The Foodie Report
Jun. 2nd, 2007 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatYay - TV is back. So is cable internet. Got up bright and early this morning to ensure it got fixed.
Sigh. One duty down. Two to go. Have to buy a yellow t-shirt to wear on Monday to demonstrate unity with finance department. Why they chose yellow, I've no clue. Green, red, blue, purple - I could have done. But yellow? Ick. I really look horrid in Yellow. I do not buy or own Yellow. Dang it. Also write movie review for Wales.
Should have made more of my time away from TV - but difficult work week. Very aggravating.
And not any cool social things planned. Did hang out with Wales quite a bit. And had fish three different nights. One I fixed myself.
In one of my many conversations with Wales this week - we were discussing Waitress - a film that I promised Wales that I'd write a review of for her friends cultural website - Wales mentioned how she hates to cook, rarely does it, and couldn't really identify with the main character's creation of pies in her head. I on the other hand, adore cooking. I love food. Particularly love playing with food. Presentation. Experimentation. Fiddling with different tastes and textures and rarely, if ever, use recipes. Or I'll use them then just change bits and pieces of them. Alter them.
For example: As a kid, I learned that chocolate chip cookies sometimes tasted better if you mixed them with your hands as opposed to the mixer - at the final step in the process. My best friend at the time taught me this. Then later, I discovered that if you mixed crisco with butter - you got the texture of crisco for the cookies, but the flavor of butter. And if you put slightly more brown sugar than white sugar they'd be a bit richer. Plus always put two or three tablespoons of pure vanilla extract. I often would add a bit of coffee or expresso. For the flour mixture - I sometimes put in a little less than recommended, with bit less salt, and little less baking soda. (Part of this was by accident, since I was always misreading measurments). And when I baked them? Took them out five minutes before I was supposed to. My family loved my cookies and could not figure out how I made them, because it certainly wasn't what was on the back of the Nestle chocolat chip wrapper - they knew this because they followed it. (Ugh, now I crave my chocolat chip cookie dough - which of course I can no longer have, due to the gluten intolerance.)
Last night's dinner of Tuna with black olives over baby argula with rice pasta mac and cheese on the side: Seared tuna steak, with shitake mushrooms, ground pepper, a touch of green bean curry, marinanted lightly in soy with a touch of thai fish sauce and greek or italian black olives over argula. Quite tasty. If you don't like black olives you can substitute green or just do without - but the olives added a great flavor. Use olive oil to seare in the frying pan. Steak should be on the medium rare side, pink in the middle and cooked on top and bottom.
Brown rice gluten-free macroni and cheese. Used Glutino's brown rice macroni. My favorite is the potato and rice blend - but can't find it any more. I make it with a touch of whole milk, a touch of salted butter (you can substitute yogurt or soy milk I suppose), white sharp cheddar cheese, parmeses cheese (about a cup, maybe more), ground pepper to taste.
Chill a bit. Then serve. Very good the next day or two days later, I've discovered.
Wed night: Orange Chicken and Mango stirfry. With chocolate ice cream and blackberries/strawberries a dollop of whip cream for dessert
Chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast
Chopped skinless mango
table spoon or two of soy sauce (wheat-free, low sodium - can get from Tamarind)
chopped shitake mushroom
Snow peas
Green bean curry - thai
Tablespoon or two of orange juice
Tablespoon or two of white mint tea
Mix chopped chicken with soy and about a teaspoon of green bean curry, maybe less - depends on how spicy you like it.
Use olive oil in the frying pan. Not very much.
Throw in chicken, mango, mushrooms all at the same time, fry for a bit, then throw in snow peas (which cook the fastest).
Add orange juice and tea - this will give the sauce a bit more liguid and act as a counter for the spicy green curry and salty soy.
When done? Pour over jasmine white rice. One chicken makes enough for two depending on how large it is. I split it for dinner and lunch.
For dessert? strawberries, blackberries, with chocolat ice cream and a little whipped cream.
which I made look really pretty, before realizing - damn, I'm eating this and I'm supposed to be on a diet.
Wales who has sampled my cooking, amongst the few who have - thinks I should be a ghost-chef, come up with the stuff and let someone else do the work. Told her this would never work. Besides if I did it for a living, it would cease to be fun. People treat cooking the same way they treat knitting and most crafts - it is done *this* way, with precise measurements, precise materials, etc. They don't seem to understand the whole intutitve/spontaneous thing - the idea of *play*. Or rather it doesn't occur to them that these are things one would play with? Ponders.
At any rate, Wales and I take turns envying one another. I honestly think I'd struggle less with weight, if I enjoyed cooking and eating and looking at food and varieties of food less. Sure it depends on mood. But I love food when I'm happy or sad. The only time I don't is when I'm anxious and scared or filled with anxiety. Like before a trip, waiting for someone, or about to do something I'm nervous about. Wales wishes she enjoyed cooking and was more spontaneous about it, less worried about following the recipe or getting it exactly right.
Goals for today:
1. Write review of the Waitress for Wales
2.get cable and internet fixed
3. Write review of Shortbus
4. Work on revisions
5. Go to the Y and see if I can join on a trial basis and partake of their huge swimming pool - they are approximately 25-30 blocks away, but there's a subway not to far away from them. And it might work better than the expensive fitness collective. Plus pool. We'll see.
6. Buy yellow shirt to show unity with finance department. (sigh)
Sigh. One duty down. Two to go. Have to buy a yellow t-shirt to wear on Monday to demonstrate unity with finance department. Why they chose yellow, I've no clue. Green, red, blue, purple - I could have done. But yellow? Ick. I really look horrid in Yellow. I do not buy or own Yellow. Dang it. Also write movie review for Wales.
Should have made more of my time away from TV - but difficult work week. Very aggravating.
And not any cool social things planned. Did hang out with Wales quite a bit. And had fish three different nights. One I fixed myself.
In one of my many conversations with Wales this week - we were discussing Waitress - a film that I promised Wales that I'd write a review of for her friends cultural website - Wales mentioned how she hates to cook, rarely does it, and couldn't really identify with the main character's creation of pies in her head. I on the other hand, adore cooking. I love food. Particularly love playing with food. Presentation. Experimentation. Fiddling with different tastes and textures and rarely, if ever, use recipes. Or I'll use them then just change bits and pieces of them. Alter them.
For example: As a kid, I learned that chocolate chip cookies sometimes tasted better if you mixed them with your hands as opposed to the mixer - at the final step in the process. My best friend at the time taught me this. Then later, I discovered that if you mixed crisco with butter - you got the texture of crisco for the cookies, but the flavor of butter. And if you put slightly more brown sugar than white sugar they'd be a bit richer. Plus always put two or three tablespoons of pure vanilla extract. I often would add a bit of coffee or expresso. For the flour mixture - I sometimes put in a little less than recommended, with bit less salt, and little less baking soda. (Part of this was by accident, since I was always misreading measurments). And when I baked them? Took them out five minutes before I was supposed to. My family loved my cookies and could not figure out how I made them, because it certainly wasn't what was on the back of the Nestle chocolat chip wrapper - they knew this because they followed it. (Ugh, now I crave my chocolat chip cookie dough - which of course I can no longer have, due to the gluten intolerance.)
Last night's dinner of Tuna with black olives over baby argula with rice pasta mac and cheese on the side: Seared tuna steak, with shitake mushrooms, ground pepper, a touch of green bean curry, marinanted lightly in soy with a touch of thai fish sauce and greek or italian black olives over argula. Quite tasty. If you don't like black olives you can substitute green or just do without - but the olives added a great flavor. Use olive oil to seare in the frying pan. Steak should be on the medium rare side, pink in the middle and cooked on top and bottom.
Brown rice gluten-free macroni and cheese. Used Glutino's brown rice macroni. My favorite is the potato and rice blend - but can't find it any more. I make it with a touch of whole milk, a touch of salted butter (you can substitute yogurt or soy milk I suppose), white sharp cheddar cheese, parmeses cheese (about a cup, maybe more), ground pepper to taste.
Chill a bit. Then serve. Very good the next day or two days later, I've discovered.
Wed night: Orange Chicken and Mango stirfry. With chocolate ice cream and blackberries/strawberries a dollop of whip cream for dessert
Chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast
Chopped skinless mango
table spoon or two of soy sauce (wheat-free, low sodium - can get from Tamarind)
chopped shitake mushroom
Snow peas
Green bean curry - thai
Tablespoon or two of orange juice
Tablespoon or two of white mint tea
Mix chopped chicken with soy and about a teaspoon of green bean curry, maybe less - depends on how spicy you like it.
Use olive oil in the frying pan. Not very much.
Throw in chicken, mango, mushrooms all at the same time, fry for a bit, then throw in snow peas (which cook the fastest).
Add orange juice and tea - this will give the sauce a bit more liguid and act as a counter for the spicy green curry and salty soy.
When done? Pour over jasmine white rice. One chicken makes enough for two depending on how large it is. I split it for dinner and lunch.
For dessert? strawberries, blackberries, with chocolat ice cream and a little whipped cream.
which I made look really pretty, before realizing - damn, I'm eating this and I'm supposed to be on a diet.
Wales who has sampled my cooking, amongst the few who have - thinks I should be a ghost-chef, come up with the stuff and let someone else do the work. Told her this would never work. Besides if I did it for a living, it would cease to be fun. People treat cooking the same way they treat knitting and most crafts - it is done *this* way, with precise measurements, precise materials, etc. They don't seem to understand the whole intutitve/spontaneous thing - the idea of *play*. Or rather it doesn't occur to them that these are things one would play with? Ponders.
At any rate, Wales and I take turns envying one another. I honestly think I'd struggle less with weight, if I enjoyed cooking and eating and looking at food and varieties of food less. Sure it depends on mood. But I love food when I'm happy or sad. The only time I don't is when I'm anxious and scared or filled with anxiety. Like before a trip, waiting for someone, or about to do something I'm nervous about. Wales wishes she enjoyed cooking and was more spontaneous about it, less worried about following the recipe or getting it exactly right.
Goals for today:
1. Write review of the Waitress for Wales
2.
3. Write review of Shortbus
4.
5. Go to the Y and see if I can join on a trial basis and partake of their huge swimming pool - they are approximately 25-30 blocks away, but there's a subway not to far away from them. And it might work better than the expensive fitness collective. Plus pool. We'll see.
6. Buy yellow shirt to show unity with finance department. (sigh)
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 04:26 pm (UTC)Nods. Part of the fun of experimenting in the kitchen is that you (and maybe your family) are the only ones who see your triumphs or failures. If you had to crank out the same thing over and over in a timely manner, it would suck all the joy out of it.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 04:53 pm (UTC)I'm trying to think of why yellow would represent the blight of the finance department (wouldn't just a yellow ribbon/scarf do?).
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 10:33 pm (UTC)Or so the email stated. I just spent all day hunting a yellow shirt, found one finally at Anne Taylor Loft of all places. Banana Republic - na-da, American Media (LA org.) - has ridiculously small tops build for women with no shoulders or bust to speak of. In short tiny doll women - of which my area appears to be currently flooded. Most living with boyfriends.
And don't own a scarf or ribbon so wouldn't have worked either. No, have a shirt - it will work. Was 26 bucks but could have been worse.
Oh tonight, the second season of Hex starts on BBC America, it's basically Buffy meets Dark Shadows. Not great, but fun. Also The Closer and Saving Grace are starting. Along with Eureka, Starter Wife, Hidden Palms, Damages, and The Starter Wife. Yes, I can find tv shows.
And I have a ton of shows still saved from the week before, haven't gotten around to. Plus watching reruns of shows I missed during their regular seasons. Watching the Riches now, watched Dexter's finale and
Blood Ties season finale earlier.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 10:36 pm (UTC)People can be incredibly cruel and tactless when it comes to someone else's creative output I've discovered. They can also be incredibly supportive, loving, and complimentary. But when it's just you experimenting on you - you usually don't have to worry about the former.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 04:14 am (UTC)Yes, there will be some good Summer programming starting soon; if you haven't looked at 'On The Lot' you might enjoy it (Monday nights on Fox), it is a reality show but it is made up of serious film students (not celebrity wanna-bes) who are very creative and surprising. Besides, Carrie Fisher is one of the judges and I adore her.
I'm glad to see you found the appropriate shirt for Monday, I'm sure it'll pay off in co-worker solidarity and good-will.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 05:08 am (UTC)The first episode of this season rocked. It's only two seasons though.
I don't think it made it to a third. Can sort of see why.
Anywho - if I was renting on netflix - I'd skip most of the first and just start with the second.
Haven't tried The Lot yet - no cable last week so missed premiers and finales.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 04:19 pm (UTC)Oh BTW I taped Studio 60 the other night, if you have a VCR I'll be happy to send you the tape, it wasn't the finale I don't think but it was an interesting episode.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 04:46 pm (UTC)Miss the VCR, but I let it go finally.
I taped Studio 60 the week before, but missed this weeks. Might be able to catch on NBC.com if I need to. There's six episodes left - so wasn't the finale.
There's a two-hour episode of HEx that sets up the second season that you sort of need to see, first. But I'm sure you can get that on DVD.
Was rather impressed with last nights bits. Unlike the first season they moved quickly, lots of suspense, romance, and fun bits. More Buffyesque than Dark Shadows. Last season was a bit too Dark Shadowseque for my taste.