I opened up a box of Honey Teddy Grahams, super excited, because I haven't had them since I was a child and I love, love, loved them. Gag me already, because they are absolutely nasty. I was devastated. For the record though, I don't hate all Teddy Grahams. I polished off a box of the oatmeal ones about a month ago, and those were quite yummy.
Today's adventure was Mexican food, enchiladas to be specific. Despite all the reviews stating that the enchiladas took forever to make, I was confident that they could be assembled in a reasonable amount of time. Luckily for me, I was right. Barely. I got to Jim's house and immediately turned the oven on to 400 degrees. Then I husked a pound of tomatillos and placed them on a foil-lined baking sheet with jalapenos and a halved onion, drizzling them with a bit of EVOO and salt (my contributions). I forgot to also roast garlic alongside the veggies, but the rest of them roasted for 20 minutes while I started on the filling. I diced an onion and caramelized it in some EVOO before adding some chopped garlic and cumin. I then added flour and chicken broth, stirring them and making what Tyler calls a "veloute," something I've never heard of. After looking it up on wikipedia, I've learned the following:
"A velouté sauce, along with Béchamel, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato, is one of the classic 5 mother sauces of French cuisine."
Anyway, I made a veloute, simmering it over low heat until it thickened and the flour cooked off. I also stirred in some leftover creme fraiche (another addition of mine--what else was I going to do with it? It's close enough to sour cream, right?) and the rotisserie chicken that Jim shredded yesterday. When the veggies finished roasting, I tossed 'em into a food processor with cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice. I let Jim pulse the salsa into his desired consistency, which was pretty smooth. I added some of the salsa into the veloute and left the rest for the enchilada sauce.
Thereafter, it was a simple assembly-line process. I flash heated 10 tortillas over the gas burner (first time fun right there), dipped them in the salsa, spooned some filling into the tortilla, added cheese (a "Mexican" blend of Monterey Jack, cheddar, colby, and mozzarella that was low-fat instead of the listed Monterey Jack), rolled it up, and placed it in an 8 x 8 baking dish with some salsa spooned on the bottom. I made two 8 x 8 trays, then drizzled the remaining salsa and cheese on top before baking one of them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Of course I didn't try the chicken filling, but I tried a bit of the salsa and was quite impressed. There was a nice, full-bodied flavor with some kick to it. I'll have to make it again just to see if there's a difference with the roasted garlic because I liked the salsa even without the garlic. And Jim raved about them, so I'm thinking that this recipe is a keeper.
I didn't get to stick around for the finishing of the baking or the taste test because tonight I went to the SF Symphony with my dad to see Lang Lang perform. It was an amazing all-Beethoven program, with Lang Lang performing Beethoven's No. 1 and No. 4 concertos. Afterwards, I got his autograph and a picture. It was an interesting night for several non-music related reasons. First, because it was Lang Lang, there was a disproportionate number of Asians and Asian-Americans there. Don't get me wrong--the symphony patrons consist mostly of old WASPs and Asians, but tonight, Asians had at least the plurality. And with the droves of Asians naturally came lots of illegal picture taking, which I found incredibly amusing. I also learned that for Asian-American girls, there is no escaping the "outfit": the dress, the stockings, the shoes, and the hair pulled back or cut in a Peter Pan-esque style with bangs. You have to be Asian to understand. And while my mom considers me way more "American" than "Asian," I learned that I really am Asian. Case in point: when an older Asian woman cuts right in front of me 3 people before I get Lang Lang's autograph, I do nothing, even when she justifies her rudeness by saying that the parking garage is closing soon and it's another TWO HOURS before it actually does close. Of course, to combat any slight hint of Asianness I may have in me, I mugged a girl my age who acted completely Asian by running and shoving people out of her way to get in line for Lang Lang's autograph. I wanted to snap at her and tell her we're not in the mother country and that we don't behave that way in America, but I settled for a contemptuous look and a intentionally pitched "Seriously?" when I got in line like 3 people behind her after all of her antics. Of course, for the record, that made ME the rude one.
For the record, I am a pretty big Lang Lang fan. No, he's not the best out there, but he is definitely exciting, contemporary, and flashy. I get all of the criticism about him, I really do. And parts of me agree with it. But in the end, it doesn't really matter to me because he's just an incredible performer who draws you in. And there's no doubting his passion for music, which makes a big difference to me. MTT's associate conductor led the orchestra tonight, and I found it quite amusing that he was shorter than Lang Lang. It was a great night, and I'm glad that I went with my dad. I think it meant a lot to him, so that meant something to me.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Stinky chickie
Today I went out and bought a roasted deli chicken from Costco during my lunch break. It was a big four pound bird that stunk horribly, but it's the cheapest one you can get compared to Safeway and other such grocery stores. I banished it to my trunk immediately on my way over to Safeway, where I bought some Coke (buy 2, get 3 free), tomatillos, and asparagus. Safeway did its usual price ripping off, not giving me the 3 free ones. I happened to take a cursory glance at my receipt and saw 12% savings and did a double take. It took additional time to clear up the error with Customer Service, but I scored because the not-so-bright girl refunded me all three packs of Diet Vanilla Zero without charging me CRV. By the way, I do have a point to my grocery list recitation.
I used the chicken to make Giada's chicken and orzo frittata. Jim carved up the entire chicken for me, which was a bith help both timewise and also the fact that it let me deal with dead animals less is a huge, huge, huge plus. Most of the breasts went to the frittata and the rest of the bird went into a storage container for the anticipated use as an ingredient in Tyler Florence's chicken enchiladas (the reason for purchasing the tomatillos). I could have swore I had the frittata recipe, but I couldn't find it, so I had to wing it. I read the recipe online earlier today and tried to recreate it from memory. I was mostly successful, only forgetting the scallions. Of course, there were leftover scallions that I could have used up. Grr.
Anyway, I had Jim start with the roasting of the red bell pepper and cooking the orzo. He chose not to listen to me on the pepper, opting to keep the pan on a middle rack in the oven instead of next to the broiler, so I had to redo it. He also couldn't find the orzo, but at least the water was boiling when I got there.
After the pepper blistered, I stuck it in a paper bag for 15 minutes while I got the rest of the ingredients ready. I used ricotta, creme fraiche, parsley, 6 eggs (5 yolks), salt, and pepper, plus the orzo of course. Finally I threw in the red bell pepper after I peeled and diced it.
The dish went into a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes and then broiled for an additional five. The online reviews indicated that the frittata was on the bland side, but I figured that would be okay with Jim. And I have made the recipe once before, almost exactly a year ago. I remember, because Jim ate the leftovers for breakfast at the airport on our way to Hawaii. As before, Jim liked it, even without the green onions. I remembered that I forgot 'em while I was at the vet's office picking up Midget. I can tell the dog is feeling better, as she has become beyond obstinate and difficult. Stubborn donkey. I ran by Lucky's after I picked her up and was horrified to see that tomatillos were 99 cents a pound, while I paid $2.49 at Safeway. Assembling the enchiladas may very well be a week-long process, since they are time consuming and I am quite short on time this week. But I am excited about the making of 'em.
I have to say, rotisserie chickens are pretty convenient items. I may purchase them a little more often.
I used the chicken to make Giada's chicken and orzo frittata. Jim carved up the entire chicken for me, which was a bith help both timewise and also the fact that it let me deal with dead animals less is a huge, huge, huge plus. Most of the breasts went to the frittata and the rest of the bird went into a storage container for the anticipated use as an ingredient in Tyler Florence's chicken enchiladas (the reason for purchasing the tomatillos). I could have swore I had the frittata recipe, but I couldn't find it, so I had to wing it. I read the recipe online earlier today and tried to recreate it from memory. I was mostly successful, only forgetting the scallions. Of course, there were leftover scallions that I could have used up. Grr.
Anyway, I had Jim start with the roasting of the red bell pepper and cooking the orzo. He chose not to listen to me on the pepper, opting to keep the pan on a middle rack in the oven instead of next to the broiler, so I had to redo it. He also couldn't find the orzo, but at least the water was boiling when I got there.
After the pepper blistered, I stuck it in a paper bag for 15 minutes while I got the rest of the ingredients ready. I used ricotta, creme fraiche, parsley, 6 eggs (5 yolks), salt, and pepper, plus the orzo of course. Finally I threw in the red bell pepper after I peeled and diced it.
The dish went into a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes and then broiled for an additional five. The online reviews indicated that the frittata was on the bland side, but I figured that would be okay with Jim. And I have made the recipe once before, almost exactly a year ago. I remember, because Jim ate the leftovers for breakfast at the airport on our way to Hawaii. As before, Jim liked it, even without the green onions. I remembered that I forgot 'em while I was at the vet's office picking up Midget. I can tell the dog is feeling better, as she has become beyond obstinate and difficult. Stubborn donkey. I ran by Lucky's after I picked her up and was horrified to see that tomatillos were 99 cents a pound, while I paid $2.49 at Safeway. Assembling the enchiladas may very well be a week-long process, since they are time consuming and I am quite short on time this week. But I am excited about the making of 'em.
I have to say, rotisserie chickens are pretty convenient items. I may purchase them a little more often.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Recycling. Good for the pig. Good for the chicken.
So today I didn't technically cook anything, but since the BBQ sauce I made yesterday was used again, I think it kind of counts. Anyway, it was a productive, busy day, but not nearly as stressful as Saturday was. I ended up giving Midget a bath and washing my car. Both needed a good scrub down and they were overdue. I tried to start cleaning out my car and made some headway, but it's not like the backseat is inhabitable yet. Baby steps.
Jim and I didn't get much time together and ended up spending most of it at his parents' house for their Sunday family dinner. I didn't actually stay for dinner, but I hung out while Jim barbecued. One of the things he 'cued up was chicken wings, something that I've never bought and as a result, haven't seen cooked before. They're awfully small and a couple of them had a huge bone sticking out, clearly marking where the wing had been severed from the body. Pretty gross visual. Jim used the BBQ sauce to glaze the wings and apparently the result was a success. Big A had three servings, which is amazing given how picky the child is. So I think that the sauce is a keeper.
Oh, and Midget's blood sugar level was down to 256. Yay!
Jim and I didn't get much time together and ended up spending most of it at his parents' house for their Sunday family dinner. I didn't actually stay for dinner, but I hung out while Jim barbecued. One of the things he 'cued up was chicken wings, something that I've never bought and as a result, haven't seen cooked before. They're awfully small and a couple of them had a huge bone sticking out, clearly marking where the wing had been severed from the body. Pretty gross visual. Jim used the BBQ sauce to glaze the wings and apparently the result was a success. Big A had three servings, which is amazing given how picky the child is. So I think that the sauce is a keeper.
Oh, and Midget's blood sugar level was down to 256. Yay!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Rush hour
Today was a fricking insane day. I'm not sure how I survived. I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but it's true. Saturdays especially are proving to be horrible nightmares (and Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest). I woke up at 7:30 to bake some blueberry coffeecake muffins. I had mixed the batter the previous night (at 1:30 am), but this morning I folded in the blueberries and baked them off. The recipe was courtesy of Barefoot Contessa--butter, flour, sugar, milk, sour cream, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and eggs. It was a typical batter-making process which was speeded up with my Kitchen Aid. I placed the entire bowl into the fridge and a bowl of washed blueberries next to it. I also lined the muffin pans with cupcake cups. Even though all I had to do was fold in the blueberries and fill them with an ice cream scoop, it still took a decent amount of time. They went into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
While they baked, I cooked some quinoa for my mom. My mom happens to suffer from these horrendous allergies, which renders her unable to eat basically any normal food. She's on a super restrictive diet, and one of the few things she can eat is quinoa, a super healthy grain that has a decent amount of protein in it. Quinoa is cooked similarly to rice. I washed it and then boiled it for about 15 minutes until all of the water was absorbed. My parents were on the East coast because my aunt passed away earlier in the week. They left on Thursday and came back today. I figured she would need some food, and even though I didn't really have the time to cook anything, I knew I needed to make the time for it. I've never made quinoa before, but it was easy enough, especially since she can't have anything normal to add flavor to it besides salt. All I did was add some salt and scramble an egg into it (that didn't work out so well--I think I needed another egg).
The muffins turned out really beautiful and golden. The church had a bake sale, so I needed to make something. Since I've been wanting to try this recipe, it was two birds with one stone. The recipe said it made 16 muffins, but I got 24 out of them. A dozen went to the church bake sale, 6 were for Jim, and 6 for my dad. I sampled one and was pretty pleased with the moistness. My chief complaint about muffins is that they either taste too much like cake or they're dry. This was a nice balance between the two. Unfortunately, when you know how much fat goes into the baked good, it's hard to be okay eating it.
Anyway, I had to rush home to take care of Midget. I loaded the muffins, quinoa, and Midget's food into my car and drove back. When I got there (around 8:30), I fed and shot Midget, finished up the program for the church concert that night, loaded up my muffins into appropriate boxes for the bake sale, tried to straighten up the house a bit, finished up the quinoa (added peas and a tbsp of butter), and then got ready for church. I left for church at 9:30 (late of course) in my mom's car and practiced for my duet for the evening's concert before going upstairs to teach the Primary class.
Right after church ended (10:45), I took off for the Oakland airport to pick up my parents. While driving on 80, I called Goog-411 to get Herbivore's number and then phoned in a takeout order for a couple of chicken burritos. I exited the freeway to pick them up and then grabbed my parents from the airport (12:00). My parents were thankful for the food (their stomachs were on East coast time), so I'm glad I went the extra mile on that.
I dropped them off at home at 12:45 and switched cars. I was almost out of gas, so I had to swing by Costco to fill up before heading back to church for the children's choir practice. I consumed my burrito en route to Costco. It was sooo yummy. My dad really loved the food, too, but I wasn't surprised at that, since it's a grubbing burrito.
When I got back to church, I set up the week's craft, which were fish magnets. I decided to get a little smarter about it and filled each craft in a ziploc bag. When they were done practicing, all I had to was hand each a bag filled with the fish color they wanted (pink, orange, or green). After I handed out the bags, I took off downstairs to find A so we could practice a little more. She was still busy, so I went back upstairs. To my dismay, NONE of the parents bothered to supervise the kids, so they were making a complete mess of things. They started using the paint pens to decorate the fish--the paint pens that are for sun catchers. I cleaned up some of the mess, gave them strict instructions on what was and was not acceptable for this craft and then went back downstairs to practice. I ran through my student J's performance for the evening's program. She was doing a little narration/piano deal called "The Sunny Snowbear." I performed the thing when I was about her age, and it is such a cute little thing. I now feel sorry for my old teacher, because it was so much WORK to get her prepped for it.
I left church to run to Powell Brothers Feed store to pick up some more Merrick's dog food for Midget. I got a flat of Grammy's Pot Pie and Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I also grabbed a single can of some chicken thigh. The two I got flats of were flavors she really seemed to like, and the chicken thigh one was a flavor she hadn't yet tried. The dog seems to favor poultry, so I was pretty optimistic for that one.
After the store, I went to Brentwood to give Big A a piano lesson. They were late, so I practiced until he got there. After the lesson, I ran home to pick up my video camera and the muffins and went back to church. I arrived around 4 and then put in some serious practice time with A and my dad. I also ran through J's performance again and then went to put on some makeup before the concert started at 6. I finished up with about 5 minutes to spare.
The performance went really well. I was extremely happy with how I played, and it was just fun. People really seemed to enjoy it too, which is always nice. I asked Tennis J to videotape us, and we got cut off a little at the beginning and the end, but I was able to play back and self-critique most of it. A's hubby L did an audio recording, so I'll need to get a copy of that. J did . . . okay. She could have done better, but it was cute and the audience seemed to love it. T also performed his Tarentella, and I was very disappointed. It really wasn't very good and I was not happy that he didn't practice enough for it.
Anyway, the program ended close to 8, and I was off again to feed and shoot Midget. I changed clothes and then finally got some down time to hang out with Jim. We went to Matsuri's for dinner, and for the first time all day, I got to relax for a bit. I had that post-performance euphoria going on, too. I got a veggie maki and a veggie hand roll, both of which were super good. Jim got a Dynamite roll and a Lion King. We shared some agedashi tofu and edamame (I think Jim has finally learned how to pronounce it). I forgot that I don't like their agedashi tofu, but I ate my half anyway. Jim doesn't particularly care for it either. Oh well. For dessert, we got a couple of mochi ice creams. I got strawberry and Jim got coffee, but we shared.
What a day. It was definitely nice wrapping it up with Jim, though.
While they baked, I cooked some quinoa for my mom. My mom happens to suffer from these horrendous allergies, which renders her unable to eat basically any normal food. She's on a super restrictive diet, and one of the few things she can eat is quinoa, a super healthy grain that has a decent amount of protein in it. Quinoa is cooked similarly to rice. I washed it and then boiled it for about 15 minutes until all of the water was absorbed. My parents were on the East coast because my aunt passed away earlier in the week. They left on Thursday and came back today. I figured she would need some food, and even though I didn't really have the time to cook anything, I knew I needed to make the time for it. I've never made quinoa before, but it was easy enough, especially since she can't have anything normal to add flavor to it besides salt. All I did was add some salt and scramble an egg into it (that didn't work out so well--I think I needed another egg).
The muffins turned out really beautiful and golden. The church had a bake sale, so I needed to make something. Since I've been wanting to try this recipe, it was two birds with one stone. The recipe said it made 16 muffins, but I got 24 out of them. A dozen went to the church bake sale, 6 were for Jim, and 6 for my dad. I sampled one and was pretty pleased with the moistness. My chief complaint about muffins is that they either taste too much like cake or they're dry. This was a nice balance between the two. Unfortunately, when you know how much fat goes into the baked good, it's hard to be okay eating it.
Anyway, I had to rush home to take care of Midget. I loaded the muffins, quinoa, and Midget's food into my car and drove back. When I got there (around 8:30), I fed and shot Midget, finished up the program for the church concert that night, loaded up my muffins into appropriate boxes for the bake sale, tried to straighten up the house a bit, finished up the quinoa (added peas and a tbsp of butter), and then got ready for church. I left for church at 9:30 (late of course) in my mom's car and practiced for my duet for the evening's concert before going upstairs to teach the Primary class.
Right after church ended (10:45), I took off for the Oakland airport to pick up my parents. While driving on 80, I called Goog-411 to get Herbivore's number and then phoned in a takeout order for a couple of chicken burritos. I exited the freeway to pick them up and then grabbed my parents from the airport (12:00). My parents were thankful for the food (their stomachs were on East coast time), so I'm glad I went the extra mile on that.
I dropped them off at home at 12:45 and switched cars. I was almost out of gas, so I had to swing by Costco to fill up before heading back to church for the children's choir practice. I consumed my burrito en route to Costco. It was sooo yummy. My dad really loved the food, too, but I wasn't surprised at that, since it's a grubbing burrito.
When I got back to church, I set up the week's craft, which were fish magnets. I decided to get a little smarter about it and filled each craft in a ziploc bag. When they were done practicing, all I had to was hand each a bag filled with the fish color they wanted (pink, orange, or green). After I handed out the bags, I took off downstairs to find A so we could practice a little more. She was still busy, so I went back upstairs. To my dismay, NONE of the parents bothered to supervise the kids, so they were making a complete mess of things. They started using the paint pens to decorate the fish--the paint pens that are for sun catchers. I cleaned up some of the mess, gave them strict instructions on what was and was not acceptable for this craft and then went back downstairs to practice. I ran through my student J's performance for the evening's program. She was doing a little narration/piano deal called "The Sunny Snowbear." I performed the thing when I was about her age, and it is such a cute little thing. I now feel sorry for my old teacher, because it was so much WORK to get her prepped for it.
I left church to run to Powell Brothers Feed store to pick up some more Merrick's dog food for Midget. I got a flat of Grammy's Pot Pie and Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I also grabbed a single can of some chicken thigh. The two I got flats of were flavors she really seemed to like, and the chicken thigh one was a flavor she hadn't yet tried. The dog seems to favor poultry, so I was pretty optimistic for that one.
After the store, I went to Brentwood to give Big A a piano lesson. They were late, so I practiced until he got there. After the lesson, I ran home to pick up my video camera and the muffins and went back to church. I arrived around 4 and then put in some serious practice time with A and my dad. I also ran through J's performance again and then went to put on some makeup before the concert started at 6. I finished up with about 5 minutes to spare.
The performance went really well. I was extremely happy with how I played, and it was just fun. People really seemed to enjoy it too, which is always nice. I asked Tennis J to videotape us, and we got cut off a little at the beginning and the end, but I was able to play back and self-critique most of it. A's hubby L did an audio recording, so I'll need to get a copy of that. J did . . . okay. She could have done better, but it was cute and the audience seemed to love it. T also performed his Tarentella, and I was very disappointed. It really wasn't very good and I was not happy that he didn't practice enough for it.
Anyway, the program ended close to 8, and I was off again to feed and shoot Midget. I changed clothes and then finally got some down time to hang out with Jim. We went to Matsuri's for dinner, and for the first time all day, I got to relax for a bit. I had that post-performance euphoria going on, too. I got a veggie maki and a veggie hand roll, both of which were super good. Jim got a Dynamite roll and a Lion King. We shared some agedashi tofu and edamame (I think Jim has finally learned how to pronounce it). I forgot that I don't like their agedashi tofu, but I ate my half anyway. Jim doesn't particularly care for it either. Oh well. For dessert, we got a couple of mochi ice creams. I got strawberry and Jim got coffee, but we shared.
What a day. It was definitely nice wrapping it up with Jim, though.
Friday, April 25, 2008
I got my baby back . . .
Baby back, baby back ribs! L & L's A came over for a somewhat impromptu BBQ for dinner last night. L and I had originally talked about a BBQ Wednesday night, but that was when the plan was wakeboarding. Unfortunately, there was a series of complications that resulted in no wakeboarding, so I figured our dinner plans were also cancelled. But while Jim and I were eating In-N-Out for lunch, I got a text from L asking if we were still down for a BBQ. I was pretty excited to get his text, and I was actually in the midst of discussing our Friday night plans with Jim when L texted me. See, I had bought 3.14 pounds of baby back pork ribs at Nugget Thursday, and they needed to be cooked up in the next few days. I wanted to cook up the ribs anyway, and having them over made the prospect even more fun. I texted L, saying that I had the ribs, which, in retrospect, must have thrown him a bit being a vegetarian and all. At any rate, that's the short of how we ended up with company for dinner.
As I said before, we went to In-N-Out for lunch. The weather was nice enough that we were able to eat outside, which I always enjoy. We sat on the sunny side of the restaurant just to maximize the heat. I was sorely disappointed with their fries--I don't think they were quite done, and as a result, most of them were greasy, soggy, and less than palatable. Even after blotting them, they were still too oily. Oh well. It happens.
I actually didn't get off of work all that early, and after stopping by Costco for a few supplies ('shrooms, eggs, and milk), I got to Jim's house around 5:20. Jim was at the gym, teaching his private swim lessons, so I was all by myself initially. I grabbed the ribs from the fridge and opened them up, placing them on a foil-lined baking sheet. I sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides and then brushed 'em with EVOO before popping them into a 250 degree oven for an hour and a half.
While the ribs baked, I ran to Safeway for a few additional ingredients (thyme, green onions, and peach preserves) and then to my house to pick up Midget (and cumin). Jim got home sometime in the middle of all of my running around and he was straightening up the house when I got back. Midget was all excited at the change in her routine and spent the next couple of hours inspecting the backyard.
I started in on the BBQ sauce while the ribs continued baking. I used Tyler Florence's Ultimate Ribs recipe, and I actually watched the show he made them on. I'm not the hugest Tyler Florence fan, but his recipes seem pretty good. A lot of what he likes aren't Jim's favorites--for example, he's all about chicken legs, whereas Jim's favorite part of the bird is the breast. So I don't usually turn to his recipes, because his emphases aren't what Jim prefers, so it makes no sense. But I digress. This recipe was definitely one that I had wanted to try. The online reviews were absolutely glowing, and it wasn't a difficult sauce to make. I wrapped a couple of slices of bacon around a few sprigs of thyme and tossed them into a saucepan with EVOO, frying the bacon for a few minutes before adding half of an onion and three smashed garlic cloves and continuing to cook for an additional five minutes. Then I added ketchup, peach preserves, cumin, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon, and paprika and simmered the mixture for 20 minutes. That's all there was to it. I placed some in a separate bowl for basting the ribs, which I did twice over the course of 30 minutes (after the initial 1.5 hours). At this point, my job was done. I took the ribs out of the oven and gave them to the boys (L & A arrived while the ribs were still in the oven) to grill off (a deviation from the recipe, but this WAS a barbecue after all).
L & A brought over a ton of veggies--eggplant (a request from me since I forgot to buy some at Safeway), portabello mushrooms, corn (A's favorite), and asparagus, as well as a watermelon, which L couldn't wait to hack open and start in on. Despite the earliness of the season, the melon wasn't half bad. I thought it would be a lot mealier, but the texture was fine. It wasn't the sweetest, juiciest thing, but that's something that only happens in the summer. I gave the boys EVOO, salt, pepper, and aluminum foil, and after A & I washed the veggies, we washed our hands (literally) of them.
That's not to say that we weren't busy in the meantime. I whipped up a batch of Ina's cheddar and jalapeno cornbread, A buttered a loaf of sourdough bread, and I also made some hummus for my grilled lavash pizza, recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay. I cut out a lot of the EVOO that he called for after looking at a Cooking Light recipe that subbed water for a lot of the oil. But the flavorings were all Bobby, so I'm crediting the recipe to him. Besides the obvious chickpeas, tahini, and water, I added garlic, cumin, cayenne, and lemon. I omitted additional salt and pepper, as well as parsley, the former for healthiness and the latter because I simply forgot. But I was pretty happy with the taste. It had some definite kick to it and wasn't quite as creamy as it would have been had I used an extra 1/2 cup of EVOO, but it was yummy nevertheless.
I had bought some lavash bread at TJ's, which was oiled and thrown on the grill. Their first attempt at grilling it turned the flatbread into more of a cracker, which, although yummy, was not quite what I had in mind. The second bread turned out better. The first eggplants fittingly turned out cajun style and I ended up using the second batch on the lavash. All I did was slice them up and use them as toppings on the bread--the hummus was the tomato sauce. I didn't have any feta, so I went without. I apparently completely spaced on this recipe, since I missed out on both eggplant and feta, but I still liked the product.
Speaking of the grilling though, the boys seemed to have fun drinking their beer and 'cueing. L bought a pair of reefs with bottle openers on the bottom, so each one had a reef on one foot and one of Jim's flip flops on the other. Those two are quite a pair. A and I shook our heads in amazement at how boys never grow up. Their first attempt at opening the beer (had to be while wearing the flip flop, mind you) resulted in it spraying everywhere. Midget lapped up the stuff, and I was horrified at my alcoholic dog. L tried again with a Bud Light and was ecstatic with his success until Jim rained on his parade by informing him that Bud Lights are twist tops.
In summary, here's what got grilled off: asparagus, portabello mushrooms, eggplant, ribs, sourdough bread, corn, and lavash.
What burned: parts of the corn, the first batch of eggplant, and one lavash.
Anyway, the food was all ready sometime close to 9 pm and we sat down to eat. Everything turned out fantastic. As for my contributions, I was so happy that my cornbread and BBQ sauce were well-received. The bread was soo good grilled. I'm going to have to remember that cooking preparation method. I expected it to be good, since crostini always goes over well. There's something about the crispy texture and smoky flavor that pair so nicely together. I haven't had grilled corn since last year and I was so happy to eat it again. A and Jim love corn, but it's not my favorite veggie unless it's grilled. If it's grilled, I'm all about it. That is one veggie that benefits so much from the smoky, charred dimension.
It always amazes me how much of a mess barbecuing creates. It's like you make up for keeping the mess outdoors with all of the dirty dishes, tongs, and platters that are needed. But the reason why I always love having L over is that he's a fantastic guest. Not only does he bring food, but he also helps with the cleanup.
We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out. L played with his jet ski and Midget was so happy with all of the people to hang out with that she didn't know what to do. She was beside herself with excitement for most of the evening. I allowed her in the house for parts of the night, and she was partly confused and partly fascinated. She didn't really ever sit or lie down. For the most part, she wandered around, her head moving back and forth like a shark and sniffing everything. For whatever reason, the fireplace absolutely intrigued her.
Being a vegetarian, barbecues weren't something I grew up with, but I really have grown to enjoy them. It's such a social, fun thing to do, and the food is fantastic. And it's a great way to entertain even if you don't have a lot of kitchen room. All we need is to get an outdoor table, and we're all set. Plus some citronella candles. :-)
As I said before, we went to In-N-Out for lunch. The weather was nice enough that we were able to eat outside, which I always enjoy. We sat on the sunny side of the restaurant just to maximize the heat. I was sorely disappointed with their fries--I don't think they were quite done, and as a result, most of them were greasy, soggy, and less than palatable. Even after blotting them, they were still too oily. Oh well. It happens.
I actually didn't get off of work all that early, and after stopping by Costco for a few supplies ('shrooms, eggs, and milk), I got to Jim's house around 5:20. Jim was at the gym, teaching his private swim lessons, so I was all by myself initially. I grabbed the ribs from the fridge and opened them up, placing them on a foil-lined baking sheet. I sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides and then brushed 'em with EVOO before popping them into a 250 degree oven for an hour and a half.
While the ribs baked, I ran to Safeway for a few additional ingredients (thyme, green onions, and peach preserves) and then to my house to pick up Midget (and cumin). Jim got home sometime in the middle of all of my running around and he was straightening up the house when I got back. Midget was all excited at the change in her routine and spent the next couple of hours inspecting the backyard.
I started in on the BBQ sauce while the ribs continued baking. I used Tyler Florence's Ultimate Ribs recipe, and I actually watched the show he made them on. I'm not the hugest Tyler Florence fan, but his recipes seem pretty good. A lot of what he likes aren't Jim's favorites--for example, he's all about chicken legs, whereas Jim's favorite part of the bird is the breast. So I don't usually turn to his recipes, because his emphases aren't what Jim prefers, so it makes no sense. But I digress. This recipe was definitely one that I had wanted to try. The online reviews were absolutely glowing, and it wasn't a difficult sauce to make. I wrapped a couple of slices of bacon around a few sprigs of thyme and tossed them into a saucepan with EVOO, frying the bacon for a few minutes before adding half of an onion and three smashed garlic cloves and continuing to cook for an additional five minutes. Then I added ketchup, peach preserves, cumin, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon, and paprika and simmered the mixture for 20 minutes. That's all there was to it. I placed some in a separate bowl for basting the ribs, which I did twice over the course of 30 minutes (after the initial 1.5 hours). At this point, my job was done. I took the ribs out of the oven and gave them to the boys (L & A arrived while the ribs were still in the oven) to grill off (a deviation from the recipe, but this WAS a barbecue after all).
L & A brought over a ton of veggies--eggplant (a request from me since I forgot to buy some at Safeway), portabello mushrooms, corn (A's favorite), and asparagus, as well as a watermelon, which L couldn't wait to hack open and start in on. Despite the earliness of the season, the melon wasn't half bad. I thought it would be a lot mealier, but the texture was fine. It wasn't the sweetest, juiciest thing, but that's something that only happens in the summer. I gave the boys EVOO, salt, pepper, and aluminum foil, and after A & I washed the veggies, we washed our hands (literally) of them.
That's not to say that we weren't busy in the meantime. I whipped up a batch of Ina's cheddar and jalapeno cornbread, A buttered a loaf of sourdough bread, and I also made some hummus for my grilled lavash pizza, recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay. I cut out a lot of the EVOO that he called for after looking at a Cooking Light recipe that subbed water for a lot of the oil. But the flavorings were all Bobby, so I'm crediting the recipe to him. Besides the obvious chickpeas, tahini, and water, I added garlic, cumin, cayenne, and lemon. I omitted additional salt and pepper, as well as parsley, the former for healthiness and the latter because I simply forgot. But I was pretty happy with the taste. It had some definite kick to it and wasn't quite as creamy as it would have been had I used an extra 1/2 cup of EVOO, but it was yummy nevertheless.
I had bought some lavash bread at TJ's, which was oiled and thrown on the grill. Their first attempt at grilling it turned the flatbread into more of a cracker, which, although yummy, was not quite what I had in mind. The second bread turned out better. The first eggplants fittingly turned out cajun style and I ended up using the second batch on the lavash. All I did was slice them up and use them as toppings on the bread--the hummus was the tomato sauce. I didn't have any feta, so I went without. I apparently completely spaced on this recipe, since I missed out on both eggplant and feta, but I still liked the product.
Speaking of the grilling though, the boys seemed to have fun drinking their beer and 'cueing. L bought a pair of reefs with bottle openers on the bottom, so each one had a reef on one foot and one of Jim's flip flops on the other. Those two are quite a pair. A and I shook our heads in amazement at how boys never grow up. Their first attempt at opening the beer (had to be while wearing the flip flop, mind you) resulted in it spraying everywhere. Midget lapped up the stuff, and I was horrified at my alcoholic dog. L tried again with a Bud Light and was ecstatic with his success until Jim rained on his parade by informing him that Bud Lights are twist tops.
In summary, here's what got grilled off: asparagus, portabello mushrooms, eggplant, ribs, sourdough bread, corn, and lavash.
What burned: parts of the corn, the first batch of eggplant, and one lavash.
Anyway, the food was all ready sometime close to 9 pm and we sat down to eat. Everything turned out fantastic. As for my contributions, I was so happy that my cornbread and BBQ sauce were well-received. The bread was soo good grilled. I'm going to have to remember that cooking preparation method. I expected it to be good, since crostini always goes over well. There's something about the crispy texture and smoky flavor that pair so nicely together. I haven't had grilled corn since last year and I was so happy to eat it again. A and Jim love corn, but it's not my favorite veggie unless it's grilled. If it's grilled, I'm all about it. That is one veggie that benefits so much from the smoky, charred dimension.
It always amazes me how much of a mess barbecuing creates. It's like you make up for keeping the mess outdoors with all of the dirty dishes, tongs, and platters that are needed. But the reason why I always love having L over is that he's a fantastic guest. Not only does he bring food, but he also helps with the cleanup.
We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out. L played with his jet ski and Midget was so happy with all of the people to hang out with that she didn't know what to do. She was beside herself with excitement for most of the evening. I allowed her in the house for parts of the night, and she was partly confused and partly fascinated. She didn't really ever sit or lie down. For the most part, she wandered around, her head moving back and forth like a shark and sniffing everything. For whatever reason, the fireplace absolutely intrigued her.
Being a vegetarian, barbecues weren't something I grew up with, but I really have grown to enjoy them. It's such a social, fun thing to do, and the food is fantastic. And it's a great way to entertain even if you don't have a lot of kitchen room. All we need is to get an outdoor table, and we're all set. Plus some citronella candles. :-)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Happy Hour
I was all set for Jim to eat some leftovers for dinner tonight, but he decided that he wanted to go out to eat. We haven't actually gone out to eat all week, so I guess we were due. We ended up at Chevy's in the middle of Happy Hour, so we sat down in bar area and got a super deal with a $3 appetizer (nachos grande, sub black beans for chicken), a $3.25 raspberry-strawberry margarita (for Jim of course), and dinner entrees of fajitas (portabello mushroom and asparagus for me, the mixed grill for Jim). I am not at all at tequila fan, so I don't care for margaritas, but there is almost no alcohol in Chevy's margaritas, so it wasn't awful. I hogged the raspberry topping, though and left most of the drink to Jim.
The nachos were surprisingly good and awfully generous considering the Happy Hour price. And their fajitas were as good as they always are. Jim bit into something hot and was griping about it. I was extended my sympathy when I bit into something hot and then the tears starting coming. Not really, but I got sniffly pretty quickly. It was horrible.
The nachos were surprisingly good and awfully generous considering the Happy Hour price. And their fajitas were as good as they always are. Jim bit into something hot and was griping about it. I was extended my sympathy when I bit into something hot and then the tears starting coming. Not really, but I got sniffly pretty quickly. It was horrible.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Luscious Joes
This morning I dropped by Jim's house to get organized for tonight's dinner. I pulled out Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, canned tomato sauce, a tube of tomato paste, and a can of pinto beans onto the counter. I also grabbed some whole wheat buns from the freezer and put them in the fridge to defrost. During lunch, I ran to TJ's and Safeway for unsulfured molasses, jalapeno, and mustard powder.
When I got home, I immediately turned on the oven to 375 degrees and prepped a couple of sweet potatoes to be roasted. Then I turned my attention to chopping up the vegetables for the Sloppy Joes. I diced up a red bell pepper, a couple of onions, and some garlic. Jim came downstairs in the middle of my chopping and he seemed somewhat appalled at all of the veggies going into the dish. He said they were fancy Sloppy Joes and nothing like what he grew up with. I asked him what he meant and he referenced something about it coming out of a can. I had no idea Sloppy Joes came in a can and commented on it, and he was in turn shocked at my ignorance. I felt a little testy at his reaction--I don't eat meat and I didn't grow up eating canned crap, so how would I know? Anyway, you learn something new every day.
So the 96% lean ground beef got browned for five minutes with the onions, and then the rest of the veggies were tossed in for another five minutes. I put Jim on monitoring the pan while I assembled the rest of the ingredients. I had to rinse and drain the pinto beans, and I stirred all of the flavoring agents into the tomato sauce before adding the beans and flavored sauce into the skillet. I reduced the heat to low and simmered the ingredients together until the flavors melded (or so I assumed).
I served the Joe mixture on the toasted whole wheat buns, and they turned out just like the picture. Jim said he liked it, which is good, because it was 8 servings. I used Ellie Krieger's recipe, which meant that it was a very healthy version of Sloppy Joes. Ellie is a Food Network chef whose book I borrowed from the library. I was very pleased with the book and have since bought it. The recipes aren't overly difficult and she's a registered dietician who creates healthy meals without all of them being lowfat and low-cal. What I don't particularly care for is her show, "Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger." Her use of adjectives slightly annoys and wears on me--I don't know exactly what the problem is, but the recipes themselves seem great. And for whatever reason, even though hearing the words grate my nerves, I love her descriptions of the food when I read about them. Okay, I kind of know why: my own writing style tends towards the use (or overuse) of lots of adjectives. But anyway, I was very happy that I was able to cook a healthy meal for Jim that was also tasty (and luscious, as Ellie would say).
Oh yeah, I cooked more than the Sloppy Joes. I made a mess out of Bobby Flay's twice baked sweet potatoes. My first problem was that they weren't totally baked when I scraped them out of their skins. So they didn't mash very well, and then on top of it, my masher sucks. I was supposed to use a ricer, but I don't have one. The bits were mixed with butter, pureed chipotle in adobo, half and half (instead of heavy cream), maple syrup, and creme fraiche and then returned into the skins. I tried to make up for the fact that the potatoes weren't super squishy by throwing the mixture into a baking dish and cooking it a little longer. It still wasn't mushing up very well, so I finally gave up up and stuffed the mixture back into the skins and baked them off. Although the texture wasn't what it should have been the overall flavor was really nice. Next time I'll bake the potatoes longer and use a ricer. That ought to make 'em uber-silky and up the dish.
When I got home, I immediately turned on the oven to 375 degrees and prepped a couple of sweet potatoes to be roasted. Then I turned my attention to chopping up the vegetables for the Sloppy Joes. I diced up a red bell pepper, a couple of onions, and some garlic. Jim came downstairs in the middle of my chopping and he seemed somewhat appalled at all of the veggies going into the dish. He said they were fancy Sloppy Joes and nothing like what he grew up with. I asked him what he meant and he referenced something about it coming out of a can. I had no idea Sloppy Joes came in a can and commented on it, and he was in turn shocked at my ignorance. I felt a little testy at his reaction--I don't eat meat and I didn't grow up eating canned crap, so how would I know? Anyway, you learn something new every day.
So the 96% lean ground beef got browned for five minutes with the onions, and then the rest of the veggies were tossed in for another five minutes. I put Jim on monitoring the pan while I assembled the rest of the ingredients. I had to rinse and drain the pinto beans, and I stirred all of the flavoring agents into the tomato sauce before adding the beans and flavored sauce into the skillet. I reduced the heat to low and simmered the ingredients together until the flavors melded (or so I assumed).
I served the Joe mixture on the toasted whole wheat buns, and they turned out just like the picture. Jim said he liked it, which is good, because it was 8 servings. I used Ellie Krieger's recipe, which meant that it was a very healthy version of Sloppy Joes. Ellie is a Food Network chef whose book I borrowed from the library. I was very pleased with the book and have since bought it. The recipes aren't overly difficult and she's a registered dietician who creates healthy meals without all of them being lowfat and low-cal. What I don't particularly care for is her show, "Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger." Her use of adjectives slightly annoys and wears on me--I don't know exactly what the problem is, but the recipes themselves seem great. And for whatever reason, even though hearing the words grate my nerves, I love her descriptions of the food when I read about them. Okay, I kind of know why: my own writing style tends towards the use (or overuse) of lots of adjectives. But anyway, I was very happy that I was able to cook a healthy meal for Jim that was also tasty (and luscious, as Ellie would say).
Oh yeah, I cooked more than the Sloppy Joes. I made a mess out of Bobby Flay's twice baked sweet potatoes. My first problem was that they weren't totally baked when I scraped them out of their skins. So they didn't mash very well, and then on top of it, my masher sucks. I was supposed to use a ricer, but I don't have one. The bits were mixed with butter, pureed chipotle in adobo, half and half (instead of heavy cream), maple syrup, and creme fraiche and then returned into the skins. I tried to make up for the fact that the potatoes weren't super squishy by throwing the mixture into a baking dish and cooking it a little longer. It still wasn't mushing up very well, so I finally gave up up and stuffed the mixture back into the skins and baked them off. Although the texture wasn't what it should have been the overall flavor was really nice. Next time I'll bake the potatoes longer and use a ricer. That ought to make 'em uber-silky and up the dish.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Jimmy ate a little lamb
Jim and I met up at Baja Fresh for a very quick lunch today. I had a 1:30, and he didn't get there until 1:15, so it didn't really make sense for us to eat lunch together, but he had errands to run in the area anyway. I was happy to see him, even if it was only for 15 minutes or so.
I ordered beforehand just to save time. I requested two Baja fish tacos and refilled the sports drink cup for 99 cents. And I went with the Queso Fundido nachos just for the heck of it. It was only $1.34 and it was new, so I figured, why not? It turned out to be a pretty good thing. The cheese dip was spicy and quite tasty. Jim discovered that pairing the queso with the pinto beans that came with his taco meal was perfect. For whatever reason, I was absolutely famished, so I ate some in addition to my roasted vegetable sandwich (which, for the record, was super yummy).
Midget went in to see the vet today (again) for an all-day visit in order to do a blood glucose curve. She wasn't ready until 6:30, so I went over to Jim's right after work to quickly whip up dinner. We had gotten some ground lamb from Whole Foods and I decided to make proscuitto lamb burgers, courtesy of Giada. The recipe is super easy and relatively quick, which was perfect for today.
I beat an egg into my largest Williams-Sonoma glass bowl, then dumped in 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 a cup of grated Pecorino Romano, 3/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt (instead of the 3/4 tsp called for), 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley (regular instead of Italian flat-leaf cuz that's what I had), and 2 tbsp of half and half (instead of whole milk, cuz we're all out). I stirred it together and then incorporated a pound of ground lamb, mixing it by (gloved) hand. I laid out 6 pieces of proscuitto on top of some parchment paper, scored the mixture into 6 pieces, and then molded them into patties, wrapping each in a slice of proscuitto.
I put Jim on frying duty, which ended up being about 7 minutes on each side, cooking them in EVOO. They were fried in two batches of three. The first batch almost burned, because I set the timer for 8 minutes, which was the upper limit of the listed cooking time. I patted the second batch thinner, just to ensure that the lamb was cooked through. The problem was making sure that the proscuitto didn't burn.
Anyway, I didn't finish the burgers off like Giada called for (a slice of tomato and spring of basil on top of each), mostly because Jim doesn't really care for either. Well, he likes basil, but not in a piece on top of something. So the overall effect wasn't as pretty as hers. But they were pretty nice looking and the sun-dried tomato bits gave some pretty bursts of color in the patty. I tried draining the burgers on paper towels, but to my surprise, there really wasn't a ton of fat.
Jim liked the dish enough to eat three burgers. Seeing as the dish was supposed to serve 4-6, I'd say that was a pretty big compliment. So based on tonight's helping, he only has one more meal out of it. I was a little concerned about the salt content, but he said it was plenty salty. I know proscuitto is pretty salty by itself, but I wasn't sure if 1/4 tsp of salt was enough for the rest of the meat. Next time I may simply omit all of the added salt because the cheese ought to give the meat mixture enough saltiness. Because the dish was so easy, there will likely be a next time.
This is only the second or third time I've cooked lamb, and this is certainly the first time I've tried ground lamb. But Jim seems to like it, so I may try to make it more often. I've come to the realization that while organic and other higher quality meats are more expensive, it's still way cheaper than eating out. Today's meat was $7.99 for a pound, and the proscuitto was probably $3. The other ingredients probably cost about $5 and then about $1 for the side of asparagus I steamed. So it was $17 for two meals. Seeing as Jim's Baja Fresh lunch cost $9, that's essentially the same price and it was a heck of a lot more food that I cooked. So basically, so long as Jim isn't eating fast food all the time (like $3.50 of fish tacos from Rubio's), it's going to be far cheaper to cook some high quality, healthy meals. And really, how can you put a price tag on healthy food? Is it really worth saving a few dollars for him to eat three-headed chickens that have been pumped full of antibiotics and crap?
I did some online research about lamb and discovered that it's very good for you, with tons of zinc, B12, B3, and of course protein. The downside is the high level of saturated fat, but that's a portion thing. You're supposed to have a 4 ounce serving. Jim had twice that tonight, about 8 ounces. Of course, Jim eats (and needs) about twice as much as the average person. The saturated fat level concerns me, but if I supplement the meal with some more veggies and a starch, he might be okay with 2 instead of 3 burgers, which would mean a 5 1/3 ounce serving. That's not so bad.
As for the rest of my day, when I picked Midget up from the vet, I was very disappointed to learn that her blood sugar levels are still sky high, as in off the curve panel test levels. The vet increased her insulin up to 10 units per dose and she's due back in next Monday. While she lost a pound (down to 58 now, the little pork chop), the vet didn't see it as a good thing because she's still not stable. I swear it's not just my imagination that she's perkier, but that may just be because her bladder infection has been cleared up.
After I got home, fed Midget and gave her her insulin, and ate some dinner myself, I practiced an hour of piano, trying to prepare for this Saturday's concert. It's all about refining right now and getting the pieces concert-ready. Since I don't perform regularly anymore, it's easy for me to be a little on the sloppy side these days. So I went through the harder sections, taking care that I didn't just slop and cheat my way through them. I'm exhausted from my efforts, but I think I sound a whole lot better now, so I should be good to go this Saturday if I make the time to practice Tuesday-Thursday and of course on Saturday, too.
I ordered beforehand just to save time. I requested two Baja fish tacos and refilled the sports drink cup for 99 cents. And I went with the Queso Fundido nachos just for the heck of it. It was only $1.34 and it was new, so I figured, why not? It turned out to be a pretty good thing. The cheese dip was spicy and quite tasty. Jim discovered that pairing the queso with the pinto beans that came with his taco meal was perfect. For whatever reason, I was absolutely famished, so I ate some in addition to my roasted vegetable sandwich (which, for the record, was super yummy).
Midget went in to see the vet today (again) for an all-day visit in order to do a blood glucose curve. She wasn't ready until 6:30, so I went over to Jim's right after work to quickly whip up dinner. We had gotten some ground lamb from Whole Foods and I decided to make proscuitto lamb burgers, courtesy of Giada. The recipe is super easy and relatively quick, which was perfect for today.
I beat an egg into my largest Williams-Sonoma glass bowl, then dumped in 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 a cup of grated Pecorino Romano, 3/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt (instead of the 3/4 tsp called for), 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley (regular instead of Italian flat-leaf cuz that's what I had), and 2 tbsp of half and half (instead of whole milk, cuz we're all out). I stirred it together and then incorporated a pound of ground lamb, mixing it by (gloved) hand. I laid out 6 pieces of proscuitto on top of some parchment paper, scored the mixture into 6 pieces, and then molded them into patties, wrapping each in a slice of proscuitto.
I put Jim on frying duty, which ended up being about 7 minutes on each side, cooking them in EVOO. They were fried in two batches of three. The first batch almost burned, because I set the timer for 8 minutes, which was the upper limit of the listed cooking time. I patted the second batch thinner, just to ensure that the lamb was cooked through. The problem was making sure that the proscuitto didn't burn.
Anyway, I didn't finish the burgers off like Giada called for (a slice of tomato and spring of basil on top of each), mostly because Jim doesn't really care for either. Well, he likes basil, but not in a piece on top of something. So the overall effect wasn't as pretty as hers. But they were pretty nice looking and the sun-dried tomato bits gave some pretty bursts of color in the patty. I tried draining the burgers on paper towels, but to my surprise, there really wasn't a ton of fat.
Jim liked the dish enough to eat three burgers. Seeing as the dish was supposed to serve 4-6, I'd say that was a pretty big compliment. So based on tonight's helping, he only has one more meal out of it. I was a little concerned about the salt content, but he said it was plenty salty. I know proscuitto is pretty salty by itself, but I wasn't sure if 1/4 tsp of salt was enough for the rest of the meat. Next time I may simply omit all of the added salt because the cheese ought to give the meat mixture enough saltiness. Because the dish was so easy, there will likely be a next time.
This is only the second or third time I've cooked lamb, and this is certainly the first time I've tried ground lamb. But Jim seems to like it, so I may try to make it more often. I've come to the realization that while organic and other higher quality meats are more expensive, it's still way cheaper than eating out. Today's meat was $7.99 for a pound, and the proscuitto was probably $3. The other ingredients probably cost about $5 and then about $1 for the side of asparagus I steamed. So it was $17 for two meals. Seeing as Jim's Baja Fresh lunch cost $9, that's essentially the same price and it was a heck of a lot more food that I cooked. So basically, so long as Jim isn't eating fast food all the time (like $3.50 of fish tacos from Rubio's), it's going to be far cheaper to cook some high quality, healthy meals. And really, how can you put a price tag on healthy food? Is it really worth saving a few dollars for him to eat three-headed chickens that have been pumped full of antibiotics and crap?
I did some online research about lamb and discovered that it's very good for you, with tons of zinc, B12, B3, and of course protein. The downside is the high level of saturated fat, but that's a portion thing. You're supposed to have a 4 ounce serving. Jim had twice that tonight, about 8 ounces. Of course, Jim eats (and needs) about twice as much as the average person. The saturated fat level concerns me, but if I supplement the meal with some more veggies and a starch, he might be okay with 2 instead of 3 burgers, which would mean a 5 1/3 ounce serving. That's not so bad.
As for the rest of my day, when I picked Midget up from the vet, I was very disappointed to learn that her blood sugar levels are still sky high, as in off the curve panel test levels. The vet increased her insulin up to 10 units per dose and she's due back in next Monday. While she lost a pound (down to 58 now, the little pork chop), the vet didn't see it as a good thing because she's still not stable. I swear it's not just my imagination that she's perkier, but that may just be because her bladder infection has been cleared up.
After I got home, fed Midget and gave her her insulin, and ate some dinner myself, I practiced an hour of piano, trying to prepare for this Saturday's concert. It's all about refining right now and getting the pieces concert-ready. Since I don't perform regularly anymore, it's easy for me to be a little on the sloppy side these days. So I went through the harder sections, taking care that I didn't just slop and cheat my way through them. I'm exhausted from my efforts, but I think I sound a whole lot better now, so I should be good to go this Saturday if I make the time to practice Tuesday-Thursday and of course on Saturday, too.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
It ain't easy being vegan
I was on a health food kick after my Whole Foods trip yesterday, so I decided to pop the cherry on my RFD book. Let me tell you, aside from the whole restrictive diet thing, being a vegan is hard, if nothing else for the fact that cooking without eggs and dairy is friggin' insane! They add about a zillion extra ingredients to make up for the lack of animal by-products, which, although the end result is super yummy, is so much work.
I started by cooking 1 1/3 cup of brown rice. I was supposed to use two types of brown rice, but I didn't know what sweet brown rice was and didn't have it, so I went with the normal stuff. Then I mixed together a ton of spices--salt, dried basil, turmeric, cumin, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. I didn't have any coriander, so I just left it out. THEN came soy sauce (instead of tamari), toasted unsweetened shredded coconut (reduced-fat and organic, thanks to my WF trip), peanut butter, grated carrot, cilantro, green onion, and Italian parsley. The rice was eventually mixed in and then I put in some wheat gluten (the recipe called for gluten flour, and I just assumed/hoped it was the same stuff). Then I rolled the mixture into 40 balls (the recipe said it'd make 30), which took forever and a day. Finally I finished, and I baked them for 30 minutes at 350, rolling them over halfway through the process. Oh, and they were brushed with a bit of Canola before I baked 'em.
But no, that wasn't the end of it. The Thai rice croquettes came with udon noodles in peanut sauce. Obviously the udon was easy enough--boil water and drop 'em in for 5 or so minutes. However, the peanut sauce required another dozen-plus ingredients, starting with peanut butter of course. There was also rice vinegar (didn't use brown rice like it called for cuz that's all I had), red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, maple syrup, soy sauce (instead of tamari again), water, sesame oil, and cilantro. All of it was done in the food processor and I finally tossed it with the hot udon noodles. I think the end product looked strikingly similar to the picture in the book, so at least I had that going for me.
Contrast that with Giada's roasted chicken with spring vegetables dish, and the latter was just insanely easy in comparison. I chopped up thyme and parsley, mixing it in with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds. The mixture was stuffed between the chicken's breast and skin. Jim cut the whole breasts in half and loosened up the skin, I dumped the herbs on 'em, Jim spread the stuff around, and then I salted and peppered the otuside. I heated up the Dutch oven with some EVOO and seared the chicken for 6 minutes on each side, skin side first. The chickies then went into a roasting pan and finished at 375 in the oven.
While they roasted, I melted some butter in the Dutch oven and threw in the baby carrots, which had been cleaned and peeled already thanks to Trader Joe's. I snagged the carrots up immediately when I saw them, because I had never seen them before and this episode had just aired, but it's taken me a bit to get the rest of the ingredients together. Along with the carrots went cippolini onions (red, cuz that's all WF had) and they cooked for about 7 minutes before I dumped in a cup of chicken broth, snap peas, and quartered cremini mushrooms (no morels, cuz I couldn't find 'em anywhere). I cooked the rest of it for another 5 minutes or so until the sauce had reduced by half. Then all I had to do was add the veggies to the roasting pan and voila! Dinner was served.
Jim decided he wanted more of a gravy, so he added some cornstarch to the sauce until it thickened up, which it did very nicely. The end result was absolutely beautiful.
Regarding the special chicken, I noticed that the skin itself was very different in both color and texture. Of course I don't actually touch the stuff, but it was much yellower in color and the goosebumps were way less pronounced. It didn't look as though the feathers had been torn off the flesh. Jim said it was much easier to separate the skin from the flesh. The second thing I noticed was that the chicken significantly shrunk down during the cooking process. I'm not sure what all that is about, but I guess if what I'm buying is mostly water weight with the regular three-headed 'roided chix, it's better?
I don't know that Jim can necessarily tell the difference with the chicken. I guess the only way to know is to cook some of each and do a blind taste test. It's certainly better for him to eat the healthier chickens, so it's probably worth it no matter what.
On to my own gourmet vegan feast . . . it was so grubbingly good! I really loved the noodles. I could really taste all of the flavoring agents in the sauce, and they worked well together to create this really complex, beautiful dish. It definitely tasted better fresh than reheated, but the reheated stuff was still pretty yummy. The croquettes were also very good. They had just a hint of smokiness and a very pleasant, mild flavor. They actually paired nicely with the noodles, which had a much stronger, bolder taste to it. It ended up being basically an Asian spaghetti and meatballs. My dad liked it, which was cool. I don't know if he liked it as much as me, though.
So, the verdict . . . would I make it again? It was very nummy, but on the downside, sooo much work. That's not a huge deal for me, but as far as time goes, I don't think I have the ability to make meals like that regularly. I don't think any of Jim's meat dishes have been that time intensive. Granted, they may have taken that long, due mostly to my clumsiness in handling meat, but that wasn't the case here. I don't see how I could cut down the time. Just pulling all of the ingredients out of the pantry took an inordinate amount of time. It was worth it, and I was very happy with the result, but it just isn't too practical.
I started by cooking 1 1/3 cup of brown rice. I was supposed to use two types of brown rice, but I didn't know what sweet brown rice was and didn't have it, so I went with the normal stuff. Then I mixed together a ton of spices--salt, dried basil, turmeric, cumin, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. I didn't have any coriander, so I just left it out. THEN came soy sauce (instead of tamari), toasted unsweetened shredded coconut (reduced-fat and organic, thanks to my WF trip), peanut butter, grated carrot, cilantro, green onion, and Italian parsley. The rice was eventually mixed in and then I put in some wheat gluten (the recipe called for gluten flour, and I just assumed/hoped it was the same stuff). Then I rolled the mixture into 40 balls (the recipe said it'd make 30), which took forever and a day. Finally I finished, and I baked them for 30 minutes at 350, rolling them over halfway through the process. Oh, and they were brushed with a bit of Canola before I baked 'em.
But no, that wasn't the end of it. The Thai rice croquettes came with udon noodles in peanut sauce. Obviously the udon was easy enough--boil water and drop 'em in for 5 or so minutes. However, the peanut sauce required another dozen-plus ingredients, starting with peanut butter of course. There was also rice vinegar (didn't use brown rice like it called for cuz that's all I had), red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, maple syrup, soy sauce (instead of tamari again), water, sesame oil, and cilantro. All of it was done in the food processor and I finally tossed it with the hot udon noodles. I think the end product looked strikingly similar to the picture in the book, so at least I had that going for me.
Contrast that with Giada's roasted chicken with spring vegetables dish, and the latter was just insanely easy in comparison. I chopped up thyme and parsley, mixing it in with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds. The mixture was stuffed between the chicken's breast and skin. Jim cut the whole breasts in half and loosened up the skin, I dumped the herbs on 'em, Jim spread the stuff around, and then I salted and peppered the otuside. I heated up the Dutch oven with some EVOO and seared the chicken for 6 minutes on each side, skin side first. The chickies then went into a roasting pan and finished at 375 in the oven.
While they roasted, I melted some butter in the Dutch oven and threw in the baby carrots, which had been cleaned and peeled already thanks to Trader Joe's. I snagged the carrots up immediately when I saw them, because I had never seen them before and this episode had just aired, but it's taken me a bit to get the rest of the ingredients together. Along with the carrots went cippolini onions (red, cuz that's all WF had) and they cooked for about 7 minutes before I dumped in a cup of chicken broth, snap peas, and quartered cremini mushrooms (no morels, cuz I couldn't find 'em anywhere). I cooked the rest of it for another 5 minutes or so until the sauce had reduced by half. Then all I had to do was add the veggies to the roasting pan and voila! Dinner was served.
Jim decided he wanted more of a gravy, so he added some cornstarch to the sauce until it thickened up, which it did very nicely. The end result was absolutely beautiful.
Regarding the special chicken, I noticed that the skin itself was very different in both color and texture. Of course I don't actually touch the stuff, but it was much yellower in color and the goosebumps were way less pronounced. It didn't look as though the feathers had been torn off the flesh. Jim said it was much easier to separate the skin from the flesh. The second thing I noticed was that the chicken significantly shrunk down during the cooking process. I'm not sure what all that is about, but I guess if what I'm buying is mostly water weight with the regular three-headed 'roided chix, it's better?
I don't know that Jim can necessarily tell the difference with the chicken. I guess the only way to know is to cook some of each and do a blind taste test. It's certainly better for him to eat the healthier chickens, so it's probably worth it no matter what.
On to my own gourmet vegan feast . . . it was so grubbingly good! I really loved the noodles. I could really taste all of the flavoring agents in the sauce, and they worked well together to create this really complex, beautiful dish. It definitely tasted better fresh than reheated, but the reheated stuff was still pretty yummy. The croquettes were also very good. They had just a hint of smokiness and a very pleasant, mild flavor. They actually paired nicely with the noodles, which had a much stronger, bolder taste to it. It ended up being basically an Asian spaghetti and meatballs. My dad liked it, which was cool. I don't know if he liked it as much as me, though.
So, the verdict . . . would I make it again? It was very nummy, but on the downside, sooo much work. That's not a huge deal for me, but as far as time goes, I don't think I have the ability to make meals like that regularly. I don't think any of Jim's meat dishes have been that time intensive. Granted, they may have taken that long, due mostly to my clumsiness in handling meat, but that wasn't the case here. I don't see how I could cut down the time. Just pulling all of the ingredients out of the pantry took an inordinate amount of time. It was worth it, and I was very happy with the result, but it just isn't too practical.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A late St. Paddy's Day
After church and before children's choir practice, Jim and I managed to squeeze in a quick lunch at Togo's. I'm a little unsure how I feel about this apparent new tradition of ours, but since it was only a small snack to tide us over until our 3:30 reservation at Bouchon. We ended up splitting an Endless Combination of a half salad (Market Greens for me) and a half sandwich (hot roast beef on honey wheat for Jim), as well as a bag of Baked BBQ Lays, which we haven't had in a while. Amy, the girl who usually helps us, was training someone new who got it all screwed up when she tried to ring us up. The next time we go, I'll have to talk to Amy a little more. Her parents must own the place or something, because she's always there and she's about my age.
Anyway, we drank our diet Sobe and ate our food there before dropping off Jim's dad's sandwich at his workplace. I went back to church and practiced my duet with A. I can't wait to perform next week, actually--the Dvorak Slavonic Dance No. 7 is so much friggin' fun to play. I was having a blast.
Afterwards, Jim and I headed up to Yountville and were only a few minutes late for our late lunch. Bouchon is absolutely adorable, and very French. It's what I would imagine a little bistro in Paris to be like. If it hadn't been so dang windy and cold, I would have loved to have eaten outside. So we settled for an indoor table right by the window instead. Even though it was about 3:45 pm, the place was still packed, although it cleared out somewhat during the course of our meal. There was a gorgeous arrangement of fresh flowers in the entryway that I loved, and the bar doubled for alcohol and seafood consumption. Thankfully, we were seated some distance away, and I didn't have a great view of the crabs and oysters on ice at the eating side of the bar.
Our server, dressed in an ankle length apron, was very fastidious and proper. I appreciated that he didn't look down on our choosing regular ice water, instead saying "excellent" and immediately filling our order. I hate it when waiters get snooty when you don't order the bottled water or a bottle of wine.
French food isn't usually vegetarian-friendly, but Bouchon offered a mushroom crepe that I was all about. Plus, the soup of the day was a vegetable-stock based cream of potato and leek, which was very nice. We shared the soup along with an order of the Macaroni Gratin, and Jim got a Croque Madame. For beverages, Jim ordered a glass of Cabernet blend and I went with an iced tea.
The bread boy brought us some knots with butter, and we dug right in. Bouchon bread is so good and super fresh. Again, it's what I picture French bakery bread to be like. We got one replacement knot and then the napkin it came on was whisked away (much to our disappointment). The bread was crusty on the outside and very flaky and tender on the inside. So yummy.
Our soup came out drizzled with olive oil and some sort of crispy bits which I mistakenly took for shallots. I put a bit in my mouth and chewed, and immediately realized that it wasn't a vegetable. I wasn't sure WHAT it was, only that it wasn't very good and awfully chewy. So I spat it out and the masticated bit was clearly some sort of fried animal part. Jim tried a piece of his own and determined it to be a pig. I was quite upset that this fabulous vegetarian soup was ruined by the topping of pig parts, but it's not like they were mixed into the dish. I thought the soup was very good and decadently creamy. There was no stringiness at all, and only a slight hint of leek to it. It was mostly just a simple, smooth, and delicious potato soup.
Jim's wine was actually quite mild. In fact, I actually almost liked it! There was no cringing sour aftertaste at all to it, and even though it was slightly tart, it wasn't at all a bad thing. Of course, I much preferred my iced tea, which came in a little Bouchon-labeled carafe and was some sort of herbal variety.
Over the course of the meal, I realized that they treated our time there as an experience. We weren't just there to eat. We were there to savor the afternoon, each other's company, and of course, the food. Even though I'm sure they were setting up for dinner, we weren't rushed or bothered in any way with the exception of a votive candle delivered to our table.
My Crepe aux Champignons was absolutely delicious, stuffed with forest mushrooms, spinach, hazelnuts, and goat cheese. It lay on top of a bed of mornay sauce and was topped with frisee that had been lightly dressed with some sort of vinaigrette. Jim's Croque Madame had a side salad and a fried egg on top of his brioche ham and cheese sandwich. The gratin came in a small cast iron rectangle and topped with the light sprinkling of bread crumbs.
The crepe was, in a word, amazing. I'm already partial to them, but the combination of flavors was so unique and out of the ordinary that I had to think about whether they actually went together. Really, it came down to the hazelnuts, because spinach and mushrooms are a common pairing. But I did like the addition of hazelnuts for both the flavor and the texture contrasts that they offered. The mushrooms were warm and hearty, the goat cheese creamy and tangy, and the hazelnuts crunchy and rich. And the spinach was the neutral canvas that brought all of the other strong flavors together into this incredible dish. I definitely liked the frisee on top, because it lightened up the otherwise heavy dish. Even though the crepe was on the small size, it was bursting with filling and as a result, flavor.
Jim wasn't sure what to make of his sandwich, mostly because of the fried egg. I guess it was more raw than he was used to, but I love runny yolks, personally. He asked me if anyone actually liked salad or if they ate it only because it was good for them. I assured him that I did enjoy salad and that yes, most other people also liked the stuff. But overall he liked his meal, especially the macaroni gratin, which had some sort of white, nutty sauce. I guessed Gruyere and nutmeg for the unusual flavors. We have been on a total mac n' cheese kick lately, especially Jim. I still can't get over the fact that he ate a pound of the stuff in two days.
We skipped dessert, opting instead to go over to the bakery to see what sort of goodies they had to offer. We totally scored with a Nutter Butter, which the girl behind the counter gave to us because it was broken. She is my hero, because it was the ONLY one left in the shop. Yeah, her co-workers can thank our tip because of her assistance. I am obsessed with those Nutter Butters. Soo good. We expanded our horizons with a chocolate chunk cookie which was still slightly warm and gooey from the oven (the best way to enjoy a cookie in my opinion). Oh yeah, we also got a loaf of sourdough bread for dinner. But while the bread is amazing, it really is all about the desserts there.
On our way back into town, we went to Whole Foods. I ended up spending $85 on a ton of different foods. We are quite an interesting mix. There was everything from creme brulee (they were giving out samples and after trying it, I couldn't resist) to chicken to seitan. Throw in some whole wheat pastry flour and beer, and you've pretty much got the gamut. I was so excited about the blue cornmeal--now I can try Bobby's corn muffins! Although the organic food will kill you on the price, overall, the store itself isn't insanely expensive and actually offers good deals on certain items. And it's probably the best place for Jim to get meat. We ended up getting some "air-chilled chicken," which I didn't really understand the process of, but it seemed to be a big deal. I guess the chickens are cooled with air instead of ice water, and that makes a difference in the taste and texture. Something about them not absorbing any water into the flesh and therefore the skin being able to get crispier. Since it was the only offering of boneless breasts, I was sold. I also snagged some ground lamb, so I can make some lamb burgers later on this week.
We dropped by Jim's parents' house before heading back to Jim's. We had gotten them some Maine wild blueberry jam and we also shared samples of the Bouchon goodies. In exchange, we got a pot for the corned beef and the recipe.
Corned beef is one of those weird things for me. I can't imagine how processed, boiled Bessie can be at all appetizing, but Jim loves the stuff, so here we were. The pot was filled with water and set to boil. The cow went in, along with a couple of bay leaves, the included seasoning packet, some diced onion, and a couple cloves of garlic, and that was it. It simmered covered for 2 1/2 hours.
We watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford while the thing cooked. It was kind of interesting, but I was so tired that it was hard to concentrate on the movie. Yes, even Brad Pitt is hard to watch when I'm exhausted. Anyway, I sliced up a small head of cabbage into six wedges, diced three potatoes, and cut up a few carrots, threw them into the pot and took out Bessie. I put Dijon mustard on her fat side (I think--Jim picked out the fat side since I had no idea) and sprinkled a brown sugar/clove mixture on top, then threw her into the oven for 15 minutes.
The corned beef turned out perfectly unlike last time, where all the water boiled off and burned everything. Jim made garlic bread out of the Bouchon loaf, which is what I ate for dinner. I was mostly just happy that the corned beef worked this time. On top of that, between Bouchon, Whole Foods, and my Nutter Butter cookie, I was a happy camper.
Anyway, we drank our diet Sobe and ate our food there before dropping off Jim's dad's sandwich at his workplace. I went back to church and practiced my duet with A. I can't wait to perform next week, actually--the Dvorak Slavonic Dance No. 7 is so much friggin' fun to play. I was having a blast.
Afterwards, Jim and I headed up to Yountville and were only a few minutes late for our late lunch. Bouchon is absolutely adorable, and very French. It's what I would imagine a little bistro in Paris to be like. If it hadn't been so dang windy and cold, I would have loved to have eaten outside. So we settled for an indoor table right by the window instead. Even though it was about 3:45 pm, the place was still packed, although it cleared out somewhat during the course of our meal. There was a gorgeous arrangement of fresh flowers in the entryway that I loved, and the bar doubled for alcohol and seafood consumption. Thankfully, we were seated some distance away, and I didn't have a great view of the crabs and oysters on ice at the eating side of the bar.
Our server, dressed in an ankle length apron, was very fastidious and proper. I appreciated that he didn't look down on our choosing regular ice water, instead saying "excellent" and immediately filling our order. I hate it when waiters get snooty when you don't order the bottled water or a bottle of wine.
French food isn't usually vegetarian-friendly, but Bouchon offered a mushroom crepe that I was all about. Plus, the soup of the day was a vegetable-stock based cream of potato and leek, which was very nice. We shared the soup along with an order of the Macaroni Gratin, and Jim got a Croque Madame. For beverages, Jim ordered a glass of Cabernet blend and I went with an iced tea.
The bread boy brought us some knots with butter, and we dug right in. Bouchon bread is so good and super fresh. Again, it's what I picture French bakery bread to be like. We got one replacement knot and then the napkin it came on was whisked away (much to our disappointment). The bread was crusty on the outside and very flaky and tender on the inside. So yummy.
Our soup came out drizzled with olive oil and some sort of crispy bits which I mistakenly took for shallots. I put a bit in my mouth and chewed, and immediately realized that it wasn't a vegetable. I wasn't sure WHAT it was, only that it wasn't very good and awfully chewy. So I spat it out and the masticated bit was clearly some sort of fried animal part. Jim tried a piece of his own and determined it to be a pig. I was quite upset that this fabulous vegetarian soup was ruined by the topping of pig parts, but it's not like they were mixed into the dish. I thought the soup was very good and decadently creamy. There was no stringiness at all, and only a slight hint of leek to it. It was mostly just a simple, smooth, and delicious potato soup.
Jim's wine was actually quite mild. In fact, I actually almost liked it! There was no cringing sour aftertaste at all to it, and even though it was slightly tart, it wasn't at all a bad thing. Of course, I much preferred my iced tea, which came in a little Bouchon-labeled carafe and was some sort of herbal variety.
Over the course of the meal, I realized that they treated our time there as an experience. We weren't just there to eat. We were there to savor the afternoon, each other's company, and of course, the food. Even though I'm sure they were setting up for dinner, we weren't rushed or bothered in any way with the exception of a votive candle delivered to our table.
My Crepe aux Champignons was absolutely delicious, stuffed with forest mushrooms, spinach, hazelnuts, and goat cheese. It lay on top of a bed of mornay sauce and was topped with frisee that had been lightly dressed with some sort of vinaigrette. Jim's Croque Madame had a side salad and a fried egg on top of his brioche ham and cheese sandwich. The gratin came in a small cast iron rectangle and topped with the light sprinkling of bread crumbs.
The crepe was, in a word, amazing. I'm already partial to them, but the combination of flavors was so unique and out of the ordinary that I had to think about whether they actually went together. Really, it came down to the hazelnuts, because spinach and mushrooms are a common pairing. But I did like the addition of hazelnuts for both the flavor and the texture contrasts that they offered. The mushrooms were warm and hearty, the goat cheese creamy and tangy, and the hazelnuts crunchy and rich. And the spinach was the neutral canvas that brought all of the other strong flavors together into this incredible dish. I definitely liked the frisee on top, because it lightened up the otherwise heavy dish. Even though the crepe was on the small size, it was bursting with filling and as a result, flavor.
Jim wasn't sure what to make of his sandwich, mostly because of the fried egg. I guess it was more raw than he was used to, but I love runny yolks, personally. He asked me if anyone actually liked salad or if they ate it only because it was good for them. I assured him that I did enjoy salad and that yes, most other people also liked the stuff. But overall he liked his meal, especially the macaroni gratin, which had some sort of white, nutty sauce. I guessed Gruyere and nutmeg for the unusual flavors. We have been on a total mac n' cheese kick lately, especially Jim. I still can't get over the fact that he ate a pound of the stuff in two days.
We skipped dessert, opting instead to go over to the bakery to see what sort of goodies they had to offer. We totally scored with a Nutter Butter, which the girl behind the counter gave to us because it was broken. She is my hero, because it was the ONLY one left in the shop. Yeah, her co-workers can thank our tip because of her assistance. I am obsessed with those Nutter Butters. Soo good. We expanded our horizons with a chocolate chunk cookie which was still slightly warm and gooey from the oven (the best way to enjoy a cookie in my opinion). Oh yeah, we also got a loaf of sourdough bread for dinner. But while the bread is amazing, it really is all about the desserts there.
On our way back into town, we went to Whole Foods. I ended up spending $85 on a ton of different foods. We are quite an interesting mix. There was everything from creme brulee (they were giving out samples and after trying it, I couldn't resist) to chicken to seitan. Throw in some whole wheat pastry flour and beer, and you've pretty much got the gamut. I was so excited about the blue cornmeal--now I can try Bobby's corn muffins! Although the organic food will kill you on the price, overall, the store itself isn't insanely expensive and actually offers good deals on certain items. And it's probably the best place for Jim to get meat. We ended up getting some "air-chilled chicken," which I didn't really understand the process of, but it seemed to be a big deal. I guess the chickens are cooled with air instead of ice water, and that makes a difference in the taste and texture. Something about them not absorbing any water into the flesh and therefore the skin being able to get crispier. Since it was the only offering of boneless breasts, I was sold. I also snagged some ground lamb, so I can make some lamb burgers later on this week.
We dropped by Jim's parents' house before heading back to Jim's. We had gotten them some Maine wild blueberry jam and we also shared samples of the Bouchon goodies. In exchange, we got a pot for the corned beef and the recipe.
Corned beef is one of those weird things for me. I can't imagine how processed, boiled Bessie can be at all appetizing, but Jim loves the stuff, so here we were. The pot was filled with water and set to boil. The cow went in, along with a couple of bay leaves, the included seasoning packet, some diced onion, and a couple cloves of garlic, and that was it. It simmered covered for 2 1/2 hours.
We watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford while the thing cooked. It was kind of interesting, but I was so tired that it was hard to concentrate on the movie. Yes, even Brad Pitt is hard to watch when I'm exhausted. Anyway, I sliced up a small head of cabbage into six wedges, diced three potatoes, and cut up a few carrots, threw them into the pot and took out Bessie. I put Dijon mustard on her fat side (I think--Jim picked out the fat side since I had no idea) and sprinkled a brown sugar/clove mixture on top, then threw her into the oven for 15 minutes.
The corned beef turned out perfectly unlike last time, where all the water boiled off and burned everything. Jim made garlic bread out of the Bouchon loaf, which is what I ate for dinner. I was mostly just happy that the corned beef worked this time. On top of that, between Bouchon, Whole Foods, and my Nutter Butter cookie, I was a happy camper.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Face plants, Rope Burn, Jet Ski Pee, and Other Shining Examples of Stupidity
I took a half day today to go wakeboarding with Jim and L. I met up with them in the usual spot where we usually gas up, intending on going to Carl's Junior, the usual lunch place. Since there isn't much at CJ's for me, I opted for another deli sandwich from the Cordelia Deli, the place I went last week. Unlike the last time, there was no line, and I was in and out of there in no time at all. There still weren't any sprouts today, and I held the onion this time.
I parked in the CJ's lot, and started walking into the restaurant when I saw Jim, who informed me that we were going to McDonald's instead because the CJ's line was way too long. So the boys ordered #4 meals (Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese) and Jim got a yogurt parfait for us to split. I also noshed on his fries. I was absolutely fascinated by the ketchup dispenser, which was automatic! You pushed the button and stuff spit out until you let go of it. I almost overfilled the first cup, but got the hang of it by the second try. My sandwich was pretty good and exactly the same as last week. I really would have liked sprouts, but maybe third time's a charm. The fries were decent, although nowhere near In-N-Out standards. I really am spoiled by that place. Every other fast food joint's fries just pale in comparison, although of the rest, Wendy's fries are my fave.
Berryessa was pretty windy and the water was choppy as a result, but we each had a try before heading over to a rope swing the boys found last week when they went with A. See, if I had gone with a group of girls, there's no way we would have swung on it, but being with boys . . . well, we were pretty stupid.
The swing looks anything but safe. You have to scramble up a muddy bank and climb up a ladder which is practically vertical against the embankment. So about 20 feet up is the rope, which is a fire hose tied to a rather decrepit looking tree with a wakeboarding handle attached to it. The wakeboard handle has a long, thin piece of string tied to it that allows you to pull the handle up to the top of the ledge. Apparently last week they swung from the lower part, but this week, L was insistent on climbing to the top.
L went first and actually slipped, so he swung before he was ready. Other than his surprise departure, nothing went awry, so then it was my turn. For whatever reason, I wasn't all that concerned with the swinging part. I was a little nervous when I stood so close to the edge that I was going to fall, because it was a pretty sharp drop off onto some pretty rocky ground had I done so. But no, doing that would have been too normal. Instead, I showed some amazing talent by somehow getting tangled up in the string and giving myself some rather nasty rope burn on my neck. I guess I should be grateful I didn't end up hanging myself, but I have no idea how to explain the marks on neck. One especially is pretty raw and I'm worried it'll leave a scar. I hope I can cover it up with foundation tomorrow, but for tonight, it's neosporin and praying that my parents won't notice.
Despite the injury, I have to admit that it was a lot of fun swinging and falling into the water. Granted, my wetsuit took care of any possible sting from the drop. I don't know that I'd be that brave without a wetsuit and life jacket to take the impact. But we got some great pictures that in reviewing, made me realize how incredibly stupid we were. It was a pretty seriously high drop, and any one of us could have really gotten hurt. Well, it's over and done with now, and I'm more or less in one piece.
After messing around on the rope for a while, we decided to give one more crack at wakeboarding--the wind seemed to die down a bit and it wasn't nearly as choppy as before. I ate it pretty hard on my second round, catching my toe edge and doing a nasty face plant that felt like my mouth and nose got rearranged. I kept moving around my mouth after I got back up, just trying to get some feeling back in it. There's something about doing a 180 on the heelside of the wake that I don't have solidly. I fell again on that side, but not as badly, and I was done. The chop took a lot more out of me than usual and it was getting pretty cold. Of course, none of that fazed Jim and he had a super long run again.
During his run, L taught me how to use the water the ski spat out to warm myself up. He said it got up to 130 degrees. Sold. We killed off a bottle of water and I filled it up with the jet ski "pee" and poured it down my wetsuit. Heaven.
We ended up going to Pizza Pirate for dinner. We spit a 20" pizza. With an Entertainment book coupon, it was $22 for dinner for the three of us. Half was veggie and the other half combination. My half was supposed to be with light cheese, but it ended up being half pesto veggie and full-on cheese. Oh well. I blotted and pulled cheese (and olives) off, and all was good. It was pretty good stuff, but still paled in comparison to Nujo's, which makes the best pesto pizza ever. We ate the entire thing--it seemed to be a perfect amount.
It really was a great day.
I parked in the CJ's lot, and started walking into the restaurant when I saw Jim, who informed me that we were going to McDonald's instead because the CJ's line was way too long. So the boys ordered #4 meals (Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese) and Jim got a yogurt parfait for us to split. I also noshed on his fries. I was absolutely fascinated by the ketchup dispenser, which was automatic! You pushed the button and stuff spit out until you let go of it. I almost overfilled the first cup, but got the hang of it by the second try. My sandwich was pretty good and exactly the same as last week. I really would have liked sprouts, but maybe third time's a charm. The fries were decent, although nowhere near In-N-Out standards. I really am spoiled by that place. Every other fast food joint's fries just pale in comparison, although of the rest, Wendy's fries are my fave.
Berryessa was pretty windy and the water was choppy as a result, but we each had a try before heading over to a rope swing the boys found last week when they went with A. See, if I had gone with a group of girls, there's no way we would have swung on it, but being with boys . . . well, we were pretty stupid.
The swing looks anything but safe. You have to scramble up a muddy bank and climb up a ladder which is practically vertical against the embankment. So about 20 feet up is the rope, which is a fire hose tied to a rather decrepit looking tree with a wakeboarding handle attached to it. The wakeboard handle has a long, thin piece of string tied to it that allows you to pull the handle up to the top of the ledge. Apparently last week they swung from the lower part, but this week, L was insistent on climbing to the top.
L went first and actually slipped, so he swung before he was ready. Other than his surprise departure, nothing went awry, so then it was my turn. For whatever reason, I wasn't all that concerned with the swinging part. I was a little nervous when I stood so close to the edge that I was going to fall, because it was a pretty sharp drop off onto some pretty rocky ground had I done so. But no, doing that would have been too normal. Instead, I showed some amazing talent by somehow getting tangled up in the string and giving myself some rather nasty rope burn on my neck. I guess I should be grateful I didn't end up hanging myself, but I have no idea how to explain the marks on neck. One especially is pretty raw and I'm worried it'll leave a scar. I hope I can cover it up with foundation tomorrow, but for tonight, it's neosporin and praying that my parents won't notice.
Despite the injury, I have to admit that it was a lot of fun swinging and falling into the water. Granted, my wetsuit took care of any possible sting from the drop. I don't know that I'd be that brave without a wetsuit and life jacket to take the impact. But we got some great pictures that in reviewing, made me realize how incredibly stupid we were. It was a pretty seriously high drop, and any one of us could have really gotten hurt. Well, it's over and done with now, and I'm more or less in one piece.
After messing around on the rope for a while, we decided to give one more crack at wakeboarding--the wind seemed to die down a bit and it wasn't nearly as choppy as before. I ate it pretty hard on my second round, catching my toe edge and doing a nasty face plant that felt like my mouth and nose got rearranged. I kept moving around my mouth after I got back up, just trying to get some feeling back in it. There's something about doing a 180 on the heelside of the wake that I don't have solidly. I fell again on that side, but not as badly, and I was done. The chop took a lot more out of me than usual and it was getting pretty cold. Of course, none of that fazed Jim and he had a super long run again.
During his run, L taught me how to use the water the ski spat out to warm myself up. He said it got up to 130 degrees. Sold. We killed off a bottle of water and I filled it up with the jet ski "pee" and poured it down my wetsuit. Heaven.
We ended up going to Pizza Pirate for dinner. We spit a 20" pizza. With an Entertainment book coupon, it was $22 for dinner for the three of us. Half was veggie and the other half combination. My half was supposed to be with light cheese, but it ended up being half pesto veggie and full-on cheese. Oh well. I blotted and pulled cheese (and olives) off, and all was good. It was pretty good stuff, but still paled in comparison to Nujo's, which makes the best pesto pizza ever. We ate the entire thing--it seemed to be a perfect amount.
It really was a great day.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The meat loaf that wasn't
Although I went out and bought some lean ground beef to make some meat loaf for Jim tonight, we ended up going to Cheap Mexican instead for dinner (aka La Cabanita). I wasn't completely in the mood to cook, nor am I completely healthy still, so I preferred going out to eat. Jim was luckily awake when I got to his house, so that enabled us to go out. I really had no idea which meat loaf recipe I was going to make, and while I did specifically have in mind to make Bobby's twice baked sweet potatoes, there's no hurry on that side dish.
We got the usual order of iced tea, nachos to share, and a super chicken burrito for Jim. We've had the same waiter the past several visits, and he's got our order down pat now. I really should learn his name, since we seem to be going there more and more frequently.
We apparently started a trend, since we were the only ones in the restaurant, but by the time we left, the dining room was almost full.
We got the usual order of iced tea, nachos to share, and a super chicken burrito for Jim. We've had the same waiter the past several visits, and he's got our order down pat now. I really should learn his name, since we seem to be going there more and more frequently.
We apparently started a trend, since we were the only ones in the restaurant, but by the time we left, the dining room was almost full.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A Tale of Two Mac n' Cheeses
Jim worked late, so I puddled around in the kitchen until 7 pm, when he woke up. I tried to recreate Fleming's mac n' cheese, and I was semi-successful. I started with a simple roux, whisking EVOO, a tbsp of butter, and 3 tbsp of flour together for a few minutes before adding in a cup and a half of warm whole milk. I melted in 2 cups of sharp white cheddar and then a 1/2 tsp of pureed chipotle in adobo and then added the macaroni. I thought I cooked up a pound of mac, but I must have calculated incorrectly, because there wasn't enough sauce to go around. So I added as much macaroni as I thought the sauce could handle and then poured it into the baking dish, topped it with panko and dabs of butter and baked it for 30 minutes before briefly broiling the top.
While it baked, I turned the leftover macaroni into the original mac n' cheese recipe, which was regular sharp cheddar and a cornflake crumb topping. I splurged with the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk from the pint I bought and added a bit of nonfat milk as well.
I was pretty happy with the results, although I don't think I needed to bake it all that long. Or else there was too much pasta. I'm not sure, but the sauce wasn't too sauce-y like at Fleming's. Jim said it tasted like a lower fat version of the stuff. At any rate, it was pretty good. Jim ate a ton of both creations. Crazy boy.
Today I bought a box of puff pastry. As in, a massive box, with 4 boxes inside! Call me crazy, but it was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up. I haven't the slightest idea what all I'm going to make with it, but in case I need the stuff . . . well, I've got it. Maybe this will force me to try Giada's timbale.
Oh, and Happy Tax Day! It really is, since I don't owe (much to my surprise). In fact, I'm getting almost $1500 back, not including that $600 break. And I think I'm successfully fighting my cold.
While it baked, I turned the leftover macaroni into the original mac n' cheese recipe, which was regular sharp cheddar and a cornflake crumb topping. I splurged with the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk from the pint I bought and added a bit of nonfat milk as well.
I was pretty happy with the results, although I don't think I needed to bake it all that long. Or else there was too much pasta. I'm not sure, but the sauce wasn't too sauce-y like at Fleming's. Jim said it tasted like a lower fat version of the stuff. At any rate, it was pretty good. Jim ate a ton of both creations. Crazy boy.
Today I bought a box of puff pastry. As in, a massive box, with 4 boxes inside! Call me crazy, but it was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up. I haven't the slightest idea what all I'm going to make with it, but in case I need the stuff . . . well, I've got it. Maybe this will force me to try Giada's timbale.
Oh, and Happy Tax Day! It really is, since I don't owe (much to my surprise). In fact, I'm getting almost $1500 back, not including that $600 break. And I think I'm successfully fighting my cold.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Deja vu
For lunch, I met with JMC, his associate E, and his wife R for lunch at the Athenian Grill. The problem was that I didn't know they were going to come along. Slightly awkward to conduct a potential job change in front of an audience.
I got a falafel pita, which was pretty good. I've been wanting to try the place, so it was nice to finally get to do so. The tzatziki wasn't as good as I hoped, and I was glad I got it on the side. I prefer it milder with more cucumber in it, and this stuff was more like ranch, so I guess it was more me than the restaurant itself. E loves the stuff. To me, it's much more refreshing for it to have a stronger cucumber-iness. The prices were very decent, and I think I'll have to come back with Jim sometime.
In an odd coincidence, Jim and I went to the city again tonight for another piano recital. It wasn't at Davies Hall this time, but rather around the corner at Herbst Theater. I've never been there before, so I was pretty excited. The performer's name was Jeanne Stark-Iochmans, and while she's no Andras Schiff, is an accomplished pianist in her own right. Jim got the tickets complimentary through work, and while they were the cheapest ones available, we had a nice view of her hands and were probably about the same distance away as we were last night.
I got off work late, and so we rushed to get to SF just like we did yesterday. Thankfully Jim drove tonight, which alleviated my stress tenfold. Then on top of that, we hit essentially no traffic and arrived at Jardiniere only half an hour late. On our way there, I contacted the restaurant and were told it was no problem to accommodate us. When we finally arrived, the hostess welcomed us as warmly as if we had actually been on time and immediately had someone escort us to our table upstairs.
Jardiniere is a completely different restaurant during the week. The downstairs was full of business people just getting off work and enjoying a cocktail. Upstairs, the dining area was sparsely filled and we sat at an "inner circle" table overlooking the downstairs bar. Our server was absolutely fantastic, immediately getting our menus to us, taking our drink order, and assuring us that she would work within our time constraints. She quickly explained the menu and we put in our order, splitting the soup of the day (creamy garlic), me with the risotto, and Jim with the halibut.
Once again, we each got an individual roll, which was lightly toasted, warm, and fresh. Our soup came out almost instantly, and we dug right in. They weren't kidding when it came to the garlic flavor, which was extremely pronounced in both taste and smell. It was drizzled with a bit of basil oil and topped with their super yummy croutons. I macked on the croutons, ate a bit of soup, and gave the rest to Jim. Yes, for me, the soup is all about the croutons. Not that the soup itself wasn't good--it's just that anything would pale in comparison to those golden, light, buttery bits of heaven.
The main dishes took a little while longer, but I expected that since risotto is made cooked to order and risotto of course takes time. And believe me, it was worth it! It was even better this time because it was perfectly cooked. This time it had goat cheese, which made it super creamy, and an assortment of finely shaved asparagus, celery, and parsley, which lightened it up and gave a nice freshness to the over taste. Throw in the shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and it was perfection. I was so happy with the dish. Like last time, it came with tons of foam, but it was prettier this round.
Likewise, Jim was much happier with his halibut--it was way less salty than last time's chicken, and on top of that, it was cooked all the way through, unlike last night's tuna. I thought the fish was so beautiful, with a delicate white texture that reminded me of silken tofu. Jim told me to try it to see if it tasted like tofu, but I politely declined. His dish came with "Delta Asparagus, Sunchoke Purée and Fingerling Potatoes, Sorrel Beurre Blanc." I don't know what a Beurre Blanc is, but I think it was the white sauce that created a bed for the fish.
For dessert, we were torn between the dulce de leche flan (which I wanted last time) and the strawberries and pizzelle. I asked our waitress what she recommended and she instantly said the strawberries, so that's what we went with. She was soo right. First of all, the plating was beautiful. I really wished I had my camera, because it really was exquisite. On one side of the square white plate was "toasted yogurt sherbet." It didn't look or taste toasted, but it came on a bed of pizzelle crumbs and was shaped like a slightly pointy egg. An artistic "river" of strawberry sauce separated the sherbet from the whipped cream bed topped with sliced strawberries and two pizzelle cookies, which were standing up thanks to the whipped cream. Underneath the whipped cream was a darker, richer strawberry syrup mixed with just a drizzle of honey. On top of the sherbet was a sugar sculpture of very thin ribbon in the shape of a wing. The pizzelle was awesome. It reminded me that I think Giada made 'em, but that they required a special pan. The sherbet was extremely delicious and slightly tart. And how much more can I rave about strawberries and cream? It was a very light and perfect ending to our amazing meal.
On top of it all, the service was impeccable. My water glass was never empty. Every time Jim finished his bread, he was offered another one (which he accepted). Our plates were cleared almost instantaneously. And true to her word, she got us out of there with time to spare.
Last time I went, it was more about the experience than the food. While the food was yummy, I wasn't raving (except for the dessert). Tonight I got it all--the ambiance, service, and food. What a great dining experience. Plus tonight marked 10,000 Open Table points. It was poetic how it all worked out. Seriously!
Herbst Theater is located right around the corner from Jardiniere on Van Ness. We arrived a little after 7:30 and got in the insanely long line to pick up our tickets. We were still standing in line when the warning bells starting chiming, but we sat down with about 5 minutes to spare. I was quite excited to see the program, mostly because of the familiarity. She opened with my Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3, followed by No. 4. I thought she did a fantastic job with No. 3, but I was disappointed with No. 4. See, the thing is that I loved number 4. I was dying to play it, but I got stuck with #3. But her interpretation of the piece made it unendingly looong and almost boring. Unfortunately, the same thing happened with Debussy's Moonlight on the Water, which is a piece I really would like to learn someday. I was a little let down at that point. I wasn't familiar with the next Debussy piece, the second one from Estampes, but of course I knew the last song of the first half: Jardins sous la Pluie. She definitely redeemed herself, because I very much enjoyed her performance of it.
The second half had only two pieces: Beethoven's 31st Sonata and the monstrous Chopin Ballade No. 4, which my friend M played. I thought she did a great job with the final movement of the sonata and the Ballade was very well executed. Overall, I was very happy and so touched that Jim got us tickets. She's not the most exciting performer out there, but she has a beautiful touch and an impressive ease to her playing.
The drive back home was endless, since Jim had to go into work and I drove his car back from South SF. But it was well worth it. Unfortunately, I'm on the brink of getting super sick, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I can recover with a buttload of vitamins, Airborne, and anything else I can take.
I got a falafel pita, which was pretty good. I've been wanting to try the place, so it was nice to finally get to do so. The tzatziki wasn't as good as I hoped, and I was glad I got it on the side. I prefer it milder with more cucumber in it, and this stuff was more like ranch, so I guess it was more me than the restaurant itself. E loves the stuff. To me, it's much more refreshing for it to have a stronger cucumber-iness. The prices were very decent, and I think I'll have to come back with Jim sometime.
In an odd coincidence, Jim and I went to the city again tonight for another piano recital. It wasn't at Davies Hall this time, but rather around the corner at Herbst Theater. I've never been there before, so I was pretty excited. The performer's name was Jeanne Stark-Iochmans, and while she's no Andras Schiff, is an accomplished pianist in her own right. Jim got the tickets complimentary through work, and while they were the cheapest ones available, we had a nice view of her hands and were probably about the same distance away as we were last night.
I got off work late, and so we rushed to get to SF just like we did yesterday. Thankfully Jim drove tonight, which alleviated my stress tenfold. Then on top of that, we hit essentially no traffic and arrived at Jardiniere only half an hour late. On our way there, I contacted the restaurant and were told it was no problem to accommodate us. When we finally arrived, the hostess welcomed us as warmly as if we had actually been on time and immediately had someone escort us to our table upstairs.
Jardiniere is a completely different restaurant during the week. The downstairs was full of business people just getting off work and enjoying a cocktail. Upstairs, the dining area was sparsely filled and we sat at an "inner circle" table overlooking the downstairs bar. Our server was absolutely fantastic, immediately getting our menus to us, taking our drink order, and assuring us that she would work within our time constraints. She quickly explained the menu and we put in our order, splitting the soup of the day (creamy garlic), me with the risotto, and Jim with the halibut.
Once again, we each got an individual roll, which was lightly toasted, warm, and fresh. Our soup came out almost instantly, and we dug right in. They weren't kidding when it came to the garlic flavor, which was extremely pronounced in both taste and smell. It was drizzled with a bit of basil oil and topped with their super yummy croutons. I macked on the croutons, ate a bit of soup, and gave the rest to Jim. Yes, for me, the soup is all about the croutons. Not that the soup itself wasn't good--it's just that anything would pale in comparison to those golden, light, buttery bits of heaven.
The main dishes took a little while longer, but I expected that since risotto is made cooked to order and risotto of course takes time. And believe me, it was worth it! It was even better this time because it was perfectly cooked. This time it had goat cheese, which made it super creamy, and an assortment of finely shaved asparagus, celery, and parsley, which lightened it up and gave a nice freshness to the over taste. Throw in the shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and it was perfection. I was so happy with the dish. Like last time, it came with tons of foam, but it was prettier this round.
Likewise, Jim was much happier with his halibut--it was way less salty than last time's chicken, and on top of that, it was cooked all the way through, unlike last night's tuna. I thought the fish was so beautiful, with a delicate white texture that reminded me of silken tofu. Jim told me to try it to see if it tasted like tofu, but I politely declined. His dish came with "Delta Asparagus, Sunchoke Purée and Fingerling Potatoes, Sorrel Beurre Blanc." I don't know what a Beurre Blanc is, but I think it was the white sauce that created a bed for the fish.
For dessert, we were torn between the dulce de leche flan (which I wanted last time) and the strawberries and pizzelle. I asked our waitress what she recommended and she instantly said the strawberries, so that's what we went with. She was soo right. First of all, the plating was beautiful. I really wished I had my camera, because it really was exquisite. On one side of the square white plate was "toasted yogurt sherbet." It didn't look or taste toasted, but it came on a bed of pizzelle crumbs and was shaped like a slightly pointy egg. An artistic "river" of strawberry sauce separated the sherbet from the whipped cream bed topped with sliced strawberries and two pizzelle cookies, which were standing up thanks to the whipped cream. Underneath the whipped cream was a darker, richer strawberry syrup mixed with just a drizzle of honey. On top of the sherbet was a sugar sculpture of very thin ribbon in the shape of a wing. The pizzelle was awesome. It reminded me that I think Giada made 'em, but that they required a special pan. The sherbet was extremely delicious and slightly tart. And how much more can I rave about strawberries and cream? It was a very light and perfect ending to our amazing meal.
On top of it all, the service was impeccable. My water glass was never empty. Every time Jim finished his bread, he was offered another one (which he accepted). Our plates were cleared almost instantaneously. And true to her word, she got us out of there with time to spare.
Last time I went, it was more about the experience than the food. While the food was yummy, I wasn't raving (except for the dessert). Tonight I got it all--the ambiance, service, and food. What a great dining experience. Plus tonight marked 10,000 Open Table points. It was poetic how it all worked out. Seriously!
Herbst Theater is located right around the corner from Jardiniere on Van Ness. We arrived a little after 7:30 and got in the insanely long line to pick up our tickets. We were still standing in line when the warning bells starting chiming, but we sat down with about 5 minutes to spare. I was quite excited to see the program, mostly because of the familiarity. She opened with my Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3, followed by No. 4. I thought she did a fantastic job with No. 3, but I was disappointed with No. 4. See, the thing is that I loved number 4. I was dying to play it, but I got stuck with #3. But her interpretation of the piece made it unendingly looong and almost boring. Unfortunately, the same thing happened with Debussy's Moonlight on the Water, which is a piece I really would like to learn someday. I was a little let down at that point. I wasn't familiar with the next Debussy piece, the second one from Estampes, but of course I knew the last song of the first half: Jardins sous la Pluie. She definitely redeemed herself, because I very much enjoyed her performance of it.
The second half had only two pieces: Beethoven's 31st Sonata and the monstrous Chopin Ballade No. 4, which my friend M played. I thought she did a great job with the final movement of the sonata and the Ballade was very well executed. Overall, I was very happy and so touched that Jim got us tickets. She's not the most exciting performer out there, but she has a beautiful touch and an impressive ease to her playing.
The drive back home was endless, since Jim had to go into work and I drove his car back from South SF. But it was well worth it. Unfortunately, I'm on the brink of getting super sick, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I can recover with a buttload of vitamins, Airborne, and anything else I can take.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Beethoven Round 2
I am on a total risotto kick. Today I made Ina's Butternut Squash and Saffron Risotto. Unlike Jim's version, this was 100% vegetarian fare. I cannot believe the difference in taste. I know Jim can't really tell the difference between chicken and veggie stock, but it's absolutely marked for me. As usual, I did my best to lighten up the food, using 2 tbsp of butter instead of 6 and 1/2 a cup of parmesan instead of 1 cup. I diced up the butternut squash much smaller than I did with Jim, and I liked it better that way--the squash pieces kind of melted into the risotto and melded better with the overall dish. Oh, and I didn't have any shallots, so I used regular onion instead. I was quite pleased with the end result. My dad liked the mushroom risotto from last week, so hopefully he'll like this one, too.
I ended up waking up at 8:30 this morning so I could get all of my crap done. Because my first lesson cancelled, I was able to give Midget a bath and wash my car windows, which was great. She wasn't all that happy about it, but she really needed a good scrub and with the still-warm weather, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Thankfully my last lesson changed his time to Tuesday, so I had time to get to Costco (my mom wanted me to go there to get OJ). I also filled up with gas, which needed to happen either today or tomorrow anyway. J was helping my dad paint when I got back, and we were talking for a bit, so I got out of there later than I wanted to.
Jim and I went to the SF Symphony for another Beethoven piano recital by Andras Schiff. Tonight's program was absolutely fantastic. He made the Moonlight Sonata brand new for me, and even the Pastoral Sonata was tolerable with his version. The JS Bach G Major French Suite as his encore was gorgeous (I want to get the score). And I was able to get his autograph after purchasing the CD (not the most pleasant guy, but he may have just been tired). I'm going to have to see all four recitals next season, no doubt about it.
For dinner, we had 5 pm reservations for Zuni Cafe, which is right on Market Street and pretty close to the symphony hall. We were so late for our dinner and I was freaking out. I know I overreacted, but I really wanted to go to this place. It was compounded frustration--we didn't go last week like I wanted to, we left late, hit traffic, drove around in circles, and because we were late, there was no way to order the roasted chicken, which was the whole reason I wanted to go there in the first place.
Zuni is famous for their chicken, and it takes an hour to prepare. Had we arrived right at 5 pm, we'd have been fine, but we were a half hour late. Anyway, they were super nice about our late arrival and still seated us immediately. The host took us up a flight of stairs and through a corridor, up a few more steps, past another dining nook, down a few steps, and into our dining area, which seated maybe 12 people. We sat overlooking the first level diners, which made for fabulous conversations. Thankfully we were in a pretty private area, so we were able to converse without being overheard.
There weren't too many vegetarian friendly options, but I knew that going in, so I wasn't surprised. We were brought freshly baked bread, which was sooo insanely good. Crusty on the outside and airy on the inside, I couldn't get enough of it. And strangely enough, the butter was amazing, too. It just seemed creamier and more flavorful than your average, everday butter. One of the busboys didn't even ask us if we wanted more bread and simply whisked out plate away, chopped up more bread, and brought it right back to us. Every dining nook has its own bread station and register, so we had a clear view of him slicing our bread (they bake probably 12" diameter rounds). We were pretty messy with the bread, due to the fact that they didn't give us bread plates.
Jim went with the soup and I got the ricotta gnocchi to start with. The iced tea was freshly brewed and tasted more herb-y instead of black. I ate a sip of soup just to try it, because it was chicken stock-based. It didn't have a strong chicken-y flavor to it, which was good for me. It came with a poached egg, which Jim ate (on top of his four that he had eaten for breakfast in an omelet). My gnocchi were very interesting. They had a very strong egg flavor to them, but were very tender and had a definite ricotta cheese texture. They pretty much melted in my mouth. They came in a light broth with I believe wilted curly parsley, which was a nice touch.
For our entrees, Jim got the yellowfin tuna. It came with roasted fingerling potatoes, which were totally nummy. Jim said the tuna was slightly raw on the inside. The description said medium rare, so I dunno. It was a very pretty presentation, though. I got the linguinette, which was fresh pasta tossed with lemon, cream, and parmesan cheese. Despite the cream, there wasn't a lot of sauce, so the dish itself tasted quite light and refreshing. Plus fresh pasta is super tender, and the linguinette itself was really thin and delicate, too. It was an
enjoyable dish.
Over dinner, we took total advantage of our aerial view of the restaurant and did an obscene amount of people watching. There was an older couple who had matching glasses and were pretty much clones of each other (they got the chicken, which was all carved up and prettily plated). There was a pair of guys that we guessing as to whether or not they were on a date. And then there was the trio of 2 guys and a girl, who we guessed to be a gay couple and their fat, ugly, single friend. It was all very fascinating. And plus we got to see the various foods people ordered. The oysters were definitely one of the more popular items. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am that Jim isn't too keen on oysters, because to me, they are as disgusting as crab, lobster, and shrimp. But with oysters comes the audio portion of the slurping. *shudder* The shoestring fries are piled high and are super thin, and I think I'd want to try them just to do it, but I've never been a big fan of the thin crispy strips. And I was also wishing I could try some of their salads. It's definitely more of a local spot than a touristy one, so it was nice.
Unfortunately we had no time for dessert, but none of them really jumped out at me. Part of the problem was that they were all French desserts and I didn't recognize any of them. "Vanille" and "Creme" and "granita" and "caramel" were words I recognized of course, but I couldn't pick out enough to tell what each dessert was (except for the granitas and sorbets).
As I said before, the concert was amazing. We were in the premier first tier, which didn't offer a great view of Schiff's hands, but the sound quality was excellent. He played Beethoven's sonatas 12-15. I wasn't overly familiar with 12 or 13, but I really enjoyed No. 13. Jim was nodding off during that one and I was a little perturbed, but he stayed awake during the last two.
I've been to probably dozens of concerts at the SF Symphony Hall. Some of them stick with me: Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Andre Watts, Alicia de la Rocha, Itzhak Perlman. Add Andras Schiff to the list. For him to take such a familiar piece and for it to come across as unique was pure genius. Afterwards, I got his autograph on the CD I purchased, which ended up being a slightly underwhelming experience. I'm choosing to believe that he was just tired after his amazing performance.
I ended up waking up at 8:30 this morning so I could get all of my crap done. Because my first lesson cancelled, I was able to give Midget a bath and wash my car windows, which was great. She wasn't all that happy about it, but she really needed a good scrub and with the still-warm weather, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Thankfully my last lesson changed his time to Tuesday, so I had time to get to Costco (my mom wanted me to go there to get OJ). I also filled up with gas, which needed to happen either today or tomorrow anyway. J was helping my dad paint when I got back, and we were talking for a bit, so I got out of there later than I wanted to.
Jim and I went to the SF Symphony for another Beethoven piano recital by Andras Schiff. Tonight's program was absolutely fantastic. He made the Moonlight Sonata brand new for me, and even the Pastoral Sonata was tolerable with his version. The JS Bach G Major French Suite as his encore was gorgeous (I want to get the score). And I was able to get his autograph after purchasing the CD (not the most pleasant guy, but he may have just been tired). I'm going to have to see all four recitals next season, no doubt about it.
For dinner, we had 5 pm reservations for Zuni Cafe, which is right on Market Street and pretty close to the symphony hall. We were so late for our dinner and I was freaking out. I know I overreacted, but I really wanted to go to this place. It was compounded frustration--we didn't go last week like I wanted to, we left late, hit traffic, drove around in circles, and because we were late, there was no way to order the roasted chicken, which was the whole reason I wanted to go there in the first place.
Zuni is famous for their chicken, and it takes an hour to prepare. Had we arrived right at 5 pm, we'd have been fine, but we were a half hour late. Anyway, they were super nice about our late arrival and still seated us immediately. The host took us up a flight of stairs and through a corridor, up a few more steps, past another dining nook, down a few steps, and into our dining area, which seated maybe 12 people. We sat overlooking the first level diners, which made for fabulous conversations. Thankfully we were in a pretty private area, so we were able to converse without being overheard.
There weren't too many vegetarian friendly options, but I knew that going in, so I wasn't surprised. We were brought freshly baked bread, which was sooo insanely good. Crusty on the outside and airy on the inside, I couldn't get enough of it. And strangely enough, the butter was amazing, too. It just seemed creamier and more flavorful than your average, everday butter. One of the busboys didn't even ask us if we wanted more bread and simply whisked out plate away, chopped up more bread, and brought it right back to us. Every dining nook has its own bread station and register, so we had a clear view of him slicing our bread (they bake probably 12" diameter rounds). We were pretty messy with the bread, due to the fact that they didn't give us bread plates.
Jim went with the soup and I got the ricotta gnocchi to start with. The iced tea was freshly brewed and tasted more herb-y instead of black. I ate a sip of soup just to try it, because it was chicken stock-based. It didn't have a strong chicken-y flavor to it, which was good for me. It came with a poached egg, which Jim ate (on top of his four that he had eaten for breakfast in an omelet). My gnocchi were very interesting. They had a very strong egg flavor to them, but were very tender and had a definite ricotta cheese texture. They pretty much melted in my mouth. They came in a light broth with I believe wilted curly parsley, which was a nice touch.
For our entrees, Jim got the yellowfin tuna. It came with roasted fingerling potatoes, which were totally nummy. Jim said the tuna was slightly raw on the inside. The description said medium rare, so I dunno. It was a very pretty presentation, though. I got the linguinette, which was fresh pasta tossed with lemon, cream, and parmesan cheese. Despite the cream, there wasn't a lot of sauce, so the dish itself tasted quite light and refreshing. Plus fresh pasta is super tender, and the linguinette itself was really thin and delicate, too. It was an
enjoyable dish.
Over dinner, we took total advantage of our aerial view of the restaurant and did an obscene amount of people watching. There was an older couple who had matching glasses and were pretty much clones of each other (they got the chicken, which was all carved up and prettily plated). There was a pair of guys that we guessing as to whether or not they were on a date. And then there was the trio of 2 guys and a girl, who we guessed to be a gay couple and their fat, ugly, single friend. It was all very fascinating. And plus we got to see the various foods people ordered. The oysters were definitely one of the more popular items. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am that Jim isn't too keen on oysters, because to me, they are as disgusting as crab, lobster, and shrimp. But with oysters comes the audio portion of the slurping. *shudder* The shoestring fries are piled high and are super thin, and I think I'd want to try them just to do it, but I've never been a big fan of the thin crispy strips. And I was also wishing I could try some of their salads. It's definitely more of a local spot than a touristy one, so it was nice.
Unfortunately we had no time for dessert, but none of them really jumped out at me. Part of the problem was that they were all French desserts and I didn't recognize any of them. "Vanille" and "Creme" and "granita" and "caramel" were words I recognized of course, but I couldn't pick out enough to tell what each dessert was (except for the granitas and sorbets).
As I said before, the concert was amazing. We were in the premier first tier, which didn't offer a great view of Schiff's hands, but the sound quality was excellent. He played Beethoven's sonatas 12-15. I wasn't overly familiar with 12 or 13, but I really enjoyed No. 13. Jim was nodding off during that one and I was a little perturbed, but he stayed awake during the last two.
I've been to probably dozens of concerts at the SF Symphony Hall. Some of them stick with me: Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Andre Watts, Alicia de la Rocha, Itzhak Perlman. Add Andras Schiff to the list. For him to take such a familiar piece and for it to come across as unique was pure genius. Afterwards, I got his autograph on the CD I purchased, which ended up being a slightly underwhelming experience. I'm choosing to believe that he was just tired after his amazing performance.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Opening Week
For the first time ever, Jim and I made it out to see the Giants during Opening Week, thanks to an invite from M & R. We took BART from the Ashby station to Embarcadero and then walked to the park where we met up with them. They went from Pleasant Hill and took Muni, which ended up being probably close to $10 more total for them. Call me cheap, but I can't justify paying $5 to take Muni for less than a mile each way. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, although a little hot, and the walk was more than enjoyable. We arrived there with time to spare and Jim and I headed for the cha-cha bowls. I know it's not typical ballpark food, but I think it's better than hot dogs. Plus we have our system worked out really well. A cha-cha bowl is rice, black beans, pineapple salsa, and jerk chicken. I get mine without meat and Jim gets double chicken instead. It's perfect for us. M also got a cha-cha bowl, and R got a baby bull sandwich.
I know the ingredient list says pineapple salsa, but I have yet to actually taste any pineapple. What I taste is cilantro and onion, and it's shredded green stuff (zucchini or cucumber colored). Jim was apparently running for the world's slowest eater, since it took him well over an hour to finish it. We were somewhere around the bottom of the 4th inning by the time he finished. The rest of us were done with our meals before the end of the first. Granted, the boys did go on a beer run, but that was really quick.
The definite bummer was our seats, which were the worst ones possible (although admittedly, there really isn't such a thing as a terrible seat at AT&T Park). Ironically, they were NOT the cheapest, since there was a special that made other seats cheaper. I couldn't even see the umpire's hands clearly and looking at the scoreboard required me to twist about 100 degrees to my right. Plus they were directly in the sun, which was as close to scorching as it gets in SF. M & R raved about the seats, but I personally think that's because they bought them and wanted to defend their questionable choice. I didn't really care too much about the crappy seats but thought it was funny that they tried to justify it. It really wasn't super hot, but as we're still coming out of winter mode, 80 degrees felt insane. I brought a bottle of water, and we refilled it 6 times. Plus we had a bottle of iced tea and Jim had a couple of beers. I really wished I had worn shorts or capris like R had.
As per their usual MO, the Giants blew a 5-0 lead and ultimately lost in the 10th, thus cementing Matt Cain's reputation as the world's unluckiest pitcher. I mean, the guy got them on the board with a home run! What more does he have to do? They got my hopes up in the 9th when they managed to tie the game back up, but alas, it was as I predicted: another mark in the loss column.
Even though they lost, it was a good game from the 5th inning on. I didn't recognize several of the players because they were minor leaguers, but it was actually one of the guys' (Bowker's) first game. He got a single and a HR, which was pretty awesome for him. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke performance, because the Giants could really use a power hitter.
We actually had perfect timing and were only a few minutes late for our 4:30 reservation for ACME Chophouse, the restaurant at the park. Well, I don't know if it's considered part of the park, but the building is attached to the clubhouse. ACME is owned by Traci Des Jardins, of Jardiniere, and is an upscale steakhouse. We were given the choice of a booth or table and of course, M wanted a table, so we accommodated him. I much prefer booths, as do the rest of us, but we've been through the whole ordeal with M and it's easier just to let him have his way.
Because ACME is a steakhouse, there wasn't a whole lot available for me, but I already knew that going into the restaurant (I called beforehand just to ensure that they accommodated veg-heads). I was actually very surprised that M & R chose to join us for dinner, as it's definitely a pricier restaurant than they usually frequent, but the more, the merrier. I'm always interested in seeing what other people order and their impressions of the place.
Jim and M both ordered the filet mignon. I was quite surprised that M did, since I didn't think he was all that big of a fan of the cut. He said he wasn't all that hungry, and today I learned that he's also picky about fat on his meat. You'd think that would mean he'd love filet mignon, but he doesn't. Personally, I think that it's a bit of R's influence on him, since she sees nothing special about it. Anyway, the only difference between their choices was that M ordered his medium and Jim medium rare. R got the Louisiana shrimp and I got a vegetable platter. Jim and I split the mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese, while they got their own separate mac n' cheese.
While we waited, we noshed on a couple of plates of bread, which was quite nummy. M & R ordered Market Greens salads, which came with a champagne-mustard vinaigrette and candied pistachios. M was nice enough to share his pistachios, and I found them quite interesting. I surprised myself and liked them.
Our food all came out at once, which I'm sure made R happy. M's accompanying greens with his steak came with parmesan wafers (to differentiate between the filets), and he happily shared those, too. I wasn't as crazy about them because they were too salty for me. R's LA shrimp came with grits, andouille sausage, chard, and gumbo. Very southern (I think). My veggie platter, although kind of ugly, was pretty good. They must have covered up the vegetables, because instead of a beautiful, brilliant green, they were dull and washied out. The fava beans rescued the dish, because it added some much needed heartiness. I had asparagus, chard, artichoke hearts, and of course the beans. They gave me a pair of dipping sauces (olive tapenade and aioli), but I only used the aioli very sparingly to be able to choke down the artichokes. The server said they would be roasted, but they definitely weren't. I'm thinking they were boiled, but they could have been steamed and then drizzled with broth. At any rate, they weren't spectacular, but the fava beans really upped the taste factor.
Jim's filet was perfectly cooked, and while he and M shared several dipping sauces, neither cared for them. I asked Jim about it, and he has come to the conclusion that he has eaten so many filet mignons that it now takes something super special to get his attention. R didn't say much about her shrimp, other than that it was spicy. She didn't touch her chard, but I didn't blame her--it was not at all a pretty green.
As for the side dishes . . . the mashed potatoes were, in a word, divine. Perfectly smooth, creamy, and rich, they absolutely hit the spot. And the mac n' cheese was surprisingly not roux-based. Although it was made with white cheddar, the dish was simple comfort food at its best. It didn't even have a crumb topping, although it looked as though it was broiled for a bit. Jim and I agreed that the nephews would love the mac n' cheese, and we may end up going there sometime after we take them to a game.
Calculating the bill was a nightmare. The server was not at all helpful in letting us split it between the two cards. He actually wanted us to calculate exactly how much was to be charged to each card, including tax. Ridiculous. And then throwing in the Passport card? It was irritating that he wouldn't let us a) split the bill or b) charge the dishes to each card as applicable. But we finally managed to get out of there.
Afterwards, Jim and I walked back to BART while M & R pressed on for shopping. I was actually quite tired, or else I wouldn't have passed on shopping. Plus it would have been more for Muni or additional BART fare, and I just wasn't feeling the extra expense. The weather was still absolutely gorgeous, and it was really nice to walk and talk with Jim.
We contemplated going to Fenton's after we got back to our car, but since our GPS didn't have the place (!), we ended up going back home. Midget needed her shot anyway. Oh yeah, she is doing much better now that she's on insulin. The dog is pretty much back to her stubborn, mischievous self.
For the remainder of the evening, we ate cupcakes and watched Rendition, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhal. It was an interesting movie, but not one I'd like to watch again. All I can do is hope that there is no way any of that would actually happen.
I know the ingredient list says pineapple salsa, but I have yet to actually taste any pineapple. What I taste is cilantro and onion, and it's shredded green stuff (zucchini or cucumber colored). Jim was apparently running for the world's slowest eater, since it took him well over an hour to finish it. We were somewhere around the bottom of the 4th inning by the time he finished. The rest of us were done with our meals before the end of the first. Granted, the boys did go on a beer run, but that was really quick.
The definite bummer was our seats, which were the worst ones possible (although admittedly, there really isn't such a thing as a terrible seat at AT&T Park). Ironically, they were NOT the cheapest, since there was a special that made other seats cheaper. I couldn't even see the umpire's hands clearly and looking at the scoreboard required me to twist about 100 degrees to my right. Plus they were directly in the sun, which was as close to scorching as it gets in SF. M & R raved about the seats, but I personally think that's because they bought them and wanted to defend their questionable choice. I didn't really care too much about the crappy seats but thought it was funny that they tried to justify it. It really wasn't super hot, but as we're still coming out of winter mode, 80 degrees felt insane. I brought a bottle of water, and we refilled it 6 times. Plus we had a bottle of iced tea and Jim had a couple of beers. I really wished I had worn shorts or capris like R had.
As per their usual MO, the Giants blew a 5-0 lead and ultimately lost in the 10th, thus cementing Matt Cain's reputation as the world's unluckiest pitcher. I mean, the guy got them on the board with a home run! What more does he have to do? They got my hopes up in the 9th when they managed to tie the game back up, but alas, it was as I predicted: another mark in the loss column.
Even though they lost, it was a good game from the 5th inning on. I didn't recognize several of the players because they were minor leaguers, but it was actually one of the guys' (Bowker's) first game. He got a single and a HR, which was pretty awesome for him. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke performance, because the Giants could really use a power hitter.
We actually had perfect timing and were only a few minutes late for our 4:30 reservation for ACME Chophouse, the restaurant at the park. Well, I don't know if it's considered part of the park, but the building is attached to the clubhouse. ACME is owned by Traci Des Jardins, of Jardiniere, and is an upscale steakhouse. We were given the choice of a booth or table and of course, M wanted a table, so we accommodated him. I much prefer booths, as do the rest of us, but we've been through the whole ordeal with M and it's easier just to let him have his way.
Because ACME is a steakhouse, there wasn't a whole lot available for me, but I already knew that going into the restaurant (I called beforehand just to ensure that they accommodated veg-heads). I was actually very surprised that M & R chose to join us for dinner, as it's definitely a pricier restaurant than they usually frequent, but the more, the merrier. I'm always interested in seeing what other people order and their impressions of the place.
Jim and M both ordered the filet mignon. I was quite surprised that M did, since I didn't think he was all that big of a fan of the cut. He said he wasn't all that hungry, and today I learned that he's also picky about fat on his meat. You'd think that would mean he'd love filet mignon, but he doesn't. Personally, I think that it's a bit of R's influence on him, since she sees nothing special about it. Anyway, the only difference between their choices was that M ordered his medium and Jim medium rare. R got the Louisiana shrimp and I got a vegetable platter. Jim and I split the mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese, while they got their own separate mac n' cheese.
While we waited, we noshed on a couple of plates of bread, which was quite nummy. M & R ordered Market Greens salads, which came with a champagne-mustard vinaigrette and candied pistachios. M was nice enough to share his pistachios, and I found them quite interesting. I surprised myself and liked them.
Our food all came out at once, which I'm sure made R happy. M's accompanying greens with his steak came with parmesan wafers (to differentiate between the filets), and he happily shared those, too. I wasn't as crazy about them because they were too salty for me. R's LA shrimp came with grits, andouille sausage, chard, and gumbo. Very southern (I think). My veggie platter, although kind of ugly, was pretty good. They must have covered up the vegetables, because instead of a beautiful, brilliant green, they were dull and washied out. The fava beans rescued the dish, because it added some much needed heartiness. I had asparagus, chard, artichoke hearts, and of course the beans. They gave me a pair of dipping sauces (olive tapenade and aioli), but I only used the aioli very sparingly to be able to choke down the artichokes. The server said they would be roasted, but they definitely weren't. I'm thinking they were boiled, but they could have been steamed and then drizzled with broth. At any rate, they weren't spectacular, but the fava beans really upped the taste factor.
Jim's filet was perfectly cooked, and while he and M shared several dipping sauces, neither cared for them. I asked Jim about it, and he has come to the conclusion that he has eaten so many filet mignons that it now takes something super special to get his attention. R didn't say much about her shrimp, other than that it was spicy. She didn't touch her chard, but I didn't blame her--it was not at all a pretty green.
As for the side dishes . . . the mashed potatoes were, in a word, divine. Perfectly smooth, creamy, and rich, they absolutely hit the spot. And the mac n' cheese was surprisingly not roux-based. Although it was made with white cheddar, the dish was simple comfort food at its best. It didn't even have a crumb topping, although it looked as though it was broiled for a bit. Jim and I agreed that the nephews would love the mac n' cheese, and we may end up going there sometime after we take them to a game.
Calculating the bill was a nightmare. The server was not at all helpful in letting us split it between the two cards. He actually wanted us to calculate exactly how much was to be charged to each card, including tax. Ridiculous. And then throwing in the Passport card? It was irritating that he wouldn't let us a) split the bill or b) charge the dishes to each card as applicable. But we finally managed to get out of there.
Afterwards, Jim and I walked back to BART while M & R pressed on for shopping. I was actually quite tired, or else I wouldn't have passed on shopping. Plus it would have been more for Muni or additional BART fare, and I just wasn't feeling the extra expense. The weather was still absolutely gorgeous, and it was really nice to walk and talk with Jim.
We contemplated going to Fenton's after we got back to our car, but since our GPS didn't have the place (!), we ended up going back home. Midget needed her shot anyway. Oh yeah, she is doing much better now that she's on insulin. The dog is pretty much back to her stubborn, mischievous self.
For the remainder of the evening, we ate cupcakes and watched Rendition, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhal. It was an interesting movie, but not one I'd like to watch again. All I can do is hope that there is no way any of that would actually happen.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Soreness all around
I met up with Jim, L, and A for lunch today before they went wakeboarding. I was sad that I couldn't go, but at the same time, it frees me up to do a lot of stuff that I need to get done. I was a bit perturbed with Jim, because I had specifically asked him to call me as soon as they left, so I would have time to pick up lunch and meet them at Carl's Jr. (not too much vegetarian-friendly food there). Of course, he waits until 10 minutes into their drive, which puts me behind. That aspect of his personality drives me absolutely crazy. It's like, if I ask him to do something, why can't he just do it? It's not like it was difficult or an imposition, and I had already explained my reasoning behind my request.
Anyway, I got a sandwich from a little deli across the street from CJ's. I don't even remember the name, but it's been there for as long as I can remember and has the reputation for good food. I've never been there with Jim, because he won't eat cold sandwiches, so today was the perfect opportunity for me to try it. The line was crazy long, and it took a while before I reached the counter, where I ordered a veggie sandwich on sliced wheat without mayo, mustard, pickles, or cheese. It came with avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, pepporcini, and supposedly sprouts, but they were out (grr!). It was a moderate wait, but for a mom-and-pop place, I expected it. So for $5.75, I got a pretty yummy sandwich and an old, divorced, father of four hitting on me while incessantly smiling with his freaky fake veneers. I was actually quite pleased with my sandwich--it had the typical deli lettuce and tons of veggies inside. Of course, I had to eat quickly, since I was probably about 10 minutes behind them and they needed to get out to the lake.
L and I had talked on the phone earlier that day and ended up choosing Postino, an Italian restaurant in Lafayette that accepted the Passport. I made Open Table reservations for 9 pm and we ended up only being 15 minutes late. The four of us tackled two plates of bread, which wasn't at all a surprise. I sampled a bit of the garlic butter and was pretty unimpressed--it reminded me too much of Alouette. There were two types of bread, one a typical crusty sourdough and the other a toasted garlic topped foccacia. Both were good, and we were all starving, so the plates emptied quickly.
I don't think any of us will be forgetting this meal anytime in the near future, given the service we received. Our waiter verged on crazy, but managed to barely keep to the "extremely enthusiastic" side. A's theory was that he was drunk, and I was inclined to agree, but he managed to describe every special in such great and glorious detail that we may as well have been watching The Food Network, and that kind of made me think that he was just really, really excited about the food . He listed every major ingredient in the dish and touched on the preparation method, too. I think we all avoided eye contact with each other to keep from bursting into laughter. His bombastic delivery paid off, since the carnivores went with the soup of the day (lamb stew). I got some sort of salad with Gorgonzola, candied pecans, and frisee. I asked for the blu cheese dressing on the side and was glad I did, since I didn't like it at all and the Gorgonzola gave the salad more than enough flavor anyway. The greens were light enough that I didn't miss the moisture dressing usually provides. The stew was a hit for the others, and that means I guess I'll have to try making it sometime. Giada has a recipe for lamb stew with papperadelle (I think), so I'll give it a whirl.
We all got different main courses. A was feeling the swordfish, L the pork, Jim the tri tip (of course), and I ultimately decided on the eggplant parmesan. I was torn between the eggplant and the farfalle pasta dish, which came with mushrooms, a truffle broth (both yays!) and artichokes (eh). Since I love eggplant parmesan and had run over 3 miles today, I figured I would splurge and get something I would be highly likely to enjoy.
My mezzaluna was pretty darn good. It's been so long since I've had restaurant eggplant parm that I didn't really have a point of reference (except to my shame, I still have yet to find a restaurant that serves better eggplant than Buca di Beppo!), but it was yummy. I really liked the added touch of grilled zucchini, which was beneath the eggplant. I got three slices of the stuff, which was cut in about 1 inch rounds. The marinara was a little too sweet for my tastes, but so long as I was eating it with the eggplant and not with bread, it was fine.
Jim's tri tip was beautiful. It came carved up and perfectly medium rare. There was a veal reduction, bacon mashed potatoes, and green beans. The plate itself was gigantic, and the server made a joke about how he had insisted on a big plate and clearly the kitchen hadn't listened. Jim tried to feed me the potatoes, but luckily for me, I had read the menu and knew he was giving me tainted food.
L's pork was actually quite pretty, too. His came out on a rectangular plate as did mine. Despite it being an Italian restaurant, the rectangular plates gave a pretty strong Asian influence to the presentation. He liked his dish a lot, too and when he and Jim swapped plates, to my surprise, Jim also liked the pork. Looks like I'll have to try making a roast loin of pork sometime, too. I learned tonight that L is all about the pig. I noticed before that he gravitated towards it, but didn't realize the extent of it. Something to keep in mind the next time he comes to dinner. And since Giada has all of those roast pork recipes . . . I still don't know how I feel about cooking pork, since I've always been raised to believe that it's an unclean animal. I don't think I could feed my children the stuff. The smell is horrible. But at the same time, I don't think I have a moral objection to it. It's just . . . gross. But if Jim likes it, I'd give cooking it a try. And he seemed to really like it. I'll have to ask him his honest opinion on it away from company before I make that sort of pork commitment.
A was all about the swordfish. Of the platings, hers was actually by far the ugliest. The off-white of her swordfish was washed out by the off-white of her mashed potatoes. It looked like a big lump of stuff. But luckily for her, in this case, looks had nothing to do with the taste, and she ate all of her fish like a total champ. I was a impressed. She didn't quite finish her potatoes, but the meat was completely gone. Apparently swordfish is a pretty dense fish, whatever that means. Jim said he prefers light and flaky. Again, whatever that means.
For dessert, the server brought out the cupcakes I gave to A for her birthday. He plated them up and stuck candles in them. It was adorable. Jim officially likes the cupcakes, which made me so happy. L seemed to really like them, too. I would have preferred to try one of Postino's desserts, but the bill was so much anyway that we probably didn't need the added expense. But the strawberry-rhubarb dessert was definitely calling to me. Ah well, maybe next time.
Amusing points of the evening:
Watching our busboy in action was amazing. The guy was seriously on crack. My water glass was never empty, and the plates were cleared away in an insanely efficient way. I was fascinated just watching him dry wineglasses.
Listening to our waiter crack horrible jokes, go into long-winded explanations of the food, and speak with his hands (in true Italian fashion).
Trying to explain the Passport to A without letting her know it was a discount card.
Lots of fun tonight. The only bummer is that we were all sore, the three of them from wakeboarding, and me from my stupidity in running over three miles of hills after not having run in about a month. My knees are killing me.
Anyway, I got a sandwich from a little deli across the street from CJ's. I don't even remember the name, but it's been there for as long as I can remember and has the reputation for good food. I've never been there with Jim, because he won't eat cold sandwiches, so today was the perfect opportunity for me to try it. The line was crazy long, and it took a while before I reached the counter, where I ordered a veggie sandwich on sliced wheat without mayo, mustard, pickles, or cheese. It came with avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, pepporcini, and supposedly sprouts, but they were out (grr!). It was a moderate wait, but for a mom-and-pop place, I expected it. So for $5.75, I got a pretty yummy sandwich and an old, divorced, father of four hitting on me while incessantly smiling with his freaky fake veneers. I was actually quite pleased with my sandwich--it had the typical deli lettuce and tons of veggies inside. Of course, I had to eat quickly, since I was probably about 10 minutes behind them and they needed to get out to the lake.
L and I had talked on the phone earlier that day and ended up choosing Postino, an Italian restaurant in Lafayette that accepted the Passport. I made Open Table reservations for 9 pm and we ended up only being 15 minutes late. The four of us tackled two plates of bread, which wasn't at all a surprise. I sampled a bit of the garlic butter and was pretty unimpressed--it reminded me too much of Alouette. There were two types of bread, one a typical crusty sourdough and the other a toasted garlic topped foccacia. Both were good, and we were all starving, so the plates emptied quickly.
I don't think any of us will be forgetting this meal anytime in the near future, given the service we received. Our waiter verged on crazy, but managed to barely keep to the "extremely enthusiastic" side. A's theory was that he was drunk, and I was inclined to agree, but he managed to describe every special in such great and glorious detail that we may as well have been watching The Food Network, and that kind of made me think that he was just really, really excited about the food . He listed every major ingredient in the dish and touched on the preparation method, too. I think we all avoided eye contact with each other to keep from bursting into laughter. His bombastic delivery paid off, since the carnivores went with the soup of the day (lamb stew). I got some sort of salad with Gorgonzola, candied pecans, and frisee. I asked for the blu cheese dressing on the side and was glad I did, since I didn't like it at all and the Gorgonzola gave the salad more than enough flavor anyway. The greens were light enough that I didn't miss the moisture dressing usually provides. The stew was a hit for the others, and that means I guess I'll have to try making it sometime. Giada has a recipe for lamb stew with papperadelle (I think), so I'll give it a whirl.
We all got different main courses. A was feeling the swordfish, L the pork, Jim the tri tip (of course), and I ultimately decided on the eggplant parmesan. I was torn between the eggplant and the farfalle pasta dish, which came with mushrooms, a truffle broth (both yays!) and artichokes (eh). Since I love eggplant parmesan and had run over 3 miles today, I figured I would splurge and get something I would be highly likely to enjoy.
My mezzaluna was pretty darn good. It's been so long since I've had restaurant eggplant parm that I didn't really have a point of reference (except to my shame, I still have yet to find a restaurant that serves better eggplant than Buca di Beppo!), but it was yummy. I really liked the added touch of grilled zucchini, which was beneath the eggplant. I got three slices of the stuff, which was cut in about 1 inch rounds. The marinara was a little too sweet for my tastes, but so long as I was eating it with the eggplant and not with bread, it was fine.
Jim's tri tip was beautiful. It came carved up and perfectly medium rare. There was a veal reduction, bacon mashed potatoes, and green beans. The plate itself was gigantic, and the server made a joke about how he had insisted on a big plate and clearly the kitchen hadn't listened. Jim tried to feed me the potatoes, but luckily for me, I had read the menu and knew he was giving me tainted food.
L's pork was actually quite pretty, too. His came out on a rectangular plate as did mine. Despite it being an Italian restaurant, the rectangular plates gave a pretty strong Asian influence to the presentation. He liked his dish a lot, too and when he and Jim swapped plates, to my surprise, Jim also liked the pork. Looks like I'll have to try making a roast loin of pork sometime, too. I learned tonight that L is all about the pig. I noticed before that he gravitated towards it, but didn't realize the extent of it. Something to keep in mind the next time he comes to dinner. And since Giada has all of those roast pork recipes . . . I still don't know how I feel about cooking pork, since I've always been raised to believe that it's an unclean animal. I don't think I could feed my children the stuff. The smell is horrible. But at the same time, I don't think I have a moral objection to it. It's just . . . gross. But if Jim likes it, I'd give cooking it a try. And he seemed to really like it. I'll have to ask him his honest opinion on it away from company before I make that sort of pork commitment.
A was all about the swordfish. Of the platings, hers was actually by far the ugliest. The off-white of her swordfish was washed out by the off-white of her mashed potatoes. It looked like a big lump of stuff. But luckily for her, in this case, looks had nothing to do with the taste, and she ate all of her fish like a total champ. I was a impressed. She didn't quite finish her potatoes, but the meat was completely gone. Apparently swordfish is a pretty dense fish, whatever that means. Jim said he prefers light and flaky. Again, whatever that means.
For dessert, the server brought out the cupcakes I gave to A for her birthday. He plated them up and stuck candles in them. It was adorable. Jim officially likes the cupcakes, which made me so happy. L seemed to really like them, too. I would have preferred to try one of Postino's desserts, but the bill was so much anyway that we probably didn't need the added expense. But the strawberry-rhubarb dessert was definitely calling to me. Ah well, maybe next time.
Amusing points of the evening:
Watching our busboy in action was amazing. The guy was seriously on crack. My water glass was never empty, and the plates were cleared away in an insanely efficient way. I was fascinated just watching him dry wineglasses.
Listening to our waiter crack horrible jokes, go into long-winded explanations of the food, and speak with his hands (in true Italian fashion).
Trying to explain the Passport to A without letting her know it was a discount card.
Lots of fun tonight. The only bummer is that we were all sore, the three of them from wakeboarding, and me from my stupidity in running over three miles of hills after not having run in about a month. My knees are killing me.
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