WE'RE MOVING!

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 tough and living on a lot of thae same produce because it's the best of what we can get in the dreary cold months gets a bit old.  Face it, although good and rib sticking, root vegetables get a bit tiresome.  When the only green stuff you can get is from halfway around the world and then days (or even weeks) old, excitement is not really the best descriptor.

So here it is, please join us at Ramblefood - Ramblings from the world of food.  The blog is still titled Musings On The Path To Frugality but my hope is to just keep writing about food, everything about it; my thoughts, my philosophy, my methods for saving money while living well and all about the places we visit, places we eat and how we combine the best of life.  We all know that without the eating and drinking part the rest gets pretty dull.

Here's the URL to update your readers - http://ramblefood.com/.  I hope you'll come along for the ride and comment on everything.  I don't know about other blog writers but I write mostly for myself but I love getting comments; good, bad or indifferent but I love 'em all!

Hasta

A post from a real estate blog where I contribute occasionally

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

Ode to Rotisserie Chicken

How I love

my fast food chicken

meat so tender

just for pickin'

from my fingers

I'd be lickin'

juice from my

rotisserie 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 fast food deal out there?

Again tonight the youngling was deep into his baking for tomorrow's bake sale to benefit the people of Haiti being hed at my office.  Tonight another 6 dozen chocolate chip cookies using the recipe for THE BEST chocolate chip cookes ever from my friend Alice from Savory Sweet Life.  I've written about Alice before, a great cook, terrific photographer and a beautiful lady inside and out.  Check out her recipe here and if you're not following this award winning blog yet then it's time you start.

Knowing Henry would be at it for some time and needing to run out for more eggs in order to complete the double chocolate brownie which are also headed to the office tomorrow for the same sale, I thought dinner could be easy, hot, and mighty tasty with a quick stop by Costco.  A surgical entry and exit and I made my way to the auto with a plastic box from which was emanating a most yummy aroma.

There is just so much that can be done with this convenient bit of deliciousness.  Tonight we made chicken sandwiches to eat in between rolling dough balls for the cookies.  At other times I've been known to pull the meat from the bird and use it for a quick batch of Enchiladas Suizas, chicken curry, wrap it a tortilla with some Tapatio & Pico Pica with sauteed onions and peppers, weeknight chicken soup or even that down home country comfort classic, chicken and dumplings...mmm, etc, etc, etc...

Anyway, I just thought I'd try and wax a bit poetic about one of the things that helps us stay on budget when we need something good tasting, good for us and good for the wallet.  We can't eat at MacDonalds or Taco Bell for that kinda money and this is WAY better for all concerned...

Hasta

Tuesday 2nd February 2010

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 quite good.  A bit tart for the make it to my top few on the salsa verde scale but the chicken was scrumptious, the home made tortillas tender and don't get me wrong the sauce was delicious but I like mine just a bit less tart and a bit more creamy with onions.  But what I took away was my absolute love of a good margarita (funny how you forget these things) and any place that makes their cadillac 'ritas with Hornitos is OK in my book. 

Yes, the caddy 'ritas were spendy ($8.95 and I had 2) but last week was a week of dining out as I was on some whacky off shift work (one night until 0130, I'm too old for that sh*t) and worked the first 60 hour week in recent memory (that used to be my regular, I guess I'm feeling my near 50 anos eh?) so I really didn't have much food in the house and Friday night was late and I needed something different and tasty so we tried La Cas Azul.  It is a lovely little piece of Oaxaca in the north end of the Seattle area....give it a try, it'll make you happy.

So I took a bit of a ghetto approach to some guacamole tonight, some Trader Joe's Avocado's Number Guacamole, Trader Joe's Organic Tomatillo and Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa (Henry's favorite), a dash of Tabasco Chipotle and POOF! guacamole on a weeknight that takes about 2 minutes.  A perfect margarita and once again POOF! here we find ourselves in Mexico without customs and long flights. Crank up the heat, put on your flip flops and here we are with the season premier of Lost (tropical theme, don'tcha get it?).

Anyway, here's my little slice of Tuesday paradise; the perfect margarita and some guacamole with chips..ahhhh.

Weeknight Guacamole

• 1/2 package (8oz) Trader Joe's Avocado's Number Guacamole
• 1/4 Cup Trader Joe's Organic Tomatillo and Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco Chipotle

1. Stir together and set aside while making the 'ritas

The Perfect Margarita

• 4oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
• 4oz Sauza Hornitos tequila
• 2oz Cointreau

1. Blend the above together and set aside
2. Rim a pint glass with lime juice and kosher salt
3. Fill the glass with ice
4. *Note - Taste the mix, this is the time to sweeten if necessary.  Tonight my lime juice was a bit bitter, I like the tanginess of the straight lime juice but I needed to cut the bitter so I added 1/4 teaspoon honey but agave syrup would work as well
5. Pour the mix over the ice and top with a wedge of lime

Serve the guacamole with Trader Joe's Longboard tortilla chips and kick back for the summary of the first 5 seasons of Lost.  A fine way to spend a Tuesday evening...this is what you end up with -

Hasta

Veggie Pie with a Whole Wheat Crust

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 those of you who have been reading for some time probably know where this is going - PIZZA NIGHT!  Although we didn'/t have a lot of special toppings we were able to muddle through and the lad was content as he usually is to enjoy a traditional cheese pizza but as I had some of my homemade farmer cheese, I had other things in mind...

This is what I ended up with and I must say for a throw together event making do with what's in the fridge...

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

• 3/4 Cup Water, very warm
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 1/3 Cup AP flour
• 2/3 Cup Whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1. Combine the water, yeast and oil in a food processor or mixer
2. Add the flour and the salt
3. Pulse in a processor or mix on low in a mixer until all is combined
4. Check for texture, it should be moist and slighty firm, with practice you'll figure out what's perfect but since basic dough like this is so dependent on the weather (moisture in the air issues), these measurements are close but depending on the day may need a bit of tweaking.
5. Kick the processor on or turn your mixer on about medium high and knead for about 4 minutes in a food processor or about 6 to 8 minutes in a mixer.  The dough is done when it pulls nicely in an elastic manner.
6. Cover with a towel in an oiled bowl nd let rest for 40 minutes or so
7. Punch down the dough and divide in half
8. Form half the dough into a ball and on a floured counter push down and then stretch with your hands or roll to the size and shape of your choice; we both like a bit of counded crust at the edge do I typically stretch by hand on the counter turning and pushing down with fists and finger tips until about 9" to 10" in diameter
9. Place the stretched dough on a pizza peel or an an inverted sheet pan covered lightly in flour or cornmeal
10. Top with your choice of toppings and bake on a preheated stone at 550F for about 6 to 8 minutes

This particular pie was topped with olive oil, homemade whole milk ricotta, sliced onions and sweet peppers with sliced mushrooms...deeeelightful if I do say so myself!

Hasta

Quick Chilaquiles

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 when we get 'em but we men need our sustenance.  Something quick, something hearty and to be constructed of the foodstuffs we have in the pantry and fridge.

Shuffle through the pantry, check in the fridge... Tortilla chips, eggs, a jar of salsa and grated mozzarella from pizza night the evening before.  And it dawns on me, I could make chilaquiles!  Now not the traditional recipe using stale leftover tortillas or cotija cheese but a pretty good semblance of the real deal and close enough to get us out the door to love this day!

So here it is, hearty, inexpensive and mighty darn tasty. 

Quick Chilaquiles

• 3/4 C Salsa
• 1/4 C Water
• 3oz Tortilla chips
• 2oz Cheese, grated - as I wrote above wew used mozzarella but cotija or jack would be more authentic
• 4 eggs

1. Heat the salsa and water over medium heat
2. Add the chips and toss gently in the sauce - don't want to break them up
3. Continue cooking until the chips soften but are not soggy
4. Sprinkle the cheese over the chips and sauce, cover and remove from the heat
5. Cook the eggs to your liking - Henry really only likes scrambled so scrambled it is

Serve with more salsa on the side for the eggs and a hearty, savory breakfast ensues.  Enjoy!

Hasta

Lighten Up A Classic

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 everything needed nor did I really want to do it up since it is loaded with fat (trying to cut back a bit at this early date in the new year) and bunches of sodium due to the vast amounts of sour cream and cream of mushroom soup (way salty and I'm back to trying to really minimize any use of packaged food).  I really didn't want to put it all together and then wait for it in the oven either.

Although I wanted to get into this classic and the more I thought about it the more it appealed to me.  Afterall, broccoli, onions, garlic, mushrooms and roast chicken in a yummy rich gravy?  Please, how could I resist.  I mean really?

So here is my take on a classic that maybe your Mom even made.  The best part, pretty healthy while still tasty, rich and rib sticking goodness.

Lightened Up Chicken Divan

*NOTE - The key here is to use equal amounts of chicken, broccoli and mushrooms.  I had 12oz of leftover roast chicken so that's where I started.

• 1/4 C Olive oil
• 4 Cloves Fresh garlic
• 1/4 tsp Crushed red peppers
• 6oz Onions, diced
• 12oz Mushrooms, sliced about 1/4" thick
• 1 Cup Dry white wine
• 12oz Broccoli crowns
• 2 Cups Chicken stock
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 12oz Roast chicken meat
• 1/4 Cup AP Flour
• 4oz Fresh Parmesan, Asiago, Romano or other hard grating cheese, grated fine
• Kosher salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper together up to medium high heat
2. Add the onions and reduce the heat to medium, sauteing until most of the moisture is gone from the veg
3. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute until softened
4. Add the white wine and reduce over medium heat until nearly all moisture is gone
5. Toss the broccoli crowns with the other veg and add the stock & cream, stirring to combine
6. Add the chicken and stir to combine
7. In a small bowl, make a slurry of the flour and about 1/2 Cup of the liquid from the cooking pan
8. Stir in the slurry and bring to a simmer to thicken
9. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes to cook out the flour taste, slowly stirring to keep the bottom from burning
10. Add the grated cheese and stir gently to melt into the sauce
11. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste

I served this over steamed brown rice and this is hearty enough for 4 people or for me it was a great dinner and 3 yummy lunches all for about $6 or $7.  I call this a win...

Hasta

New Year, New Recipe

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 recipe that is pretty healthy, not too hard on the wallet and best of all, mighty tasty!

Braised Green Beans with Shallots & Toasted Pecans

• 2 tsp Butter
• 1 tsp Olive oil
• 1 oz Shallots, minced
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb Fresh green beans (I snapped mine in half to make them easy to work with in the pan)
• 1/4 C Water
• 3 oz Pecans, toasted and chopped

1. Melt the butter with olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat
2. Add shallots and salt & pepper, saute for about 1 minute
3. Reduce heat to medium
4. Add the green beans and toss in the shallot butter
5. Add the water and cover for 6 minutes
6. Remove cover and toss the beans with the pecans

Serve

This was a fine side dish for our holiday meal this year and will make a fine addition to any meal.  We served this with a rib roast of beef, buttered carrots and mashed potatoes, YUM!

Hasta

Thai Red Curry With Pork

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 making my own curry paste but frankly by the time I hunt down all the base ingredients, make the paste and then store it I'd be into the recipe quite a lot of $s.  I use the Mae Ploy brand of curry pastes and all are very delicious, easy to use and fit the frugal lifestyle quite well at a 14oz tub for $1.69.  I love all the products from Mae Ploy I've tried and I have a jar of their Pad Thai sauce in the cupboard waiting for a time for noodles.

So here it is, grab up some of the curry paste and give this a go for your own Thai evening at home!

Thai Red Curry w/ Pork

• 1 Tbl Peanut oil
• 4oz Onion sliced into spears
• 2 Cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
• 4oz Pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise in half and then sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
• 6oz Carrots, julienned about 1 inch long
• 1oz Red curry paste
• 1 Cup Chicken stock
• 1 Can Coconut milk, 5.6oz
• 2oz Frozen peas
• 2oz Red bell pepper, julienned about 1 inch long 

1. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic & crushed red pepper to perfume the oil while heating
2. Add onion spears to the pan and cook until tender, stirring often
3. Add pork and stir fry until browned
4. Reduce heat and add the carrots, curry paste, chicken stock and coconut milk
5. Simmer until the carrots are tender
6. Add red bell pepper juienne and peas
7. Remove from heat, allow the curry to sit for a few minutes to soften the bell pepper slightly and thaw the peas
8. Serve over brown rice

This is delicious, quick and inexpensive.  It makes 2 each 2 cup servings.  When served with rice this makes a nice large portion with another great portion for tomorrow's lunch.  I think this entire dinner cost about $2 for both portions.

I love Thai food and can't afford to eat out as often as I would like to have it so this helps the budget greatly and indulges me in one of my culinary loves.

Hasta

Delicious!

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 this about $3) and mighty tasty as well...

Pan Roast Pork Tenderloin

• 1/2 Pork tenderloin, silverskin removed
• Grill spice
• Olive oil
• 1/2 C White wine
• 1tsp Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Season the pork loin on all sides with your favorite grill spice and rub in just a bit of olive oil
3. In a saute pan on medium high heat, sear all but one side of the tenderloin.  Once the tenderloin is turned onto the last side put the pan into the oven.
4. Roast until the meat just gives when poked with a finger
5. Remove from pan and let rest, the interior should just be pink or medium
6. Deglaze the pan with white wine
7. Stir in the mustard and reduce until only 2 tablespoons of the sauce remain
8. Slice the tenderloin about 1/2" thick and fan on the plate
9. Drizzle the meat with the sauce

Broccoli with Shallots and Red Bell Pepper

• 6oz Broccoli crowns
• 2oz Red bell pepper cut into strips about 1/4" wide and 1" long
• 1/2oz Shallot, minced
• 2tsp Butter
• 2tsp Olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Steam broccoli for about 2 minutes and set aside
2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan over high heat
3. Saute the shallot for about 1 minute stirring to flavor the fats
4. Add the red bell pepper strips and toss for about 30 seconds
5. Add the steamed broccoli and toss over the heat for about 2 minutes but leaving the broccoli very crisp
6. Season to tase with salt and freshly ground pepper

And this is what it looks like... I hope you like it

Hasta

Prosciutto, Walnut & Blue Cheese Crostata

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

1. Slice & toast the baguette, pugliese, ciabatta or whatever good bread you might have around
2. Top with blue cheese crumbles, I used Point Reyes cuz that's what I have right now
3. Top with folded thin sliced prosciutto
4. Top with chopped walnuts
5. Put in a 300F oven for 5 minutes
6. Broil for 1 minute

Serve with the cocktail of your choice; tonight it was vodka tonic for me

Hasta

Yummy Pozole On A Cold Night

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 shoulda canceled but decided to be a trooper and tough it out.  The voice was more than off the first couple tunes but he warmed up and got a coupla Jamesons in him and it turned into a great show.

The aftermath for me was a day of nothingness on a Saturday as I seemed to be suffering from a bit of alcohol poisoning.  OK, I'll admit - ALOT of alcohol poisoning.  Slept until noon, ate a big greasy meal of basted eggs and home fries with Tabasco and a few beers and still went to bed at 9pm feeling like garbage.  It was a great night out, had a great time but really paid for it.  Getting old sux...

So back to today, I spent some time in the yard doing what could be done on a frosty day; filling the pond, trimming some deadfall off of various summery shrubs, picking up after the dog, etc.  Then indoor chores to get prepared for the work week ahead; laundry, vacuuming, talking to Mum about an order for Bariani olive oil (some of the finest olive oil I've ever enjoyed) and then doing some cooking.  I had to run out for a couple items I forgot for my plans but this is gonna be good. 

Pozole - a favorite of mine and for some reason I love it best at the holidays.  You see it is a hot and hearty, rib-sticking Mexican hominy stew. The flavors are layered into the pot and simmered for hours but it is such a simple dish and can be made to fit anyone's taste spice wise. I love this as a foil for the weather and probably because it makes me very happy to eat it. It is also a great counterpoint to all the things I really don't like about the holidays (all the Xmas consumerism is IMHO tangible proof of the existence of evil but I could go on and on about that so I won't) as it is simple, rich, ancient in origin, highly customizable and very frugal to make.  Give it a try, you won't be sorry...

Jim's Pozole

• 2Tbl Peanut oil - canola or some neutral oil is OK but it won't be as good, just no olive oil as it is not a Mexican or Southwest flavor and it will come through
• 12oz Pork shoulder, random 1/2 to 3/4" cubes - sirloin steaks, loin chops, etc - use the cheap cuts cuz the tough bits will tenderize with the long cooking times and they taste better too
• 12oz Onion, 1/2 inch dice
• 2 Tbl Fresh garlic, minced
• 14oz Canned fireroasted whole or diced green chiles
• 3 each 29oz cans Hominy, drained
• 12oz Beer, full flavored amber - Doz Equis Oscura would be a good choice here but tonight I used a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Now here's where this can get fun because you can use whatever you have on hand but this is what I used to season this -

• 2Tbl Ground cumin
• 1Tbl Dark chili powder
• 1tsp Kosher salt
• 1tsp Dried oregano, Mexican if you have it but any will do
• 1/4 Cup La Victoria Green taco sauce
• 2Tbl Pico Pica hot sauce
• 1tsp El Yucateco salsa picante de chile habanero
• 1 Fresh jalapeno, fresh minced (I removed 1/2 the seeds and interior veins, I like spice but it's fine this way and you can always add more)

Another optional part of this is the cooking method, today I used my dutch oven but if you brown the meat and sweat the onions and garlic in a saute pan you can deglaze the pan with the beer and cook this in a slow cooker so you come home to all the lovely latin food aromas and a hot delicious meal

Dutch oven method

1. Heat the peanut oil in the bottom of the pan
2. Brown the pork in the oil
3. Add and sweat the onions and garlic until translucent
4. Add the diced fireroasted chiles and hominy, stirring to combine
5. Add the beer and stir up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan
6. Stir in the seasonings of your choice and reduce to a simmer
7. Cook covered for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender but the hominy is still toothsome

Serve with a lime wedge or two and some shredded cabbage & radish for a traditional feast.  For a not so traditional turn you can always top with any number of other accompaniments; sliced avocado, sour cream or creme fraiche, various hot sauces or pico de gallo, jack cheese or queso fresco, etc, etc.  I think that gives you a good idea of just how great this is and how flexible it can be.

A beer or a margarita is a nice way to go with this and here was mine...

Along with adding an element of freshness and crunch, don't those radishes make it pretty too?
Hasta

Weeknight Pan Roast

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 learned it 30+ years ago.  It's simple, fast and can be completed with a pan gravy of which there are a multitude of flavors and styles.  So here's my take on this for tonight...

Pan Roast Chicken Dijonaise

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Grill seasoning of your choice (I make my own and will share that formula soon in another post)
• 1 Tbl Olive oil
• 1/4 Cup Dry white wine
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Heat an oven proof saute pan over medium high heat
3. Pat the breast dry and season liberally with the grill spice
4. Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom
5. Lay in the seasoned breasts smooth side down and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes or until golden brown and delicious or GBD (apologies to Alton Brown)
6. Turn the breasts and place uncovered in the oven until the breasts are firm but still give slightly to the touch
7. Remove pan to the range and remove the breasts to a plate and tent with foil to rest
8. Deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up the yummy brown bits (the fond)
9. Reduce by about 1/2 then add the mustard and continue to reduce until only a Tbl or 2 remain
10. Add the cream and reduce until thickened enough to coatr the back of a spoon, only a few minutes over high heat
11. Pour the juices from the chicken resting plate into the sauce and season to taste with salt & pepper

• Spoon a bit of the sauce on a plate and place the chicken breasts, sliced on a diagonal on the sauce and serve with the vegetable of choice.

Simple, delicious and on the table in about 30 minutes and we're into this less that $4.  What more can you ask for on a weeknight? 

Hasta

December 2nd...

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 me understand that even if no one is reading (which I know some of you are from the comments I get here and on Facebook) I'm still gonna set keyboard to fingertip or something like that as often as I can. 

Tonight I'm starting the prep work for a spaghetti feed for 60ish people in the office on Friday for one of my friends that's getting married.  I don't have to prepare it all but I do need to precook 6 or 8 lbs of pasta.  Now the challenge is that we have no place to cook the pasta or the sauce ahead of time and although we're going with the sauce in the jar and Kraft parmesan we still have to have cooked pasta and the only way we figured we could get this done is to parboil the noodles, pack 'em by the pound in ziplocks and then fill those with hot water from the coffee brewers.  We'll set the jars in hot water for a bit then get them in the crockpots before the feed.   This kind of thing is very fitting for us at work, it's what we do; solve problems.

Our team works really hard and we are a very productive lot but we like to celebrate ourselves and our successes a lot as well.  We many times head out to dim sum for a birthday lunch, or have a breakfast of chicken fried steaks with sausage gravy, biscuits and hash brown casserole (dubbed ex-boyfriend potatoes by the contributor cuz that's who introduced them to her) for which I'll have to share the recipe some day because it is soooo tasty!  Sometimes it's unfortunate how much food passes through our area as it certainly doesn't help the waistline but it sure keeps up the morale at work.  This feed is one of those times.

Did I say I work for a little coffee company where we have coffee brewers and espresso machines about every 100 feet in a building that has more square footage than the Empire State building?  Well I do so the reheat part is probably not going to be too difficult and it's the least we can do for our fellow worker and friend.  In fact two friends as Henry and I are friends both with Chris and his fiance Kelli and we'll even be sitting next to them all next season for the Seattle Sounders FC.  They are a great couple and I'm glad I can help with this festive event.

Now I just have to figure out what to feed myself tonight?  Last night was some refried beans with Pico Pica hot sauce and tortilla chips with a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.  Who sez we can't eat well (at least tastily) for not too many $s and quickly when you just don't feel like spending a lot of time over the stove?

I'll be back to cooking again tomorrow night as the lad will be back home from his Mum's but for tonight surrounded by all this pasta it may just be a handful of it with some butter garlic and parmesan unless I can muster the ambition to throw in some broccoli and mushrooms.

Hasta

Day 30 Mish-Mash And Some Blogger Friends

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! 

Tonight I'll be plenty frugal, it's a beer or two and bed but I thought I'd try and introduce you to a couple of blogger friends before I hit the hay...

Many of you have read that I keep up with my Real Estate Agent Scott Cowan.  He keeps it very down to earth and is very real about the bewildering world that is Real Estate.  He's good to read and has even started a weekly post on saving money so it's right up the alley of this poster and my writing.  He'll talk about everything from saving money while throwing a party (remember our first podcast he published here) to the stuff we all know (like changing the amount withheld from our paychecks) and maybe even introduce you to a company that can help you dress your kids for less too.  Give Scott a go at Classic Homes Northwest or fan him on Facebook.

The first blogger friend I made in the world of Food is Eric Rivera of Eric Rivera's Cooking Blog.  Eric was an avid home chef and insurance broker when I met him through FoodBuzz.com.  I was looking for other members in the Seattle area and there he was from nearby Federal Way and his picture had him sportin' a Mariners jacket along with his smiling mug.  Since that time I have followed him as he writed about following his dream and he has begun attending culinary school and is now working at one of the premier restaurants in our area as a chef.  Talk about fun to follow; Eric's passion for food, his inventiveness and his all around zest for life is not only an intriguing and exciting read but it is more than easy to get yourself sucked into that same enthusiasm as you read.

Here is one of Eric's recent creations - Seared Ahi Tuna with a Pomegranate Reduction Sauce and Goma Wakame Pom Salad

The person I missed the most during my summer hiatus and who has been a great supporter of my writing though is Alice of Sweet Savory Life.  She is very sweet, has encouraged me with her words while inspiring me with many of her recipes and leaving me awestruck with her photos.  She takes something we pass by everyday such as chocolate chip cookies or a discontinued flavor of latte and while recreating the method and recipe somehow elevates these things to superstar status or just plain wows us with one of her own creations.  And if her words don't get you, her photography definitely will.  Her photos are beautiful and as you'll see from her own photo so is she.  As you read along you'll also know it's not just skin deep, either.

Check out this recent tutorial on her blog - How to Frost a Cake

Not just any cake but this one -

Reading in the blogosphere is definitely frugal; no cost to the reader, it gets everyone to share thoughts and both writing and reading other's thoughts are a lot of fun.  As many of you might know, at least those that are aware of my participation in NaBloWriMo, this month has been an exercise in posting every day for the month of November.  I would like to introduce you to a new friend I have made through this event, Rachael.  She is writing a book called Gagging Towards Bethlehem as well as a blog of the same name about how she is a very picky eater.  She commented on my blog so I started following hers but I will warn you, there is a bit of seriously adult content but this lady is a hoot!  Now she's a bit (read that as "alot!") irreverent and a bit naughty too so her writing may not be for everyone but I find it hilarious and she comes up with some funny stuff.  She's young, recently graduated college and wants to be a writer.  From her writing she is obviously smart and having seen her photo she's smokin' hot too.  Check her out, I mean anyone that is a fan of Cooking With Coolio (more adult content and ALOT of adult language) has got to have it all goin' on yes?

Anyway, funny new friends along with inspiring recipes and photos as well as reading about someone following their dream or helping others attain theirs; it's all out there in the blogoshere and it's all free just cuz friends like mine want to share.  I hope you give some or all of these people a read, you won't be sorry.

Day 30 is in the history books and I call it a great success (but I might just take tomorrow off)...

Hasta

Home Again...

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 through the mail and bringing the house up to temperature after the last week it was time for a beer and a couple of turkey sandwiches in front a recorded episode of Gordon Ramsay's F Word.

We came home with a couple of new cooking gadgets (a new mandoline!) and a new recipe or two that will come up in the next month but for tonight, I'm tired so I'm signing off for the week.

As for NaBloWriMo, one more day to go but I must say this has been a good exercise (so far) and I hope will stay with me enough to keep writing more often.  I do still like it even with a forced daily entry, in fact I think I like it writing even more now, I just have to keep it relevant.

Anyway Fair Readers...

Hasta

I Was True To My Word...

...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 and they were ready to go in when the bird came out so here's how it went...

• I set the carrots on to blanch
• Henry mashed the spuds with half & half and butter
• The bird came out
• The rolls went in
• The carrots were drained and tossed in brown butter with salt & pepper
• The mirepoix from under the bird was brought to a boil with some added turkey stock
• The rolls came out
• The stock and veg were thickened and strained
• The bird carved
• A bottle of 2005 Carlton Hill Pinot was opened

And we ate
...and ate
   ...and ate
      ...and ate some more

A slight nap on the tube to watch the Huskies beat the Cougars (BOO!) and it was time for...

PUMPKIN PIE!

A simple dinner that tasted great and a toast to Grandpa that brought tears to Mum's eyes and made me a bit sniffly and I think embarassed Henry but we couldn't forget him him during his favorite meal of the year when he was just so recently with us.  He tried...

I know he was with us so we were all together one last time.

Happy Thanksgiving all (so it's a little belated!?!?)

Hasta

Traditional Turkey Day; Part Deux

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 a "No, no, no" in my best French and persuaded the cheesemonger to sample us a bit of Pierre Robert whereupon my Mum responded with "OH MY!" and promptly returned her chunk of St. Andre to the case.  She promptly chose a drunken goat cheese and a truffled chevre to go along with that bit of triple creme heaven.

After a bit more perusal and Henry stopping for a bit of gelato, Mum let me know that she will need to return to Whole Foods sometime when she has a bit more time to herself to wander the wondrous aisles.  Now as I told her it is not a place, for me at least, to do my everyday shopping it is in fact a tremendous place to stop for that special something and the cheese selection is non pareil.  At home in Washington I am fortunate enough to have a few other cheesemongers nearby so I needn't rely on WF but for a one stop shop with a tremendous selection as well as a vast plethora of other delights and accoutrements to accompany the cheese, there really is no better IMO.

After that and a trip to Costco and then Trader Joe's, both of which are not just a hop, skip nor jump from Mum's house we returned late but it was a good day; beautiful for a drive and since none of our 3 stops had anything to do with Black Friday all were relatively quiet.  Alas though, it was too late to start our T-day feast so after a quick rest it was out for Mexican and margaritas!  No turkey but a margarita is a good makeup for it methinks and besides the waitress took a liking to the lad and brought him extra of the complimentary little postre they offer at the end of the meal.

So again the cry of TOMORROW! rumbles through our collective psyche at Casa Krebs here in Oregon and we will have our T-day feast come hell or high water (but we did indulge in pumpkin pie after the Mexican food, I mean you say pastel de calabaza and I say pumpkin pie but can't we all just get along?)

Hasta

A Traditional Turkey Day...

...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 morning.

With the recent passing of my Dad, Mum just didn't feel like it felt much like Thanksgiving and although I offered to take her out so neither of us would have to do a lot of prep she opted to stay home and asked me to cook something a bit simple for the two of us.  So with a snootful of holiday vino (2006 Methven Pinot Noir, 2005 Chehalem Cerise and then just a pinch cuz I hadn't had quite enough yet of 2006 Carlton Hill Pinot Noir) I whipped up some fresh linguine w/ broiled salmon in lemon cream with mushrooms.  It didn't suck if I do say so myself and we ate nearly all of it :).

Thanksgiving Pasta

• 12oz Fresh linguine
• 4oz Grilled salmon, flaked
• 8oz Button mushroooms, sliced
• 2 Tbl Butter
• 1 Tbl Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbl Fresh shallots, minced
• 1/4 Cup Dry vermouth
• Zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 Cup Heavy cream
• 1oz Grated fresh Asiago cheese
• Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta
2. Melt butter with olive oil and saute shallots & mushrooms until wilted and soft
3. Deglaze pan with vermouth and add lemon zest cooking until nearly all liquid is evaporated
4. Add the cream and stir until reduced by half
5. Add grated asiago & stir to melt and blend
6. Add the linguine to the cream sauce and include some of the pasta water if necessary to keep the pasta loose
7. Toss with the salmon until it is heated through
8. Serve with freshly grated black pepper and a lemon twist

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hasta