Recipes I tried this season

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/10/persimmon-pudding/
pretty good. lots of oven time = lots of energy. maybe just make persimmon bread next time.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/best-chocolate-pudding/
Really good. instead of cream and eggs, used whole milk and cornstarch. Not too sweet.
Put it into puff pastry cups and sprinkled pomegranate seeds on top (rather than whipped cream). Would like to do with with phyllo dough cups next time.

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/galbijjim
Loosely followed a tripling of this recipe but began with wayyyy too much water. We had to cook it a long time to reduce it, but long stove time = lots of energy. Also, instead of sugar, I use honey.

In the future, I'd sautee the garlic, onion, soy sauce, and gogi before I pour water and everything.

Also, added potatoes and button mushrooms to the mix (rather than just radish and carrots) and heckkk no am I going to cut the veggies into little balls. that's lame.. and way too much work.

Taste? = great!

And then of course, tried and trues: bacon-wrapped dates. (mi favorite!)

"50 Easy Ways to Eat Green" Adapted from Bon Appetit - Feb 09 Issue

So yeah, some of them are lame / too extreme.  But it's always nice to know and pick out a few to apply.  

I bolded things that I like/do, I italicized my comments, and I grayed stuff I won't be doing.

1. Eat fair trade organic chocolate
good idea - more expensive, i'll eat less, and it'll be a treat. plus i don't like the way hershey's tastes anymore
2. Boil Once, cook twice: (ie: boil noodles, then poach shrimp/fish... toss with olive oil, tada!)
3. Fill up your freezer: uses less energy
4. Read in Defense of Food (shorter than Omni's Dilemma)
5. Eat Bison: best way to save a species is to eat it.  
???
6. Ask a farmer if they are

• certified organic
• if not, use organic practices? (b/c organic certs. are expensive/lengthy)
• if not, non-synthetic pesticides?
• if pesticides, minimal spraying?

If they answer yes to any of these questions, it means they're being conscientious.. sure.

7. Every time you peek into an oven, it loses 25-50F
8. (How to) buy a side of beef

1. Find a group to go with (about 4-6 families since a side of beef ~200lb after butchering).  Each family will get ~50lbs for about $4.50/lb
2. Make sure you have storage space - Energy star-rated chest freezer
3. Ask around at a farmer's market for a local producer or go to eatwild.com
4. Look for grass-fed beef and arrange to get it delivered to a nearby slaughterhouse
5. Choose cuts: standard side of beef breaks down to about 10 roasts, 30 steaks, and 50 lb ground.

9. cook more often 
(no shiza sherlock)
10.  Roast a whole chicken (less processing, less packaging = less waste; use left over bones to make own stock and save a can)
Don't know how much saving 1 can would do for the environment...but yeah!
11.  Use less electricity by being better with your knife - stop using a food processor 
(or go for a manual one like this; we got a pretty good one from Korea- easy salsa, easy garlic mincing)
12.  Eat alaskan wild salmon: wildpacificsalmon.com
13.savor sardines   If you want something less fishy: mybela.com
(ooh the korean in me loves me some kkongchi!)
14. Get nuts/grains from bulk bin section: less packaging/processing
15. Plant heirloom veggie garden (heirloomseeds.com)
16. Learn how to read a a label

• Product of USA (greener than global = you know where it's from)
• Local (closer the better)
• Organic (free from chemical pesticides)
• Natural (doesn't mean much: just means that no artifical ingerdients or colors)
• Free-Range (means they have "access" to outdoors, but usually overcrowded/dirty pen - not really green)
• Certified Humane Raised and Handled (super green)
• Fair Trade Certified (requires companies pay fair prices to farmers/producers who treat workers well and cultivate land sustainably) - transfairusa.org

17. Barramundi: a US-raised white fish
18. Make your own coffee

• fair-trade organic (globalexchange.org)
• Use a french press
• use a portable mug 

19. Recycle take-out containers and reuse sturdier ones 
Sometimes reusing the plastic is actually not good for you...
20. make stock with leftover veggies from veggie bin
21. Make your own cereal
22.  Join a CSA: localharvest.org/csa
(I am a part of farm fresh to you.  So far so good!)
23.  Eat American cheese!

• artisan: made in small batches w/ special attn to trad'l art of cheesemaking
• farmstead: cheese is from milk from the farmer's own flock/heard
• cheesesociety.org

24.  When buying fish, text fishphone: 30644 with word FISH followed by the name of the fish you want to buy: it tells you if the variety is good for you/world
25.  Veg out
meatless mondays, anyone?
26. Turn off lights when you leave the kitchen
see comment #9
27.  Clean with nontoxic, organic soap (jrwatkins.com)/sponges (twistclean.com)
28. Start composting
mayyyybe..... it's a loooot of work...
29. Eat grass-fed beef
mayyyybe.... i heard it actually doesn't taste that good b/c we're used to corn-fed.  I'm just limiting overall beef consumption
30. Become an urban forager (fallenfruit.org)
LOL - my parents were doing this before it was hip
31.  Eat Sustainable shrimp
32.  Eat free food
See comment #9
33.  Heritagefoodsusa.com = get on their mail list
34.  eat sustainable sushi (seafoodwatch.org)
35.  Become a locavore: eat foods that have been grown/produced near your home (100milediet.org/get-started/map)
This would suck if you didn't live in CA
36.  Bike
37.  Support your local green restaurant (eatwellguide.org)
38.  Get a stainless steel lunch box (like Bento!)
39.  Eat more tofu
(but i also heard if guys eat too much, they're estrogen levels will fly up)
40.  Don't let tea water get scalding/whistling hot: bring it only to a boil
41.  Use your dishwasher efficiently  (energy star-rated are even better)
42. Reuse plastic bags OR get a good grocery tote
43.  Mix your drinks:  Try boxed wine (threethieves.com)
44.  Take the leftovers to go
wow, you can really tell this magazine is for rich people... of COURSE you take the leftovers home!
45.  Pack a lunch
46.  Support your local winemaker
47.  Read Edible Estates: to see how to turn lawns into productive vegetable gardens
48.  Eat the greens of the plant instead of throwing them away
49.  Plan your paper use (ie use washcloths instead of paper towels)
50.  Recycle the magazine.


From this list I realized, Asians were green WAY before it was cool to be green.  Simply because we're industrious, wastenotwantnot people... who pickle EVERYTHING instead of throwing it away.

Nutella Cookies: A Hoonz Original

So, I was initially going to bake chocolate-nutella cookies... but it looked complicated and I didn't want to deal with an excess amount of ingredients.  So, i decided to go to allrecipes.com and find their hottest nutella cookie recipe and go from there!

BUT LO AND BEHOLD WHAT DO I FIND?

Really baking world?  Nobody had a simple ole nutella cookie recipe?

Thus I decided to invent my own.

I found a good peanut-butter cookie recipe, tweaked it (less sugar etc), and tada!!!!!

My own cookie recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe/62634093/Nutella-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Except, allrecipes.com is dang complicated and i can't figure out how to edit parts.

Also, I think I need a digital camera.  But i've done so well (almost a full year) without one!

sometimes i amaze myself!

actually, no, many times I amaze myself!

it *is* true that spending time making meals and sitting and eating is relaxing.
today i bought food and then made lunches for the rest of this week (lavash wraps .. not sure if i want to buy them again, sort of like.. thin rectangular tortillas.. meh)  (spring herb mix, turkey, and brie rolled up in half a lavosh sheet)

then i had 2 quarter pieces left
on one, i put brie and sliced baby tomatoes
on the other i made a little turkey nest and cracked an egg on it

ever since i saw people baking eggs on pizza, i've wanted to try a baked egg.

so i baked / broiled it... and smushed it together - and i made sure the egg wasn't runny .. just moist.
and it was good!  and the lavash wasn't dry .. yeay.

but it makes sense that i like it.  one of my fav things to eat is my dad's breakfast sandwich
which is

grilled sourdough with turkey, cheese, a fried egg, and maybe a tomato (either grilled in or freshly sliced on the side).

why am i writing about food?

I dont know.

I guess it's because I haven't made stuff in a while.



I turned into a semi-healthy college boy this summer.

once i ate carrots and hummus all day.
then once i ate string cheese and hummus.
and then i varied it up by eating kettle corn.

on the subject of kettle corn, i've been eating a LOT of kettle corn lately.
it's frustrating b/c at Trader Joe's they sell a 7 oz bag for 1.99  and then they sell 6 individual 1 oz bags for 2.99.  It's like $1 more plus 1 oz less!  Not cool.  and the reason i care is because the $2.99 is LITE.. and seeing as how i eat SO MUCH KETTLE CORN.. i should be eating the lite version.  oh well.

i also bought a buttload of blueberries, and since i don't have my natural veggie wash (the one my mom uses.. also from trader joes), i mixed lemon juice with vinegar (about 2Tb each) and poured it over my blue berries. swashed it around. then rinsed it out with water.  hopefully it works.  *shrug *

my customary top chef review

So, just watched my last episode before the final four go on to compete in Napa Valley (woot CaLiFoRnIa!)

I had mixed feelings about this year's top chef.  Basically it was a yawn; especially compared to the drama and motely crew of personalities last season (come on, i still remember their names; Jamie, Carla, Stefan, the italian guy, leah and the meathead that actually won's fling, the older lady who i LOVED but obviously my love proved fickle since i can't remember her name... the older one.. i used her skate/cauliflower puree recipe once ... man her name is on the tip of my mind.. Dinah? no.. Dionne? something a little exotic i remember.. ARIANE!)

and this season, it was boring for a few reasons.  To name the main reason, in my opinion it was way too technical.  In the past part of the appeal was that you could see why chefs went home or stayed while also nursing the secret fantasy that maybe, just maybe if you got your act together, you could also go on to star and if not win, at least give Bravo a good run for its money.  Not anymore.  The culinary chemistry and gourmet chefs are no longer an exception but the rule.  I mean we have Brian and his cocky brother (Michael! i forgot his name at first) who are both okay on the eyes, fabulous in technical skills and apparently whip it together to produce great food.  The thing is, they never mess up; if they do, it's something lame like "oops, forgot my extra garnish"... nothing quite as cataclysmic as say, a dessert not setting or all your food going bad because the refrigerator was left open (i think this was last season too. WOW season 5!  it was that wide-eyed indian girl i think).    Sure Bravo tried to milk the whole sibling rivalry thing, but whatever; if we were interested in that sort of reality show, we'd go to MTV.

Not only is there Brian and Michael, there's also Jennifer.  Perfect little Jennifer who is that girl in school that nobody likes.  The focused one, who never smiles, who says all the right things, who does all the right things, who did all the right things, and who will probably continue to do so until she smoothly slides in and wins and nods and smiles.  Lame.  Yet perfect little Jennifer did throw us a twist; when she literally CRACKED.  So glad there were so many incompetent chefs to eliminate before the judges got a chance to eliminate her.  LOVED it during this episode when Padma smiles and coolly said, "Welcome back" after the quickfire.  still, Jennifer's intense.

So not only do we have three super technically talented professionally trained chefs winning every quickfire and elimination challenge (i swear, in the beginning it was a pingpong match between the.. three), but everyone else is just... bumbling or boring.  This season seemed to say, if you have no professional training, go home - you suck!  which was pretty much the case for most of them.

Of course there were some interesting characters, and i'll get into the ones who stuck out.
Of course Mike: is cocky.. super cocky.. and annoying.. because he's so cocky.  i can totally see him as a dad.  a self-important dad of course.

then there's ooh what's that french dude.  Martel? Milan? Jacque? hahahah whatever.. He was just cute.  with zee fwench accent.  too bad he couldn't cook for beans... or beans.

and also, just most of the people were just really self-deprecating, had self esteem issues, or tried to be really gay to stand out.. lame.  Bravo should stop trying to be a platform for human-interest issues.  it's about the cooking.

I think towards the end, though, Bravo wisened up and began trying to appeal to its average majority.. through the comfortable home cooking of Kevin.. gotta love him and his beard.. and then his little bald head that makes it look like he's wearing a yarmulke.  Sort of reminds me of a dwarf!  DUDE so wanna eat his meat though..... wow.  hahaha.  poor guy; he won't win.. unless others pull booboos.  They also began focusing on Eli.  The dreamer, aspiring chef, TV watchers can all empathize with Eli. trying new things, young to the scene. whee.  Except.. peanut butter jelly .. .whatever monster concoction that was during last week's episode.. was horrific Eli ... good thing robin was still around.

Concerning Robin; was she there to appeal to the older demographic?  Because they did an awful job of making her appealing.  It was a little funny to see everyone sort of get irked by her, and i guess she is very talkative and a little too .. wannabe.  BUT again, Bravo, this is a cooking show; not MTV.. not Disney.  Come on, super petty.  I think she was kept there to be the annoying factor to add fire to a collection of dull duds.

I like Brian though.  He is just a likeable guy; especially in juxtaposition to his immature brother Michael... who probably seethes under the shadow of his perfect brother.  Brian is so ... under-spoken about his talents, he's just very methodological, kind, has a sense of morals, humble.. he's a bore.  I'm surprised he became a chef.  but he's pretty dang good at it!  and it's a fresh of breath air.. whoa there, breath of fresh air, to see a nice human being on TV.  Poor Michael.  Michael is a normal human being... and it must suck to not measure up to your older brother.  Michael - you're a great chef too.  Just stop acting spoiled or cocky.. but I guess that's applauded on Tv.. since you're sticking to your guns.  Then in that case, stick to your guns.. not that you'd care about my blog post anyway...


Final comments:  on the judges; every year I feel a  pang of symapthy for the other girl judge.. the one who's not padma.... because HONESTLY, you know people are comparing you two, and Padma's beautiful. HA that's my sick, superficial side coming out.  see i dont even know her name.  if i didnt know any of the names it would be the bald judge, the hot judge, and the not as pretty judge. hahah actually no, it would be Tom, Padma and the other one. HAHAHAHAHA

And Toby isn't so caustic this year... glad that he left his weirdo analogies for.. whatever, not the dinner table.


In closing, the final four has been decided!  You know, last season, the ending was pretty anticlimactic; and boy did i not like the winner.. and you know what's funny, nobody even sees him around anymore.  ANYWAY it was kinda sad to see Eli go.. since Eli was pretty chills... but meh, didn't care much for him or anything..   ultimately despite the length of this rambling post, i didn't care much for most of them, really.  i don't even remember half the ones who left.

the chefs in that stupid little top chef alumni reunion special they had (instead of a cooking episode that i wanted to see!) left more of an impression on me than this whole season.  well, i'll always be interested in Jennifer's food........


Also location this season was pretty sweet.  Las Vegas .. then Napa Valley? wooo!!  The money themes were pretty crazy and man, M Resort was just showering the chefs with money.



I still haven't gotten to eat at Jamie's restaurant, Absinthe.