misstenacity

Dinner tonight - I was still feeling like light food, so I made a generic Asian soup. First, I got some water boiling and then added a little bit of beef stock (concentrate) and a star anise. At the same time I was grilling some sliced eggplant, thinking I would add it to the soup later. Instead I ended up taking the charred eggplant with 2 jalepenos, a glug of pomegranite syrup, a glug of walnut vinegar, and a handful of walnuts.... and making a chunky paste in the food processor. What did I make? I have no freakin' clue, but it looked like this: I guess its sort of a Morrocan or middle eastern variety of tapenade. It was *very* spicy, and I decided to spoon some into the soup after it was served. To the soup I added some dried mushrooms, and then some frozen chopped broccoli. Once those were mostly done I spooned them out into a bowl: and then to the beefy broth I poured in a beaten egg, then poured this over the veggies and topped it with a spoon of the 'Morrocanade'. Dinner is served! (Oh, dessert is not pictured but was basically a few dried figs nibbled at while watching 24.) Andrea http://tenacity.net

The chiles are one of the shortcuts I use - they come pre-chopped and frozen in 4oz bags and sold 10 bags to a package at Costco. They look like chiles you might get out of a can, but these actually are pretty hot, so that's why I continue to buy them. When its roasting time (fall), I will buy roasted green chiles in ziploc bags at the farmers market or in local grocery stores and then freeze them. Usually they are partly peeled and have their top attached at that point so a little work needs to be done yet before they can be used in recipes. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Monday breakfast - coffee & yogurt w/ blueberries: Then later, oatmeal (also with blueberries ) I gave in to the lure of the Dove in my drawer in late morning.... And lunch at a local dive - Stufys Stuffed Sopapillas (and they have a website! Later, I felt the need to appease all that grease so I had a giant salad with red pepper and chopped almonds: Dinner's up next! Andrea http://tenacity.net

I my faster-metabolism days (college! ), I would come home from my summer job of working in a metal fab plant and sit on the easy chair in the living room, read a magazine, and eat a box of cereal. Ideally this would be something with big chunks to grab on to (frosted mini-wheats, etc), but sometimes even raisin bran was chosen. I like most cereals, even very sweet and very healthy kinds, but my current fave is Kashi GoLean (and I just ate 1/4 of a box sitting here at my computer). Andrea http://tenacity.net

You know, I don't know... the heat would depend both on the type of chile used as well as the level of that particular batch of peppers. The only Texas chili that I am familiar with is "tex mex", meaning there are beans and meat involved, as well as other spices. Andrea http://tenacity.net

I'm going to take a brief amount of time now and "explain" myself and my food history in NM. I was raised in Wisconsin, and escaped just after college after falling in love with the west (specifically mountainous desert West) on a roadtrip. So I have been here in Albuquerque for 7 years, including 1 year living in Santa Fe. Won't do that again - awful traffic and the town is too small & touristy for me. I *never* like spicy food when growing up, and was generally an unadventurous eater. Burgers had to be plain, and don't even try to add some funny looking 'sauce' to my veggies or my cake (that means frosting, too!). In addition to that, my family ate quite a lot of bland and badly cooked dinners when I was growing up, so my foundation as a foodie needed a kick-start after I reached adulthood. A few forays into diet experimentation in high school and college were all based on athletics and health, and usually fizzled out quickly. When on my own I ate cheaply and starchily - tons of pancakes, potatoes, pasta, and eggs. About 5 or 6 years ago I started appreciating better quality food, but it was a slow process, and frankly, it took someone else footing the bill for it to be acceptable at first. I don't recall at the moment if I had an epiphany that made me think, "wow, this *eating* thing can really kick ass!". All I know is that about 3 years ago I bought myself a good set of knives and just started going crazy in the kitchen. Its all I can do to keep myself out of there, now. Lots of reading of books in the vein of Pepin, Child, Bittman, and the fabulous photos of Ruhlman, etc. gave me the beginnings of my food sensibility. I still use Culinary Artistry more than any other single book, as my skills in preparation have come along and its my palate that still needs some refining. Currently I'm a chow slut - I love high end dining, but also dives of any sort, as long as the grub is tasty. Oh, and I have a hard time finding any chile or spicy food that will even make me break a sweat anymore. Like many enthusiastic amateur cooks I know, I have catered a handful of parties for friends, and had a smashing good time doing that. I don't consider working in the food industry per se to be a desirable end, but for the possibility of doing more part-time catering. Let's see..... anything else that I left out I should be detailing? Andrea http://tenacity.net

Hehe. Funny you should ask. The roadrunner is our state bird, hence the name. However, I *am* a runner, as well - that's why I'm a protein freak. I love cooking for the 5th Sunday rotation, and I always go to the Souper Bowl (every year), but this was a weird convergence of both happening on the same weekend - I am definitely not as saintly as it might seem & out doing this kind of thing every weekend. Andrea http://tenacity.net

My last catch-up post! Hurrah! After seeing Million Dollar Baby (sob!), I am the only hungry one in the party, so I use this as leverage to eat a cuisine that otherwise might be a tough sell - Middle Eastern. We head over to the Middle East Bakery (which I am happily suprised to see has a website(!)) I order the only thing on the menu that I have no clue what it contains (the majarrah plate(?) - it started with an M and was not a word I'd seen before). This is what I receive (a rice, lentils, and onions mix with mild but tasty spices, and a hot flatbread): It also comes with a salad, and I order a salty yogurt drink as well: Spurred to an appetite, the companion orders the meat pie plate: And before leaving, we shop a bit from their small grocery selection. I purchase a bottle of pomegranite syrup. The rest of the afternoon is spent putting together my massive Souper Bowl post, and then a dinner consisting of leftovers - slaw again: ....plus the leftover enchiladas, topped with chopped HB egg (I'm a protein freak): While finishing a novel, I had dessert of my last bit of banana-walnut-chocolate ice cream, and a small cafe au lait with the mornings' rewarmed coffee. I'm off to bed, chat with you all again tomorrow. Yay, I'm caught up! Andrea http://tenacity.net

Good morning, and happy Sunday! I wake up with my coffee + half & half in my "Andrea" mug (I absolutely had to purchase it as it was the ONLY mug with a person's name on it one day as I was shopping at my favorite thrift store.... ): And, thanks to Tivo, I do not have to stay up until 3am to get my viewing fix (see the TV in the background.... ): *Whew* After my heart palpitations have passed, I make oatmeal again, this time with almonds and molasses: ....and an egg over easy for the 'kid' in the house: ....finally, 2 scrambled w/ green chile and cheese for my beloved: And, off we go to the movies, down the canyon through the lovely new snow: Andrea http://tenacity.net

Dinner last night. I had some red cabbage slaw: ....followed by a spinach-egg bake. This is 2 eggs, a half cup milk, S&P poured over layers of lightly steamed spinach and fontina cheese, then baked at 375 for about 40 minutes. It was an early dinner, so I did some computer work, packed up the cookies to take back to town, and a late snack run was made to Flying Star, a local chain of quick-order upscale diner food and copious pastries: They have great food at decent prices (they always just seem to be about a dollar more than I think is reasonable, but I've seen chain restaurants prices, so really its not bad at all), and lots of daily specials. Whenever they have a Monte Cristo I have to get it. Even at 10:30 at night, the crowd is heavy, bustling, and has a wide range of ages from young hipsters to families to groups of what appear to be college republicans (always my suspicion when I see more than one 20-something together and wearing ties with khakis). Since I don't like to eat much this late, I have a vanilla milk steamer, and the booth-mate has a patty melt with avocado, bacon, and cheese: ....accompanied by a side of chicken posole soup (which I eat most of... apparently I'm not souped out for the day ) And finally, off to home and a much-anticipated sleeping-in-Sunday. Andrea http://tenacity.net

THE SOUPER BOWL: [Warning.... this is a post overloaded by photos and not much text.... I barely remember all the soups I had, suffice it to say that if its in the photo, I tried it. ] An annual event put on by the Roadrunner Food Bank, it pits about 20-25 local restaurants against each other in a soup showdown. Here's the scene, which takes place in their actual food warehouse, but you can see how crowded it gets: In addition to the soups, you can see that there were lots of desserts. Many people (including myself) got over to them early on to scope out and sample the items that would soon be picked over and just plain gone. Here are some photos (all strewn together.... see a theme, here? ) of those lovely confections: And, on to the main attraction..... after you're done cleaning out your short circuited keyboard from all the drool, read further for some comments on the standout specimens. The one I voted "people's choice" was an artichoke chicken soup (pictured immediately to the right of the vat of matzoh balls, with a floating crouton in it) from a place called Trombino Italiano (or something like that, they used to have a slightly different name and have recently changed it). I actually have been disappointed by several of their dishes, but this soup kicked ass. The close runner-up was the chipotle chicken, pictured along with its red-chile sopapillas, in the last 3 photos. There has been a slow and steady creep of the number of both chowders and bisques, unfortunately. A few years running of a crawfish bisque winning the title and no one wants to do a really nice clear soup anymore, which is partly why I loved the flavors in that artichoke soup. Missing from years past were any bean-based soups, such as black bean.... or even a nice lentil soup. Strange. Now this is a "normal folks" crowd, but still I would expect to see at least one cold soup or a fruit soup, but no. Perhaps I'll see if individuals can enter the competition and gear up for next year. Finally, there was a band playing and a silent auction to raise more money: ....and a table displaying how much food the cost of your ticket could purchase. With 20x 1-2oz of soup each (not all servings were fully eaten...), I'd say I had about 3 cups of soup total, plus a half dozen bite-sized desserts. Plenty to make me full but not stuff my gullet. I could have eaten a lot more but been bloated the rest of the afternoon. Andrea http://tenacity.net [EDITED to fix line-breaks, more than one time(!)]

Wow, hope you had a kitchen aid (or an extra set of arms) for mixing all that dough... They look nicein their individual packages. It would be interesting to know more about where the cookies are going too. Thanks for the pix. ← I only had this, which was smelling bad and quite warm (but not smoking) by the time I was done: The charity is a local organization that provides a wide spectrum of services to homeless and those needing a little extra help. St. Martins Hospitality Center is the name, and what me and my coworkers provide is a tiny tiny amount compared to the volume overall. We have sponsored their "5th Sunday" rotation, which means every month that has a 5th Sunday, the staff gets the morning off and we cook and serve breakfast/brunch to 200-300 clients. Most of the food is cooked ahead of time and brought down that morning to be reheated (if necessary) and served. A typical meal would start with coffee & juice, and end with a quick "make your own sandwich" line to be taken along and eaten later. The rest of the food would typically be this: breakfast casserole or french toast HB eggs green chile stew biscuits and gravy (always homemade gravy) apple or banana dessert - cookie or bar About a dozen coworkers split up the duties of making 250 servings of each thing, and then about 8-10 people (sometimes an overlapping group) show up on Sunday morning to work in the kitchen and serve the food. Previously, I've made breakfast casserole, french toast (baked casserole style), and the sausage gravy. This time I took cookies because I recently got ahold of a killer PB recipe (I've heard the last few times the Pillsbury kind in a roll were made - and being a food snob I just couldn't leave that as it was.... ). So naturally I went overboard and said I'd do all the cookies. It worked out just fine, and I dropped them off on Saturday so I could sleep in today. :-) Andrea

Cookie post: Friday and Saturday I made about 350 cookies (half PB and half chocolate chip) for a charity that we do through work. More on that soon, I have to run out the door in a second.... First, the ingredients for Peanut Butter batch: Then, the chocolate chip (before flour): And..... after everything is combined. Have you ever seen 13lbs of cookie dough? Now you have! And the finished products getting packed up for transport - box o' cookies 1: And 2 pans of choc chip (didn't quite have the fortitude for that many pans of actual cookies so I made about half the dough into bars): Wow. This easily triples the number of cookies I have made in my lifetime. Obviously, I don't make a lot of cookies as per the usual daily routine.... Later this afternoon, the SOUPER BOWL! Andrea http://tenacity.net

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement and salivation. :-) crinoidgirl - Yes, we have the "sweet & salty mix" and another mix that is just unsalted nuts and raisins in our vending machine at work. (A tech glory-days holdout - its still free for us to snack at work.) docsconz - The chiles are the dried red New Mexican kind (basically the same as green but in their final stage of ripening). If you've seen a ristra: Painting of Ristra ...that's the pods that are used. I have a few ristras at home, but also a big plastic bag of chiles that I cook with. I *have* made "red" before using powdered red chile plus water and sometimes a thickener, but the pods have a very different flavor (fruitier) that is sometimes nice. The powder makes the end product taste very earthy - it just depends on what you're in the mood for, I suppose. I would liken it to the difference between a delicate shiraz or red zin versus a really well-aged cabernet or bordeaux. jhlurie - Thanks for the suggestion - I've meant to try Nana's for quite some time but that night you gave me just enough of a nudge. To answer your question directly - Yes, but only the first time or 2 in my case. (See my remarks about my friend dragging me to The Frontier my first day in town in an earlier post.) Susan - Do let me know how your variation on the fig ice cream turns out. I'm about due to make more ice cream; my last batch turned out more crystal-y than I like, so adding honey and/or spirits seems to be the trick (when not using heavy cream, anyway). Ok, about to make another big post with some of my photos from yesterday.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

I've got a little bit of catching up to do.... but I have TONS of photos from yesterday, so let's get started with a quickie: Breakfast yesterday AM: slow oatmeal w/ cinnamon & milk, coffee (not pictured). Andrea http://tenacity.net

Ok, dinner last night. Went to a nearby favorite for homey New Mexican - Chilepenos, owned by the same extended family as 2 other places in Albuquerque proper (Perea's and Seferinos, if you're taking notes). We live in what is called the "East Mountains", a quick 10 minute drive from the eastern edge of Albuquerque, and essentially it is on the other side of the small mountain chain that hugs town. Here's a map to give you an idea of the layout: Albuquerque Area Map Look in the "green" area to the right of town, I leave near Forest Park, and Chilepenos is 5mi north in Sandia Park. None of these towns are incorporated, so its just one big rural-y strip. We sat down, after noticing that the "chilemeter" - a white board near the front door - was indicating green was hotter than red today. So.... that means enchiladas. But first, the obligatory chips and salsa: My "usual" at Chilepenos is a bowl of red with a fried egg on top. This means dried, roasted, rehydrated and boiled red chiles pureed into a lovely flame colored soup. Besides salt as seasoning, if your chiles are good quality, there are no other ingredients. You just correct the amount of water to make the puree the desired consistency. More on this later in the week, I hope. This time I decided to have "Nana's Enchiladas", which are traditional New Mexican style: stacked, cheese, ground beef, and onion. Of course, they are also smothered in green or red and cheese, then an egg is perched on top. Here is the steaming pile: My companion had green chile chicken enchiladas, all rice, no garnish. This is his "usual". (Oh, and sopapillas after the meal, not with it) His rolled enchiladas: And yet another gratuitous look at my dish, after I've broken the egg and created yolk lava: Once we are mostly stuffed, the to-go boxes are called forth, and the sopapilla arrives and is quickly eaten (with honey, of course): Next post - today's food, including the visit to a Souper Bowl charity soup cook-off, and the production of 300+ cookies for a soup kitchen tomorrow. I have a busy weekend, and you are all invited! Andrea http://tenacity.net

That's a plastic bottle. Andrea

A quick run-down of the rest of my day at work, as it relates to food (of course). First, after lunch I was feeling a bit.... uhrm.... in the need of some help. I wander across the street to Walgreens for a new supply of the "breakfast of champions": Honestly, this had nothing to do with lunch itself. I do have a bit of what they like to call a "nervous stomach", and had since I was a wee kid. So having a co-worker leave on top of my exciting week in blog-land probably tipped the scale (don't worry, I'll survive). (Oh, and I also bought some milk, and a treat for later if the mood struck (which suprisingly, it didn't)): Of the "candy" brands of chocolate, I am partial to Dove Dark - it is much smoother than Hershey's Special Dark, which will do in a pinch. Sometimes I'll buy the big bag of individual Doves ("Promises", I think they're called) to have in my desk drawer for moments of crisis during work. Next week I'll definitely give you a grande tour of my desk, the food I have stacked on top of it as well as my drawer stashes. Its probably a little prettier than my fridge, anyway.... Righty then, an hour later things are looking up so I go to the snack wall and am lured by this promise: And here is the actual view of that tantalizing snack: Finally, the view of the forlorn raisins from said package, which I will not be eating. Note - I do love raisins, but only with some foods (oatmeal is a good example). I prefer my nuts alone or with chocolate. Now, I'm off to figure out what to do for dinner this eve. Home or away, that is the question..... Andrea

Despite my best intentions, the operation to successfully graft my digital camera to my hand did not take, so I do not have photos from lunch today. I apologize. We went across the parking lot, some coworkers and I, to have lunch at the sports bar and 'celebrate' someone's last day. The food at Skybox is generally in the range of edible <------> OK. I had one of their most palatable offerings - Green Chile Chicken Stew. For Skybox, this is chunks of potato, chile, and chicken in a lime-green thick base. It is not entirely known what this base is composed of, but usually it has a decent amount of heat so it works for me. The first day I was in Albuquerque, a new friend drug me down to the Frontier and ordered me to have a breakfast burrito. The spice nearly killed me and continued to do so for the next day or two. However, I have been in New Mexico for 7 years now, and my tolerance for chile has continued to rise, such that it is difficult for me to eat *anywhere* - New Mexican, Thai, you name it - and be challenged by the spice. There is one notable exception that I hope to visit in the next week and share with you, a small dive in Santa Fe that is worth the 1 hour each way trip. Thank you for the welcome, and don't forget, "A day without chile is like a day without sunshine." Andrea http://tenacity.net

A fabulous site for buckets of info about Albuquerque restaurants is Gil Garduno's site (link to his Duke City page - hover over "duke city dining" icon for a drop-down menu of categories by ethnicity and food type): Gil's ABQ page Also (shameless plug), the foodblog this week is written in/about Albuquerque. Ask if you'd like more specific recommendations - I've got tons of them. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Good morning, everyone. Let me begin by saying I am freakishly excited and quiveringly nervous. Let's begin, then? I often eat a multi-stage breakfast, as you'll see shortly. This morning I slunk out of bed at 4:40 to make it to a 5:15 Pilates class (I only do this once per week!), drinking a small coffee adulterated with General Foods International Coffee (vanilla flavor - an on again, off again addiction) on the drive over. After class, and partially awakened, I head over to work and eat a greens bar on *that* drive. Calories of any sort after being at the gym is always a good idea. Finally, at work, I have my customary cafe au lait with crappy work brew and nuked 2% milk, and a small bowl of plain yogurt with handful of granola and a little bit of leftover "breakfast" quinoa from lunch yesterday. My camera phone takes an awful picture, I know, but some visuals are better than none, I hope: Bad photo #1: Bad photo of freaky yogurt quinoa mush #2: More to come, and better pictures - I promise. Andrea http://tenacity.net [edited to change photo links]

Here's my recipe, which I put together after having made ice cream a few times and after consulting Culinary Artistry for "what goes with figs?". Oh, and I lied - I did use brown sugar in addition to the honey, though that could certainly be changed in the future. Note, this makes a tiny batch, so triple the ingredients for a quart sized ice cream maker. Fig-Port Ice Cream with mint & honey 4 dried figs, chopped finely and soaked for 15+ minutes in 2T port (or enough to cover) 1c whole milk 1T dried mint 1T thyme honey (or any wildflower honey) 1/4c brown sugar or sweetener 1 egg yolk Put the mint and honey in the milk and scald it. ("Bad milk!" Um, not scold.... scald.) Beat the egg yolk and sugar together, then add some of the milk to the egg, mixing well. Finally dump the egg into the pan with the milk and cook gently until it slightly thickens or is just short of boiling. Either pick out the mint bits at this point or use a blender to render them tiny. Stir in the fig-port mess and chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Process in your ice cream maker when ready. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Strange how coincidences work.... my first experience with 'premium' honey was thyme honey, and it is worth the premium price. One of the things I made with it that turned out well was Fig and Port ice cream, sweetened only with the thyme honey (no other sugar). Andrea http://tenacity.net

All of the recommendations so far have been good, with one exception. I have eaten dinner at the High Finance, and it is amazingly sub-par for the prices and for the fact that all they had to do was bring the food supplies over via a 30 minute drive. If the restaurant were in the middle of nowhere and you had to hike in for 2 days, the quality of the food might be expected to be just OK, but the High Finance does not have that excuse. Eat at the bottom of the tram at Santiago's instead. Far, far better fare. For the record, here is a website with some pretty comprehensive reviews of many many ABQ restaurants: Gil Garduno's reviews Miss Tenacity / Andrea http://tenacity.net

Yesterday: homemade mac & cheese w/ sharp cheddar and fontina - first time I've made it myself and WOW! Today: tall americano w/ half&half (from Starbucks, but far better than the office coffee swill, and far better than Starbucks' own drip coffee) Andrea http://tenacity.net