I made polenta again with the recipe I listed below, and this time stirred in the kernels cut from two ears of white corn. I heated it just till the kernels were warmed through. It was delicious.
Other than that, I ate a bunch of terrible food at the Pride parade:
A Hungarian langos (which Dad and Patty will be very excited to hear about)--freshly fried bread dough, hot and crisp on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside, brushed with garlic oil, spread with sour cream and sprinkled with grated cheese, something firm, maybe Gruyere? $4.
A black cherry drop--black cherry Smirnoff and sour mix. They carded, but there was not enough alcohol in it to get even me tipsy. $5.
A vegetarian corn dog with lots of ketchup.
A cup of black coffee with sugar in it at Cafe do Brasil, where I also beat Kenny at pool while waiting for his friend to call us (I left early, around 6, after waiting with him for a couple of hours, and he came back an hour later--she never showed).
I saw a lot of very Pride kinds of things. Many shirtless men, and a few pantsless ones as well. Amazingly good dancers wearing camouflage pants and nothing else. A big naked hairy bear getting spanked in Leather Alley by a bored-looking professional spanker guy. I also had a three-minute chair massage and was handed about ten Asian-American lesbian event fliers in the space of two minutes in the API alley, which made me feel curiously included--I had been ignored, flier-wise, through pretty much the whole parade, and then I was suddenly mobbed.
It makes me so happy that an event like this exists!
Also, I went to Caitlin's birthday at Solstice after work on Friday, and had a delicious raspberry mojito and some delicious french fries, and played with a dog, and had a generally good time hanging out with nice work folks. Afterwards I went to Chaim's alien-themed party, and had a wonderful time drinking, dancing, and trying to be witty and charming. Well, wonderful until everyone got their crap stolen from downstairs, which was really totally horrible. On Saturday I lay around and reread Fire and Hemlock and did my laundry, and then Kenny and I went to go see Land of the Dead with Martin in SF. It had the best scene ever in it: a guy getting ready to throw a grenade has his hand chopped off by a zombie, and then he falls on his hand, and then the grenade blows him up. Also, there was a lot of entrail-munching. I think that Land of the Dead would make a great film to show at management training seminars. "Lead by example! Communication is vital! Don't get distracted from your goals! With teamwork, we can conquer any obstacle! BRAAAAAAAAAAINS ARE DELICIOUS"
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
I made a cheesecake last night:
Beat two packages of Neufchatel light cream cheese with two eggs and 2/3 cup of sugar until creamy. Add a little less than a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour into a graham cracker crust and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. Let cool.
I made a nice swirly marble pattern on the top with lemon curd:
Beat 3 eggs with 1/3 cup sugar and the zest of one lemon until light-colored and foamy. Add 6 Tbsp (2/3 stick) of butter, cut into pieces, and 1/2 cup lemon juice, and heat over medium heat, whisking, until thickened. Simmer for a few more seconds, then remove from heat and let cool.
I brought the leftover lemon curd in to work today and we had it with toasted crumpets and double Devon cream from Mollie Stone's. SO GOOD!!! With a cafe au lait from Royal Ground, it made the tastiest, carbiest breakfast ever. Caitlin called it "evil good," which I guess is one step beyond "wicked good." Leah broke her diet and had some too.
Beat two packages of Neufchatel light cream cheese with two eggs and 2/3 cup of sugar until creamy. Add a little less than a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour into a graham cracker crust and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. Let cool.
I made a nice swirly marble pattern on the top with lemon curd:
Beat 3 eggs with 1/3 cup sugar and the zest of one lemon until light-colored and foamy. Add 6 Tbsp (2/3 stick) of butter, cut into pieces, and 1/2 cup lemon juice, and heat over medium heat, whisking, until thickened. Simmer for a few more seconds, then remove from heat and let cool.
I brought the leftover lemon curd in to work today and we had it with toasted crumpets and double Devon cream from Mollie Stone's. SO GOOD!!! With a cafe au lait from Royal Ground, it made the tastiest, carbiest breakfast ever. Caitlin called it "evil good," which I guess is one step beyond "wicked good." Leah broke her diet and had some too.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Also, I forgot to write that I had some nice goat cheese and mushroom pizza from Cheese Board when I went there with Casey on Saturday, and a delicious Jerusalem Falafel with my dad and Patty on Sunday, after our long hike in Tilden Park.
I also found the following rockin' tapes in my trunk:
Milli Vanilli
Wilson Phillips
Paula Abdul
The Immaculate Collection
I also found the following rockin' tapes in my trunk:
Milli Vanilli
Wilson Phillips
Paula Abdul
The Immaculate Collection
Here is a recipe for my incredibly trashy, incredibly comforting dinner last night:
Open one can of Spaghetti-Os.
Dump 1/4 tube of Gimme Lean! Ground Beef Style soy protein stuff into the Spaghetti-Os. Mash it up and stir it in with a spoon.
Nuke for 2 1/2 minutes.
Eat while watching Buffy Season 1, Episode 7 (The Witch).
Open one can of Spaghetti-Os.
Dump 1/4 tube of Gimme Lean! Ground Beef Style soy protein stuff into the Spaghetti-Os. Mash it up and stir it in with a spoon.
Nuke for 2 1/2 minutes.
Eat while watching Buffy Season 1, Episode 7 (The Witch).
Friday, June 17, 2005
Bradford and I went to Frjtz last night (http://www.frjtzfries.com) in Hayes Valley. It is such a cute little cafe--window seats and a garden in the back--and they serve you thick, crispy steak-cut fries in a paper cone in a milkshake glass. There are a million sauces. We tried the following:
* jalapeno ketchup
* caper and onion ketchup
* curry ketchup (our favorite)
* miso mayonnaise (tasted just like mayonnaise)
* honey mustard sauce
* spicy peanut yogurt sauce (tasted just like peanut butter)
I would like to go back there again. I love french fries.
* jalapeno ketchup
* caper and onion ketchup
* curry ketchup (our favorite)
* miso mayonnaise (tasted just like mayonnaise)
* honey mustard sauce
* spicy peanut yogurt sauce (tasted just like peanut butter)
I would like to go back there again. I love french fries.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Made a cabbage casserole at 10 PM, from the Savory Way cookbook:
1 stick brown butter (heat ghee/butter together till nut brown--recipe calls for 4-6 Tbsp)
1 lb. white new potatoes
salt
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (recipe calls for 2)
2 large leeks, white part only, sliced 1/4 inch thick (recipe calls for 3)
2 pinches red pepper flakes
one head green cabbage (recipe calls for 1.5-2 lbs)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 lb. smoked fontina cheese, sliced (recipe calls for Taleggio)
Make the brown butter.
Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/2" chunks, then boil in salted water for 8 minutes and drain.
Heat half the brown butter in a skillet and add the sage, leeks, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to cover the bottom of the pan. Stew over medium-low heat until the leeks are soft. Add the cabbage in batches and wilt it over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally. Cook until the cabbage is tender.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cabbage mixture with the potatoes, salt and pepper, the rest of the brown butter, and the Parmesan cheese. Layer cabbage in a casserole dish with slices of cheese and bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and vegetables are hot.
Yum!
1 stick brown butter (heat ghee/butter together till nut brown--recipe calls for 4-6 Tbsp)
1 lb. white new potatoes
salt
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (recipe calls for 2)
2 large leeks, white part only, sliced 1/4 inch thick (recipe calls for 3)
2 pinches red pepper flakes
one head green cabbage (recipe calls for 1.5-2 lbs)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 lb. smoked fontina cheese, sliced (recipe calls for Taleggio)
Make the brown butter.
Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/2" chunks, then boil in salted water for 8 minutes and drain.
Heat half the brown butter in a skillet and add the sage, leeks, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to cover the bottom of the pan. Stew over medium-low heat until the leeks are soft. Add the cabbage in batches and wilt it over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally. Cook until the cabbage is tender.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cabbage mixture with the potatoes, salt and pepper, the rest of the brown butter, and the Parmesan cheese. Layer cabbage in a casserole dish with slices of cheese and bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and vegetables are hot.
Yum!
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Friday night mostly liquid dinner:
Margaritas and nachos at Leticia's with Marc/Kai/Caitlin/Martin.
Newcastle Pale Ale at the Emiliana Torrini show at Slim's with Martin. I would like a miniature, awkward, funny, adorable Emiliana Torrini to keep on a shelf in my living room, alongside my copy of Pikmin. I bought her CD instead, but it's not the same--she could be any Jane Sigridssensdottir off the streets of Reykjavik singing breathy, quirky little songs. Maybe it will grow on me once I listen to it a few more times.
(No food here: but ran into Bryan at Butter, the white trash club, where he was escorting his friend to a Livejournal date and was very surprised to see me and I would have been surprised to see me there too; hung out with him for a bit but did not partake of the jello shots served from the trailer in the back. There was loud thumping music and a video of breakdancers on the wall.)
A long circuitous walk around San Francisco eventually led us to Sparky's Diner, where the jukebox ate several quarters' worth of songs (we were cheated of La Isla Bonita but did get to hear Oh! Get me away from here, I'm dying) and I had a very enjoyable plate of scrambled eggs, highly spiced soy sausage patties (definitely not Morningstar), and crispy hash browns with green onions. I like breakfast food in the late late nights, and it was a nice change from Denny's.
The next morning, Rahul and I went to Ann's Soup Kitchen and I had the most delicious breakfast potatoes in the East Bay--fried till they have a golden, crunchy crust a quarter of an inch thick. We also walked for about five or six hours while Rahul's broken bike wheel was being fixed (took an hour out of that to go ice skating) and ran into his friend Paul from the Transportation Library and discussed Rowbikes.
I ate some more lentils and rice for dinner, and yogurt covered blueberries, and potato chips, and watched a few hours of The Office.
Also, I canceled my subscription to The Box.
Margaritas and nachos at Leticia's with Marc/Kai/Caitlin/Martin.
Newcastle Pale Ale at the Emiliana Torrini show at Slim's with Martin. I would like a miniature, awkward, funny, adorable Emiliana Torrini to keep on a shelf in my living room, alongside my copy of Pikmin. I bought her CD instead, but it's not the same--she could be any Jane Sigridssensdottir off the streets of Reykjavik singing breathy, quirky little songs. Maybe it will grow on me once I listen to it a few more times.
(No food here: but ran into Bryan at Butter, the white trash club, where he was escorting his friend to a Livejournal date and was very surprised to see me and I would have been surprised to see me there too; hung out with him for a bit but did not partake of the jello shots served from the trailer in the back. There was loud thumping music and a video of breakdancers on the wall.)
A long circuitous walk around San Francisco eventually led us to Sparky's Diner, where the jukebox ate several quarters' worth of songs (we were cheated of La Isla Bonita but did get to hear Oh! Get me away from here, I'm dying) and I had a very enjoyable plate of scrambled eggs, highly spiced soy sausage patties (definitely not Morningstar), and crispy hash browns with green onions. I like breakfast food in the late late nights, and it was a nice change from Denny's.
The next morning, Rahul and I went to Ann's Soup Kitchen and I had the most delicious breakfast potatoes in the East Bay--fried till they have a golden, crunchy crust a quarter of an inch thick. We also walked for about five or six hours while Rahul's broken bike wheel was being fixed (took an hour out of that to go ice skating) and ran into his friend Paul from the Transportation Library and discussed Rowbikes.
I ate some more lentils and rice for dinner, and yogurt covered blueberries, and potato chips, and watched a few hours of The Office.
Also, I canceled my subscription to The Box.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Lovely lemon dessert
Marion Cunningham
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Printable Version
Email This Article
In the old days, every kitchen had a soup pot simmering on the back of the stove. That's not always practical with today's fast-paced lifestyles, but we can still attempt to create the kitchen-centered home that the simmering pot encouraged.
In that long-ago era of sharing meals with others every day, no one would leave the dinner table until dessert was served. In fact, the first question children and other family members would ask as dinnertime neared was, "What's for dessert?" Lack of a sweet finale could cause tears of outrage.
Homemade desserts like lemon pudding cake, one of my childhood favorites, don't have to be difficult. It takes little time to prepare and uses everyday ingredients, yet the results are as comforting as that simmering pot of soup on the stove. This is just the sort of recipe that I hope can inspire you to keep sharing the joys of eating together at home with your family and friends today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lemon pudding cake
This is an old favorite of mine from days past, and a lovely light dessert. All the ingredients are mixed in one bowl, but something magic happens in the oven: The batter separates into two layers, a creamy lemon pudding on the bottom, a light sponge cake on top.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
Whipped cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or an 8-inch square baking pan. Get out a slightly larger pan, at least 2 inches deep, that will hold the cake pan comfortably.
Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the salt and flour in a mixing bowl; stir to blend. Add the melted butter, lemon juice and zest and the egg yolks; stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in the milk.
Beat the egg whites in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until they are stiff but not dry. Fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Set the dish in the larger pan and pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
Serve warm or chilled, topped with whipped cream, if desired.
Serves 6
PER SERVING: 295 calories, 6 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 135 mg cholesterol, 187 mg sodium, 0 fiber.
Marion Cunningham, Bay Area cooking teacher and author of "The Fannie Famer Cookbook," among others, will publish her new "Lost Recipes" cookbook later this year.
lemon pudding cake recipe from the chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/01/22/FD161368.DTL
Marion Cunningham
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Printable Version
Email This Article
In the old days, every kitchen had a soup pot simmering on the back of the stove. That's not always practical with today's fast-paced lifestyles, but we can still attempt to create the kitchen-centered home that the simmering pot encouraged.
In that long-ago era of sharing meals with others every day, no one would leave the dinner table until dessert was served. In fact, the first question children and other family members would ask as dinnertime neared was, "What's for dessert?" Lack of a sweet finale could cause tears of outrage.
Homemade desserts like lemon pudding cake, one of my childhood favorites, don't have to be difficult. It takes little time to prepare and uses everyday ingredients, yet the results are as comforting as that simmering pot of soup on the stove. This is just the sort of recipe that I hope can inspire you to keep sharing the joys of eating together at home with your family and friends today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lemon pudding cake
This is an old favorite of mine from days past, and a lovely light dessert. All the ingredients are mixed in one bowl, but something magic happens in the oven: The batter separates into two layers, a creamy lemon pudding on the bottom, a light sponge cake on top.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
Whipped cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or an 8-inch square baking pan. Get out a slightly larger pan, at least 2 inches deep, that will hold the cake pan comfortably.
Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the salt and flour in a mixing bowl; stir to blend. Add the melted butter, lemon juice and zest and the egg yolks; stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in the milk.
Beat the egg whites in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until they are stiff but not dry. Fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Set the dish in the larger pan and pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
Serve warm or chilled, topped with whipped cream, if desired.
Serves 6
PER SERVING: 295 calories, 6 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 135 mg cholesterol, 187 mg sodium, 0 fiber.
Marion Cunningham, Bay Area cooking teacher and author of "The Fannie Famer Cookbook," among others, will publish her new "Lost Recipes" cookbook later this year.
lemon pudding cake recipe from the chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/01/22/FD161368.DTL
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Made bean dip:
2 fresh Box avocados mashed into guacamole with 1/2 lemon, salt, cilantro from the yard.
1 can refried black beans
1/4 cup? Victoria salsa
Sliced almond "mozzarella" cheese on top
Microwaved for 6 minutes to warm and melt everything
It was OK. Kyle makes it better.
Made basmati rice.
Made some delicious lentils:
Heated to a simmer over medium heat:
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup or so of water
Meanwhile, fried in another pan:
1 chopped red onion
1 head of young garlic, chopped
1 tsp. chopped ginger
Black mustard seeds
Turmeric
Cumin
2 dried red chili peppers.
Dumped Pan 1 into Pan 2 and simmered till the lentils turned into a mush. Added a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce and some salt. Took off the heat and added the juice of 1/2 lemon and a generous handful of chopped coriander.
Also, polenta:
3 cups milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp butter
1 broth cube
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
pepper
Bring milk, butter, spices to a boil, then pour in cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and keep stirring over low heat for about 10 minutes, until thickened and pulling away from sides of pan.
2 fresh Box avocados mashed into guacamole with 1/2 lemon, salt, cilantro from the yard.
1 can refried black beans
1/4 cup? Victoria salsa
Sliced almond "mozzarella" cheese on top
Microwaved for 6 minutes to warm and melt everything
It was OK. Kyle makes it better.
Made basmati rice.
Made some delicious lentils:
Heated to a simmer over medium heat:
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup or so of water
Meanwhile, fried in another pan:
1 chopped red onion
1 head of young garlic, chopped
1 tsp. chopped ginger
Black mustard seeds
Turmeric
Cumin
2 dried red chili peppers.
Dumped Pan 1 into Pan 2 and simmered till the lentils turned into a mush. Added a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce and some salt. Took off the heat and added the juice of 1/2 lemon and a generous handful of chopped coriander.
Also, polenta:
3 cups milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp butter
1 broth cube
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
pepper
Bring milk, butter, spices to a boil, then pour in cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and keep stirring over low heat for about 10 minutes, until thickened and pulling away from sides of pan.