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Published On: Sep 13, 2006 12:01 AM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Sep 13, 2006 12:01 AM
Tue - August 1, 2006
Grill-o-riffic!
Well, I finally did it, much to B and L's
surprise, I actually managed to drive ALL the way to the 'quah and pick up the
'old' gas grill that L has been trying to get me to take off their hands for
about a year and some months... (an old thermos grill that just has some
"cosmetic" issues)
Set it up tonight, and low and behold, it started up with just one press of the cool red button and it's flames leapt to life! Woohooo! Steaks-R-us for dinner to night! This made the hounds quite pleased, although they didn't get nearly as much as they'd hoped. Grilled food in the summer just tastes "better" for some reason... have not had steak for months and months, so we shall see how the system take an uber protein bomb... hope to stop by the fish market tomorrow and maybe get some tuna steaks and salmon fillets...
free functional grill = two thumbs up on the LJ scale of awesome things... (as you all know, I could care less about "appearances")
Set it up tonight, and low and behold, it started up with just one press of the cool red button and it's flames leapt to life! Woohooo! Steaks-R-us for dinner to night! This made the hounds quite pleased, although they didn't get nearly as much as they'd hoped. Grilled food in the summer just tastes "better" for some reason... have not had steak for months and months, so we shall see how the system take an uber protein bomb... hope to stop by the fish market tomorrow and maybe get some tuna steaks and salmon fillets...
free functional grill = two thumbs up on the LJ scale of awesome things... (as you all know, I could care less about "appearances")
Posted at 09:49 PM |
Mon - May 29, 2006
Sun - May 21, 2006
Fantastic Pho just opened...
Lucky lucky me... A hole in the wall, but stellar
Pho place just opened up near the surgery center. Its on aurora, about a block
south of Northgate way. Great food, outstandingly inexpensive (in the way
that only pho seems to be) and delightful staff. It's not quite done yet, so
if you go in, don't be surprised by the mild disarray... The food and drink is
great! (though have yet to get tapioca balls in my iced coffee before noon)
Posted at 08:07 PM Read More |
Mon - May 1, 2006
100% organic, 100% home made (well, except for the cheese)
The latest attachment for my kitchenaid mixer...
durham wheat semolina, free range organic eggs, pinch o' sea salt and Voila! PASTA!
Also working out a good recipe for high protein (with soy flour) pasta, and more egg whites than yolks..
Okay, so it takes a bit of time to get it to 'angel hair' pasta thickness, but it's worth it... yummy!
topped with home made sundried tomato and super garlic pesto...
Lunch! (The girls at the office will be envious - tee hee)
Posted at 11:29 PM |
Fri - March 24, 2006
Good gadgets...
Two thumbs up for each of these on the Laura's
Kitchen scale of joy and
happiness...
The Avocado slicer/peeler
Quickly slices Avocado every time! Slides easily with less mess. Perfect slices for salads, sandwiches, tortillas, appetizers, or guacamole.
Its 18/8 stainless steel construction is durable and will not rust; non-slip handle has a comfortable grip in the hand. The gadget is dishwasher safe.
Avocado Slicer Instructions:
The Avocado slicer/peeler
Quickly slices Avocado every time! Slides easily with less mess. Perfect slices for salads, sandwiches, tortillas, appetizers, or guacamole.
Its 18/8 stainless steel construction is durable and will not rust; non-slip handle has a comfortable grip in the hand. The gadget is dishwasher safe.
Avocado Slicer Instructions:
1.
Remove stem
2. Cut
Avacado in half and twist
3.
Remove pit with a knife, fork, or
spoon
4. Hold
avocodo, with the skin side down, in the palm of your hand
5. Beginning on the large end of the avacodo,
slide
the slicer from one end to the other in a scooping motion
6. Lay
perfect slices onto salad or sandwich and
enjoy!
For dicing: run a knife the opposite way of the slice to desired dice size
Avocado Tips:
For dicing: run a knife the opposite way of the slice to desired dice size
Avocado Tips:
• Lime juice keeps avocado meat from
turning brown
• A ripe avocado will last in the
refrigerator for 2 to 3 days
• Heating a not quite ripe avocado in the
microwave will make it softer and more flavorful
• Best used with ripe
avocados!
and...
Tomato Slicer
For tomato lovers who dream about summer-fresh sandwiches and salads, this tool from Italy will become a seasonal necessity. Use a gentle sawing motion and the slicer's multiple serrated blades glide through a tomato with razor precision, creating thin, uniform slices every time. Blades are 18/10 stainless steel; handle is soft-grip rubber. Dishwasher safe. 3 1/2" x 11 3/4"
and...
Tomato Slicer
For tomato lovers who dream about summer-fresh sandwiches and salads, this tool from Italy will become a seasonal necessity. Use a gentle sawing motion and the slicer's multiple serrated blades glide through a tomato with razor precision, creating thin, uniform slices every time. Blades are 18/10 stainless steel; handle is soft-grip rubber. Dishwasher safe. 3 1/2" x 11 3/4"
Posted at 12:00 AM |
Fri - March 17, 2006
breakfast
My friends are starting to think this pizza thing
has gone to far... I fear they are planning an intervention...
Posted at 12:42 AM |
Mon - March 13, 2006
The BEST Red Sauce
Sicilian pasta
sauce.
Saute sliced onion in olive oil, in the bottom of a large pot, until slightly browned. Maybe 1/2 a medium onion.
Add:
One large can tomato sauce
One large can diced tomato's or whole tomato's
One medium can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste, about a teaspoon each.
Oregano 1-2 teaspoons
Fennel seed 1-2 teaspoons. Do NOT use anise
Allspice 1/8 teaspoon
Garlic several pressed cloves
Cook it all day over very low heat, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently with some french or Italian bread. Be careful not to burn it. Some stoves don't simmer at a very low level.
I tend to taste the sauce frequently and spice it as I cook it. I am just really guessing at the amounts of spices. But this is a good starting point. The fennel seed and allspice really make it a Sicilian sauce
I don't add ground beef. My friends Sicilian grandmother would put in chicken necks and backs for some flavor. They are harder to find now and so I put in wings or legs. I have also put in a pork rib or two if I don't have chicken. Or I'll put both in. Whatever you feel like.
Saute sliced onion in olive oil, in the bottom of a large pot, until slightly browned. Maybe 1/2 a medium onion.
Add:
One large can tomato sauce
One large can diced tomato's or whole tomato's
One medium can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste, about a teaspoon each.
Oregano 1-2 teaspoons
Fennel seed 1-2 teaspoons. Do NOT use anise
Allspice 1/8 teaspoon
Garlic several pressed cloves
Cook it all day over very low heat, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently with some french or Italian bread. Be careful not to burn it. Some stoves don't simmer at a very low level.
I tend to taste the sauce frequently and spice it as I cook it. I am just really guessing at the amounts of spices. But this is a good starting point. The fennel seed and allspice really make it a Sicilian sauce
I don't add ground beef. My friends Sicilian grandmother would put in chicken necks and backs for some flavor. They are harder to find now and so I put in wings or legs. I have also put in a pork rib or two if I don't have chicken. Or I'll put both in. Whatever you feel like.
Posted at 09:21 PM |
Mon - February 20, 2006
Gone overboard
Can you say Pizza Cracker? It's like eating a
pizza toppings on a matzoh. I really outdid my self on the "rolling out" phase
of the 'za making tonight. I think I'l leave it a little thicker next time :)
And no, it was not a rising problem. It rose just fine, you just needed a
caliper with mm as the unit of measurement to tell how thick it was...
My weekend is over. Back to the grind. Thank your all for your reading and comments!
-L
My weekend is over. Back to the grind. Thank your all for your reading and comments!
-L
Posted at 11:46 PM |
Sun - January 1, 2006
African Food anyone?
if you are looking for a real treat, check out
Meskel Restaurant up on Cherry. I've now eaten at several of Seattle's best
Ethiopian, and Meskel is always vying for the top!
Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant
2605 E Cherry St
Seattle, WA 98122-4933
(206) 860-1724
For live music and a slightly different flavor...
Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant
2605 E Cherry St
Seattle, WA 98122-4933
(206) 860-1724
For live music and a slightly different flavor...
Hidmo Eritrean
Cuisine
2000 S Jackson St,Seattle,
WA
(206) 322-4715
This next place I've yet to try out, but I hear it's menu is split east/west african cuisine straight down the middle, the ethiopian half remaining each month but the other half revolving between other west african countries such as Senegal... Also of note, I hear they have cooking classes twice a month...
(206) 322-4715
This next place I've yet to try out, but I hear it's menu is split east/west african cuisine straight down the middle, the ethiopian half remaining each month but the other half revolving between other west african countries such as Senegal... Also of note, I hear they have cooking classes twice a month...
Pan-Africa
Cafe
1521 1ST Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 652-2461
1521 1ST Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 652-2461
Posted at 08:39 PM |
Thu - December 29, 2005
Your goose is SO cooked...
Okay, just
kidding...
Cooked a goose today... For the first time... If you have not had goose before, I recommend that you make nice to your favorite hunter friend and beg a goose off him/her. That is some AMAZING meat!
To see the full story, follow this link
Holiday Goose 2005
Also of note, revamped some of the photo essays on my mac.com site.
LJ's mac.com site
Cooked a goose today... For the first time... If you have not had goose before, I recommend that you make nice to your favorite hunter friend and beg a goose off him/her. That is some AMAZING meat!
To see the full story, follow this link
Holiday Goose 2005
Also of note, revamped some of the photo essays on my mac.com site.
LJ's mac.com site
Posted at 01:03 AM |
Sun - November 20, 2005
Ohmigosh...
Another on my lists of "firsts"... Today my guy
showed me how to roast fresh coffee on the stove top. He made me the BEST super
fresh (right out of the burlap sack) ethiopian coffee beans (we bought them at
the corner store around from the really tasty albeit hole in the wall ethiopian
restaurant where we had dinner that oddly enough had a projection TV in the
dining area)... No matter how good some people say their coffee is, there is
something to be said for roasting your own just before you brew it. Amazing.
(of course, he also taught me that you absolutely must leave all the doors and windows open while you are doing it)
Who needs Starbucks! I'm now one step closer to being ready for Africa :)
(of course, he also taught me that you absolutely must leave all the doors and windows open while you are doing it)
Who needs Starbucks! I'm now one step closer to being ready for Africa :)
Posted at 12:03 AM |
Thu - November 17, 2005
Why didn't they teach this in college?!
Call me naive, but I made it to 33 without
knowing that you could make great scrambled eggs AND regular bacon in the
microwave...
In less time than it takes to toast a bagel....
Who'da thunk it!
"bacon and eggs, not just a breakfast food"
In less time than it takes to toast a bagel....
Who'da thunk it!
"bacon and eggs, not just a breakfast food"
Posted at 10:06 AM |
Tue - August 30, 2005
Make this for dinner! (and you might become a little shellfish)
Thank you Dr. B for this great recipe! (the
workplace is great for sharing)
"Better than Anthony's Home Port!" - fc
1/2 lb Bacon - Sliced in 1 inch long pieces
1 medium onion (I used a walla walla sweet) - chopped
3 Garlic Cloves (I used more, but I like tasty sauce)
2.5 lbs tomatoes - Chopped (I used fresh Roma tomatoes and blended them)
4 cups baby spinach (packed)
3.5 lbs clams (last night featured Manilla Clams and Mussels for variety)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I upped this to ~2 tsp, without any adverse effects)
salt to taste (not really needed thanks to the bacon)
Heat Bacon in heavy (large) pot until starts to brown (if you have dogs, this is when they start to drool)
Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes - cook until onions take on a golden brown
Add tomatoes, cook until tomatoes break down to form sauce (I let it reduce a bit at this point, though the recipe doesn't call for that)
Add Clams, mix, cover... Cook till clams open (5-7 min)
Add baby spinach, mix and cook until wilted (about a min)
Eat with bread or angel hair pasta. Basically finger food, eat the clams, and pile the sauce onto the bread. You won't be disappointed!
"Better than Anthony's Home Port!" - fc
1/2 lb Bacon - Sliced in 1 inch long pieces
1 medium onion (I used a walla walla sweet) - chopped
3 Garlic Cloves (I used more, but I like tasty sauce)
2.5 lbs tomatoes - Chopped (I used fresh Roma tomatoes and blended them)
4 cups baby spinach (packed)
3.5 lbs clams (last night featured Manilla Clams and Mussels for variety)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I upped this to ~2 tsp, without any adverse effects)
salt to taste (not really needed thanks to the bacon)
Heat Bacon in heavy (large) pot until starts to brown (if you have dogs, this is when they start to drool)
Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes - cook until onions take on a golden brown
Add tomatoes, cook until tomatoes break down to form sauce (I let it reduce a bit at this point, though the recipe doesn't call for that)
Add Clams, mix, cover... Cook till clams open (5-7 min)
Add baby spinach, mix and cook until wilted (about a min)
Eat with bread or angel hair pasta. Basically finger food, eat the clams, and pile the sauce onto the bread. You won't be disappointed!
Posted at 06:17 AM |
Mon - November 15, 2004
Yoga and Chicken Lo Mein
Today, for some reason I decide in my quest for a
flatter tummy, I will go to Yoga class. This is not some fancy Bikram yoga or
Hot Yoga, this is just plain yoga, offered on Monday and Wednesday at my local
gym.
This is all fine and good, but since I was busy today, studying, doing housework, lounging with the dogs, I missed lunch. SO, in my not so wise ways, I figured I'd stop by my favorite cheap chinese takeout place (after grocery shopping) and get some Chicken Lo Mein and Broccoli Beef so I could eat it after my trip to the gym (I hate going to the grocery store after working out, much less picking up take out) Well, here lies the problem. I figure since I'm not sure what Yoga is going to have in store I do a quick half hour on the elliptical trainer and an ab workout, and then head up to the "space". Hmm... I'm already hungry. I play along like a good lemming and twist myself into all these contortions with an instructor who can't remember if we should be using our left or right leg (is this typical for yoga-ites?) I keep looking the clock. An hour into the class, it's time to lay down and do our "visualization" exercises... She's going on about laying under a big tree, with yellow falling leaves... How we are should "be" that image, all our other thoughts of the day to day world are like the leaves, floating away... All I can think of is...
I am the Chicken Lo Mein... I am the noodle... If my hand had been close to my mouth I might have eaten my fingers... Not soon enough, that part of the session, AND class was over, she turned on the lights to me already rolling up my mat... Thank you ma'am... it was great... right right... no, no bonding... I've got some take out to devour... SO much for my calories expended :)
Note to self... Like swimming, don't eat just before Yoga, but DO make a point to eat lunch before going TO yoga...
Puppy update...
She's learning to bark... it's not quite Bark yet... It's more Mark.. Mark mark mark... ehehehheheh... squeak squeek whine whine whine...
This is all fine and good, but since I was busy today, studying, doing housework, lounging with the dogs, I missed lunch. SO, in my not so wise ways, I figured I'd stop by my favorite cheap chinese takeout place (after grocery shopping) and get some Chicken Lo Mein and Broccoli Beef so I could eat it after my trip to the gym (I hate going to the grocery store after working out, much less picking up take out) Well, here lies the problem. I figure since I'm not sure what Yoga is going to have in store I do a quick half hour on the elliptical trainer and an ab workout, and then head up to the "space". Hmm... I'm already hungry. I play along like a good lemming and twist myself into all these contortions with an instructor who can't remember if we should be using our left or right leg (is this typical for yoga-ites?) I keep looking the clock. An hour into the class, it's time to lay down and do our "visualization" exercises... She's going on about laying under a big tree, with yellow falling leaves... How we are should "be" that image, all our other thoughts of the day to day world are like the leaves, floating away... All I can think of is...
I am the Chicken Lo Mein... I am the noodle... If my hand had been close to my mouth I might have eaten my fingers... Not soon enough, that part of the session, AND class was over, she turned on the lights to me already rolling up my mat... Thank you ma'am... it was great... right right... no, no bonding... I've got some take out to devour... SO much for my calories expended :)
Note to self... Like swimming, don't eat just before Yoga, but DO make a point to eat lunch before going TO yoga...
Puppy update...
She's learning to bark... it's not quite Bark yet... It's more Mark.. Mark mark mark... ehehehheheh... squeak squeek whine whine whine...
Posted at 11:18 PM |
Tue - October 5, 2004
I think I have a cold..
I get like one cold or flu a year, so I can never
quite tell if what I have is a cold, flu, allergy, or just a change in the
weather sinus headache. Whatever it is, I'm falling back on an old family
recipe for a cure...
1/2 baby lemon
1 teaspoon clover honey
1 or two fingers Jack Daniel's
1 packet dried ginseng (optional)
fill cup with boiling water
it is not the best tasting concoction in the world, but for some reason it always does the trick. (and if it doesn't work with the first glass, you just have another and soon enough you won't care if you are sick)
1/2 baby lemon
1 teaspoon clover honey
1 or two fingers Jack Daniel's
1 packet dried ginseng (optional)
fill cup with boiling water
it is not the best tasting concoction in the world, but for some reason it always does the trick. (and if it doesn't work with the first glass, you just have another and soon enough you won't care if you are sick)
Posted at 08:11 PM |