet, it was still a heapin' helpin' of good clean fun. Afterwards, we went to Cattivo for a celebratory birthday drink with my pal Nicole. We got some pizza and fries, and they were really good. Plus, there was a fry-eating showdown between Barbara and Kramer, and that is some good entertainment!

Sunday was a day of rest. We had Barbara's mom over for brunch, and I made the cornmeal biscuits with veggie sausage gravy, and Barbara made some fried potatoes with spinach. And, the K-Bear found his new BFF in Barbara's mom. When she came in I was still cooking, and she sat in the living room. Within a minute, Caleb was on her lap. I think they both were charmed by the other's company. And, it was pretty adorable. In other dog news, I'd left a bag of stuff on the counter on Saturday night, and Barbara's dog, Mama, decided to help herself to two sticks of butter. Ouch.

We spent the rest of the day watching Harold and Maude, hanging out at the book store, and having an L-Word marathon while eating leftover biscuits. (I'm typing this while eating leftover biscuits, too).

Some of my co-workers at my current job are planning a little lunchtime shindig on Friday as a send-off for me. They're putting together a band to play a little tribute! So far I think there's a bodhrán, a sitar, a saw, a recorder, a fiddle and a singer (and possibly a bottle of whiskey). I love it!

ev-er-ry daaaay is like Friiiiiiiday!

2008-02-22T10:45:00.006-05:00

Okay, so every day isn't really like Friday, but I am totally jazzed that today is!

TGIF!

Last night I met up with friends Beth and Alan who have volunteered to help me build a website for all the queer goodness stuff. It's gonna be so cool! I'm hoping it'll be ready to launch in a couple months, and then all my wildest dreams will come true. Totally. Also, Beth greeted us with a bowl of warm stew, perfect for a winters' night. She said it was an Anna Thomas recipe, but it's not in my (original) copy of The Vegetarian Epicure. But, it was delicious. Chock full of turnips and parsnips and mushrooms and brussels sprouts (my favorites!) and a lovely broth with a little sweetness from some wine and molasses. It was fantastic. I brought a loaf of really crusty, hearty multi-grain bread from Allegro Hearth and some grape leaves. Alan brought vegan chocolate chip cookies (also very yum!).

The weather outside is frightful, but I'm hoping that all will still be delightful for the weekend. Tonight is the Queer Songwriters Night, and I'm emceeing--MC SweetE in the house! I'm still trying to fine-tune (er, come up with some) funny banter, info about the performers, etc. If you have suggestions, send 'em. And, if you're in the 'Burgh, come on out! It's guaranteed to be a good time with Garrison Starr, Joey Murphy and Autumn Ayers performing.

Saturday morning I'll hit the Strip for a little Cafe Richard action, Saturday evening I will be getting my BINGO on (and winning One...Million...Dollars!!). Sunday morning I'm going to reprise my cornmeal biscuits-n-veggie sausage gravy for Barbara and her mom. Sunday evening I'll make some sort of dinner, but it is TBD at this point.

It's going to be a good weekend. I hope yours will be, too!

smooth sailin'

2008-02-19T14:32:00.007-05:00

I had this fantasy that after I gave notice at my current job that it'd be all smooth sailin', and that I'd just be taking long lunches including cocktails and lots of laughter every day, then I'd come back and take my afternoon nap. I'd make my rounds chatting with all my work-pals and reminiscing over old times. I'd probably come in late and leave early. There would probably be lots of gifts and balloons and cake, especially cake. Homemade, even.

But, you know what? It is nothing of the sort! They are working my little fingers to nubs trying to squeeze out all they can from me while I'm still here, and additionally, I'm training my replacement which takes up a couple hours each day, which in turn makes me busier the rest of the day. What the bleep?!

I guess the upside of this is knowing how much I'm Truly Needed and such. (Bah, humbug to that!)

But, anyway.

The weekend was fab. Friday I got to meet up with my old therapist (whom I *adore*) for a drink after work. She was in town for just a few days, so I was really touched that she made a point to see me. I wish I could keep her forever and ever.

Then I just laid low the rest of Friday, and hung out with my gal for a bit when she stopped by after work. I made us tofu sandwiches (that I forgot to photograph; a theme this weekend, I'm afraid). But, it was whole wheat toast, fresh baby spinach, grilled onions, mayo, mustard, and some tofu that I sliced thinly, and grilled in a hot pan with a generous couple squirts of Bragg's liquid aminos. Yumtastic. I think I'm going to make that again for dinner tonight...

Saturday I hit the Strip in the morning for my (near weekly) dose of Cafe Richard's fabulously fluffy and delicious quiche. I asked what the veggie quiche of the day was, and the fella said "salmon and goat cheese". heh. But I went with the other vegetarian selection--wild mushroom and onion. Not quite as amazing as last week's wild mushroom and spinach one, but close. And, I got some mini tarts--coconut and lemon, and some big beautiful butter croissants.

I ate the quiche right away, but tucked the croissants into a bag with some water for my road trip with Barbara--all the way down to Canonsburg! We were looking at antique toys and general kitsch. After poking around in nostalgia for a few hours we'd worked up an appetite and wanted to quench it old-school style. So, we searched for a diner, but the closest we came was King's. We ate some food that was too 'eh' to recount here, but a good time was had nonetheless.

That evening we hit Operation Sappho to both Break It Down and Shake It-Shake It on the dance floor. Right before we headed out they played "PYT"!

Sunday morning we hit up the Square Cafe for brunch, then did a couple hours of babysitting for her adorable niece, then kicked it at my house for Sunday dinner and an L-Word marathon. I made a quorn roast, fingerling potatoes with butter and parsley and some steamed asparagus. It was a little boring, but tasty and totally homestyle. Of course, I again forgot to photograph it.

But, here's a little picture of the K-Bear and Mama (pronounced with a European inflection) kickin' it, for your viewing enjoyment:

valentine's day: the worst of times, then the best of times

2008-02-15T09:03:00.004-05:00

Woo buddy, yesterday was a big day all around. I accepted the new job, broke the news to the current job. I (finally) started my period. I had a headache all day. But, I sure was looking forward to hanging out with my gal last night. So, I left work a tiny bit (like, 15 minutes) early, but then had to wait almost 40 minutes (in a poor choice of not-warm coat) for a bus that actually had room to pick me up--only to get back to my car, and find that I was completely lodged in sludge, and someone was parked about two inches behind me and I was stuck. So, I walked up to the RiteAid to get salt, only to find that they were out of salt. I called Barbara (PYT!) in near-tears to come save me with copious amounts of salt and a shovel. Of course, right after I called, the person behind me pulled out, but she'd already left. So, I waited, and nearly was stuck again. But, then she came. And, even though I didn't need her assistance anymore, I still was feeling frustrated and frazzled, and seeing her was a huge relief.

So, I got back in my car, and sped off to get home, wrap up my little valentines for my valentine, get together the stuff for our fab dinner, pack up the car and the K-Bear and bust a move to my lady's abode. But, as soon as I got on the parkway, it was stopped dead. I sat in traffic for another half hour or so, and finally made it home (did I mention I'd had to pee super-badly since I'd left work?), and realized I'd started my period. And, then the cramps started kicking in earnest--no more messing around. I popped some ibuprofen, gathered up the goodies, and went on my way. But, I had to stop at the Uni-Mart on the way. At which point I slipped on some ice, and fell in a cold, wet puddle, and soaked my pants, longjohns and unders to the skin. So, I turned around to go home and change again, and called Barbara with an update. At which point she offered to order dinner in for us so we could just relax and enjoy one another's company once I (finally) got there. Which was a wonderful and thoughtful suggestion, and the perfect thing for that moment.

Finally I arrived and fell into her lovin' arms, and everything was suddenly a-okay again, all right with the world.

I haven't had a valentine in years and years and years, and had gotten to the point where I thought it was just a silly and frivolous thing and not worth nothin'. But, now it's my new favorite holiday. I know I am gushing. I might even be making you gag. Well, too bad, so sad! I [heart] my valentine!

We had some delicious pizza, she doctored up the salad she ordered and made it delicious, we had a little champagne, and exchanged our valentines while the K-Bear and Mama (her dear dog) flirted and exchanged their own valentines (they both got one another dehydrated chicken breasts!). We watched Lost. We gazed into one another's eyes while expressing sweet nothings. She rubbed my neck and shoulders. The world was my oyster.

Mama's coquettish look:

K-Bear's love-me-I-am-vulnerable look:

Plus, she made the cutest valentine package Of All Time! Remember when you were a kid in grade school, and you decorated your special valentine box for the big valentine exchange? She made one! The cutest one ever! And, it was chock full of the sweetest and most thoughtful things in town.

This is how we roll on Valentine's Day:

I love that girl.

bigNews!

2008-02-14T15:46:00.004-05:00

Okay, I'm busy as all get-out today, but just wanted to stop by and share my big news! I've just accepted a new job! And, it's moving closer to what I want to do when I grow up! I'll be managing the delivery portion of the catering division for a local restaurant and catering group that I love--several of their chefs/restaurants are very into sourcing lots of food items locally and seasonally. I like it.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say their name, but it might rhyme with migMurrito. So, I'll be working with food and catering and making more money, and being more challenged, and mixing things up, and the best part is that I get 50% for me and a friend at any of their restaurants. I expect this to increase my popularity by 50% as well. Let it be so.

Happy Valentine's, y'all! Barbara (aka PYT) and I are making a little dinner in this evening, so I'll report back tomorrow--on the food, but nothing else 'cause it's just nunayabidness.

Have a good one!

officially winter

2008-02-13T11:45:00.007-05:00

Okay, so we've been playing at winter here for a while--some cold, some flurries, our winter coats and hats and gloves. But, it finally hit for real. The roads are bad, and intermittently scary, there's real snow (I think I had about 5" at my house by yesterday afternoon). I even got to leave work early yesterday! What does all this mean to you? It just means that I'm planning on using it as an excuse for not blogging for a few days. That, and my uterus has been playing games (not fun games) with me for nearly a week now. I am a cranky, bloated, tender, crampy, uterachey, crompy monster. But, that said, I'm real glad to be back to bloggin'!

First of all, the vegan-flavor cupcakes for Kramer's birthday celebration. I ended up making a sort of "almond joy" type of cupcake. I made the coconut cupcake recipe from this blog. As for the frosting, I made a chocolate-almond flavor, and I just kinda winged it like she suggests. I used powdered sugar, Earth Balance, a little hemp milk, some cocoa, some vanilla and almond extracts, and just kept beating it and tasting it until I was happy with it. Then I topped them with the toasted coconut and slivered almonds. They were yum--and cute! Here's a close-up, and one of Kramer blowing out her candles.

"blow like you've never blown before"

Also, Taste of India was pretty tasty, but I don't know if there's a place that can unseat Udipi from the top seat in my heart for Indian fare in the 'Burgh.

Saturday Barbara (PYT) made a little light dinner and hung out and played Skip-bo with me while I complained about my uterache. Obviously, I am a big bowl o' fun around this time of the month!

Couscous with garlic and veggies:

The next morning we made a big breakfast, and it was magically delicious! Sunday Brunch is my favorite meal of the week. She made her famous tofu scramble and some veggie sausages and coffee. I made some roasted dill potatoes, peanut butter-n-jelly french toast (from a recipe that came from a kid's cook book that my brother and I had when we were little), and some fresh-squeezed oj. So tasty and perfect for a chilly morning.

Sunday afternoon we went to a Baby Party. It was for her niece Violet's first birthday. However, I mistakenly thought that it meant [Dress Like a] Baby Party, and showed up in a diaper and bonnet. Boy, was that embarrassing for the first meeting with her extended family!

[Just kiddin', folks. It was a really cute baby party with delicious cake, and hilarious baby antics.]

In other news, my sandwich addiction this week is egg salad with fake bacon. I had an "Egg Salad BLT" at Hoi Polloi last week, and had been thinking about it since. Also, E-dawg and I had been talking about subbing all or most of the mayo in egg salad for greek yogurt, and then Heidi posted another egg salad recipe a few days ago. So, I gave that a whirl. I used 4 eggs, 1 T. mayo, 2 T. fage 0% greek yogurt as the base. But, it just was a little too tangy, and not enough mayo-y for my liking, so I'll likely switch back, or at least flip-flop the mayo to yogurt ratio. So, to off-set the tanginess I added some minced sweet gherkin, some parsley and salt and pepper. It was good, but not perfect. Adding the fake bacon helps, though.

Night before last I threw together a pasta dish with broccoli and a bastardized alfredo-type sauce. I didn't use a recipe, just threw some stuff together--a little half and half, a little marsala, a little parmesan, a little freshly grated nutmeg, a little garlic and onion, a little butter, some salt and pepper. It turned out pretty good!

Tonight I'm doing some shopping for tomorrow's valentine's dinner with Barbara (aka PYT). I'm going to try the recipe that's on the cover of the new Vegetarian Times magazine for a vegetable wellington. Sounds deelish!

the city looks like it's been sprinkled with powdered sugar

2008-02-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

I like this kind of snow. Everything looks lacy and beautiful, but it's not painfully frigid, and the roads aren't bad. I approve. Let it be so. This weekend is supposed to get uber-cold, but I have lots of chillaxin' planned with my gal, so let it snow, y'all!

I actually had a comfort-related close call this morning. I woke up to a chilly apartment, and discovered that while the furnace was kicking on, no air was blowing out. This is what qualifies officially as A Bummer. Luckily, it wasn't too terribly cold, and I was able to get my landlord on the phone at the cracka. I just called my upstairs neighbor, and it's fixed! The heat is on!

And, now I can't get this song out of my head:

Other contributing factors to me feeling like the heat is somewhere on the horizon is that I just scheduled my annual girls' beach trip with my peeps! We've been doing this for years, and it's my favorite week of the year! Unfortunately, I'll have to leave a couple days early, but I'll still get in some great time with my beach babies! Woot!

Here's a few of us:

Tonight is Kramer's b-day shindig. I made some tasty vegan-flavored treats, but I can't tell you about them until Monday 'cause I want them to be surprisy.

Have a fab weekend, my peeps! TGIF!

p.s. this has nothing to do with anything else today, but it's amazing. Check it!

the daily news

2008-02-07T12:55:00.001-05:00

First of all, it's Kramer's birthday. Not just any birthday, either. This gal is entering her dirty thirties! She's been celebrating for days, and has some more to come. As part of the festivities, I will get to check out a new (to me) Indian restaurant, Taste of India. That is always a good time. I might even make her something tasty and vegan-flavored (her favorite).

She looks pretty good for her age, eh?

for Kramer:

In other news, I met my pal Alan last night at D's. I hadn't been there in a while, and it was pretty nice. I had a super-tasty beer--Rodenbach Red Bach, a cherry Belgian beer. Super-delicious. And, for dinner I went with the Big Ben (as a veggie dog)--it was ridiculously huge and messy, and very tasty in the trashiest sense of the word. Yum. Also, Alan gave me yet another mix. This guy is like a machine! I am rocking out, courtesy of him, right now!

In other unrelated news, another Re-pube down!

sometimes you just gotta have it.

2008-02-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

And, "it" means a veggie reuben. Sometimes I get on kicks of these babies, and nothing else will do the trick. I made one for dinner. I made one to bring for today's lunch (but accidentally ate it for breakfast). I want another right now.

Now, you may remember the Veggie Reuben-Off 2007 that Kramer and I conducted (sorta) a few months ago, which ended up in me taking some tips from her, and incorporating them into my own veggie reuben recipe to create a SUPER REUBEN.

But, anyway, I didn't have any green peppers or mushrooms, and didn't feel like messing with sauteeing the onions because I just wanted to Get It Into My Belly, so I went with the Kramer recipe, except that I added cheese (gruyere) and used sourdough bread. It was phenomenal. My mouth literally just started watering thinking about it.

See for yourselves:

In other, unrelated news, I am back in the Hillary camp after being Obama-curious for a spell. Of course, I'll vote for the Democrat, regardless of who gets the nomination, but after talking with some pals (thanks, E-dawg and Jr.) and reading a lot, I'm back in Hill's camp.

Hillary Clinton is my homegirl

b-i-n-g-o

2008-02-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

My people, I hope that I am coming to you on this Monday afternoon following a wonderful weekend for you. Mine was splendid. I spent lots of time with my Number One Gal (aka PYT, aka Barbara), checked out gay bingo for the first time (it was OUTrageous!), and did lots of good eatin'. I still think I need one more day (at least) for it to feel like a real weekend, but still. Good times.

When I was in middle and high school I used to play bingo with my Granny B on occasional Friday nights. She is a bingo fiend, and actually goes on bus tours around different states to get her bingo on. And, she's a winner. So, even though it might not be in my blood (she's actually my step-grandma) I thought I'd gotten in some pretty good early training. I'd been planning to check out the gay bingo for the past couple of years, and it just never seemed to come together. But, this week it did. My pal Jr. and I got there early, and were in a bingo frenzy right outta the gate. We bought extra packs of tickets going in, multiples of every special, a ridiculous number of 50/50 raffle tickets, and lots of snacks. And, then we ran into some other pals--E-dawg, Nat, Heather, Jess, Adele and Janice--who got randomly assigned to our table, and so we were convinced that was an auspicious start. E-dawg won a cool $50, but alas, Jr. and I struck out. However, on the final special, I was working 18 cards at once (which could potentially and literally make one crazy) and then I was one number (N46) away from winning $1000. I almost puked. And, then, seemingly in slow motion, the caller called out Nnnnn....Foorr...tee...sssuhhh...seven. Forty-freakin'-seven. One number away, and all was lost. Several people then called a joyous "BINGO!", and it was all over. I left considerably poorer (I'd gone a little overboard because I was convinced there was no way I'd lose). But, it was a really great time, and I'll be back. I've already made a table reservation for next time (six open spots, gals-about-town, just sayin'!).

Otherwise, I had a bonus breakfast on Saturday at the Original Pancake House (aka OPH, pronounced "oaf"), which is my secret shame and favorite chain, largely because they have fantastic grits. It's hard to find grits in the 'Burgh, and they do them right. I tip my hat to their grit-maker extraordinaire. Delicious. However, when I force-fed some grits to PYT, she scrunched up her face (and did a dance, shook a little...).

We also brunched on Sunday at the new Dozen Bake Shop. Outstanding! I had the Southwestern Strata. Divine. For real. I love this place. Really cute, great food, really nice staff. Kudos!

And, yesterday evening I finally got to try Udipi Cafe! I've been hearing of this place for a long while, and it was definitely deserving of the talk. So amazing. PYT's Aloo Gobi was the best I've ever had. I had a dish with "tantalizing gravy", and it was, it was.

Okay, let's do this thing again tomorrow, whatcha say, peeps?

superbowl! right?

2008-02-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I actually didn't know this was Superbowl weekend until I caught a couple minutes of the Today Show this morning. I know the Patriots are one of the contenders, and the other...the Giants? Maybe? Right? Hey, if it's not the Stillers, who cares! Am I right, or am I right? But, if you are watching, and searching for some healthy snacks to serve, I just saw this post on Mighty Foods.

In other news, I'm really, really glad it's Friday. Not that this week has been particularly taxing, I just LOVE the weekends. As the song goes, I am workin' for the weekend.

I don't have any particular crazy plans this weekend, just hanging out with my gal, possibly sleeping in and/or napping, maybe wandering through a museum, and definitely brunch with the gang at the new Dozen Bake Shop. Hells yes. I cannot wait for this! As you all know, I adore Dozen Cupcakes and the owner, James (I want him to be my new BFF), so I know the bake shop will be fantastic. I stopped in a couple nights ago for a small treat to take to PYT, and the space is really cute and open. And, I can now vouch for the macaroons and milk chocolate cupcakes. Yum!

Anyhow, sorry this is a boring/short post, but have a great weekend, peeps! Mwah!

not fit for man nor beast

2008-01-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

Dang, it is cold and windy today! My car doors were frozen shut this morning, and the K-Bear had to hide out in the basement (my screen door doesn't seal well, and when it's windy it makes an eerie oooh-oooh-oooh sound that he finds to be especially terrifying). The temperature was -7 today with the windchill. Yet, it looks deceptively sunny outside. It's trying to lure us out into the elements so it can freeze us to death. E-dawg said she nearly froze solid walking across the bridge to downtown this morning. Yow!

But, yesterday was pretty nice, huh? I mean, yeah, it was kinda rainy and stuff, but warm-ish (relatively speaking). Plus, I went over to my lady's house for dinner. Yum. PYT made some tofu panfried in butter and capers, some mashed potatoes with cheddar and scallions and some asparagus with lemon and butter. So deelish! It totally hit the spot. I wish I had the same thing Right Now for lunch. It's too darn cold to go out, and I didn't bring lunch because I had high hopes that Mags and I were gonna get lunch. I tried to talk Kramer into making a bike delivery of Java Fried Rice today, but no such luck.

Also, for the curious out there, here's PYT. Maybe you've seen her around? The cutest gal in town?

(I'm kinda smitten).

this blog and blogger officially approve of the four-day work week. let it be so.

2008-01-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

I took a long weekend. Left work at 2pm on Friday, and didn't go back until 8:30 a.m. this morning. Now, that is what I call a weekend. That's as it should be. I think I would be really, really great at living a Life Of Leisure.

It was a good weekend. I did my cooking and delivery on Friday, and everything turned out really great--seriously, my best incarnation thus far of the burgers and carrot fries. Once I actually started cooking I stopped being Aunt Frantic, then it was just good times. It was to feed a band, Ember Swift-n-band, that came through for the Queer Songwriters Night. I got to hang out while they started eating, and I got lots of good feedback, which was super-fun. And, a request to deliver to Canada! Here are a few of them chowing down:

One of the recipes I used was Heidi's recipe for vegan caesar salad that she adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's new book Veganomicon. Oh. my. god. This dressing is one of the Best Things I've Ever Tasted. Make it! Eat it! Love it! I really want that cook book now, too. I've paged through Post Punk Kitchen quite a few times and Moskowitz's Vegan With a Vengeance, and their recipes are great.

After the drop-off I picked up PYT for our own dinner. We'd planned to hit one of my favorites, Abay, but then decided to check out the new Ethiopian place, Tana. There's been some difference of opinion amongst my group of peeps over the new place. I have to come down on the side of "eh". It was okay, not totally horrible, but not great. The food and service and selection at Abay are WAY better. It's odd that Tana would choose to locate their restaurant only a block from an already successful Ethiopian restaurant (and the only other one in town). Anyhow, I probably won't go back, but I do wish them luck.

Then we went back to catch the show at Modern Formations. Unfortunately, we missed Steffanny/Stephanie-Kaye (I really liked her when I saw her play last year), and we just got Tracy Drach's last song (you should see her "outta sight!" dance!), but we saw Ember Swift's whole set. I hadn't really heard them before, and was pleasantly surprised! Her guitar/bass/voilin player and songwriting partner Lyndell Montgomery was ah-mazing! She played her guitar with a bow, and then banged on the body with it for percussion. Wowza. And, the drummer, Liz, was also really incredible. Good stuff! [Next month Garrison Star will be performing. Check out the series' myspace here!]

Saturday was a lazy day of lunching and browsing and shopping around town with PYT, and then an early night home. Sunday we were invited to brunch with our pals Nat and Heather. Heather made her patently fantastic french toast with raspberries and blueberries and fresh whipped cream. She also made some Scotch eggs, but I didn't try them due to the copious amount of meat. (PYT wants me to investigate a veggie version of these; they did look really good). There were also fruity champagne cocktails, delicious coffee, fruit, fabulous cheese, and I made some cinnamon rolls.

I used a recipe that I'd been eyeing up from the November 2007 issue of Fine Cooking magazine. The article was titled "Cinnamon Buns in Less Than an Hour" by Kathy Kingsley. Right on! They use a biscuit dough to cut the time instead of a yeasted dough that has to rise several times. I was worried they'd be too dense--especially because I used mostly whole wheat flour, but they actually came out really nice and tasty. Next time I think I'll add some orange zest to the filling, and make the glaze orange (with reduced orange juice and orange zest in place of the milk and vanilla). Here's my adaptation of the original recipe (can't link the original because you have to subscribe to the site to get the recipe):

Fastest Cinnamon Buns
yields 12 buns.

FOR THE DOUGH:
3/4 c. cottage cheese (the original recipe specified 4% milkfat, but I used 2%)
1/3 c. fage 0% total greek yogurt (original recipe was buttermilk)
1/4 c. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 c. flour (I used 3/4 c. of unbleached white flour and 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. fine-grain sea salt
1/4 t. baking soda

FOR THE FILLING:
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 c. packed light or dark brown sugar (I used half dark, half light)
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 c. chopped pecans

FOR THE GLAZE:
2/3 c. powdered sugar
2-3 T. cold milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9-10" round pan.

Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, yogurt, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda, and pulse in short bursts until the dough clumps together (don't overprocess!). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15" rectangle.

Make the filling: Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2" border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don't worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch (20-28 minutes; mine took just 20). Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate (I did the ol' plate on top, and flip out onto another plate trick).

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, 2 T. milk and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 T. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve. I also sprinkled on a little extra powdered sugar for cuteness sake.

Yum. And, the smell that fills your house while these are baking is positively heavenly!

So, anyway, back to brunch. I had to scoot out early so I could make it to the hypnosis session I'd scheduled for that afternoon. And, it actually ended up being the same guy that I'd looked up online. Leaving the session I had high hopes, and had no desire to smoke on the drive home (from Washington Co). But, then that night around 9:30-ish, I started wanting to smoke really, really badly. And, that happened a couple times yesterday, too. So, the jury is still out. I think it might have helped a little, but my cravings definitely aren't gone. But, he also suggested lots of water and vegetables, and I have been wanting both a lot. Here's the salad I made when I got home (and I've reprised this several times since):

It's baby spinach, some tofu that I drained/pressed, then sliced super-thin and pan-fried with a little toasted sesame oil and Bragg's, some of my leftover croutons from the delivery the other day, diced carrots, dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts, radish sprouts and a lot of freshly ground black pepper. (That just made my stomach growl).

Tonight PYT is making me dinner. Can't wait!

a big day!

2008-01-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

It really is a big day for me. I am executing my first-ever paying personal chef gig. I've already learned a few things about timing prep, setting prices, etc. And, I think it's going to be a smashing and delicious success (keep your fingers crossed just in case though, k?).

Here's the menu (the blacked out portion is the client's info):

Like the logo? I'm pleased as punch. But, I am kind of a nervous wreck. My friend Schwatts has an Aunt Fran that gets a little out of control in the kitchen. Whenever she feels like that, she says that she's "Aunt Frannin' it". I'm totally Aunt Frannin' it today.

I'm delivering at 7pm, and then I will be a relieved and free lady, and will have a lovely and relaxing dinner at Abay with PYT, and then go check out the Queer Songwriters Night at Modern Formations. Good times. You should go--Ember Swift, Tracy Drach and Stefanny!

In other news, I just signed up for my 2008 CSA! I feel super excited to start imagining fresh, local, organic, delicious produce! I've done Kretschmann's for several years, but tried to get into Mildred's Daughters last year. They have a very small number of slots (and a portion of those are work-exchanges), so I wasn't able to get in last year, but just found out I got in this year! They are the only working farm within the city of Pittsburgh, women-owned and run, and they also do things a little differently. You actually go to the farm to pick up (fun!), and get to select your items, sorta farmers' market style. I cannot wait. I mean, I love Kretschmann's, but I'm excited to check out the 'daughters. E-dawg and I are going to split a share, and take turns making pick-ups. Hooray!

Other big news for this weekend is that I'm attending this workshop to be hypnotized to quit smoking and lose weight. I really, really hope it takes. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend, pals!

no, pancakes. really.

2008-01-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, the Hurd was right (with regards to her comment yesterday). PYT was indeed referring to actual mac-n-cheese pancakes. She'd developed a fondness for them from visiting Shopsin's in her ol' stomping grounds of Brooklyn. Check out the menu! It's off the hook! Okay, so anyway, I did not make mac-n-cheese pancakes, but I did make the Alton Brown recipe for Next Day Mac-and-Cheese "Toast". They turned out pretty well, but I actually think the regular mac-n-cheese was better because it had more moisture/creaminess. But, still. Pretty yum.

I also made a salad with butter lettuce, chevre and roasted beets. I made a vinaigrette with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some dry mustard, a little honey, a couple cloves of garlic, some crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisked it all togheter, then tossed the beets in that, and roasted them, and also drizzled a little on the salad. I wanted to add avocado, too, but it wasn't ripe yet. And, wanted to add some toasted walnuts, but forgot (d'oh).

PYT made a bean dish with green and white beans sauteed with some garlic and butter (she said she normally puts buttered bread crumbs on top, but skipped it since the mac-n-cheese was all about breadcrumbs. It was SO good! This is my new favorite way to eat green beans. Dang. Deelish! It reminds me a little of a Heidi recipe (from Super Natural Cooking) for pan sauteed white beans called golden-crusted something...

All in all, a delicious dinner for a winter evening.
(look, in the picture below you can see PYT's toes!)

The boys anxiously awaited leftovers

follow-up to mac-n-cheese

2008-01-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

Oh, dang. Doods. That *was* the best mac-n-cheese ever! I can't wait to see how the "pancakes" come out. Also, PYT is planning to make one of her own special dishes with green and white beans, and I can't wait to try it.

Unfortunately I forgot to bring some mac-n-cheese for lunch. I guess it's for the best since I'm going to have the "cakes" tonight, but still. I was just uploading the pictures, and it made my stomach start growling.

Of course, mac-n-cheese isn't the healthiest of dishes, but dang and dang. So good. It doesn't get much more comforty than that. Also, I don't know if you can really tell from the photo, but that is one of my new kitchen items. My mom got that ceramic baking dish (it's KitchenAid, and super heavy and awesome) for me for xmas. And, she got me a KitchenAid food processor. Heaven, pure heaven.

yay.

mac-n-cheese!

2008-01-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Is there anything better than mac-n-cheese? (hint: the answer is a resounding "NO!").

A few days ago PYT asked if it was possible to make "mac-n-cheese pancakes". And, while the idea of a mac-n-cheese and pancake hybrid was slightly alarming, I think what she actually meant was mac-n-cheese In The Form Of a patty type thing, In The Shape Of pan-fried goodness. So, I did a little searching on The Internets (you know, the series of tubes), and found a recipe for Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese, and conveniently there was a linked recipe for Next Day Mac and Cheese "Toast".

Since PYT and I are planning to make dinner tomorrow, I decided to give these "pancakes" a whirl. So, right now I have mac-n-cheese in the oven. And, I think it is going to be ba-BOMB. For reals. I tried the pre-baked stuff, and it was already the Best Mac-n-Cheese Ever. So, tonight I get to eat some of the straight-up mac-and-cheese, and tomorrow I get to (hopefully) impress PYT with golden goodness.

So, here's my adaptation of Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
serves 6-8

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
3 T. butter
3 T. flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1 T. powdered mustard
3 c. milk
1/2 c. yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne
1 large egg
12 oz. shredded cheese (I used a mix of yellow and white cheddar, chevre & gruyere)
1 t. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper (I used LOTS of pepper)

topping:
3 T. butter
1 c. panko
3 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
1 T. grated meyer lemon zest (my nod to Heidi; she loves lemon zest)
lots of freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a seperate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, paprika and cayenne. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg (this means to mix a little of the hot milk mixture slowly into a beaten egg to bring it up to temperature so the eggs don't scramble, then mix it back into the milk mixture). Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-qt casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs, parsley and lemon zest to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 40-45 minutes (I like it really nice and browned on top, so I'm going tutn it up to broil for a few minutes at the end). Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

And, now it's almost ready to take out of the oven! I'll report back tomorrow with pictures.

mondaze

2008-01-21T15:42:00.000-05:00

Do you ever try to nap, but aren't able? I was cursed with that unfortunate phenomena this weekend.

I went out to a late show on Friday night to see The Gooch and The Harlan Twins at Club Cafe. Then had to wake up early for dog-sitting duty, and since I was going out late again on Saturday (so unlike me!) to shake my groove thing on the dance floor with PYT at Operation Sappho, I tried to nap. Yet, was unsuccessful. Even though I gave it three attempts. And, PYT also had a fruitless napping day, and then it seemed like everyone we talked to that night had had the same experience that day. What the bleep? My theory is that there was some type of energy disturbance that made napping impossible. And, then I had the same experience (well, I might have gotten about 20 minutes in, maybe) on Sunday! Dang!

So, today I'm feeling cranky about being at work--even more so because it's MLK Day, and most of my pals are off--gallivanting, I'm sure. The two-day weekend is just not even close to being sufficient. Grrr.

I will try to have an early night tonight, but it's Queers: They're What's For Dinner night, so we'll see. Even if I'm sleepy, I know the food will be tasty at the Gypsy Cafe.

(Have I ever mentioned that I'm a compulsive and chronic over-scheduler?)

But, anyway. I have my first-ever personal cheffing-style gig this week! I'm making a vegan dinner for one of the bands coming in for the Queer Songwriters Night on Friday. I think I will reprise (a vegan version of) the dinner that I made for PYT last week. It was tasty, healthy and cute--which are all important factors. And, I bartered with my pal E for some graphic design a few months ago, and I'm going to start paying her back soon with some cheffery. And, I'm hoping that will help me get back on track to cooking more again, and making healthy stuff (which is what she's requested).

But, right now? All I want is a nap. Maybe tomorrow...

blue plate special

2008-01-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

Last night I made dinner for PYT, and decided to go with a Blue Plate Special kind of theme, but vegetarian and fancy-fied (sometimes I like to call this "kara-fied" in homage to my peep Kara who is ba-bomb in the kitchen).

Anyhow, I made a burger, fries, vegetable of the day and pie. I kept the "fries" in the oven a little long to stay warm, though, and the potatoes got a little hard. But, still decent.

I made a version of Heidi's Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers, one of my (now) old standbys. I just made a couple of small changes. I didn't use the sprouted chickpeas, 'cause I didn't plan that far ahead (just used canned), swapped out fresh parsley for the sprouts/microgreens, added some sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, added a dab of dijon and used a tangerine salt (a la Eric Gower). For the fixin's, I used some sliced avocado, some roasted red peppers, some White Diamond cheddar, some sundried tomato "ketchup" and some remoulade sauce (a la Nowlzie).

For the fries, I again went with my gal Heidi, and used her recipe for Baked Carrot Oven Fries with chipotle-orange dipping sauce. I also used some baby Yukon gold potatoes, and sprinkled them with the tangerine salt and a little minced fresh rosemary, parsley and a couple of shallots.

For veg of the day, I went with some wilted spinach with garlic, crushed red pepper and toasted pinenuts. I love spinach. I could give Popeye a run for his money, for reals.

For dessert, I used this pie recipe. I ended up adding a couple extra tablespoons of butter to the crust because it was a little too crumbly, and added a little vanilla extract into the custard when I added the whiskey. It was tasty, but I think next time I'd add just a tad more sugar to the custard, and a tad of...some kind of spice to give a little more depth of flavor. Maybe some ground cloves? I'm not sure. Also, my bananas weren't totally ripe, so that cut down on the sweetness also. And, I think this would be good with some coconut in the custard, too. Has anyone made a custard with coconut milk? I wonder if you could replace some or all of the milk with coconut milk. I think that would add a nice flavor and a little sweetness.

Here's the din:

And, here's the pie:

All in all, a lovely evening!

if i were a diva...

2008-01-15T15:17:00.000-05:00

If I were a diva perhaps it would not feel as though my uterus is trying to claw it's way out. As it stands, I've got a uterache to beat the band. Dang.

I met The Gooch today at lunch for a little Scrabble action, and while we weren't able to finish the game, she had a good lead up on me. But, I'm blaming any Scrabble-related shortcoming on my persnickety uterus. Do you all have that thing where you start dropping things and losing focus and the like around the time of the Red Wave?

But, otherwise all is well. I'm meeting some oldie-but-goodie pals this evening for a potent potable and an assload of new tunes. Seriously. I used to work with these fellas, and we had a monthly "International Interoffice Mixed Tape Exchange". Except that it wasn't really international, and we didn't actually use tapes. But, still. It was a real.good.time, and I miss both them and the exchanges. I see them from time to time, but never often enough. I've made-but-not-kept a few plans lately with one of the guys, let's call him Alan (because that is his name). Every time I talk to him he has more mixes piling up for me. Tonight he said he's bringing 13. Yes, thirteen! Woot! And, the other young man, let's call him Bob, is planning on bringing me a couple Beirut goodies (the band I'm currently obsessed with, but own nothing by) and the Juno soundtrack. And, a small painting he did of me when I was dressed up as Divine for Halloween a couple years ago. I'm so excited I could pee.

Also, I have not smoked today (my yesterday's tally was four). I want one, but am doing okay because I found an old nicotine patch in my medicine cabinet. I'm going to get some more, but have to wait for a minute because while I normally am paid once per month, in January we're not paid for six weeks (because we're paid two weeks early in December because the office is closed for the holidays at the time they'd normally pay us). It is putting a hurtin' on me. Luckily, I have some dog-sitting gigs coming up. But, in the meantime, if you have some extra patches and/or gum and the like sitting around doing nothing, give me a holler. I will gladly use them.

work is no place for a diva on a monday

2008-01-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm no diva (since I gave up after a couple attempts), but it is almost diva-time, if you know what I'm saying, and I think that you do. And, this guy (i.e. me) is starting to get crompy. Also, I'm trying to decrease my cigarette intake (only one so far today), and that is also one of the ingredients in the recipe for crompiness. I found this guy on the internets, and it sounds like he can pretty much hypnotize you to do anything, or to NOT do anything, as the case may be. I'm waiting to hear back from his office about rates and such. Maybe it'll be covered by insurance, he'll have an opening for tomorrow, and he will cure all that ails me, and all my dreams will magically come true!

I'm--I mean, my uterus--is craving frozen yogurt. And, some searches on the internets and calls to various spots, I've found that the Mrs. Fields shop in the Ross Park Mall has a TCBY fro-yo machine. Which is unadvertised, and comprises approximately 10% of their business (I spoke to someone chatty). It's not exactly what I want, because I want some plain, super-tangy fro-yo, but this may be the best I'm going to get until I get a new ice cream machine or Pinkberry comes to the 'Burgh. I'm choosing to blame Luke Ravenstahl that Pinkberry isn't here. You may say it's not his fault, but I say, can you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt?

feeling great in 0h-8!

2008-01-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your sweet and encouraging comments yesterday, peeps. You're right; I am in better shape (all around) than I was last year before starting HealthQuest 2007. And, I appreciate the feedback on what to focus on, too. So, I'm going to take your suggestions. I'm going to give up the coke-in-a-can again (oh, how I will miss you). I actually have a few in my fridge right now, so I will try to foist them off on visitors, and then cease buying new ones. Coincidentally I saw this little spot on the Today show this morning about all the calories in beverages that we often forget about. I was shocked, for instance, to learn that a Long Island Iced Tea contains 700 calories and 40g of sugar. Whoa! And, a Venti Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Latte has 660 calories and 22g of fat. I mean, neither of these are something I'd typically drink anyway, but whoa.

Also, will start the Chantix again to again quit the smoking. Eek. This one is especially hard because I actually like smoking. I know that's a dirty, dirty habit, and sentiment about said habit, but I do. I mean, I don't like the social pariah status that comes along with smoking, but I do enjoy the taking-a-break-from-it-all that comes along with it, and the satisfying lung blast. (I know it's horrible. But, still). I was talking to a friend last week who quit using hypnosis. I'd love to try that. If anyone knows of anyone that does this kind of hypnosis, hook a sister up with the info. Preferably one that doesn't cost One Million Dollars.

Another goal for this weekend to get my kitchen back in order. Right now the whole apartment is kind of outta control, but I feel it most in the kitchen. I gotta get it in shape, and reorganized so I can bust out some foodstuffs. I got a request for a vegan dinner for four next Friday, and have another friend that I bartered for some stuff in exchange for some personal cheffing, and I need to start making good on that exchange. It'll be good for me to have a commitment to cooking up some healthy goodness again.

Ah, okay. All is not lost. Just a bit off-track. (Thanks)

Have a good weekend, my pets and my peeps. Mwah!

trying and failing

2008-01-10T12:32:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it's January again. Last January I made the whole commitment to the HealthQuest 2007, lost 40 pounds, quit smoking, quit biting my fingernails, eliminated processed foods (for the most part), quit drinking Coke-in-a-can, started exercising, cleaned up my apartment, started getting my finances in order.

And, now? Well, some backsliding occurred on all fronts, friends. I've gained back 29 pounds (ouch, it hurts to type that), re-started smoking, my fingertips look like miniature bald-headed men, have been eating for shit and drinking Coke-in-a-can with abandon (damn the spicy and delicious dark waters of capitalism!), am a lazy ass, and have a cluttered apartment.

But, on the bright side, the finances are in slightly better shape and I have a new car. And, I'm a much better cook.

So, back to the drawing board. But, I'm thinking that maybe I should be a little more moderate in my approach instead of tackling everything at once. But, I'm having a hard time getting started. I obviously know what I need to do, so why aren't I doing it?

I think I'm mildly depressed right now, and when I think back to when everything started going to hell, I think it was around the same time as my awesome therapist split town for the wild, wild west.

So, step 1, find a new therapist that is hopefully 1/10th as awesome as my old one.

Blah. It's embarrassing to admit all this stuff, and I feel like a failure. Yuck. I hope you're all doing better than I am.

Okay, enough of that.

There's a movie coming to the Pittsburgh Filmmakers next week that sounds awesome and Pollan-esque. Here's the scoop:

King Corn
This is the entertaining, intelligent story of two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In this we-are-what-we-eat documentary we follow best friends from college on the east coast, as they move west to learn where food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America's most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat, and how we farm. (Aaron Woolf; USA; 2007; 88 min)

All tickets for Thursday 5:30 shows at the Harris are just $5, thanks to 1410 KQV-AM.

Mon 1/14 thru Wed 1/16 – 7:30 ... Thu 1/17 –5:30, 7:30
Harris Theater
809 Liberty Ave, Downtown / 412-682-4111

And, speaking of Michael Pollan, his new book is out, In Defense of Food. I'm waiting with bated breath to get my copy from the library. [Oh, squee! Just checked the library site, and it's in! I'll pick it up tomorrow over lunch!]. Reading The Omnivore's Dilemma last year was a big part of motivating me to eat better; I'm hoping the new one will help me get back on track.

java fried joy, part deux

2008-01-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

It is another beautiful day in Pittsburgh, peeps! Pert-near 70 degrees! And, sunny! What the bleep!? Actually, I'm not going to question it. Just going to enjoy it, and soak up the Vitamin D while the gettin' is good.

And, Kramer evidently felt the same way today. She g-chatted me this morning to say that she was going to make a Spice Island (for that link you gotta click on the Spice Island Tea House thing, and then you can view the menu; they don't have their own site) bike-run today for lunch, and would be dropping an order by for me. Yes, I say, hells yes!

Completely counter to my usual modus operandi, I didn't order java fried rice, but instead ordered the fresh cut green beans with ginger (add tofu). At first bite I was not impressed, but I added a little soy sauce, and it's growing on me. Plus, it includes the most impressive serving of fresh ginger I've ever seen (a good 3 tablespoons!). I don't think any dish has a chance of taking the place in my heart reserved for java fried rice, but I will probably order this again--as a side to JFR (but will probably leave off the tofu since it's just some cut up pieces of silken tofu).

Here's a crappy quality pic of it from my cell phone camera:

But, better than that, are the pics of the actual delivery. Here is Kramer making her speedy delivery:

And, here is my reaction to receiving such a fabulous delivery on such a fantastic day:

It's a good day, friends.

And, it'll be a good evening, too, 'cause of I'm going to check out the k.j. (karaoke jockey) stylings of my pal Nicole. The Thunderbird has an (unofficial) dyke karaoke night on Tuesdays, and Nicole has long been a star of the venue. Now, she's taking that shit by storm! If'n you're in the 'Burgh, come check it out tonight, 9pm. Be there.

monday...

2008-01-07T15:08:00.000-05:00

Have you Pittsburgh peeps been outside today? It's sunny! It's warm! Where the heck are we? I just heard it's supposed to be almost 70 degrees tomorrow! I wish work would dismiss us due to weather.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I did, indeed. A little chillaxin', a little qt with a Hurd, fun times with a lovely new acquaintance, brunch at Zenith, saw Juno (if you haven't seen it, do!), had the first Bushwicks practice with Mags in over a year. Good times, all.

[Incidentally, do not let a Hurd convince you that she doesn't like games. I mean, look how excited she is over Trivial Pursuit!]

So, so, so...so much to catch up on since I was a slacker with the bloggin' over the holidays. But, a quick overview:

1. xmas was great. I went down to WV to see the fam, and (to steal a clever phrase from The Gooch) to recharge my accent*. Here's me and my beautiful and youthful mom:

And, to add another generation on, here's my freakin' adorable niece, her only self:

*Regarding the accent, it doesn't take long for me to re-pick it up. I heard myself telling my step-dad, when I meant that I was going to get out of the car to walk my dog, "Ahm jus gon waukeem real quick" which translates as "I'm just going to walk him real quick." Whoa.

Also, my step-dad adopted a baby deer (now named Dixie), and has fed her for the last few months. She's joined her own herd, but she stills comes about three times per day for treats (apples, corn chips, deer kibble) and for pets. It was so fun to pet a baby deer! I wish I'd gotten a picture, but every time she came up my camera was charging, or downstairs, or something.

2. New Years Eve was great. I was at Zeke's with the and the K-Bear, and we had a lovely time with some pals who stopped by to count down to the new year.
K-Bear loves hats:

I made a spread of snacks for the soiree. I had:
-veggie sushi (assisted by the E-dawg)
-curried potato-pea-spinach puffs
-mini artichoke-spinach-sundried tomato quiche
-mini wild mushroom tarts
-buffalo tofu dip (this actually didn't turn out so great)
-my mom's famous cheeseball
-a gorgeous cheese spread (by E-dawg, with pears, honey and blackberries)
-a delicious mocktail (also by E-dawg), the Bramble with a juniper berry/bay leaf syrup mixed with seltzer water, fresh tarragon, meyer lemon juice and blackberries (this was SO good!)
-mesquite chocolate chip cookies

And, a few peeps stayed over, and Heather actually brought all the fixins for breakfast the next day--fancy french toast with banana yum and raspberry compote. Yum!

Also, I realized that you know when you are old when at the end of the night on NYE you're not passed out and/or making out with a stranger, but instead you're doing a load of dishes and sorting recycling. I loved it.

2. My new ride! I'm loving it!

I'm so glad to be mobile again.

And, now that we're back up to speed...

Hurd and I tried to check out the new Ethiopian restaurant, Tana, on Saturday, but arrived just as they were closing for a few hours between lunch and dinner. Kramer and Mags had lunch there last week, and gave it two thumbs up, way up. I can't wait to try it.

Tonight is Classic Book Club. We read Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison (Augusten Burrough's older brother). Plus, there are always lots of delicious and surprising snacks.