Tomato Corn Pie

Need to make this delicious sounding tomato corn pie sometime. It doesn't require yeast and I can nix the cheese.

According to Jezebel, Anyone Who Posts Pictures of Food is Anorexic

According to the inflammatory title of a Jezebel article linking to an article based on the speech of the head of the Canadian Obesity Network anyone who regularily posts pictures of their food have eating disorders. Thank you very much Jezebel for your misrepresentation of yet another article. This is the reason I don't check Jezebel anymore. It was never a particularly feminist website but it has devolved into lies, cheap Women's Studies 101, and thoughtless media snarking. I would also like evidence to back up the claims of the woman who made this statement but that really is too much to ask from the internet.

Pot Stickers and Noodle Soup

These vegetarian pot stickers are from Noodle City. The soup is a disastrous attempt to create a stock in thirty minutes. It was too spicy and utterly lacking in flavor despite the obscene amounts of shitake mushrooms and onions I added to it.

Look at how they expand after being cooked

Leek Soup

Delicious leek goodness. It looks greasy and brown because I used carrot stock and added too much oil when frying the onions. Also because I'm not the sort of posh person who only uses the pale part of the leek. There might be potato in here.

Omrice

Found a container of chopped onions and yellow bell peppers and decided to make something of it. We had half a jar of left over tomato sauce and a five pound bag of garlic so I created the horrifying Japanese concoction that is omrice. I was introduced to it by a student years ago and it has haunted my dreams ever since. It is made of rice fried in ketchup and then stuffed in an omelette which is decoratively topped with ketchup. Why the fixation on ketchup? Probably a horrifying consequence of American GIs being stationed in Japan post WWII.

Dumped the garlic in at the last moment so it was basically raw.

Not using the usual cast iron pot because someone's mother didn't clean up after frying certain salmon steaks last night.

The staged version/

What I actually ate.

Salmon Steak and Onion, Leek, Squash Stir Fry Topped with Walnuts

Look at that poor dead creature. I've saved the skull to attempt cold water maceration in a mason jar.

Leeks improve just about any stir fry and of course so do onions and summer squash. The walnuts are part of my mum's attempt to make me eat healthier. The salmon ended up over cooked which tends to happen when we try to cook thick slabs. And yes, that is white rice. Delicious white rice that will destroy my health.

Spinach, Asparagus,Red Pepper and Broccoli Fritatta

I made a quiche on the stove. Rather, I attempted to make a frittata on the stove but my mum suggested I add whole wheat flour to make it a complete meal and the result was the whole thing ended up burnt and disgusting which is why the only picture I have of this lovely fiasco is a wane and under cooked bubble monstrosity.

Joanna's and Rowan's Goodbye Dinner

We had tacos but I came home late and was too ravenous to take pictures. My mum baked a cake and Joanna brought some tasty Korean crackers which we had for dessert along with fruit and truffles.

Heart Attack Breakfast-Hash browns, Fried Egg, Sauteed Mushrooms, Avocado

I found a ginormous cheese grater at the thrift store for $1.50 and have been grating potatoes like a hobbit ever since. My knuckles are raw and my stomach is ever increasing. Today I only had one egg and then I didn't even eat the yolk because it was too raw. The mushrooms didn't have much flavor because I was too lazy to add much in the way of seasonings. I chopped up an onion into the four mini potatoes which produced a giant heaping of hash browns.

Freezing Wine

I'm going to have to try this tip from the art of doing stuff with a bottle of wine. Not that I let alcohol go to waste but this would prevent me from finishing the entire bottle just to avoid feeling wasteful.

Freezing wine

Dried Cranberries, Peanuts, Avocado, and Asiago Pesto Bread

I got the munchies twenty minutes ago and was going to eat an apple turnover and corn chips but decided to be healthy and made up a plate. I wasn't feeling healthy enough to eat walnuts and went with peanuts. Amazingly enough the avocado was perfectly ripe and didn't fall apart when I scooped it out of the shell with a spoon.

Look at how perfectly that avocado is colored

Spinach, Broccoli, Asparagus, and Red Pepper Frittata

Sauteed the vegetables with garlic, basil, and 21 Seasoning's Salute for awhile then I added five eggs, a cup of whole wheat flour and a wee bit of water. I stirred the mixture a bit then covered the skillet and cooked it on medium until the center was almost solid and left it covered for a few more minutes.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
Carrots-two ginormous ones
Onions-four
Garlic-only four cloves because we were running out
Green Peas-a cup or two
Broccoli-a cup or so
Lettuce and red cabbage salad mix-two handfuls
Shitake mushrooms-far too few, less than a quarter cup
Vegetable stock-made from the water used to re-hydrate the mushrooms and a cube of vegetable bouillon
Potatoes-four unpeeled
Mayonnaise
Tomatoes
Basil
Rosemary
Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
Black Pepper
Olive oil

How I mucked it up:

I sliced the carrots into half circles and realized that I had far too many so I cooked them down with rosemary while I sliced the rest of the ingredients. I quartered the potatoes and boiled them twice so they would be soft. Threw the mushrooms in, then the lettuce mix. I discovered that cooked lettuces smells like crap so I added more herbs and put in the garlic. I continued to cook this down before adding broccoli and finally the onions. It took about 30 minutes. I added the stock right before putting the thing in the oven because I misread the recipe. I had a sneaking suspicion that the stock would be too salty and I was correct so I added more broccoli and the tomatoes to absorb the salt. I mashed the potatoes with the mayonnaise, pepper, and paprika and spread it across the top of the vegetables making indentations with my fork. Then I popped it in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit before turning the heat off and letting the thing cook with the residual heat. The edges of the pie bubbled from the stock and looked quite tasty.

I was pleasantly surprised about how good this tasted and I will have to make this again in cool weather. It was a resounding success which is a rare thing for my cooking.

Poached Eggs and Tomatoes on Toast for Lunch

I tried poaching eggs without bothering to look up how resulting in a frothy eggy mess in the pan. At least it tasted halfway decent. I forgot how much I love tomatoes on buttered toast and need to remedy this by eating it more often. Also I decided to be a good girl and threw a handful of spinach onto the plate.

Oysters, Vegetables and Fries for Lunch

Went to a local restaurant called Fishes Wild with my father. We both had enormous salads with miso dressing for only two dollars each and we split a plate of steamed vegetables which was also only two dollars. The deep fried oysters were delicious and juicy on the inside but so wonderfully crisp on the outside. The fries have changed since the last time I ate at the restaurant and they are now coated in some delicious red substance.

Oatmeal Cookies

 More adventures in failed cooking and inadequate supplies. I wanted to make oatmeal cookies and had just started when I realized we were out of sugar except for bars of rock sugar my mum uses for making herbal medicine. I decided to dissolve the sugar in butter on the stove and then mixed with with an obsecene amount of vanilla and cinnamon. Naturally I also discovered we were still out of baking soda so I added pancake mix. The cookies ended up burnt after seven minutes.

Ale's Goodbye Dinner

I made tuna cakes and the tangerine cake from my last post. The tuna cakes are very loosely based off this recipe from Martha Stewart. I used flour instead of breadcrumbs because I burned the bread when trying to bake it dry and gave up. We didn't have any cilantro so I used carrots which doesn't really compute but adds a nice dash of color. I made a green onion and yogurt sauce as well.

I use a quarter cup measuring cup to get a nice round shape for the cakes.

My mum picked up potstickers from "The Noodle City" our favorite Chinese restaurant in town because we were too busy to make our own potstickers. She got chicken and vegetarians ones. I'm particularly fond of these potstickers because the dough is especially thick. She made an avocado and spinach salad.

Joanna made a Korean dish that I think translates to the King's Dish. She followed an incredibly elaborate set of steps making the sauce to marinade the thinly sliced beef, chop the vegetables just so, and prepare the sticky chewy noodles. Interestingly she added sugar to the dried shitake mushrooms which was delicious and something I plan on trying later.

A picture of the very cramped table plus a few feet.

Chocolate Covered Tangerine Cake

I attempted to make a Tangerine cake following this recipe but this being me I did something else entirely.

I doubled the recipe but only used 4 cups of whole wheat flour and nixed the baking soda because it messes with my mum's stomach. I minced the tangerines ahead of time since we still don't have a blender. I tried to beat the eggs into a froth but after 40 minutes with a fork I gave up. I ended up saving the water I had boiled the tangerines in and threw that in with the recipe. I also added vegetable oil because the consistency of the batter didn't look right.

After baking it for 50 minutes the inside was still mushy so I left the three cakes in the oven and promptly forgot about them for another twenty minutes. When I started to smell the burnt bread slices I also had in the oven that I was using to make bread crumbs I discovered the cakes were burnt around the edges but still mushy inside. Turns out that is just the consistency of the cake as I made them. I cut the edges of the cake off and make a chocolate sauce out of leftover powdered Starbucks coco mix and water.

Not having a zester I cut a tangerine peel into one inch sections and used the edge of my knife to scrape off the white part of the rind. This worked surprisingly well and I will definitely use this technique in the future.

The result were cakes that separated somewhat into two layers and had a chewy consistency and very strong tangerine flavor. The chocolate sauce really brought out the flavors of the cake .

Next time I shall use less flour and sugar and much more tangerine and add baking soda unless the cake is specifically for my mum. Also I'll make sure there is enough coco powder in stock stock so I don't have to skimp on the chocolate(That's a lie, I never plan ahead when cooking).

Boiled tangerine slices.

Boiled water from the tangerines which has the consistency of orange juice making me suspect that this is actually how mass produced oranges are made.

The real recipe:


Flourless Tangerine Cake or Sicilian Cake     ~~~from taste.com.au
oven to 350 

3 large tangerines (to make about a cup of puree)
3 eggs1 cup sugar3 cups almond meal or flour1 tsp baking powder

• Step one is the only time consuming part of this cake.  Wash your tangerines and put them in a saucepan covered with cold water.  Boil for 15 minutes.  Drain the pan, refill with cold water, and boil again for 15 minutes.  This boiling removes the bitterness in the citrus skin.

• Rough chop the tangerines and remove any seeds, do this on a plate so you don't lose any juice.  Put it all in a food processor and process until completely smooth.  You'll have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.  The color and smell will be amazing.  My finished puree weighed 11 1/2 oz, and was about a cup.

• Set aside, or refrigerate until the next day if you're doing this in 2 stages.

• The rest is a one bowl deal:  Beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy.  Fold in the almond meal, orange pulp, and baking powder, mixing until combined.

• Pour into a buttered 9" spring form pan.

• Bake for 50-60 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

• Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling.

• Dust with confectioner's sugar.  Decorate with some citrus zest if you like. 

Latkes with Greek Yogurt and Avocados for Brunch

I found myself craving Latkes but since we don't have a cheese grater and our blender broke I had to chop the potatos into fine pieces by hand. Since I'm lazy and because I was getting peckish the potatoes were not chopped finely at all. We only had a purple onion so I used that and I threw in four cloves of garlic and black pepper because I don't believe in orthodoxy when cooking.

I didn't add enough flour or egg when I made the first batch so the patties fell apart. I adjusted for this in the next two batches and they came out fairly well.

I use yogurt in place of sour cream in cooking because it is healthier and actually available in the refrigerator. It works as a pretty good replacement especially if the yogurt is on the sour side like Chobani.

The result is something that resembles Latkes only faintly but still tasted pretty good.

Bok Choy and Soybean Sprouts Stir Fry, Fried Tilapia, and Miso for Dinner

The miso turned out very greasy looking but is quite delicious. We used fish stock instead of water to give it especially good flavor and added seaweed, fried tofu, and carrots because they are amazing.

Bok choy and soybean sprouts

Oscars Night 2013

I made a tapenade with two kinds of olives, garlic, black pepper, olive oil, rice vinegar, and lemon

Traditional Chinese Rice Cake

Kale, baby spinach, grapefruit, and raisin salad with rice vinegar, balsamic vinaigrette, and olive oil dressing

Sliced artisan bread baked in olive oil and herbs for dipping in the tapenade

Miso soup with seaweed and fried tofu

Korean rice noodles with onions, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms

Spicy tofu

Berry tart with a caramel crust

Tea of course

I also guzzled myself on kimchi and spinach dip but forgot to take a picture.