Wednesday, January 20, 2010
My friends rule.
The planets must be aligned in a cosmically artistic way cause I have received or found so very many rad recordings, it rules! Its nice to be excited about new music again. And tomorrow night Annie's solo show with Grant Hart and Daily Void, Daylight Robbery, and the Krunchies live. More about all that and my mother-in-laws homemade ravioli and chocolate hazelnut crostada to follow soon (with pictures).
Monday, January 18, 2010
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup
Lifted directly from vegan with a vengeance, this recipe is good for you, it has protein and fiber and garlic-y goodness so you must ruin it with some yeasty bread covered in melted cheese.
I was listening to the Brown Sugar Deportation EP, Daylight Robbery LP and Wormsblood- Mastery of Creation rec when making this. Sadie and Willie (our puppies) got so pissed cause of the barking dogs on "of a mourning phase unstirred", sorry guys :(
1.
Roast two bulbs of garlic while doing the rest- Peel away as much of the skin as possible with out breaking the bulb apart, throw in a 350 degree oven, just on the rack, and cook for 20-30 minutes
2.
Chop one medium onion ( I prefer a sweet onion in this) and saute in 2 tblsp of olive oil for 5 mins until translucent. Add 1 tsp salt, black pepper to taste and 1/2 tsp of crushed fennel seeds. I have a motar and pestle but you can crush the seed with the bottom of a glass on a paper towel, just be careful not to break the glass. fancy pants can put the seeds in a coffee grinder but I am too lazy for all that. add to the onion and saute for at least a minute but not too long
3.
Add 4 c veggie stock. I like the whole food 365 brand just fine but you can also use 4 c water and 2 good veggie bullion cubes (i used Knorr tonight),
3 cups of cooked or canned great white northern beans,
chopped fresh sage leaves
one bay leaf
bring all to a boil then turn down heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 5 mins. Take out the bay leaf.
4.
Squeeze all the roasted cloves of garlic into the pot (watch for the skins. i squeeze them out in a little bowl or on to the cutting board first then put them in). Remove from heat.
5.
Puree. There are a few ways to do this.
Blender- do it in small batches, if you fill it too high, the steam from the soup will pop the lid off and you will have a big mess to deal with.
Food processor- fine but I hate cleaning up all the parts.
BEST Hand held blender- you can just submerge this into the pot just be careful not to blow the soup out of the pot and burn yourself. These are super cheap, you can find them at the thirft store too, I think they are one of my favor goofy kitchen tools since i like making soup a lot.
6. Add juice of half a lemon- I got a little juicer on clearance one day in my travels but you can just stick a fork into the lemon and ring out all the juice, just try to catch all the seeds, they aren't so good in the soup...
STIR AND EAT!!!
Banana Apple Chocolate Chip Bread
Listening to:
Pig Heart Transplant- Collaboration, Deer Healer Singles Series, Hope You Enjoy Heaven and Psychological Head Trauma
Preferred Utensils for the job - Metal mixing bowls, wooden spoon, pairing knife, regular old fork, regular old butter knife, metal loaf pan (dark glass is ok but metal is better)
1.
Pre-heat oven to 350
2.
One Stick butter or vegan margarine softened (stick the stick on the oven top while it pre-heats)
3/4 c. sugar (I use brown but regular granulated, brown rice syrup or maple syrup can be used)
1 egg or egg replacer or 1/4 c or less apple sauce or vegan yogurt (egg replacer makes it more bread-y, apple sauce and yougurt more cake-y)
-MIX UNTIL BUTTER IS CREAMED-
3.
One apple, peeled cored and chopped into small small pieces- if you used apple sauce above, skip this
Two ripe banana's mashed (do this in its own bowl with the fork then add to the rest
-ADD TO 1
4.
Sift in the following into mix
2.c whole wheat pastry flour (use whatever kind of flour you want but this is the best- also, to keep the meal worms out of your flour throw it in the freezer as soon as you get home from the grocery store and leave it overnight at least! i leave it in there to keep it fresh)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon or whatever spices you like (cinnamon goes well with chocolate though)
If you don't have a fancy sifter, use the mesh stainer you may have for washing fruit, draining pasta, etc
*The mix should be fairly dry so it will have a bread like consistency instead of being really moist like a cake. If you feel it is too dry, add a smidge of vanilla and or milk or soy milk. One recipe I saw called for buttermilk even! Yikes I don't suggest that!
5. fold in 1/2 c chocolate chips (I only like semi sweet or vegan ones but knock your self out with milk chocolate or whatever other types you like) DONT OVERWHELM IT WITH CHOCOLATE.
6. Transfer mix to a greased pan and bake for 45 minutes and insert a butter knife. If you see batter keep cooking 5-15 more minutes depending on your oven, if you only see chocolate take it out, let it cool and eat!
If you are impatient like bryan and i, you will cut it as soon as it comes out of the over, burn your fingers but enjoy the gooey deliciousness of the melted chocolate chips but you may need a fork and plate.
If you are smart and have self control, you will let it cool for 15 minutes, run your knife along the outer edges and turnover on to a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil tap lightly and save until you are ready to eat it.
Also freezing or refrigerating half for later is a good idea if you are tempted to eat the whole loaf!
Pig Heart Transplant- Collaboration, Deer Healer Singles Series, Hope You Enjoy Heaven and Psychological Head Trauma
Preferred Utensils for the job - Metal mixing bowls, wooden spoon, pairing knife, regular old fork, regular old butter knife, metal loaf pan (dark glass is ok but metal is better)
1.
Pre-heat oven to 350
2.
One Stick butter or vegan margarine softened (stick the stick on the oven top while it pre-heats)
3/4 c. sugar (I use brown but regular granulated, brown rice syrup or maple syrup can be used)
1 egg or egg replacer or 1/4 c or less apple sauce or vegan yogurt (egg replacer makes it more bread-y, apple sauce and yougurt more cake-y)
-MIX UNTIL BUTTER IS CREAMED-
3.
One apple, peeled cored and chopped into small small pieces- if you used apple sauce above, skip this
Two ripe banana's mashed (do this in its own bowl with the fork then add to the rest
-ADD TO 1
4.
Sift in the following into mix
2.c whole wheat pastry flour (use whatever kind of flour you want but this is the best- also, to keep the meal worms out of your flour throw it in the freezer as soon as you get home from the grocery store and leave it overnight at least! i leave it in there to keep it fresh)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon or whatever spices you like (cinnamon goes well with chocolate though)
If you don't have a fancy sifter, use the mesh stainer you may have for washing fruit, draining pasta, etc
*The mix should be fairly dry so it will have a bread like consistency instead of being really moist like a cake. If you feel it is too dry, add a smidge of vanilla and or milk or soy milk. One recipe I saw called for buttermilk even! Yikes I don't suggest that!
5. fold in 1/2 c chocolate chips (I only like semi sweet or vegan ones but knock your self out with milk chocolate or whatever other types you like) DONT OVERWHELM IT WITH CHOCOLATE.
6. Transfer mix to a greased pan and bake for 45 minutes and insert a butter knife. If you see batter keep cooking 5-15 more minutes depending on your oven, if you only see chocolate take it out, let it cool and eat!
If you are impatient like bryan and i, you will cut it as soon as it comes out of the over, burn your fingers but enjoy the gooey deliciousness of the melted chocolate chips but you may need a fork and plate.
If you are smart and have self control, you will let it cool for 15 minutes, run your knife along the outer edges and turnover on to a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil tap lightly and save until you are ready to eat it.
Also freezing or refrigerating half for later is a good idea if you are tempted to eat the whole loaf!
Food
I love to eat, I also love to cook, however, I am often lazy and order take out, delivery and everything else in between. Just a few weeks ago I ate a dinner that consisted of kefaltori cheese, fig spread and whole wheat crackers, and a bag of microwaved pop corn. That is terrible. I don't suggest it, nor relying on your microwave, those things aren't good for you or your food.
People who know me know that we host a lot of our out of town friends and on any given weekend we may have any where between 3 and 12 people staying with us. I like to cook for them as much as possible. Particularly our friends bands on tour because lets face it, you aren't always getting the best food when traveling and you don't always have $$ to spend eating out. Anyway, I will post recipes, some I made up, some I stole. All will be delicious...
I almost always cook and listen to music so I will include my listening selections for each dish along with nerdy facts about the things I cook. Although I am no longer a vegetarian, I was for 15 years so you will see a lot of veg dishes and I will include vegan and vegetarian tips as often as possible. I did some recipe testing for a well know vegetarian cook book author so I know a few tricks of the trade.
Here are the three cook books I am currently in love with and stealing from:
Vegan with a Vengeance (always and forever)- Isa Chandra Moskowitz - undisputed queen of vegan cuisine - cheap, easy, delicious and informative, this book is a must have for any veg cook no matter how seasoned or novice
Super Duper Soups- Michael Van Staten - most delicious soups I have ever made, hands down in here
I Like You-Amy Sedaris- creative, hilarious and so far every single thing I made from this book is scrumptious...
NOTE- Use your imagination with these recipes and make your own delicious variation.
NOTE2- Whole Foods - a lot of people believe that butter is bad, avocados are fattening and salt and sugar will kill you. All of these things are true if you overdo it but whole foods in moderation are still way better for you than partially hydrogenated synthetic man made food and they taste better too...
People who know me know that we host a lot of our out of town friends and on any given weekend we may have any where between 3 and 12 people staying with us. I like to cook for them as much as possible. Particularly our friends bands on tour because lets face it, you aren't always getting the best food when traveling and you don't always have $$ to spend eating out. Anyway, I will post recipes, some I made up, some I stole. All will be delicious...
I almost always cook and listen to music so I will include my listening selections for each dish along with nerdy facts about the things I cook. Although I am no longer a vegetarian, I was for 15 years so you will see a lot of veg dishes and I will include vegan and vegetarian tips as often as possible. I did some recipe testing for a well know vegetarian cook book author so I know a few tricks of the trade.
Here are the three cook books I am currently in love with and stealing from:
Vegan with a Vengeance (always and forever)- Isa Chandra Moskowitz - undisputed queen of vegan cuisine - cheap, easy, delicious and informative, this book is a must have for any veg cook no matter how seasoned or novice
Super Duper Soups- Michael Van Staten - most delicious soups I have ever made, hands down in here
I Like You-Amy Sedaris- creative, hilarious and so far every single thing I made from this book is scrumptious...
NOTE- Use your imagination with these recipes and make your own delicious variation.
NOTE2- Whole Foods - a lot of people believe that butter is bad, avocados are fattening and salt and sugar will kill you. All of these things are true if you overdo it but whole foods in moderation are still way better for you than partially hydrogenated synthetic man made food and they taste better too...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
First post - January 7, 2009
A few recent events made me happy and nostalgic in the best possible ways so I am now entering the blog-o-sphere to tell you about them.
First an elementary school "friend" on facebook posted an old class picture. My classmates reminisced about our 6th grade teacher who was the greatest apparently. The only thing I remember was him dumping my desk over when I couldn't find an assignment much to the amusement of the whole class. Thanks for all the positive reinforcement buddy.
The facebook posts loving remembered lessons learned. THE ONLY FUCKING THING I LEARNED FROM THAT GUY WAS TO FLY AS FAR UNDER THE RADAR AS POSSIBLE. Despite my initial pissed off "fuck that shit" reaction, this reminded me in a very special way, that I never had my shit together and always had a hard time doing what I was told.
Some time shortly thereafter, Bryan was watching this on You Tube "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcL8IVRrk4c". Please watch it.
What do these have to do with each other? Probably nothing, Fenriz's bit is just super sweet in the cutest possible way. For some reason it reminded me of going home from school and listening to records and tapes which was certainly the best part of the day for me. Music always made everything better, even if only in my head for 3 1/2 minutes. It was totally amazing for my 12 year old self to listen to "evening star" by Judas Priest over and over again and watch the sunset over the love canal.
How did a little girl from who lived on a little island in the niagara river find herself listening to Judas Priest? Just like everything else, it was my brothers fault. My brother and I were little assholes who got picked on and picked back. I don't know how my brother started listening to metal but I'm thankful as nothing else would have provided such a good sound track for our maladjusted, cantankerous adolescence.
On Friday nights, we always tuned in for "the Metal Shop" on some rocknroll radio station in Buffalo. We had our shitty tape player ready and simultaneously listened to, recorded and wrote down all the songs and bands that played. Then we would scour the shit record store at the local mall for 45s and LPs (thats what we used to call 7" and 12"). Once, right after christmas, my family went out shopping so my brother and I could spend our christmas loot and return ill fitting clothes. We begged my parents to take us to the metal record store in the big city of Buffalo that was always advertised on the "metal shop". That was the first real record store I ever went to and I was totally overwhelmed. My poor parents cringed I'm sure as we flipped through all the records with vile covers but that was the best ever. I am pretty sure we left with what was the first motorhead record I ever saw, which in a six degrees of separation kind of way, led me to punk.
I decided to name my blog the first song that came up on my IPOD but "Remembering part 2" seemed a bit premature and "Gimmie Some Head" a bit misleading so I went with song #3 being "My Companion" by the shaggs, pretty apropos. Turns out the third time IS the charm. Even though my companion has taken many forms over the years, shitty little am/fm radio, boombox, walkman, discman and now IPOD, "no matter where I am or what I do, my companion is always there too".
Currently listening to: Saccharine Trust- Surviving You Always
First an elementary school "friend" on facebook posted an old class picture. My classmates reminisced about our 6th grade teacher who was the greatest apparently. The only thing I remember was him dumping my desk over when I couldn't find an assignment much to the amusement of the whole class. Thanks for all the positive reinforcement buddy.
The facebook posts loving remembered lessons learned. THE ONLY FUCKING THING I LEARNED FROM THAT GUY WAS TO FLY AS FAR UNDER THE RADAR AS POSSIBLE. Despite my initial pissed off "fuck that shit" reaction, this reminded me in a very special way, that I never had my shit together and always had a hard time doing what I was told.
Some time shortly thereafter, Bryan was watching this on You Tube "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcL8IVRrk4c". Please watch it.
What do these have to do with each other? Probably nothing, Fenriz's bit is just super sweet in the cutest possible way. For some reason it reminded me of going home from school and listening to records and tapes which was certainly the best part of the day for me. Music always made everything better, even if only in my head for 3 1/2 minutes. It was totally amazing for my 12 year old self to listen to "evening star" by Judas Priest over and over again and watch the sunset over the love canal.
How did a little girl from who lived on a little island in the niagara river find herself listening to Judas Priest? Just like everything else, it was my brothers fault. My brother and I were little assholes who got picked on and picked back. I don't know how my brother started listening to metal but I'm thankful as nothing else would have provided such a good sound track for our maladjusted, cantankerous adolescence.
On Friday nights, we always tuned in for "the Metal Shop" on some rocknroll radio station in Buffalo. We had our shitty tape player ready and simultaneously listened to, recorded and wrote down all the songs and bands that played. Then we would scour the shit record store at the local mall for 45s and LPs (thats what we used to call 7" and 12"). Once, right after christmas, my family went out shopping so my brother and I could spend our christmas loot and return ill fitting clothes. We begged my parents to take us to the metal record store in the big city of Buffalo that was always advertised on the "metal shop". That was the first real record store I ever went to and I was totally overwhelmed. My poor parents cringed I'm sure as we flipped through all the records with vile covers but that was the best ever. I am pretty sure we left with what was the first motorhead record I ever saw, which in a six degrees of separation kind of way, led me to punk.
I decided to name my blog the first song that came up on my IPOD but "Remembering part 2" seemed a bit premature and "Gimmie Some Head" a bit misleading so I went with song #3 being "My Companion" by the shaggs, pretty apropos. Turns out the third time IS the charm. Even though my companion has taken many forms over the years, shitty little am/fm radio, boombox, walkman, discman and now IPOD, "no matter where I am or what I do, my companion is always there too".
Currently listening to: Saccharine Trust- Surviving You Always
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