Halves and pieces

So, I am trying out something new and exciting with this post!  Rather than providing photographs, I am collaborating with an artist friend to provide your visual. So, today’s image will be illustrated in the animated and whimsical style of the wonderful Nicole Robitaille. Enjoy!

Note: I would to continuing this practice of  collaborating with artists. If you would like to get involved in portraying some food- let’s do it!

This post is an effort to share a basic kitchen tip that can help to eliminate waste. I find the system is especially helpful for folks who like to cook and also live with people who like to cook a lot.  A cooking and eating household is a beautiful thing! But… it presents a certain conundrum.

When there is a ton of food in the fridge, it is easy to loose track of what is in there.  There are often perfectly good little halves and pieces of produce barricading themselves beneath mountains of greens.  So often, a poor little half onion is suffocating in a dark corner begging to be helped, but your blood sugar cannot navigate the fridge for more than thirty seconds.  So, you grab a new onion from the counter and slice right into it.  Meanwhile, that poor little half is quietly dying.  But he is not alone there is also a half lemon hiding in the cheese caddy, and a ¼ tomato dripping it’s life onto the yogurt container.

Later roommate comes home and needs an onion.  She doesn’t see where you put the half that you wrapped up and she cuts into a fresh one. And the cycle goes on.

Finally, when the fridge becomes so full that you can’t find room for a single grape, you shrug and decide it’s time to clean out the fridge. There is some grieving in this chore, as  you no have choice but to dispose of three onion halves and many other neglected little veggies.

These displaced vegetables deserve their own non-profit! Free housing, acknowledgement, a sense of worth in this world!  Here is the solution: Give them a home!  Find any reasonable container and deem it The Halves and Pieces Home.  Communicate this with your housemates and you are taking the first steps toward less waste.  Make anything in The H&P Home fair game.

This way household appetites begin to compliment one another and less is becoming rubbish.

Crispy artichoke hearts

Sitting, here thinking about the finer things.  I recall talking to close friend about how he never wanted to stop drinking Charles Shaw because it might halt his utter appreciation for the utmost simple things in life.  He explained that he knew that there were greater wines out there, but that indulging in them is a slippery slope to a more refined palate and essentially a bottomless desire for something better.  A super talented artist and an incredible person who thrives on a great appreciation for canned corn, has a point.

“If you desire many things, many things will seem few.” Benjamin Franklin.

I bring up this ” Two Buck Chuck conundrum,” because it relates to my declined reverence for canned and jarred artichoke hearts.  I remember when bringing a little can of slightly aluminum tasting artichoke hearts home to my hardly paid for apartment was a real treat.  The meaty and tender little hearts were mighty little morsels of gold in my evening salad.  Add a little avocado, and baby, we were “big ballin’.”

Of course, I had yet to mingle with home made crispy artichoke hearts. About eight months ago, my client requested fresh crispy artichoke hearts, and the truth is, I’ve been sort of flipped.  Despite the slightly laborious process of preparing these hearts, I yearn for them and every time I eat the canned or even jarred hearts.  I simply can’t help but compare.

At the salad bar, my once eager reach for the previously cherished jarred artichoke hearts deflates into a, “mehh..”   A quiet gasp transpires.  I giggle at myself and ask, “who have I become? ” Thoughts of the never ending dance with desire come to mind.

Perhaps, my friend is right.  Maybe it’s wise hold your Charles Shaw close and thus lessen battle with desire.

“It is much easier to suppress a first desire than to satisfy those that follow.” Benjamin Franklin

I agree with Franklin a lot.  I also think he was a little uptight at times and that hiding from desire, might be safe, but it is also bland.  A mindful dance with desire  seems much more suitable for a life rich with gratitude and adventure.

Why not slip into the fancy side and know that you can come back?

All this contemplation over upgrading in artichoke hearts.  I guess awareness is key.

So, it’s true. After the first homemade crispy artichoke heart, you may be flipped and hungry for more.  But I say make new friends and keep the old ones. Continue to explore and refine, but keep space in your heart for the less refined. Always come back and swig a little Shaw.  In the meantime, crisp your heart.

Crispy artichoke hearts

Ingredients:

• 3 artichokes
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano (optional)
• the juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Method:

I typically make my artichokes greek style, which entails simmering them in a ton of oregano, black pepper and a little lemon.  So, the recipe that follows adheres to that style.  Though, these crispy hearts are also delightful sans oregano. Begin by trimming the tops of the artichokes off with a serrated knife (this way the all those lovely oregano leaves will sneak in between the leaves as they cook.)

Choose a large pot that is big enough to fit all three artichokes.  Fill the pot a half way with water.  Season the water with salt 1 tablespoon of coarse black pepper, 3 tablespoons of oregano and the juice of one lemon.  Bring the water to a boil and add artichokes.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and allow the artichokes to simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes or until you can pierce a knife all the way through the artichoke with little effort.  Remove the artichokes and turn them upside down onto a sheet pan or a large plate to drain and cool.

Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

When artichokes are cool enough to handle, carefully peel the outer leaves from the base of the artichoke all the way off the stem.  Continue to pull off the rest of the leaves, eat a few and set the rest aside to enjoy with the hearts.

Now you are left with just the core of the artichoke and the choke.

Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the choke of the artichoke.

Slice the base into six to eight delicate pieces (depending on size.)Line these little morsels onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.  Season them with salt and pepper and place them in the oven to crisp for about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden and crispy.

Season them with salt and pepper and place them in the oven to crisp for about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Allow the little guys to cool slightly and then enjoy!

Mealtime Obama style

Michelle Obama, official White House portrait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This woman continues to catalyze the type of American growth that often gets neglected  in our fast-paced lives.  While a meal around the table is often not feasible for many of us, aiming to prioritize it seems a, “right-on,”  stride in the right direction.  Who better than our first lady to exemplify the value of breaking bread with family and friends?

A quick look at Michelle Obama’s approach to mealtime, really makes me want to say.. ” Fuck yeah, America, ” in a much less mocking tone than that of the brilliant  Team America by  Trey Parker, Matt Stone and  Pam Brady.

Das boot, this is not and there is no over yonder…

Disclaimer:  I am about to spruik some potentially corny-ass, though personally meaningful stuff.

So, I have been out of the boot for some time now and every step that I take I am extraordinarily thankful for.   Though, I am equally as thankful for the lessons that I learned while dragging that atrocious thing along with me.  The boot I refer to is that big black boot/cast that I wore off and on for almost six months after my scooter accident.  While, even prior to my accident I kept six little bone carved skulls on my dresser to remind me of the value of every moment, and that my face could become one of those an instant- the notion really penetrated with my experience of less physical capability and all the hardship that goes along with that.  The lesson that penetrated so deeply through trying moments, was not that motorcycles are dangerous, but rather that there is no “over yonder.’  There is no imaginary improved future.

I recall and will always recall a moment in between doctors appointments when a dear friend who helped my transportation-less ass through the whole mess pointed up to the sky and pointed out how clearly cut the clouds were against the blue sky that day.  The appointments that we were between were those of an MRI to confirm the break was healed and the confirmation from the doctor.  We crossed our fingers that all was healed as we drove the MRI disk to the foot doc.  We were sure we, “had it in a bag.”

I nervously and confidently handed the disk to the doc and tapped my foot in anticipation while I waited in the waiting room.  The wait was taking longer than I anticipated and the little confidence I possessed started to transform into nervousness.  Then, I heard the doctor, call from the other room, “ Jillana, can you come here for a second. “  All I could think to myself was, oh boy… stay positive.”  I walked back to the computer that the doctor stood at and this is when he showed me that my foot was still fractured.  After a series of extensive questions, I left the office.

My face was like stone when I met my friend in the office and we got in the car.  I was quiet as he tried to point out the positive. Then I cried like a baby all the way home.  I knew and know that my dilemma was microscopic compared to that of so many other people trying to get through their days.  Nonetheless, I was frustrated. I didn’t want to wait anymore.   I cried because I was sick of the circumstances, sick of waiting, sick of being broke and ready to get on with my, “real life.”  You know, my “real life,” in which I go to work and walk about with ease.  That “real life,” where doctor’s appointments are not at the forefront of my schedule and a walk four blocks is not something that I have to weigh out the consequences of.  That, fantasized, “real life ,”in which I am flourishing because these trying circumstances have subsided.  Later that night after letting it all soak in, I had what some might call a cathartic moment in regards to this notion of, “real life.”

I woke up in the middle of the night and emailed my friend the following.

It really is amazing to be alive.  Even the confusing moments like today.  The instances like this evening when I was sobbing in fear and frustration juxtapose so beautifully with the moments where we look up into the sky and comment on the details of clouds.   

 In the past I would have stayed in this fear a little longer.  I would have been anxious as reached for my imaginary, “normal, real life,” in the future without this injury.  I would attempt to calm these thoughts with pep talks that patience is the lesson life is giving me right now. This very patience would pull from the present as I waited for the “normal” injury free future to come.  Yes I would have waited for that imaginary future to come with patience as my Gemini antagonist. Patience has its role in this scenario but it should not overshadow presence. Presence is knowing that this is my “real life.  Cast, waiting rooms, bizarre vague explanations from doctors, beautiful mornings that I wouldn’t see the same way without this injury – all of it.  This is my “real life,” and there is no fucking “over yonder.” 

Waiting seems to be a natural part of the living experience, though this extended wait that I went through made me open my eyes up to just how much, “waiting,’ is happening within myself and those around me.  I see the, “wait,” for something “over yonder,” frequently rearing it’s head within my own narrative and all around me.   I hear things like, “I’ll be a lot happier when I move out of here. “  Or, “ Things will be better when I graduate.”  I hear, “I just want to get into shape, get healthier- then I’ll be happier. “  Those who need things in order, like myself, say things like, “ I’ll feel so much better when my house is clean.” I even hear people claiming that things will be better once they attain a certain level of spirituality.  Maybe, these things are true.  Better health, more education, spiritual growth all of these things can be pretty fulfilling.  But what if we don’t reach those goals?

What if before that happens, we get hit by a bus, or loose someone we love or experience some other impediment.  Then what?  Then will we ever be happy, stable, balanced appreciative etc?  I don’t intend to be cynical and assert that we should give up on these aspirations, I just ask the question, what if we never get “there,” to this place “over yonder” of better this and better that.  Then what are we left with?  The only thing that I can deduce it down to is the process.  We have the process that is certain.  The process of working toward these dreams isn’t going anywhere and it’s nothing that we have to reach for or wait for.  In fact we can’t escape this process- it’s in our every breath and in our pulse.  Until that pulse stops, we are stuck with it to manipulate it however we wish, while we wait.

Built to Spill touches on the topic quite eloquently in this song:

See salt

The largely printed words “ with sea salt,” seem to be appearing on more and more food packages.  There is a definite sea salt craze happening in the food world.  Even Wendy’s jumped on board with their Natural-cut Sea Salt Fries! It is almost like it is just snowing sea salt in grocery stores.  I don’t think food marketers have had this big of a hard-on since the awakening of probiotics acouple of years ago.

The salt sensation may have many people’s heads swimming.

What is the big deal? How come we have never seen the words, “with iodized salt,” in bold letters on a package of popcorn? Is sea salt really that different?  What makes it so special? Is it better for me? Should I cook with it? Come to think of it, what is Kosher salt and why are cooks always saying to use it? And this smoked salt I have been seeing…?  Pink salt…cool- but huh..?  Does the type of salt I use really make a difference in my cooking or is this just some fancy pants bullsh…? Mmm… this sea salt popcorn is good. 

Yes, it’s true- the type of salt we use in our food does make a big difference in how it tastes.  Of course the food industry is going to put as much spin on a food trend as possible and so we are bound to be fed a little sea salty garbage here and there. The bottom line here is not that sea salt is the best salt, it is rather that different salts have different effects on food- and there are a lot of different types of salts.  Beyond making that bag of popcorn taste so good and so different than before, the salt craze has had this wonderful side effect of a growing curiosity about salt among Americans.

So here is the sprinkle:

What is it Salt?

(Disclaimer: This is the nerdy textbook stuff that I find as satisfying as the salt itself.  If you don’t give a * and just want to know what to cook with scroll down.)

A crystal composed of two elements:

Sodium + Chloride

This is the basic structure of salt, though it’s not quite that simple.  There are one million trillion little sodium chloride couples in one single grain of salt.

Where do we get it?

The three basic ways to obtain salt:

Mined

Because salt is often part of natural rock formations like halite, it can be mined from these rock formations and then processed and converted into edible table salt. 

Obtained from the Ocean-

Evaporating ocean water can also produce salt.  After all water is evaporated there is a residual of salt and other minerals left behind.  This left over pile of minerals can be processed in a variety of ways to create one of the many types of sea salt.  Depending on how the salt is processed, sea salt can provide a little more nourishment than other salts due to the additional minerals that hang out when the water evaporates.

In a lab

Like almost anything these days, salt can also be produced from scratch in a scientific lab.  You won’t find this type salt on any grocery shelves because it is much more expensive to produce this type of salt than any of the other salts.

Iodized or non-iodized- what’s the difference?

Iodized: When a salt is iodized it simply means that iodine has been added.  Why?  Originally we started iodizing salt in the United States in the early 1920’s in order to help tackle a widespread health condition called goiter.  Goiter is a thyroid issue in which the thyroid grows larger than normal.  This condition is often associated with a lack of iodine.  Crazy right? We saw a problem, figured everyone eats salt, so we will treat it through that.  Now if only we could infuse vegetables into the salt to treat widespread obesity…?  No… that doesn’t really work, but isn’t it amazing how drastically different our health epidemics are today?  Today iodine deficiency in the United States is significantly less common.  Not only do we have iodized salt, but iodine is also added to numerous other foods and food products.  It is even added to animal feed yielding meats and dairy products with higher iodine content.

Non-iodized: As the name suggests, this type of salt simply has not been iodized-meaning that no iodine has been added to it.  This type of salt is produced by evaporating ocean water and using the salt crystals that are left behind.  Nonetheless, there are trace amounts of naturally occurring iodine in non-iodized sea salt. This stuff naturally has 2 mcg of iodine per gram and iodized salt has 77 g of iodine per gram.

Which is Better?

It’s kinda’ personal.  The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board recommends 150 mcg of iodine per day for adults.  Because today Iodine is prevalent in so many foods, it is very unlikely that you are under doing it and also unlikely that you are over doing it.  So, unless you suspect that you are deficient in iodine and would like to up it with the type of salt you use, the question of iodized or non-iodized appears to be mostly a matter of personal preference.  In regards to cooking the iodized or non-iodized is rarely prevalent.  Rather salt discriminations in the kitchen are those that pertain to quality,Texture (with a capital T) and flavor.  Coincidentally, many of the salts ideal for cooking are free of any additives including iodine.  For me this is a bonus, in that my salt choices work optimally in the kitchen, and they also fulfill the little purist bitch within.

Different types

Beyond the iodized/non-iodized difference there is a plethora of different types of salt.  Truly the salt world is exciting and slightly overwhelming. The three most basic categories of salt are table salt, sea salt and Kosher Salt.  Within these categories, exist even more specific types of salt.  Most, but not all of the fun, unique gourmet cooking salts fall into sea salt family.

Table salt:

Table salt’s fine granules dissolve quickly.  While this quality makes it preferable for baking, it is not the ideal for most other cooking.  The quickly dissolving tiny granules can result in a salty flavor spreading quickly all over or all throughout a food, creating an overall salty flavor that dominates a dish.  It is difficult to create layers of flavors and celebrate nuance with this meager salt.

Use it for…?

For baking and when you don’t have anything else.

Kosher salt:

Granules of Kosher salt are bigger and more irregular than those of table salt, due to an alteration in the evaporation process when producing the salt.  This salt dissolves more slowly than table salt, which is in part where it gets its’ name; it is the ideal salt for Koshering meat.  Koshering meat involves the careful removal of all blood from the animal.  The precise size and slow dissolving quality of this salt cause it to efficiently draw blood from uncooked meat, making it perfect for the Kosher curing process.  Hence, Kosher Salt.  In addition to its’ blood sucking qualities Kosher salt is most chefs’ and cooks’ favorite standby salt.  The granule size (not too big, not too small,) makes it incredibly versatile.  Kosher salt can come from the sea or from underground sources.

Use it for…?

Pretty much anything. The larger granules allow you to use less and taste more.  Dissolving slower than table salt and faster than most other gourmet salts, really makes this salt the very happy medium.  With this salt you can achieve more pronounced nuances in a dish without getting major spontaneous explosions of salt in a bite. While those are fantastic, they are not desirable for every dish and there are other salts for that.

Sea salt: 

Such a huge category!  There is practically a sea full different types of sea salt.  Types vary depending on what part of the ocean they come from as well as how they are processed.  The term generally indicates an unrefined salt that comes straight from the waves, leaving the salt with natural traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine.  These residual minerals in pure sea salt seem to lend unique subtleties to the bright clean flavor of salt from the sea.

Use it for…?

Sea salt is great, especially when it is unprocessed.  What to use it for totally depends on the type of sea salt.  For example, coarse sea salt, flake sea salt, fine, sea salt etc.  Each one is unique. 

Flake salt:

Think snowflakes.  Delicate, complex flakes that dissolve in your mouth slowly.  Also, both will make you smile.  This special salt requires unique measures to obtain. Each flake is actually is tiny pyramid shaped crystal.  The size of these crystals is what distinguishes one flakes salt from another. 

Use it for…?

Flake salt is best used as a finishing salt. This way the complex and delicate flakes can be most appreciated.  Try sprinkling some over heirloom tomatoes, sashimi grade salmon, fresh melon, over a salad or on top of a light dessert mousse. So that the complex and delicate flakes can be most appreciated.  The world of flake salt genuinely gets me too excited for most people’s tolerance. Some of my favorites are Maldon, Fleur de Sel and New Zealand Flaky Sea Salt.

Coarse Salt:

Big chunks of salt.  Many different types of salt come in this petite pebble form. One of the prettiest and most popular is Himalayan Pink Salt.  Though sea salt, smoked salts and numerous others come in this form. Coarse salt often goes hand in hand with a grinder.

Use it for…?

My favorite for grinding into salads.  These big little rocks tend to be drier than other salts and therefore maintain their structure better than other salts when they hit the moisture of great olive oil on greens.  Then you get fresh salad bites with those wonderful spontaneous salt explosions that I mentioned before. Before grinding this type of salt, is also great for baking a whole fish in salt.  This classic method involves packing an entire fish in a cocoon of coarse salt and baking it in the salt- pretty fab.

Hawaiian Red Sea Salt:

Also known as Alaea, this traditional Hawaiian Red Salt is spectacularly unique. The addition of volcanic baked red clay, “Alae,” is what gives this salt its’ red color.   While the purpose of adding the clay is to enrich the salt with iron oxide, it also imparts a subtle earthiness and tones the sharpness of the salt down to a uniquely mellow sea salt.

Use it for…?

Traditionally this red salt is used for Kalua pig and other traditional Hawaiian dishes.  This salt is an excellent match for pork loin.  Also, the mellow nature of this salt lends itself to creamy sweets like fresh mango, banana and vanilla ice cream.

Smoked Sea Salt

Smoked sea salts are salts that have been smoked in cold smokers or slow-smoked over real wood fires to infuse the salt crystals with natural smoke flavor.  Be careful when purchasing smoked salts because sometimes, salt makers cheat and add smoked flavor.  Adding this flavor is not the same and can actually create a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste in the salt.  Any salt can be smoked and the process adds a unique smoky flavor.  Imagine that. Smoked Maldon Sea Salt is one of my favorites.

Use it for…?

Smoked salts are great for grilling and roasting.  Try using smoked salt when roasting a whole chicken or turkey.  Sprinkle some smoked flake salt over grilled corn and other grilled veggies.  Also smoked salt is great with the creaminess of salmon. Another unique combo is the sweet smokiness of smoked salt and caramel.

 

 

 

 

Raw sunflower seed butter- an on going experiment

On Many occasions I have attempted to perfect this raw nut seed butter.  I have episodes of improvement as well as sabotage on these various excursions of experimentation.  The biggest problem seems to be that the raw sunflower seeds are just not oily enough.

Why do I want this to work? Because the flavor of raw sunflower seeds is one of my favorites and I would love to churn that flavor into a rich butter that I can enjoy on a piece of toast with coffee or tea.   Using roasted sunflower seeds to make a butter works great because roasting the seeds helps release a lot of the oils.   The roasted seeds yield a butter with a thick, creamy texture and a robust, yet slightly sweet flavor.  So, why don’t I shut up about the raw seeds and pour a bag of roasted and salted seeds into food processor and let the magic happen?  Well, as much as I love flavor profile of the roasty and salty goo, it is not the same as that of the unique raw sunflower seed flavor.  Raw sunflower seeds have a much softer, nutty, round lingering flavor that make my palate want tart lemons and fruity teas.  Also, raw sunflower seeds are even more nutritious then their roasted counterparts.  Finally, probably the biggest appeal to this challenge is the challenge itself.  I really do get a little buzz from figuring out a way to make something work that perceivably does not.  Often times, limitations are the best catalysts for creativity.  Nonetheless, with this one I have had some moments where I have had to ask myself if I am trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

My conclusion is that the challenge is not exactly a square peg round hole situation, but more like a square peg rectangular hole situation.  In other words, the transformation of sunflower seeds to a creamy butter kind of works, but not perfectly.  It is possible to churn the little seeds into decent butter with phenomenal flavor.  However, I have yet to find a formula that yields both excellent flavor and incredible mouth feel.  I have gotten close, but no bull’s eye.  So, I am accepting that this  sunflower butter perfection, may be a fantasy.  Nonetheless, I am sharing my findings in the study and opening my ears to anyone’s secrets.

What I have found….

Raw Sunflower seeds solo

Sunflower seeds on their own yield a dry paste that lacks compelling flavor

Raw sunflower seeds and molasses and a little sea salt

This combo yields a rich and delicious flavor that even almost mimics that of roasted sunflower seeds, though it is still slightly dry.

Mixing sunflower seeds with another nut like cashews

This has thus far been the most successful recipe in creating both great flavor and a creamy texture.

Raw sunflower seeds with a little coconut oil, agave and little sea salt

This has been the most recent attempt/discovery. This combo yields an amazing flavor.  The coconut oil and agave go great with the sunflower seeds, but alas it is still slightly dry.

So there you have it- the yet to be perfected sunflower seed butter.  If you have any insight please feel free to share.

One very hot oven…

I have had to be really creative with my baking recently.  By creative, don’t mean to say that I have been especially imaginative with my ingredients.  Rather, I have had to be creative in the way of figuring out the baking times and temperature.  Our oven temperature has been significantly hotter than it should be.  So, baking has been sort of a mindful guessing game for the last few weeks.  With some bizarre intuitive formula for continuously turning the dial down, checking things at just the right time and some other little tricks, we have managed to successfully bake some cookies, muffins, brownies, etc.  I really am not sure how this anti-method worked.  Today, we finally got an oven thermometer to check out the temperature.  I set the oven to 350° F and placed the gage in the oven.  I just started cracking up when I took the thermometer out of the oven and it read 600° F!  I laughed even more when I wrote a note to my roommate communicating the news. How we made anything edible is beyond me.

As cool as it is that we have adapted to work with an oven this hot, we need a solution.   We would love to be able to leave the kitchen while our food is in the oven.  So, in this little predicament I have discovered many detailed how- to guides on calibrating ovens on the Internet. I found the most thorough guide in the food section of www.ehow.com. I’m looking forward to being a MacGyver and tackling this issue.  We will see how it goes.

Same old shit… Crazy new shit- Chalkboard wisdom

We are one month and seven days into the new year and there is an unusual phenomenon occurring in my kitchen.  The phenomenon is not at my stove, or on the cutting board or in the oven.   Rather, the less than typical occurrence is taking place on my chalkboard.  A little over a year ago, I painted a chalkboard onto my wall.  Myself, my roommate and my friends use the adored chunk of black space to scribble notes, recipes, thoughts, doodles and other random acts of expression.  Typically, our chalky blurbs last a couple of days to a week before being wiped off to make room for the next scribble.  However, the last doodle that my roommate’s girlfriend created has remained for over a month and I’m thinking this has some signifcance as we work our way into the 2012.  It is as if all parties that spend a decent amount of time in our home are revering the illustrated notion enough to abstain from wiping it away just yet.  Perhaps, I am projecting my own feelings or speaking for myself, but I think that the air may inhabit a mutual enthusiasm for exploring unique adventures of each new day and keeping our lines curvy so to speak.

 

So, this is the masterpiece.  Now that the illustration has been up for over a month, I see it whether I am in the kitchen or on the bus.  So, I think it might be time to wipe it off and chalk up something fresh, so as not to get caught up in The same old shit…

I get by with a little help from my friends, and a little Texas style BBQ helps too

It’s pretty early to be thinking about BBQ but I can’t help myself (well, it was early before distractions set in- phone calls etc.)  My body is stiff from lugging around this cast and boot.  So I know that I should be stretching and getting my little crippled exercise on to start the day.  Though, in the name of a recent impressionable food experience- that can wait until I express both my enthusiasm for a sweet little Southern Roadhouse called Johnny Reb’s and utter gratitude for my amazing pals.

On Tuesday I had a laundry list of important errands to run.  While having a broken foot and lacking a vehicle can make accomplishing these day-to-day tasks tricky, I am fortunate enough to have some spectacular friends to help me out.  Damn I am lucky!  On Tuesday, my dear friend TK picked me up early to begin knocking out responsibilities at The DMV, the bank, the doctor’s office, the post office, the library, etc.  While stops at all of those Government institutions may seem dull, we had a blast doing it- shootin’ the shit and laughing all the way, ha, ha, ha!  By 11:30/12:00ish we were done and TK wanted to introduce me to Johnny Reb’s Southern Roadhouse. Sure The DMV was pretty riveting, but lunch at Johnny Reb’s was indeed the highlight.  The food was, the jam, legit, da bomb, dank, nomm – you choose whichever all-encompassing yum words that you like- that’s what it was.

Errands Done... Ha! looks like a Shiner ad.

I could select no better person than TK, to enjoy my first Johnny Reb’s experience with. I get a little stuck here because I want to explain to you just how neat of a dude TK is.  Over the last couple of years I have become great friends with this talented writer.  We have spent many hours in coffee shops, laptop to laptop, writing, sparking ideas and being ridiculous together.  TK has got forty some years full of travel, writing, studying and life experience on me. So the words of wisdom and intellect that often come unintentionally and eloquently through his faded Texan accent, stick to my psyche the way that Johnny Reb’s Cornbread and brisket stick to my ribs.  In the context of this blog, the faded Texan accent that often delivers that food for thought is golden, because it means my pal may know a thing or two about Texan StyleBBQ.  Who better to eat Texan style BBQ with, than a Texan? So, long as it is not that one Texan whom we shall not name.  In that case I’d rather be eating ribs with a ballerina.  Anyway, back to the BBQ.

We ordered the brisket, which came with cornbread, greens and black-eyed peas.  All of which I enjoyed with my first Shiner Bock beer (apparently an iconic Texan brew.)  The Shiner was delicious and a perfect companion for the smokiness and sweetness of our BBQ lunch.  Each item on the plate was authentic perfection.  The Brisket had a nice smoke flavor on it and its’ tender body reflected low and slow cooking.  A bite of the brisket with the traditional BBQ sauce was sweet, smoky and meaty harmony.  The greens were cooked to tender perfection and their residual juices were good enough to sip.  The corn bread was hearty,dense and just slightly sweet with the flavor and texture of corn breaking through with full life.  The black-eyed peas were phenomenal as well; though they took on a whole new life when my Texan bud showed me that the traditional Texan way of eating them is with a touch of Texas Pete’s pepper sauce and black pepper.  He also showed me that you order a few slices of raw white onion as sort of a condiment to allof these eats.  Fresh and acidic little nibbles of the onion between bites really make the whole meal dance.

That atmosphere of this place, as well as the Southern hospitality- like service, make you feel like you are in the South- or at least what imagine it feels like to be in the
South.  Brick walls, peanut shells on the floor, a huge American flag hanging and an overall eclectic décor dotted with random pieces of furniture on the walls, antique dishware, Southern flags, taxidermy and drinks served in Mason jars are what create this Southern feel.  According to TK, it does indeed feel like a Texas Roadhouse and tastes like one too.

I can’t wait to get back to try the peach cobbler!

Birthday cake, Mexican food and tattoo artists from a Long Beach Crip (so to speak)

Perhaps Ovenhappy and Footsad should be the new temporary title of my blog, for I have just discovered that I have been walking on a broken foot for at least a month now.  After crashing my scooter over three months ago the Urgent Care doctor diagnosed my injury as severe sprain with possible torn ligaments.  From that point on, follow ups to the doc concluded the same, regardless of the fact that it was healing tremendously slowly and that a bone was protruding from the inner right side of my foot.  The visual looked like something that an eighty five year old Hollywood native with life full of clubbing and squeezing into “F- me,” pumps couldn’t even accomplish.  Nonetheless, the doctor said, “ Well… I think it’s just swollen, let’s get you out of the this boot and start strengthening that ankle and go from there.

Long Beach Crip

With an evidently high tolerance for pain and trust in the doctor I did just that.  I started working, swimming to strengthen it, cycling and engaging in other doctor approved activities. When about a month went by and the expected amount of healing had not taken place the doc finally copped to the fact that he really couldn’t answer any more questions and that I ought to see a specialist.  The specialist took more X-rays and saw that the toe I was concerned with, was indeed pushed out of place and ordered an MRI to see what else was going on.  Broken foot is what was going on.  So, now I am keeping it real in a blue hard cast like a genuine Long Beach Crip. While it is a walking cast, I am to stay off of it as much as possible.  So, besides laying back with “my mind on my money, and my money on my mind,” I figure this is also a good time to catch up on food blogs that I was too busy rehabbing the wrong injury to do before.  So, lets take a look way back into October, because even in a boot fun things were happening in the kitchen.

The first weekend of October was my roommate’s cousin, Abraham’s birthday.  Abe’s lovely wife Erin put together a pretty impressive party for him at our house.  She went all out- decorating with a ton of balloons, lots green streamers, other green stuff, a keg, snacks, a DJ (my roommate’s brother Angel,) the whole nine.  It was a Birthday party so of course, there had to be cake and of course there had to be food. So, I made the cake and my friend and fellow foodie, Adam Montgomery made some amazing Mexican food.

Many pots of Mexican by Montgomery

When I say amazing Mexican food, I don’t mean for a white guy.  Really- in terms appearance he is as white as they come, but I think he did some secret training in East L.A. or something because he can really get down on some authentic Mexican cooking.  Or maybe his real name is Tito and he’s just fooling with us. During the day before the party he cooked while I layered and frosted.  Even though the heat, steam and aroma of the meat, beans, rice and soup that he was cooking was challenging the viscosity of my buttercream, it was a blast!  Adam loves food and it shows in his cooking and his words on food.   He just threw a video up on YouTube showing how to make cheese. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfZCTYOehnU

Sopa so delicious

Abe and his lovely wife Erin are not only incredibly kind and special people.  They are also amazing tattoo artists.  Abe’s tattoo artist name is Reuster, (check out some of his work,) so I decided to make a cake with his Reuster signature.  I wanted to make the signature on the cake resemble his as much as possible, but I am no tattoo artist and the heat of the kitchen had my buttercream sweating, so this was a good challenge for me.  It turned out decent.  Eventually, I’d like to be able to decorate cakes with the same sort of finesse that Abe and Erin do with tattoos and artwork.  Savory is my preferable area of cooking but I love the challenge of baking and decorating cakes.  Anyway, sweet aspirations aside, I constructed the cake by stacking four layers of vanilla cake and layering each with an even spread of Nutella.  I frosted the cake with a Swiss Meringue Chocolate Buttercream.  The final product was pretty tasty.

The Reuster and his cake

So, that is a little retrospect into October’s kitchen.  While my foot is healing I am taking this time to re-boot and update the blog with food and thoughts along the way.  My foot is in a cast but my hands are not.  I am looking forward to the near future when I am both Ovenhappy and Foothappy. Hi-Ya!