tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27366540869489686822024-03-08T13:04:55.063-08:00Imperfectly Deliciousdeliciously imperfectMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-9043490832446188992010-07-14T14:03:00.000-07:002010-07-14T14:07:41.972-07:00The EndI'm sorry to say that I am unable to keep up with a food blog as often as I would like to. To cook, snap pictures and post on a regular basis has just become too difficult in my busy life. I'm lucky for the little time I get to spend in the kitchen at all lately. <br /><br />I am moving things over to <a href="http://ohmommybaby.blogspot.com/">a new blog</a>, one that allows for me to be a little more carefree in the way that I post, and one that incorporates all of the other things I love besides food. Please, come visit me there, and say 'Hi'!<br /><br />I will be leaving this blog up for the recipes to still be available. <br /><br />Adios.<br /><br />xoxo,<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-83777247040404170842010-04-22T14:35:00.000-07:002010-04-22T14:45:58.280-07:00An easy morning<center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Kirahblocks2-35.jpg"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/butterflyleaf35.jpg"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Kirahcolor35.jpg"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/portopremade1-35.jpg"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/portopremade2-35.jpg"></center><br /><br />A house for bunbun's "girls". <font color="green">bunbun says radish seedlings look like butterflies</font>. A new picture for her bedroom wall. <font color="green">Our nearby grocery store has these amazing pre-made stuffed portobello caps</font>. Quick soft tacos for an easy lunch for me. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://uguisu.ocnk.net/"><img src="http://uguisu.ocnk.net/data/uguisu/product/IMG_2438.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Ordered some of these adorable paper balloons to brighten up bunbun's room. <font color="green">(Click image for link)</font><br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-68363187623603820062010-04-12T15:13:00.000-07:002010-04-15T14:44:59.977-07:00Won't turn your tongue blueWon't turn your tongue any color for that matter.<br /><br />I know its a little early to be worrying about school lunch snacks and the like - bun bun is only 2. But I saw <a href="http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/fruit-rolls/">this post</a> and couldn't resist making a batch of natural fruit roll-ups. They're ridiculously easy to prepare - you just have to find of a big chunk of time to do other things while they dry out in the oven. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/fruitroll2-35.jpg"></center><br /><br />This was an impulse recipe, so I went with what I already had, but I have a million flavor combinations brewing in my head for later. The one <a href="http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/">Green Kitchen Stories</a> suggested - kiwi, mango, and mint leaves - is first on my list, for sure. This time around I threw together a small bag of frozen mangoes, a handful of fresh raspberries, and a single serving size cup of unsweetened granny smith applesauce. <br /><br />I heated the mixture on low and stirred until the mangoes were thawed and getting slightly smushy, and then I ran the whole mix through the food processor. <font color="green">I chose not to sieve the mix, as we don't mind seeds in our snackies</font>. Then, on a baking sheet lined with a <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/silpat-silicone-cookie-sheet-liner/?pkey=x|4|1||4|silpat||0&cm_src=SCH">silpat</a>, I spread the purée thinly and evenly, smoothing out any thicker parts. The lowest temperature my oven goes is 175°F, which worked out just fine with the oven door propped open. It took a little over 5 hours for my roll-ups to dehydrate completely. I cut the sheet into strips with scissors, rolled up, and <font color="green">nom nom nommed</font>. To my surprise they taste just like the real thing, only a little seedier! Bun bun loves them too.<br /><br /> <center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/fruitroll1-35.jpg"></center><br /><br />A few tips:<br /><br />You can do this with whatever fruit choices you like - just aim for a consistency that is pourable, but thick enough that it doesn't run out to the edges of the pan when you try to spread it. Mixing thicker fruits, like bananas, with juice or softer fruits, like papaya or berries, is a good way to go. <br /><br />Keep the color in mind when you're dreaming up flavor ideas. As good as strawberry kiwi might taste, I don't know how attractive a brown fruit roll would be! ^_^<br /><br />Spreading evenly before baking is very important - if the thinner parts become too dry while you wait for the wetter parts to cook they will become brittle, and then burn. <font color="green">Watch it closely towards the end</font>. <br /><br />Leaving the oven door open helps to let the moisture out and speed things along, but you're still looking at a 5-8 hour baking time, depending on how thick your mix was. <font color="green">It's worth it though</font> - you really don't need to babysit it much, and you can keep the finished product in an airtight container for a week or two, maybe more... mine just won't last that long with hungry tummies around!<br /><br />Happy snacking!<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-89822947352390019492010-04-11T16:30:00.000-07:002010-04-11T17:28:00.540-07:00DandyAs in dandelion. The bane of beautiful lawns everywhere. <br /><br />I'm sure you have heard that dandelion leaves are edible. Maybe you've heard the words "dandelion wine" thrown around somewhere. You might have even seen today's recipe, as it has been mentioned several times on <a href="http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/">this wonderful blog</a>. But maybe, like me, you weren't aware that every part of the plant is edible, and that our <font color="green">little commonplace roadside weed</font> in fact packs a burst of vitamins and medicinal properties. Besides that, when we're talking about foraging around our neighborhoods for free pick-your-own snackies, no plant is easier to find and identify as safe. Even the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catsear">false dandelions</a> are completely edible. Just be sure to choose spots that are free of herbicides and far enough away from roads to not be absorbing oil runoff. More complete instructions on picking dandies can be found <a href="http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/2008/04/dandy-muffins-and-bread.html">here</a>.<br /><br />This recipe is another off my to-do list, and I'm glad I got to it in time. Those ubiquitous yellow puffs have been staring at me every time I drive around for weeks now, but I just haven't had the chance to get up early enough for the flowers to still be closed. Apparently you have to sneak up on the little guys. Luckily I was able to recruit my skeptical but happy-to-help sister to get her hands all yellow with me at the crack of dawn today, and I finally got this recipe tested.<br /><br />The bread is less sweet than I would have imagined. It is moist and chewy, with an almost buttery taste from the petals, and it has a really nice flavor overall. Just perfect with a cup of soup on the side. <font color="green">The sunshine-y color of it doesn't hurt it's appeal either</font>! We will definitely be baking this again, especially as my toddler gets bigger and finds as much silly joy as I do in baking with common flowers.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/dandymix35.jpg"></center><br /><b><font color="green">Dandy Bread</b></font><br /><br />2 cups unbleached flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 cup dandelion petals, any greenery discarded<br />1/4 cup canola oil<br />4 tbsp honey<br />1 egg<br />scant 1 1/2 cups milk<br /><br />Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, including petals, and mix. Make sure to separate clumps of petals. In separate bowl mix together wet ingredients. Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir. Batter should be fairly wet and lumpy. Pour into buttered loaf pan. Bake at 400°F. Bread will take 25-40 or more minutes. At 25 minutes, check doneness of bread with a toothpick. If still too moist inside, lower oven temperature and continue to bake, checking every five minutes. It should be a nice golden brown on the outside when done.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/dandybread35.jpg"></center><br /><br />This sunny bread would go beautifully with a sunny soup, like say, <a href="http://imperfectlydelicious.blogspot.com/2009/07/sunny-day-sunny-food.html">this one</a>.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-8510335310662069622010-03-24T14:45:00.000-07:002010-03-24T15:12:44.272-07:00Garden checkThings have been busy around here these last few weeks, and admittedly, I have not been cooking and blogging nearly as much as I had hoped to. In fact, today is the first time I've really had to cook in a while and I'm making a repeat of a recipe I posted 2 months ago - <a href="http://imperfectlydelicious.blogspot.com/2010/01/healthy-snackies.html">crunchy roasted chickpeas</a>! <br /><br />What has been taking up my time, however, is worthwhile to my endeavors in the kitchen. I'm maximizing the space on my patio yet again this year for cooking purposes alone. The big, important items that will star throughout the summer - the baby greens, the cherry tomatoes, the heaping pots of fragrant herbs - those will wait until later this spring when the possibility of a freak frost is gone. <font color="green">But I do have a few things started that have me hovering over the soil thermometer and fork aerating the dirt around delicate seedlings</font>. Let me give you a little peek at what I've got going on.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Radish1sprout35.jpg"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Radish2sprout35.jpg"></center><br /><br />I have 2 out of 4 radish plantings started. Cherry Belle and French Breakfast were my choices for the first two plantings, and I had staggered them but the later planting has caught up. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/onionsprout35.jpg"></center><br /><br />My green onions have kept me waiting for <font color="green">30 days (!)</font> to see the first shoots pop up, but <i>finally</i> this week there are little white sprouts peeking out of the dirt. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/strawmarch35.jpg"></center><br /><br />Despite the fact that a certain annoying kitty has been leaf munching, my Quinault strawberries are growing quite steadily under their cozy blanket of pine mulch.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/lavendermar35.jpg"></center><br /><br />Last but not least, this little-lavender-plant-that-could managed to survive all fall and winter without a single drop of water from me, and he was rewarded with a bigger pot and a skosh of fertilizer. After the transplant there are oh, about <font color="green">a million</font> little leaf bunches budding out, so I'm expecting to have to move him yet again by the end of the summer. <br /><br />So there you have it folks, my garden update. Check back later for possible gratuitous true-leaf shots, and perhaps even a bit of baking!<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-88461941248043664742010-03-11T14:19:00.001-08:002010-03-11T14:26:59.910-08:00Tastespotted!<a href="http://www.tastespotting.com/"><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/tastespotted2cut.png"></a><br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />MeMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-41018674392015720432010-03-10T12:54:00.000-08:002010-03-10T13:41:56.812-08:00TostonesTrying something new, again. I'm a little behind on this year's to do list, thanks to a February full of failures which you will hear about later, should I ever have a success with the one particular recipe that has been making me pull my hair out. After all of that mess and frustration <font color="green">it was time for something easier</font>, something with a more unhealthy and therefore gratifying result. <br /><br />I have had a recipe for fried plantains in my big binder of food related clippings since I was in high school when my Dad first started encouraging me to try new recipes I had never had before. 10 years later and I think it was about time I finally gave that one a go! <br /><br />If you have, like me, never tried plantains before, you may be surprised on your first tasting. They are in the same family as bananas, however they are bigger, and firm and starchy. <font color="green">In fact they don't taste anything like bananas at all</font> - they get slightly sweeter as they ripen, but when buying them green for tostones the flavor is more like that of a potato, though without any trace of earthiness. While frying I did notice a slight banana-chip-like scent, but it was mild. For trying this unfamiliar fruit I think tostones were the perfect choice for me. Each toston is a crispy fried little chip intended to scoop up things I already know I love, like homemade guacamole and spicy salsa verdé. <br /><br />They were gobbled up quickly, as anything that has been fried in this house is. They were a little bit firmer than I expected, and I found that the ones that got a little more than golden brown were not so tasty, but <font color="green">overall I was pleased with the results</font>. Preparation was easy, but time consuming, and I would have to say that after spending an hour and a half in the kitchen for something that was devoured within minutes, we won't be making these again without a special occasion to do so. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/tostones1edit35.jpg"></center><br /><br />This recipe comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0882894110?ie=UTF8&tag=adhdfamiliesn-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0882894110">this book</a>, with slight modifications.<br /><br /><b><font color="green">Tostones</font></b><br /><br />3 green plantains<br />4 cups water<br />2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)<br />2 tbsp. salt<br />Canola, or other high smoke point oil for frying<br /><br /><br />Peel plantains and cut into slices approximately 1/2 inch thick. Add garlic and salt to water in a large bowl. Soak slices for 15 to 20 minutes.<br /><br />Drain plantain slices well and fry in a deep fryer or in a large skillet heated filled approximately 1/2 full with oil heated to 350°F for about 7 minutes, turning if necessary (<font color="green">I have no idea how hot 350°F is, so I used medium heat</font>).<br /><br />Remove from fryer and drain on absorbent paper (<font color="green">Be careful not to use thin paper towels as you will be picking shreds of it out of your tostones forever</font>). Fold paper over and pound the plantain slices flat with the base of a drinking glass, or use a Tostonera press. <br /><br />Dip in salted water again and remove immediately. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.<br /><br />Return to oil heated to 375°F until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on absorbent paper to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt.<br /><br />Serve warm or at room temperature.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/tostones2edit35.jpg"></center><br /><br />My guacamole was simple this time - 4 ripe avocados, mashed to a chunky textures with tons of lime juice and a decent sized scoop of super hot store-bought pico de gallo. <br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />MeMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-3324858634995337192010-02-07T22:55:00.000-08:002010-02-07T23:12:58.680-08:00Roti JalaI've been a little lazy - it's actually been 2 weeks since I made this recipe, and I am just now posting it! I can hardly remember what was going on at the time, or what I ate with my delicious roti jala, so I'm afraid you don't get much of a story. <font color="green">Maybe that's a good thing sometimes</font>. But the important thing is I am checking another recipe off my list!<br /><br />I had a number of troubles with this recipe, but it all worked out in the end. I found that I needed to add quite a bit of extra water to get the runny consistency needed for pouring the batter through the tiny holes in my roti jala mold (a squeeze bottle would have been much easier and less messy). <font color="green">It takes a bit of practice</font> to get the right timing and shape when pouring through the mold, but once I got the hang of it the bread came out easy enough. <br /><br />I bought my roti jala mold through <a href="http://rasamalaysia.com/">Rasa Malaysia</a>, but as I said, a squeeze bottle would be a much easier choice for a beginner.<br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Roti Jala (Net Bread)</b></font><br /><br />This recipe comes from <a href="http://www.veggiebelly.com/2009/01/malaysian-roti-jala-net-bread.html">the ever tasty Veggie Belly blog</a><br /><br />2 cups all purpose flour<br />1 egg<br />1 1/4 cup coconut milk<br />1 cup water (plus more if you need to get a runnier consistency)<br />3/4 tsp turmeric<br />salt to taste<br />vegetable oil for frying<br /><br />Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Run through a strainer to remove any lumps (I found this step unnecessary for me). <br /><br />Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and make a lacy pattern in the skillet using a squeeze bottle or roti jala mold. It might look like this if you're kind of a noob like me.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Rotiswirl35.jpg"><br /><br />Let cook for about 2 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook for another 1 minute on the other side. The bread should still be soft, not crunchy. Fold into quarters to serve.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Rotijala35.jpg"><br /><br />Now all you need is a delicious curry to soak up with the bread! I used a coconut milk based curry since the 1 1/4 cups coconut milk required for the roti is less than 1 full can. <br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-83010168404615338912010-01-22T14:49:00.001-08:002010-01-22T15:16:18.904-08:00Banuffins!A pair of bananas have been sitting on my kitchen counter for a week now, each day growing more brown and looking less appetizing. I know their secret though - let them go absolutely mushy and <font color="green">they will cooperate with sugar and flour so much more nicely</font>. <br /><br />While waiting for my bananas to ripen I've been browsing recipes for banana bread. I am accustomed to the type my mother used to make - a dense, moist loaf studded with walnuts and browned perfectly on top. However, when I recreate the recipe I never seem to get it quite right, and I often find a little bite of bitterness in there, possibly from the baking soda. I'd also like something lighter and fluffier - something cuter to look at, perhaps?<br /><br />I came across <a href="http://britishcreamtea.typepad.com/british_cream_tea/2010/01/nannas-banana-bread.html">this</a> recipe at British Cream Tea and thought I would give it a go. It uses self-rising flour instead of soda and rolled oats for a difference in texture. I made just a few changes - regular granulated sugar instead of caster sugar, I doubled the recipe since I had 2 bananas instead of one, added a good shake of cinnamon since I can't do without it, reduced the liquid (um, accidentally), and poured the batter into my new silicone baking cups rather than a loaf pan. I also got the opportunity to use my new food scale for measuring which had me absolutely giddy (<font color="green">I really shouldn't get so excited over new kitchen toys</font>). <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/banuffin35.jpg"></center><br /><br />They turned out just as I wanted them to - fluffy and light, slightly sticky, but not too sweet, and absolutely devour-able.<br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Banuffins</b></font><br /><br />250g self-rising flour<br />150g granulated sugar<br />80g rolled oats (plus more for sprinkling)<br />1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />2 large, overripe bananas<br />1/3 cup milk<br />5 teaspoons of vegetable oil<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 2 small loaf pans, 1 medium loaf pan, or baking cups.<br /><br />In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, oats and cinnamon. In a separate bowl mash bananas with a fork, then add eggs, milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring only enough to combine. Don't over mix. <br /><br />Spoon mixture into pan/tins, sprinkle rolled oats lightly across the top. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.<br /><br />Eat finished product immediately and hide the evidence. There's no reason why you should share.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-82400503049470586932010-01-17T11:54:00.000-08:002010-01-17T12:19:23.307-08:00Healthy snackiesLast night Sissy and her Fancy came over (Fancy is seester engagement slang). The boys watched football while we paged through bridal magazines, and then later the two of us left for the mall and spent way too much time and waaay too much money. But hey, we don't get much time to spend together anymore, so we can easily justify all of that shopping!<br /><br />Rewind to earlier that day. With guests coming over we needed some snacks, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time preparing them. <font color="green">The perfect chance to make one of the recipes on my to do list</font>! <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/chickpeas35.jpg"></center><br /><br />Crunchy roasted chickpeas are quite popular with the food bloggers right now, and there is a good reason why. They're quick, easy to prepare, can be tailored to anyone's tastes, and they're de-<i>lish</i>. They are similar to corn-nuts in texture, but without all of the oily/salty blechiness that makes them not feel like a healthy snack at all. The chickpeas use just a bit of oil and salt and are relatively guilt free. They can be seasoned with whatever spice mixture you like, but just <font color="green">be sure to dry them thoroughly before roasting them</font>. <br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas</b></font><br /><br />2 15oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)<br />1 Tbsp lime juice<br />2 Tbsp olive oil<br />1 Tbsp garam masala powder<br />1 Tbsp smoked paprika<br />1 Tbsp kosher salt<br /><br />Optional serving idea - <br /><br />1 cucumber, diced finely<br />1 serrano or jalapeno chili - seeded and finely chopped<br />1/4 cup red onion, diced finely<br /><br />Drain chickpeas and rinse well. Blot with a paper tower to remove as much water as you can, then sprinkle with lime juice and leave in a colander for an hour or two if you have time. If not, just keep blotting with paper towels and try to get them as dry as possible.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400°F.<br /><br />When chickpeas are dry mix together remaining ingredients in a medium bowl to form a paste and then toss chickpeas very well so that they are coated. Spread evenly across a roasting pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 400°F for 45-55 minutes, stirring once halfway through. At 45 minutes begin checking on them every few minutes to be sure they aren't burning - the gap between being crunchy all the way through and being burnt is very small. <br /><br />If desired, toss with optional ingredients and serve, or just eat them plain by the handful! <br /><br />Chickpeas are best eaten the day of cooking, but can be kept in an airtight container for a few days. Keep in mind, if you store them they will lose much of their crunch.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-11796947578697496102010-01-06T15:43:00.000-08:002010-01-06T16:23:13.382-08:00LullIt's the first week of the new year, and unsurprisingly <font color="green">the restaurant is dead</font>. I'm sure pretty much everyone in the industry is feeling the exact same lull in business right now. Every year, the same thing. People are strapped for cash after the holidays and with New Year's resolutions still fresh in their minds even the ones who do come into our store tend to eat lighter and less expensively. For people who are still in the mood to eat out though, this is a great time. No crowds, cash hungry waiters falling all over you, and specials designed to draw customers in such as extended happy hours and prix fixe dinners. <br /><br />In this quiet time in my job I get to come in little later, leave a little earlier, and be a little less stressed out. Of course, my sales are laughable by last months standards, but that's what happens when you work in a seasonal industry. I enjoy the extra time to spend in the kitchen, but now that I'm on a tighter budget <font color="green">I need to get a little more creative with my ingredients</font>. Thankfully I was able to stock up my pantry last week and since my CSA is still delivering plenty of seasonal food (granted, some of it sourced from organic farms down south a little farther) I might possibly be able to squeak through the grocery store without picking up anything other than the toddler necessities. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/cookingstew35.jpg"></center><br /><br />In my opinion the best types of dishes to make in such situations are curries, stews, casseroles - homey, and comforting, if a little less refined. The preparation can be as simple and lazy as you make it. The perfect choice for a busy work week, or a lazy day spent on the couch. <br /><br />This particular dish was invented to use up a few things in my fridge. Just follow the same basic steps and <font color="green">add whatever you want to it </font>- change the ingredients entirely, but it will still be as easy.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/zoomstew35.jpg"></center><br /><br />Cook alliums (onion, garlic, shallot, leeks) and meat/veg protein in a little oil until they begin to color slightly. Add vegetables that need to be cooked through (make sure they are all chopped to the same sized dice), and add salt, pepper, and a little hint of spices of your choice, stir for a few minutes. Add flavorful liquid (pre-made soup, or stock, or even coconut milk). Bring to a low boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and give it 15-20 minutes, or whenever your most dense veggies are soft. Then add the ingredients that need only a minute of cooking - greens or herbs. Give it a couple of minutes on low heat for your fresh ingredients to soften, then serve with rice, bread, quinoa, crackers, whatever. And voila! A steaming hot bowl of <font color="green">yum</font>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/closestew35.jpg"></center><br /><br />For my dish I used a little yellow onion and garlic with a 5 grain tempeh. Then I added peeled potatoes, turnips, baby yellow carrots, and an apple. For the flavoring I used kosher salt, black pepper, a dash of cayenne, and about a teaspoon of curry powder. My liquid choice was a premade butternut squash soup - about 2 cups of it. It took 20 minutes for my veggies to cook and then I topped it off with some shredded swiss chard. The curried squash soup base goes really well with jasmine rice.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />MeMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-4069210013413377132010-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:002010-01-03T11:45:51.520-08:00Right start for a fresh startHappy New Year!!<br /><br />2010. Wow. <br /><br />My brain can't even handle that number, but hey, another new year is another new year. A fresh page to start on. Another 4 seasons to weather... <font color="green">and another 4 seasons of food to eat</font>! My favorite part of course. Now I get to start looking forward to radishes and baby lettuces and pea vines and all the little crispy, crunchy things and sprout-y green stuff of spring.<br /><br />But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's only New Year's day, and still quite winter-y out, and while it is time to think about all the great things that lay ahead in 2010 I should be working out how I'm going to get myself there. I'm always a fan of New Years resolutions. Sticking to my limits makes me feel good, although I can only remember one year in particular where I kept my resolution the whole 12 months. This year I feel like there are so many things I need to change and work on that it's hard to settle on any specific resolutions. <br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/oatmeal35.jpg"><br /><br />One thing that I really should resolve to do, but I know I'd never stick to is to eat breakfast every day. I've never ever been a breakfast person - in fact, oftentimes it makes me feel sick to even smell food in the morning. I typically don't have my first meal until 1 PM. But with a loss of energy during these colder, darker months, and a need to cram more vitamins into my diet, breakfast is starting to sound better. So day 1 of the new year, I made a delicious, healthy, energy packed breakfast with the hopes that it would <font color="green">inspire me to be a little better</font> to myself all through the year.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/oatmealclose35.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="green">No need for a recipe</font>, its too simple for that. Just oats simmered with dried cranberries, cardamom and a cinnamon stick. Pour a little milk on when it's done and top it with dates, oranges or grapefruit, and some crushed pistachios. Or use whatever fruit and nut combo you have on hand. <br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />MeMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-54389887510717224782009-12-31T15:21:00.000-08:002009-12-31T15:35:23.993-08:002010!Ok, 2010, here I come with my completed list of dishes to make before 2011.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.veggiebelly.com/2009/01/malaysian-roti-jala-net-bread.html">Malaysian Roti Jala (Net Bread)</a><br />Homemade cheese of some kind<br /><a href="http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/01/kuih-bahulu.html">Kuih Bahulu</a><br /><a href="http://www.wasabimon.com/archive/easy-indian-rice-pudding-recipes/">Jasmine Rice Pudding with Mangoes</a><br /><a href="http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/12/01/pocky-christmas-forest-white-christmas-dark-christmas-chili-chocolate-honeycomb-and-green-tea-pocky/">Pocky</a><br />Tortillas<br />Vegetarian Tamales<br /><a href="http://rasamalaysia.com/soy-sauce-eggs-shoyu-tamago/">Shoyu Tamago</a><br /><a href="http://www.bitchincamero.com/mel/2009/02/garam-masala-roasted-chickpeas/">Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas</a><br /><a href="http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/2008/04/dandy-muffins-and-bread.html">Dandelion Bread</a><br />Vegetarian Big Macs (for Ryan of course)<br /><a href="http://www.projectfoodie.com/blog/recipes/sweet-treats-for-the-holidays.html">Matcha Shortbread</a><br />Real actual bread with yeast and everything<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spices-50-Dishes-Simple-Recipes/dp/081185342X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262301962&sr=8-1">Thalipeeth</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Cookbook-Linda-Fraser/dp/184476253X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262301845&sr=8-1">Spinach and Wild Mushroom Souffle</a><br /><a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-and-easy-vegetarian-recipes-00400000042999/page7.html">Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing</a><br />Crepes<br />Fried Plantains<br /><a href="http://raccoonandlobster.com/2009/12/27/pasta-a-la-homer/">Pasta of some kind?</a><br /><br />Wish me luck!<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-21499989812722491532009-12-29T16:14:00.000-08:002009-12-29T16:40:16.218-08:00Fresh start, coming right up.A new year and a new decade start in just a couple of days. New Years is never a big deal for me, in fact, I volunteered to close the restaurant this year and will probably be at work until 12am or later. But <font color="green">it is nice to have a little time for reflection</font> and goal-setting. Well, and for wondering why it's 2010 already and I don't own a hover car or a house on the moon. <br /><br />My goals for this year involve budgeting, and organizing and getting better at focusing on my projects. Essentially, un-cluttering my life from all perspectives so that I'll have a little more room for creativity. I started early by re-organizing the whole kitchen, and it got me thinking about what goals I need to set for myself in the kitchen for the next few months. Some new products to use, some new recipes, new techniques. <font color="green">I'm excited to be making time for cooking again!</font><br /><br />So, wondering what I'm excited about? Well, I'll tell you anyway. For Christmas my wonderful family who treats me to so many goodies to use in the kitchen gave me some new toys, most notably a mandoline slicer and an 11 cup Cuisinart. I also got a food scale and a dough scraper, some adorable molds for cupcakes and petits fours, and lots of food products to try - truffle cream, balsamic/fig syrup, cheeses and salts and snacks and so on! There's so much I want to make right now I thought I'd compile a list and try to make everything on it by the end of the year. If anyone actually reads this, <font color="green">try to hold me accountable</font>, ok?!<br /><br />Malaysian Roti Jala (Net Bread)<br />Homemade cheese of some kind<br />Kuih Bahulu<br />Jasmine Sticky Rice with Mangoes<br />Pocky<br />Tortillas<br />Vegetarian Tamales<br />Shoyu Tamago<br />Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas<br />Dandelion Bread<br />Vegetarian Big Macs (for Ryan of course)<br />Matcha Shortbread<br />Real actual bread with yeast and everything<br /><br />I will add to this list over the next couple of days before the new year, and will include recipe links as I check them off.<br /><br />Happy New Year!!<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-88951562548195897192009-12-11T15:59:00.001-08:002009-12-18T16:17:01.269-08:00Back.Took a break. <span style="color:green;">A long break</span>. Didn't feel like writing much, and didn't have much time to cook either. But the mood has struck again, and maybe it will stick around for at least a little while.<br /><br />So what's going on right now... well, it's winter. No snow yet, and none on the forecast, sadly, but it's been in the 20's and below all this week. Usually I'm quite alright with that, but during last summer's heat wave the heat seals melted on our computer and now if the temperature around it reaches a level that is, say, comfortable to humans, it shuts itself off. So here we are, <span style="color:green;">it's 22 degrees outside</span>, and the compy is propped up on the windowsill next to me with the window cracked and a vicious draft coming in. If anything it's a blessing in disguise because it keeps me from sitting at the computer for too long.<br /><br />Anyway, back to food.<br /><br />This week I've been experimenting with various recipes for this or that, hoping to find something <span style="color:green;">cheap and easy</span> and at the same time pretty and unusual to give out as gifts for Christmas. My coworkers are my guinea pigs and they were treated to 3 dozen cookies a few days ago. They were all delicious, but they didn't quite meet my gift requirements.<br /><br />The next item on my list was some form of candied citrus peel. The basic idea is this: peel the citrus and scrape off some of the pith, then blanch, boil in sugar syrup, dry, and roll in sugar or dip in chocolate. But while looking for recipes I noticed that every site I went to suggested a different number of times to blanch, amount of time for blanching, thickness of pith to leave on the peel, etc., and some recipes did not recommend blanching at all. <span style="color:green;">I could spend anywhere from 1 hour to 2 days preparing the candy</span>. So, I decided to go with a rather time intensive, but easy method, and then I would continue with trial and error from there if it didn't work out. And what do you know, the first try was a pretty good success.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/grapefruitettes35retry.jpg" /></center><br /><br />I found this recipe on <a href="http://unfussyfare.com/2009/chocolate-dipped-candied-orange-peel/">Unfussy Fare</a> which was originally from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/1997-Cooking-Marion-Rombauer-Becker/dp/0684818701">The Joy of Cooking</a>. The unique aspect of this method is that it uses salted water to remove the bitterness from the citrus peel rather than repeated sets of blanching. No saltiness is retained in the final candy.<br /><br /><b><span style="color:green;">Grapefruit-ettes</span></b><br /><br />2 medium pink grapefruits, with lovely skin<br />Salt<br />2 cups sugar<br />1 tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />water<br />6oz 70%+ cacao chocolate<br /><br />Trim the peel off the grapefruits. To do this slice a little off the top of both ends to give yourself a flat surface to hold them in place while you slice off the peel. Cut the peel off, vertically, taking off plenty of pith, but not cutting so close that you get any of the fruit. You should be able to do this with about 6 slices. This is all much more easily explained with pictures of course, but I forgot to take any, so if I do attempt this again I will snap some photos and put them in the post. Cut each big piece off peel in half lengthwise (this allows you to press them flat, which makes it much easier to trim off the pith). You should have slices about 1" thick. Press them flat, peel side down, and use a very sharp knife to skim off as much of the bitter pith as possible. Don't worry, some will remain, and you want there to be a little bit anyway, otherwise they won't have much chewiness to them. After trimming the pith cut each piece again lengthwise so that you have little strips about 3-4 inches long and 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.<br /><br />Put the peels in a bowl, and cover with water, about 3 cups. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at least 24 hours. Then drain and rinse the peels and soak again in fresh water for 20 minutes. Bring another few cups of fresh water to a boil, add peels, and boil for 20 minutes, draining again.<br /><br />Mix together 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Add peels, reduce heat to a low simmer, and let simmer for 45 minutes until peels are translucent. If you left the pith especially thick you may boil up to an hour and 15 minutes.<br /><br />Remove peels from syrup one at a time using a fork or slotted spoon and place on a rack overnight to dry. Make sure you put something underneath to catch the syrupy drips.<br /><br />Once peels are perfectly dry you may do 1 of two things. Toss them in a big bowl of granulated sugar, or leave the sugar off and dip them in chocolate. If you intend to sugar them just throw a cup or two of sugar in a plastic container, add the peels and shake, and then you can simply put the lid on and tuck them away - the extra sugar adds to their shelf life. If you want them chocolate-y just melt 6oz of good, dark chocolate (I prefer at least 70% cacao) in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water), and dip the peel in, leaving a little tip sticking out as a handle. Lay them on parchment paper, refrigerate, and then store in single layers between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container. If you allow them to sit out in the air the chocolate will get a white bloom on it and they won't be so pretty.<br /><br />Now I tried these rolled in sugar, and let me just say that <span style="color:green;">I thought I had ruined a whole batch of citrus peels</span>. This was my first time trying candied citrus peels and I wasn't expecting them to be so firm and slightly bitter still. The sugar did nothing to counter-act that feeling that I was chewing on gross grapefruit peels, and I felt like I had been tricked somehow into eating something I normally throw away. But I did like the slight grapefruit flavor, and I had bought chocolate just for the occasion, so I melted just one tiny square in the microwave, dipped the shortest peel in it, and let it cool in the fridge. 10 minutes later I took an apprehensive bite, and found that it was delicious! The strong flavor of the dark chocolate hid the slight bitterness well, and it perfectly complimented the citrus-y flavor, while also adding a softer texture to my too-thin peels. So if you have your heart set on traditional candied and sugared peels, but aren't sure if you're going to like them or not, keep some chocolate around just in case.<br /><br />xoxo<br />MeMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-30224512385690082032009-07-28T15:23:00.000-07:002009-07-28T15:58:46.077-07:00Heat wave, nice save.As I sit here writing it is 102°F outside, and probably somewhere in the 80's inside. Even the computer can't stand it - it keeps shutting itself off. A quick glance at the weather forecast shows that temperatures will remain stupidly high for at least the next ten days, although they may at least dip below the 90's. <font color="green"><b>We are trying to keep ourselves and our kiddo cool as best we can.</b></font> Frequent trips to air conditioned stores, running through sprinklers, lots of ice packs and ice cream. <br /><br />But you can't just eat ice cream. The grown-ups in this house have been eating lots of cold, refreshing veggies to stay happy. Shaved cucumbers in soy sauce with a little chili oil and furikake, frozen peas, and yummy salads. I stopped by Trader Joe's and stocked up on snacks that say summer to me, and pretty much threw them all in a bowl for dinner. With a few trimmings from the garden, this is the yummiest meal I have had in a little while, and it doesn't require a stove or oven which might just push us over the brink when it comes to heat.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/heatwavesalad35.jpg"><br /><br />This doesn't really call for a recipe, since it's more of a <font color="green"><b>throw together whatever you have kind of thing</b></font>, but I will give you a list of what I tossed in there.<br /><br />The base:<br /><br />Lettuce from the garden, soaked in water for 1/2 hour for maximum crunchiness<br />Mâche<br />Trader Joe's gourmet microgreens<br /><br />The good stuff:<br /><br />Rainbow cherry tomatoes<br />Steamed and peeled baby beets, chopped<br />Trader Joe's Abondance cheese<br /><br />Top it off:<br /><br />Coriander blossoms from the garden<br />Chives from the garden, chopped<br />Salted pepitas<br /><br />The dressing:<br /><br />Juice of one lemon<br />1 small spoonful whole grain mustard<br />generous pour of extra virgin olive oil<br />What seems like too much pepper, but isn't<br /><br />This salad was quickly snarfed down, and served with a fried egg topped with green tomato salsa. I feel better now. ^_^<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-41748231840417618382009-07-16T22:29:00.000-07:002009-07-16T22:42:06.987-07:00Blechy belly, not ready to detoxThis week has been tasty, but has set me back on my diet, and though I'm not paying for it on my waistline I am paying with an overall <font color="green"><b>blechy</b></font> feeling and probably a few points on my cholesterol score. My junk food laundry list has included "beef" and "chicken" style (aka vegetarian) taquitos smothered in pepper jack and sri racha, plenty of soft tacos filled with chili, vegetable potstickers fried to a crisp and doused with soy sauce and ginger, frequent noshings on chocolate leftover from several holidays, daily trips to Starbucks for mochas and vanilla scones, "family meal" nachos at work, and several paninis fat with mozzarella dipped in oily french onion soup. There have been few veggies and absolutely no salads. It has been delicious and disgusting and I'm not sure if I'm over my junk food binge yet, but I feel like I should be. <br /><br />You'll know when I am because I will give you a recipe for some decent food.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-4856288509544690452009-07-10T13:54:00.000-07:002009-07-10T14:31:47.775-07:00Sunny day, sunny foodYesterday was another <a href="http://www.organicproduceshoppe.com/">CSA</a> delivery day for me, and it was definitely my favorite one I have gotten so far. Blueberries, raspberries, apricots, kale, lettuce, sage, shelling peas, carrots, rainier cherries, and french breakfast radishes. I'm practically rolling in summer right now. <br /><br />The shelling peas went first. I think the last time I had homegrown shelling peas was <font color="green"><b>when I was about 5 years old</b></font>. I remember standing on a chair at the kitchen sink, helping my mother wash them and pop them out of their pods. Eating them out of the colander I thought they were the best things I had ever tasted. Unless you have access to a nearby farm or have a friend who grows them, peas like that are hard to come across. Savoring every bite, I ate half of them as I shelled them, and the rest I steamed lightly and tossed with butter, sage, and reduced cream. The apricots were used up in an easy clafoutis after dinner.<br /><br />Now, for the carrots. I had two bunches in my fridge already, along with some dill, so I made a light soup of of them, being careful to hold onto that bright sunny, summer flavor. The citrus-y flavors of the orange juice and coriander are not overwhelmed by the strong aroma of dill, but the <font color="green"><b>carrots are so fresh and bright that they are the real star</b></font>. The soup turned out to be so good that I had to eat my whole bowl before I was able to snap a picture, so this is all you get:<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/carrotsoup35.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Carrot-Dill Soup</b></font><br /><br />Oil<br />1/2 medium onion, finely sliced<br />3 cloves garlic, chopped small<br />1 tsp ground cumin<br />1 tsp freshly ground coriander seed<br />1/2 tsp black pepper<br />3 cups vegetable stock<br />3 bunches fresh, crisp carrots<br />1 small bunch dill, finely chopped<br />1/2-3/4 cup fresh orange juice<br /><br />Heat oil on medium heat in a large saucepot or dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened and lightly browned. Add cumin, coriander, pepper and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the carrots are tender and easy to mash, but not mushy. Stir in dill and remove from heat.<br /><br />At this point, if you have an immersion blender blend the soup in the pot until you reach the consistency you desire. I prefer mine to be a mix of smooth and chunky so that it has some texture, but you can blend until completely smooth if you wish. Then add the orange juice, tasting it to make sure it's not <i>too</i> strongly orange-y before adding the full amount.<br /><br />If you don't have an immersion blender add the smaller amount of orange juice, puree in batches in your food processor, and if it doesn't taste orange-y enough for you put the pureed soup back into one container and add the rest of the juice.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-42585761454971681652009-07-08T11:31:00.000-07:002009-07-08T12:48:46.918-07:00Cherry pie, a little lateI worked all night this 4th of July, so I didn't get to get into the whole celebration thing, but if I had gotten to go to a summer BBQ I would have brought these turnovers with me. Faced with an excess of cherries from <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009392678_wacherries28.html">our fantastic cherry season</a> I have been putting them in everything in ridiculous amounts. These little pastries used up the last of my cherry stock, but I'll be getting more in my CSA box tomorrow.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/cherryturnover45rs.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Cherry Turnovers*</b></font><br /><br />1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted (or however many cherries you have left)<br />1 tbsp cornstarch<br />2 tbsp sugar<br />1 tbsp lemon juice<br />1 package puff pastry<br />1 egg<br />1 tbsp water<br />sanding sugar for dusting<br /><br />Puff pastry needs to thaw for at least 30 minutes on the counter (I usually thaw it in the fridge overnight so I don't have to worry about it being frozen in the middle still when it's time for me to work with it). When ready to go pit and halve the cherries (or halve and pit the cherries, like I do), then add the cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice and stir. Let sit and macerate for a few minutes. <br /><br />The puff pastry I buy comes in 3 sheets of 3 strips. Tear the strips apart and roll them out slightly. Put about 1/4 cup of cherries in middle of the upper half of one strip and fold the other half over it. Then fold up the edges all around and press the tines of a fork around the edges to crimp it shut. The turnover should be stuffed full, but not leaking out the edges. Repeat for all strips (it only took me 2 sheets to finish off the cherries. The extra pastry dough can be re-frozen).<br /><br />Whisk together egg and water and brush the entire top of each pastry; dust each one with sanding sugar.<br /><br />Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. If not toasty and brown enough you can pop them under the broiler for 2 minutes or so, but be careful! Mine obviously were broiling for too long. <br /><br /><font color="green">*This recipe came from <a href="http://artichokesandgarlic.blogspot.com/2009/05/cherryturnovers.html">Artichokes and Garlic</a>. She also provided an icing recipe, but I didn't have the ingredients. Her recipe doesn't call for lemon juice either, but I thought these turnovers would be too sweet for me without it.</font><br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-49357794893894979482009-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:43:48.808-07:00Bringing them to the tableI have spent quite a bit of time lately thinking about what the important things in life are to me. <font color="green"><b>How can I simplify?</b></font> What will make me, and my family the happiest? The answer to that question in particular is different for all three of us, I think, but I believe that one force can bring us closer together time after time - the home-cooked meal. It is no secret to anyone interested in food that a simple meal can change the dynamic between people, dramatically. Food can unite people within a culture, or bring multiple cultures together to revel in their differences. Sitting down to a holiday dinner can turn even the most quarrelsome of dysfunctional families into contended, thoughtful companions, if only until the food leaves the table. I dream of casual yet elegant dinners with friends and family, taken outside at a table crowded with dishes brought potluck style from each guest; <font color="green"><b>we would linger at the table for hours</b></font>, chatting and sipping wine, picking at the last bites in each bowl until twilight makes it too dark to see. While occurrences such as that may be regular for some, I have to face the fact that I don't have those sorts of family or friends. <br /><br />Realistically I will settle for bringing my husband and daughter together just long enough for him to lick his plate clean (an average of 2 1/2 minutes), and for her to get bored of being confined to the highchair and scream relentlessly to get down (only double the time it takes hubby to finish his meal). A notoriously slow eater to anyone who knows me, I will often sit for half an hour after the two of them leave the table, chewing thoughtfully and fending off tugs at my leg from the bunbun. Not my ideal scenario, but at least I can control part of our meals - <font color="green"><b>the part that is on our plates</b></font>. <br /><br />I also have it set in my mind that my daughter will be an adventurous eater who will try anything once and who has no fears of bitter aftertastes or strange textures. Thus far... well, I have a lot of work to do. What can I say, I have a toddler. So I am constantly searching for recipes that will appeal to both our adult tastes (and love of all things spicy) and her persnickety palate. A recent addition to my mommy repertoire are these simple sweet potato- black bean cakes. I use mild chiles in the patties, but add spicy salsa on top for me and the hubs. They have their place on our plates next to rice and steamed veggies, with tortilla chips and spicy soup, or sandwiched in a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion. Regardless of their accompaniments they are a favorite with all three of us, and are a way to get us all to the table, if only for the time it takes to devour them. <br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Sweet Potato and Black Bean Patties*</b></font><br /><br />Oil<br />2 small sweet potatoes or yams<br />1 4.5 oz can diced mild green chiles<br />2 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 can black beans, drained and rinsed<br />1 egg<br />salt and pepper<br />pinch of smoked paprika<br />breadcrumbs, at least 1 cup (amount depends on how wet the mixture is)<br /><br />Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then boil them until soft (15-20 minutes). Drain, mash, and cool until they won't burn you. In a small skillet heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat and add the garlic and the chiles, stirring until garlic is tender but not browned (2-3 minutes). Add chile mixture to sweet potatoes, along with black beans, egg, salt and pepper to taste and paprika. Mash the mixture with a fork to crush a few of the black beans (should still be very chunky). Then add breadcrumbs, a bit at a time, until mixture holds together well, but is still moist. Shape into patties and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side, being careful not to let them burn. Serve however you like. They go great with a spicy, chunky salsa.<br /><br /><font color="green">*This recipe was inspired by <a href="http://cooking-books.blogspot.com/2009/02/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-cakes.html">Cooking Books</a>, which was in turn inspired by a few other people, but our internet was not working when I made these the first time, so I improvised on the ingredients and technique. <br /><br />I found that adding the egg and more breadcrumbs makes them drier after they cook than you will expect, but they stay together nicely on a bun. Leaving the egg out and just putting in enough breadcrumbs to shape them into patties will give you crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside balls that are best eaten with a fork.</font><br /><br />I forgot to take a picture when I made them, so instead I'll leave you with this image of bunbun at the beach this weekend. A bun-bum if you will.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/bunbum35.jpg"><br /><br />xoxo <br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-62699027464053001732009-07-02T14:26:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:45:55.646-07:00Another little push for eating organicI was happy to see Nicholas Kristof's appearance on the Colbert Report last night and the interest in his cause that it hopefully will generate. He was discussing <font color="green"><b>endocrine disruptors</b></font> - the estrogens that we are exposed to constantly from things like pesticides, plastic softening chemicals, and even residual hormones from medications and birth control pills that are flushed out of our bodies with our urine and then end up in our drinking water again after it is treated. Basically these estrogens are having a very negative effect on our bodies, the most concerning of which involves genital deformation that can make men sterile and is becoming increasingly and worryingly common. You can read more <a href="http://www.endo-society.org/journals/ScientificStatements/upload/EDC_Scientific_Statement.pdf">here</a> and <a href="http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/about.introduction.php">here</a> if you're super interested.<br /><br />In 2002 I watched a video about this in my environmental science class. We were discussing all of the stuff that is just making national news now - how the bulk of the amphibian population in the U.S. is affected - many frogs and other animals like alligators have severe genital deformations from the amount of pesticides and chemical waste in the swamps they live in. We discussed how this was directly related to the rising number of <font color="green"><b>transgendered and sterile humans</b></font>. This has been discussed seriously in the scientific community since at least 1996, but we still have absolutely no regulations from the EPA on any single one of the chemicals that are causing these problems. The <a href="http://www.epa.gov/endo/">EPA is trying to study and regulate these chemicals</a>, but they have little support right now. I don't understand why people don't listen to or care about this kind of thing, but if you can't get into the bigger picture, at least do what you can to take care of yourself - <font color="green"><b>every little bit counts</b></font>.<br /><br />Buy organic products whenever you can. Whenever you can afford to try to switch over the plastic food containers you have to stainless, glass, or at least phtalate free plastic. Don't take medications that you don't actually need - ask your doctor about how necessary certain prescriptions really are, doctors work <i>with</i> the pharmaceutical companies to sell more drugs, and they contribute many more problems than just disrupting your endocrine system when they show up again in your drinking water. Don't use pesticides in your yard - there are <a href="http://www.seattletilth.org/learn">plenty of organic ways</a> to garden and care for your lawn that are often better than the non-organic ones. And most importantly - learn about and <font color="green"><b>understand what you are buying</b></font>, whether you are eating it, sleeping on it, wearing it or whatever. Ignorance is not bliss.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-30812651586556317252009-06-28T21:53:00.000-07:002009-06-28T22:47:51.921-07:00Ladybugs and FailbreadYesterday at work I greeted a table and told them my name. The man at the table said "<font color="green"><b>Whew, am I glad you're not blonde!</b></font>". "Uh, why's that?" I asked. "Because I know someone else named Ashley and she's blonde. That would just be weird." No sir, it is you who is weird. I'm pretty sure every 5th girl born the year I was is named Ashley. Get over it.<br /><br />Anyway, I got off work last night around 12:40. I drove home, went to my fridge, and checked on my bag of ladybugs to make sure they were all still wiggling. What's that? Oh yes, I forgot to tell you I had a bag of ladybugs in my fridge. Sorry about that, 1500 ladybugs to be exact. It's not really a long story or anything - I just got an aphid infestation on my <a href="http://imperfectlydelicious.blogspot.com/2009/06/summer-that-will-be-remembered.html">beautiful lettuce</a> and I bought some ladybugs to help control the bad bugs. You keep the ladybugs in the fridge because it makes them want to crawl instead of fly when you let them out, and you release them at night for the same reason. So I draped a bed sheet over my lettuce plants, cut the top off of their little mesh bag and watched with interest/mild horror as a swarm of tiny red beetles began to coat my patio. For a while I sat with them, picking up the ones that were heading towards the screen door and placing them on the most aphid covered leaves, however, pretty soon there were just too many of them to keep track of so I covered them all with the sheet and went to bed. I wish there had been enough light to snap some pictures when I released them - it was quite a sight.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/ladybug35.jpg"><br /><br />By morning most of them had found their way out of the container, and the rest I freed. There were plenty all over my salad mix, and slightly fewer aphids than before, but there were also little guys hanging out on most of my other plants and they were forming clusters on the balcony railing. I hope they hang out for a while. They're cool, but I got tired of watching them bumble around after a bit.<br /><br />Today was supposed to be bread making day. Well, technically it was, I mean, I spent all day doing it, but with no success. I found a recipe for some "easy" <a href="http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2984/jasons-quick-coccodrillo-ciabatta-bread">ciabatta bread</a> that I could knead with my Kitchen Aid. Excited to make my first loaves of real bread (banana bread doesn't count, it's <i>too</i> easy) I rushed out to Trader Joe's and bought a few interesting spreads and some sandwich fixin's. Once home I threw the ingredients in the mixer and let it go to work, waiting for the dough to start setting up so I could change the mixing attachment. Now, this should have happened after 4 minutes. Not yet... still waiting. 10 minutes. 15. 20. What the heck? I stopped the mixer and checked the dough - no consistency change whatsoever. I browsed over the comments on the website trying to figure out what could have gone wrong? I decided to proof one of my other packets of dry yeast (which should still have a year left before it expires) and found that it was dead. Great. Another trip to the store. This time I bought some foccacia and a baguette just in case. <font color="green"><b>The guy at the checkout counter laughed at me</b></font> for buying yeast and 2 loaves of bread, and told me to just tell everyone I baked the foccacia. <br /><br />Back at home I cleaned my mixer, threw out the first batch and started with a new one, measuring very carefully and this time, turning the speed down on the mixer a bit to allow the gluten to develop, and of course proofing the yeast first. 10 minutes in it seemed like the dough was climbing the paddle a little bit, but then nothing happened. I switched to the hook and found that only the dough on the paddle was tough and stretchy, but none of the rest of it. I let the hook do it's thing, but after another 20 minutes of beating at medium speed it was still as thin as pancake batter. I decided to forget about having perfect ciabatta bread and that I would settle for saving the flour and yeast, so I scooped the super sticky dough out, added a bunch of flour and kneaded until it held together, and then covered it to proof for an hour and a half. By 7:30 it had not grown <font color="green"><b>at all</b></font>. But the yeast was alive! So what happened? I still have no idea. I'll work on this recipe later, but for now I've wasted more than 4 cups of flour and I'm sick of bread making. So much for knowing my way around the kitchen. <br /><br />I had to use up all of those spreads I bought, so I stuffed some lovely Belgian endives with them and made tofurky sandwiches with the foccacia to have along with a quick Greek-ish-inspired salad. It was a good enough substitute. And I love endives, they're so perfect and delicate - they look like they must be hiding some sneaky treasure inside.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/endive35.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Greek-ish-inspired salad</b></font><br /><br />1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, lightly steamed and cut into 1 inch pieces<br />1/2 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered<br />1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced<br />1/2 red bell pepper, diced small<br />1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese<br />a few garlic scapes, washed and sliced small<br />olive oil<br />balsamic vinegar<br />zest from 1 lemon<br />S & P<br /><br />Mix vegetables in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add a splash or two of vinegar. Add black pepper and salt to taste - not too much. Add zest and feta and mix it all up. Dream of the impending summer while eating straight out of the mixing bowl.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-37311064712702981282009-06-25T08:04:00.000-07:002009-06-25T08:59:24.177-07:00*yawn*Mrmphh. It's early. Up at 6 and it's tough to tell what kind of day it will be today. At this point it is <font color="green"><b>nothing</b></font> outside. Really, that's the only way I can describe it. The sky has no visible outline of clouds, it's just a flat sheet of almost white. No wind, no birds chirping, it's not even cold. It's like a void out there. A good day to leave the blinds closed and make some breakfast.<br /><br />I don't usually get up this early by choice, but our friend Amy is bringing by little 5 month old Aiden for me to watch for a few hours and I wanted to make sure they didn't catch me still snoozing. <br /><br />Anyway, <font color="green"><b>breakfast</b></font>. It's the only thing that will keep me awake right now. My one person menu this morning includes mini quiches, a single serving of herbed potatoes and plenty of caffeine in the form of my <a href="http://www.teavana.com/Loose-Leaf-Teas/The-Doctors-Green-Teas/Pi-Lo-Chun-Green-Tea.axd">current favorite tea</a>. The only thing that could complete this moment is lounging on the couch and watching last night's Top Chef Masters on my DVR. <br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/quiche35.jpg"><br /><br />These mini quiches are adapted from an old <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2005/05/9-am-sunday-cream-and-creamier.html">Orangette</a> post and the tart shell is from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fannie-Farmer-Cookbook-Anniversary/dp/0679450815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245944603&sr=8-1">Fannie Farmer Cookbook</a>. They are perfectly eggy and fluffy with a flaky, salty crust. This was a bit of a clean-out-the-fridge recipe, but you can throw pretty much anything into a quiche.<br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Mini Breakfast Quiches</b></font><br /><br />Crust:<br /><br />1 cup flour<br />1/4 tsp salt<br />1 (1/4 lb) stick salted butter, cold and cut into small pieces<br />1 egg yolk<br />2 tbsp ice water<br /><br />Filling:<br /><br />1 1/4 cup whole milk<br />4 eggs<br />1 tbsp flour<br />pinch of salt<br />pinch of cayenne<br />pinch of nutmeg<br /><br />Broccoli florets, cut small and steamed<br />1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, just use whatever you have)<br />1 bunch chives, finely chopped<br />black pepper<br /><br />Make the tart dough first, press into tins and refrigerate while making the filling. Dough should be kept as cold as possible - if the butter in it melts it won't be flaky.<br /><br />Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter in with your fingers, mixing and squishing until the mixture resembles tiny peas. Whisk the egg yolk and water together in another bowl and add to first mixture, blending (or finger squishing) until mixture is smooth and holds together in a ball. Press into tins or 1 big quiche dish and trim off the edges. Set aside in the fridge.<br /><br />For the filling blend the milk, eggs, flour, salt, cayenne and nutmeg on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.<br /><br />Add the toppings to the tart shells - 1 layer of broccoli, 1 layer of cheese, alternating until you reach the top. Or just throw it all in there and cover it with cheese like I did. Pour the egg filling into the tins leaving 1/8th of an inch before the top. sprinkle chives and ground black pepper over the top and make 'em look pretty. <br /><br />Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes until puffed up with nice toasty brown spots. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-849451235916347032009-06-24T13:12:00.000-07:002009-06-24T14:03:10.689-07:00Early figs<font color="green"><b>I remember the first time I saw a fig.</b></font> I was 16 and working at a buffet restaurant. It was a slow day and my Persian manager came through the door overly excited, bearing a huge bag of purple fruit. They were strange, almost alien to me - fat, squishy little things, with thick, silky skin. He was telling everyone about how figs are everywhere in the Mediterranean, but that he hadn't seen any since he moved here, and now his neighbor had shared some from the tree in his backyard. He sliced a few open and passed them around for people to try. We were all skeptical. In fact, I don't think anyone tasted one. "It looks like an inside out caterpillar", I said. "It looks like an inside out <i>something</i>", muttered the day manager. Eventually our boss gave up, grumbling things about how we were all crazy. It was years before I gave figs a chance - cautiously scattering them through a recipe that called for twice as much as I added. But one bite and I was hooked. Sadly it had been the end of fig season, or I would have used them on everything.<br /><br />Figs are and end of summer fruit. This year as the trees have been filling out with green and stone fruits and baby squash have been increasing in abundance at the grocery store I have been excitedly anticipating the first figs of the year. So I was surprised when meandering through the aisles at Central Market I saw a stack of little plastic boxes overflowing with <font color="green"><b>black mission figs</b></font>. How did they sneak up on me so early?! After bringing them home and tasting a few I found that they still had a few green spots and were lacking the syrupy sweetness that figs have in August or September. So it isn't quite fig season yet after all. I hate to waste a whole container of figs, so I decided to roast them with honey to bring out their sweetness. This isn't exactly a summery tart, but the combination of sweet figs and caramelized onions with salty-sour chèvre and a hint of thyme is delicious enough to make me want to eat the whole thing in one sitting.<br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/FigTart35.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="green"><b>Fig and Onion Tart</b></font><br /><br />1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed<br />2 table spoons butter<br />2-3 large onions, sliced thinly<br />a few springs of thyme, plus garnish<br />6-8 ripe figs, quartered<br />3oz chèvre<br />honey to drizzle<br />small handful of pine nuts<br /><br />Melt butter in a large (not non-stick) skillet on medium-low heat and add onions. Stir occasionally, scraping browned onion from the bottom of the pan until onions are very soft and dark in color. Turn heat down if onions are crisping or browning too fast. This takes roughly 20 minutes. Towards the end, strip the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and crush lightly between fingers as you add them to pan. At this point you may add a little salt and pepper to taste if you like.<br /><br />In a small skillet add a tiny amount of oil, and grease pan with paper towel. Heat to medium-high and add pine nuts, watching closely and shaking the skillet until they are browned. This takes only a minute.<br /><br />Press puff pastry into one large, shallow tart pan, or several small tins. Spread onions evenly over the pastry. Then add figs and crumbles of chèvre across the top. Drizzle tart with honey and sprinkle on the pine nuts. Fold the edges of the pastry slightly around the tart.<br /><br />Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes until the puff pastry is lightly browned. Garnish with thyme and eat hot.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2736654086948968682.post-4722870664799186882009-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:002009-06-24T14:01:13.613-07:00Long weekend, long post.My birthday was Tuesday, but the real present was this weekend. A few weeks ago hubby told me that he had been planning a surprise trip for me for my birthday, and asked me to make sure I got the days off, but he wouldn't tell me anything else. I waited patiently while those weeks passed, but of course my curiosity was getting the better of me and I pestered him with tons of questions. I had been psyching myself out with ideas of where we might be going - he implied that it was a bit of a drive, but ruled out Portland, the San Juans and Vancouver B.C., though I knew we were going to something that required formal dress, so I was stumped. I thought it would have been unreasonable to expect that he had snuck enough money from our bank account to purchase plane tickets, but the girls at work insisted I must be going to Hawaii or somewhere glamorous. The day finally came, and we threw our luggage into the car and took off down I-5 only to stop after just a few exits. Where were we going? <font color="green"><b>Seattle!</b></font><br /><br />Yes, Seattle. I was wracking my brain so hard trying to think of where we could be traveling to that I ignored the destination right next door. Now, I've lived in this area all of my life, and spent a lot of time downtown, but I've never done a lot of the tourist-y things to do in the city simply because they were, well, <i>tourist-y</i>! It ended up being the perfect trip - not so far away that I was stressed about being too far from the bun-bun, but possibly more fun than another city that we don't know because we were comfortable finding our way around, and we knew what to expect. The whole thing was lovely, and very relaxing. Read on if you'd like to hear the details!<br /><br />Our mini-vacation started by pulling up to the trendy <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1154">W Hotel</a> and making our way upstairs to check out our room. We stayed in the corner suite on the 19th floor with so many windows that the gorgeous views of the city were inescapable. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/Bootsview35.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/CornerView35.jpg"></center><br /><br />After we were satisfied by seeing how many peoples' windows we could peer into we headed down to kill some time with a little wandering. We meandered through the Pike <br />Place market, stopping at <font color="green"><b>Crêpe de France</b></font> where we noshed on a Goat's cheese special (crêpe filled with goat's cheese, spinach, tomatoes and green onions) and a crêpe aux fraises chocolat (filled with strawberries, nutella and whipped cream). Afterward we walked over to Westlake Center to buy me a few pretty birthday presents (<i>I love getting to pick my own gifts!</i>) and kill time before our late dinner. This time killing resulted in another snack - one of the most delicious things I've ever gotten from a <font color="green"><b>mall food court</b></font>. Potato and pea stuffed paratha bread with a side of spinach dal. <br /><br />The destination of the evening - Seattle Center via the monorail. I can't remember if I've ever ridden the monorail before, but if I ever did it was before E.M.P. was built which it runs straight through. Pretty cool. It was interesting to see the city from a different angle. Speaking of seeing the city, dinner was at the <font color="green"><b>Space Needle</b></font>, another thing I've never experienced. My expectations of the most recognizable icon in Seattle, visited by more than 1 million people yearly, were that the food would be overpriced and over-hyped, with a nod to the decade in which it was built (<i>it opened in 1962</i>) in the form of fat Filet Mignon topped with curly parsley, and scant vegetarian fare. The gift shop at the bottom welcomed us with exactly what I expected - T-shirts emblazoned with "Space Needle" in every possible font, and chintzy gifts ranging from keychains to shotglasses to stopwatches to pasta shaped like the Needle itself (<i>space noodles of course!</i>). However, I was wrong about the restaurant. <br /><br />People are shuffled into a small elevator - crammed in until noses are practically squished against the glass, and a woman's hairspray mingles with a man's bad cologne as the little glass box turns into a stinking rainforest. An elevator operator squeezes in, occupying the last foot of space, and presses the button to go, and suddenly the walls around the box fall away to reveal buildings, streets, and a dusky blue-pink skyline above. Zoning out watching the ascent - it feels like an airplane take-off - or maybe a space shuttle as I believe it's supposed to be simulating. The view is brief, but breathtaking. The doors <font color="green"><b>ding</b></font> open and you are ushered out by a woman with a fake smile as large as her head who reminds you of a certain airplane steward (<i>uh buh-bye</i>). As you wait for your table you are given a few minutes to wrap your mind around the fact that while the elevator, waiting room and windows of the circular building are stationary, the entire outer ring of the room is moving, slowly, steadily, just sliding along like a giant moving sidewalk. "Watch your step", says the host as she walks you over to a small banquet facing the enormous windows. You scoot across the cushion and take your seat, trying to get over the momentary motion sickness while simultaneously taking in the fact that you're 500 feet off the ground looking at an amazing landscape of glittering lights and water engulfed in pale dusk.<br /><br />The restaurant still has a 1960's vibe. I can imagine sitting here witnessing a room crowded with women - big blonde hair and cat's eyes, and men - big lapels and thick glasses, while crunching on my requisite sprig of parsley. But the servers, the menu, the <i>view</i> are distinctively modern. We are greeted by a knowledgeable waiter with a charming Germanic accent who brings us a bottle of Basel Cellars Forget-Me-Not Sauvignon Blanc and takes our order. Of course our vegetarian options are limited, but we are easily accommodated right off the menu. To start - pecan crusted goat's cheese with a spinach salad and Cabernet-blackberry vinaigrette, and bread with maple lavender infused butter. Then a main course of a crisp and flaky on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside spring vegetable gatêau, perfectly steamed asparagus, and more veggies roasted on a thin plank of cedar. The food was delicious and well-prepared using seasonal ingredients. By the time we are done we have made a rotation and a half view of the city, and we are too full to even consider dessert. We waddle downstairs with our fat bellies and suffer through the hike back to the hotel.<br /><br />Saturday morning began with the walk down to the market again for a stop at <a href="http://www.lepanier.com/">Le Panier (<i>"A very French bakery"</i>)</a>. They have an expansive menu of pastries, both sweet and savory, and I was glad for my food knowledge to be able to navigate the French names despite not speaking the language. We sampled my first pain au chocolat (it's <font color="green"><b>love</b></font>), a perfectly crunchy crudités sandwich and two small savory pastries - champignon (mushroom), and dauphinois which had potatoes and <i>ham</i> I didn't notice until I bought it, but was so good I scarfed it down anyway. I will have dreams of those perfect little pastries for years. <br /><br />After breakfast we had to get away from the crushing Saturday crowds of the farmer's market, so we headed south-east-ish to the International district. It was a long walk, so we stopped at the <a href="http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central_building&branchID=1">Seattle Central Library</a> to admire the architecture. The building has a strange and beautiful contrast between the cold architectural re-bar pattern that makes it such a memorable sight in this city, and the warm bright nooks and crannies towards the core of the building. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/librarygrid35-1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/libraryred35.jpg"></center><br /><br />On to the ID. We strolled around the area for a little while, peeking into small shops boasting Chinese herbal remedies, bonsai supplies, loose leaf tea, etc. We browsed <a href="http://www.uwajimaya.com/">Uwajimaya</a> for bento supplies and books and then decided that in an area of the city with food so steeped in culture that we shouldn't waste space in our tummies at the food stands, and instead headed back out into the streets for dim sum. We stumbled upon the Purple Dot cafe - a slightly dirty hole in the wall that may be trying a little too hard to attract a young crowd, but that had a perfectly decent (and insanely cheap) dim sum cart and a waitstaff that was more than happy to help us pick out some good vegetarian treats. We sampled some steamed buns stuffed with black sesame paste, sesame covered glutinous rice balls filled with lotus paste, some strange soupy dumplings overflowing with enoki, shiitake, and forest mushrooms, and some giant brioche-like buns filled with salty, egg-y, scallion-y goodness. What room we had left in our stomach was filled with free tea and we left with some nice leftovers and only a 12 dollar hole in my wallet. <br /><br /><center><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/turbohavana/dimsum35.jpg"></center><br /><br />Realizing that we were too full and too tired to walk all the way back to downtown we went down to the underground station to see if we could catch a bus back, but none of the ticket booths were open. By bothering a security guard we learned that <font color="green"><b>the freaking buses run along 4 major city stops for free</b></font> that time of day and that we were a mere 5 minutes from napping in our hotel bed. Knowing these things in advance would make navigating Seattle much less stressful! We hopped the next bus and dragged our tired buns (and the dim sum too ^_^) upstairs. <br /><br />Hubby had another surprise for me that evening so we killed a bit more time, and ended up snacking again on some cheap Gardenburger subs before going back to the hotel to change, and then, me in 5 inch heels, walked 3 blocks to Benaroya Hall for the symphony. I remember going to the Seattle Symphony once in elementary school, but that's the only time I've ever been. It was so thoughtful of hubby to have planned something like that. I loved it! We saw the violin player Midori perform 4 different concertos with the orchestra. Between them we entertained ourselves by scrutinizing the crowd from our balcony high above. <br /><br />After the symphony it was still early, and our last night in the city, so we trekked east again, this time to the Park Place mall for a grilled cheese with tomato (<i>which won me the waitress as a new "best friend"</i>) and fries at some faux retro burger place and then saw <font color="green"><b>Up</b></font> at the AMC. <br /><br />The longest walk of our trip was that one - back to the hotel after the movie. We were so exhausted, and barely made it under the sheets to fall asleep. <br /><br />Father's Day was the next morning and since my plan to go to the Boat Street Cafe failed (all booked!) I left Ryan in bed and fetched brioche from the <a href="http://www.belleepicurean.com/">Belle Epicurean</a> across the street. One pain au raisin, one pear almond brioche and two potato rosemary brioches later and we were ready to pack up and head out. <br /><br />It was a long weekend, every minute crammed with things to do and food to eat. We visited some of my favorite Seattle landmarks, and some whose merit was unbeknownst to me previously, but now I can say I've experienced. It was simultaneously nice to have some time to ourselves, and also lonely without the bun, but I think we needed it. The best part of the weekend was spending the time with the hubs with no distractions, but I've got to say the food was a close second. Now I have a few new stops to add to my <font color="green"><b>places I have to go when in town for other things</b></font> list.<br /><br />xoxo<br /><br />meMinibrutushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03663340083086622100noreply@blogger.com0