tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82492561981716528132011-12-12T12:03:09.647-08:002009 - A Year of Living Well, Well Within Our MeansJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.comBlogger1221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-65622900936491444272010-04-17T18:48:00.000-07:002010-04-17T18:48:20.711-07:00

We have an exciting new home and I hope you'll all come with us.  I know I've been behind in my posts these past couple of months and I can only claim being busy and not being terribly excited about where I've been food-wise lately. Well I am very excited about our new home; the look, the tools that it will provide me to make more exciting content and also about the food of spring.  Winter is

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-11424557975562771962010-04-14T20:59:00.000-07:002010-04-14T21:01:15.275-07:00

Here's a post I added to my friend Scott's real estate blog, Classic Homes Northwest.  Take a peek, it's a bit more ramble-ey than I've been these past few months but I like it.  Keeping up with who? We'll be moving soon and all the details will be posted here as I post in both places for a month or so.  Keep an eye out and all will unfold before your eyes :-) Hasta

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-13828030061189085632010-02-04T22:03:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:03:15.048-08:00

How I lovemy fast food chickenmeat so tenderjust for pickin'from my fingersI'd be lickin'juice from myrotisserie chicken All right so a great poet I'm not but I need to write about my favorite fast food.  Relatively healthful, pretty cheap (Costco, ~3 pounds for $4.99 just blocks from my house and better yet, on the way home!), tender, juicy and tasty.  Does anyone disagree this is the best

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-78615441152798880032010-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:002010-02-02T20:56:38.872-08:00

Here is is a Tuesday evening, had a hankering for some south of the border flavors so decided I better dig in and make myself some. Henry and I tried a new place (for us anyway) the other night, La Casa Azul in Shoreline and it was quite delicious.  Henry's carne asada with home made tortillas was top shelf, world class, etc on the adjectives.  My enchiladas de pollo con salsa verde was also

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-55620657827357236652010-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:002010-01-27T21:24:38.509-08:00

Hey everyone, glad to be back after my computer problems of the past couple weeks.  Clicked on a new game site advertised on FB and POOF! a virus embedded in my registry.  Well needless to say, I'm starting from scratch and although it is kinda nice to have a completely clean slate it's also a mighty pain in the arse as well. So last weekend we ran into a weekly phenomena at Casa Hunger and

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-17570544944492718202010-01-10T10:29:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:36:26.115-08:00

So there I was, a Saturday morning that both the lad and I slept late.  Looking for something a bit different and easy to wake my foggy brain along with the fine brew in the coffeemaker.  Hmmm... chilly outside, need to get us going and through the morning as we head to the beach with the dog to take in a lovely sunny January day here in the PNW.  You know we need to take advantage of these days

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-91023887873904207312010-01-07T21:22:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:31:40.418-08:00

The other night I felt like something with lots of vegetables but still hearty for a cold evening.  I had some leftover rotisserie chicken that had pulled from the bone and a big bag of broccoli crowns and a pound and a half of button mushrooms.  All of this made me think back to an old classic casserole, Chicken Divan. Now if we were to analyze just what went into this classic, I didn't have

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-47897163816646255282010-01-04T20:30:00.000-08:002010-01-04T20:30:06.254-08:00

Hey all, a Happiest of New Year's to you all.  I haven't posted for a bit but as this is the time of resolutions I am committed to a minimum of 2 posts per week all year long but am shooting for an average of 3 which would mean 156?  EEEK!   Well after the post everyday of November, I know I can write more than I have been these past couple weeks.  Tonight I'm gonna stick with a quick and easy

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-27397134555478181802009-12-22T20:47:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:38:29.291-08:00

I ask you fair readers, what does a cold winter night, a head cold, a few ounces of pork tenderloin in the fridge equal on a weeknight?  Well if you said Thai red curry then you are correct!  Seems like a great antidote to the cold weather (hot, hearty), the over indulgence of the holiday season (simple, straightforward) and a head cold (spicy) all on a budget.  Now you could go on about

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-5479802278819724372009-12-17T20:11:00.000-08:002009-12-17T20:11:49.704-08:00

So it seems the past few days have gotten away from me and I haven't had a chance to post for a bit.  Work, life, a head cold, etc.  Anyway, tonight was the first night I felt like cooking since the weekend and Henry was out with friends so I treated myself and did a pan roast pork tenderloin with a big pile of broccoli with shallots and red peppers.  Healthy, fast, simple, inexpensive (I'm in

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-26962253044060788832009-12-07T20:57:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:41:35.770-08:00

Home late from the doc, need to get some work done, need dinner and a coupla cocktails after a usual Monday... Need I say more? Prosciutto, Walnut & Blue Cheese Crostata Slice & toast the baguette, pugliese, ciabatta or whatever good bread you might have around Top with blue cheese crumbles, I used Point Reyes cuz that's what I have right now Top with folded thin sliced prosciutto Top with

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-38467896587299044502009-12-06T20:05:00.000-08:002009-12-06T20:08:14.080-08:00

It's just below freezing at the moment outside Casa Hunger and the low is supposed to get down to 20ish tonight.  Today was a day for chores as yesterday was kind of a wash after a really fun night out with friends and enjoying a John Doe show at a local club.  The show started out a bit lame with the opening act being pretty poor.  Then John coming out and letting us all know he was so sick he

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-53821234508495309672009-12-03T20:43:00.000-08:002009-12-03T20:43:49.677-08:00

It's cold here in the Puget Sound area and with the lad home tonight it invokes a hearty dinner.  Tonight we're keeping it simple but still a favorite around Casa Hunger - pan roast chicken breasts dijonaise with buttered carrots and oven roast Dakota russets from our garden this past summer. Pan roasting a piece of meat is a favorite technique of mine and much used in restaurants where I

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-76268401397818413712009-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:002009-12-02T19:48:15.588-08:00

So as predicted I didn't post last night but that was because I had to fight the need to write.  Oh no need to worry about me, I was fine once I got through that brief period where I was curled up in a fetal position chanting "must write, must write..." but seriously I did miss it after a full month of writing every day.  I think this will make me a stronger writer overall and it certainly helped

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-6926121165698044042009-11-30T19:45:00.000-08:002009-11-30T19:45:39.368-08:00

Living the frugal life is not just about saving money at the grocery store but about many things.  One thing is for sure, running your Xmas lights a full month before Xmas is NOT frugal for your utility bill or the planet.  I don't want to offend but SHEESH people!  The solstice is not even for another 3 weeks and that's the tradition for the lights.  To ward off the longest night of the year! 

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-30036262254782093102009-11-29T21:09:00.000-08:002009-11-29T21:09:10.286-08:00

After the post holiday drive with relatively light traffic for this stretch of highway and we're home.  With all due respect to Mum and the fine citizens of Oregon, it terrific to be home.  I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed after 8 nights away. We arrived to a rather large bloom of algae in the pond so had to deal with that right away but after that and unloading the car, going

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-9817450984265111342009-11-28T19:35:00.000-08:002009-11-28T19:42:15.062-08:00

...Traditional Turkey Day feast is in the books for another year! With a pre-prandial snack of chanterelles on toast and a bit of Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove we got to work.  The bird was already in the hotbox and Mum had done the stuffing on Wednesday so I scrubbed some real baby carrots and boiled some spuds.  Henry & Mum had formed rolls from a no-knead recipe that was a real keeper

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-43818140553575009552009-11-27T21:55:00.000-08:002009-11-27T21:57:31.292-08:00

For the best laid plans... Today was a day of errands and so after treating Mum to a fine Vietnamese lunch at Bambuza in Tualatin we picked up the Younger Hunger from his Mum and then ventured to Whole Foods where MY Mum had never been before.  We were on the hunt for some cheeses that were freshly cut or would be freshly cut to our order.  When Mum went for a chunk of St. Andre I responded with

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-2932282814946972092009-11-26T21:02:00.000-08:002009-11-26T21:02:13.430-08:00

...Tomorrow that is! The Younger Hunger spent the day with his Mum at friends in Vancouver today and tomorrow they're headed to Mt. Hood for a festive killing of an Xmas tree and some inner tubing on the mountain.  Then the lad will join Mum and I for a traditional Thanksgiving feast in the evening and some helping of the G'ma around the house on Saturday before heading home to Seattle Sunday

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-87872551885999983832009-11-25T23:41:00.000-08:002009-11-25T23:41:43.037-08:00

Or should I write - ahhhh, nuts!  As I while away the hours here in Oregon and spend some great quality time with my Mum, one of the things she alway keeps on hand is nuts and I do like my nuts!  (not those nuts you dirty readers you but frankly I'm rather fond of those as well if I must say). My Mum keeps a mix of roasted nuts around at all times as one of her pre-prandial accoutrements. 

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-88704312860935704042009-11-24T21:20:00.000-08:002009-11-24T21:20:08.588-08:00

Dad died this morning.  The day has been filled with visits and phone calls full of both laughter and tears. I said one too many goodbyes today

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-2062535727987434962009-11-23T22:56:00.000-08:002009-11-23T22:56:56.609-08:00

Originally the Younger Hunger and I had planned to be here to visit for Thanksgiving and Wednesday was the day we were to travel but things took a turn for the worse here and we came early so I could get a chance to say goodbye to one of my Dads. He has been failing for a while now and although he wanted to make it through his favorite time of year, the Holidays it is now just a matter of hours.

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-32033103584552631782009-11-22T22:39:00.000-08:002009-11-22T22:40:37.216-08:00

Copper river salmon that me Mum had in the freezer from the season.  I broiled and finished it with lemon olive oil and we tried a number of finishing salts Mum had that were new; my favorite was the Turkish black salt as it added a lovely salty and minerally flavor that was clean and robust at the same time without overpowering the fish.  Now Copper River salmon can keep up with a lot of

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-5091717887970685252009-11-21T20:19:00.000-08:002009-11-21T20:19:52.619-08:00

I'm in Oregon watching football with me Mum (yes, American throwball cuz she wants to and cuz I can give a little integrity for Mom but I don't have to like it).  Leftover lasagna from the freezer and 2006 Tre Nova Bonatello Sangiovese from nearby Carlton; seriously good juice.  Not a lot to write about right now other than it was a nice drive down and although slow because we stopped at every

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-12895330712145593272009-11-20T21:07:00.000-08:002009-11-20T21:07:17.339-08:00

Tomorrow is a travel day and we'll be gone for a week rather unexpectedly so we had a last 1/2 lb of ground beef in the fridge so it was cheeseburgers on the grill for us tonight.  The usual Friday fare is pizza but since we were out for that last night we still coulda but didn't wanna.  The highlight of the meal tonight was another attempt at oven waffle fries and this time we used Alexia

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-89520987164949488042009-11-19T20:15:00.000-08:002009-11-19T20:15:51.954-08:00

With a bit of sad family news today Henry, his Mum and I got together tonight to talk a bit and have some pizza.  It came as a way for Henry to go to his Mum's house tonight so I can get a full day in tomorrow as we'll be heading out of town for a week or so but I'll do my best to keep up with my committment to write every day. We visited a local pizza chain that brews their own beer called The

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-30464214312318898472009-11-18T21:37:00.000-08:002009-11-18T21:37:35.264-08:00

So it goes here in the Pacific Northwest at this time of year, cold & wet.  We had some lovely weather throughout the day but as I left the city it started coming down and it made for a commute of interest I must say.  It's odd that Seattle-ites continually amaze me even after nearly 20 years here with the fear shown anytime there is any moisture whatsoever on the roads. What's the best way to

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-51781811910826534052009-11-17T20:23:00.000-08:002009-11-17T20:23:43.905-08:00

Although the story goes that the Joe's Special was "invented" or more likely just thrown together as are many of the finest dishes in the world at a restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and I've always delighted in this fine meal of ground beef with onions, spinach and eggs.  Tonight, a variation of this is one of my usual delicious, fast, the kitchen sink and everything

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-18664495593532125012009-11-16T21:06:00.000-08:002009-11-16T21:06:36.289-08:00

Mondays are my evening for not doing anything when I get home; no TV, no gym, no nuthin' if I don't wanna.  That being said, I need to feed myself and so these nights happen sometimes where even the most mundane tasks like perhaps even frying an egg just seem to be too much. Lately these type of evenings tend to run to a nice piece of cheese from the fridge, some baguette and an apple with a

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-66939792769843431952009-11-15T20:23:00.000-08:002009-11-15T20:23:14.357-08:00

If ever you get to Seattle, here is a tremendous place to stop for some food.  Not just food but GREAT food and lots of said GREAT food - Voula's Offshore Cafe.  I've written briefly about this place before but now that we have a second visit under our belts (at least after loosening said belts) I feel I need to give you a bit more to try out this incredible place. Today Henry and his Mum and I

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-56501934321817058952009-11-14T23:32:00.000-08:002009-11-14T23:32:54.420-08:00

Saturday night and I'm tired so this will be short but we had a dinner party for 6 tonight and did it for ~$20.  An easy way to have a fun party for a few peeps is a pizza party! Get a few things together; a few familiar things and some not so much and make a big batch of dough.  I doubled my normal batch and it turned out great.  6 each 10" pies and everyone could choose what they wanted and

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-40221606798753944202009-11-13T21:21:00.000-08:002009-11-13T21:21:17.739-08:00

Earlier in the week I opened a lovely little bottle of full rich juice with the flavors of blackberry jam, dried cherries and even a little bit of strawberry with a bit more than a hint of vanilla. While this may sound kind of light, this bottle packs a great fruit bomb with enough tannins to keep things interesting, a great balance of acid (don't be afraid of acid in vino, everything needs

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-91346986113847155922009-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:002009-11-12T20:52:32.903-08:00

When I started this project last January, I wrote about how I had often said I could feed Henry and I on $200 a month and some of my firends challenged me to do just that.  The blogging part came about because I wanted to document not only the challenge but the actual exercize of feeding us both regardless of success of failure. If any of you have been following since the beginning, first let me

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-39740529530413672072009-11-11T19:38:00.000-08:002009-11-11T19:40:32.199-08:00

Tonight we discuss Junk Food and before I get too far into this I must say I truly believe one person's Junk Food is another's nirvana or maybe Junk Food is your nirvana?  Perhaps nirvana is your Junk Food...?  Uh oh there it goes again, my head is starting to fold in on itself. Anyway... My most junkie food indulgence is Coca Cola.  There, I said it and I'm out of the closet about it.  I love

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-28577242820626995322009-11-10T20:42:00.000-08:002009-11-10T20:47:28.204-08:00

Well, tonight it made me ravenous and I fell back on one of my tried and true convenience foods tonight; gnocchi.  I keep a couple pounds in the pantry all the time; inexpensive and quicker cooking than pasta, I like it better and even the lad has come to think it is a must keep around item of late. While I know some people feel they have no need to keep convenience food around the house (my Mum

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-8802869233541843382009-11-09T20:58:00.000-08:002009-11-09T21:14:01.838-08:00

One of the problems with inexpensive wine is a lack of extraction.  Most bargains in fermented grape juice tend to be from fruit that does not show the concentration that many of us have come to know from the specific varietal and end up well, kinda thin. Not so with the 2008 syrah from Abbey Page in McMinnville, OR.  The fruit is from the Columbia Valley appellation of Washington state and this

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-76620333073789776992009-11-08T14:54:00.000-08:002009-11-08T14:55:30.842-08:00

With our local MLS football club in the semifinals, we began the day with preparations for buffalo wings and a few hours in front of the tube in my comfy chair.  While this is the inaugural season for our Sounders FC and we are avid fans in Casa Hunger, the main event was of course, the wings. While there are many recipes for chicken wings I prefer to follow (at least loosely) the original made

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-31105946549818930522009-11-07T13:07:00.000-08:002009-11-07T13:07:56.482-08:00

Today is a pretty good day for being lazy.  While we had planned on beginning yesterday with a visit to Voula's Offshore Cafe we both slept in and felt it was too late to make the drive.  So, we opted to do it today but guess what?  Yep. the youngling slept until almost 11 again today so this morning (sort of) I made a perennial favorite around Casa Hunger - crepes! Now, I know many peeps are

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-67931207508859650812009-11-06T21:09:00.000-08:002009-11-06T21:09:55.376-08:00

With all due respect to Kool and The Gang, it's the time of year this beer lover is ready for a little bit of Celebration; Celebration Ale that is... From Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the 2009 Celebration Ale is once again worthy of shedding a tear of happiness today.  Friday is pizza night here at Casa Hunger and with a pie of spicy Italian sausae with red onion rings and red bell peppers, I

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-70174756626701913272009-11-05T22:03:00.000-08:002009-11-05T22:03:16.369-08:00

A couple of things that have changed with our move and our embracing a simpler life - we don't have a dishwasher or a microwave in our new house.  While we spent the first few weeks shopping for a microwave that would fit in our smaller home, after a while I just sorta stopped.  I began to realize we'd been living just fine without one and then started thinking about all the years I lived without

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-24034548672099459972009-11-04T19:19:00.000-08:002009-11-04T19:19:12.790-08:00

This paragraph really hit home for me - "This industrial food experiment, historically speaking, is completely abnormal. It’s not normal to eat things you can’t spell or pronounce. It’s not normal to eat things you can’t make in your kitchen. Indeed, if everything in today’s science-based supermarket that was unavailable before 1900 were removed, hardly anything would be left. And as more people

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-75480920462871004212009-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:002009-11-03T20:55:43.506-08:00

Tuesday evening, 2nd day in a 4 day week and I'm already thinking it can't come soon enough.  Work is somewhat overwhelming and at times I find myself just sitting and wondering aloud what to do next because there is so much to do and in so many different directions.  Lately I've found solace in the kitchen but tonight it just wasn't gonna happen so it was a good night for being lazy. Although

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-57340022659063387122009-11-02T19:14:00.000-08:002009-11-02T19:33:37.945-08:00

...from Bitten today http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/processed-foods-and-depression/A study was done in England with findings concluding that people who eat more processed foods are more likely to suffer from depression. One chap in the article went so far as to give up all dairy, wheat and meat and decided that he felt better. He said that he would rather eat right and not suffer

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-39644776195407174252009-11-01T20:28:00.001-08:002009-11-01T21:17:11.996-08:00

So said the little engine that could as I recall. Well he had a bit of a problem; if he stopped half way up the hill then the rest of the train would roll back down the hill filled with screaming passengers waiting for a fiery...er...uh, that got out of hand rather quickly yes?OK, so where I was going is that I signed up for NaBloWriMo or National Blog Writing Month (http://www.nablowrimo.org/)

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-3418044661453030632009-10-31T19:42:00.000-07:002009-10-31T20:06:54.223-07:00

...kind of a twist on the usual versions of my favorite foods anyway. Something to enjoy a bit of the harvest as well as some local and not so local foods; pizza!It's All Hallows Eve once again and the lad is out with his Mum and friends so here I am waiting to see how the turnout will be in the new neighborhood and so far it's been pretty good, about 20 kids so I've given out about 1/2 the 150

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-32576352514029125322009-10-28T20:27:00.000-07:002009-10-28T21:04:08.306-07:00

So after arriving home after dark...didn't I leave the house before daybreak as well?Sitting down to a fine meal after a day of it and knowing we'll be out late tomorrow for the MLS semifinal playoff game. Sitting in front of the tube, a recorded PBS Levon Helm concert and thinking about doing some work stuff to try and catch up...Anyway, home about 6:30 after a long day and an errand on the way

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-31991993263416652122009-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:002009-10-27T20:19:25.119-07:00

WOW! OMG!Kill me now for I have tasted Nirvana!To begin, the only thing wrong with this wine is that it's a school night so I can't drink the whole bottle. This has got to be the very best wine that has ever passed over my lips.Everything that a red wine should be was in this bottle; rich ripe fruit tasting of cherries, plums, blackberries, vanilla, a hint of smoke and tobacco, pinch of black

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-70902287959678863132009-10-26T19:43:00.001-07:002009-10-26T20:11:09.836-07:00

After a long day at work where I accomplished little except some self frustration and a rainy commute to get home...Tomorrow's trash day so out with the rubbish and recycle, a bit of time standing with the dog scratching behind his ears and listening to the back garden waterfall during a respite in the rain and I just don't want to do anything. No dog walk, no gardening, no cooking, no nothin'...

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-49694118361960007612009-10-25T19:16:00.000-07:002009-10-25T20:19:12.765-07:00

It's been a pretty good food week for us around Casa Hunger. Knowing we're headed into the time of being a bit more conscious of our food purchases and also knowing our Entertainment book coupons are about to expire, Henry and I headed to our very favorite place - the Wingdome!We had just been to the rally before the Sounder match and although we didn't have tix we attended, tried to get tee

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-45635254241655745112009-10-21T20:35:00.000-07:002009-10-21T20:51:03.563-07:00

So here I sit after a fine tasting, relatively good for me and very quick dinner. If I hadn't had to make the rice it would have been about 15 minutes but brown rice takes almost an hour so while it cooked I caught up on Facebook and the completed the prep for the main event; shrimp with green.Shrimp with Green8oz Prawns, peeled & deveined - I used 21-25s, on sale for $3.99 a pound so still

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-40545240017372057142009-10-19T20:01:00.000-07:002009-10-19T20:24:55.528-07:00

I just saw the date of my last post and my oh my it's been a while.As I sit here in my new house with my pooch at my feet and after a fine meal of fresh chanterelles sauteed in butter, olive oil & garlic it dawns on me that I need to start writing again. It's been too long and I do miss it so I don't have a clue as to why I have been away so long other than say...soccer games, buying and moving

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-20328239149390224592009-06-27T12:04:00.000-07:002009-06-27T12:28:13.487-07:00

This past couple weeks has been a bit of a struggle. We are in the midst of trying to buy a home and still looking for that combination of affordability, close to our current life and lifestyle (schools, friends, commuter transit etc.) and a place we actually want to live. Not the easiest thing in the Puget Sound region for a single Dad and his 11 year old son & 100 lb dog. Anyway that took

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-24542875774031267212009-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:002009-06-18T21:21:14.597-07:00

I made a lovely asparagus pizza the other night; this time with button mushrooms, fresh garlic and Mama Lil's Kickbutt Goathorn peppers.This time I put down some crumbled goat cheese, drizzled some of the spicy oil from the Mama il's peppers over (just a wee bit) then topped with the thin sliced button shrooms, slightly blanches asparagus, fresh garlic and a few of the Mama Lil's peppers. Spicy

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-68380675852394204922009-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:002009-06-15T20:40:15.081-07:00

Hi everyone! I know I've been absent lately and I guess it is the weather and the end of the school year as well as everything else creeping up and smacking us in the virtual forehead lately that has kept me away from the keyboard. I guess it's more about making the time to get in here and write than anything else but many of you know the scheduling challenges of a league soccer playing 5th

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-51696304679620986952009-05-30T10:08:00.001-07:002009-05-30T10:24:21.488-07:00

Asparagus pie w/ farmer cheese and shaved red onionsLast night's pie was a pretty spectacular spring treat if I do say so myself. I didn't grill it as I wanted to stick to tried and true method but it was certainly warm enough yesterday in the great PNW to have not fired up the oven inside but we got a late start so not too much heating up of the house. Anyway, as the above photo and caption

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-43992858494846614372009-05-29T19:43:00.001-07:002009-05-29T20:09:26.029-07:00

I've just put the pizza dough to rise, ground my Rwanda Nyamyumba for the morning and opened a beer so here I sit in front of the keyboard musing away. First, the PNW weather holds and is supposed to continue on through the weekend and if the longer range forecast is to be believed, even into next week. The garden is going strong as I wrote last night, and the only thing it continues to want at

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-38618758517657702392009-05-28T20:35:00.000-07:002009-05-28T20:59:59.309-07:00

A thing of beauty - a rack and some grilled homemade baguetteI hope that doesn't jinx us here in the beautiful PNW as we all know summer doesn't actually begin here until July 5th as it is traditionally rainy and cold through June but lately it feels like summer and we're taking it... A man on a mission Anyway, tonight I grilled up some lovely baby back ribs, seasoned with a 50/50 mix of my all

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-32596951073047473172009-05-25T19:42:00.000-07:002009-05-25T21:08:06.834-07:00

As Memorial Day weekend comes to a close, I sit and muse while suffering through yet another Oregon pinot noir; this time a 2006 Robinson Reserve. Lovely fruit, very "alive" on the palate with a hint of acidity and an almost effervescent brightness stirring it all together. Like a party in my mouth! however sad that party is to be ending now that Memorial Day is done, boo hoo!Last night I grilled

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-29189605860871060452009-05-24T12:43:00.000-07:002009-05-24T13:01:25.659-07:00

Well here it is a lovely warm Memorial Day Sunday in the Puget Sound and with a fresh baked baguette and a long walk with the pooch behind me I can sit for a spell and get a little writing in. Friends Scott and Mackenzie here yesterday and we got talking about making cheese so I showed 'em how. This time I did the same recipe as before; 1 gallon of whole milk & 1 quart of buttermilk heated to

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-25483547112669168582009-05-21T21:03:00.000-07:002009-05-21T21:12:12.993-07:00

Here it is, our Friday so we had to have pizza. Yes, I know it's really Thursday but Henry has no school and tomorrow is the annual Memorial Day golf tournament so as usual he is headed out with me (getting up at 4am) to help out selling tickets for the raffle. He gets up and ends up staying awake all day then snoozing in the car on the way home, I hope it is the same this year as tomorrow is

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-63540033405236932852009-05-20T18:44:00.000-07:002009-05-21T17:30:48.875-07:00

Seems I've been away for a bit as I was under the weather and didn't feel like cooking at all then didn't feel like eating cuz nothing sounded very tasty for the past few days and I almost succumbed to really bad stuff for me but stuck to soul food; Pabst Blue Ribbon, Hebrew National hot dogs with plain ol' yellow mustard like at the ball park and cookies & cream ice cream. Food to feed the inner

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-5408131345376937622009-05-11T18:04:00.000-07:002009-05-11T18:24:35.244-07:00

Spring Veg oiled up and ready for the grill I'm trying to eat better. Although for breakfast this morning I had a serious hankering for soft boiled eggs on whole grain toast; not horrible I know but trying to cut out the animal products where I can but today, I just needed soppy egg yolks soaking into toast. Keeping with my less-meatarianism (phrase courtesy of Mark Bittman) ideas during the day

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-85105007002961856122009-05-10T20:08:00.000-07:002009-05-10T20:41:12.415-07:00

Since I'm not the Mom on this weekend, Henry has gone off to spend the day with his Mum. Although a very busy day, I managed to feed myself a bit along the way with some steel cut oats for breakfast that included the usual walnut oil for omega-3s, pecans, coconut, cinnamon and dried cranberries and it sustained me until late afternoon. After breakfast a day of football with the Sounders as they

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-77142841994931820302009-05-08T21:35:00.000-07:002009-05-08T21:47:51.859-07:00

My youngling has discovered the joy of cured pork products. I am soooo happy, cuz he has determined these to be some of the finest foods he has ever put in his mouth and so today, I took it upon myself to take him to paradise...that heaven of cured pork and lamb set into a small storefront in Pioneer Square of which epicures dream, over whose porcine products carnivores drool...That's right, I

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-81056851423175107452009-05-07T17:45:00.000-07:002009-05-07T20:42:07.901-07:00

As I sit here looking out the window on a lovely (relative) Spring evening here in the Puget Sound watching as the youngling attempts to mow the lawn, many things strike me about how lucky we are; I have a great job, we have a roof over our heads, fresh food to put in our bellies, a dog that loves us unconditionally, etc, etc, etc...We live in the land of plenty and as Americans we tend to waste

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-88954924990180888962009-05-05T21:21:00.000-07:002009-05-05T21:30:06.255-07:00

Alright, you may be getting tired of my writing about my cheese already however I have 2 pounds of it that need to be used by the weekend so you're stuck with my using it every day for a few days.Last night I mixed some of the cheese with olive oil, crushed red chili flakes, pinch of salt and again lots of fresh ground black pepper with some fresh garlic. Now I am not one to believe you can

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-20407735919075022832009-05-04T19:34:00.000-07:002009-05-04T19:45:33.254-07:00

So here we are at the end of a dreary Monday. Sun was out for a wee bit in the Puget sound area this morning but it ended up gray and rainy by the time I got off the train to walk home. I thought I'd show you a couple of the things I did with my new homemade farmer cheese the past couple of evenings. Saturday, I mixed a bit of the cheese with some lemon juice, salt & lots of fresh cracked

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-74100998533115668692009-05-02T16:50:00.000-07:002009-05-02T17:20:45.894-07:00

So today I made cheese. Not the traditional ricotta cheese but more of a farmer cheese as it was not made from the whey leftover from making another kind of cheese but from whole milk & buttermilk. It's fresh, beautiful, creamy, tasty (still a bit flat as I haven't added any salt but will do so) and best of all I made it with my own mitts. I are a cheesemaker! Whole Milk Ricotta1 Gallon Whole

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-55313430960044075382009-05-01T22:01:00.000-07:002009-05-01T22:07:57.595-07:00

We did OK for April. Here are our totals for groceries and booze -Food - $187.90Booze - $34.61That end up being $6.26 per day for food at Casa Hunger. I'm embarking on a new eating plan that might save us even more during May but that will be discussed in future posts. Suffice it to say we're eating well, health is good (could be better so that's part of the new eating plan) and we came in

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-11486940511674818312009-05-01T08:23:00.000-07:002009-05-01T08:32:35.446-07:00

So here we are in an exciting food month. One of my favorite holidays is nearly upon us with Cinco de Mayo where we can all celebrate the cuisine of our neighbors to the South. Here is Seattle we have a tremendous spot called La Carta Oaxaca that specializes in the food indigenous to the region of Oaxaca (funny huh?) and that means mole! Yummy! I also really like the tacos de chorizo

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-36801790285746603012009-04-29T17:56:00.001-07:002009-04-29T18:01:32.659-07:00

...opens this Saturday for the season and I'm about to pee myself with excitement.I'm just sayin'Another update - new food friend Eric has invited me to be an author on his rolling food blog called What Are You Eating? I have accepted and would like to ask you all to get on yer mouses and get yourselves over to the blog for some ramblings about food and drink from people who love to cook, eat,

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-70696794361242513712009-04-28T19:36:00.000-07:002009-04-28T19:45:47.101-07:00

OK, so I don't have a lot to write about food wise. I had a great bowl of bun nem nuong for lunch and I'm still stuffed, spicy heaven in a bowl! Otherwise it was just another day at work; busy and wanted to get home.So here I sit, baking bread and drinking a beer having just finished editing Henry's fundraising page for the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure and thought "hey, I should

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-27287689390803754552009-04-27T20:56:00.000-07:002009-04-27T21:03:23.093-07:00

So the Hunger challenge is done, we're back to normal and I even treated myself to just a wee bit of ice cream tonight after eating the last 1/2 cup of roasted chicken and leftover fusilli from last week in pesto that I had made the week prior.Not a long post tonight, but I did want to tell you about the potato bins we built this weekend and got 4 varieties planted; Russian blue, Red thumb,

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-46997615063850116162009-04-25T10:28:00.001-07:002009-04-25T11:44:07.042-07:00

Ramblings and musings coming on so prepare yourself...First, the expenditures -Originally spent $34.96Ended the week with -2.5# Russet potatoes - $1.251.5# Unbleached white flour - $.751 ea Apple - $.101 ea Kiwi - $.10 (never did get ripe)1 ea Lemon - $.10 (used about a teaspoon of juice but still have the rest.5# Fusilli pasta - $.508oz Organic marinara sauce - $.55.25# Broccoli - $.25 (stems

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-14643092092275397662009-04-24T18:43:00.000-07:002009-04-24T18:48:35.634-07:00

GodDAMN do I want a drink! Here we are at Friday and even though it's one more night, it would be sooo nice to have a fine hoppy local IPA, a glass of busty, fruit bomb zinfandel, a gin & tonic w/ a nice squeeze of lime, even dare I say it a fine icey cold PBR tallboy dripping with condensation just to celebrate making it through another week.Resist the temptation, resist the temptation, resist

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-43166016474688252362009-04-24T06:44:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:07:53.712-07:00

OK, so today we get to do the Friday dance. WHOO HOO! Today this means more since I'm exhausted, I've noticed that regular stuff is taking a backseat to my musings and it's time to get back to it.Did I mention I'm exhausted? Well, I also realized that I forgot to take Henry to soccer practice on Wednesday evening and that the house is a relative wreck right now. Perhaps I've been putting more

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-38712215220429620742009-04-23T20:26:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:53:10.750-07:00

Golly I want a glass of wine!OK, just had to get that out and there may be more random comments like that pop out from time to time. Although we have been living frugally but well for some time now it has not been this disciplined. If I went over for the week I could add it to the following week or I could make a big shopping trip and spent half my budget the first weekend and the buy staples

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-21642404468495225222009-04-23T07:13:00.000-07:002009-04-23T07:58:09.172-07:00

Perhaps it was the hunger I felt yesterday, perhaps it's talking it out with Henry each night over dinner... I don't know but here it is another morning and yep you guessed it - another thought or two have popped into my dense cranium. Mornings are usually just take care of the usual ablutions and get my rear out the door for a train ride to work on which I can nap some more or in other words

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-30008923324762450452009-04-22T20:10:00.000-07:002009-04-23T07:12:48.570-07:00

Greetings readers! Here we find ourselves once again fed, happy and ready to write, OH YEAH life is good, yes?Interesting this about today, after writing my morning ramble and doing some work before leaving the house and getting the wee lad to school on time...I forgot to eat breakfast. I remembered just as we were getting in the car and thought, well here comes that empathy thing. I had a choice

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-26087073878523513402009-04-22T07:17:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:54:16.392-07:00

As I read through the other bloggers that are participating this week I get all sorts of excited and inspired about how everyone is taking their own approach to this very worthwhile effort. Some are looking at it from how much can we save and still eat well (Henry and I are in this camp) while others are looking at how they can continue to cook the same way they usually do and do it while

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-86708495481268637312009-04-21T20:23:00.000-07:002009-04-21T20:54:53.054-07:00

So how 'bout that kid of mine, eh? He wants to get right in and write a few words. It's obvious his love for food and how he thinks it's pretty cool we can make pasta from scratch w/o a pasta maker (pasta makers are old hat for this wee one, he does that all the time). I wanted to show you can make something pretty great even when you don't have any special equipment and the food budget is

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-49942461515981285322009-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:002009-04-21T20:00:01.835-07:00

Hi everybody Henry here right now it's about 6:50 pm and my dad is making a kind of pasta called trofie and he told me it was made with flour and water not flour and egg like it is traditionally in most parts of Italy at first I thought it was called trofie because it was made with water and not egg but I found out it was the shape of the pasta when I asked (So what kind of pasta are you going to

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-38392388291680372762009-04-21T06:43:00.000-07:002009-04-21T07:04:01.227-07:00

It's early day 2 and I've been cooking all night. That's right, after breaking down the chicken yesterday I saved the leftover peels and tops from the carrots along with the ends and skin of an onion, a teaspoon of black peppercorns and 3 smashed cloves of garlic for stock. After roasting the neck, wing tips and carcass of the bird until brown, I tossed that with the rendered fat from roasting

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-66984737718552896542009-04-20T20:03:00.000-07:002009-04-20T20:37:18.524-07:00

OK so it started out OK and so far we're doing well. I was a bit challenged this morning with what to make for lunch as I hadn't really done any cooking yet for the week so no leftovers!Anyway, I had baked a nice wide baguette yesterday so I small diced one slice of Canadian bacon and then some onions in just a pinch of canola oil in a non-stick pan, scrambled a couple of eggs into it and then

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-31252241185386657642009-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:002009-04-19T11:59:06.797-07:00

As we continue to try and meet our budget of $200 in groceries per month and $50 in booze, I neglected to let you know where we are on that front.Before shopping for the challenge we had spent just over $108.00 on food and just over $21.00 on alcoholic beverages (not counting my night out with friends).I just didn't want to lose track of the bigger picture as we work the challenge...

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-2525243367122661752009-04-19T10:53:00.000-07:002009-04-20T08:06:02.041-07:00

This is what close to $34.00 worth of carefully selected groceries looks like. I looked at the sales and my shopping trip took me to 4 different stores and took over 2.5 hours from the time I left my house until I returned. I was never more than a couple miles away from my door but in order to make the most of my $s, this is what it took. I believe I made a couple mistakes and I think there will

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-30340504729508302462009-04-18T18:05:00.001-07:002009-04-18T18:26:30.979-07:00

So although I've been eating all week and trying to get a plan together in my head for the upcoming Hunger Awareness Week Challenge, I have yet to put any time in on blogging about such stuff.Monday night I had a lovely prawn po boy with Mama Lil's Kick Butt peppers. A quick saute of onions and red bell peppers with garlic, toss in the prawns and deglaze w/ just a pinch of white wine and into the

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-28195993928580343722009-04-14T20:31:00.000-07:002009-04-14T20:39:26.101-07:00

I think we have a winner, here is one of the best of the bargain wines I've tried and it's the least expensive as well. Fruity, up front flavors, not a lot of lingering so although there is a finish you shouldn't blink or you might miss it but the nose and the palate make up for whatever shortcomings might be there. The nose is of fresh berries with a fine earthy, almost mossy aroma but only

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-46873982696683406492009-04-09T19:02:00.000-07:002009-04-09T19:36:25.855-07:00

Time to wrap both the month of March and add up the first 3 months to see if we made out overall goal of $600 for 3 months for an average of $200 per month in food and $150 for $50 per month in booze.Well, for the month of March I'm sorry to say we didn't do all that well and exceeded the monthly budget by a little over 11% coming in at $223.17 for food, alcohol at $52.04 and pet food $43.00 for

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-47482540329176016702009-04-08T18:40:00.002-07:002009-04-08T19:05:55.362-07:00

Hi...Yes I know it's been a bit since my last post and for those of you who are loyal followers please accept my apologies. I'll just let you know that sometimes life gets in the way of the best intentions and I would be surprised if any of you haven't found that to be the case at some time or another...Anyway, the reason for the title "The challenge" is that I have been asked by the United Way

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-81682740217682335962009-03-28T08:23:00.000-07:002009-04-08T19:06:51.733-07:00

Although long since my last post, we have continued on our quest of eating well and right. I believe I may have finally come very close to what will be a mainstay slicing loaf for us as it fits the way we eat, what we would like to eat and it easy on time so can be kept up. The recipe makes 2 loaves, follows the time efficient methods of the ABin5 loaves we continue to use and depending on how

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-34279994461527751442009-03-16T20:03:00.000-07:002009-03-16T20:23:50.444-07:00

Scallion pancakes... everyone that tries them loves them, they are a staple in many Chinese restaurants as an appetizer and once you make your own you'll get all kinda pissy about how the restaurants charge so much and you can make them at home in about 10 minutes with minimal ingredients...Scallion Pancakes2 C All purpose flour1 C Water, boilingPut the flour in the food processorSlowly stream

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-11316611641260236342009-03-15T19:25:00.000-07:002009-03-15T19:49:48.085-07:00

Ahh, Sunday dinner...the stuff memories are made of. We utilized the slow cooker as today was a busy day; the annual bike expo, a trip into the city, a plan of another James Bond movie (we're taking them all in order and this is the last Pierce Brosnan edition so we're nearly there) so all in all the slow cooker was just the thing for a fine dinner while we were out and before we enter cinema

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-33563702925636953382009-03-09T18:21:00.000-07:002009-03-09T18:29:18.118-07:00

So this was rated in the runner up category in a recent tasting at Sunset Magazine for budget friendly wines. The rules: available at Trader Joes and under $15.00. OK, so this wasn't a first pick but I thought there are a number of wines at TJs that I know of that are under $15.00 and quite good so I had a bit of an expectation...well silly me, it just shows you that expectations are not good.

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-27965886326486185202009-03-08T21:17:00.000-07:002009-03-08T21:35:20.923-07:00

So I whipped this up with scampi tonight, it's my version of what one of the local natural grocers calls "Rice a Roma" but I didn't like paying $8.00 a lb for the stuff so I made up my own and substituted brown rice where they use arborio... Jim's "Rice a Roma"2 C Cooked brown rice2 tsp Olive oil1 tsp Garlic, minced.25 tsp Crushed red pepper2 Tbl Oil packed sun dried tomatoes, mincedJuice of .5

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-82196578116952575722009-03-05T21:37:00.001-08:002009-03-05T22:02:35.349-08:00

And oh soooo good; that's right kids I'm talking about that magical piggy stuff known as pulled pork. Now I'm not trying to say mine will beat out the guys that spends tens of thousands of dollars on custom smokers and win oodles of prizes in places like Memphis, Austin and Columbia but for a winter time budget meal (and then some there is nothing quite like this fine little taste of summer in a

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-56479307545435266522009-03-03T20:17:00.001-08:002009-03-03T21:21:50.765-08:00

My chow mein kicks serious ass!Big batch of chicken and pork chow mein on Monday night...mmmMMM! Inexpensive, easy even with the chop time it was done in about 40 minutes and I had time to wash dishes in the middle of it. Healthy (or relatively) too!Spicy Chicken & Pork Chow Mein2 lb Fresh meki noodles.5 lb Chicken breast sliced very thin.5 lb Pork chop, boneless sliced very thin.25 C Fresh

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-2850600935436694642009-03-01T20:23:00.000-08:002009-03-02T08:20:21.047-08:00

Trader Joe's comes up with a few winners and after reading about this one in this month's Fearless Flyer I decided I needed to try it. Based on the description I had higher hopes than the $5.99 price tag would have led me to believe but this is one of those winners. A bit light but still a full nose of berries; raspberries, blueberries and blackberries along with some fuller aromas such as you

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-51996454723794360372009-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:002009-03-01T15:28:23.047-08:00

This is a delicious relatively inexpensive chocoholics treat. No butter helps make this a budget friendly cookie but it does take some forethought as the batter must be chilled to become a dough. Much yumminess and it is a childhood memory come to life each time I make them as my Mum made them when I was a wee one...Chocolate Crinkles (modified from the original Betty Crocker recipe)4 oz

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8249256198171652813.post-44859659603483654132009-03-01T14:55:00.000-08:002009-03-01T14:58:26.358-08:00

OK, the update is this turned our extraordinarily good the 2nd day. Much of the monster tannins / acids dissipated overnight and turned this into a fruit filled mouthful of juice. Enough of the tannic / acidic remained to keep it interesting and I ended up drinking the rest of the bottle with a fine Country Natural Beef burger topped with Tillamook medium cheddar cooked outside on the grill. A

Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118391846703354287noreply@blogger.com0