Public Service Announcement: Saturn Ignition Problem!

Ok, this is a break from the usual cooking and cat related posts. But, I had a bizarre car problem recently and (this will be shocking. maybe you should sit, or at least brace yourself) the internet was ONLY SORT OF USEFUL! As a person who does, myself, contribute to the content of the interwebs, I feel some need to rectify this, so here you go.

My problem: my car, a Saturn Ion (which I do like! it is a 'super low emission' vehicle and gets great gas mileage) all of sudden, out of the blue, would not turn off. Yep, wouldn't turn off, as in the key would not physically turn to the off position (which is pretty much unlike any car problem I've ever had). After much swearing and pounding on the steering wheel, it was determined (by a phone call to Saturn) that the only way to turn it fully off was to disconnect the battery, which is a colossal pain in the neck.


What the internet said: After I unhooked the battery, I immediately googled it (obviously). I found a lot of stuff about this, apparently it is a known problem, and according to the many people who are angry about it on Consumer Affairs, it can cost a ton of money to fix it at the dealer or a mechanic, because they replace the entire ignition. This seems to be how most people are solving this problem. Obviously, this was depressing, until I saw one guy in the middle of the list of complaints claiming to be a locksmith, saying that he's fixed a lot of these himself without replacing anything. I was intrigued, and called a nearby mechanic, who is apparently super awesome and honest to see if he could help me or tell me what to do. He told me it is a common problem, and not to take it to him, but just to take it to an automotive locksmith he recommended (see? awesome and super honest).

The solution (listen up!!): DON'T pay hundreds of dollars to replace anything big if you have this problem. This is what a mechanic will do, because they'll see something about the place the key goes in is broken but won't know if its something else with the ignition, and will replace the whole thing. BUT, the problem is typically that a spring (or something) pops out and a tumbler gets out of place in the lock so the key can't turn. The locksmith had to work on my car for a few hours, but ultimately managed to save the lock and repair it. It still wasn't cheap to pay for all that labor, but it was waaaaaaaayyyyy less than the numbers the other customers were throwing out on the website I found. I couldn't find anywhere on the internet telling me to do this, so, here you go, internets, this ones for you.


(here are search terms I tried to use to help me fix the problem, which I'll just put on here in case it'll help someone else find this hint!
Saturn ion won't turn off
key won't turn
Saturn ignition problem
Saturn key stuck in lock
Saturn key problem
car key stuck
can't get key out of ignition
help! )

Cooking on a Budget: Lesson 4- Lunches I

Ok, so one of the obvious keys to cooking on a budget is transitioning to eating mostly things you actually cook. Eating food other people make, whether its at a restaurant or its a frozen dinner, is just more expensive. And, most of the time, it is not that healthy- frozen food tends to have huge amounts of sodium and preservatives, and all of that kind of icky stuff. And, I love to go out to restaurants for dinner, but you might as well save it for places you really like and food that is really interesting, not just something to fill you up on the way home from work.

One of the meals that most people most commonly buy is lunch. This is because there is this myth that packing a lunch is a giant pain because it means you have to make stuff in the morning, and you'd have to be June Cleaver to accomplish it on a regular basis. The thing is, buying lunch is expensive- if you spent just five bucks on lunch every day (and that is not going to buy you a particularly delicious lunch) that is already almost $2000! Yikes!
1. exhibit A- a prime example of what I do not look like in the morning.

So, what are you supposed to do if you don't want to wake up at 5am to cook something for lunch, but you don't want to go broke either? The answer? DON'T cook it every day- be lazy! This tip is the best one anyone ever gave me. Basically, in addition to your groceries, you're going to need to go buy some packages of those disposable tupperwares in individual portion size. Buy more than you think you need, once you get going on this habit, you'll want more. On the weekends, or whenever you have the energy, make a big batch of something you like. Pretty much anything I've posted on, I've done this with. After you make it, eat however much you want to eat for dinner. Afterwards, immediately separate the rest into individual portions in the tupperwares. When its cool, put the lids on, and stick them in the freezer. Like this:
2. exhibit B- some of the contents of my freezer

What have you just done? You've just made your own frozen dinners (or lunches). This won't only be cheaper, it'll be healthier because you'll know whats in them. Just grab one from the freezer in the morning, take it to work, and microwave. Then wash the tupperware and re-use. This can also be dinner when you just don't feel like cooking anything. Once you've done this a few times, you'll end up with a couple different things in the freezer, and you'll actually have some different options to choose from. The other reason this is awesome is that if you make a big recipe, the thought of eating it for every meal until you run out of it is a little overwhelming. This is a good way to eat what you want, and then just save the rest for later- its actually the main thing that made me feel like I could learn to cook "real" recipes even though I live by myself (not that Charlotte doesn't like my cooking, but she flat our refuses to take her lunch to work).

Try it! Next, we'll talk about things you can actually make to put in these tupperwares!

The best idea ever: Margarita Cupcakes

Ok, so, I've been told that I need to get back on the ball with the cooking on a budget series. And I will, very very soon. But, this is something so big, I can't wait. Now, I hail from a band of rambunctious, margarita making Norwegians. We have a family recipe, we have different factions in the family with different twists on it, basically- margaritas are in my blood. But whats next best to margaritas? Cupcakes. Now, obviously, it is possible to just eat some cupcakes and drink some margaritas, and frankly, that sounds pretty good. BUT- here is the newsflash. Someone, who as far as I'm concerned is an absolute genius and should be next in line for a MacArthur Grant or at the very least the Nobel Prize in cooking (which they should totally have) decided to bring these two wonderful things together.

As I understand the history of the margarita cupcake, it was developed as part of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, now, I actually have started to get into vegan baking, and you can find the vegan version of this recipe all over the internet. The thing is, sometimes, its Thursday night after work and a girl just wants to use cake mix. So, there is a cake mix version too, and this one is duplicated all over the internet as well, but this is the one I settled on. Here's what I did...

First, you make a bit of margarita. They suggest these proportions:
--9 oz Margarita mix
--3 oz tequila
--3/4 oz orange liqueour (Gran Marnier, Triple Sec)
I used Trader Joes margarita mix with is more natural and, to me, more delicious that the other stuff which is basically sour mix. I also upped the Triple Sec to a little over an ounce and decreased a little mix. This is designed to make a little side margarita for you to enjoy while you cook!

Combine:
Box of white cake mix
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1.25 cups of the margarita you just made (drink the rest!)
1 Tbsp lime zest (around here, this is just known as "a whole lotta lime zest" because I didn't measure

Mix with a mixer- even though I always just use a fork and count it as cardio for my arm, I used a mixer for this, and I suspect its necessary because of needing to get the eggwhites a little fluffy. Now, this batter was WEIRD. You can kind of see it here, it was kind of fluffy and bordering on foamy, but don't worry, thats fine!
Spoon it out into cupcake papers in a muffin pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Let cool. In the meantime, make yourself some frosting!
- a box of powdered sugar
- a cube of butter (yes, butter)
- 1/8 tsp salt, unless you use salted butter
-2 Tablespoons lime juice
-lime zest
beat that all up with the mixer until it looks like frosting.

once they're cool, frost! I decorated with green sprinkles.

YUM.

Huevos Rancheros... Happy Cinco de Mayo!

So... speaking of budget friendly yet delicious food, a wise friend recently pointed me to a no-fail recipe for huevos rancheros, something I had previously thought I'd never see outside of a brunch date. Now, bear in mind, "no fail" assumes you care if it tastes good more than if it looks perfect, also I can speak to deliciousness more than I can speak to the level of authenticity, but... either way, you have GOT to try it!

This is what you need:
-1 egg (or, a couple egg whites)
-a tortilla (I used a smallish sized wheat tortilla but it doesn't matter at all)
-black beans (I bought the store-brand, spiced black beans)
-the salsa of your choice
-some shredded cheese (I used the Quattro Formaggio mix from TJs because thats what I had)
-a smidge of oil
-avocado (optional, but really, is NOT having avocado the option you want to take, here?)

And here is what you do...
-very lightly coat the pan with a teeny bit of oil
-toast the tortilla on one side so its just a little brown, then flip it over
-sprinkle cheese on it
-crack the egg on top (or, dump the egg whites on top), it might spread around into the pan, don't panic, just go with the flow, let it cook for a little bit
-now... it gets fun. get the spatula, and quickly flip the entire thing over- if it doesn't work that well, it doesn't matter, it still tastes good.
-while that is cooking, pop some of the beans in the microwave and cut up the avocado
-pull out the tortilla, put it on the plate tortilla side down, dump on the beans, toss on the avocado, and top with a dash of salsa!
-yum.

I am not going to actually tell you how many times I've had this recently, but lets just say that I'm getting pretty good at it. Here are a couple versions.

#1- I like to call it, El Clasico:
(made with 1 whole egg and everything listed above)

#2- I like to call it Huevos Rancheros Florentine
(a lot of frozen spinach defrosted and mixed in with the beans. made with 3 egg whites instead of a whole egg).

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Cooking on a Budget: Lesson 3- Make stuff with what you have

Ok, so now I've posted on getting stocked up on spices and other basic ingredients. But, what can you make? I'm going to list a bunch of stuff that I've posted on here before that use these basic things. For most of them, you would need to buy a couple extra ingredients, which I'll list below them. You can see that when you only have to buy a few things, it all seems a lot more do-able. So... here you go! They are in order of the least to most extra ingredients:

You need nothing else...
Mujadarrah
-nothin'. you've got it all!

Sauteed spinach, tomatoes, and chickpeas
-nothin'. you are good to go.
(this is pictured with the Samosa stuffed potatoes, which take more ingredients. good, easy ingredients, but not ones on the list).

Peanut butter cookies
-optional chocolate chips (the rest could be kept in freezer and used in muffins).


You need one more thing...
Pitas (still seriously probably the most fun thing I have ever cooked)
-1 little package yeast from the baking aisle at the store.

Flatbread (optional to go with Mujadarrah)
-sesame seeds (go to either the Kosher or Asian section)

Morning Muffins
-baking powder (not bad to have around anyways)
-optional anything you want to put in them. could just do cinnamon though.


You need two more things...
Balsamic Lentils
-chicken sausage (optional)
-fresh basil (get big container at TJs for like 2 bucks)

Squash soup
-a butternut squash (or, little pre-cut packages from Trader Joes)
-a granny smith apple


You need three more things...
Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry
-a head of cauliflower
-a lime
-1 hot chili pepper


You need four more things...
Rosemary Chick Pea Couscous Salad
(use whatever grain you have)
-jar of sundried tomatoes (these are fun to have on hand- they are AWESOME in scrambled eggs)
-a lemon
-rosemary
-a cucumber

Spinach, Sweet potato, Adzuki bean stew
-2 sweet potatoes
-1 carrot
-azuki beans (from Whole foods, probably)
-1 can coconut milk

African Peanut Stew
-a couple sweet potatoes
-a red pepper
-a jalapeno
-a can of pinto beans

I mean... look at these lists. What this means is, if you had a few basic items on hand, you could have any of these things for dinner tomorrow night and the most you'd have to do is buy 4 things (4! you don't even need a basket!), and you could probably get most of those extra things for a max of about five bucks.

Cooking on a Budget: Lesson 2- Basic Ingredients

Alright... last time, I covered one of the first steps in stocking up your kitchen to get ready to cook, which was getting your spice rack up to par. Now, that is a great first step, but unless you have a cast-iron stomach, you're probably not going to be able to live on spices alone. SO. What to do, what to do.

I went through the recipes I've posted, and have made a list of basic ingredients that appear over and over again- these are things I pretty much always have on hand. If you can just have really basic stuff around, you'll find that it seems less overwhelming to make things because you'll end up having most of the ingredients and just need to buy 2 or 3 things to make any one recipe. Also, because these are pretty simple, non-processed foods, they are all cheap and will keep in the cupboard.

Here is a list of things I am never without...
In the fridge:
--milk
--eggs
--bag of spinach (super cheap at Trader Joes. if you go to the grocery store, don't buy bags of it, buy bunches of it over by the lettuce for half the price)
--peanut butter (I only buy the kind that has only peanuts and salt. who wants all that other stuff?)
--soy sauce (apparently you do indeed have to keep this in the fridge)

In the cupboard:
--salt/pepper
--bag of lentils (not only diverse, but possibly the most budget friendly food ever at 99 cents for a bag with 13 servings in it)
--bag of brown rice
--bag of onions
--garlic cloves
--ginger root
--olive oil
--balsamic vinegar
--couscous or some grain of your choice (I also like bulgar, which I get in bulk at Whole Foods)
--flour
--sugar
--canned diced tomatoes
--canned garbanzo beans
--broth of your choice (chicken or veggie; Trades Joes also has some cool little concentrated liquid packets of broth so that you only use as much as you need and don't have something around that goes bad or need to mess with cans. I bet they have them other places. I also used powdered stuff from the regular store).

Optional items I also always have but that don't necessarily relate to the recipes:
--giant container of oatmeal. add some frozen fruit or a banana- best breakfast ever.
--bag of frozen chicken breasts (obviously only for the non-vegetarians)
--pasta
--canned black beans
--rice wine vinegar (great for salads and for a lot of Asian dishes)
--salsa. makes anything better.
--honey (btw- if you're interested, you can also make face scrub out of honey, salt, and sugar).
--these bags of frozen green beans from TJs that are actually good, and you can pull out a bit at a time for an emergency vegetable (you know, in case you are at imminent risk of scurvy)

And finally, the other thing you need-
--individually portion sized tupperwares. This is the best tip anyone ever gave me. Just because you made some giant pot of soup doesn't mean you have to eat it all week. Put individual portions in tupperwares and freeze for your own homemade frozen lunches.

Stay tuned, and I'll point out some of the recipes from this website that you could make if you had all of these ingredients.

Cooking on a Budget: Lesson 1- Spices!

Ok. I mentioned earlier that I was going to address the idea that you have to 1. spend a lot of money and 2. be a skilled cook to make interesting tasty food. Lets start with issue 1. One of the main things that throws people when they start to cook is that recipes call for all of these ingredients that they just assume you have sitting around in your pantry. If you have to buy those every time you cook something, it can seem expensive, even though really it is a one time purchase and you'll have it to use for many future recipes. It also makes cooking seem like more work when you don't have things on hand.

Some things that tend to fall into that category when you're first starting to cook are spices. Unfortunately, spices are the absolute most critical investment if you're going to cook on a budget- they are what enable you to take something like lentils, and make a vast array of types of meals. This is the thing that will keep your cooking from being boring. Spices are expensive if you buy the name brands in the main area of the grocery store. You could easily spend a ton of money stocking up if thats how you decide to do it. However, I'm here to tell you, that doing that is just plain silly. This is my best, #1, top tier, most fantastic grocery shopping tip. (you're pumped, I can tell!). There are a lot of sources for spices, if you go slightly (really only slightly) off the beaten path. In your own grocery store, leave the baking section and head to the ethnic section. In my personal store, there is an area near the Mexican food full of little packets of spices for 60 cents to a dollar. In the Kosher section, there are giant shakers of spices for much less than the price of one small bottle in the regular section. If you compare the unit prices (price per oz) of these, your mind will be blown. Blown! You can stock up on a vast array of things for very little money, and suddenly will waves of new found confidence when encountering new recipes and realizing you have ingredients in your cupboard already! Here are some examples of store brands I found. I also found cheap spices at Cost Plus. Observe:

If I were to take 10 bucks or so to stock up on some spices, so that I'd be able to make a decent variety of food, this is what I would get:
-ground coriander
-ground cumin
-curry powder
-cinnamon
-thyme
-bay leaves
-ground ginger
-basil
-oregano
-parsley flakes
-red chili powder

If I wanted to expand my horizons and bring my total to about 20 bucks, I'd add:
-garam masala
-turmeric
-cumin seeds
-coriander seeds
-paprika
-smoked paprika
-fennel
-cloves
-rosemary
-dill

Get either group 1 or both group 1 and 2, and you'll be ready for all kinds of food... Indian, Mexican, Italian, and on and on. Obviously there are always other crazy things in some recipes, but you'll be able to make most things if you have these on hand.

Rosemary Chickpea Couscous Salad

Ok, this is... really good. It is PERFECT for a hot day, and let me tell you, it is nothing if not boiling hot around here these days. I made it, as inspired by AllRecipes, but as you well know, I think sticking exactly to recipes is boring. So, here is my take on it in 4 easy steps:

1. Make some couscous. This could be any kind (regular, whole wheat, Israeli- which is what I used) or some other kind of grain. Just make it the way the box says, and let it sit out for a while cooling while you do everything else.

2. Make some dressing.
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
a whole bunch of fresh chopped rosemary (MUST be fresh).

3. Chop up some veggies.
half an English cucumber
some sundried tomatoes (I used the marinated kind from TJs)
a handful or 2 of fresh spinach

4. Stir everything up in a big bowl. Toss in some feta (I used fat free; leave it out to make it vegan), dump in a drained can of garbanzo beans, and add some salt and pepper. Chill for a while to let the flavors get to know each other.

This is good! Beware though, if you use the whole box of couscous like the original recipe says (and I did, because my box was 8oz not 10oz like theirs, so I thought it'd be ok), you will end up with a LOT. I will be eating this all week, apparently! (also, the rest of the things in the picture will appear in later posts, so keep your eye out!)


Now, the other thing I've been meaning to bring up (sit down, lets have a little chat), is that I've gotten a couple comments from different people I know who read this saying that they would love to make the things here except that they're either a. on a budget or b. don't know how to cook. I've decided to try to tackle both these things on this blog in general, but haven't figured out how yet. For this recipe, I'd like to report that it only involves 2 skills- boiling water, and chopping. You can do this. I promise. Really. Also, all of these ingredients (couscous, garbanzo beans, lemons, rosemary, vinegar, olive oil, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, spinach) are available at your local Trader Joes. It may sound like lots of ingredients, but I would estimate that when you break it down, its probably only about $1-2 per serving, which you really can't beat for something so fresh and healthy and homemade! Be brave, try it!

Something Old, Something New

Well, its been a little hectic and I haven't been posting much, but I'd like to bring you a few brief updates...

1. I know you were waiting on the edge of your seat, so I've got to report that I finally was able to make the Miso Glazed Saki Drenched marinade with fish (which is what I was going for in the first place- you can see the recipe at the old post). I didn't have cod, which is what I think would be best, but I got frozen Mahi Mahi from Trader Joes with met my 2 main criteria- 1. it was not break the bank expensive, and 2. it was one of the few varieties of fish I can actually stand. I think overall, it went pretty well, it definitely has delicious potential. The one thing I'd say is the fish seemed to soak up a lot more of the miso, which did make it seem a bit on the salty side. So, for fish, I think I'd up the amount of Mirin, and decrease the amount of Miso. But, it was tasty, and here is the glamour shot...


2. And, big news item #2 is that I made a new series of pendants that I'm kind of into... and, here one is! (you can see more info here)

The Gallery of Sandwiches: Round 3

OK, next in line is the sandwich of my childhood.

This is decadent, and terrible for you, and oh so very delicious. Where does it come from? Point Loma Seafoods, which is first and foremost a fish market, but in addition to having every kind of extremely fresh fish (they are actually directly attached to the fishing docks), they have ridiculously good food. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing to go for is this, the classic fish sandwich. Here is whats in there... fresh fresh fish, breaded and fried (mmm... fried), put on super fresh fresh soft sourdough bread, and slathered with deliciously decadent tarter sauce. (if you're getting one, you should get it 'sloppy' with extra sauce. I mean, by by the time you're eating something deep fried, what are you clinging to- go ahead and have the sauce ;-).

And, here is the glamor shot:


The other perk is that while you eat, you get to sit and watch the boats... ah, so scenic!

Miso-Glazed, Sake-Drenched Chicken (and asparagus)

Well, this was a delicious Asian-inspired dinner that I pretty much made by dumping stuff in plastic baggies and then throwing everything on the grill. What else can you ask for?

Basically, I was needing a change of pace from the lentils (and more lentils) I've been surviving on of late. I am not a huge fish-eater, but there is one piece of fish I always remember as the best fish I've ever had (except for the grilled yellow-tail, straight from the ocean, with nothing but lemon pepper on it which was the summertime dinner of childhood where I grew up. anytime I think of that, I'm immediately sitting at a picnic table in my neighbor's backyard, finishing dinner before we can play hide-and-seek in the twilight). Basically, the more recent fish was cod, marinated in miso and sake. I looked all over for a recipe, and got a bunch of stuff (well, mainly I had to go get the sake, I love having miso on hand because stick a little blob in a tupperware with some cooked noodles, and you can just take it to work, add water, and microwave for a ridiculously easy and non-spillably portable lunch).

However, I really wanted it yesterday, but I didn't have any fish. So, I decided to give it a shot with chicken. Basically, I took a frozen chicken breast, still frozen. Put it in a plastic baggy. In there, I put a spoonful of miso paste, about 2 tablespoons of mirin (cooking sake), a dash of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Then I let it sit. Now, I planned to eat it that same day, but I ended up with other plans, so it actually was in the fridge for a little more than 24 hours.

For the final prep, I just pulled it out and tossed it on the grill. I also found these thin asparagus spears on an awesome sale at Ralphs, so I threw those on too. Before throwing those on I tossed them in a little sesame oil with red pepper flakes. And, here it is...


Can I just say O...M...G! :-). It was amazing. The chicken was very moist and flavorful and since there was only a small splash of soy sauce the taste of the miso and mirin really came through. And, the asparagus was fantastic- the sesame oil gave it this really nice nutty flavor. All in all, it was one of those things you make where with every bite you get more and more excited, and feel like if you ordered it at a restaurant, you'd be thrilled with it. You should try it!

Makeover time!

I have had a table next to my couch, hidden until magazines and candles, and random table-next-to-the-couch-stuff. The unfortunate truth about this table is that it is very very ugly. It was rescued from the hallways at work where someone had been using it as printer table. This is a utilitarian table, designed solely to be hidden under more important things. Its kind of sad, really.

The other day, I got a craft urge, which for some reason is the kind of thing that happens to me when I am very stressed and busy. Like, I have 3 free hours, I'm going to decorate a table! And decorate I did. Now to be very straight forward, I have no experience in this, I had no idea what materials to use, and didn't even know what the thing I wanted to do was called. Cue the etsy message boards, where you can get advice on pretty much anything. They told me that it was called decoupage. Now really, many people take this to the level of an art form, and you can make really amazing things. I have made something much less fancy, but I'll say, I think its pretty cute. I used ModPodge and a LOT of squares of paper. I was going for a kind of funky, non-perfect look which is fortunate because I don't appear to be capable of cutting paper even remotely straight.

At any rate, here is the result- it even matches my red themed living room! Check it out! I have to seal it, but haven't decided on the perfect way to do it (I got a lot of conflicting info). Anyone with any ideas by all means let me know! No more boring table, thats for sure!!

The Gallery of Sandwiches: Round 2

Ok, this would be sandwiches, the West Coast edition.

Having posted on the Primanti Brothers and their french fry filled insanity, I feel the need to represent the sandwich that lies closest to my heart. A sandwich I crave, would wait in traffic, or a ridiculously long line on a Saturday at lunchtime for. These are the kind of sandwiches people get homesick for after they leave LA. So- where does it come from? Bay Cities Deli... mmmmmmmmm... a Santa Monica institution.

Now, I could wax poetic about these sandwiches for quite some time, but I'll try to restrain myself. Basically, the excellence starts with really awesome ingredients (mmmm, pepper turkey and soft fresh muenster). Then, they add a bunch of mysterious stuff. I don't know what it is, exactly, which is why the only way for me to order it is with "the works". There is mustard. There is vinegar. There is some kind of crack-filled hot pepper salsa/relish stuff. It is a messy, messy situation. Fortunately, they know it. Therefore, they have encapsulated all of this goodness into this amazing crusty fresh bread. The bread might be a bit too tough for any other kind of sandwich, but for this, for this it is perfect. It is, I do believe, the best sandwich ever.

(disclaimer, this photo was blatantly stolen from my friend Valerie, who is one of those poor souls who, having moved away from LA, must pine for Bay Cities from afar).

Mujadarrah: Lentils, Rice, and Carmelized Onions

The other day, I was on the look out for something very very simple, made from ingredients I had on hand, that was also new and delicious: enter Mujadarrah (or, depending on your spelling preferences, Megadarra, Mjaddarah). It is a basic dish and seems to be common in a variety of places in the Middle East.

Here are the ingredients (get your pen, its a long list!):
lentils (I used green)
rice
onions (as many as you can get)
olive oil
salt and pepper
(some recipes called for cardamom, some didn't- I didn't have it so it isn't in mine)

this is hacked together from a variety of recipes on the internet:
heat some oil (I used a tablespoon or so, the recipes call for up to 1/4 cup), slice onions (I used 3 small onions) and cook in oil until soft. Cook on low/medium until really brown and caramelized- this is going to take a while!

In the meantime, put about 5 cups water in a pot, boil it, and put in 1 and 1/4 cup lentils. Cook about 20 minutes or so, then toss in the rice (I used brown rice, so tossed it in a little earlier and also added some more water) along with a bit of the onions and salt and pepper. Cook about 30 more minutes until rice and lentils are cooked. Serve with sauteed onions on top.

I might have thought that this would be overly bland, but the caramelized onions really were nice and flavorful, and it let you focus on the flavors of the lentils and rice. I like it! The only problem is, anything that involves caramelizing that many onions is not a quick dinner!

(In case you're wondering, the bread in the background was another attempt at flatbread, which went way better than the roti did, I actually liked it a lot. It is cumin/sesame flatbread from over at Kahakai Kitchen- check it out!)

Ode to Brussels Sprouts

I'd just like to take a moment to give a shout-out to brussels sprouts. This is one of those things I truly believed I hated until pretty recently, but I am now completely obsessed with.

First, a little background... according to my wonderful wikipedia, they are relatives of the cabbage and date back to ancient Rome. The thing that really blew my mind was this picture of how they grow :

I had no idea thats what they looked like! I imagined them as teeny cabbages right near the ground. So, you learn something new every day (or, at least on the good days).

Now, what do I do to the sprouts that has completely changed my mind? Roasting! I'm pretty sure there is no veggie that I don't think is better off roasted (at least now, during my big roasting kick). I like to maximize the surface area, so I quarter them and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper like this:

Then, put them in the oven at about 375-400, and roast until they look like this...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... they are brown, and a little crispy, and kind of roasted and nutty. SO GOOD!

The Gallery of Sandwiches: Round 1

Recently, in between meetings and looking at dinosaurs, I had what may be the largest and most extreme sandwich I have ever encountered.

Where did this all happen? At a Pittsburgh establishment, Primanti Brothers. As you can see here, its a pretty small place, and you can watch as they make everything...

And then, they deliver this very tall sandwich, on very soft bread...

But, I really think you should see the cross-section to fully appreciate the situation...
What is that in there, you ask? That would be french fries and cole slaw. Yup. A combo which turned out to be both a little intense and very delicious. Pretty much everything you'd want from an epic sandwich.

Balsamic Lentils... Holy Smokes!

This recipe comes courtesy of The City Girl Cooks who picked it up over at Savory Spicy Sweet which is quickly becoming a favorite, as it was also the source of the very delicious butternut squash gnocchi from a few weeks ago.

Anyhow... I consider myself something of a lentil connoisseur (seeing as how they are both healthy and cheap, two criteria which top my list), and these lentils are, to say it briefly, completely awesome. My first thought upon tasting them (well, first of all after "woah!") was basically, "and, why don't I use balsamic vinegar on absolutely everything?". They have sausage, which I almost never cook with but I decided just to try the recipe as is and it was really good and hearty. It could be easily veggie-fied, either by just leaving it out (it would be really flavorful just by itself) or else substituting veggie sausage.

Here is my take on it...

What you need:
some olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of minced garlic (probably 2-4 depending on taste)
red pepper flakes, to taste (I like a lot, probably used half a tsp- 1tsp)
3 links fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced- I got some garlicy sausage from TJs
2T balsamic vinegar
14oz can diced tomatoes
chopped fresh basil (could sub dried basil, in which case you should put it in at the same time as the pepper flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup dry lentils
1 1/4 cup water
5 oz fresh spinach or so, roughly chopped (I threw in almost a whole bag and did not chop it because I am lazy)

What you do...
Heat some olive oil in a pretty decent sized saucepan/pot (I just used my olive oil mister- all you need it for is browning the onions). Add the onions and cook until softened and a little brown.
Add ~1T balsamic vinegar, garlic, chicken sausage, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and sauté a couple minutes more.

Then, add the lentils, canned tomatoes, and water, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for around 25 minutes or until the lentils are just about done. Add spinach and chopped basil and cook 10 minutes more, until spinach is wilted and lentils are tender. Stir in remaining balsamic vinegar, garnish with extra basil, and serve.

This was seriously delicious. The balsamic vinegar really brought out a great flavor in the lentils, and it smelled absolutely fantastic. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Sunday Cinema: Working Girl

I have this strange and secret penchant for movies in which someone normal (or even better, someone who is the underdog) somehow gets in a situation where they pretend to be someone more powerful or famous or whatever. Usually, the underdog proceeds to prevail over pretty much everyone in the movie, kicking ass, taking names, and falling in love during the last 10 minutes. There are a lot more of these movies than you might think, for example: Secret of my Success, Don't tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead, Big. Movies like Harry Potter, Princess Diaries, and What a Girl Wants are a similar but slightly different genre, in which rather than pretending, the underdog inadvertantly finds out they are secretly special. They then proceed to do all the same things as the underdogs in category A.).

Anyhow, I have recently watched (twice!) one of the more fantastic examples from this series of fine films: Working Girl. During these recent viewings, I've gained a lot of appreciation for this excellent piece of cinematography. In particular, and in no particular order:

1. The 80's gear is out of control. This is not the kind of 80's gear that gets sported by hipsters in an attempt to be ironic. This is massive hair, amazing eyeshadow, enormous shoulder pads, and insane red glasses kinds of 80's gear. See below:

2. It has Sigourney Weaver. Sigourney Weaver is just awesome. It also has Alec Baldwin. Both of them do an excellent job of playing people you can't stand, although for different reasons.

3. It has Harrison Ford. This is not just any Harrison Ford, it is Harrison Ford from the late 80's, which I believe could be construed as the peak of his Harrison Ford-ness. Check it out:

(ok, I realize that Harrison didn't wear his Indiana Jones outfit in this movie. However, I really think that we can bend the rules just a little, just for this)

The busiest cat in the world.

I know you've been dying to know what little Charlotte has been up to.

I've been traveling a lot for work lately. Fortunately, she is my right hand man and can help me prep for the trip. You can see here that she is reviewing some paperwork, taking notes, and using the phone- all while looking exceedingly glamorous. If she had hair, she would be flipping it. Who could ask for anything more?

Wheaty Veggie Pizza

This happened a few weeks ago but I'm just now posting it... for some reason the other day I got a bee in my bonnet about making pizza dough. I had a second bee in my bonnet about trying to make something somewhat healthy, so started looking around for whole wheat dough recipes. Obviously, the internet has everything, so I found one in short order. It was also purported to be both easy and fast, which is hard to argue with.

Here is my version

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 little packet active dry yeast
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. honey

Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in a pretty big bowl (I also included a little dry oregano, basil, and garlic powder). Then mix in the liquids (water, oil and honey). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and set it somewhere warm for about 10 minutes to rise.

After it has risen, punch it down and press into a greased pan- not having a pizza pan, I used a rimmed cookie sheet which worked just fine. One nice thing about this was that there was no rolling, it was totally possible to spread it out just by pushing with your hands.

Now, top with whatever you want. I used sauce, a layer of spinach, onions, peppers, cheese (I really like the Trader Joes Quattro Formaggio), and some leftover tomato sliced on top. This thing weighed a ton. Bake it at 425 degrees until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted- while the direction said 15-20 min, mine took at least 1.5x that if not twice as long.


This was pretty good. The only issue, to me, was that the crust lacked a certain chewiness that I like in a good pizza crust. It was definitely easy, and definitely fast. Basically, it wasn't the ultimate pizza but it did do the trick.