Ate the rest of the leftovers. The large amount of garlic in this apparently give me heart burn. Which is on one hand good to know, but on the other, sad, because it means I won't be making this anymore.
WebMD has this interesting little article on heartburn. I think it's probably a good thing for me to keep in mind if/when I have to go back on a bland diet. I'm better with knowing what I shouldn't eat, than with what I can.
Mmmm, what else. The salmon was good--I'll be using the ginger/orange sauce again, that's for sure. The pork was fantastic, and while spicey, the husband really liked it. I will probably make it again, with minor modifications. I actually took a picture of it, which I may go back and add, after I download it.
School starts tomorrow. I don't actually have class, but I need to return some seriously overdue books and finish getting ready for class. Only $100 for books, which is good, I guess. But that means there will be significantly less postings, not that anyone reads this.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
pork creation
So, I have failed yet again to work out twice this week. School starts next week--this does not exactly forbode well for how I will fair when I am theoretically more busy. I am unperturbed; however. Cooking has done much better. We may actually eat decently this semester.
In other news, I am making a pork creation that is currently mocking me. It smells like cookies, I kid you not. It's a pork loin roast, that I bought for cheap several weeks ago and cut up into more managable portions. It's been rubbed with oil, a little rice vinegar, marsala, garlic, chipolte puree, oregano and cilantro. The veggies are an onion, a giantish sweet potatoe and an apple. The apple, I think, is what is calling out the cookie smell. It's been cooking for an hour at more or less 350, covered. I just uncovered it so some of the juices would boil off. It's not quite hot enough inside either.
I am concerned that it will be too spicey, so I'm hoping all the natural sweetness will counter act that.
In other news, I am making a pork creation that is currently mocking me. It smells like cookies, I kid you not. It's a pork loin roast, that I bought for cheap several weeks ago and cut up into more managable portions. It's been rubbed with oil, a little rice vinegar, marsala, garlic, chipolte puree, oregano and cilantro. The veggies are an onion, a giantish sweet potatoe and an apple. The apple, I think, is what is calling out the cookie smell. It's been cooking for an hour at more or less 350, covered. I just uncovered it so some of the juices would boil off. It's not quite hot enough inside either.
I am concerned that it will be too spicey, so I'm hoping all the natural sweetness will counter act that.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tummy woes
So, I made the garlic soup last night. It was glorious, though not as pretty as Smitten Kitten's.
M thought it was far too garlicy, which is sad. I did, more or less, follow the instructions. I may have added a cup of cream instead of a half. AND, I used the last of the goose stock (instead of chicken). Sad, but tastey. Can't wait for more goose next year--too bad it's so expensive. I was afraid that the goose would be overpowering (it was a little) but the garlic builds up as you eat it. The end result was a thick soup that was almost a fondue--I ate three bowls and half a loaf of bread. This would be great as an appetizer to a steak or similar meal, I think.
I kind of stink.
The one weird thing is that it seemed to have irritated the back of my throat. I'm not sure if I had a dry throat or what--my nose has been really dry from all the cold, maybe my sinuses are messed up. I hope to all goodness I'm not developing a garlic allergy. My--digestive system, shall we say--is somewhat sensitive, and seems to be acting up today. I'm not sure if it was the less than healthy food I've been eating for dinner (possibly combined with the high fiber lunches I've been having to kind of stave that off) or what. I'm afraid that it may have been irritated by the garlic, if it was irritating my throat. In other words, if you're on a bland diet--I don't think this counts.
(eta - accidentally cross post, but I don't care)
M thought it was far too garlicy, which is sad. I did, more or less, follow the instructions. I may have added a cup of cream instead of a half. AND, I used the last of the goose stock (instead of chicken). Sad, but tastey. Can't wait for more goose next year--too bad it's so expensive. I was afraid that the goose would be overpowering (it was a little) but the garlic builds up as you eat it. The end result was a thick soup that was almost a fondue--I ate three bowls and half a loaf of bread. This would be great as an appetizer to a steak or similar meal, I think.
I kind of stink.
The one weird thing is that it seemed to have irritated the back of my throat. I'm not sure if I had a dry throat or what--my nose has been really dry from all the cold, maybe my sinuses are messed up. I hope to all goodness I'm not developing a garlic allergy. My--digestive system, shall we say--is somewhat sensitive, and seems to be acting up today. I'm not sure if it was the less than healthy food I've been eating for dinner (possibly combined with the high fiber lunches I've been having to kind of stave that off) or what. I'm afraid that it may have been irritated by the garlic, if it was irritating my throat. In other words, if you're on a bland diet--I don't think this counts.
(eta - accidentally cross post, but I don't care)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Why I don't diet
Mmmm, so right now I'm trying to stave off a mild anxiety attack over what I haven't gotten done today (mind you it's only 10:45 am). I dropped the man off at work and went grocery shopping. I answered emails, and checked to see if my tutition has been posted. It's due tomorrow, and my pay still hasn't shown up. That is an entirely different gripe, but probably increasing the anxiety.
Anyway, whilst reading one my foodie blogs, the woman complains about her diet because it prevents her from eating some kind of cheesy potatoes that she saw on a different foodie blog. They looked quiet tastey. So tastey that it wouldn't matter if I were attempting to restrict my intake, I would eat it. Because it is nom-ful.
Not to mention, diets--for the most part--don't really work. You have to make lifestyle changes. And unless you don't want to eat pasta or butter or something for the rest of your life, don't do a diet. Health isn't about weight--it's about ease of movement and body image. I try to exercise, not because I'm fat, but because I can't walk up a flight of stairs if I don't. Academic work does not lend itself to movement.
Therefore I don't diet, at least not in the traditional sense of attempting to restrict my food intake. Except for my constant battle with M to reduce the amount of fast food we eat (which is a compound problem--he wants it all the time, and I am weak willed. He tries to count this as his 'cooking'). I do see value in attempting to reduce over-processed foods, especially corn syrup, but that has less to do with dieting and more to with increasing health. Soda with sugar isn't particularly better for you than soda with corn syrup. It only works if you replace soda with juice, or something equivelent.
Instead, I try to increase my intake of certain types of food. One summer I decided that I was going to eat five fruits and five vegetables a day. This is really really difficult to do. I would get too full to finish off the servings of vegetables, and would frequently not be able to reach 10 servings because I was too full. It meant I cut out cookies and candies entirely, ate at least one salad (either fruit or veggie) a day, and ate far less grains in general. I couldn't eat other food if I wanted to. This doesn't mean that I didn't eat meat or grains at all, just that I ate significantly more vegetables than not. And it was great. I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway (I prefer butter), but even cookies became too sweet for me. I'd like to try it again, but it might require that a more easy going break time, like I had that summer. And a husband who was a little more pro-vegetable (though as much as I tease him, he does like them--just not as much as he likes meat).
Right now we're trying to increase our home cooked meals. This is good as it's cheaper, and usually healthier. Sometimes. I am trying to do one vegetarian meal a week too. That's as close to a diet as I'll ever get. And I can still eat cheesey potatoes!
Anyway, whilst reading one my foodie blogs, the woman complains about her diet because it prevents her from eating some kind of cheesy potatoes that she saw on a different foodie blog. They looked quiet tastey. So tastey that it wouldn't matter if I were attempting to restrict my intake, I would eat it. Because it is nom-ful.
Not to mention, diets--for the most part--don't really work. You have to make lifestyle changes. And unless you don't want to eat pasta or butter or something for the rest of your life, don't do a diet. Health isn't about weight--it's about ease of movement and body image. I try to exercise, not because I'm fat, but because I can't walk up a flight of stairs if I don't. Academic work does not lend itself to movement.
Therefore I don't diet, at least not in the traditional sense of attempting to restrict my food intake. Except for my constant battle with M to reduce the amount of fast food we eat (which is a compound problem--he wants it all the time, and I am weak willed. He tries to count this as his 'cooking'). I do see value in attempting to reduce over-processed foods, especially corn syrup, but that has less to do with dieting and more to with increasing health. Soda with sugar isn't particularly better for you than soda with corn syrup. It only works if you replace soda with juice, or something equivelent.
Instead, I try to increase my intake of certain types of food. One summer I decided that I was going to eat five fruits and five vegetables a day. This is really really difficult to do. I would get too full to finish off the servings of vegetables, and would frequently not be able to reach 10 servings because I was too full. It meant I cut out cookies and candies entirely, ate at least one salad (either fruit or veggie) a day, and ate far less grains in general. I couldn't eat other food if I wanted to. This doesn't mean that I didn't eat meat or grains at all, just that I ate significantly more vegetables than not. And it was great. I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway (I prefer butter), but even cookies became too sweet for me. I'd like to try it again, but it might require that a more easy going break time, like I had that summer. And a husband who was a little more pro-vegetable (though as much as I tease him, he does like them--just not as much as he likes meat).
Right now we're trying to increase our home cooked meals. This is good as it's cheaper, and usually healthier. Sometimes. I am trying to do one vegetarian meal a week too. That's as close to a diet as I'll ever get. And I can still eat cheesey potatoes!
Monday, January 11, 2010
decision making...
I'm not particularly good at it. Therefore, there will probably be a couple of cross-posts before I decide whether or not to cut off the knitting from the rest of the randomness of my life. As the family has moved closer, it may not be as much as an issue that I don't maintain a journal type blog.
I walked home today after I missed the bus. I'm going to count that as exercize. It took about 30 minutes, walking through the grass and whatnot, as the crow flies. I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But it's good to know how long it is from here to campus.
The recipes for this week are Smitten Kitten's 44 clove garlic soup, and some Salmon thing that I found in my brandy new Kitchen Aid cookbook.
A recounting of last week:
No more exercize happened. Got extremely busy.
However! The meals were quite tastey. No pictures were taken because it was not particularly appetizing.
The recipies are as follows -
Spicy lime shrimp. This was based on a Paula Dean recipe for shrimp kabobs, but I decided that wouldn't cook the shrimp right.
Two pounds shrimp. The 'local' grocery carries a store brand shrimp that is shockingly high quality for frozen. Actually tastes like shrimp. I get this when it's on sale. It's deviened, which makes taking off the shell real easy when it's defrosted.
Veggies: mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers
four or five key limes
smudge of chipotle. I used maybe a teaspoon, because I was afriad of it being too hot, but I could barely taste it. Next time I'll probably use a bit more, and throw in some red pepper flakes (but not very much)
little bit of olive oil, and probably some salt and pepper to taste
Based on the internets, I marinaded the veggies for about an hour in the lime juice, spices and oil. I put the shrimp in for no more than ten minutes. Apparently high acid marinades kind of cook fish, and so they'll get mushy if you marinade them too long. This makes sense to me.
I pulled the veggies out, then threw the rest of the shrimp in. Next time, I wouldn't put any of the marinade in (maybe make a sauce out of it, after boiling it, of course), because nothing browned. And while my mushrooms were perfect, I think the zucchini was probably over cooked. Still, it was quite good. A-
Winter Squash and Cauliflower soup from Vegan Gourmet (book)
1.5 lbs Winter Squash. I used a small acorn squash
2 cups of Cauliflower. I used a whole head. This was way too much. Luckily, this was M's favorite part.
pasta. I don't remember how much. I just threw in an arbitrary amount. Use something like small shells
broth. They probably said around 4 cups, vegetable obviously. I used a 2 c bullion cube, chicken. and a bunch of water, probably more than 2 cups
"1 can" of WHOLE tomatoes. I heartily disagree with this. Who can eat a whole stewed tomato? I got one can of whole tomatoes, but when I threw it in there I realized their 1 can mean 1 GIANT can, and I threw in one of my reserve chopped tomato cans. Much better. Next time chopped tomatos all the way.
1/3 Marsala. This is WINE. I know this, but for some reason I always want it to be something else. Anyway, I found it at the liquor store where I talked to the nice man about Martini and Rossi Rosato and acorn liquer.
Chili pepper flakes. I don't know how much they called for. I used a couple of shakes. It was actually a little spicey to me, but M didn't mind. This is odd on both counts.
Rosemary, salt and pepper to taste
The recipie said to saute it and stuff. I'm not going to peel squash. So I roasted everything, tossed in oil with the rosemary and salt/pepper. Next time, I would use less cauliflower (in an ideal world, though I probably won't since M liked it so much) and probably start the squash about 20 minutes before the cauliflower. It was a little bit difficult to scoop out of the skin. Since the squash is so cooked, it shouldn't be added until right before serving. Cook the pasta in the broth with the tomatoes, wine and chili flakes, adding the cauliflower (I think this is probably somewhat more resiliant than the squash) about 5 minutes, then the squash. The squash adds a nice sweet counterpart to the spicy tartness of the broth. This does not refridgerate well (the pasta absorbs all the water, and the squash kind of dissolved). Easy A.
I walked home today after I missed the bus. I'm going to count that as exercize. It took about 30 minutes, walking through the grass and whatnot, as the crow flies. I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But it's good to know how long it is from here to campus.
The recipes for this week are Smitten Kitten's 44 clove garlic soup, and some Salmon thing that I found in my brandy new Kitchen Aid cookbook.
A recounting of last week:
No more exercize happened. Got extremely busy.
However! The meals were quite tastey. No pictures were taken because it was not particularly appetizing.
The recipies are as follows -
Spicy lime shrimp. This was based on a Paula Dean recipe for shrimp kabobs, but I decided that wouldn't cook the shrimp right.
Two pounds shrimp. The 'local' grocery carries a store brand shrimp that is shockingly high quality for frozen. Actually tastes like shrimp. I get this when it's on sale. It's deviened, which makes taking off the shell real easy when it's defrosted.
Veggies: mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers
four or five key limes
smudge of chipotle. I used maybe a teaspoon, because I was afriad of it being too hot, but I could barely taste it. Next time I'll probably use a bit more, and throw in some red pepper flakes (but not very much)
little bit of olive oil, and probably some salt and pepper to taste
Based on the internets, I marinaded the veggies for about an hour in the lime juice, spices and oil. I put the shrimp in for no more than ten minutes. Apparently high acid marinades kind of cook fish, and so they'll get mushy if you marinade them too long. This makes sense to me.
I pulled the veggies out, then threw the rest of the shrimp in. Next time, I wouldn't put any of the marinade in (maybe make a sauce out of it, after boiling it, of course), because nothing browned. And while my mushrooms were perfect, I think the zucchini was probably over cooked. Still, it was quite good. A-
Winter Squash and Cauliflower soup from Vegan Gourmet (book)
1.5 lbs Winter Squash. I used a small acorn squash
2 cups of Cauliflower. I used a whole head. This was way too much. Luckily, this was M's favorite part.
pasta. I don't remember how much. I just threw in an arbitrary amount. Use something like small shells
broth. They probably said around 4 cups, vegetable obviously. I used a 2 c bullion cube, chicken. and a bunch of water, probably more than 2 cups
"1 can" of WHOLE tomatoes. I heartily disagree with this. Who can eat a whole stewed tomato? I got one can of whole tomatoes, but when I threw it in there I realized their 1 can mean 1 GIANT can, and I threw in one of my reserve chopped tomato cans. Much better. Next time chopped tomatos all the way.
1/3 Marsala. This is WINE. I know this, but for some reason I always want it to be something else. Anyway, I found it at the liquor store where I talked to the nice man about Martini and Rossi Rosato and acorn liquer.
Chili pepper flakes. I don't know how much they called for. I used a couple of shakes. It was actually a little spicey to me, but M didn't mind. This is odd on both counts.
Rosemary, salt and pepper to taste
The recipie said to saute it and stuff. I'm not going to peel squash. So I roasted everything, tossed in oil with the rosemary and salt/pepper. Next time, I would use less cauliflower (in an ideal world, though I probably won't since M liked it so much) and probably start the squash about 20 minutes before the cauliflower. It was a little bit difficult to scoop out of the skin. Since the squash is so cooked, it shouldn't be added until right before serving. Cook the pasta in the broth with the tomatoes, wine and chili flakes, adding the cauliflower (I think this is probably somewhat more resiliant than the squash) about 5 minutes, then the squash. The squash adds a nice sweet counterpart to the spicy tartness of the broth. This does not refridgerate well (the pasta absorbs all the water, and the squash kind of dissolved). Easy A.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Cross-posted? Clearly. Unsure if I should combine the two or not.
This is highly unusual for me. First to post to my blog, like any other fool who got one and yet never did anything with it. Second to post something of a relatively personal nature. Third to actually do serious New Year Resolutions. Such is life.
I'm going to attempt to record my efforts here, which will hopefully lead to more knitterly posts. Part of the resolutions? No, but what I hope to part of a larger more positive turn around in my life.
So the resolutions themselves:
1 - Craft more. Specifically, knit one large project, and improve my crochet and tatting skills. Sewing is on the horizon. Theoretically, if I am to hold myself responsible via the blog, I will post them here.
2 - Exercise twice a week. Not because I am fat in the traditional sense (no matter how little that means) but because I am patently unhealthy. Can't walk up a flight of stairs without being winded--that's bad. Twice a week is not so much, and while I hope to improve upon that, I think that I can at the very least keep myself to twice a week.
3 - One new recipe a week; one repeat a month. Too much from my head, not enough tried and true. Repeats lead to additions to the repertoire, always good.
4 - Be more organized. This means planning meals, and keeping better track of my life.
Towards those goals:
I exercized today! Quite proud of myself, using our little apartment gym. Was on the eliptical for about 25 minutes. My heart rate was about 160 (not that I really know what that means). Burned 200 calories exactly. I hit the endorphins around minute 10.
Husband and I had the first of what should turn out to be weekly 'family planning' meetings. Right now we're attempting to cook out of the freezer. He is actually making sausagey stuff tomorrow, quite exciting. I'll be making soup from a recipe, as well as shrimp kabobs I make up (this was also supposed to be from a recipe, but I can't find anything I like). We may be going out of town Friday, so nothing planned for then or the weekend.
I'm hoping to post the shrimp thing so I can remember it. I think I shall marinate, then put a rub on, so I can have spices, but not worry about dripping in the oven. Only problem will be possibly them drying out; however, I don't really find shrimp to be well suited to the grill in any case.
This is highly unusual for me. First to post to my blog, like any other fool who got one and yet never did anything with it. Second to post something of a relatively personal nature. Third to actually do serious New Year Resolutions. Such is life.
I'm going to attempt to record my efforts here, which will hopefully lead to more knitterly posts. Part of the resolutions? No, but what I hope to part of a larger more positive turn around in my life.
So the resolutions themselves:
1 - Craft more. Specifically, knit one large project, and improve my crochet and tatting skills. Sewing is on the horizon. Theoretically, if I am to hold myself responsible via the blog, I will post them here.
2 - Exercise twice a week. Not because I am fat in the traditional sense (no matter how little that means) but because I am patently unhealthy. Can't walk up a flight of stairs without being winded--that's bad. Twice a week is not so much, and while I hope to improve upon that, I think that I can at the very least keep myself to twice a week.
3 - One new recipe a week; one repeat a month. Too much from my head, not enough tried and true. Repeats lead to additions to the repertoire, always good.
4 - Be more organized. This means planning meals, and keeping better track of my life.
Towards those goals:
I exercized today! Quite proud of myself, using our little apartment gym. Was on the eliptical for about 25 minutes. My heart rate was about 160 (not that I really know what that means). Burned 200 calories exactly. I hit the endorphins around minute 10.
Husband and I had the first of what should turn out to be weekly 'family planning' meetings. Right now we're attempting to cook out of the freezer. He is actually making sausagey stuff tomorrow, quite exciting. I'll be making soup from a recipe, as well as shrimp kabobs I make up (this was also supposed to be from a recipe, but I can't find anything I like). We may be going out of town Friday, so nothing planned for then or the weekend.
I'm hoping to post the shrimp thing so I can remember it. I think I shall marinate, then put a rub on, so I can have spices, but not worry about dripping in the oven. Only problem will be possibly them drying out; however, I don't really find shrimp to be well suited to the grill in any case.
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