Stupid Easy: Avocado Deviled Eggs

Aren't they pretty?  Green Eggs.

By a bit of good fortune, I have a slight problem on my hands.  I get a CSA delivery that includes a dozen eggs every week.  While my cholesterol levels are still adjusting and I'm trying to eat more oatmeal to counteract that, for the most part this is a very good thing.  Eggs are nature's perfect food!  That, and milk.  Don't think too much about it and don't talk to a vegan about it, either.  Nutrient-wise, it's a good thing.

But then (dun dun DUN), my friend's garden chickens started laying eggs like crazy.  She has more eggs than she knows what to do with.  Like five dozen a week or something (not sure).  So, I got 18 eggs in addition to the eggs from my CSA.  Of course the home ones were better, but all the eggs were yummy.  But, I can't eat like five eggs a day!  Damn genes.

Last week, with all these eggs at critical mass, my MIL invited us to a block party in their neighborhood.  It's one of those cute streets that is old-timey even in our rude and modern city.  They have little potlucks and people say hi to each other when they see them, and the houses are 80-100 years old.  It's just cute overload.

Anyway, what could I bring?  EGGS.  Yes.  Eggs.  Duh.  Do not pass go, do not collect anything, just make eggs.  Whew!  A dozen less eggs in my house.  Whew.

Deviled eggs are always a hit.  I make a pretty good batch.  I always have.  Twenty-five years strong of making a good deviled egg.  People will always say, "You should try my deviled eggs, they're the best, trust me."  I will just smile and nod.  Yes, yes, you keep believing that.  But for 75% of my life, I have been making an epic deviled egg.

It was so good that when we had to do a "how-to" demonstration in fourth grade, I of course did deviled eggs.  Duh!  Twenty-five years, I tell you!

Okay, now that I have my credentials....

I was going to make my typical "not even a recipe" deviled eggs.  But, since my husband doesn't like mayo and I don't see the need to keep it around much (and when I do, I use it once and then the remainder sits sadly in my fridge for six months until I throw it out), I had to figure something else out since I was too lazy/cheap to run to the store for mayo. 

I had an avocado (also from CSA) that had to be used before I got my next delivery.  Healthy fats!  Yayyyyyyyy.  The avocado was nice and ripe and as you can tell by the picture, a gorgeous shade of bright green.

It's not even a recipe.  Here's what I did:

1.  Hard-boil a dozen eggs using your favorite method.  Everyone has theirs.  Google for some methods--there are as many methods as there are people, it seems.  My current favorite is to get the eggs out of the fridge about half an hour before boiling them.  Bring some water to a boil and drop the eggs gently into the already-boiling water.  Ten minutes seems to be about right.  Remove them into cold water and then chill.

2.  Take the chilled eggs and peel them under running water (catch the water if you're going through a drought; the plants will love it).  Gently dry off the peeled eggs on some paper towels.

3.  Slice eggs in half "hot-dog"-wise, and pop or scoop out the yolks into a medium bowl.  Set the egg whites on a platter or other pretty dish.  Here I used a pie plate because it works well and I had to transport it.  You can put cling wrap over the plate and it won't smoosh the egg yolks.

4.  Take the bowl of yolks and put it in a small sandwich-sized Ziploc bag.  Add some salt to taste, you don't need to add pepper but you can, and add some dried herbs to taste (as long as you get a little granulated garlic/onion, you're good).  Put a teaspoon or two (not exact) of mustard of your choice.  I usually put Dijon but in this instance I was feeling sassy and I put some classic yellow with turmeric.  I also scooped in my WHOLE avocado.

5.  The fun part:  Close the bag.  Squeeze out air.  Mush the bag with your fingers and go "doop doop doop doop" as you do this.  Trust me.  Scientific stuff happening here.

6.  Once this is all combined, cut a small hole in a corner of the bag.  About a quarter of an inch will do.

7.  Gently work the mixture down to the hole and begin gently piping into the reserved egg whites.

8.  Add paprika on top of the finished eggs because you're fancy and it looks pretty.

9.  Serve and profit.  These were a hit.  They were gone in a few minutes.  There were no leftovers.  Good cooks, including a PROFESSIONAL BAKER OMG who makes locally-famous pies and happens to live on this street, said they were "to die for."  I don't mean to brag, but I just did.  *drops mic*

10.  Wait, you're still wondering how they'll taste?  Just make them!  It's like deviled eggs and guacamole had a love child.  Everyone knows mutts are best anyway.

Home Canning Project: Plum Jam!

Dan didn't know he was going to be used as manual labor during our vacation.

We had a lovely weekend in the country, in true food blogger fashion.  :-)  My grandparents have a plum tree that is so overloaded with plums that all of my grandma's daughters already went through and picked bags upon bags, there is still a ton left, and my mom and I went through and picked out more bags.  And there is still fruit left--so much that one branch has fallen off, overloaded as it is!  The above picture is my husband picking some of the higher fruit that us short folk can't reach.  He wasn't sure what was ripe or not, but it turned out everything he picked was glorious because the entire tree was just that good.

A kitchen scale is essential in this task.  You can get one fairly cheap, for around $15.

I spent a few days trying to eat all the fruit before I decided that jam was in order.  My grandma had suggested jelly, but since I have never even made jam on my own (always with help from friends), I thought I'd give it a shot.  The above picture is weighing out the chopped up plums.  I had about 4 or 5 pounds of plums total.

I'm not including a recipe here because your mileage may vary, and it's all about ratios anyway.  I ended up going to Ball's website (listed on your handy dandy canning equipment--any canning brand has its own helpful website) and searching for a recipe based on the fruit I had.  You can even search by type, ratio (how much pectin you will need), and many more.  I ended up taking a peach jam recipe from their site and multiplying it by how much fruit I had.  I figured the sugar adjustments would be about right for plums.  I used a scale to figure out ratios of however much fruit I added in, doing some maths, figured out the amount of pectin and sugar.  That's all that is in this jam.  Simple!

The jars and lids get a soak in the hot tub while the jam boils away.

Once you figure out the recipe maths, the other part that might be intimidating is the actual canning process.  Just remember to be sterile and careful.  It's really simple once you get a routine.  I went to my local hardware store and got a container of jars and lids.  The ones shown below are 4 ounce jars, very cute, and are packaged with sticker labels so your jar will look super Martha Stewart-y.  You can reuse the jar and rings, but have to buy lids.  I always forget to save the rings, so I just end up re-buying the entire package.  If you got this down to a better routine, and had free fruit to can, this would be a very cost-effective hobby!

All the jars ready to POP their TOPS

The other item I got besides jars and some fruit pectin was a handy dandy "canning kit."  It was $11 and while not really necessary, it saved my skin, literally, and saved a lot of time, too.  The kit included the tongs pictured above, great for picking up boily-hot jars from boiling water (USEFUL), a funnel to make spooning the jam into the jars VERY easy, and a little magnet on a stick, which sounds silly but is VERY useful for lifting the lids out of the boiling water and plopping them on the filled jars.  It also included this little "bubble popper" thingy which I didn't use and didn't find too useful.  But the rest rocked.

Other than that, I would say to just follow the directions in your canning recipe and on the box of jars (or online).  The canning recipe usually deals with the actual jam--cooking the fruit and getting it to boil and set.  The processing recipe usually deals with how to process the jars in a clean way.

Jam Recipe:

• Cooking fruit - easy!
• Follow the recipe because boiling times may vary.  For this recipe, I boiled the fruit and pectin together until it was at a rolling boil that couldn't be stirred down, then added all the sugar and brought up to another hard boil for five minutes.  Then it was time to process.

Processing Recipe:

• Killing off bacteria, fungus, and other nasties!
• Following directions on the jar container, I hand-washed in hot soapy water and then rinsed the jars, lids, and rings.  The rings are merely a formality, so once they are clean, you can let them air-dry.
• The jars and lids, however, are IMPORTANT.  I put them immediately into the water bath to stay nice and boily hot while simultaneously boiling the jam.  It was at a constant simmer for the 15 minutes or so that I boiled the jam (I wanted them to be all ready at the same time).
• When the jam was ready, my faithful assistant (Dan) and I worked quickly to get the jam in the jars and the jars closed.  This meant pulling one jar at a time out and onto a towel.  In goes the funnel, plop goes the jam, plop goes the lid (also pulled fresh from the simmering water), and gently closed by the ring (CAUTION:  HOT).
• We repeated this with all 12 jars.  Then back into the waterbath they go for five minutes on, and five minutes off.
• The fun part is after.  You can enjoy the "overage" jam that didn't fit in a jar, while hearing the jars cool down and go POP.  A popped seal is a good seal.
• If a jar didn't seal in 12-24 hours, they tell you to re-process.  I would just eat it at that point if I were you.  We lucked out and all 12 jars closed tightly.

The "overage" which we got to eat right away instead of can.

Would I do it again?  Probably.  I consider this alright for a first try.  I was happy it worked out and I didn't waste any time or jam.  The entire process took 1.5 hours, that included some time to calculate ratios and wash the jars, as well as prep the fruit.

Wouldn't this be impressive for a Christmas or housewarming gift?  You would be tops in that person's book.

This is Not Even a Recipe: Office Yogurt Parfait

It's as easy as that.  I keep forgetting to buy granola at the store, and my office stocks crunchy granola bars in the break room, endlessly.  I'm not a fan of eating them as-is, but bash them up with your typical heavy-duty office stapler, and you have some pretty good granola.  Added bonus:  portion control!

The bottom of the container is layered with some compote I made by cooking down a few "meh" peaches and some long-in-the-tooth apples, and adding a bit of sugar and pumpkin pie spice (good for more than pumpkins!).  Put plain yogurt on top and the granola over that, stir together, and profit!

Stupid Easy: Simple Tabbouleh Salad

Oh hi!  I'm back for a little post.  Whatever, I do what I want.

Anyway, I went to a fancy grocery store in a fancy area on Sunday.  It's one of my favorite pastimes.  Sometimes you find very interesting new foods from interesting places.  Other times, you find overpriced stuff you can get for much cheaper elsewhere, or even make for a fraction of the price.

I was thinking of getting a deli salad.  I saw a small 8 ounce tub of tabbouleh.  I hadn't had a good tabbouleh in a long time.  My mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid--I don't know, it was the 80's.  It was a crazy time.

FIVE DOLLARS?!?  Five dollars for eight ounces!!!???

No thanks.

Thanks to us being in "the future," I got out my handy pocket computer (smart phone) and searched for a simple recipe for tabbouleh.  I mean, it can't be that expensive.  It's all parsley, right?  And it's super simple.  And, if you broke down the amount I paid for the ingredients and somehow applied a formula to my hourly wage at work, I'm not sure where the savings would be, but I didn't feel that $5 was a good price for a cup of grain salad.

So, here is what I put together.  You can find all these ingredients for fairly cheap at a regular grocery store.

1 c bulgur wheat (follow package directions to put 1 c of boiling water over 1 c of wheat and let sit)
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 bunch mint, chopped
2 bunches parsley, chopped (I used flat leaf, probably doesn't matter but I feel it's easier to chop)
1 pound tomatoes, chopped (get what looks good; I got some grape tomatoes)
1-2 lemons, juiced (I used Meyer lemons and needed more)
a few glugs olive oil (probably 1/2 cup; I don't measure this, just do what looks good)
salt and pepper to taste

You can also add:

scallions
garlic
granulated garlic
oregano (dried)
feta cheese or other protein

Mix it around and let it set so flavors meld.  Summer salad potluck, here we come!

Stupid Easy: Pancakes in Cast Iron

Bubbles away...

It was about here that I realized I needed to turn up the heat.

Breakfast taco!

What's for breakfast this weekend?  I always think at least one of the days should include a lazy breakfast cooked into lunch time.  That's brunch, I guess.  I felt like pancakes, so I made some.  I then always regret it because an hour later and you're still flipping pancakes--tedious.  But, worth it and fun, once in awhile.

The best thing about this was also seasoning my beloved cast iron pan some more.  Constant heat and fat for an hour was a real boon for it, and helped it a lot.  I looked at some old pictures and realized I've had this guy for a year now, exactly.  See my post on seasoning cast iron to find out how I, um, seasoned cast iron.  I'm posting it in conjunction to this.

The recipe I used for the pancakes was Martha Stewart's.  But, since she hates me, I had to add an extra cup of flour, so I would call that a crappy recipe, although others have told me it's great.  I wanted a buttermilk recipe as buttermilk pancakes are the best.  What?  You don't know what to do with that carton of buttermilk after you make pancakes?  Well, instead, might I suggest getting POWDERED buttermilk you can keep on hand in your fridge for all your baking needs?  :-)  King Arthur might have a better recipe.  I will search further and get back to you.

Some things I like to remember when making pancakes:

• Make sure you heat up your pan HOT HOT HOT.  You can always turn it down if you notice the pancakes are cooking too fast.
• When you turn on the stove and heat the pan, also turn on the oven to your "warm" setting for your done cakes.
• Grease the pan with BUTTER.  Butter is best.  That's my motto.
• The batter shouldn't be too thick, but it shouldn't be soup either.  Even crepes have a nice consistency that is NOT soupy.  Pancake batter should look similar to cake batter (after all, they're cakes!).  You should also have to pour it, not glop it...  If it's GLOPPY then add a bit of water/milk.
• Ladle the batter onto the hot greased pan.  I spread out the butter with a silicone brush, too, so it's a nice layer.
• Wait for it to develop bubbles...  Tiny bubbles.......  Before flipping.
• Flip with confidence, and flip with a large metal spatula.  None of this flimsy crap and I prefer metal to plastic.  That's why I love cast iron...  You can use metal and not scrap Teflon into your food!
• Wait till it stops sizzling too much and then flip that done cake into the oven where I assume you have put a dish or pie plate to collect the done cakes.  :-)

Pancakes are good with PURE maple syrup and REAL butter.  It's good for the soul.  We didn't have maple syrup.  They're thankfully also good with jam and butter, jam and whipped cream, or in my case, fresh berries and plain yogurt.  As you can see in the photo above, I made it into a breakfast taco, and it was tasty.

Joan's Way of Life

Joan being dressed by the legendary Golden Age costumer, Adrian.

 

Recently I had the pleasure of reading Joan Crawford's book, My Way of Life.  It's another of those obscure, out of print books that I believe is a treasure.  I first heard about it, and got it via Link+, several years ago.  However, I ran out of time to finish it, and forgot about it for a few years.  I decided to try for it again, seeing as a purchased copy goes for about $100.  It's not really a memoir per se, although there are some tidbits (none very juicy) about her Hollywood life, very little about her childhood and pre-Hollywood times, and a few more anecdotes about her various husbands and "friends," her life married to the CEO of Pepsi, and her family life.  Of course, when you read about her times with her daughters, it is hard not to envision Mommy Dearest.  For more juicy stuff, click here.

 

Her style tips are very intriguing.

 The tips in the book read like a "Happy Homemaker" guidebook, albeit one written by a slightly deranged and very rich lady who came of age during the Silent Film era of Hollywood.  All of us can have double-decker closets (i.e., two stories tall), right?  You know, for our out-of-season items.

The pencil marginalia was already on the book.  NO WIRE HANGERS!!!

Some of the book made me a bit sad, as she definitely seemed like someone who had an undiagnosed case of OCD.  I'm not sure how good it is for your shoes to be rubber-banded together and put in plastic bags.  You really have to feel for her "help."


Diet tips are somewhat sensible, surprisingly.

 For an interesting party, invite a variety of guests.  You know, maybe a CEO of a large corporation, a poet, an artist, etc...  Oh yeah, just the usual bunch.  And if you want to be a good hostess, get help (as in, hire a maid) so you can enjoy your own party.  If you aren't too well off, just one will do, but two maids and a butler is better.

I'm sure she was a lovely woman.

 This book is really a good read if you like movie history, actresses of the Golden Age, or retro homemaker guides.  Some of Joan's advice is actually pretty sensible, while other bits are just a little on the loopy side.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I do get a feeling of her loneliness, sadness, and struggles in life, even though she works hard to gloss over everything and make everything sound picture perfect.  I'd like to think that if I met her, she would be a woman who just needed a friend and was a bit misunderstood for the route she took in life.

Sunny February Weekend

Our Happy Place:  Pescadero State Beach

While the rest of the country is buried under feet of snow, here out west we got some unseasonably warm--or actually HOT--weather.  As the coast remained clear as a bell and temperatures climbed close to 80*F, and seeing as it was also Valentine's Day, President's Day Weekend, etc...  Seemed like it would be a good day to drive out to the coast.  Valentine's Day, we were in good company--half of the rest of the Bay Area seemed to have found out our secret of the San Mateo Coast (I thought I didn't have too many blog readers?).  Could you blame them?  It was a perfect day for a beautiful drive, sunny beaches, relaxing waves, and cute little roadside attractions.  Not to mention, all National Parks were insane not only because of the long weekend, but also free admission.  So, we tried to steer clear of other usual haunts like Yosemite.

We went out via Hwy 84, and turned our usual route toward Alpine and Pescadero Rd.  The super cute farm road that takes you in the back entrance to the hamlet of Pescadero was void of cars, even on a crowded day like this.  All the telephone poles in town were affixed with little hearts bearing positive messages, such as "I Love Geeks" and "You're Home Now!"  It was super cute.  I love this little town and area.

Having said that, since the place was so crowded  due to the nice weather, we skipped Pescadero in its entirety and just hung out at Pescadero Beach (along with everyone else).

Since I took a long weekend and was off on Tuesday, why not head back out to the coast?  Most people were back at work or school, and the weather had cooled off and was closer to being its "old" self--foggy, overcast, dreary, yet very romantic and much more Nor-Cal coast.

NO ONE was in Pescadero, the beach, or anywhere along the coast that we drove on Tuesday.  However, this meant that Arcangeli Grocer and Highway 1 Brewing Company (two places we frequent when out at the coast) were both closed.  Heck, I don't blame them.  I'd be closed the middle of the week, too.

Because of that, we drove up to Half Moon Bay and ate at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, across from our usual Barbara's Fish Trap.  We usually head to Barbara's because it's "our" restaurant and has nice memories attached.  Oh, and it's also fantastically delicious.  Combine that with the fact that even on a crowded day, you can order from the "to-go" counter outside, get some fish-n-chips and some of Barbara's famous dairy-free clam chowder, and enjoy harbor views--what a cheap thrill.  Having said that, both Barbara's and HMB Brewing have similar price-points, especially for sit-down.  Usually we don't go to HMB because it is so crowded, but on this particular Tuesday, it was sparse, so we thought we'd try.  Verdict:  Both places are good, but we prefer Barbara's atmosphere and vibe a bit better, and would not wait at either for a seat because we just don't roll that way.  We had beer, Dan had tacos, and I had clam chowder.  It was fine.

Hope you enjoy these pics of our two visits.

Dan being pensive in the tide pools.  Looking for hermit crabs.  :-D

 

Sandals in February?  Only in California, I guess.  I'll take it!

I didn't make this but it made me laugh.  Happy Valentine's!

Slightly cooler on Tuesday meant wool coat and shoes.  Super-calm beach was making neat "flow" patterns with the tide.

What Are You Doing on Valentine's Day?

NO...  Just...  NO.

So...  What's everyone's plan for Valentine's?  No plans?  That's cool, too.  But you can have a "Galentine's" if you aren't attached, or you can just enjoy a damn fine piece of grilled red meat with some alcohol.  Just make it a fun day and no pressure.  I was single for many years before meeting my husband.  The only tip that I would give, single or not, is to AVOID RESTAURANTS AT ALL COSTS.  I don't even care if you can't cook.  Have cereal at home.  But to me, there is nothing more forced, and less romantic, than eating at a "romantic" restaurant on Valentine's Day.  And heck, even if you can't cook, why not try one of my stupid easy recipes?

I'm more into some clever, witty repartee on V-day.  Not schmaltz, unless it's done with a wink.  But that's just my style.  If you like the Notebook, you might want to look elsewhere for advice on what to do with yourself on V-day.  So, let's get started.

To me, the day is all about either funny admiration for buddies, or your significant other, or sex.  Let's be honest, the heart that we all know and love was modeled after a you-know-what, back in Greek times, I believe.  To me, a good Valentine's Day has some rich, indulgent food, and maybe a quirky fun movie to cuddle up on the couch with.  This is not the day for health food.  Oh, and chocolate and alcohol should be in there somewhere, too.  What you do after the movie is your business.  If you're into teddy bears with handcuffs, far be it for me to tell you EW GROSS.  But I just said it anyway.

So, without further ado...

Let's start by selecting some movies.  Why not a classic screwball comedy from the 30's or 40's?  Even if your sweetie doesn't like black and white movies, or old movies, or how people talked back then, believe me--they will enjoy these fun and funny films.  Here is a good list of the ones you can't miss.

Okay, moving on...  How about some chocolates to nibble on?  Classic truffles are always great, or you can go the vegan route with these.  It's all good.  At any rate, you'll wonder why you were paying $2 a pop for the fancy ones before.

Now, how about some snacky-snacks while your steak is cooking (you did get a steak...  didn't you?).  Maybe some surf-n-turf is in order?  Like, crab cakes?  Or maybe some nice slurpy mussels to sluuuuuurp on...  Like these or these?  Maybe some cheese and grapes or something, too.  And, sipping in a cocktail wouldn't hurt.  Maybe some Scotchy-Scotch or a French 75?

Then, about that steak.  Now, if you are not a steak eater, you can do a luscious roast chicken using Thomas Keller's classic easy method.  Just stick the super dry and salted bird in the oven for an hour (plenty of time to make out!) and when it emerges, it will be sticky, crispy, and juicy.  Yum.  If you are a vegetarian, I would say go for Indian or Thai takeout.  The spice is sexy, right?  And it's all about being sexy.

Now is not the time for Brussels sprouts or cauliflower.  :-/  Or beans, really...

Okay, back to that steak!

Here is a good recipe that pairs a nice bloody steak with a simple chocolate mousse dessert.  Red meat and dark chocolate, yum!  Otherwise, I don't really think you need a recipe for steak.  Just make sure you have a good cut of meat, let it hang out outside the fridge for a few minutes while you prep the grill or cast iron, and then sear that sucker on both sides.  Then rest.  Then enjoy.  YUM.  Oh, and pair it with your favorite full-bodied red wine, of course.

Need a side?  How about potatoes?  They're earthy, and sexy, right?  I mean, yeah?  Here are some good potato ideas.  Pasta can be slurpy too, and romantic in a Lady-and-the-Tramp sort of way, but if you're doing steak, I would go with potatoes.  Any of these will work fine.

If you need even more chocolate, maybe try this almost-flourless chocolate cake, with some yummy vanilla ice cream on the side.

And if all goes well for your Valentine's Day, how about some ideas for a bacon-centric morning after?

And if all else fails, buy a card with a train on it that says "I CHOO-CHOO-CHOOOOOOSE YOU."  Works every time!

Garden Update: Growing Avocados from Avocados

A portrait before I gave him a haircut and cut him down by half.

I think everyone has memories of some sort, of mom sticking toothpicks into an avocado pit and putting it in a cup of water.  But almost no one has memories of it actually turning into a tree--or at least, I don't.

You can google and find lists of various items you can grow by seeds, roots, or stumps.  Celery and green onions are other surefire winners, though I have had neither the luck or patience to get either of those to do much more than sprout a few inches.

Avocados, on the other hand...

If you do a quick google search, you can get tips for how to grow an avocado from a pit.  Several months ago, my mom gave me an avocado from her uncle's friend's yard.  Whatever the variety, it was creamy, not bruised, and so flavorful I didn't even need salt!  Considering we live in California, it's disgraceful to see the quality (or lack thereof) of the avocados in the grocery store.  "Okay, I think this one is ripe" = cut it open when you get home to find a bruised and grey inside.  Eat it anyway and weep.  "Okay, this one is maybe close but still firm" = wait two weeks for it to ripen in a paper bag, finally give up and cut open the rock-hard inedible avocado.  Weep.

Well, I was fed up with spending nearly $2 each on crappy avocados!  My current solution is to use Trader Joe's guacamole, which is not only super-affordable and tasty, but as close as you will get to fresh mashed up avocados.  It's great on salads.

Meanwhile, I watch my avocado pits grow.

I spent around $30 for an avocado tree (more like, BRANCH).  Maybe I needed to buy two, as common wisdom holds that you need two avocados, a male and female (they will change genders based on need).  The four leaves that were on it fell off, and several baby leaves sprouted, which have seemed to die this winter.  Here's hoping they revive themselves come spring.

So, using the tips I found on the good ol' Interwebs, I stuck three toothpicks in the lovely homegrown avocado pit from my mom.  I put it in a small glass jar and waited.  Roots sprouted.  Then more.  Before I knew it, a little baby sprout had also sprouted, and the roots were running out of room in the jar.  I increased the jar's size, as you need to wait for the sprout to reach 12 inches.  A few more weeks, and the "sprout" was not only 12 inches, but had a few very pretty little leaves on it.  Now we chop it in half.

This part hurts, after you painstakingly watched the pit grow.  But, this is necessary to put energy into growing a stronger plant, and to make the base of the avocado nice and robust.  The time it takes for the little six-inch branch to re-grow to 12 inches doesn't take long, especially now that it has all those lovely roots.

Once it gets to 12 inches again, take it out of the water jar (I didn't feel the need to ever feed it in the water jar; I feel it gets most of the nutrients from the pit).  Gently place it in a pot with dirt in it (make a nice pit for the pit and roots).  Gently place the roots in the pot, taking care to leave them in tact.  Make sure the top little point of the pit is exposed (not sure why, it's just something they said online to do).  Water to saturate/moisten the soil and place in a sunny, mild location.

The pit above is the SECOND pit I am growing.  The first one is already outside in a pot with dirt in it.  It is doing great still, growing sets of leaves.  We will see what happens this summer, which is prime growing time for most plants and trees.  The picture I took above was just minutes before I cut him back down to six inches.  And now we wait.

To choose a pit, make sure the avocado you had was tasty and robust (no blemishes, healthy skin) (haha, sounds funny).  To me, that sort of ensures that the seed will be healthy and grow.

Watch this space--hopefully in a year or two, I will have my first batch of homegrown guacamole to share (virtually) with you.

Stupid Easy: Thai Stone Soup Hack

Made by a very hungry and tired me.

The other evening, I got home from work after a boring day and a long commute.  I was starving.  The boys had gone for a bike ride, and no dinner was waiting for me, hot on the stove.  I then brainstormed what I could turn into a yummy dinner, quickly.

Fast forward thirty minutes and no trips to the store, and a very content me was sipping on some Trader Joe's Dunkelweizen while stirring a simmering, hearty soup, happily chatting to husband that yes, I did make dinner, it's all ready to go, see you soon.

What happened in those thirty minutes?  Well, I was hungry as f***.  I was almost hangry.  The fridge was near-empty (but we all know this is when the best meals are produced).  I was thirsty.  I reached for an ice cold beer (thankfully there).  Now, with a clear head, was time to carefully examine the fridge.

Hmmm...

There is a pot in there--leftovers?  Yes!  But no...  Only two cups of yesterday's lentil/bacon/greens/brown rice mixture were left.  This will not do to feed three hungry people.  I'll set it on the stove anyway...

What else, what else...  A container of my old standby, Trader Joe's pre-chopped mirepoix?  Excellent.  Let's pull that out.

This always makes me think of soup.  But what kind of soup?  I don't want a boring soup.  How about a Thai curry-style soup?

Luckily, in the fridge door, I found half of a small jar of Thai red curry paste from a previous recipe I did.  Let's set that on the counter.

Anything else?  Hmmm...  Maybe it's getting time to clean out the fridge.  What the hell is in that jar?

Oh wait, here is a fresh-ish one-pound bag of Trader Joe's chopped rainbow chard!  Pretty!  Okay, this is so going in the soup and this is going to be a delicious and nutritious soup.  What else can we do, broth-wise?

Let's look in the pantry...

Ah, my old reliable, Trader Joe's version of Better Than Bouillon, a little bouillon packet I can squeeze into this soup!  And, a can of coconut milk!  Now, I don't want it to be a sauce, so I chose to go with one can of coconut milk and two cans of water (one can of the water will simmer off).

Now, to start the recipe:

1. Over medium heat, warm up the leftovers, stirring.
2. Once they are broken up, add the mirepoix and a bit of olive oil.  Sautee till translucent.
3. Add Thai red curry paste and mix.  Add other spices here as you see fit (I wanted to keep it simple, so it was just this and some salt).  Mix until fragrant.
4. Add the chard or other greens.  Stir until wilted but not entirely cooked through.
5. Add the bouillon packet here (basically anywhere before you add liquid; I find it's easier to mix in at that point).
6. Stir until it all looks cohesive, broken down, melded.
7. Add in one can of coconut milk plus two cans of water and stir.
8. Let it simmer till the soup has reduced to your liking, and serve.  The boys ate it with toast, I had it as is.  You can add a dollop of cream or yogurt to it, too, if you want.
9. Yum!  Winning on an empty fridge!

Stupid Easy: Homemade Nachos

Don't worry, it's fat free Greek yogurt!  :-D

I was supposed to make some nachos for Super Bowl.  I don't really like football or follow anything related to it, but it's important to my brother, so I had him and his girlfriend over.  His girlfriend, my husband, and I are all equally apathetic toward football, but we can all agree that food is awesome!  Bro's girlfriend brought banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), so needless to say, we were too full for my nachos.  I saved them for Monday night instead.  Heck, we still had some commercials to watch anyway, since we don't get broadcast TV (not missing much there).

I know some families make nachos all the time, or at least every Friday night.  We don't.  Growing up, we never did, either.  No clue why.  But there you have it.

Probably the best tip with these that I got online was to LAYER them.  So, I gathered my ingredients:

• One bag of STURDY corn tortilla chips (I chose Trader Joe's brand yellow corn tortilla chips)
• Two 12 oz cans of beans (I chose TJ's Cuban style black beans)
• Two bags of pre-shredded cheese or a pound block, shredded (again with the TJ's here)
• One small can of sliced olives
• One small can of sliced pickled jalapenos
• Salsa of your choice
• Fresh cherry tomatoes (optional, but they add freshness)
• Guacamole or avocado mashed up (avocados seem to suck around here, even though it's California and that just shouldn't happen.  I get TJ's packaged version, basically mushed avocados)
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used TJ's fat-free Greek yogurt, which is why I could glop it on like that)
• Several (5-6) green onions, snipped or sliced

Layer one layer (yes, layer, not pile) of chips.  Then put some queso.  Then beans.  Then chips, and repeat the layering process till you run out of chips or space.  Then for the last layer, put even more cheese (you want it ooey gooey), plus the olives, jalapenos (yes, I wanted them baked--yum), tomatoes/salsa (roasted tomatoes = yum).  Put oven to about 400*F--it doesn't matter, but you want it to warm through and roast the top.  Bake for about 15 minutes (check to make sure it's warmed through and cheese is bubbly).  Top with guacamole, sour cream, and snipped green onions.  Serve, and rejoice!

NOTE:  If you have leftovers, they make EXCELLENT chilaquiles or you can just heat the whole damn thing up again, which is what I did, and it was darn tasty.

Plus, it's vegetarian, so it's healthy, right?  ;-)

This is Not Even a Recipe: My World Famous Meatballs

Sorry for the messy sides.  That's life!

I first ran across this "recipe" somewhere on Pinterest.  It was fast-approaching time for me to think about what I was going to feed upwards of 30 people for a July 4th party at our house.  I needed something that wouldn't require the oven--it was going to be 100*F that day.  I needed something that didn't require my attention.  I needed something that didn't require much effort.  To be honest, how tasty this would be was not one of the top criteria.

But I sure did luck out!  I made this recipe, and not only was it one of the best things I've made, but it got people who didn't even know me (or know that I was one of the party hosts) (living with roommates ftw) to stop me and exclaim "OMG DID YOU MAKE THESE THEY ARE SO GOOD."

This made me incredibly happy, but also a little pissed off.  I have made stupid recipes from other food blogs that made me shake my fist in frustration and ask an empty kitchen, "did you even try this before publishing your post??"  I've spent several hours in the kitchen, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning, slaving away, only to be told politely after much prodding, "uh, yeah, they're okay..."  My husband, who always strives for honesty, will be the one to say, "it took you THAT LONG to make?  What a waste of time."  (See: mini calzones from a blog that shall remain nameless and also boycotted)

Which is why I love these meatballs.  The effort to reward ratio is spot-on.

Get a few pounds of frozen meatballs.  I used Trader Joe's Party Size Mini Meatballs, which are 20 oz per bag, and I used two bags.  They are fully cooked, frozen, and ready to go.  Also, they're tasty.  You can stick them in a quick and easy soup, too.  But I digress.  The small form factor means an optimal sauce-to-ball ratio.

Get a 12 oz bottle of Heinz chili sauce.  It doesn't have to be Heinz, but this works best for me.  I have also tried "Homade" brand, which worked fine and is probably more natural.  But, are we really that concerned with natural foods when we are making this?

Get about a 12 oz jar of grape jelly.  You basically want it to be equal parts jelly to chili sauce.  So, if you can only find a Costco-sized tub, just eyeball it when you "assemble" this dish.  I tend to try and find an organic version that has no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  It's all up to you, though.

Get out your Crock Pot.  What?  You don't have one?  You can get one for super cheap basically anywhere, even the grocery store.  You will thank yourself soon enough.

Put the three ingredients in the pot.  Turn to "high" and stir gently to distribute the sauce, especially the grape jelly.  Usually I don't really keep track until someone asks "um, should we turn this to low?"  But I would say put it on high for at least an hour, since you have frozen balls (don't you hate when that happens) that you want to warm through.  Then keep on "low" for the next few hours as the party progresses.  Near the end, I might reduce to "keep warm" or I might just turn off at that point--heck, all the meatballs are probably done by then!

This is Not Even A Recipe: Blistered Shishito Peppers

Gotta love that cast iron!

If you read any cool hip food blog, you will see a prevalence of recipes as of late for blistered or roasted shishito peppers.  Now, I am not cool, so I had never heard of such peppers.  Jalapenos, yes.  Shishito, no.  Are they hotter or sweeter than jalapeno?  Would it be like a bell pepper?  Or like an Ortega chili?  I had no idea.  I was intimidated.

But enter Trader Joe's.  When such items appear at Trader Joe's at their cheap and cheerful price point, it makes trying intimidating stuff super easy.  So, I saw the bag of shishito peppers in their produce section, and figured even if it was a failure, I'd be out about three bucks.  And besides, as usual on a Friday night, I was starving after my ballet class which ends a bit before nine.  So, basically everything in the store looked great.  I spent a lot.

When we got home, I heated up the cast iron pan and while waiting for it to heat, I slowly rinsed off the shishito peppers and threw them into the hot pan (this is the only prep--no slicing, ribbing, or anything else).  I let them go (POP POP) for a minute or two before pouring in a couple glugs of olive oil.  I tossed and turned the peppers over so that both sides or all sides got those pretty blisters you see above. 

Since this was an experiment, I will say a couple tips:

• When the peppers are done cooking, immediately remove them from the hot pan to retain their freshness and crispness.  Otherwise, you'll get basically roasted peppers, which is not bad, but not what we're looking for.
• When you have the peppers in said serving bowl, toss in some salt and mix...  That's all you need.

So, that's it.  Peppers and salt.  The bag was maybe half a pound?  I ate the WHOLE DAMN THING.  My brother "helped" by eating like two or three.  I ate the rest.  Low calorie snack, full of vitamins?  Not bad.

Oh and one more little tip:  The bag warned that "one in ten" peppers carries a "spicy kick."  They are not kidding.  Nine in ten are super flavorful and wonderful, a certain taste I can't describe except to say it's like a yummier than usual Ortega chili.  But that one in ten makes your face go numb.  You've been warned!  But don't let it stop you from this pepper adventure.

When Life Gives You Lemons... Celebrate!

That counter with the rotting grout, amirite?  Gotta love rentals.

About three weeks ago, my friend gave me a bag of lemons.  Why?  Well, she is super into a site called Freecycle, which is awesome in that it reduces waste and keeps things out of landfills by connecting people who need things with people who need to get rid of things.  I personally found the e-mail notification format annoying, so after unsuccessfully trying it in hopes of finding a china cabinet, and being dismayed by people actually trying to pawn off junk (deflated beach ball that won't reinflate?  WHY?), I unsubscribed.

Anyway, my friend has found a lot of neat things there, which takes determination and time to go pick up everything.  She has found everything from sod to a new couch!  To another new couch!  And someone was giving away a ton of lemons, so I got some!  Some things are just junk that take up space and you really need to be careful with what you allow in the door.  Lemons NEVER fit into that category.  They are always a good thing!

I received a tote bag full to the brim of lemons--probably 5 pounds?  I'm not good at estimating weight.  Now the task was to juice all those lemons.  But first, since I was busy, and most of the busy-ness was the result of guests, I offered lemons to some of those guests.  And some friends who I met up with.  Oh come on, who am I kidding?  Everyone likes lemons!

Now that the first phase of the project was done (that would be, reducing the amount of lemons I have to juice), I ignored the bag for a couple weeks because I was just lazy.  Finally yesterday, I was just bored and antsy enough to juice them.  This requires setting up a little station, I find.

1. cutting board
2. knife (any old knife--paring, or pictured above is one of my favorite steak knives)
3. measuring cup (or any bowl type object to collect the juice that has a spout)
4. strainer (so much easier to collect the seeds first)
5. juicer (this could be an old-fashioned bowl-style one, a reamer, or, your hands!)
6. empty ice cube tray (what the juice goes into) (you can put yer juice in there!)

It's so easy.  Just rinse all the lemons.  Then cut all the lemons in half.  Then juice.  Then pour into ice cube trays and freeze.  Once frozen, take out of ice cube trays and put into a gallon size Ziploc bag.  If all goes well, you will have a "squeeze" of lemon, or more, for recipes and tea year round.  Sometimes that's all a recipe needs to give it a little "oomph."

You can also zest the lemons, but the one time I did this, my husband said it didn't add anything to any dish, and it was a major PITA to do.  So, moving on.

If you live in California, doing this is so unbelievably easy.  Almost every yard has some sort of lemon tree.  I believe the ones above, with their lovely egg yolk-colored rinds, are Meyer lemons, my favorite variety.  They are a bit less tart than regular lemons, and are supposedly a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  They are super popular in California, but very hard to find in stores.  Happily, they are so easy to grow.  Maybe someone you know (a neighbor?) has a tree that is more of a burden and they don't use the fruit before it falls to the ground and rots.  Keep your eyes peeled and you too can have a boatload of lemons each year, that will last you many months.

I am growing a Meyer lemon tree which has just given fruit, and it is barely, slowly but surely, turning golden.  I hope to share updates on that and the rest of my garden soon.

For more information on the fun things to do with Meyer lemons, click here.  And have a great weekend!

This is Not Even a Recipe: Lazy Muesli

This is not a sad desk brunch!

Well, the above picture of my breakfast may not look too impressive.  But trust me that it was tasty and can only get tastier.  I found that Trader Joe's makes an "Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal."  It has rolled wholegrain rye, barley, oats, and wheat.  I consider it a nice little change from oatmeal.  Oatmeal is awesome, but all these different grains make for a unique flavor.  You can definitely have it cooked, as any hot cereal.  Here is a good recipe for PB&J hot cereal using the stuff.  As usual, a cheap thrill from TJ's.

For the above, all I did was put some of the uncooked cereal in a Tupperware-type container.  I have some cooler containers, but the ugly Ziploc one was on the counter so there ya go.  I put about half a cup, the serving.  Then I put enough milk to have it swimming around a bit, about 3/4 to a cup.  You could add other ingredients here or the following day, depending.  I put it in the fridge overnight and had it for breakfast the next day (you can microwave it the next day if you want, too).

I like it cold and mushy (that's what she said).  Add some trail mix, chopped fruit, cinnamon, sugar, honey, etc...  You have one fantastic breakfast.  Since I had dental work done yesterday evening and am supposed to eat "soft foods only," I just had this as is, with some dried cranberries mixed in.  I'm trying to reduce sugar, so I had about six cranberries swirled in, and I fished them out like you do the cherries in a fruit cocktail (or is that just me?).

Some ideas to add:

• chopped apple
• chopped banana
• jam (berry jam would work great)
• trail mix (almonds/cashews work great)
• dried fruit (or part of a trail mix - tropical fruit or cranberries works great)
• orange juice (super European way to do things)
• cinnamon
• honey/maple syrup
• pinch of salt sometimes adds a good flavor
• hey, no one's looking...  why don't you add some chocolate chips?  :-D

This is Not Even a Recipe: Zucchini Saute

Ah, zucchini.  I just love dark greens, zucchini, and bell peppers (especially red ones).  But, I'm trying not to get in a rut, so instead of doing peppers and chard last night, after a long busy day and on my own for dinner prep, I went with zucchini.

I broke out my trusty big cast iron pan, worth every penny even if you don't take into account that I got it for free from a family friend.  I love this pan!  More on the pan in another post (and how to cook with and season a cast iron pan).  The pan came to me with some rust and wear and a weird layer of not-cool grease.  But now it is a trusty mainstay of my kitchen (and can be used as a weapon if need be, too) (you know, like in cartoons? when the pan would turn into the shape of the hapless person who got hit?).

Okay, I digress.

I can't really say this is a recipe, but I can definitely say that this proves you can put something yummy on the table with little to no skills, no recipe, no time, and only a couple ingredients.  I am not even going to list out the things I used.  Just read on.

I had about a pound of green zucchini from Trader Joe's.  I chopped off either end, then cut them lengthwise into quarters, then sliced that into coins.  In other words, 1/4 of coins, like little triangles.  You can cut it up however you want, but I wanted to save cooking time by taking some time on the front end with prep.  You could also grate it, but I wanted a little bit of "meat" to my zucchini.

I added some olive oil to my cast iron and when it shimmered, I dumped in the zucchini as I cut them up.

I usually add onions first, but in this case I really wanted to cook the heck out of my zucchini.  So, once I had the zucchini all in, I grabbed one medium-sized onion (about 4-5 inches in diameter), peeled it, and diced it up.  For a good method on how to mince or dice an onion, YouTube it.  Once you get some practice in, it's easy peasy.  Just remember to have a sharp knife.

Add the onions to the zucchini and stir around.  Things should be shiny and start looking a little translucent.  Then add seasonings.  Go with whatever moves you.  But definitely include salt and fresh-ground pepper in this.  After adding salt and pepper, I added some thyme, turmeric (love the color and it's so good for you, and also super TRENDY now), and garlic powder.  I might note a lesson I learned here:  I treated us to truffle salt, but that really is a finishing salt as the truffle flavor was more or less absent from the final dish.

Stir and stir and scrape until it is a doneness you like.  I wanted this to be almost like zucchini butter.  Yes, google that and you can find something really fantastic to put onto your toast if you have gotten tired of avocado toast (come on, even though it's overdone and trendy, avocado toast is delicious). 

Once my zucchini was about a third in volume of what I started out with, I tasted a bit to check for seasoning.  You can serve as is, as a side, or in my case, I mixed some pre-made ravioli from Trader Joe's into it, along with some French butter.  Magnifique!

Sunny January Weekend

 



Not bad for my iPhone, huh?  Taken at the cliffs by the cute town of Davenport.

 

This weekend, temperatures were "unseasonably warm"--whatever that means.  A year ago, temps were about the same.  Mid-70's.  Sunny at the coast.  Crazy-high waves.  Even if I did have previous plans, I would have cancelled them to escape to my favorite place on earth.  This place is great even when it's foggy and cold, even in the middle of the night...  But on a day like this--heaven.  I didn't even care if there were more people than usual at a lot of my happy places.  I was glad that people were getting out there to enjoy all that the Bay Area has to offer!  I always have to remind myself about this place when I get too crabby about having to pay so much to live in Fremont, which is getting more congested and charmless by the day.

 

I turned around from the first picture and saw this.  Dan teased me for taking a picture of the sun, but another guy walked by to take the same shot right after me.

While most people head straight down 17 to Santa Cruz, and still others head straight up to the Golden Gate and points north--our favorite place is the San Mateo Coast (although Sonoma Coast is starting to grow on me).  Lined with peaceful and picturesque beaches, cute restaurants and markets, and so much nature it takes your breath away, the SMC is a short hop and skip over the mountains from the Bay Area.  The best way to go is straight from Fremont on Highway 84, crossing the Dumbarton Bridge and following 84 as it goes past the flatlands of Redwood City, up into Woodside to where the rich tech guys live, and up a windy mountain road over the hill, eventually taking you to La Honda, then down to the coast past pretty coastal ranches, and into San Gregorio and Pescadero.  Check out a map to see which way makes the most sense to you.  While out there, you will see roads that speak to the agricultural history of the area--this wasn't always Techieland.

Not a bad view of Pigeon Point, with no other cars around, as we ate a late lunch.

Since the weather was so nice in the entire area, our sometimes plan of traversing Highway 1 all the way up past San Francisco, or down past Santa Cruz, was out.  It was jammed right past Half Moon Bay, and we assume jammed into Santa Cruz, too.  So, we made loop-de-loops in the area, and found lunch at New Leaf Market, which I wish they had one of in our area (it seems to be Santa Cruz-centric) (WAIT!  There is one in South San Jose and one in P-town!).  It's what Whole Paycheck WISHES it could be.  Cheese from Central Point, Oregon (near my grandparents), made with Rogue Ale hops, an olive medly, date sweets, and uncured Italian salami.  Acme bread slab not pictured but very much enjoyed. 

 

Our lunch, courtesy of New Leaf Market.  Includes a little cheese knife we bought for $4, our new favorite kitchen gadget.  Note:  My chilled glove compartment makes an excellent table.

After lunch and a bit more driving around, it was time for sunset, so we headed back to our favorite spot, Pescadero State Beach (where we had been earlier in the day).  You can see a bit in the picture below, but the beach was packed with people who had the same idea.  It was hilarious to see everyone race to their cars and jam up the exit as soon as the sun set.  But at least they were outside and not watching reality TV indoors.  So, we take what we can get.  I took a few pictures of the high waves, but they don't turn out as impressive as they look--similar to taking a picture of something steep.

I hope you enjoyed this little "travelogue."  I hope to share some of our travels here and there on the blog.  Traveling can be a cheap thrill, and if you took into account our cost, it was half a tank of gas in my diesel car, and our lunch.  You can do it even cheaper than us if you pack your own lunch.

For more information on parks and attractions in the area, visit here or here.  For hiking in the area, visit here.

 

 



Stupid Easy Somewhat Healthy Saute

Let me just preface this recipe by saying that just about everything we cook is stupid-easy and somewhat healthy, sometimes entirely healthy.  So from now on, just assume that all recipes here are easy.  Unless I write "Really Difficult" in the title.

Also, let me apologize for not having a fancy kitchen or fancy camera.  I'm a fan of using my iPhone camera instead of the Canon DSLR (need to work on that), and we have a rental so the kitchen is not exactly stylish.  It does, however, have a gas stove and lots of storage.  So, I can't really complain.  But it is ugly.

As an aside, this ugly rental kitchen has hosted several parties a year, some of which we feed upwards of 30 people at.  So, not too shabby.  My point is, you can do it, too!

The above picture is of a quick sauté we put together the other day.  I am a huge fan of Trader Joe's, but you can probably find the stuff elsewhere.  If you don't like to cook, don't know how, or don't have the time, I hope this recipe and others on the blog will change your mind.

Let's get cracking!

You'll need:

- Half pound of bacon or another fat source like a few glugs of oil
- Mirepoix mix or: one onion, two carrots, and two celery stalks (eyeball them), all diced, one pound total
- cooked lentils (about one pound cooked)
- at least one pound of greens of your choice.  Here, we used red spinach and green spinach.
- season to your taste:  always salt and fresh-cracked pepper, and here I added some garlic powder and French thyme.

1. We started this out by putting about half a pound of bacon in a hot pot.  If you're a veg, you can use olive oil or fake bacon.  I prefer thick-cut and as free of additives as you can get.  We sliced it into half-inch chunks.  It'll cook down.
2. When bacon has rendered fat and begun to brown, add mirepoix.  Mirepoix, which is not in the spelling dictionary on this word processor, is a combination of diced/minced onions, carrots, and celery.  "Your aromatics," as some may say.  The Italian word for it is sofrito.  In Cajun cooking, they use red bell peppers instead of carrots in their "Holy Trinity."  Again, Trader Joe's commercial:  they make a pre-chopped container of mirepoix, or as one lady there asked for it, "soup starter."  Yes, it's fresh and it's fine and dandy.  Or, you can buy the items separately and process them.  Since we were lazy, we got the container, and didn't even need to use a chef's knife when preparing this.  More time to drink beer!
3. When carrots begin to soften and onions are translucent, add the cooked lentils.  You might need to break them up if they are in a container like the one Trader Joe's has--they are all stuck in a block.  Let the bacon grease coat them and everything meld and soften.
4. When everything starts to get browned, lentils are broken down and warm, and mirepoix is well on its way to rendering out all its flavors, add the greens.  This is the fun part.  You might need to add them in batches because huge amounts break down into a tiny little bit.  Can you imagine all those NUTRIENTS in those greens?  Holy smokes.  Amazing.  You'll feel like Popeye the Sailor Man after this.  Please tell me you understand that reference.  If not, YouTube it.  All you do is stir those greens around, coat them with the pan liquid, and things wilt down.  Keep stirring for a few minutes and you will have something similar to what's pictured above.
5. Correct the seasoning, as you never know how salty the bacon will make things (usually I need to add a bit more salt).  Add the other seasoning.  Mix and sit to meld flavors.
6. You can let it sit or eat right away.  I encourage you to play around with ratios and ingredients.  Maybe you don't like lentils (what's wrong with you?)--you can sub out any other bean or legume.  This is a vegan meal if you leave out the bacon and add vegetable oil of some sort.  Any green that benefits from being cooked will work here.  You can add bell peppers, too (lots of nutrients), add broth to turn it into a soup or stew, or plop a poached or over-medium egg on top to make things rich.  The sky's the limit when you're cooking.  Cooking is fun!

I hope you give this a go the next time you want something quick and are too hungry to even find time to get takeout.  This is quicker than takeout. 

Fancy Fast Salad

Recently, what with the cold weather and all those pesky germs floating around, we have gotten in the habit of doing our best to eat our leafy greens at lunch or dinner.  But, salad is boring, right?  Well, it can be fun and easy to do if you apply a basic formula.

The formula that works for us is:

1. Salad greens:  The darker, the better.  Spring mix, mesclun, spinach.  Kale?  Hold that thought.  If you want to add kale, you should "massage" it first to break down the fibers, and then massage a bit more with the dressing added, let it sit, then add the rest of the ingredients.

2. Dressing:  Oil and vinegar is so versatile--olive oil alone has hundreds of varieties, and vinegar comes in all flavors (we have a coffee one right now!).  Homemade dressing takes seconds, and is so much better for you than the bottled variety.  A simple Google search will yield recipes for homemade ranch dressing, honey mustard vinaigrette, and on and on. 

3. Protein:  Are you meat-free?  Add cheese or vegan cheese.  No such restrictions?  Add a hardboiled or poached egg, cold cuts, roast chicken...  The salad above has rosemary ham we got from Trader Joe's--so good.

3a. Nuts:  Nuts and seeds are a great source of protein for all diet requirements (unless you're allergic to nuts, in which case, sorry!).  The salad above has pepitas and slivered almonds.  They add CRUNCH too!  Which is important in a salad.

4. Crunchy veggies:  You need a salad to be nice and crunchy.  I personally like mine vinegary and crunchy and well-seasoned.  To add crunch, bell peppers are my favorite because they are so easy to find year-round, super easy to grow in the Bay Area in the summer, and packed full of nutrients.  My favorite are the red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, which add nice color to a green salad.

5. Avocado:  We're Californians.  We love our avocados.  In fact, I have three trees going, two from seeds!  But in the middle of winter, even in California (at least here in NorCal), the avocados in the store are sad indeed.  Guacamole is an option.  The above guac is very simple and can be found in packages at Trader Joe's.  Make sure the first ingredient is in fact avocados, and that there are no more than some lime juice, salt, and seasonings added to it.

6. Seasoning:  Seasoning is the spice of life.  Or something like that.  I usually add fresh-cracked pepper* and salt of some sort.  Maybe add some dried garlic, special salt (smoked sea salt or truffle salt, perhaps?), cumin, turmeric, chili, thyme, basil, or whatever strikes your fancy.

*I also want to take this opportunity to say that while we don't like kitchen gadgets, especially unitaskers, having a good pepper grinder (you can get them at any price point) is definitely a necessity.  Fresh cracked is a different animal than the pre-ground pepper in the can at the store.