eG Foodblog: tejon - Pepper Steak and Power Tools

[tejon]

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 .

Edited March 7, 2006 by tejon (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Mmmmmmmm Trader Joe's potstickers. I also like their veggie version. My husband prefers the Costco pork version. Have you tried those? (Not a thing to do in midst of cleaning out a freezer. Its a Costco size bag :whacko:)

That looks like one of our favorite dinners. I like to add a little rice vinegar to the dipping sauce to lighten it. What did you stirfry the broccoli in?

[tejon]

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.

[tejon]

Breakfast:

Black tea and a bit of Naked Juice ("Blue Machine" - a blend of berries, apple, and banana). Arden had some juice as well, after spelling out the letters "N A K E D", asking what that spelled, then giggling. "You know why the juice is naked, Mommy? Because they took the peel off!" Ah, the comic genius of five year olds .

My lungs are less than happy this morning, so I'm skipping Pilates and going to the health food store for more tea and some elderberry syrup. Back later.

Edited March 7, 2006 by tejon (log)

[hhlodesign]

Just stumbled onto your blog and am enjoying it.

I did my undergrad at Cal Poly you are bring back many memories. Espescially the In-N-Out (good call on the animal style!)

2 other places I remember from college:

1. Alberto's Carnitas Burritos. It's a Mexican fast food chain from North San Diego, but they opened one in Pomona (I think on Garey)

2. A Churascurria place in West Covina called "Green" something. Damn that was good!

Have you tried these places yet?

[bavila]

Another thought re: going to Washington (did you say where exactly, or is that still up in the air?). We lived in Bremerton about 8 years ago, and we liked to go up to Poulsbo (up Abra's way). There was this restaurant on the water there that had the best crab cakes I've ever had. And that means a lot coming from someone whose lived most of her life in either Louisiana or Maryland. Dungeness crabs rock!

There was also a great market I loved in Poulsbo too. I'm sure Abra could tell you the name. And if it's still there!

[suzilightning]

Lunch was In-N-Out, that California burger mecca. Note that contrary to popular belief, it does rain here occasionally. The usual result is confused drivers, a plethora of down jackets and mittens (it's 60 degrees and I swear I saw someone with mittens this afternoon), and hysteria on the part of local weatherfolk.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the chain, In-N-Out is dedicated to making quality burgers, fries, and shakes. Nothing frozen, nothing mass produced, each order made one at a time by well-paid employees who usually do a great job. Here's the menu, in it's entirety:

We ordered a Double-Double Animal Style for Dan, a cheeseburger with grilled onions for me, a chocolate shake for Arden (he'd already had lunch earlier), and a french fries Animal style to share. This was the first time I've ordered french fries any way other than plain, and they were good. Animal style for the burger meant a mustard-cooked beef patty, additional pickles, extra secret sauce with grilled onions. Animal style fries includes cheese, grilled onions, and sauce on top. The fries were incredible this way, and we polished off every bite. FNow I'm really going to miss In-N-Out!

I tried to get a picture of Dan's Double-Double as he was eating, but he scarfed it down in no time flat. Later, he admitted that he hoped the pictures wouldn't come out and we'd have to order again  . Did get a good shot of my cheeseburger, though. Juicy, a tiny bit rare (perfect!), full of flavor, and all around delicious.

Arden felt Dan really needed more french fries.

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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. yes, you can get some good burgers here but there is nothing like a chain burger you can personalize(sorry Fatburger but it didn't do it) love the pic of arden feeding his dad and that cheeburger looks so good....

[tejon]

Glad to see the In-N-Out love .

I'm off to pick go have some pho with Dan. A big bowl of soup sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

[suzilightning]

Sorry it took so long to answer - I was in the middle of watching Battlestar Galactica . After that, it's bedtime.

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[tejon]

Sorry it took so long to answer - I was in the middle of watching Battlestar Galactica  . After that, it's bedtime.

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is mary mcdonnell on that show?(sorry but i'm off the grid somewhat as far as tv goes)

roobis tea?  johnnybird just found this and is addicted to it.

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Mary McDonnell is indeed on the show . Oh, and johnnybird has excellent taste - rooibos is one of my favorite teas.

Edited March 7, 2006 by tejon (log)

[tejon]

I met Dan at work for lunch today. We headed off to the "soup place" he often goes to with coworkers:

Mmmmm.....exactly what I needed.

Here's the entertaining part. Next door? Well, if I were so inclined, I could go for a little after-lunch Botox .

After that? Well, I might feel the need to relax.

Oh, look! They're hiring!

Edited March 7, 2006 by tejon (log)

[tejon]

I'm making jambalaya tonight for the first time. Any suggestions or tried and true recipes?

[bavila]

Well, of course there's a thread!

I usually don't follow a recipe. Duck and andouille are probably my favorite meats for it though.

[tejon]

I read through the thread with great interest....but it mainly addressed the proper sausage choice and tomato vs. non-tomato camps (I'll place myself in the tomato camp for the sake of using up pantry supplies). Think I can probably wing it just fine, though.

[mizducky]

Alberto's Carnitas Burritos. It's a Mexican fast food chain from North San Diego, but they opened one in Pomona (I think on Garey)

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Oh yeah ... I have been informed by long-time San Diegans that the original sorta-kinda-legendary local taco shop chain was called Roberto's, and that it got popular enough that a small cadre of copycat chains sprang up, all of whose names end in "-berto" (I've spotted Alberto's and Aliberto's so far). I didn't realize they'd spread as far north as Pomona (assuming, of course, that this is part of the same "-berto" phenomenon ... )

Mmmmm.....exactly what I needed.

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Just what I had for lunch today, too! I'm on a serious pho kick right now. Healthy, cheap, filling, and yummy. I've even conquered getting the noodles to my mouth with chopsticks. Now if I could just learn how to do that without splashing soup on myself, I'll be all set.

[tejon]

Jambalaya, in the pot:

I loosely followed Mayhaw Man's recipe found here, though mostly used it as a rough guide more than anything else. Besides, once scaled down to feed eight it called for...wait a minute...less than one clove of garlic? No, no, no - garlic is your friend! I used three good sized ones. Tossed in seasonings until they tasted about right. I did cook the rice separately with some stock, then combined everything at the end for "white jambalaya".

Thought I'd throw in a shot of something I use every single day. This hook hangs to one side of the stove, and it's where my wedding ring lives if it's not on my finger or in my jewelry box. Keeps it clean and safe, and I smile every time I see it while I'm cooking .

Waiting for Dan to get home, impatiently. The jambalaya is gooooood.

Edited March 8, 2006 by tejon (log)

[andiesenji]

In answer to your question...

Zojirushi replacement parts.

Check your model number and scroll down until you find the number corresponding to your rice cooker. And make sure the size is correct.

I have the NS ZAC18 (The "Neuro" model) near the bottom of the first page.

I made a mistake and ordered the pan for the ZAC10 - idiotic, I know. I was in a rush at work.

There is no return or exchange so I was stuck with a pan that didn't fit but found someone who had dented their pan so sold it to them at a steep discount.

I have ordered replacement pans for both of my Zo bread makers, twice for the first one that I bought back in the 80s. It still works just fine.

[tejon]

I knew someone would have an idea of where to look. Thank you! The model we have is by Panasonic/National, and it appears to be well out of production. Worth a look, anyway. Oh, drat - I have to look for new electronics .

[andiesenji]

Sorry, I thought it was a Zo.

Here is a toll-free phone number for a parts place that can get a huge number of replacement parts.

Parts store

[tejon]

I'll give them a try (and also inquire about a few other items while I'm at it) - thanks!

[rjwong]

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.

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FYI Kathy, that is not sticky rice, even though it is sticky. That would be called steamed white rice. This is sticky rice.

As for the Chinese sausage, have you ever steamed it in your rice cooker for the last 10-15 minutes? Cut the sausages up into diagonally-sliced pieces. Personally, I would eat the Chinese sausages and the steamed rice (with canned creamed corn on top) as a complete meal. Now if that isn't a Chinese-American meal ...

[tejon]

I know, I know....but we call it sticky rice to separate it from rice that doesn't stick to itself. Bit of family shorthand there. Sometimes I forget to translate .

I was actually thinking of making steamed chicken and Chinese sausage over rice for tomorrow night's dinner. Maybe some greens with garlic on the side. Comfort food sounds good right now. Creamed corn I'll leave for cornbread with those cracklins .

PS - that sticky rice looks incredible! Definitely on my must try list now.

Edited March 8, 2006 by tejon (log)

[patti]

Jambalaya, in the pot:

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Kathy, the jambalaya looks delicious! And you can't go wrong using a Mayhaw Man recipe as your guideline. Jambalaya is one of those dishes that can withstand lots of recipe fiddling and still be a successful dish.

Were the boys interested in having some?

[tejon]

Ryan tried a wee little bite, but didn't like it. Arden was bothered that the rice wasn't white. Sigh.

[tejon]

The boys begged me for cookies, so I pulled out a recipe that I've been making since I was ten years old. The card is a little older than that, but bears many notes from me from way back when. It's in horrible shape, but I love the feel of the now frayed edges and looking at my earliest attempts at baking.

By the way, these are the best chocolate chip cookies, bar none. You are entitled to a differing opinion, but you'd be wrong . They come out chewy inside, crisp around the edges, and rich and full of chocolatey goodness. I've been working on the recipe for twenty-seven years now, and I think the cookies finally come out just right. I'll share some with everyone later on.

Edited March 8, 2006 by tejon (log)