adventures in foodland

photoshoppers: a call to arms!

2007-09-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

it seems my blog traffic has been sadly lacking as of late. i'm sure it has nothing to do with me abandoning this place for weeks at a time, or heaven forbid, the idea of this blog getting old. no, i'm positive it's because i'm missing the one thing essential to every great blogger - an eye catching banner.

here's where you photoshoppers come in. i challenge you to create a banner for my blog. only the cream of the crop may apply, as it clearly must be something worthy of representing my eloquent writing and exquisite recipes. if you need inspiration, i suggest checking out carrie's cooking adventures.

upload your submissions and post them in the comments for me to see. the winner of this challenge receives the greatest honor of all - having his/her banner seen at the top of my blog every single day. and of course, if someone wants to go above and beyond and work some html magic to help me get the overall design of this place out of standard blogger template mode i would be extremely grateful. normally i'd do it myself, but i think we all know my skills are best saved for the kitchen.

okay kids, get crackin and let me see what you've got!

inspiration

2007-09-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

well, laura's guest blog managed to both cure me of my writer's block as well as tempt me to venture into the world of sushi. it really does feel great to be blogging again, plus, i'd hate for anyone to think that i'm not on top of the latest food trends.

like laura, i went straight to the experts and decided to order in from friend house. unfortunately, as a vegetarian who doesn't eat fish, i found my menu options quite limited. then i stumbled across a dish called asparagus rolls. i thought this would be a great way to sneak in a serving of veggies inside of some warm doughy carbtastic goodness. i got my tub of butter and spreading knife ready and waited for the delivery man to arrive.

well, you can imagine my surprise when a bunch of actual mini asparagus stalks showed up wrapped in rice and some sort of mystery black stuff. what kind of a roll was this?? where was the bread? luckily though, they had provided me with plenty of soy sauce to cover up the flavor of those pesky vegetables. also, based on laura's experience with the boat, i was worried that someone would come back to my apartment to collect the plastic container my "rolls" were served in, so i quickly hid it in a safe place as soon as i was finished.

the verdict: be sure to ask many questions when ordering from a sushi restaurant as their menus are obviously quite misleading. still i suppose, it's a trend that everyone should try at least once.

message to farmers: NIMBY!

2007-09-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

nowadays there's one more thing to add to the list of power plants, trash dumps, and prisons that elicit the cry of "not in my backyard!": farmers. it's bad enough that i've had to put up with a slew of dirty hippy farmers invading union square three times a week under the family friendly guise of the greenmarket. but since moving, i'm now expected to tolerate this neighborhood nuisance just one mere block from my apartment every single sunday.

ladies and gentleman, these farmers have no business in tompkins square park. this is historically a place for drug dealers, homeless people, and riots. not small business owners peddling organic and affordable produce. i decided to pay them a visit last sunday and one vendor even had the nerve to sell me eight ripe and delicious plums for only three dollars.

look, all i'm saying is, we didn't suffer through an industrial revolution just so we could abandon factory farming. do we really want our future generations knowing where their food actually comes from?? i admit, there's probably no stopping those those liberal pinko nutjobs from advocating fair and healthy options for our planet, our workers, and our bodies. but at least let them do it out on some commune or kibbutz somewhere - not in the middle of my urban metropolis.

if you, like me, want to boycott these farmers' markets altogether, i suggest using local harvest to plug in your zip code and find the locations nearest you. this tool for avoiding local family farmers is certainly invaluable.

still don't believe what a crisis this really is?? just check out what happens to the poor twinkie (at a farmers' market!) in this video and learn more about the left wing attempts to undermine the farm bill here.

you hear that farmers? it's on!!

alternate kitchen uses

2007-08-22T12:10:00.001-04:00

okay kids, this might just blow your mind... but the kitchen isn't just for cooking anymore. i know many of you out there will never develop the keen culinary skills that i have no matter how hard you try... but now you don't have to let your food preparation area go to waste!

my friends sean and amy have turned their kitchen into a state of the art dance studio & performance space:

so talk to me people - what else do you use your kitchen for? whoever has the most innovative response (with appropriate documentation, preferably in youtube form) might just get a prize from me.

i <3 salad

2007-08-19T21:58:00.001-04:00

well it's time for me give a shout out to my favorite fellow blogger again. i'd been waiting for a special occasion to make this awesome recipe, but finally i decided i would just treat myself!

in this sweet summer treat you take something plain and simple like this:

and mix it with other fun ingredients containing things like high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and modified food starch to make something like this:

pretty great, huh?

snickers salad (by carrie's dad's girlfriend kelly)

6 chilled snickers candy bars
6 apples (granny smith and/or red delicious)
1 container cool whip
1 box instant vanilla pudding

mix cool whip and pudding mix together (i substituted lite cool whip and sugar/fat free pudding for a healthier option). core and chop apples and snickers into bite size pieces. even though i substituted individually wrapped snickers minis (all that packaging makes me feel safe from food contamination... and terrorists) , i still halved or quartered each one. combine apples and snickers with cool whip / pudding mix. drizzle with caramel and chocolate and chill for at least an hour.

this is quite possibly the sweetest thing i've ever ingested (and this is coming from me - the girl who eats ice cream by the tub and donuts by the dozen). i actually wound up using only half the apples called for because there simply wasn't any more room in my bowl to mix up more salad - so perhaps more fruit would have offset the cloying flavor a bit. but as we all know, the more saccharine the better when it comes to desserts - which means the snicker salad is pretty much perfect!

bean harmony

2007-08-19T00:38:00.000-04:00

sorry for the lack of updates this past week, but i've been busy checking in on my competition. you may not have realized it, but i'm actually not the only food blogger on the interweb. keeping tabs on what everyone else is up to helps me keep my little mental kitchen to do (and not to do) list fresh.

one great source of inspiration is the cook and author of the smitten kitchen. she and i have so much in common it's downright scary. for starters we're both from new york and we're both named deb(bie). and then of course there's the obvious - that we're both amazingly talented behind the camera and in the kitchen... and not to mention witty as fuck.

i figured it was about time i share one of her recipes (along with some much needed improvements) with all of you. deb certainly had the right idea but it just lacked that special something. luckily i've come along and tweaked the recipe to perfection.

mixed bean salad with tomato and lemon (by smitten kitchen)

2 medium tomatoes 1
½ pound yellow wax beans, ends trimmed and beans halved crosswise 2
½ pound haricot vert, or slim green beans, ends trimmed and beans halved crosswise 3
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 4
2 cloves garlic, minced 5
pinch of red pepper flakes
glug of white wine 6
salt and pepper 7
juice of one lemon 8

1 substituted half a can of whole peeled stewed tomatoes
2 omitted
3 substituted one can of cut green beans
4 omitted
5 substituted jarred minced garlic in olive oil
6 substituted red wine
7 omitted
8 used only half a lemon

microwave green beans for two minutes and set aside. heat garlic and red pepper in a large pan. add tomatoes and simmer for a couple minutes. add a splash of red wine and continue to simmer. lower heat and toss in green beans, coating evenly with tomato and garlic. squeeze the juice of half a lemon over everything and serve.

as you can see there was none of that slotted spoon, ice bath, or colander nonsense that deb seemed so fond of. and yet the end result is still a perfectly light summery meal. nice try deb, but next time you might want to check with the expert first.

do real people eat this? (part one: cottage cheese & banana)

2007-08-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

welcome to the first installment of my new series entitled "do real people east this?" in these posts i'll examine food combinations that are (or were) staples for me, and ask if any other human beings out there actually eat them. then it's up to you, my faithful readers, to reply and tell me just how much of a freak i am. i'm kicking things off with a childhood favorite that i still eat today: cottage cheese & banana.

my mother got me hooked on this one early on. i did some snooping on the internets and all i seemed to turn up was a baby food recipe (that seems to use "cottage" and "cream" as synonyms) and some misguided fitness enthusiasts.

so tell me blogosphere, does anyone else out there eat this? and if not, would you all be willing to try, because i'm telling you - it's delish!

miracle of modern science

2007-08-10T15:05:00.000-04:00

one of my favorites fruits is the mango, but i've always detested what a mess they are to eat. well now there's been an amazing technological advancement that's turned the mango into an simply snackable comestible.

i don't know what sort of genetic engineering or scientific mumbo jumbo went on in a lab somewhere to make this a reality, but i'm just happy it did.

heaven forbid my dining experience should ever be hampered by napkins or hand washing. now, finally, i can eat my fruit with a plastic fork out of a non-biodegradable container like a civilized human being. hooray for science!!

a vegetarian snack

2007-08-08T15:21:00.001-04:00

one of the great things about living in new york are all the amazing vegetarian options available. today i was hungry for just a little snack and was able to whip up this amazing mini-meal.

i started off this tasty treat with some parmesan chunks on table water crackers.

for dessert i indulged in a little ready to go jello cup. but i sweetened it up even more by topping it with some mini marshmallows.

and because it's never too early to get your drink on, i accompanied my nosh with a nice glass of red wine (a shiraz / cabernet).

isn't it awesome all the things you still get to eat while being a vegetarian??

triple berry surprise

2007-08-07T12:16:00.001-04:00

okay kids, this recipe is a bit involved, so you might want to enlist some parental supervision. there's prep work and stove usage... but don't worry, no knives! anyway, now that i've been turned on to one of the hot new cooking trends out there, it's opened up a whole world of possibilities to me, not the least of which is wheat berries!

triple berry surprise

1 part wheat berries
4 parts water
1/4 cup raspberries
1/8 cup goji berries
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon honey

rinse wheat berries in cold water. to cut down on actual cooking time it's best to soak them overnight (or for extra easy cookability soak them for a full day and pretend it has nothing to do with the fact that you forgot they were already sitting there on the stove for a good 12 hours). i used a half cup of berries and 2 cups of water because i don't actually own a full set of measuring cups (a true chef just knows) and the half cup was all i had handy. bring water with wheat berries to a rolling boil and cover pot. let cook until most of the water in the pot has evaporated (for an added crunchy film, ignore pot boiling over and smell of burning wheat and allow half the berries to fuse to the bottom of the pot). drain berries (or not, depending if you went for the crunchy film effect) and top bowl with raspberries and goji berries. add a splash of soy milk and drizzle with honey.

i suppose i've given away the fact that the surprise in this recipe is really just some soy milk and honey, so if you make this for friends be sure not to spoil it! some might also argue that this is more of a breakfast dish than a dinner one. but as you all know, i refuse to be bound by society's norms of time specific food.

oooh swanky!

2007-08-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

last night's attempt to go get drinks landed us in a bar with no air conditioning and warm beer taps. since this was clearly unacceptable and we suddenly realized we were craving this crazy thing called dinner, we ventured out into the west village in search of food and drink. this might not sound like a mighty task to anyone else, but i'm not one to just jump into a new relationship with a restaurant on the fly. i like to do my research, go through a little courtship first, you know develop a mutual sort of appreciation with the place. i've got some serious standards when it comes to the quality of my food.

and really, what says class more than a place called señor swanky's?

my dining companions had the cheese enchiladas and the mexican love sticks with swanky glaze [too. many. jokes. must. continue. blogging.] respectively.

i had the vegetarian salad (PS how meat-tastic must a place be when you actually have to sepcificy that a *salad* is vegetarian) and the waiter and i played this fun little game where he offered me different dressings then reported back that they didn't actually serve them. while this taught me that apparently no one in swankyville had ever ordered a meal consisting primarily of greens before, i did get the bonus treat of discovering their delicious carrot dressing which i never would have tried if my first 17 million dressing choices hadn't been shot down.

in the end the nice mr. waiter man comped us a round of swankaritas to make up for the salad dressing debacle. you know when you eat at a place that's officially dubbed a "mexican cafe and celebrity hangout" they know how to treat their high profile guests. never fear señor, your reputation's safe with foodland.

cool summer lunch (aka the boyfriend special al-mode)

2007-08-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

i know you're all probably already insanely jealous of the way my significant other wines and dines me, so i must admit i was hesitant at first to post this entry. i'm just going to have to ask the ladies and the gays to do their best to exercise some self control and keep their hands off my man after reading this.

cool summer lunch (by the boy)

one deli sammich
one bag of cool ranch doritos (the "cool" part of the summer lunch)
one iced tea
one pint of ice cream

accept boyfriend's offer to pick up some lunch, and do your best to hide the annoyance in your voice when you realize he's hitting up the deli again. argue with boyfriend over phone while he stands in the deli and insists they don't have any teany or honest tea even though they've had them every. other. time. you've been there. settle for some apricot shit from inko's that tastes like acetone instead. enjoy with an al-mode side of ice cream eaten directly from the container (cause we're classy like that).

i've actually watched them make this meal at the deli several times myself and i think i've nearly perfected the at home version of it. it involves slicing a roll as well as some lettuce and tomato so it's a bit advanced, but i'll be sure to post it anyway once i have it all worked out.

guest blogger: tracey

2007-08-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

well my kitchen's still out of commission but luckily guest blogger tracey has stepped in today. i hope you enjoy this awesome recipe she has to share with all of you. thanks tracey for coming through in a pinch!

grilled cheese (by tracey)*

dial 617-254-8114 and ask for moogy
await buzzer alerting you that food has arrived
observe cryptic "GrCh" written on your sandwich's wrapping. does this mean grilled cheese, or greasy cheddar?
the latter, it would seem:
unwrap, observe toasted perfection, and enjoy.

*please note this meal is prepared best in the metro-boston area only

all cooked out

2007-08-04T13:26:00.001-04:00

yesterday's 12 blog entries in 12 hours have left me physically and emotionally drained. it truly is exhausting maintaining my top notch standards in the kitchen. i really want to share some new and amazing recipes with all of you, but i'm afraid i'm stuck in leftover hell right now.

not to mention the current state of my dirty dishes.

but never fear, as always i have a backup plan, and will review for you my dinner from a few nights ago.

maoz in union square is one of only two locations in the the US for this vegetarian falafel chain. the sign said "hungry?" and amazingly enough, i was! i knew that if this place specialized both in fine cuisine *and* mind reading then they really must mean business.

the best part of this meal was the fact that they only prepared my food to a certain extent, after which point they deferred to my superior culinary technique. it was like experiencing the joys of cooking and eating out all rolled into one! i ordered a junior maoz royale (small falafel with eggplant and hummus) on whole wheat pita. at the salad bar i really let my talent shine and added tomato, lightly fried cauliflower & broccoli, and tabbouleh with both tahini and garlic sauce.

all the other patrons in the restaurant couldn't stop staring at my clearly superior falafel. of course, that may have also had something to do with the fact that the entire place is about the size of my bathroom and they simply had nowhere else to look. though i think it's quite obvious which of those two explanations makes the most sense.

one brainwashing to go please (lg15 12 of 12)

2007-08-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

so it's over. and i'm thinking i could use a nice healthy dose of some of the stuff daniel got before the miss me? video. after all, it did wonders for danny b, just think what it could do for me...

i'm far too exhausted to even pretend to have a recipe for this one. i live in new york for fucks sake, the pizza came from the pizzeria on the corner and the ice cream is ben & jerry's from the bodega on the other corner. and here's some virtual spin art to seal the deal.

i'll return to my regularly scheduled gourmet blogging tomorrow and see the rest of you lonelycrackers on the interwebs on monday!!

the snack that smiles back (lg15 11 of 12)

2007-08-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

it's best to try and think positive at times like these. but even if bree survives the ceremony she's going to need a fair bit of deprogramming. in fact, i think i'm going to be in need of some deprogramming myself after spending nearly 12 hours straight at the computer today. i'm reminded of an interesting technique that sarah introduced in the bedside manner video.

anti-cult goldfish crackers (by skyisempty)

1 bag of pepperidge farm cheddar flavored goldfish crackers

purchase goldfish crackers from your local convenience store and feed them to either yourself or any other recent vicitims of mind control or brainwashing.

when accompanied by a soft scratching under the chin (such as one would pet a ferret) this technique has been shown to have startling results.

tea time (lg15 10 of 12)

2007-08-03T19:55:00.001-04:00

sooooo.... bree might be dead? everyone is freaking out. sounds like it's time to calm the nerves with a spot of tea.

in oh, the places you'll go daniel and rebecca shared a pot of tea. but seeing what's happened to the TAAG today, i'm not about to go making any order recipes anytime soon. plus, have you noticed that it's 90-something degrees outside today?

order-free iced tea (by debbie)

2 teabags of your choosing (i used stash lemon ginger herbal tea)
1 kettle of water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teapot
1 large plastic glass

heat water in kettle until it comes to a rolling boil. pour boiling water over teabags in teapot and steep until tea has reached desired strength. allow teapot to cool on counter for several minutes then pour tea into a large plastic cup and place in the freezer for approximately one hour.

remove tea from freezer and pour into a new glass over ice. add honey to sweeten to taste.

so yummy it can almost distract you from a teenager dying in some sort of pseudo-medical cult blood letting ceremony.

whoa, sour (lg15 9 of 12)

2007-08-03T19:17:00.000-04:00

if the creator's aren't above a bit of product placement, then neither am i.

and what better time than 20 minutes into the ceremony when we're all wondering if bree is dead to plug some gum!

and not just any gum, new ice breakers sours gum! bree chewed these in the truckstop reunion video.

i personally prefer the box with berry splash, strawberry, and raspberry lemonade; though they come in other flavors as well. the recommended serving size is two pieces. you can try more than that if you dare, but you risk having a complete overload of sourocity.

lonelycheese & lonelycrackers (lg15 8 of 12)

2007-08-03T18:40:00.001-04:00

okay it's 20 minutes until the ceremony's supposed to happen, jonas has been stabbed, and sarah still hasn't arrived with the compound.

so what better time to sit down and relax with a recipe that spencer showed us in the bree solution.

cheese and crackers (by LAlabrat)

1 box of crackers
1 block of cheese

arrange crackers on your plate in any quantity/pattern you like. i used TLC's roasted garlic & thyme party crackers and placed five on my plate because i thought they looked purdy that way. slice enough cheese (i used a low fat cheddar) to equally cover all of the crackers. ideally all of this should be done with telekinesis or stop motion animation, but feel free to use your hands if necessary.

best served with pouches of capri sun.

play with your food (lg15 7 of 12)

2007-08-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

here's a fun snack that can double as a game too (as gemma taught us in her very first video nut kills man).

squirrel, nut, man (by gemmers19)

1 container of mixed nuts
1 willing squirrel
1 friend with a nut allergy

toss all ingredients together and see who kills whom first.

the fun never ends!

i like donuts (lg15 6 of 12)

2007-08-03T17:20:00.000-04:00

donuts have made several appearance in lg15 videos. jonas longed for one in the unthinkable happened, daniel stole one in let's play doctor, sarah declared her fondness for them (for the second time) in entertaining myself, and spencer ate one for breakfast in his car during i'm here to help.

this recipe is much easier than stealing a donut from a nurse's station. simply walk or drive to the nearest dunkin donuts and purchase a donut with chocolate frosting. et voila! dessert doesn't get much simpler than that!

thanksgiving in august (lg15 5 of 12)

2007-08-03T15:45:00.000-04:00

i've been sharing some great snack recipes with you all afternoon, but now it's time to get into some serious cooking.

thanksgiving feast (by lonelygirl15)

1 bottle of cranberry juice
1 bag of potato chips
1 container of trail mix
1 package of turkey jerky

bree made this meal in picnic form for daniel in the thanksgiving video. it's a great new take on the traditional thanksgiving dinner with the turkey jerky (i substituted primal strips meatless jerky) representing the turkey, potato chips as mashed potatoes, trail mix for stuffing, and cranberry juice instead of cranberry sauce.

i can't wait to make this for my family come november!!

when life gives you lemons (lg15 4 of 12)

2007-08-03T15:11:00.000-04:00

well since i'm stuck at home tied to my computer watching these videos all day, i decided bree's lemonade recipe from house arrest would be the perfect thing to make next.

lemonade (by lonelygirl15)

several large ripe lemons
sugar
water

juice several large lemons until you have approximately.... oh who am i kidding. did you really think i would bother dirtying my juicer for one measley glass of lemonade??

a much simpler recipe is to just twist off the cap of a bottle of bolthouse farms mango lemonade, drink, and enjoy! a variation on this would be to pour the lemonade into a glass before drinking. delicious!

take comfort in pork (lg15 3 of 12)

2007-08-03T14:05:00.000-04:00

okay all this video watching and refreshing and blogging and general nerdyness is pretty stressful. so what better way to relax then with daniel's grandmother's comfort food.

ham & butter sandwiches (by grandma beast)

two slices of bread
three slices of ham
one teaspoon of butter

layer ham slices on one piece of bread (i substituted smart deli veggie ham). spread butter evenly across other piece of bread. stack second piece of bread on top of first piece butter side down. cut into two equal halves.

i must say i had my doubts about this sandwich, and it's slightly more labor intensive than my usual cooking - but the end result is definitely worth it. and besides, if it's good enough for daniel, then it's good enough for me.

survival snacks (lg15 2 of 12)

2007-08-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

well we're more than half an hour due for another lonelygirl video and somehow being spammed with the weather channel instead.

luckily i had a great snack to tide me over in the meantime:

power bars (by lonelygirl15)

assorted power bars of your chosing

go to the store and buy as many power bars as you'd like. unwrap and eat in stressful situations like running from your friends and to an evil cult while lost in the woods, or while sitting at the computer anxiously waiting for a video to load.

what a fantastic, nutritious, and simple snack! thanks bree!!

breakfast in bed the morning after (lg15 1 of 12)

2007-08-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

so a little over a year ago i decided i need yet another way to waste time on the internet and got sucked into the lonelygirl15 videos. today, 200+ videos later, is the 12 videos in 12 hours season finale, so i'm geeking out by devoting all of today's blog entries to the amazing recipes i've learned by watching this series. seriously, all of the drama of the ceremony and escaping the order is practically overshadowed by the incredible cooking.

so without further ado:

bree's breakfast in bed with jonas's morning after coffee (by danielbeast)

one banana
one orange
one small container of yogurt
3/4 cup of cereal with milk
4 heaping tablespoons ground coffee

daniel made this for bree during the breakfast in bed video.

slice banana into coins (if you're not quite up to par with your knife usage yet a plastic knife or even a chopstick will still cut through the soft banana). peel orange and separate into wedges.* serve with bowl of cereal (bree had froot loops, but i substituted some hoighty toighty healthy cereal) and container of yogurt.

i tried my best to recreate the coffee daniel made for jonas in the morning after, but for some reason i couldn't get mine to appear invisible like his did. i made mine with mud truck organic hippie blend but maybe next time i'll try something different to achieve that "does not appear on film" effect.

snacks and lunch coming up next... stay tuned!

*nerdy bonus point - does anyone know what other video involved bree and orange wedges?

dishless dinner

2007-08-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

here's an amazing, quick, and easy meal you can make when you're in a hurry. and the best part is you don't have to dirty a single dish in the process.

cold soba

one container of pre-made soba from your local health food store or co-op

remove lid from container, insert fork, and enjoy!

soba is one of those fancy japanese imports that's all the rage in new york these days. it's actually a noodle made of buckwheat!

for dessert i had some lemon ginger soy frozen yogurt by whole soy & co (which i was tipped off to by my friend amy). there was a typo on the container though because it claimed there were actually four servings in there when clearly you're meant to eat the entire pint in one sitting.

isn't it amazing what sort of meals you can whip up without any cleanup??

cooking with friends

2007-08-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

my friend karolyn invited me over to help her cook dinner last night.

it was a good thing i got there when i did, because she was attempting to prepare ratatouille on the floor!

i swooped in to save the meal and make the quinoa.

red quinoa

one box of ancient harvest inca red quinoa
one pot of water

open box of quinoa (be sure to open plastic bag inside of box as well). pour entire box into pot of water. boil for approximately 15 minutes or until karolyn pays attention and turns off the flame.

i know some of you were a little intimidated by the stove top usage in the hard boiled egg recipe, so you might want to check out this tutorial here. in fact it might be best to do several practice runs before actually making any real food.

while i did all the hard work, karolyn busied herself with useless endeavors like building towers of ratatouille and quinoa out of recycled cans.

unfortunately, the hard, sad reality of gravity soon set in. amazingly enough though, this dish tastes identical in both a vertical and horizontal position.

for dessert we had cupcakes from sugar sweet sunshine provided by ian, another dinner guest. it's a good thing that he and i were there to save this meal from being a total and utter disaster. however, i did learn that it's difficult to photograph cupcakes while intoxicated.

it's so good to know that my friends can really count on me to help them eat well!!*

*though i must admit part of me secretly isn't sure just how grateful they are, seeing as how they repaid me by forcing me to play a five hour game of pirates which nobody actually won...

trendsetter

2007-07-31T13:20:00.001-04:00

one of my favorite bloggers, carrie (aka adam's wife), tipped me off to a hot new food trend a few months back - whole wheat.

well look what i stumbled across at the store the other day. i don't usually fall victim to short lived cooking fads, but i figured i'd give this one a whirl.

trendy peanut butter & jelly sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread
one heaping tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter
one heaping tablesoon of jelly

spread peanut butter evenly on one slice of bread. repeat with jelly on the other slice. combine bread slices (jelly side to peanut butter side) to form a sandwich.

i'm sure this trend won't be around for long - but it sure is fun to play around with in the meantime! thanks carrie!!

tastes like chicken

2007-07-30T22:25:00.001-04:00

here's a great dish introduced to me by my friend nicole about a month ago.

goat cheese cranberry quorn goodness (by nicole)

1 quorn cranberry & goat cheese chik'n cutlet

place cutlet on a pre-heated cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes at 425°

i vary this recipe slightly by skipping the baking step and instead microwaving the cutlet on high for 2 minutes. although the quorn packaging warns that microwaving is not recommended, i'm convinced that if they truly meant that they wouldn't have gone so far as to provide microwave heating instructions on the box. besides which, i could stand to cut down on some of the B12 content in that goat cheese.

i paired the cutlet with a gorgonzola and walnut salad. i prepared this by purchasing a premade gorgonzola & walnut salad from trader joe's, removing the lid, and dumping it on my plate. i did however substitute annie's natural low fat gingerly vinaigrette for the balsamic provided since i simply don't understand the concept of a salad dressing with more than 10 grams of fat. pre-made salads like this are really fantastic as they eliminate all the pesky busy work like removing leaves of lettuce from the head and washing them. the time i save frees up the rest of my evening to concentrate on my more serious gastronomical masterworks. i was concerned for a brief moment that there only appeared to be one tomato in the salad when the packaging clearly advertised "gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and grape tomatoes on salad greens," but thankfully i found the second tomato hiding in there as well.

feed a cold

2007-07-30T15:50:00.001-04:00

i've been a bit under the weather these last few days, and when i woke up this morning i just knew i wouldn't be up to fixing any sort of respectable breakfast. luckily the boyfriend came to the rescue, putting my well being ahead of his, and taking me out for the best possible brunch to get me back on the road to wellness. nothing says you care like taking your sick significant other to the cheapest, greasiest dive in the neighborhood (aka the odessa diner).

seriously, is there anything classier than a place that charges 50 cents extra for cheese on their cheese omelette sandwich?

he and i shared a tomato, mushroom, and swiss omelette (with a side of fries) along with an order of french toast. i have to say that he really knows his remedies, because after consuming the sort of fare that should only ever be touched between 12 and 4 AM while under the influence, i found myself so filled with an overpowering urge to vomit that my cold was the furthest thing from my mind.

i really owe the boy big time since he went so above and beyond with this one. any suggestions how i could pay him back??

obligatory post

2007-07-29T22:28:00.002-04:00

while my parents were in town my mother was insistent that we partake in some chocolate by the bald man. unfortunately max brenner falls a bit below my usual dining standards, so i feel i'd be doing my readers a disservice by devoting too much time to them. i'll do my best to spare you all and keep this brief.

i started off with a not-quite-caesar salad (romaine, croutons, and parmesan with citrus vinaigrette instead of caesar dressing). my dressing was served on the side in a miniature erlenmeyer flask - which i think was a sad attempt to convince me that there were some scientific methods behind their food preparation.

for dessert we shared the melting marshmallow crepe (melted chocolate chunks and marshmallows, vanilla ice cream, gummy bears, warm chocolate sauce, white chocolate chunks) and melting chocolate heart cake (warm chocolate cake with melted dark and white chocolate heart, fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce). i think they like to name their desserts "melting" to distract customers from the fact that they're clearly unable to serve things in their proper frozen state. thankfully though, since i'd just eaten a salad, any and all calories in the chocolate were thereby completely negated.

if you're in search of light and savory eats paired with rich and decadent sweets then go here if you must. but don't say i didn't warn you.

all in the family

2007-07-29T20:20:00.001-04:00

this morning i was treated to a family breakfast out in brooklyn. i probably shouldn't be posting this, but i just couldn't resist sharing one of my grandmother's secret recipes with all of you.

bagels and appetizing (by grandma pearl)

one dozen bagels
two plum tomatoes
three eggs
several large leaves of romaine lettuce

walk to the corner store and purchase 12 assorted fresh bagels (you may substitue a baker's dozen if your local bagel store allows). upon returning home, remove from paper bag and place in serving bowl. on a separate plate lay down three or four large romaine leaves. hardboil three eggs, remove shells, and place on one side of the lettuce plate. wash and slice plum tomatoes and arrange opposite eggs. serve with a side of cream cheese.

i like to make what my grandmother refers to as a dagwood sandwich. this one is made up of a cinnamon raisin bagel schmeared with cream cheese and layered with sliced egg, tomato, and lettuce.

i know my grandma would be angry with me if she saw this post, but i thought this meal was just far too special not to share. luckily, good old g-ma doesn't have a clue what a blog is.

perks of the job

2007-07-29T00:22:00.001-04:00

one of the great things about working in the entertainment industry is that i'm always being wined and dined. it's definitely one of the things that has helped me refine my sophisticated palate.

tonight, compliments of live nation, i was treated to the following epicurean delights:

the salad de la casa and veggie burger from chat 'n' chew. i consider it both an honor and a privilege to be able to partake in some of the finest takeout under $15 that union square has to offer.

to drink, i paired this meal with both a diet coke (a freebie from the bar) and a teany green tea with ginseng (a gift from the local deli). this combination of aspartame-ridden carbonation and Moby-esque goodness provided the perfect bouquet to compliment my meal.

and of course, no rock and roll evening would be complete without a night cap. once home i indulged in a glass of mint chocolate baileys (sample provided by the local liquor store) with soy milk.

to make this cocktail i mixed equal parts baileys and unsweetened soymilk. serve chilled over a single ice cube.

i know not everyone gets to experience such A-list treatment. but i'd definitely recommend saving up to treat yourself to a night like tonight at least once or twice a year.

breakfast for the busy gal

2007-07-28T19:33:00.001-04:00

cooking while on the run can be tricky, but luckily i've perfected this quick and easy meal.

nature's path organic frosted toaster pastries are just like pop tarts, only less trashy and more expensive (therefore perfect for the hip urban dweller like myself). even though their nutritional info is nearly identical to that of actual pop tarts, their minimalist packaging and frou frou status tells me i'm clearly starting the day off right.

most recipes will call for you to remove the pastry from the pouch then warm it in your toaster at the lowest heat setting for one heating cycle. i've simplified this even further by omitting the toasting step and placing the pastry directly into my mouth (after removing the it from the pouch).

i also like to double the amount of pastries called for in the recipe. this makes clean up a snap (always important for a girl on the go) since there isn't a pesky second pastry to wrap up and put away.

think pink

2007-07-27T23:10:00.001-04:00

sometimes i simply don't have time to practice my culinary arts. but anyone can still eat healthy with a quick trip to the corner deli.

diet cranberry ginger ale and a japanese red bean cake are rich with almost all of the major food groups.

the rice flour on the outside of the mochi is your serving of grains, fruit is obviously fulfilled by the cranberry in the ginger ale, and red beans count as both a vegetable and a meat believe it or not.

the only food group missing is dairy. so perhaps next time, i'll supplement this all pink picture of health with some individually packaged strawberry cream cheese spread (courtesy of dunkin donuts).

dinner delicacy

2007-07-27T20:14:00.001-04:00

living alone doesn't mean i have to skimp on the gourmet entrees.

tonight i fixed myself this timeless classic.

i certainly wouldn't recommend it for the novice chef as it takes a bit of practice to get this dish just right. however, the end result is certainly worth the extra work.

optimum zen cranberry ginger

3/4 cup cereal
125 ml skim milk

i substituted unsweetened soy milk for the skim milk. i also prefer to increase the cereal portion, either filling the bowl nearly to the top or completely emptying the box (whichever comes first).

allow cereal to soak in milk until dried cranberries become soft (or else risk losing a filling) and milk takes on a slight beige-ish hue.