Hi. Long time no see. I've been busy.
I moved to Florida to pursue a career in the restaurant industry. And to be closer to my sister. And to get out of an abusive relationship.
I was successful in getting out of the relationship.
I failed at becoming a chef.
And I learned that sometimes the best way to be close to one's siblings is to be far away from them. (Love ya, Mary!)
So I'm back in Wisconsin. I'm trying to get my feet back under me; looking at what I want in my life.
Today I tried out for MasterChef. It is likely I did not get in. I won't know for a little bit, but I'm fairly certain.
Thing is, I'm not upset. It reminded me of what I wanted and why. So, I'm coming back. And this time it is going to be better than ever!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Monday, March 3, 2014
No Soup for You! "Cream" of Broccoli Soup (?) Take 1
With all the broccoli I bough when it was on sale I proceeded to go about making a bunch of broccoli foods. I also tried to make a batch of cream of broccoli soup. I must admit that broccoli soup is not something I have ever had the interest in personally. I love cream of spinach soup and cream of asparagus soup is on my short list of best foods ever...but somehow I have had zero interest in the broccoli version. This is most likely due to the general addition of cheddar to it. I have never been a fan of cheddar.
However i do not cook for myself only. I live with my sister and her husband and both of them enjoy broccoli soup so i decided that I would try my hand at making some. After all how hard can it be? Now, My sister is a Vegan (70% - so no Vegan Powers sadly), so I needed to make a soup that would not rely on chicken broth or dairy.
So here is a record of my first attempt...
You will need:
A Large pot
A Cutting Board
Ingredients needed (for ~5 servings - Give or Take):
2 lbs Broccoli stalks, chopped (roughly 4 Cups) Florets reserved for other uses
1 Onion, diced
2 Leeks, halved and sliced
1 C Diced Celery
1-3 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Flour
6 C Vegetarian Broth (I used Better than Bullion and water)
1 dash Salt (to taste)
Directions:
1. Chop the Broccoli, Leeks, Onions, and celery.
Already I was in trouble. I had no leeks on hand (it was kind of spur of the moment when i decided to make soup) and when I went for my celery it was all gross! - Eww!
So what to do? I decided to go ahead with it anyway. How much difference could those 2 ingredients make anyway. I have had ingredients go missing or whatever before, so I fifured in this instance it was no big deal to continue.
2. Place the vegetables and the oil in a soup pot and saute until the onions are translucent. Stirring to prevent burning. Cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the flour to the pot once the vegetables are cooked. Still to coat. Continuing to cook briefly, until the flour begins to color slightly - 5 minutes or so.
4. Add the broth. Add it in batches, stirring between each to prevent the flour from clumping.
As i said, I used Better than Bullion. The jar lists the directions of taking one tsp of Bullion paste and dissolve into one cup of water for every cup of broth you want. Better than bullion is some pretty awesome stuff, but it is kind of hard to measure well. It is very thick (think molasses) so I find the best way to measure it is to either scoop out the spoon after each dip - ie scoop the bullion and then dump it into the bowl (pot etc) and while dumping it out take your (clean) finger and smoosh out the spoon. Or you can try the oily spoon method - where-in you dip the unused measuring spoon in an oil first then measure out the bullion (also works with other sticky thick substances). The Oil Method works pretty well, but adds extra oil to your recipe, which isn't always ok to do.
5. Bring the pot up to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the soup from heat and blend it to a smooth consistency.
You can use an immersion blender if you have one, or you can use a standard upright blender or ninja or whatever kind of blending tool you have. An immersion blender is the best kind of tool for this job. I didn't realize my sister had an immersion blender available so i used the regular blender for this.
Why is a stick blender better? Because the biggest problem you face when blending hot liquids is their risk of explosion. No, seriously! Its dangerous because the hot liquid will expand rapidly when agitated and you can get really hurt. So if you are using a standard blender be sure to only fill the vessel part way (like less than half) and blend in batches. If what you are blending is thick DO NOT attempt to pop the "bubble" that forms in the blender when mixing hot foods. It is still safe to blend, just be smart about it.
Using a stick blender will allow you to blend in the pot preventing the issues of rapid expansion and bubbles from being dangerous.
7. Tada! Soup! Eat and enjoy.
So yeah...I totally didn't have soup at the end of this. I had something that appeared to be gravy. I was perhaps a little heavy on the flour, or maybe I didn't put enough water in. Or maybe i walked away from it for too long (I forgot to set a timer) and too much evaporated. For whatever reason my end result was WAY thicker than soup is supposed to be.
With some trepidation I took a taste. Freaking Delicious! Holy Crap! My brother in law had arrived shortly after I finished the product and announced his intentions to make a batch of mashed potatoes and top them with the "Cream" of Broccoli Non-Soup. So totally awesome. We ate it all.
Moral of the story....
Sometimes you really do need all the ingredients to make the dish.
Don't give up on a dish if it doesn't turn out the way you intended.
However i do not cook for myself only. I live with my sister and her husband and both of them enjoy broccoli soup so i decided that I would try my hand at making some. After all how hard can it be? Now, My sister is a Vegan (70% - so no Vegan Powers sadly), so I needed to make a soup that would not rely on chicken broth or dairy.
So here is a record of my first attempt...
You will need:
A Large pot
A Cutting Board
A Sharp Knife
A Blender or an Immersion Blender
A Measuring cup
A Tablespoon Measuring spoon
Ingredients needed (for ~5 servings - Give or Take):
2 lbs Broccoli stalks, chopped (roughly 4 Cups) Florets reserved for other uses
1 Onion, diced
2 Leeks, halved and sliced
1 C Diced Celery
1-3 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Flour
6 C Vegetarian Broth (I used Better than Bullion and water)
1 dash Salt (to taste)
Directions:
1. Chop the Broccoli, Leeks, Onions, and celery.
Already I was in trouble. I had no leeks on hand (it was kind of spur of the moment when i decided to make soup) and when I went for my celery it was all gross! - Eww!
So what to do? I decided to go ahead with it anyway. How much difference could those 2 ingredients make anyway. I have had ingredients go missing or whatever before, so I fifured in this instance it was no big deal to continue.
2. Place the vegetables and the oil in a soup pot and saute until the onions are translucent. Stirring to prevent burning. Cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the flour to the pot once the vegetables are cooked. Still to coat. Continuing to cook briefly, until the flour begins to color slightly - 5 minutes or so.
As i said, I used Better than Bullion. The jar lists the directions of taking one tsp of Bullion paste and dissolve into one cup of water for every cup of broth you want. Better than bullion is some pretty awesome stuff, but it is kind of hard to measure well. It is very thick (think molasses) so I find the best way to measure it is to either scoop out the spoon after each dip - ie scoop the bullion and then dump it into the bowl (pot etc) and while dumping it out take your (clean) finger and smoosh out the spoon. Or you can try the oily spoon method - where-in you dip the unused measuring spoon in an oil first then measure out the bullion (also works with other sticky thick substances). The Oil Method works pretty well, but adds extra oil to your recipe, which isn't always ok to do.
You can use an immersion blender if you have one, or you can use a standard upright blender or ninja or whatever kind of blending tool you have. An immersion blender is the best kind of tool for this job. I didn't realize my sister had an immersion blender available so i used the regular blender for this.
Why is a stick blender better? Because the biggest problem you face when blending hot liquids is their risk of explosion. No, seriously! Its dangerous because the hot liquid will expand rapidly when agitated and you can get really hurt. So if you are using a standard blender be sure to only fill the vessel part way (like less than half) and blend in batches. If what you are blending is thick DO NOT attempt to pop the "bubble" that forms in the blender when mixing hot foods. It is still safe to blend, just be smart about it.
Using a stick blender will allow you to blend in the pot preventing the issues of rapid expansion and bubbles from being dangerous.
So yeah...I totally didn't have soup at the end of this. I had something that appeared to be gravy. I was perhaps a little heavy on the flour, or maybe I didn't put enough water in. Or maybe i walked away from it for too long (I forgot to set a timer) and too much evaporated. For whatever reason my end result was WAY thicker than soup is supposed to be.
With some trepidation I took a taste. Freaking Delicious! Holy Crap! My brother in law had arrived shortly after I finished the product and announced his intentions to make a batch of mashed potatoes and top them with the "Cream" of Broccoli Non-Soup. So totally awesome. We ate it all.
Moral of the story....
Sometimes you really do need all the ingredients to make the dish.
Don't give up on a dish if it doesn't turn out the way you intended.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Loquat I can do!
Its late winter (early Spring really) here in Florida. I am not thrilled to be living here. (For many many reasons i will not get into right now) But one really nice thing about living here is food I have never had growing right in my back yard - literally.
This is a Loquat tree growing behind the house I live in. And it is in fruit right now. I had never heard of these fruits before but they are amazeballs delicious! Escpeially in salad dressings and chutney. However those are the only things i have made so far and both were amazing so i can fairly guess that the other ideas i have for these beauties will be awesome too!
So what is a Loquat?
Its a tree that was imported from asia as (primarily) an ornamental. The trees are self polinating and super resiliant so they are a very good little plant for the yards in the warmer temperate regions of the US. They are found in California too!
The fruit grows in little bunches and the fruits kind-of ripen at the same time so you can just pluck the whole bunch at once. The fruit doesn't give much of a fight when picking and the cluster will come free fairly easily.
Feel free to eat it raw, as is (after washing of course). No need to peel. However, beware the seeds. Each loquat can have up to 5 seeds though most have only 1 or 2. The edible flesh of the fruit is a fairly thin area around the large seeds.
The fruit is about as large as a strawberry. It ranges in color from a yellowy green to orange/peach to a blushed orange color as they ripen. Its better to pick them in the peach stage as the fruit flies love there things and waiting until they are really ripe means you might get some added protein when you bide into one - if you get my drift. Nasty! So get them while they are still a little under ripe. The skin is thin and has some light peach fuzz on it.
Flavor:
Sweet - like a peach or mango but with a slightly sour/tangy flavor like a grapefruit added.
Preparation...
I simply wash off my loquats and slice them lengthwise. Then I remove the pit. I save these because I found a recipe for making amaretto from them, so I'm totally going to try it!
Some of the webpages I came across while learning about this fruit warned of a strong smell associated with the fruit - something akin to bleach apparently. They warned that you might want to blanch the fruit before you handled it, or wear gloves so as to prevent your hands from smelling funny later. I did not find this to be true of the fruits I have but different cultivars likely have different scents.
Loquat, being a fruit and all, is a healthy thing to eat. It is high in fiber nearly 2 grams in a 1/2 cup. In that same 1/2 cup you get about 1/2 a gram of protein. They are also reasonably high in vitamin A.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat
Nutritiondata.com
So what is a Loquat?
Its a tree that was imported from asia as (primarily) an ornamental. The trees are self polinating and super resiliant so they are a very good little plant for the yards in the warmer temperate regions of the US. They are found in California too!
The fruit grows in little bunches and the fruits kind-of ripen at the same time so you can just pluck the whole bunch at once. The fruit doesn't give much of a fight when picking and the cluster will come free fairly easily.
Sweet - like a peach or mango but with a slightly sour/tangy flavor like a grapefruit added.
Preparation...
I simply wash off my loquats and slice them lengthwise. Then I remove the pit. I save these because I found a recipe for making amaretto from them, so I'm totally going to try it!
Some of the webpages I came across while learning about this fruit warned of a strong smell associated with the fruit - something akin to bleach apparently. They warned that you might want to blanch the fruit before you handled it, or wear gloves so as to prevent your hands from smelling funny later. I did not find this to be true of the fruits I have but different cultivars likely have different scents.
Loquat, being a fruit and all, is a healthy thing to eat. It is high in fiber nearly 2 grams in a 1/2 cup. In that same 1/2 cup you get about 1/2 a gram of protein. They are also reasonably high in vitamin A.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat
Nutritiondata.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Failure to launch
I'm not having a very productive day.
I made a conscious choice to sleep in. I could have easily gotten up when any of my normal alarms went off...or when my sister knocked on the door...but instead I announced I was sleeping in. I'm not sure why I did that. Given a choice between sleep and not sleep (unless it is after 10pm) I will inevitably choose sleep. I love sleeping. Or perhaps I'm addicted? Or maybe I'm somehow broken. :/ I've had sleep studies. They weren't quite sure what was wrong but prescribed something to help be stay awake. That was years ago. I'm waiting on my insurance company to approve a new study...maybe the new techniques or advances in technology will identify what the hell is wrong with me.
But I did get up today. I was perfectly awake but loath to get out of bed. Its my Sunday. I start my work week tomorrow. I love working - not necessarily my job, mind you - but working. Its important to me to be needed and functional. So I laid in bed for almost an hour. Then I went to the bathroom and weighed in. I always weigh in in the morning after going to the bathroom. I figure this is the point when I will be my lightest all day. 196.6
Not a bad weight...though a full pound heavier than yesterday. There are reasons for this...perhaps I'm retaining water or something...or more likely, yesterday when i got on the scale I didn't notice that one corner of it was on the carpet. My sister pointed this out to me lat night. Its very important that your scale be on a flat hard surface for it to give an accurate reading.
Then I got dressed and ate breakfast...it was still morning - not yet noon. Plenty of time to get a good and productive day in. I turned on the computer and worked on music for a bit and watched a TED talk on Netflix (Something about making sure that you don't only have one picture of a people. Nothing is nice and neat and able to be put into a small tidy package.)
Then I sat down to get some work done. I was going to blog. I have to write about my failed broccoli soup. The title is going to be "No Soup For You" - get it? But then I didn't. I just swam aimlessly through the unending stream of social media. Just a piece of flotsom in a sea of aphorisms and news snippets.
Around 3 I realized I was lethargic...most likely because i was hungry and went to make the last of that rice side dish...this time with a piece of frozen pollock to accompany (I did make one bag last 4 meals). And while I was away from the sucking void of the internet I managed to go outside and clean out my car ( a much needed weekly task) and start the laundry. Then I ate the meal (not without misadventure however as i broke one of my favorite bowls in the process.) I watched Ze Frank's Ted Talk because i remember liking it and then chased that with his most recent True Facts episode.
And I was right back to where I had been. Fed now but no more productive.
You see...I couldn't go to the gym today. I'm broke. I can't spare the gas to drive the distance there and back. I know that I can exercise here. I am more than able to do it. I have hundreds of exercise classes available at my disposal online and my sister has all the P90X videos (even the most recent ones). I have resistance bands, and medicine balls and balance balls, and free weights. I could run - the weather is nice but not oppressively hot (I currently live in Florida). But I just couldn't get up the motivation.
I love going to the gym. It's the most selfish thing I do. And I revel in it.
Eventually I did the dishes and swapped in the second load of laundry. But without going to the gym my day has felt like a failure.
I made a conscious choice to sleep in. I could have easily gotten up when any of my normal alarms went off...or when my sister knocked on the door...but instead I announced I was sleeping in. I'm not sure why I did that. Given a choice between sleep and not sleep (unless it is after 10pm) I will inevitably choose sleep. I love sleeping. Or perhaps I'm addicted? Or maybe I'm somehow broken. :/ I've had sleep studies. They weren't quite sure what was wrong but prescribed something to help be stay awake. That was years ago. I'm waiting on my insurance company to approve a new study...maybe the new techniques or advances in technology will identify what the hell is wrong with me.
But I did get up today. I was perfectly awake but loath to get out of bed. Its my Sunday. I start my work week tomorrow. I love working - not necessarily my job, mind you - but working. Its important to me to be needed and functional. So I laid in bed for almost an hour. Then I went to the bathroom and weighed in. I always weigh in in the morning after going to the bathroom. I figure this is the point when I will be my lightest all day. 196.6
Not a bad weight...though a full pound heavier than yesterday. There are reasons for this...perhaps I'm retaining water or something...or more likely, yesterday when i got on the scale I didn't notice that one corner of it was on the carpet. My sister pointed this out to me lat night. Its very important that your scale be on a flat hard surface for it to give an accurate reading.
Then I got dressed and ate breakfast...it was still morning - not yet noon. Plenty of time to get a good and productive day in. I turned on the computer and worked on music for a bit and watched a TED talk on Netflix (Something about making sure that you don't only have one picture of a people. Nothing is nice and neat and able to be put into a small tidy package.)
Then I sat down to get some work done. I was going to blog. I have to write about my failed broccoli soup. The title is going to be "No Soup For You" - get it? But then I didn't. I just swam aimlessly through the unending stream of social media. Just a piece of flotsom in a sea of aphorisms and news snippets.
Around 3 I realized I was lethargic...most likely because i was hungry and went to make the last of that rice side dish...this time with a piece of frozen pollock to accompany (I did make one bag last 4 meals). And while I was away from the sucking void of the internet I managed to go outside and clean out my car ( a much needed weekly task) and start the laundry. Then I ate the meal (not without misadventure however as i broke one of my favorite bowls in the process.) I watched Ze Frank's Ted Talk because i remember liking it and then chased that with his most recent True Facts episode.
And I was right back to where I had been. Fed now but no more productive.
You see...I couldn't go to the gym today. I'm broke. I can't spare the gas to drive the distance there and back. I know that I can exercise here. I am more than able to do it. I have hundreds of exercise classes available at my disposal online and my sister has all the P90X videos (even the most recent ones). I have resistance bands, and medicine balls and balance balls, and free weights. I could run - the weather is nice but not oppressively hot (I currently live in Florida). But I just couldn't get up the motivation.
I love going to the gym. It's the most selfish thing I do. And I revel in it.
Eventually I did the dishes and swapped in the second load of laundry. But without going to the gym my day has felt like a failure.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Weather.... We Want To Or Not
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months you must certainly have noticed that the weather this year is a bit more extreme than usual. Polar Vortices...Record Drought...etc.
What does this have to do with food cooking and weight loss? Lots!
There have been some studies into the connection between healthy food costs and obesity. In general its inconclusive. But if you just go by your gut instinct...people will prefer to eat food that is cheaper.
Now, the cost of food is complicated - in no small part due to the U.S. Farm Bill - but if you just look at standard economic principles of supply and demand this winter is really bad news for everyone - even those of us that managed to avoid living in a zone of extreme weather.
Explain how? The extreme drought in California has caused the farms there to let fields they normally plant go fallow. They can't irrigate the thirsty crops many of which won't even be planted. (Personally I think it is ridiculous that we were farming rice in a drought prone area in the first place...but no one asked me).
The ice and cold in the South has most certainly affected the fruit trees that we all associate with Georgia (Peaches) and Florida (Oranges).
All up and down our country the extreme weather had affected the agricultural machine. I can only guess what the repercussions will be. But one thing I know is that the costs of our food is going to go up.
What to do about it....
Well, that is also a complicated question too. It depends on many variables.
Do you feel that the weather is being affected by climate change? Then you can try to pressure lawmakers (Ha!) into drafting stronger legislation to protect the earth. Also though, you can take matters in your own hands (no I don't mean become some crazy eco terrorist). I mean that you can make some real changes to your lifestyle to stop being part of the problem. Sell your old car or trade it in for a new fuel efficient model. Or better yet start car pooling and commuting to work on the bus or even biking to work. Don't tell me how you can't do it because the time it takes you to commute would be too long - plenty of the "less fortunate" have some seriously long commutes on public transit and the manage. If more people who don't have to commute via bus started doing so out of a feeling of civic duty or whatever, the public transit systems would improve.
Water conservation...it's not just something that concerns farmers. It isn't just for people who live in a drought stricken area. Simple water saving measures help everyone.
Turn off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth (or brush your teeth in the shower - like I do).
Replace your shower head with a low flow head.
Take any unused medicines back to a pharmacy instead of flushing them or throwing them away. (It keeps them out of the sewer system and depending on the meds can sometimes be used to help people who need them)
Do you own your living space? Replace your toilets with low flow ones or better yet...this thing:
If you can afford it, buy water efficient dish washers and laundry machines.
Plant a rain garden to help the aquifers refill instead of having the rain just wash into the sewer system.
While we are on the subject of planting things...plant a garden. You can plant a single pot of herbs for your window or convert your entire yard to non-grass plants. If you plant edible plants you are contributing to your own food security. And as far as non grass plants go - most are more drought resistant than that opulent stuff. Just try to plant things that are native varieties to make the best use of your soil and climate and to prevent invasive species issues. Many urban areas have garden plots available to city dwellers. Some are free or low cost so look into it.
Got additional ideas on what you can do...post 'em. I could go on and on and on....
What does this have to do with food cooking and weight loss? Lots!
There have been some studies into the connection between healthy food costs and obesity. In general its inconclusive. But if you just go by your gut instinct...people will prefer to eat food that is cheaper.
Now, the cost of food is complicated - in no small part due to the U.S. Farm Bill - but if you just look at standard economic principles of supply and demand this winter is really bad news for everyone - even those of us that managed to avoid living in a zone of extreme weather.
Explain how? The extreme drought in California has caused the farms there to let fields they normally plant go fallow. They can't irrigate the thirsty crops many of which won't even be planted. (Personally I think it is ridiculous that we were farming rice in a drought prone area in the first place...but no one asked me).
The ice and cold in the South has most certainly affected the fruit trees that we all associate with Georgia (Peaches) and Florida (Oranges).
All up and down our country the extreme weather had affected the agricultural machine. I can only guess what the repercussions will be. But one thing I know is that the costs of our food is going to go up.
What to do about it....
Well, that is also a complicated question too. It depends on many variables.
Do you feel that the weather is being affected by climate change? Then you can try to pressure lawmakers (Ha!) into drafting stronger legislation to protect the earth. Also though, you can take matters in your own hands (no I don't mean become some crazy eco terrorist). I mean that you can make some real changes to your lifestyle to stop being part of the problem. Sell your old car or trade it in for a new fuel efficient model. Or better yet start car pooling and commuting to work on the bus or even biking to work. Don't tell me how you can't do it because the time it takes you to commute would be too long - plenty of the "less fortunate" have some seriously long commutes on public transit and the manage. If more people who don't have to commute via bus started doing so out of a feeling of civic duty or whatever, the public transit systems would improve.
Water conservation...it's not just something that concerns farmers. It isn't just for people who live in a drought stricken area. Simple water saving measures help everyone.
Turn off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth (or brush your teeth in the shower - like I do).
Replace your shower head with a low flow head.
Take any unused medicines back to a pharmacy instead of flushing them or throwing them away. (It keeps them out of the sewer system and depending on the meds can sometimes be used to help people who need them)
Do you own your living space? Replace your toilets with low flow ones or better yet...this thing:
Plant a rain garden to help the aquifers refill instead of having the rain just wash into the sewer system.
While we are on the subject of planting things...plant a garden. You can plant a single pot of herbs for your window or convert your entire yard to non-grass plants. If you plant edible plants you are contributing to your own food security. And as far as non grass plants go - most are more drought resistant than that opulent stuff. Just try to plant things that are native varieties to make the best use of your soil and climate and to prevent invasive species issues. Many urban areas have garden plots available to city dwellers. Some are free or low cost so look into it.
Got additional ideas on what you can do...post 'em. I could go on and on and on....
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