wow, i’ve been silent for a while. i didn’t mean to be. really, i didn’t. life just got in the way – big time – but in a good way. great way. stupendous way. i have a backlog of entries from some winter and spring travels. tons of new recipes to share. and many more ideas to come. i promise to get back on the saddle again. (see below for a gel seat saddle, perfect for those epic rides into the sunset.) i crack myself up. [and Happy Mother’s Day! Esp. to my awesome momma!)
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Tagged: gone, saddle, springlife, travels, Winter
pictures are worth a thousand words and this guacamole kit from trader joe’s was definitely worth the four bucks. (however, i would substitute a red onion for the shallot.) a friend of mine makes a fantastic guac that i adore and he only uses three simple ingredients: avocados, salsa verde (the green stuff) and lemon (yes, i questioned many times, why not lime, but then he made me his version and after only one taste, his totally blows the limey stuff waaaaaaay outta the water. try it sometime!)
and
HOPPY EASTER! 
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Tagged: Avacado, Daffodil, Easter, Friend, Guacamole, Hoppy, Lemon, lime, Picture, Red Onion, Salsa Verde, Shallot, Spring, Trader Joe's
in celebration (regardless if you follow the tradition or not. i do, so i’m making a post about it) of the last Friday of Lent, i thought it would be timely to bring up my views on the ever popular topic of meat consumption in our culture.
what will i be dining on today? breakfast was oatmeal topped with granola and light soy milk. lunch will be tofu lasagna and dinner will be a thai tofu stir fry. really, not all that bad. i promise.
what books like “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “In the Defense of Food,” “Food Matters,” “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” and anything by Marion Nestle, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and let’s add in a throwback with Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation fame) etc etc etc – i.e. the key food influencers today will tell you to cut back on your meat intake. and the reasons stem beyond your personal health….
we are a nation of consumers who over consume. take a look at your bulging closet or your DVD collection that can challenge Blockbuster’s selection or the three video game consoles sitting next to your oversized flat screen TV. and if you live in America, you typically tend to follow a meat and potatoes diet. well guess what? the American demand for meat, coupled with the trend of population growth equals…wait for it…the demand for meat in the coming years to exceed all that the United States can physically offer!
simple changes and i’m really stressing here – simple, simple, simple – changes can alleviate this impending problem, put dollars back into your pocket book and help out future generations of meat and non-meat eaters alike. (side note: this is coming from the woman who proudly wore the “worst eater in the world” crown for most of her life. if i can do it, so can you!)
okay, baby steps….
breakfast swap.
lunch swap.
snack swap.
dinner swap.
i’ll admit, i cannot turn down a stadium dog from Notre Dame. i cannot turn down Salumi from Armandino Batali’s mecca of perfection in Seattle. i am completely addicted to chicken – i even have a family nickname involving the word chicken. i cannot even begin to take two steps into Father’s Office in Santa Monica without drooling over their infamous burgers. but most of the time, i’m conscious. i do my part and choose salad over X and fish over Y. hoping you might begin to do the same.
have a fantastic weekend!
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Tagged: chicken, dinner, Notre Dame, Seattle, California, tradition, Lent, Friday, meat, breakfast, lunch, tofu, the omnivores dilemma, in the devense of food, animal vegetable miracle, Marion Nestle, Alice Waters, What to Eat, The Art of Simple Food, Michael Pollan, Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, Influencers, Personal Health, Fat, Calories, Closet, Clothes, Blockbuster America, United States, Flat Screen TV, Video Game, Console, Meat and Poatotes, Population, Demand, Changes, Pocket Book, Future Generations, Baby Steps, Oatmeal, Eggs, Whole Wheat Toast, 14 days, Hummus, Sabra, Roasted Red Pepper, Ralphs, safeway, Southern California, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Feta Cheese, Romaine, Pitted, Beff Jerky, Apple, Peanut Butter, Raisins, Sweet and Salty, Protien, Carb, Balance, Combo, Tofurkey, Prepare, Lasagna, Stir fry, Veggie Burgers, Stadium dog, hot dog, Notre Dame Stadium, Salumi, Armandino Batali, Father's Office, Santa Monica, Burger, Infamous, Salad, Fish, Weekend
so, i know some of you have made my olive oil bread (thanks for the feedback, Mitch!) and it is seriously super, super simple. however, making an actual loaf of sandwich bread requires a little (okay alot) more effort. my numero uno advice: don’t start making it at 8pm on a sunday night. it’s not hard to make, per se, just time consuming and lots of steps kapeesh?
here’s my recipe. (and yes, its vegetarian.) after the first experience, i’ve since gone on to make two other loaves just this month. (variations on this recipe.) its absolutely fantastically delicious and great to have on hand. its especially an ego boost to serve someone a sandwich and then them commenting on the bread and you can quip, “i made it myself.” 
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp sugar (you can even add in 1/2 tbsp more if you like a sweeter bread)
3 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups of warm, not hot milk (i use non-fat, but anything up to whole works fine.) [*update - i didn't include the V option in the post before...substitute rice milk instead of regular milk.]
add the flour, salt, yeast in a bowl, mix. add the sugar and milk, mix. i prefer an arm workout and like to mix by hand. a food processor is also fine. like a KitchenAid mixer (pictured below). [side note: i am obsessed with KitchenAid mixers and besides actually getting married, one of the things i've most looked forward to in life is registering for one of these. it's my dream kitchen appliance and while i've had many opportunities to purchase one, its the one thing i'm waiting on. screw the engagement ring, i want a mixer! ha. yeah, i'm a bit quirky.]
form the dough into a ball (if its too dry, add more milk. too wet, add more flour) put in a greased large bowl. cover with a damp towel and let it rise for 2 hours. if the dough hasn’t risen by then, put it in an oven set on the warm setting for about 30-35 minutes. that should help. when the dough is ready, deflate it and knead gently. put it back in the bowl for another 15 minutes. then shape the dough into a loaf and placed in a greased loaf pan. cover again with a damp towel and let it rise another hour. (see, lots o’steps.) meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. brush the top of the loaf (when its ready) with water. then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. the loaf should be golden and firm when done. when you take the bread out of the oven be sure to let it cool in the pan, then remove and let it cool completely before slicing and/or freezing. it will be hard to resist digging in, but its worth the wait! especially with fresh jam…june, the beginning of strawberry season is coming up! check out the california strawberry fest link…i’ll certainly be attending!
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Tagged: bake, bread, California, California Strawberry Festival, Central Indiana, Festival, Fresh, Indiana, Jam, KitchenAid, Loave, Loaves, Mixer, Oxnard, recipe, Sandwich, Strawberry, UPick Strawberries
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (one of the BEST holiday’s EVER!) this picture marked the start of an era. when katie and I discovered the goodness of black & tan’s. (note: that is not my hand to the right. but i was there, lol.) they have since become a tradition and i look forward to toasting back a couple tonight. and maybe some Irish Car Bombs too. Slainte!
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Tagged: Best, Black & Tan, Discovered, Ever, Fighting Irish, Goodness, Hand, Holiday, I, Irish Car Bomb, Katie, Notre Dame, Picture, Saint Patrick's Day, Slainte
so two things happened. i had a ton of eggs and unsalted butter. let’s call it an overload, in my fridge. and, the new (april) bon appetit came. inside was a section on cakes. and for those of you who don’t know is that cake is probably my favorite dessert in the whole wide world. so of course, i was drawn to this article. it even says, “cake is perfect for dessert.” well, duh!
the recipe in the magazine calls for pecans, however, i only had walnuts, so they worked out just fine. also, the recipe asks you to layer the streusel topping, but i didn’t do that. i’m not too stoked about nuts in any dessert. one more key point to note, although the recipe calls for the nuts to be included in the streusel initially, i wouldn’t do it. the cake is super moist (you’ll see, based on the ingredient list) and takes a bit extra time to bake then called for. so my topping and nuts were a little charred. but, tastes fantastic.
Greek-style yogurt gives the cake a rich, moist texture.
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Tagged: 2009, April, Bon Appetit, Cake, cinnamon, Coffee Cake, Coffeecake, Egg, Greek-style yogurt, Streusel, Unslated Butter, Walnut
this post needs little words. you deep dish, Chicago-style pizza lovers know this. pizza is one of my favorite things on the planet. thin crust, hand-tossed, coal-fired, deep dish – i LOVE them all! so when i was in Chicago a few weeks ago, i had to pick up a frozen Lou Malnati’s to-go. as soon as i got home from the trip, i popped it in the oven, and yes, at 11pm on a monday night, i ate some deep dish. YUM!
p.s. if you do go to a Lou Malnati’s in person. ask for this: just cheese, extra sauce, butter crust and cut. no need for red pepper flakes or parmesan. let me know how much you love it.
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Tagged: Butter Crust, Chicago, Coal Fired, Cut, deep dish, Favorite Things, Hand Tossed, Home, Lou Malnatis, love, oven, Pizza, Sauce, Thin Curst, Trip, YUM
this time of year the weather can be downright crappy. the rain may be incessant and the snowstorms might keep you inside for days at a time. if you’ve found yourself stir crazy AND hungry. try out my quick & easy recipe for bread.
ingredients:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp italian seasoning (or if you have chopped, fresh oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme)
heat oven to 375. heavily grease a loaf pan with olive oil. add flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. mix. add in italian seasoning. mix. pour in olive oil, then water (a bit at a time, don’t want to make it too runny.) mix together. (i actually used my hands.) and pour the dough into the pan. press the dough down. wait 10 seconds. flip the dough over, so that the entire thing is covered in the olive oil that coated the pan. sprinkle the top with some extra coarse sea salt. cover the pan with foil and make for 20 minutes. then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. the bread will be done when its lightly golden brown on top. serve or freeze within three days. i actually made eggs benedict with this bread, prosciutto and a poached egg and drizzled olive oil on top. the bread is flavorful enough that you don’t need a heavy sauce, like hollandaise, as a topper. yum! enjoy!
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Tagged: Bad Weather, bread, Easy, Easy Bread, Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise, Olive Oil, Poached Egg, Prosciutto, Rain, Rainy, Salt, Snowstorm, Winter
growing up in a community that celebrated paczki (pronounced punch-key) day made me appreciate and love this day. i mean, who doesn’t love a day when you’re supposed to eat filled, powdered and deep fried doughnuts!
while in college, every year i made a big deal about this particular holiday with my four roommates. for weeks we would make a list of all of the places, food items and meals that we would “dream” to eat. everything from a gordita from taco bell to chips and salsa with ranch dressing from hacienda. we would all go together and have a smorgasbord dinner and revel in it.
now living on the west coast and after trying several bakeries and grocery stores i’ve had to give up my hopes of having a paczki and settle for a heaping cup of frozen yogurt. not really a fair comparison. but i have a big sweet tooth, so i can’t really complain about eating sweets.
HAPPY PACZKI DAY!
*image taken off of Hamtramck’s (a city in Michigan who holds a legendary celebration every year on this date) web site.
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Tagged: Bakeries, Bakery, Big, Catholic, Celebration, College, Doguhnut, Fat Tuesday, Frozen Yogurt, Grocery Store, Grocery Stores, Hamtramck, Mardi Gras, Michigan, Paczki, Paczki Day, Polish, Roommate, Roommates, Sweet Tooth, West Coast
