Simon's New Camera

(just a side o' broccoli and mushrooms)

Gon' roll me up some grape leaves...

Farmer's Market ($0.65)

1 onion

1 cucumber

1 carrot

1 head o' broccoli

Fish Tacos

Bean's father is retired, and his first love is fishing. Today, he offered us some of his catch.

Striped bass? I think so!

Before grilling, I chopped up some:

broccoli

mushroom

cherry tomato

scallions

While the grill was heating I combined these, and added:

parsley

black pepper

squeezed lemon

I grilled the fish for about 5 minutes per side. It assuredly varies, but when you slice into the middle it should be pure white (no exceptions).

Then, it is done.

Heat some tiny (five inch?) tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave, and spoon on this mixutre...

And you'll have a dinner, at least!

Pita Bread -- why won't you fold?!

Grilled Pizza - Sardines & Broccoli

Trader Joe's Meal (& Old Dad's Copper Dishes)

Thai Try (3)

When we lived with Ma'am, Bean and I would often concoct suppers that allowed us to pootle together in the kitchen, but did not overlap (ingrediently) in the least.

But since we've moved to the new (old) house, we've made nearly every dish together. It's a strange change. Some things are still different (that second dish is mine, and much more vegetable-laden than Bean's peanutinferno) but it does feel like our own home.

Tonight we made a simple Thai-style stirfry:

olive oil

scallion

fresh basil

carrot

broccoli

kale & collard mix (see above)

mushrooom

And when this was nearly done, Bean boiled up some rice noodles, and mixed them in a bag with Panko bread crumbs. This is the stuff they make Japanese tempura with; they're like less hefty bread crumbs.

Add these to the stir fry; top with chopped peanuts and Goyoza sauce, and mmmmmm...

Scenes from a New House; Or, Our First Dinner.

Grape Leaf Wontons

Desiring another use for my abundant supply of grape leaves, I tried saute-ing them. With some:

mushrooms

broccoli

scallion

thai spice mix

olive oil!

And so, we have an adorable mess. A bite topped with cherry tomato and a bit too much spice!

Martinis and Eggs

I love a good olive-laden gin martini, and order them nearly every time we eat out. Tonight, though, I bought some extra-dry vermouth, which means I can make my own. A dangerous thought, to be sure! But tonight I made a mini one; perhaps 1/3 the volume of a bar serving. It was oh-so cute.

And after unsuccessfully attempting to coerce Bean's elderly Father to take us to dinner, we whipped up a delightfully refreshing meal of rice, broccoli and asparagus, topped with an over-easy egg expertly cooked by Bean. I added mushrooms and kimchi. Mmmm.

Why was this so delicious?!

Simon was perhaps too excited about the building possibilities:

Cherry Tomatoes

I only posted this because tomatoes, being my favorite fruit, give way to cherries; a tiny, bite-sized portion of the wondrous fruit that begs to be included in work lunches and other dishes. We've been eating out too much, so tonight we cooked for six people instead of two.

We began, unknowingly, with:

olive oil

chopped scallions

chopped onions

fresh basil :D

salt & pepper?

Bean assembled these while I cleaned the kitchen.

And then we separated into two pans, since Bean abhors mushroom and I cannot stand peppers. I added:

mushroom

broccoli

and somehow, the most beautiful vegetable of all; cherry tomatoes. I was surprised to find they were still sweet at this time of year...

Cook or a minimal amount of time (I often neglect the poor dish) and consume!

Chowder(ish)

Another day of the sniffles. Bean wanted a dinner unsuited to my fancy. While perusing the grocery aisles we saw lobster bouillon. Hello? Suddenly I was excited about dinner again! I bought also one lil' potato, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Start with three vegetables who seem to be brethren; but like brothers, they are very different upon close inspection. Potato, tomato, radish!

I had every intention of using the tomato in the concoction, but despite its being my absolute favorite vegetable, it retired sullenly to the recesses of the counter.

It is fair to say I didn't know quite what I had in mind. I stuck two cups of water and some lobster bouillon into a pot, and let it boil. I added the potatoes, to let them soften, and then moseyed about packing a lunch for tomorrow. Bean and I are starting a night-time pottery class!!

One period of unestimated time (and one White Russian) later, I added some chopped broccoli and a few mushrooms, and the radish...and subsequently forgot about these for a while.

When dinner was again remembered, I noted that the broth was very clear, as water tends to be. Consulting dear Mam's Fanny Farmer's cookbook, I combined a series of methods to thicken the concoction. First, I drained most of the broth out of the soup, and then replaced it back on the low-burning burner. To it, I added:

1/3 c. whole milk

~2 tbsp cornstarch

~1/4 c. flour

and after stirring for a while, and letting it slowly reheat, a wonderful thing occurred; the soup was now a chowder! Fully creamy, beautifully thick, and piping hot.

So I plopped it in a bowl and whisked it upstairs to begin consummation.

And sweet dreams, says Mushroom Man...

Anchovy Pizza

A pizza that was not mushroom for once! Bean was wary of having an anchovy even touch his part of the pizza, so he cut off a hunk of the dough and we did our own thang. Mine had a lil' can of anchovies, some broccoli, and a chopped radish, with mozzarella cheese and a bit o' sauce.

Man, this thing tasted like a salt lick! But still good. But still not as good as mushroom! But then again, what could hope to win that prize...

Cookout

Meg wanted to have an apartment cookout, so we dragged the grill and some chairs and a guitar outside, and invited Ryan over to partake in the sun and shine. But halfway through, the charcoal got cold, the sun went down, and the burgers did not cook. So, merrily enough, we lugged everything back upstairs and continued the festivities there. Meg made some delicious concoction of broccoli + gluten-free crackers + cheese, and the burgers came out pretty good; we put some interesting curry sauce on the top for flavoring. All in all it was a good meal, beginning and ending with some cheap wine and good budsies who I see far too rarely...

Thai Try

Simon has been suggesting we attempt to make something Thai like for weeks now, so today we went to the store and bought tons of fresh vegetables and some basil leaves and chicken and went to town.

We started by sautéing some:

olive oil

garlic

basil leaves

red pepper

scallions

and then added

diced chicken breast

broccoli

asparagus

soy sauce

red pepper flakes

and side by side we steamed

spinach

broccoli

tomatoes

And then, finally, we added rice to the mix and proceeded to place it inside of us.

More Couscous

A simple dish! Made of microwaved leftovers, & c.

couscous

steamed broccoli

onions

shredded Parmesan cheese

parsley

basil

salt

pepper

olive oil

Couscous is Wonderful (A Rediscovery)

Sick of taking tuna wraps to school with me for lunch, I rummaged through the forgotten nethers of my food supply drawer and found a container of couscous my mother had given me. I always thought couscous was a rice relative, but realized today that it was in fact simply tiny bits of pasta. Because of this, it takes five freaking minutes to prepare; you boil water, dump in the bits and immediately remove from heat, let sit for a few minutes, and you have a meal!

This wrap had:

couscous

broccoli

feta cheese

chopped green olives

salt

It was hard to eat because there was no cohesiveness (mayonnaise or mustard would have probably worked), but it was tasty just the same.

(Not Quite A) Vegetable Enchilada

I visited Bee this weekend at her school, and we spent glorious hours playing celtic music with two beautiful friends. When we stopped, hunger struck, and we hurried to the dining hall. Here I snuck fresh vegetables into my bag to bring back to school with me. It's called a budget, people, and living this way is tough -- taking chances on sour milk and risking the wrath of the hawk-eyed lunch ladies. But the payoff is divine! This dinner used the vegetables deliciously.

1. Fry wheat wraps in olive oil on high heat.

2. Make a pile in the center of:

spinach

cucumbers

broccoli

green olives

green pepper

onions

feta cheese

3. Roll up and put in baking pan; cover with shredded Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so, until cheese is melted.

They were a strangely filling meal, which I did not expect. And vegetarian! Although we are assuredly not.