tejon

I'm not a coffee fan, so I usually just walk on by Starbucks. However, these might just bring me inside. Or at least inspire a home made copy or two.

I've had fried sage leaves and they were wonderful! Really good with pasta, especially if you add a bit of prosciutto as well.

The dip has vinegar and a little sugar as well. Sometimes we use black vinegar and ginger, or add in some kochujang as well, or simply use soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil poured over the top of the potstickers. The broccoli was just stir fried with a bunch of garlic this time - simple and fast.

Fuzzy logic means the rice cooker changes the time and temperature of different stages of rice cooking, depending on the rice itself. This is quite different than having a simple timed cycle and much more effective. Plus, I get to say "fuzzy" in everyday conversation, something I consider a bonus .This article gives a much better explanation than I could. The Grocery Game is a coupon service I use. You know those people who walk in, get $300 worth of groceries, and pay something like $60? The woman who started this used to do just that, and one day was complaining to her husband as she wrote out charts and listed all the sales, wishing someone would just compile it all each week. He smartly suggested that she should do it. She started publishing a list each week of all the things that were at their cheapest, along with the coupons needed and the final price (or notation that the item would be free after sales/coupons). She lived in Los Angeles and started the list there, slowly branching out into the surrounding areas and eventually selling franchises to others further away. I've never been a successful coupon person. I'd save $2-3 dollars here and there, but it just didn't seem worth the trouble since seemingly all the coupons are for foods I don't use at all. A friend of mine tried the Grocery Game list and loved it, so I gave it a whirl. Saves me a ton of time and effort, and I love the times when I pay $30 for $90 worth of food . Today wasn't as impressive - I paid $35.41 and saved $28.02. Not too bad, but not one of those moments when I want to show the checker my mad leap shopping skilz . Total for everything today was $75.82, nicely within our weekly budget .

Dumplings, sticky rice, stir-fried broccoli, and a soy-ginger dipping sauce: I'm currently having a cup of rooibos tea with a bit of brown sugar while I help Dan lay down backerboard.

No - I had this at a restaurant (Buster's Beach House)with a group of fellow knitters, hence the ball of yarn in the background .

Oooh, I love the black sesame filled buns! There's something so subtle and wonderful about the flavor.

I know - I really do try to keep it filled up, but we've been so busy lately that it's getting far too empty. Thanks for the reminder. I've been happily surprised at how much I save, even though I don't buy a lot of convenience food. I've also stopped going to Target and other stores for toiletries, paper goods, cleaning products, and health items since with the coupons (at the right time) they end up much cheaper at the grocery store. That alone is a huge savings, which frees up more money for the foods we really enjoy that would normally be out of our price range.

Ryan asked for dumplings, rice, and broccoli tonight. I'm in the middle of painting and wood repair, so quick and easy is perfect. The rice cooker (Dan's, actually) sees a lot of use. Love the fuzzy logic feature - appeals to the technology geek in me. By the way, does anyone know where I can get a new inner bowl? This one's getting pretty worn.

Pakora usually involves a mixture of chickpea flour (besan) and spices as a coating, along with one or more vegetables. The deep fried spinach I had was simply spinach leaves alone with no binder or coating. Both delicious, but different.

I've had that as an appetizer and it was amazing. It came sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice and thin slivers of Parmesan cheese, which formed almost a vinaigrette with the oil from the frying. The spinach was so crisp, tangy, and salty. I was told that you have to really watch the spinach when you fry it - it only takes a few seconds.

I'd be interested!

Yesterday, I had this for dessert: Mmmm...dense, rich warm brownie with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, a "wave" of white chocolate, and billows of whipped cream topped with a sugar cookie surfer. The brownie was rich and chocolatey and the caramel sauce had a wonderful, deep almost burnt sugar flavor. And it made me giggle a little every time I looked at it .

I've been using the Chinese sausage in fried rice and steamed dishes, little bit by little bit (it's so rich!). It's never a bad time for fried rice - good idea .

Just got back from picking Arden up and the full round of grocery shopping. Arden "helped" at Trader Joe's and the asian market, hence the following special treat: The label simply says, "Chocolate". They have white and dark chocolate with a hazelnut flavor on a pretzel stick - a sort of Pocky-esque thing in the shape of a mushroom. These were dispatched with great speed. I'm eating leftovers from yesterday's lunch. Very good, but almost worth an entry in the Gallery of Regrettable Foods .

I'd keep on checking regularly. Each area is run by a franchisee, and what's offered depends on the markets available in that area and how much the chains are willing to work with The Grocery Game (notice of sales in advance of publication or advertising is needed to make the lists work properly). There's also a forum on the site - you could request that Acme and/or Superfresh be added. I thought of running a franchise in Portland when we moved, but that spot has already been taken . Pssst....if you ever do decide to give it a whirl, I get 3 extra months of service for free for every 3 referrals (and that would be kmayersATgmailDOTcom, thank you very much ).

I try to have some kind of paper goods (toilet paper, paper napkins, tissue), food items including something with protein (canned tuna, ready serve beans and rice, foil pouches of chicken), soap or toothpaste (or both), a can opener, utensils, bottles of water (these are really needed) and anything else that might be useful, such as matches, rain ponchos, twist ties, flashlights, batteries, etc. I also add in comfort items like paperback books, decks of cards, lip balm, and lotion. These bags are perfect for when I come across someone living on the street - I just grab a bag from the trunk and know that they have more of what they're likely to need that day.

I also skipped pre-made baby food entirely for the boys. Why on earth pay those kind of prices for overly-processed, bland food that is so easy to do at home? Mashed avocado was the first food for both boys, followed swiftly by mashed banana, then all sorts of softer things. Lentils and dal are easy for those without any real teeth, but any softer food will do.

Now's the time on Sprockets when we dance! Oh, wait...that's not right. Now's the time when I cut coupons and plan the weekly menu. I don't even have to wear vinyl . I usually do a quick run down of all available foodstuffs. Oddly, I don't have to open the refrigerator or cupboard to do this - I can pretty much list everything we have, down to the age of leftovers in the refrigerator. When Dan and I were dating I could do this with his refrigerator as well, even though I didn't live there. Scary. Anyway, I do a mental check to see if there are things that need using up, ask Dan and the boys if there's anything that they would like, note if Dan needs more lunches (I freeze planned dinner leftovers for him), then figure out what sounds interesting to me that week. I cut coupons each week, clipping anything that I might want if it was free (since occasionally items are actually free with the coupon) or if it's something I could donate. I keep a box in the garage that gets filled with canned goods, toiletries, and staples that I take to homeless shelters and use to make up bags that I keep in my trunk for when I find homeless people as I drive. My way of giving back a little bit. I use a coupon service that I love called the The Grocery Game. Basically, they list everything that's at the deepest sale level that week, along with which coupons you should use, when those coupons were released, and what the final price will be, along with the percentage saved. I go to the website, check off all the things I want for that week, then print out a list of just those things. Does almost all the work for me and I save a freakishly large amount, especially on non-food items like cleaning supplies and toiletries. Along with my menu planning, this allows me to feed my family of four on around $85 a week (including toiletries and paper goods). I usually save around 50% off my grocery bill, which is lower than many due to the fact that I don't buy a lot of processed foods. Not a lot of coupons for produce and dry goods, usually. I usually go to my local store, Ralphs, then Trader Joes, then the nearby asian market in order to get all the groceries each week. Takes around two hours (Trader Joe's is a 20 minute drive each way), but I've got it down to a science at this point. Off to finish up the menu and make out my shopping list.

As requested, my refrigerator, a very large side by side (and oh, how I hate that configuration!): Deep freezer in the garage which we got for free from my grandparents. I love having so much freezer space! While we're at it, here's a pantry shot. Please ignore anything that resembles Chef Boyardee ravioli - it is a figment of your imagination. And my overflow pantry space in the garage, complete with a bag of bay leaves from the tree in my aunt's back yard: Good night!

Definitely interested in the market bag pattern. I use cloth bags at the grocery store and continually find I need just *one* more for this or that. Of course, it's always highly entertaining when the bagger has no clue whatsoever to do with the bags...my favorite instance being when one bagged all my groceries in plastic, then bagged the cloth bags separately in another plastic bag . Talk about unclear on the concept! Lobster hinges in the cables...now that would be interesting to see as well .

Oooh, now you're talking my language! Some thin sliced green onion on top....that's definitely going on the menu. For some reason, I had you placed back East somewhere, but after a quick, embarrassed Google I see that you're right off of Seattle. That is close! Now I'm even more glad we're moving out that way. I didn't know Chufi was coming out for a visit - even better!

So I had some ground beef lying in the freezer, waiting to be used. I knew today's lunch and subsequent yarn crawl would go long (I didn't get back until around 4:30), so dinner needed to be something fast. Hmmm....let's start with some caramelized onions: A bit of Worchestershire sauce, lots of salt and pepper, and a good dose of softened butter since the meat was on the lean side: Look what else was also in the freezer, waiting to be spread with butter and toasted in a pan: Lettuce, orange slices, red onion, and Parmesan cheese tossed with some orange champagne vinegar and olive oil go along side. Remember the In-N-Out burgers? These were even better . Dan told me to add this shot. Happy to oblige .

patti - Jambalaya is a great idea! I think I'll do something along those lines. TongoRad - We have no grill as of yet, sadly. Will remedy this when we move. I haven't done Tandoori chicken in a while, and I'll take *any* excuse to make up bhel puri. MarketStEl - You asked for it .pictures of the refrigerator, deep freeze, pantry, and garage pantry area to follow. We've all had Pocky, though Arden is the most committed fan and demands "sticks" whenever we go to the local asian market. Andie - I'm laughing at your younger brother wanting forbidden food! I've found that the boys will more often try something off of my plate than if it's presented separately, since of course Mommy's food is better, somehow . I've never made braciola - that looks really interesting and something to try. Chufi - So glad you enjoyed the zucchini recipe!

Today I had lunch at Buster's Beach House Grill & Longboard Bar with 24 other knitting bloggers. The hostess kept trying to figure out if this was a bachelorette party, a birthday gathering or what, exactly. She looked confused when we told her we just all love to knit. Then, after ordering, we all pulled out projects and worked on them and talked until the appetizers arrived, and the knitting came out again as people finished eating. People kept walking by the table and looking puzzled. What everyone was knitting is a bit outside the constraints of a food blog, but let's just say there were some really impressive and beautiful things being worked on. I read through the menu and had the hardest time deciding on what to order. When there are many alluring choices I tend to go back and forth over and over. It's as if there is some ultimate dish that if I only knew I would order and be blissfully happy...and I might miss it if less than careful. There were a lot of things that caught my eye here, but I finally settled on macadamia nut crusted chicken. It came atop garlic mashed potatoes, topped with a pineapple chutney and onion strings, with "asian stir-fry vegetables". The chicken was delicious - the crisp chicken, the chutney and the onion strings formed a heady blend of sweet, tart, crisp, and savory. The mashed potatoes had a good, rich garlic flavor, unlike many garlic mashed potatoes I've had in the past. The vegetables were so-so - they were lightly steamed and then tossed with some kind of slightly sweet, gingery glaze and didn't have a lot of flavor to speak of. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. The portion was huge, so I boxed up half and took it home. Something sweet sounded really good, so I ordered something called the Todos Santos. This consisted of a dense, rich warm brownie with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, a "wave" of white chocolate, and billows of whipped cream topped with a sugar cookie surfer. The brownie was rich and chocolatey and the caramel sauce had a wonderful, deep almost burnt sugar flavor. The dessert was also massive - I'm so glad I decided to split it with a friend.