Braisin' Hussy

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Now, you all know my feelings of rage towards Trader Joe's for discontinuing the Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes. After the movie tonight, we went to TJs. Not my normal TJs, but the one near them, which was much brighter, larger, and well set-up than the one near me. Anyway, what do I see on their shelves? Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes! Huzzah! But not so fast, self. Instead of the 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, these are 14.5-ounce cans of chopped. For the same price as the 28-ounce can. Actually, for ten cents more, as the 28-ounce can was listed as $1.29 but always rang up as $1.19. I expressed my displeasure loudly. And then bought two cans of the Fire-Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chiles, because although I was extremely annoyed, I was interested in trying these out for salsa.

I also bought the rest of the ingredients I will need to make scones. I'll make them in the next couple of days.
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Ryan and I went to the movies today. We saw Cursed, which is the new movie starring pretty much everyone who's ever been on the WB network. Seriously, there were actors from Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, and probably some other shows. No one from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, although the high school in the movie was also used in the show- it's kind of like an actor. Portia de Rossi from Arrested Development was in it, as was Judy Greer (who guest-stars on AD as Kitty), and I thought for a few minutes that the geeky younger brother was Michael Cera (he plays George Michael Bluth). I think they should have cast him instead.

It was actually a lot of fun. Not a great movie, certainly. And even with CG, werewolfery on film hasn't advanced a lot since... well, at least Buffy and Angel, which is really my only exposure to werewolves. And Underworld, I guess. Ryan will say since An American Werewolf in London, but I haven't seen that. If you go see Cursed in the right frame of mind, it's fun. Then again, Ryan and I had a great time seeing the incredible suckfest that was Alone in the Dark. At least we were entertained by badness. It's better than being bored stiff- I'm looking at you, Resident Evil.

Ryan's reviews for They're Coming to Get You, Barbara! Read them!
Cursed
Alone in the Dark
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Today's Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee just confused me. The episode was "Take Out/In 2," for the masochists among you who may want to catch it in reairings this week. She made what she called an Apple Pie Napoleon which involved taking a Sara Lee frozen pie and smashing it up with a fork. She then put it inside baked sheets of puff pastry which were also mashed down with a fork. Then there was some Cool Whip mixed with sugar and cinnamon, and a cream cheese-confectioner's sugar-cream liqueur. It was really over-the-top and needlessly complicated, and, oh yeah, stupid. Why not just serve the pie with some ice cream? Will that make your friends hate you or something?

There was something called a Redtini. See my earlier rant on things ending in "-tini." This was a drink that consists of frozen strawberries, Red Bull, and vodka. I'm sorry, but WTF? More than that, she has apparently run out of inspiration for dumb names. Last week, there was the Blushing Martini (so ashamed at its own creation!), during the asinine rose-themed show, which seemed to be an excuse for shilling the products from this website. Lest you say, "Oh, Sarah, she could have bought rose petals, syrup, and soda anywhere," I saw her on a daytime women's show called Life & Style (which was seriously many times worse than The View) hawking this exact website. And that stuff's wayyyy expensive (at least through that site). I'm sure that the flavor of rose petals in nice in moderation. Perhaps that tea is tasty. But I don't want an entire freaking menu centered around it. Rose water in potato pancakes? Is she high?

I won't even get started on what I think about her saying crescent rolls taste the same as croissants. And the fact that she's so proud of using entirely disposable products for her themed tabletop. You go, girl! Keep on keepin' on with yo' bad, bad self. Fill up those landfills! No one likes a hole in the ground! w00t!

Ugh, woman. You... astonish me.
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Thursday, February 24, 2005

I got my PG&E bill today. Last month, it was nearly $60. Stupid expensive gas. So I decided I could do one of three things.

1. Stop cooking.
2. Stop bathing.
3. Be cold.

I chose to be cold. And my new bill was $30. Yay!

You may say, "Sarah, that's stupid. Suck it up, andpay the extra money to be warm." There are a lot of blankets and sweaters and tea in my apartment. And I will turn the heater on when I have company. Yes, I can't wear a t-shirt around at night. I have two comforters and a down blanket on my bed. But I was able to cut my bill in half, and that makes me veryvery happy.
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Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Of course, why buy tortillas when you can make them? I went to Safeway last night and could not bring myself to spend two to three dollars on a pack of eight or ten. Especially when I can make that number for approximately thirty cents.

And I would just like to say, the Massaledarh Sambhar on some diced chicken in a tortilla was a great idea. Yum.
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Monday, February 21, 2005

I need to buy some chicken and tortillas. I made the following vegetarian Indian dish last night, and it's good. It would be even better with some chicken. And in a tortilla. Sadly, it's not something that can just be eaten on its own. Well, you could try. I certainly did nibble on it last night. But I don't think it comprises the main course of a meal.
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Massaledarh Sambhar (Tomato Rasam)
The Art of Indian Cuisine (modified by Sarah)

1/2 cup yellow split peas
4 cups water
Big pinch ground turmeric
Big pinch black pepper
Big pinch ground asafetida (I don't know what this is)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 bay leaf
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 15-ounce cans chopped tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Boil the split peas in the water until tender, 20-30 minutes. Leave the lid off, and keep an eye on it so it doens't boil over. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Pass the peas through a food mill, grind them in a big mortar and pestle, or (because you probably don't have these) pulse in a food processor or blender until creamy. Mix in turmeric, black pepper, asafetida, cumin, cayenne, lemon juice, and salt. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and stir to combine.

Heat oil in a large skillet (I used the pot I had used for boiling the split peas, but this probably was not the right choice). Fry mustard seeds until they crack open. Add the bay leaf, onion, and green pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the split pea mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding more of the reserved liquid if it looks too dry. Garnish with cilantro.
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Sunday, February 20, 2005

Terry's Pfeffernussen by way of Lydia

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 350.

Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Whisk together the flour, leaveners, and spices. Add to the butter-sugar-eggs and mix to combine. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until brown around edges. Cookies will be pretty soft in the middle. Makes around 24.
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More Katamari Damacy cosplay pictures- apparently there were a bunch of them at Katsucon this past weekend.

Holy crap! This Dipp is incredible!

This King of All Cosmos... there's something missing... heehee. Although apparently his head lit up... awesome. Another shot. And another. Here's the King with his... son? Not accurate by a long shot, but still very cute.

Here's a big Katamari cosplay group with Ichigo, Kuro, June, Columbo, the Prince, and Jungle. Another group picture. Everyone holding their heads, hee! Casual, but in full costume.

Same group, individual pictures.
Kuro
Ichigo
The Prince
Columbo
Jungle
June

Ooh, not so good. It doesn't seem to turn out well when people show that they have necks.

This picture just confuses me. There's a Prince, and... Utena in a Rose Bride dress with a Katamari head. Well, I mean, I guess I get it. The anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena, is all about princes, so I guess it's a crossover that makes sense. Sort of. In a way that doesn't make sense at all.
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Oh, lord. I have had the ingredients for two recipes for four days now. Why can't I just make them and be done with it? Why am I spazzing at myself? I found something I want to share, but I feel guilty about going so long without posting a recipe.

Anyway, I found this site, and it's frikkin' adorable. Click on "Pics," and start in on the first page. Powerpuff Girls drawn in different art styles, anime characters drawn in the PPG style. Man, I was clicking through these pages and squeeing my delight. And I'm not a lass given to squeeing. "So cuuuute!" "Love it!" Etc. You should be glad you weren't here.
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Thursday, February 17, 2005

Interesting. Check out what this lass has used to make a katamari for her Prince costume (scroll down a bit). Excardon me while I think about whether that's adaptable to my colors... probably not.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Oh, and speaking of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there's a new trailer up at Amazon.

I made the following soup this afternoon. I don't know, I was trying to get the yumminess that is roasted cauliflower into a soup, but I don't know if it really worked. I mean, it's okay, and I'm going to eat it, but I don't know if I actually accomplished anything. I'd say just go with normal potato-leek soup. Unless you're really keen on cauliflower and want to do the extra step of roasting it. I think what I'd do in the future is maybe use a few pieces of the roasted cauliflower as a garnish for the potato-leek soup. Maybe. I don't know.
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Roasted Cauliflower Soup

1 large head of cauliflower, about 1-1/2 pounds, separated into florets and stem peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 large potato, around 1 pound, peeled and chopped
2 stalk of celery, chopped
4-5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup milk, boiling

A piece of cheesecloth tied with twine containing the following:
4 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

Suggested garnishes:
Extra virgin olive oil or butter
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly chopped parsley
Tabasco

Heat oven to 450. Toss the cauliflower with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.

Meanwhile, place a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, potato, celery, one cup of stock, and a teaspoon or so of salt. Cover. Turn the burner down to low once a boil is reached and simmer until the cauliflower is done.

Add the roasted cauliflower to the pot along with the rest of the stock and the herb/spice packet. Simmer for another half hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Puree with a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Stir in the boiling milk. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a garnish or two.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Thanks a lot, Lydia. Apart from submitting resumes, all I have done is knit and listen to Stephen Fry read the first Harry Potter book. Well, that's sort of a lie. Before I went to bed last night, I started reading the fourth volume of Hot Gimmick. And then I wasn't able to go to bed for another hour or two, tearing through the next three books. Man, that is a crack series. So addictive!

(Huh, according to IMDb, Stephen Fry is going to be playing The Book in the new screen adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That's pretty excellent.)

I made cookies on Saturday night. I tried the Cook's Illustrated recipe for thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to see if they were better than the Alton Brown recipe. They were not. And they were more complicated- well, a little. I had to separate an egg and steal some of Ryan's corn syrup.

Rob sent me this link earlier today. I cannot believe this person has made $14,000 by threatening to kill and eat a bunny. Actually, I'm really more annoyed that I didn't think of it first. I'd like that money. Rob and I were talking about what could trump the bunny. Of animals we eat, we think a baby deer might work. Now I just need to find a fawn.
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Sunday, February 13, 2005

Lydia taught me how to knit! Which was awesome! But then I went home and immediately screwed it up. Which sucked.

Okay, it's a half hour later, and I was able to fix it. Yay. It's almost unnoticeable.

Oh yeah, this scarf-to-be rocks.
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Saturday, February 12, 2005

I need to learn to leave my parents' computer alone. I always try to do something to it to make it work better and it ends up being a Problem for people. Like today, I was over at their house doing laundry and turned on the monitor to check my email. There was an error message from the defragmenter saying it couldn't do its thing. So I tried starting it again- same message. I decide that it'd be a good thing to restart the computer in safe mode. Now I've screwed things up for my mom because the print server's not working with the PC offline. I run the defragmenter again. It tells me there's a bad section of the disk and I need to run the ScanDisk in "Thorough" mode, which takes FOREVER. Then the defragmenter will be running another FOREVER. But in the end, things should be better! I think! I hope! I'm sorry, Dad. I won't mess with your computer again. I only meant the best.

Argh, I can't seem to get this to look right! Why isn't there a space between my text and the link/comments line?
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Thursday, February 10, 2005

Ah, zucchini bread. Thank you, Mike, for sending me that recipe. It turned out very well. I halved the recipe just in case the baking gods were hating on me again, which worked for everything but the eggs. Since all I had were extra-large eggs, I used just one. I don't know if that changed anything. Also, I took the pizza stone out of the oven before heating it. I know the added mass will regulate heat more evenly, but the truth is that a lot of recipes are built for inconsistent ovens. I find that sometimes when I have a pizza stone in the oven, things get too brown on the outside before the inside is done. I guess the solution to that would be to reduce the oven temperature. When I'm baking, though, changing anything freaks me out.

Thanks again, Mike!

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Mike's Zucchini Nut Bread

3 eggs
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a 3-quart mixing bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Mix well. Sift and measure flour, add soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to batter and mix until well blended. Stir in nuts. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Pour in batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done.

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Wednesday, February 09, 2005

I'm not one to give up on a challenge... well, maybe I am, I still haven't found the perfect hummus recipe yet, after about a billion recipes... or maybe just four... two of which (the last two) were very bad... anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. The zucchini bread failure yesterday. Our neighbor in Massachusetts, Mike, used to make an excellent zucchini bread. She sent me the recipe and it's in the oven. Here's hoping.

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Tuesday, February 08, 2005

If anyone has a good recipe for zucchini bread, please send it my way. I made some today that was really disappointing. I'm sad now. Don't trust this recipe. It was so bad I had to throw it out. Me! I'll eat anything, but this was way gross. Mom, I remember that Mike always made excellent zucchini bread, but I'm not sure she reads this blog. Could you drop her a line and ask for me?

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I've been eating out rather a lot lately. On Friday, the family all got together and went to Left Bank for a very nice meal (read my mom's review). I am really quite fond of that restaurant. On Saturday, I went out with Rob and Jer to Sue's Indian Cuisine in Mountain View. On Sunday, I went over to the East Bay to hang out with Lydia. We watched a bunch of Yakitate!!, bought fabric for our Katamari costumes (and Lydia is the sweetest and best person ever because she's making my dress and gloves for me- can you feel the love?), and ate cheesesteaks of random quality and sushi of better quality. I tried umeboshi for the first time. That's some very salty stuff. But tasty.

Monday was the traditional Mountain View weekly dinner. Ryan came along with us for the first time, yay! We went to an Italian restaurant called Zucca (and bravo, you have the most annoying Flash intro EVER). I really liked my dinner (hangar steak with mashed potatoes, a red wine reduction, and fried onion strings), but Ryan chose a pizza which, in her words, "sucked." Also, it's kind of on the pricey side, so you have to be careful what you choose. Based on that, I'm not sure I actually recommend it, even though my meal was quite good.

The bar at Zucca had some interesting drinks, including an entire menu of "martinis." And now a time for me to rant on the term "martini." I'm not a fan of martinis. Gin's really not my thing. However, nomenclature is my thing. It pisses me off when people attach the word "martini" or the suffix "-tini" for a drink that has no relation to a martini. A martini made with vodka instead of gin? Is NOT a martini. I mean, if the mere act of using an onion instead of an olive changes the name to a Gibson, then changing the other ingredients should also change the name completely. Just because you put it in a martini glass does NOT make it a martini. It's... some other drink... served in a martini glass.

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Sunday, February 06, 2005

Argh! Nothing like your stats to tell you that someone's found your site by searching "browing ground beef in a microwave." And then searching for "browing" yourself and finding you've written it twice. That's pretty terrible. I need to go edit some posts now.

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Friday, February 04, 2005

Spinach Dip with Blue Cheese and Bacon
America's Test Kitchen

3 oz. bacon (about three pieces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 medium scallions, white parts only, sliced thinly
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 oz. blue cheese (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry the bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes; using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Thaw the spinach in a microwave for 3 minutes at 40 percent power. (The edges should be thawed but not warm; the center should be soft enough to be broken into icy chunks.) Squeeze the partially frozen spinach to remove excess water.

In a food processor, process the spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, garlic, and blue cheese until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with the bacon; serve.

The dip can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. If making this dip in advance, hold off sprinkling the bacon over the top until just before serving.

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Thursday, February 03, 2005

This picture rocks. I'm pretty sure that it's someone hired by Namco as a marketing... ploy? gimmick? strategy? thing?... but still, it rocks. Here's another picture of it.

So, I showed that picture to Lydia and she got depressed, because our costumes will not be as exact. I tried to calm her down. She started obsessing about the Prince's shoes.

I am sure we will kick ass anyway.
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I was watching America's Test Kitchen today. It was a new episode on appetizers. Beef satay, spinach dip with pita chips, and spiced nuts. Now, I think the recipe I use for spiced nuts is excellent. However, this version did look a lot faster and easier. I'm willing, though, to spend the time to make the Zingerman's version, even though it kills my arm to grind all that pepper.

The spinach dip looked pretty good. So I made it. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. Spinach gets stuck in between your teeth really easily. That kind of sucks.
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Tuesday, February 01, 2005

So, this recipe is kind of a combination of two or three recipes. I think it turned out pretty well. I bet it'll taste even better tomorrow. I tried to simplify the recipe a little bit from what I did. I used a combination of chicken stock and the low-sodium chicken broth, and I only used six cups total. Why, you ask? Well, a while back, I prepared a bunch of cannellini and garbanzo beans and froze them. If you make them yourself, you can use the liquid, but the liquid inside the cans is not so good. Also, I don't have any cans of beans in the pantry right now, so I don't actually know how many ounces a normal can is- somewhere between fourteen and sixteen. So I used six cups of broth/stock and probably one cup of bean cooking liquid. Tasty, huh? I also used one 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes (one of my precious Muir Glen Fire-Roasteds) plus another part of a can I had in the freezer. I think just using normal chopped tomatoes would be easier. And prettier. The only problem with the Fire-Roasteds is that there are bits that are, well, black. Doesn't affect the taste in a way that's not positive, but still, not terribly attractive.

If you want to make it vegetarian, leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock. You could also use just one kind of bean. I felt like mixing it up. I'm a crazy woman.

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Bean and Pasta Soup with Sausage

2 14 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage, with or without casings
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp finely minced rosemary
3 14 oz. cans of chopped tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz. small pasta (anellini, ditalini, orzo, small shells, etc.)

Puree one can each of the cannellini and garbanzo beans in a blender with some of the chicken stock to make a smooth, thick liquid. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about ten minutes. (They should be about 160, if you have an instant-read thermometer.) Remove from pot. When cool enough to handle, halve the sausages lengthwise and then cut crosswise into half-circle slices.

Turn the heat down to low, and add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan (if you feel that enough fat is remaining, don't) and add the garlic and rosemary. Keep it moving constantly so it doesn't burn- there will be a good deal of heat leftover from the sausages. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden utensil to loosen any stuck bits of fond. After 2 minutes, add the tomatoes to the pot along with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cook these for 3 to 4 minutes. Return the heat to medium if it becomes necessary.

Add the chicken broth and pureed bean mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the pasta to the simmering mixture and cook until almost tender (times vary, read the packaging and taste for doneness).

Return the sausage to the pot along with the whole beans and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Ladle into bowls and serve.

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