superbowl! right?

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!

a Hurd versus the herd

Sandra posted a comment the other day mentioning that it was hard to tell a Hurd and the herd apart. So, I thought I'd include some (linked up) visual aids.

a Hurd
the herd

Speaking of a Hurd, you may remember a month or so ago that she asked me why our joint adventures so rarely show up on the blog, while it's "Ellen-Ellen-E-dawg" all the time. And, you may also remember that I replied that it was because so few of our activities are fit for public consumption. This weekend was no exception. Kramer and I were just trying to go about our business and get some groceries (and maybe some Spice Island and a drink or two at Kelly's), but then the Hurd entered the scene, and a very different evening was had by all. And, that's all I'm going to say about that. Except that I was hungover all day on Saturday and missed all my walking and meeting up with the herd, running of errands and changing of oil and going to parties. A Hurd is a bad influence. Just sayin'.

And, Sunday's plans fared no better because our bike escapades were called off due to a weather forecast that included "dreary", "humid" and "scattered showers all afternoon". So, we just went to brunch at Coca instead. Where I enjoyed some Grilled Polenta with Heirloom Tomatoes and Poached Eggs. Yum.

But, I did get in some good quality time with QAF, and have indulged in my first boy-crush in a looooooong time. Brian Kinney (...sigh...) from QAF. He's, like, totally dreamy. I cannot believe that the real life actor who plays him is straight! What the hell? I think I actually want to be Brian more than anything else, but still. Dang. Check out this short video of Brian and Justin that the Hurd sent me. Which also made me realize that there are a LOT of Brian/Justin videos out there. Goody.

...Sigh...

Okay, what? So, cooking or something, right? So, on Saturday I made up a little salad that is similar to several other summer salads I've done in that it's tomatoes, potatoes and some type of bean with a vinaigrette dressing. This one was baby yellow potatoes (that were incredibly creamy and firm and delicious), red, orange and green zebra tomatoes, green beans, onions, torn basil leaves and a simple vinaigrette with:
-lemon juice
-olive oil
-minced shallot
-sea salt and freshly grated pepper
This is a super-easy, super-fresh and super-pretty. See?


I had it with some lovely corn on the cob (although, I have to say that it didn't even come close to the corn from my CSA last week in terms of juicy deliciousness. I mean, it was good, but that other corn was stellar).


Yesterday I took stock of the contents of my kitchen, and whipped up a little casserole. Plus, I'm meeting up with Bobcat/Jess this evening, and had promised to bring another dish for her to review. So, I asked her if there's anything she doesn't like. You know what she said? Sausage. And, I said, don't worry about that; I'm vegetarian. And, then you know what I did? Added veggie sausage (Gimme Lean) into the dish. WTF? I'm an airhead. Also, while the dish is tasty, it's not perfect, and I'd much rather have her taste something great. But, it's probably better to have to taste something that's still at the drawing-board stage than something I already know is good, right? ugh. I woke up in a panic about it when I remembered the stupid sausage. Plus, there are just several things I'd change about the dish (less fennel, more nutmeg, a thicker egg/cheese mixture layer). And, the last thing I gave her to taste was a tarte in which I'd forgotten the cheese. I think I'm doomed.

So, I wrote down the recipe for this, but I think I'm going to keep working on it before I give you that.

But, the layers were:
bottom--potatoes, onion, green pepper
2nd--veggie sausage
3rd--roasted eggplant and garlic
4th--egg/feta
topping--panko with butter and pulverized dried shittakes
I was sorta imagining a veggie moussaka, but I didn't actually have any moussaka recipes on hand, so I just winged it. The egg/cheese layer should have been way thicker. Okay, I think I'm just freaking out about the pressure to perform and NOT picking a winner for that kind of scrutiny. If it were just me eating it, I'd probably be raving about it. Sheesh.

catching up

The last few days have been busy. Mostly with a controversy that erupted on a mailing list that I moderate (queer events; lemme know if you'd like to be on it). Well, it started as a queer events listing a few years ago to promote some events I was organizing, but then just grew and evolved into this bulletin board kind of thing. Every once and a while there will be little eruptions (it's largely user-moderated), but I generally stay out of it and just watch it unfold. It's pretty fascinating. But, this week an issue came up that coinciding with re-quitting smoking and pms and lots of fiery indignation into the perfect storm that made me a rant machine on the list. I think it was good, ultimately, and hope for a good outcome, but it definitely has taken up the bulk of my time and energy for the past couple of days. [if you wanna know what the hell I'm talking about, it's all about an issue where a local organization that puts on an event called Celebrate The Night as a women's night of celebrating coming out, and their subsequent transphobic exclusion of one performer, you can visit Sue Kerr's blog for a summary and her commentary or ask me and I'll give you a link to the actual conversation].

But, in health/food news, I did in fact re-quit smoking a couple days ago. After the bike ride to work day made me feel like my lungs were trying to burst out of my chest. I just hope it's not always a multi-daily battle like this. Damn, I wish smoking was good for you.

But, on a positive note, I'm already gearing up for the weekend. Friday night I'm going to stop by a party to celebrate a friend's divorce being finalized. Saturday, I'm going on a farm tour with Ellen and Kara. Here's the info for that, if you're interested:

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture
presents the first annual Allegheny County
Summer Farm Tour
Saturday, July 28, 2007
10 am - 2 pm
We want to connect you and your family with some of the farms in the Pittsburgh region offering you the best in healthy, sustainably raised food.

The farms on the tour include:

1. Blackberry Meadows Farm, Natrona Heights
2. Dillner Farms, Gibsonia
3. Garden Dreams, Wilkinsburg
4. Soergel Orchards and Greenhouses, Wexford
5. Triple B Farms, Monongahela

We hope your experience will leave you with an understanding of how critical local and organic food systems are to preserving the beautiful rural and urban landscapes of Allegheny County.

Download the Map.
cows Take the Tour

* Load up your friends and family.
* Locate the farms you want to visit on the map and decide on a route.
* Pay for your $10/per car at the first farm you visit. The same pass gains you access to all the participating farms on the tour.
* All farms open, rain or shine!

marketTips for Taking the Tour

* Bring a cooler! Eggs, meats, cheeses, milk, veggies, fruit and more will be available for purchase!
* You won't be able to visit all 5 farms since you'll spend time taking tours and traveling.
* Leave the pets at home. Farm tours are for people, not pets.

Additional tips.
The clearest path to a sustainable food system is by purchasing our food and fiber from local farms that work in harmony with nature using practices like organic or grazing.

Sincerely,


Julie Speicher
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

PASA's Mission
Promoting profitable farms which produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.

Sunday I'm gonna go to the Big Idea Benefit Brunch*. Here's the scoop on that:

*brunch is my favorite meal of the week.

Sunday, July 29th 11AM - 2PM

Benefit BRUNCH for The Big Idea Bookstore to raise funds for awesome
improvements!

WHERE? 244 39th Street in Lawrenceville (across from Arsenal Park)

COST? $5 donation gets you a delicious vegetarian/vegan meal
of buffet-style foods including roasted potatoes, waffles (yes, vegan
waffles), veggies and more. Coffee and herbal tea available for a tiny
bit more.

WHAT ELSE? Other yummy vegan treats (cinnamon buns, cookies, cupcakes
and more) available for additional donation to take home.

Come eat delicious food and hang with good folks.

Also, the gal that's cooking for this (others might be, too?) is the Deana, the vegan cupcake lady. I had one of her avocado-coconut cupcakes last year at Handmade Arcade, and it was so good that I wrote her a fan letter. For reals. That good.

After that brunch-fest, I'm gonna meet up with some peeps on Washington's Landing for a bike-n-swim. We're gonna ride bikes over to the Sue Murray pool in the N.Side, take a dip, then ride back.

And, then? Well, then's it's time for the weekly Scrabble Smackdown with The Gooch.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I have a few little plants sitting on my front steps--the only place around my place that gets direct, full sunlight. So, I have two basil plants and two tomato plants. I harvest the basil a lot, but the tomatoes just grew a little tomato, and it gradually, gradually ripened until I had one perfect tiny tomato ready to be picked this morning. So I picked it. It's cute as can be!




But, I just ate it, and the skin was tough, and the flesh was a little mealy. Eh. But, still cute.

Speaking of, a guy I work with just told me, "You look like the movie Hairspray today. Like, the original one." I don't think he meant it as a compliment, but I totally took it as one!

counting down days

Yes, I am counting down the days until I'm going to the beach for my All Gal Beach Extravaganza 2007!!! We go to Stone Harbor, NJ, every year. Schwatts' dad has a house there that he generously lets us use for a week each summer and it's just a little slice of heaven. Half a block from the beach, two decks, lotsa bedrooms, lotsa mac-n-cheeses (what Katherine calls the bright orange throw blankets). And, we just get together once a year to chill, catch up on our lives, do workshops for one another, make and eat some tasty food, play in the ocean and bake on the beach and generally just have the very best week of the year. I'm chomping at the bit!

So, this weekend I went grocery shopping at the Co-Op, Trader Joe's, the farmers market and Reyna, (and Family Dollar for a cooler!) and stocked up with ingredients for some recipes I'd like to make in the next couple of days to take down with me. I think I'm going to make otsu, sprout burgers, wheat berry salad, crunchy/creamy beans-n-greens, chile de Arbol sauce and some mesquite chocolate chip cookies. But, I really only have one free evening until we go, so that's the goal list, and it'll probably be a little smaller than that actually, but I can take the other ingredients with me--'cause now I have a cooler! Guess whose recipes those all are? I'll give you one guess. Her name rhymes with Meidi Mwanson.

And, speaking of Heidi, I was reading her blog today and she gives a link to the Elastic Waist website because they have a video up of one of the contributors making the Straw and Hay Fettucine Tangle with Spring Asparagus Purée recipe from Heidi's Super Natural Cooking. I haven't made this yet, but Nowlze and I were just discussing alternative pestos last week, and I mentioned this one. It looks so good!

This weekend was a good time. You may or may not know that I like a good time. Friday was Gist Street (one of my favorite evenings of the month). I again did not win the eggs in the raffle, but maybe my luck is just saving itself up for a week when the chickens go crazy and make One Billion Eggs. I think that must be it.

Saturday morning the K-Bear and I met up with Zeke (my dog-sit friend) and his mom at this really beautiful dog park in Aspinwall/Fox Chapel. You can tell it's where the richies live 'cause it's super clean and unspoiled and just generally awesome. Lots of trails, a creek, biodegradable poop bags. Caleb and Zeke were thrilled to see one another. They get especially excited when things are out of context. I wanted to snap some pictures of them but they were way too busy sniffing stuff to pose. Here is a picture of some wildflowers, though.


I spent the rest of the day on Saturday doing some grocery shopping and napping. And, then Kara came over in the evening for an ice cream and game party (for two)! It all started when we were emailing back and forth about recipes, then ice cream recipes, and then we had to have some homemade ice cream! We both made a base in advance and got our ice cream machines ready, and then the plan was to play some games while the ice cream was freezing. Which was a perfect plan except that Kara's ice cream maker bit the dust. We noticed that it hadn't really frozen at all after nearly an hour, and so it had instead been actually warming up instead of freezing. Her maker was a really nice automatic Krupps one, but evidently something had gone horribly wrong with its freezing power. So, after I made mine, we tried using my maker, but the combo of it having just been used, my refrigerator not being an optimum temperature (due to all the new groceries) and it having been warmed and whipped for an hour it just never did sit up that night. But, the next day? Woah! She left it in the machine at my house, and that is like hitting the jackpot! Her ice cream flavor was avocado (and it's even raw and vegan!). Hot damn. The flavor is really...green. Like, it tastes a little like just under ripe bananas (which are my favorite fruit, but only when they're not quite ripe) and like avocado and like goodness. It's a little bit icy, but I'm thinking that might be because of the prolonged freezing process. Oh my god, it's good.


I made a rose petal ice cream. I got the recipe by googling one billion rose petal ice cream recipes and settling on the one that sounded most reasonable and rich. It's from the Border Grill:
Ingredients:
3 fragrant organic roses, petals only [E note: use organic here for sure!!!]
1/2 cup milk
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar, separated
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup rosewater (or to taste), available at Middle Eastern stores
3 drops red food color, optional

Directions:

Wash the rose petals in cold water and pat dry. In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan, place petals of 2 roses, milk, cream, and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Place over medium heat and heat to just under boiling. Let steep about a half hour to infuse.

[E note: there's a misprint with this recipe because they never tell you to add the rosewater. I added it when I added the rose petals.]

Combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk until thick and pale yellow. Bring the rose/cream mixture back to a near boil and whisk 1/4 of the warm mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then pour all of the egg mixture into the rose milk and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Strain into a bowl and chill on ice. Pour into the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer finished ice cream into bowl and add the torn petals from the remaining rose. Fold into ice cream and pack into freezing container.

Due to do the temperature issues described above, we ate it as soft serve (or, soup). It was really rich and deelish.

This is what it looked like the next day:


Sunday morning I was supposed to go to WV to visit a friend, but she wasn't feeling well, so I stuck around the 'Burgh and met a Hurd for brunch at the Quiet Storm. We got two of the specials and split them: Avocado-"Bacon" Frittata with Smoked Paprika Aoili and Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Honeyed Ricotta. (and I got some grits and she got some roasted sweet potatoes--just to make sure that we were in pain). Oh, golly. Those were good. Especially the frittata. Dang.

For dinner I made a salad that was inspired by a sandwich that Bozena brought to the after-kayak picnic. Her sandwich was avocado, hardboiled egg and argula on whole wheat. My salad was spinach, basil, hardboiled egg, avocado, sauteed pea shoots with egyptian onions in a tad bit of toasted sesame oil. The dressing was just fresh-squeezed lemon juice with sea salt and pepper. I made the same thing for lunch today. Yum.


Okay. I've also come to a hard realization, too. It is that I lost 40 pounds by eliminating the processed crap out of my diet, but now my body has acclimated to that and it's just not enough anymore and I still have 60 pounds to go. I've been just thinking (aka justifying) that as long as I'm pretty much making everything I eat from scratch then that'll do it. Because it is all good for me, but it isn't all good if you're trying to lose weight. So, I need to kick this stuff up again. I did the whole first part of my diet with pretty much only changing the way I eat, but then got lazy. So, now I need to make a commitment to exercise at least three times a week and to drink at least eight glasses of water every day. I do best with this stuff when I actually write everything down. It helps me to be aware of what I'm doing and I always enjoy a good spreadsheet. So, dear friends, help keep me honest, and that means that if I say that I think it's a good idea to get those white chocolate chip and raspberry chocolate cookies from Sand Hill Berry Farm at the farmers market, you punch me in the throat.