My slight obsession with food in general, delivered boxes of food in particular

 

I'm not sure exactly how it started but a few months ago I subscribed to Every Plate. You probably know about these services -- clients receive each week a box of uncooked, un-prepped food that you turn into a meal for 2 or 4 people in 45 minutes or less. I love them. They are the answer to a prayer I didn't even know I had. 

How do I justify paying someone else to shop for and plan meals? It took a while but I think I have.

Then my daughter gave me a "free" box of food from Martha and Marley, and a friend gave me one for Blue Apron. Then I tried Home Chef and Hello Fresh. So for about 2-3 months we've had these dinners.

I'm in the process of cutting back to just one weekly delivery of 3 meals, which will be Every Plate. The plans are all quite similar except for price and Every Plate is the least expensive. I'm also hooked on giving away "free" boxes of food to friends and family, which the services promote heavily. 

Several friends have used these kits in the past and quit for various reasons, including not wanting to generate so much plastic waste, or not wanting to invest 30-45 minutes chopping and stirring, or simply not willing to pay someone to do what you can do yourself. 

I've justified the expense because I'm spending way less money each month by not going out to dinner or lunch with friends, the meals are so much more interesting than what I've been slapping together and flinging on the table each night, and as a bonus my husband is learning to cook! 42 years married and suddenly he's interested in cooking.

By the way, if any of my readers--all half dozen of you--want to try one of these services, let me know in a comment. I'll get your email and send you a free box (the catch is that you have to pay for shipping, $9, with your credit card so they have your billing info and consider you a client. But you can cancel after the first free box). 

23 more days until that deadbeat is out of DC and I hope he never comes back, although he's threatening to be here on Jan 6 when Pence counts the votes and declares Joe our president. It's been torture to know that he's been sleeping and eating and tweeting just 10 miles from my home. Creepy. I propose that the White House remove everything from his bedroom, fumigate, repaint, and turn it into a storage room. No human should ever sleep in the same room he slept in.

A good reminder.

"To anyone who feels like they “wasted” the time during quarantine because they didn’t write a book or learn a second language or get their bodies in shape, I have good news: Quarantine ain't over, get back inside."
Denzel Washington 7/4/20

And this looks like something I have to try:

Credit: https://leitesculinaria.com/21020/recipes-eggs-in-purgatory.html

Eggs in Purgatory

From Chef Joanne Weir, star of Plates & Places on PBS

With a can of tomatoes and a few eggs, this hearty meal is less than 30 minutes away. Some know the dish as Shakshuka but Italians call it Uova in Purgatorio, or Eggs in Purgatory, and Weir's many travels to the Boot to film her award-winning PBS series inspired her version. “We are kind of in a purgatory now,” Weir says. “This dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, served along with some focaccia or other rustic bread.” The following recipe serves two.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces of bacon, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, minced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 1/2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 4 large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano cheese
• Toasted bread or focaccia

1. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

2. Warm the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very light golden, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the minced onion and crushed red pepper and cook until the onion pieces are soft, about 7 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

5. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

6. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

7. Transfer sauce to an ovenproof baking dish, or cast-iron pan. Make 4 indentations in the sauce. Break the eggs, one at a time into a small bowl, and with the spoon, add 1 egg into each indentation.

8. Place on the top shelf of the oven and cook until the whites of the eggs are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 7 to 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.

9. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.

10. Sprinkle the cheese atop the eggs and serve immediately.

Dare me?

I'm definitely buying a dozen doughnuts; I've needed an excuse for a long time. And I will definitely make the mask. But the test is whether I'll wear it. Maybe for a walk around the pond, but what I really want to do is wear it in the grocery store.

I'll just leave this here.

My lettuce!

Small things amuse me these days. Facebook finally paid off. I saw that putting the remains of a lettuce head in water will give you a new head of lettuce. This picture was taken yesterday when the new leaves were 2 1/4 inches tall at about 3 PM. Right now (11 AM) they are 2 3/4 inches tall. I also planted lettuce seeds this year. We'll see how they do if warm weather ever comes to the DC area. Right now we've swapped weather with the PNW. Generally I'm just fine with that, hating the hot, humid DC springs and summers as I do. But come on--my seeds need the heat!

Friday

I just decided to fast today. Or at least to eat very little. So a baby-fast. I put on my "go out shopping" pants and they are too tight. Now is the time to do something. I'll report back if I succeed, or not.
Meanwhile I found this at the library. A must read! Or at least it's worth a try. Not today but soon.

Hot peppers

I grew these

So I'm going to try this recipe:

Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce with Fresh Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 pound red chili peppers use cayenne, tabasco, red jalapeno or others
• 3 tablespoons salt
• ½-1 cup white wine vinegar to your preference

Instructions

1. Roughly chop the chili peppers and add them to a pot with the salt and vinegar.
2. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Cool, then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Strain the solids out through a strainer and discard (or keep them for dehydrating – they make great seasonings).
5. Pour into bottles and use as desired.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 2 cups of sauce or so.
For storage: Vinegar affects acidity levels. Homemade sauces should be kept at 4.0 ph or below to keep longer term. If your hot sauce is not acidic enough, add more vinegar or citrus to bring the ph down. Keep in the fridge for freshness and longer keeping. You can also bottle your sauces with proper procedures.
Heat Level: Medium, though you can up the heat factor with hotter peppers.

From: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/homemade-louisiana-hot-sauce/

Question: how do you know if the sauce has a pH of 4.0?

A scene from my very uneventful life

The other night I was walking to a neighbor’s house at 11 pm to feed her cats when two dogs from another house across the street rushed over to me, in the dark, barking, and not in a friendly way. I barely know these dogs—the neighbor, Cari, is new to the neighborhood. I tried talking to the dogs but in a split second I felt the smaller dog bite my ankle. Not hard, and the skin didn’t even break. But what a shock! I yelped, I think. Cari was right behind the dogs trying to get them under control, which she did, and then profusely apologized. I laughed it off and went on my way. She didn't know the dog bit me.

I confess that it shook me up a little. I have no experience with dog bites. When I walked home 15 minutes later I was nervous and hoped the dogs—there are three of them—were back inside or at least on leashes. I told Doug about it and he was annoyed to say the least. In the 2 months she's lived here, Cari has often let her dogs off their leashes while outside her house. It's not unusual for people to do that around here since we live next to a large park.

The next day Doug ran into Cari in the park. He told her he wasn’t happy and gave her a little lecture on the dangers of unleashed dogs. He even told her that the previous owners of her house were threatened with a lawsuit after their two part-pit bulls raced off their property and into the park where they encountered someone walking a single dog. Something ugly happened but I'm not sure exactly what. We do know that there was a financial settlement. Cari assured Doug that she would be more careful in the future and he replied “you’d better be!” And then he apparently repeated it as he walked away: "you’d better be!”

Doug has a very high boiling point for anger, but once it's reached it's not usually a pretty scene. He felt sorry almost immediately and we agreed that he would apologize when he had a chance.

The next morning we found this quartet of goodies on the front porch, with a very nice note from Cari apologizing again. So both Doug and I wrote notes back to her, with thanks and more apologies. Tough way to get some chocolate but there's no bad way to get chocolate, right?

Animals. And sugar.

This Christmas card from a dear friend shows most* of the critters that roam through our property. From left: tufted titmouse (I think), cardinal, chipmunk, fawn (deer), squirrel, blue jay, raccoon, snail, fox, and another cardinal.

Speaking of deer, the Park Service is holding another hunt, or managed kill, in the park next door. The hunt happened last year too and we saw a difference -- the number of deer that sleep, roam, and give birth in our neighborhood went way down. They're still around but not nearly as many of them. Which makes you wonder why they're having the hunt again. Maybe on the theory that they must stay one step ahead of the deer because they are nearly impossible to control around here.

The article under the card about sugar was good too.

*To be complete the picture would need a groundhog, a rabbit, a cat, and a opossum. We got 'em all in our deep suburban abode.

Recipes in novels

 

I'm going to try this recipe tonight. From the novel Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Enjoying the book; plan to enjoy the eggs too.

Jazzed-up eggs

A new food addiction. Hard-boiled eggs marinated in soy sauce and sherry. No need to add salt to these babies. And they're good on a salad too. 

Korean gas station food. The best.

This is basically the entire restaurant.

Bibim bap: Korean for delicious.

Random wall.

This woman is standing in the gas station half of the building. The wall with the picture of The Ramones is the beginning of the restaurant. (I wonder what, if anything, is in focus in this picture?)

It's a tiny space that occupies what is usually devoted to car repair bays in a typical gas station at a busy intersection. There is seating for about 12 people if they are all squeezed together. A couple -- she's Korean, he's standard-issue American -- started the business in a food truck in No. Virginia and graduated to a space inside this gas station a few miles from me in Wheaton, MD. It's called Seoul Food. Nice story here.

The food was outstanding and the ambiance was fun. It's not a place to linger after eating of course -- people hovering waiting for a seat. They probably do a lot of take-out business. I loved the walls and general décor. Reminds me of my cluttered and randomly "decorated" home. I'll be going back for the food a lot!

I refuse to eat meat that is more well-traveled than I am. (Which means I really should avoid eating in most restaurants.)

I've added an addendum to my recent post about turkey-pardoning.

You are so right Mr. President. It IS puzzling.

"It is a little puzzling that I do this every year, but .... it's nice once in a while just to say, 'Happy Thanksgiving.'" About pardoning a big turkey at the White House.

Those poor teenagers. Mr. O, it's time to let them avoid this kind of thing. One reporter said there were some subtle eye-rolls, as if to say "daaaaaaad, pleeeeeeaaaase let us out of here." Another reporter said: "When asked if she wanted to pet the pardoned turkey, Malia simply said, “Nah.”

-----------------
Update: 12/2/2014: Little did I know last week that the Obama girls would inspire TurkeyGate. In case you've avoided Internet "news" lately you might not know that a lame Congressional staffer had to quit her job over a mean-spirited Facebook comment.

"Dear Sasha and Malia, I get your both in those awful teen years but you're a part of the First Family. Try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Then again, your mother and father don't respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I'm guessing you're coming up a little short in the 'good role model' department.

"Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot in a bar."

Presidential daughter in 2004, age 23. Addressing the press.

There is so much about that comment that makes me angry. First, attacking two young girls, 13 and 16. Second, assuming that they are having "awful teen years." And third, libeling their parents by saying they don't respect their jobs or their country. I predict that Fox News is already courting Eliz Lauten for a spot on their channel. She's just their type. Mean and stupid.

Marmite. I just iClicked 4.4 oz of this stuff.

I learned about Marmite a year or so ago and it's been on my to-try list ever since. Just now I ordered a jar of it. It's [from Wikipedia] "made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Other similar products include the Australian Vegemite (saltier in taste), the Swiss Cenovis and the German Vitam-R. The British version of the product is a sticky, dark brown food paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty. This distinctive taste is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: 'Love it or hate it.' "


I like anchovies. I like salt bagels. I like pickles. My weakness is The Salty rather than The Sweet. So I may love Marmite. I'm thinking on toast.

Did I need to know this?

I just finished eating this chicken for dinner. My grocery store helpfully told me about my dinner's childhood. His or her life started out on a good note: born and raised in Canada. Sounds kinda nice, right?  Then....slaughtered. Thanks for reminding me.

Lunch with my buds at the Silver Spring Diner.

We are five women who met at work in the early 90s at the National Institutes of Health. Three of us are now retired but we join up with the two still-working young ladies every month or so to have lunch, or breakfast, at the diner. Always a good time.

The last of the basil so the last of the pesto.

I make easy pesto: in my small food grinder I add leaves, pour in some olive oil, sprinkle in some salt, toss in some walnuts, and top off with shaved hard cheese. Grind a bit, and toss with pasta, fusili for example.

[Note: I don't know yet how I feel about this blogging daily thing. I sure don't have anything of much interest to say. A daily record of my activities would be a snooze-fest. "Today I put 147 books on the shelves at the library." "Today I went to the grocery store." zzzzzzz.  But I think I like the tiny bit of discipline it takes.]

This was very good. Onion, bacon, and apple tart. Or quiche.

 

I got this recipe from another blogger, Zazzy at zazamataz.com. Below is her recipe re-created in my shorthand style. For a more thoughtful and nuanced recipe see her site.

 

Make or buy a single pie crust

 

Cook bacon strips (I used about 8 for the tart shown here)

Remove bacon from pan

Saute a lot of chopped onions in the bacon fat

 

Add salt, pepper, and

1 peeled green apple cut into smallish pieces

 

After the onions and apple are nicely cooked, crumble the bacon on top, stir it up, and cool it off a bit

 

Add onions to pie crust

Whisk together 4 eggs and 1/2 cup milk (or cream)

Pour it over the onion mixture

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake in preheated (375 degree) oven for 40 minutes

 

It was especially good the next day.

 

I made my own crust using this recipe. And I par-baked the crust, as suggested by Zazzy, something I've never done before and never really knew about, although I might have guessed what it was.

 

When Doug asked what we were having for dinner and I said onion tart I don't think he knew exactly what to expect. After dinner I asked if calling it a bacon-onion quiche would have given him a better picture of what he was going to eat, and he said yes. "Tart" conjures up sweet; quiche conjures up salty. This is definitely salty, with just a hint of that sweet apple. I think you could leave out the apple and/or the bacon and it would still be good. You could even possibly leave out the cheese, or use a lot less.

 

[Bottom picture is evidence that I lack impulse control.]

Something that makes sense.

 

"Oslo — The Norwegian military said Tuesday it plans to put its troops on a vegetarian diet once a week in a bid to fight a new kind of enemy -- climate change." Full story here.


I say hooray for the depressed Norwegians. They really, really get it about what individual people can do to have even a prayer of halting this runaway train we call global warming/climate change. I fully believe that human actions -- not evil intent, just normal human progress -- is the major cause of [probably] harmful climate change. I'm part of the problem -- you don't see me giving up my car, or moving out of my too-big house, or even (yet) giving up beef. So when I see a large group of people who DO make meaningful changes I'm impressed. The Norwegians have hit upon a really simple way to make a difference. And improve their health at the same time. 

Here's a good article about the connection between beef and climate change. I'm not giving up a nice juicy steak now and then, but, inspired by the Norsemen, I hope to cut back a lot. Fair warning husband and son!

A Century of Books. The List.

 

I'm very excited about a new list I'm working on -- as of 20 minutes ago. I follow a number of book blogs, including this one, which led me to see the blogger's list entitled A Century of Books. She got the idea from this blog. I'm going to see how many years, from 1900 to 1999, I can fill in with the name of a book that I read that was published in that year. (I can word that differently, and I probably will later.) Considering that I've read quite a few George Orwell and Willa Cather and Edith Wharton novels I hope to fill in a lot of dates from the 20s and 30s. I feel sure I'll have a book to list for every year after about 1970, which is when I was out of school and could read whatever I wanted.

 

I've got a list of books read since 1984, the year my second child was born. Can't wait to get home tonight from my Dinner Group so I can fill in the blanks. (The Dinner Group is what I now call The Book Group that I joined last January and isn't really a book group at all. It's a dinner group and it feels better if I just call it that. I didn't want to be in a dinner group, I wanted to be in a book group, but I've bitched about that before and won't repeat myself too much here.) Below is what I served when it was my turn, in August, to host the Book Group, I mean the Dinner Group. Tonight we're pretending that we're getting together to discuss Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I'm almost finished and liked a lot. A whole lot, which is unusual because it's a short story collection and I thought I didn't like short story collections.

 

 

 

Post dinner report: Once again, I'm ready to quit this group. I really hate myself the morning after each dinner. I talk too much, I interrupt people, I'm overly nervous. I simply don't like myself and don't want to feel that way. I've tried to quit before but failed. Sigh.