My favorite things: February

Well, technically, as it’s only the 3rd of February, these are not my favorite things of February. These are really my favorite things in January, and hopefully to be enjoyed continuously. *Shrug*

My Oscar contender. Love Colin Firth. Love Geoffrey Rush. Love the British Monarchy.

Watched it twice. Brilliant.

 

Juanita’s Tortilla Chips are seriously the best tortilla chips ever! They are like crack in my household. We all come out around 10:30 pm with the late night munchies and we inhale a big bag of these without blinking. AND they are locally made and although they taste like they are fried in lard, they aren’t–apparently, good things can come from being fried in just vegetable oil.

 

Trader Joe’s Soyaki–their tasty teriyaki marinade that I tried a week ago. I just emptied a bag of frozen chicken thighs in a pyrex pan with the marinade, and then when thawed, I popped it in the oven for 45 minutes. I don’t eat a lot of teriyaki, but my husband loves it, so this is a winner. I am going to stock up.

 

Portlandia. It’s a show on IFC (but you can find it on Hulu). It’s not for everyone, but I personally think it’s quite hilarious. Especially if you live here, and you know that they aren’t actually exaggerating that much…

 

Today, I got 6 cartons of Dreyers ice cream from Rite Aid for $17.94, and then I got $17 back. Making each carton $0.16 each (And also making me very sick and fat…but that is a different story). The point is, I don’t have the time to scout out every deal out there but this is one website (called Hip2save) that does a lot of the work, and helps me save quite a bit of money on my groceries and toiletries.

 

Taste Unique is a small Italian eatery that is only open for 2 hours a day for lunch. The couple moved here from Rome and they are legit. After my time in Italy, I longed for real pizza bianca and fresh pasta. This place hits the spot and it’s $9 a plate. If I had my way, I would come here everyday for lunch. ‘Nuff said.

 

My favorite things: January

I am starting a monthly post, inspired by The Sound of Music (as all things should be, right?). As I was watching it again on tv the other night, I thought to myself, “If I had to sing a song about my favorite things, what would they be? Not whiskers on kittens, I’ll tell you that much.”

Since I am never one to limit myself to all-time favorites, I will compile a monthly list.

Here goes:

 

Stila Custom Color Blush

It adjusts to your skin tone, so no guesswork, and no need to change blush when I get intense tans from the Caribbean.

 

 

Teal Zeal

The new color of my office! Only it’s a little brighter than this on my wall.

 

 

Bob's Red Mill 10-grain hot cereal

It’s my breakfast food, with some diced fresh banana or pear and a drizzle of maple syrup. With this cold weather, I need something warm and cozy in the morning. Plus, it’s super healthy and has 28% of your daily fiber. It’s like a detox.

 

 

Presto Cool Daddy Deep Fryer

Hey, I detox to re-tox. Made some beautiful fried sweet potato pies last night with this wonderful Christmas present from my mother-in-law. This is my new toy.

 

 

My Winter-grey Prius

I know I’ve had it for more than a month, but as the gas prices have soared like mad this month, I have been so glad that I get 40-50 mpg on my “Percy the Prius!” (that’s a shout-out to Jonah who helped me name my car)

 

Lessons Learned 2010

I am pontificating my year as I wait for my lasagna to finish in the oven. We were at a church service last week, and they were doing a conversation with some people about their biggest lessons learned this past year. I thought, “That’s a great idea!” I don’t know about you, but I am always so quick to think about what I want for the next year, that I miss the opportunity to learn the lessons from this year!

Playing bocce ball somewhere in the middle of the ocean

2010 has been an eventful year for me:

-transitioning off sabbatical and into new roles in my job

-becoming the owner of three chickens and receiver of fresh eggs everyday (I love it–highly recommend!)

-decision to eat better, over and over again, leading to my first experience with CSAs (which as much as I loved the idea and the values, it was too hard for me in this stage of my life where I am gone half the time, and I feel overwhelmed by the amount of veggies that goes bad in my absence)

I wish I spent more time reflecting on my lessons for the year, but here are a few:

1. Small steps towards wonder and whimsy are worth it
2. Surrender is a consistent reality, not just a one time deal
3. Reading and looking at inspirational things are good, acting on them much better
4. Most things gain some perspective with a long walk and a good laugh
5. It’s very hard to get to the gym, but I will always be glad I went
6. Be totally real and raw with your closest friends and you will never have to carry a burden on your own
7. Marry someone who loves your cooking–it makes you feel good about yourself everyday.

What are your lessons from 2010? And how will they affect your 2011?

Happy New Year everyone!

I think my lasagna is done.

 

Book Signing: Dorie Greenspan

I have found a new, free hobby: book signings. I get to listen to incredible authors and learn something new. For example, today I learned that in France, one sign of spring is that the butter is very yellow. Apparently, it is because the cows change their diet from hay to grass, turning the butter to a bright yellow compared to a mild yellowish-white.

I have been reading Dorie Greenspan’s blog for a while now, and she was a good food reference for when we went to Paris almost two years ago. Tonight, I “met” her and she struck me as adorable and unpretentious. I mean, here is a woman who has been a well-published, very established woman in the food world. She co-wrote Baking with Julia, contributed regularly to Bon Appetit magazine and published two of her own cookbooks. And yet she was funny, humble, and very personable as she shared how her recipes are never complete until we have made it our own, adapted to our own liking.

Listening to Dorie (yes, we are on a first name basis) inspired me to start on my cookbook project. I feel so daunted with the hugeness of the project, especially since I don’t have anything written down, and most of my stuff is not super precise. But if anything, it can inspire me to have a consolidated kitchen journal, where I can reference what my favorite things to cook are, and others can learn and grow as confident home cooks.

Maybe I just need some testers…

 

 

Whole Grain Salads

I have been on a kick, trying to eat more whole grains. I was not raised on whole grains or legumes, just diabetes-breeding white rice and red bean desserts. After my summer of gorge, I thought that Chee-Po was looking more large and in charge than usual, so I decided to cut back the white rice and processed carbs and sneak in some whole grains.

I don’t LOVE whole grains. I am not the person that likes brown rice more because of the chewy texture or the nutty interest. I LOVE white rice–the fluffy, slightly sticky goodness. I find brown rice a dismal replacement and I eat it begrudgingly. FOR MY HEALTH.

So I was on a hunt to find a way to like whole grains and explore different whole grains. I have been wanting to try farro, because it is the exotic Italian ancient grain that I keep hearing about. But other than the $11 bag I see in specialty stores, I have not been able to find them in the bulk bins where I usually buy grains. I decided to replace it with wheat berries, another new grain for me.

I tweaked a recipe from Epicurious for a Chicken, Green Bean, Goat Cheese Salad with Farro (or in my case, wheat berries). I boiled the wheat berries for about an hour, until it was al dente, then drained it and cooled it to toss into the salad. I had leftover roast chicken and used that meat for the salad. And I had some extra cherry tomatoes from my CSA, so I threw that in as well. Tossed it altogether with a white balsamic tarragon vinagrette and voila!

I think I have found a way to like whole grains.

Recipe to be added later…

 

Dream come true

Last night, I dreamt that I checked on the chickens and two of them laid eggs for the first time! But their shells were really fragile, so when I picked it up, they both cracked and the whites started to leak through my fingers onto the floor of the coop. As I try to salvage the rest of the egg, coddling the yolks in each hand, the chickens run out of their coop to eat the whites off the ground. It is chaos, a mix of pride, excitement, and anxiety. I wake up and tell Birch my dream.

After lunch, we go to feed Sarah, Jessica, and Parker some kale (they LOVE greens!) and after they demolished the leaves, I do what I have done for the last 2 weeks: lift up the shaft over their nests to check if there might be an egg waiting. Honestly, after the dream, I thought that I was just getting too hurried about getting eggs, and it wouldn’t happen for another month or so. Just then, I spot a perfect small egg, almost camouflaged in the pine shavings.

HA!

I yell for Birch to come see it–it’s not a dream! He saw the egg too. And now you will and the whole world will testify to the glories of life!

Jessie, Parker, and Sarah (from left to right)

I was proud of the chickens, of course. Threw in some extra scratch and took the egg in. I don’t think I can bring myself to eat this first egg. What should I do with it?!

Here are the chickens, chicks no more!

Proud Mama

Here I was holding my breath, for a few more days of summer, for school not to start yet, for the leaves to stay on the trees. But today is the first day of fall, and it’s a perfect day. We have blue skies, with just a bit of a bite in the crisp air, and still enough warmth to go out in a long sleeve T. And most of all, my chickens gave me my first prize, no broken egg in my hand and runaway chickens. A strong perfect egg.  All will be well this fall.

 

Getting back to Normal

After a hectic whirlwind of a summer where I have eaten at McDonalds more in 3 months than I have in 2 years, where I have easily gained 10 pounds from sitting a lot on planes, cars, desks, appointments, and not exercised, where I have not cooked much and meals have been scrounged up from cupboards and backs of the fridge–it is time to get back to normal again.

Thank God.

My body has been in a semi-rebellion in the last couple of weeks and it has tricked my mind into seriously contemplating a detox. Apparently, I have lost it.

So back to reality…I am spending the rest of this month trying to get back into a routine.

Into cooking at home again, in leisure and enjoyment. Grocery shopping with a week in mind.

Into eating at the table with dinner napkins and china dishes, paying attention to what I am actually eating, instead of returning emails while hoofing down a sandwich made with ham and cheese on some really processed bread.

Into baking bread and filling the house with the warm aromas of homemade while it drizzles of fall outside.

Into eating fresh veggies and fruits that I get from my CSA–this week, I got the last of the heirloom tomatoes, russian kale, a globe eggplant, some yukon golds, gypsy peppers, corn.

Fall is a return to normalcy, a start-over. What are your fall resolutions?

 

Too much eating, not enough cooking

My summer has been madness, with all the traveling and staying at home only a matter of days this summer. It has led to too much eating (and very good eating at that!) but not enough cooking. I have either been eating out, or I have been scrounging. You know, the kind of days when you haphazardly put together a “meal” with whatever is in your fridge/pantry/purse.

Because of that and a lack of time, I have not been writing anything in this blog for a little while. I really hope to amend that. I also really hope to amend the kind of mad eating that my summer has led me to.

Even so, I can’t complain about some of the fantastic places that I have eaten at: dim sum at Wong’s King in Beaverton, Pok Pok with some out of town friends, and Meadowood in Napa, celebrating my dad’s 70th birthday. All to say…when this season of travel is over, I have some major working out to do.

But until then, I am off to enjoy some more traveling. Next week: Canada–cheering on my sister-in-law and brother-in-law in their Ironman triathlon. I’ll probably be sitting there, eating some poutine, as I watch other people work out. Ironic.

 

Real Farmers…

…so my mother-in-law calls Birch and I, after hearing the sad news that a raccoon got to two of our chicks–Sarah and Jessica. We didn’t skip a beat. Chickens are social animals…there was no question that we had to replace our first two pets. Although still unnamed (we are working through our own grief), they are adjusting well with Parker.

Meanwhile, speaking of farmers, I started my first CSA last week. Just in case you aren’t familiar with CSAs (community supported agriculture), they are basically subscriptions of a local farm’s weekly crops. I pick mine up from a nearby bakery, and we get a free loaf of bread as well.

Opening that lid of the large bin was like Christmas morning! I got heads of beautiful, fragile oak leaf lettuces, green garlic, a bunch of beets, cute Bugs Bunny carrots, swiss chard, big bunch of basil (which wafted up immediately), and baby bok choy. And I got a HUGE loaf of brioche bread for mornings of french toast with my canned apple butter from the fall.

Can’t wait for this week’s Christmas gift!

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I remember the first pie I ever had–store bought, not the frozen Mrs. Smiths (which is the key reason why I hate apple pie now)–my dad picked up a strawberry rhubarb pie from Heidi’s Pies, not knowing what rhubarb was. We crowded around the pie, and although my parents thought it was a bit too sour for them, I thought it was the most delectable thing ever. The tart sweet filling with the buttery crisp crust complimented my 9 year old tastes just fine. To this day, my favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb pie, me nostalgic for the first surprising tart explosion in my mouth.

Last week, I made one: it’s on my 34 things list. But now I know it’s so easy–I might have to make it all the time! It’s a perfect combo of pie and crisp, with a pie crust and an oatmeal crumb topping. I made a version of this recipe on allrecipes.com. I used less sugar and added a tablespoon of cornstarch in the filling. I think I might add some lemon zest next time too. Make sure you place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet when you bake it; the juices from the strawberry filling will bust out when baking.