purplewiz
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Posts posted by purplewiz
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I too have my "bag of frozen garbage" in the freezer for the next time I make stock. Along with frozen chicken carcasses - I usually don't have time to make stock when I roast a chicken, so after we've eaten I pick the carcass reasonably clean, throw it in a ziplock, and toss it in the deep freeze. Any leftover chicken meat also gets frozen (unless I have an immediate use planned). Then when I'm in the mood for stock making, I have LOTS of things to make it from.
I've tried freezing chicken and turkey fat, but I usually forget to use them, and eventually toss them. That's one of the things I've come to accept over the years - yes, there may be a use for such things, but if I don't actually use them, they are only taking up space and become a liability rather than an asset.
Marcia.
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A properly ripe pear, eaten over the sink.
A good steak, grilled, salt and pepper only. That's all it needs.
One square of good dark chocolate, eaten a nibble at a time, melting unctuously in your mouth.
Marcia.
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I am amazed at how much credit I get for making simple things from scratch. I am floored that people are amazed that I cook every night. I am floored that some of these people also claim to never cook. Ever. What do they eat?!?
You just reminded me...I'm floored by the number of people who state PROUDLY that they don't cook. I didn't know that was something to be proud of.
Marcia.
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Cup a bread roll in my left hand while sawing away at it with a dull serrated knife with my right hand. I know better. I KNOW BETTER. Yet my middle finger has a band-aid because not only did I hit flesh, I kept sawing for a second.
Oh, yes, I share your pain, I still have a nice big scar on my left index finger from where the stitches were. The doctor sewing me up was kind enough to show me the nerve (at the bottom of the gash) that I had *just* missed.
Serrated knives work really well on human flesh
.Marcia.
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What caught my real interest in thinking about this, was in thinking of what foods I would cook, to raise the dead...to lift a seriously depressed person out of the doldrums.
....
What would you make?
Finger food. There is something primally comforting about eating with your fingers, simple hand to mouth nourishment. It's getting back to basics, to something beneath the pain and sorrow and cares of today, back to when one of the first tasks we could accomplish was feeding ourselves. The food is comforting, the act is comforting.
Long ago, when I was in the middle of a long-term relationship disintegrating, I would end up at my best friend's house often, and she'd always put out things like cheese and crackers or pieces of fruit or chips...just the act of eating with her was comforting. I don't remember what all we ate, just that it was with our hands, and that she was there. I remembered this when she was going through tough times of her own, and made sure she had plenty of finger foods when she came over.
Marcia.
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Oh, that grouper sandwich looks GOOD! What all was on it, so maybe I can imagine what it tasted like?
The calamari looks good, too, but I'm afraid I'm just not fond of squid at all....
Thanks for sharing the mouthwatering pictures!
Marcia.
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another thing that floors me....my ex husband...often id ask him what he wanted for dinner...his standard reply would be oh i dont care...and then complain through the whole meal when it was set in front of him...
I share your astonishment, having dated someone like this in the past. When I met the man who is now my husband, I told him bluntly that I would ask him once, and if he said he didn't care, I was going to take him at his word and please myself. And I do. Telling me you don't care when you do is lying, pure and simple.
What still continues to astonish me is people who make things like macaroni and cheese out of a box, or brownies out of a box, when making them from scratch is only a very, very little bit more work than making the stuff in the box. I'm not talking about things that really do involve a lot more work to make them from scratch (chicken pot pie comes to mind) or having a box around for an emergency - I'm talking about things that really are almost the same amount of work, and that teensy little investment in time and effort gives a enormous payoff in taste and quality.
Marcia.
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I also grew up in northern New Jersey (Bergen County), and from what I'm reading here, it's changed a lot since I was there. When I was growing up, eating ethnic meant either Italian or Chinese, and by Chinese I mean chow mein which was mostly bok choy and onions in cornstarch thickened chicken broth. So maybe I did eat regionally when I grew up :-).
But I don't now. There are very few dishes on in my repertoire that resemble anything I ate growing up - the exceptions being Mom's meatloaf and what constitutes a Thanksgiving dinner. I attribute this to many things - first and foremost being that I eat a different diet. But going to school in upstate New York (Greek and pizza), living for 9 years in California (produce!), and now living 8 years in Colorado (beef, beef, and more beef) have had far more of an affect on my current eating than anything else.
In fact, I'd probably rate the time in California as still having the greatest culinary hold. Not only the ready availability of good, fresh produce year round, but an abundance of good restaurants for educating the palate and inspiring dishes, and an abundance of other foodies for advice, encouragement, and more inspiration. The whole culture was amazing, and it's something I still miss very deeply.
But when I want comfort food, yeah, it's Mom's meatloaf. Having had a couple of upsets lately, I bought some ground pork today - it's going to be on the menu soon.
Marcia.
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On the one hand, I'd like to say thank you for your pictures of your Thai dinner.
On the other hand, I'm about ready to lick the monitor screen. That looks so good, and our only decent Thai place recently went out of business (and I've been unable to find out why, dammit, the food was good and it was always busy), and that pad see ew looks like what they used to make. I hope you all enjoyed it greatly!
Marcia.
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- I've learned about roasted cauliflower and Jaymes' salsa. If I never learn another thing here, I'll have considered the time extraordinarily well spent.
- I've learned I do indeed live in a culinary backwater, but it bothers me less than it used to. I do the best I can with what we have, and sometimes it's very good indeed. It's nice having a world wide community to tap into and participate in, so I'm not quite so isolated.
- There are some posters who make me laugh, nod, or learn something every time they post. I should probably tell them that sometime.
- Some of the most fascinating threads to me are about the ins and outs of restaurant life. Since I've never been "in the business", and the more I read about it, the more I realize I never will be, it's like having a window into another universe. I think it's made me a better restaurant customer.
Marcia.
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Many of the Chinese places we go to now offer brown rice as an option - it's still rice/starch, but at least there's some nutrition with it.
I generally don't eat much of it because I find that with a cup of hot and sour soup and an entree, I'm pretty full and just don't have room to eat more than a mouthful or two. Or I just have the lettuce wraps - they're darned tasty. But I just love the hot and sour soup - in fact, I make it for dinner now and again - lots of protein with the pork, eggs, and tofu. More winter comfort food.
Marcia.
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So, what's the solution? Any alternative pick-me-ups, and yes, what about warm, comforting winter food?
Winter comfort food: chicken soup, beef stew, meatloaf, just about any kind of slow cooked pork with chiles. Heck, most hearty soups are good comfort food - I found a new recipe for a kale and sausage soup that sounds wonderful. I made hot and sour soup for dinner last night, and the leftovers are still good.
That's one of the many things I like about soup - I make a big batch and freeze half, so the nights I don't feel like cooking I have something good and homemade to defrost. Nuke the soup, open a bag of salad, and tasty homemade meal is ready without me having to cook.
As for pick me ups....for me, it's dark chocolate, as I've posted earlier. I've found that for me, having a small square of the 70% (or better) stuff a day keeps me on an even keel, seems to prevent other cravings, and makes me feel anything but deprived. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good way to spend some of my carbs :-).
The other thing that works for me is to mix up a soda with one of the Torani sugar free syrups (I find them to be very good, to the point where I don't notice they're sugar free) and some club soda. I'm not a big soda drinker on the whole, so it's more of a treat/dessert than a drink.
Marcia.
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Chocolate. Dark chocolate. 70% cocoa solids is nice, 85% is, too. And a nice cuppa coffee...take a nibble of the chocolate, a sip of the coffee, and let the heat of the coffee melt and mingle with the chocolate in your mouth. Simple and sensual.
Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23 year old bourbon. It's the most I've ever spent on a bottle of booze, and I regret nothing. It's fantastic. Sippin bourbon of the finest kind. Me time to the 10th degree.
Terrine of foie gras, truffles, and porcini mushrooms.
Marcia.
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Self-decluttering counter tops. No matter how hard I try to keep up with it, I end up with having about 1 square foot in the kitchend for actual cooking because ALL the other counters have accumulated junk.
Now getting back to reality, or at least more real fantasy....new countertops. We still have the same countertops that were here when we moved in 8 years ago....mauve laminate. Ugly, cheap, and every time we finally have time/funds to redo them, another expen$ive emergency comes up. I'd settle for just no more emergencies to the next blorb of funds can take care of this.
A gas stove. Or at least a gas cooktop, I don't have a preference for ovens.
A large gift card to Whole Foods for splurging purposes. Or even a small one.
Some nice steaks.
A supply of keffir lime leaves.
A good local Thai restaurant that stays in business long enough that we can be recognized as regulars.
A new natural gas grill because the old one is becoming an eyesore but I can't justify replacing it because it still cooks so well.
Marcia.
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I'm curious about what the wackiest "of the month club" out there is. I've heard of ice cream, beer, wine, fruit, organic goods, potato chips, coffee, steaks, caviar, chocolate, nuts, candy, cheese, and muffins.
Um, the oddest "of the month" club I know of isn't food related, nor is it mentionable in polite company. But it still makes me laugh :-).
I used to give my father a three month subscription to a Microbrew of the month club, with deliveries every other month. He really enjoyed trying the new beers, and being not much of a drinker, that was about enough to last him for the year.
Now I get my folks an every other month subscription to the "pasta of the month club" from Flying Noodle. It started out as "what to get for people who don't need anything and who I don't live anywhere near", but has been quite the unexpected hit. I've never tried their products myself, but apparently they're pretty good, as my folks have requested the same gift every Christmas for the last 5 years or so.
On the one hand, I really like the idea of getting a gift a month - something to look forward to every year. On the other hand, many of the food of the month clubs don't work with our diet, so I'd hate to receive one and have to explain somehow that we couldn't accept.
Marcia.
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I went to Cornell, graduated in '95. Sounds like they were ahead of their time because many of the dining halls were food court style already.
Cornell, class of '86, and the cafeterias weren't food court style then, although most of them had more than one "station" - the usual entree station and a grill where you could get taquitos and burgers and eggplant parmigian sandwiches. Each one also had a reasonably stocked salad bar.
Oh, one thing that was cool: at least one time each semester, a big-name restauranteur would be responsible for the nights' offerings.I'm glad to hear that Cross Country Gourmet is still around, although it was twice a semester when I was there. The menu planned and taught by the chef would be executed at different cafeterias on different nights in one week. Even though you could only go to one night at one cafeteria, we always managed to do lunch the next day at whoever had it the night before, since they always served leftovers. That way I got caviar a couple times that week, or the lobster pasta....not to mention the desserts.
Once in awhile there would be a surprise special meal - one that leaps to mind was a "island theme" meal. They had salmon steaks, inch thick, with some kind of glaze, and NO ONE was taking them. I came back for seconds. The chef loved me after that :-).
Of course, not all the "specials" were good...the rubber duck breast comes to mind. It took me years after that to try duck again.
I also loved brunch...there were croissants every day, but on Sundays they were warm. Bagels every day, but a cheese board to go along with them at brunch. I loved bagels with the strawberry cream cheese.
I remember there was a sandwich bar out at lunch, where you could make your own sandwich, and sometimes they'd have warming dishes with fried "krab" legs (which would go quickly) and fried eggplant sticks (which wouldn't, but I love those, so I was just as happy.) A couple times a week, they'd have cream puffs for dessert. Or a huge tray of Ho Hos. Or a make your own sundae bar.
This was all paradise, since I transferred in from Georgetown, where the food was incomparably awful. I ate a lot of salad bar there, but even that didn't stop me from participating in the widespread day of food poisoning (we finally figured out it was either the hash browns or cross contamination).
By my senior year, I'd moved off campus, so I was on a limited meal plan where I had to cook for myself on the weekends. Which led to my asking for a decent cookbook for Christmas, which led to my subsequent love of cooking.
Marcia.
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I've been enjoying Delicata the following way:
Peel, seed, chop into cubes. Put cubes into a baking dish, shake on some chipotle powder, drizzle just a little honey over (or more if you like it sweeter, I just use a few drips), dot with butter, cover with foil, bake at 400F. I usually stir about halfway through, but sometimes I forget. My husband, who was convinced the only way to eat hard squash was cut in half and packed with brown sugar and butter, has requested that this be on the menu again.
I was also thinking these seasonings would be good in a puree.
Marcia.
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I like S&W canned beans and canned diced tomatoes the best - their tomatoes are what convinced me that canned tomatoes weren't all that bad.
Polar canned straw mushrooms, for Tom Kha and Tom Yum soups. (Don't even suggest trying to find fresh around here - it can't be done.) And just about anyone's canned water chestnuts, for a quick addition of crunch.
Marcia.
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Last night I decided to try Black Soybeans for the first time. I have had a serious hankering for chili, and I really enjoy my chili better with beans, so I picked up a can at the grocery store. At only 1 net carb per serving, I figured I could easily add them in, and hopefully the flavor would be good.
Thanks for the idea to use black soybeans in chili - I had bought a can awhile ago and used it in chili tonight. Ground beef, the black soybeans, half an onion, some leftover homemade salsa that had to get used up, can of tomatoes, chili powder, garlic, chipotle, salt, pepper, probably a couple other spices I forgot about.
It turned out excellently - the soybeans looked very much like a cross between black beans and kidney beans, and added just a touch of sweetness which I thought balanced the bitter of the chili powder and chipotle very nicely. I served it with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream because it turned out *cough* a wee bit hotter than anticipated - I have a rather heavy hand with the chipotle and I forgot the salsa had been on the warm side.
I'm definitely looking forward to experimenting more with the soybeans - both of us really liked them. This is one of my favorite parts of this whole eating change - I keep finding more new foods that I really like. Thanks again for the idea!
Marcia.
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Primarily, it is a way of pleasing my taste buds. That's the whole reason I started cooking in the first place - I didn't have the money to eat out all the time, and as long as I had to eat what I made, it was going to taste good. For me, taste is where it all starts - if it doesn't taste good, I don't care about texture or origin or authenticity.
In a way, cooking is a way for me to play with the palette of flavor, as interior decorators play with visual spatial sense. When I think about what to make for dinner, I think about what flavors I'd like to experience that night....then perhaps about the textures that will carry them.
It's also comfort - not just comfort foods, but the action of cooking them is calming. I made tuna salad the other day, in the middle of a lot of things going wrong, and the simple rituals of chopping celery and onions, draining the tuna, and adding lemon juice at just the right time were surprisingly relaxing.
And it's a way to share...not just sharing sustenance, but a shared experience of flavor and texture.
And maybe it is empowering - even when everything else is going wrong, I KNOW I can cook a meal that will be tasty and satisfying. When I am in the kitchen, I am in control - maybe not absolute control, since you never know when you're going to run across a bitter cucumber, but far more so than the rest of modern life allows. I can control the flavors and textures, the seasonings are my choice.
Marcia.
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I'm not low carbing myself but thought I'd mention tofu shirataki, which I don't think has been mentioned here yet. It's a combination of yam flour and tofu and sold in water-filled bags like regular shirataki. Sort of tasteless with a chewy texture but not a bad noodle substitute.
Do they absorb sauces like pasta? That's one of the few things I haven't been able to work around - I sometimes miss having something that absorbs sauces and helps expand flavors, like rice or pasta does. But these look pretty good, and I hope I can find them and start experimenting with them! Thanks for the pointer!
Marcia.
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I love to eat swiss cake rolls by biting off the ends. I then unroll the cake and eat the cream out. I then eat the cake. YUM.
I have a slightly different technique: I agree that you start with biting off the ends. But then you press it ever so slightly so the coating comes off, then eat the coating. Then unroll it, eating the cake and cream together, until you have the center, which is one very little piece of cake coated with cream on both sides. This is eaten with great gusto, because it is the very best part. Finished, of course, by a leisurely lick of the fingers.
This is why I do not eat these things in public anymore.
I always leave the last bit of crust from my sandwich on the plate. I'll eat the whole rest of the sandwich just fine, but for the last little bit. I open it up, eat any fillings out of it, and leave it on the plate. I do the same with the end of the hot dog roll.
I don't know why - at this point, it's completely automatic. I only even noticed I did it when a former significant other pointed it out and wondered about its significance.
Marcia.
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I made "zucchini noodles" tonight.
I used three reasonably sized zucchini for two people, and used a vegetable peeler to cut the outsides (everything but the seeds) into long thin strips. Boiled them in lots of water for about 3 1/2 minutes until the raw taste went away and they were kind of limp. (I'm at altitude, others might need less time.) Drained. Tossed with a homemade alfredo sauce (butter, cream, asiago (because I like aged asiago) and nutmeg).
Only one tactical error: I didn't drain the "noodles" properly, so my nice thick alfredo became a nice but somewhat thin alfredo. Oh, well, now I know.
I was extremely pleased with the taste, mouthfeel, and texture of this - the zucchini made a surprisingly passable pasta substitute. The only thing it didn't do was absorb some of the sauce like pasta does, but then, I haven't found anything that isn't high carb that does that. (I'm all ears if people have any ideas.)
I served it with sliced grilled chicken and grilled baby bok choy.
I have a feeling this is old hat to people who have been doing this for awhile, but I still get all excited when I find something really nifty and good
.Marcia.
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You bet. Always check the eggs (because the one time I don't will be the one time I get the carton with the cracked ones), always check produce for condition. The only thing I "squeeze" is melons, and it's not really a squeeze so much as some light pressure at the stem end to see if it gives. (I also have tendonitis in both thumbs, so I couldn't squeeze 'em to damage 'em if I wanted to.)
If the produce is in a clear container, like strawberries, I always turn it over to see if the bottom ones are squished or molding or not ripe. I really don't like buying produce that isn't in a clear container - I don't like buying what I can't see.
I admit I'm not so good about checking dairy dates, but then, dairy gets eaten so fast in this house that it's usually not worth the time. I also stopped checking the dates on bread, since most loaves go straight into the freezer.
When buying cold cuts in the deli, if the stuff they have presliced doesn't look so good to me, I ask them to slice some fresh. I've never been refused yet. Most often the presliced does look good, so I get it,.
And I always, ALWAYS check wrapped cheese for mold. Always. Especially at natural food places like Wild Oats and Whole Foods - they have been the absolute worst for finding moldy cheeses, but I've found them everywhere, and often long before the "sell by" date has passed.
Also check cereal and other boxes for box cutter slices - too often they're not just superficial, but down into the inner wrapper. Check cans for dents, which can be indicators of microscopic seal failures, leading to possible quick spoilage.
In thinking about all of this, I guess it boils down to once bitten, twice shy.
Marcia.
"I was FLOORED!"
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
It doesn't floor me that people keep a box or two around - when you're short on time or attention, they're a great convenience! It's more a combination of "Whoops, I don't have a box of brownie mix, I can't make brownies!" and "it's so HARD to make them from scratch!". The recipe I use has only two steps more than a box mix: you have to melt the chocolate and butter, and you have to measure ingredients. Otherwise, it's just like a box - melt the chocolate in the pot, add everything else, stir until mixed, put in pan, bake. Just a little more work for a much better result!
For some reason, that makes me very sad.
That counts as homemade to me
!
Marcia.