Rigatoni and "Meat" Sauce

Update: Over the past year or two I have been learning a lot about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply that is concerning to me. Therefore, I can no longer support companies, such as Morningstar (owns Worthington and Loma Linda), that openly admit to using GMO ingredients in their products. I am currently looking for suitable substitutes to use in recipes like the one below. For more information on GMOs and alternatives to purchase, please check out Non-GMO Project.  

This is a super hearty sauce made using the marinara sauce recipe found here and some imitation burger. Of course, you meat-eaters could substitute real beef I suppose. However, I am not responsible for the results if it doesn't work! I don't claim to know anything about that stuff. Most die-hard meat-eaters usually vehemently deny this, but I dare say they couldn't tell the difference if they didn't know it was veggie-burger...At least, that's what I hear from the honest ones : )  


Ingredients:

•  1 batch marinara sauce (link to recipe above)
•  1 lb equivalent of the veggie-burger of your choice, such as Morningstar Griller Crumbles, Worthington brand burger, etc
• 2+ tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
• salt and pepper
• rigatoni pasta

When the sauce is about done (or if made previously, just heat it up), heat a bit of oil in a skillet and then add the burger. Season with some salt and pepper and cook for about 10-12 minutes over medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and mix in.  If you are opposed to using this due to the anchovies (doesn't bother me), maybe use some balsamic vinegar instead and add it to the sauce directly. Then it would be vegan as well. 

Add the burger to the pot with the simmering sauce and mix together well. Let this simmer for a few more minutes. Taste to see if you would like to add a little more Worcestershire sauce. I usually add a splash or two more. 

Oh, and at some point you want to cook some pasta. Save a little water to mix with the sauce. I strongly recommend using rigatoni. The big, thick noodles work really well with the meaty, thick sauces. Cook the amount of pasta you need according to how many you're serving and add enough sauce to generously cover the pasta. You can save leftover sauce in the freezer.

Grate some parmesan or asiago cheese over the top if you want. If you had sauce already made like I did, this makes for a simple, quick, and hearty meal. This sauce would probably make great "meat" lasagne as well!

Eggplant Parmesan and Marinara Sauce

This is something I haven't made in ages. I have no idea why considering how good it is. Perhaps it was my hips begging me not to...Anyway, we had some friends over for dinner Friday night and so I decided to make it for them. Sorry hips. Good thing we have a dog now to inspire us to run. Well, I run. He causally trots along beside me. Show-off. 


I'll put two recipes here: one for marinara sauce and one for the eggplant. The marinara sauce is a slightly modified version of the Giada De Laurentiis recipe from her Everyday Italian cookbook. I used her basic recipe and added more garlic (only two cloves just didn't seem right), the sherry, and the basil. I like to double the recipe below and freeze it. It's nice to have some ready to go for other things. I'll be using it again later this week. 

Ingredients for Marinara Sauce: 

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced fine
• 2 celery stalks, diced fine
• 2 carrots, diced fine
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped 
• splash or two of very dry sherry or dry white wine (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste 

Heat the oil in a large pot or sauce pan over med-high heat. When oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes at least until the vegetables are tender. 


Now add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and basil and stir together with the vegetables. Add the sherry if want (thanks for the tip Grandma Betty!) and mix in. Season with more salt and pepper. Let this simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.  Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan: 

• 2 eggplants, sliced into thin rounds (serves about 6 actually, so if you're just cooking for two, 1 eggplant is more than enough)
• Italian bread crumbs
• flour
• 2 eggs
• block of Parmesan cheese
• ball of fresh mozzarella cheese 

Prepare 3 bowls: one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with bread crumbs. Grate a generous amount of the Parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs. Use the finest grater you have.  First coat the eggplant slices in the flour and shake off the excess. Next dip them in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. 


Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. When oil is good and hot, start frying the eggplant. Make sure each side is nicely brown. 


While the eggplant is frying, cover a baking sheet with foil. Line the eggplant slices on the baking sheet and dot with the fresh mozzarella cheese. Use a little, or a lot, depending on how cheesy you like things. Then grate more Parmesan cheese over the top. Put under the broiler until the cheese begins to bubble and brown. 

I don't top these with sauce until plated and ready to serve. Personally, I really don't like soggy eggplant. I grate a little more Parmesan over the top. You could really serve this with whatever - roasted potatoes, a vegetable, salad, etc. I made it simple and served it with some angel hair pasta with the marinara sauce. 


Enjoy and tell your hips to be quiet for awhile. You'll run tomorrow.

Zucchini, Grape Tomato, and Artichoke French Bread Pizza

Whew. Long title. But what essential ingredient could I not give credit to? Just French-Bread Pizza doesn't cut it. It could go in so many directions. I like to know what to expect. For example, no raw onions sneakily hidden under my cheese...Dad, you know of what I speak. 

Nope, still not over that minor trauma.

 Speaking of raw onions, some things you will likely never see in my recipes unless I've gone mad: raw onion, mushrooms, nuts of any kind except maybe pistachios, and the biggest offender of them all, shredded coconut. It's vile, truly and completely. If you happen to like these things - no offense, insert them into the recipes as you see fit. I'll still like you, even if you're a little weird.   

 Now that that's off my chest, on to the pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 multi-grain (recommended) or white baguette 
• 3 small zucchini or squash or a mixture of the two, cut into bite-size pieces 
• 1 small container grape tomatoes (or cherry), cut in half
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese 
• Greek seasoning, salt, and pepper 
• Fresh chopped herbs (optional if handy)  

Pre-heat oven to 425. 

Heat a skillet with some olive oil and when hot add the zucchini, season liberally with Greek seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook for a few minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise. Then pull some the soft center out of each side in order to create a hole for the vegetables. Place side by side on a baking sheet.

When zucchini is done, divide evenly between the bread halves. Next add the tomatoes and artichokes. Cut the mozzarella ball in half and pinch or peel off pieces to distribute evenly over one baguette half and repeat using the other. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the tops. 

Put in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. At this point I like to switch on the broiler to try and brown the cheese a little more. 

A pizza you can feel a little less guilty about and still enjoy. I love some red pepper flakes on mine for a little heat. 

Brian likes Ranch. 

He puts Ranch on everything. 

I try not to take it personally. 

He says he just really likes Ranch.  

 

The Bright Side

I will most likely post a recipe later today (or tomorrow depending on the lighting). But I was just sitting here thinking about some things that I am really happy about/thankful for and I think it's a good practice for me to learn to express those things from time to time. I tend to focus on the negative a bit too much. I need to practice "looking on the bright side". So here are a few things that I am really happy about today. 

A month long break from work!

That my friend's newborn baby, Jude, is home and doing great after being born early. He is such a little angel.  
 

 This snorty, wheezy, droopy-jawed cuteness that gets me up at 6:30 in the morning - on my vacation. I'm a wee bit exhausted.  We settled on the name Frazier. The reason is really two-fold: after the boxer Joe Frazier and the TV show Frasier, which we love. We considered Holyfield, with the ears it just seemed a little perfect, but it just felt a little long to me.   

This little brat finally, willingly, came down off his hiding spot on top of the kitchen cabinets. So far though, this picture pretty much sums up his reaction to the dog. Milo is not happy either, but oddly, he has been much braver. Nacho is all talk and no action. 

Most importantly, I'm extremely thankful that no one in my family or myself were affected by the dangerous and deadly weather we've had in the last week. I've said several prayers for protection this week for myself and others. I've also said prayers for those that were not spared. I can't imagine what they must be experiencing right now.

I hope whatever is going on in your life these days, you also have plenty of things to be happy about. But if you need a little pick-me-up, just watch this video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bmhjf0rKe8

   

Love at First Sight

I'm still thinking this may be too good to be true and perhaps I should hold off blogging about it, but I just can't help myself. 

We found this droopy-jawed cutie last night, walking alone in the drizzle down a street near our house. We followed him, stopped the car, and got out to see if he would come to us. Sure enough, after a little coaxing, he came right along. He had a collar, but no tags. I stood out with him in the rain while Brian went to switch cars. We then took him to our house very close by. 

Poor thing was so hungry, he went straight for the cat food bowl. Brian promptly left to pick up some dog food and when he returned he gobbled it up in seconds. He slept in our room all night without any trouble. Major bonus: he seems to be house-trained! He is boxer through and through - smart, extremely well-tempered, and makes good use of those front paws. He seems happiest when draped over your lap.

So we - somewhat reluctantly - did the right thing and took him to the vet this morning to see if he was micro-chipped. My heart sank a little when I heard the beep of the scanner as it met with the chip. However, the chip was not registered to anyone. They could only trace it back to what could only be the breeder - someone who bought several chips at once and never registered any. To be honest, I don't have the greatest feeling about whomever may have had him previously. He is probably about 2 years old and has never been neutered, which I personally see as a red flag. Also, it's hard to see in the picture above, but one of his ears is half gone. I really don't want to know how that happened. 

So until if and when there are any further developments, I consider him ours. I have prayed that the right thing happens in this situation, and I believe that it will, even it isn't what we hope for. I have to say, I do feel a little sheepish for not keeping the other dog we rescued  a couple months ago and now we are keeping this guy. But we found her a good home and we did it for good reasons. 

I find it rather amazing that the exact dog I'd always wanted was essentially dropped in my lap. I've been totally in love with boxers for quite a long time now. The cats however, are not so in love...Ah, they'll get over it. Now if we could only settle on a name.        

S'more Brownies

Source

I thought the S'more was one of the greatest creations man ever invented... and then this came along. No campfire required. This brilliant idea is from Food Network's website. The picture above is also from their site; it's clearly way too good to be mine. And by the way, unless you are some sort of magician, do not expect them to look anything like this when you cut them. Seriously, how do they do that? 

The link also goes to their recipe. They provide a from scratch version for the brownies. If you want to go down that road, that's fine and all, but I am not much of a baker. I also do not think one can improve upon the Ghirardelli Double-Chocolate Brownie mix. Why mess with ooey-gooey, and most importantly, easy perfection? (If anyone thinks that have something better, don't hold out!) 

Ingredients for the lazy version:

• about 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (it's one package)
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• pinch salt 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 package brownie mix (Ghirardelli is the only way to go) 
• almost one package large marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 325. Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil so that there is about an inch overhang on the sides. Brush with some melted butter. Mix the crackers, butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the brownie mix and when the crust is done, pour the mix over the crust and bake. Check your directions but usually about 45 minutes. 

When brownies are done, line the top with the marshmallows and put under the broiler until brown on the tops. I put the broiler in the low setting. Make sure you watch them carefully. 

Use the foil to pull the brownies out of the pan for easier cutting. Cutting these things will be an extremely messy experience. Trust me when I say, it's totally worth it. In fact, why even bother cutting? Just pass out forks and dig in! 

(update: for those of you who saw this post before, I totally had the brownie mix wrong! It's the Ghirardelli mix, not Godiva! I don't even know if Godiva has one! Opps. Sorry for any confusion...)

Aunt Judi's White Bean and Kale Soup

My aunt Judi, a fabulous cook herself, gave me this idea for soup one day and I have been in love with it ever since. White beans and kale compliment each other really well. Last night I made this soup again and hopefully I recreated it accurately. The pureed beans give it a nice, creamy texture. Super satisfying, yet quite good for you!

Ingredients: 

• 3 cans white beans 
• 2 cans Rotel (I recommend the hot version; I like this soup with a kick. However, I was feeding Brian, so I got mild.)
• vegetable broth
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bunch kale, washed and torn into smallish pieces
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp or 2 chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
• season salt, pepper 

Heat some olive oil in a large pot and when hot add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until they soften a bit and add the cumin and stir. Now add the kale and stir in with the vegetables and let it cook down for a couple minutes. 



Puree one can of beans in a food processor or blender (two if want a creamier consistency). Add the pureed beans, the whole beans, Rotel, and cilantro to the pot. Mix together and add some vegetable broth. I don't measure it, I just add it until it reaches the consistency I like. Season with some season salt and more pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and let simmer for a few minutes. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.  


Goes great with some garlic bread! Even if your not crazy about kale, which Brian isn't either, you'll probably like it this way just fine.
So Judi, did I leave anything out? Any suggestions? Thanks for the great recipe.

Why I'm Vegetarian

I am often asked why I am vegetarian. So considering this is more or less a blog about vegetarian cooking, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post answering that question. 

Probably the most obvious reason, and the greatest determining factor, is I was raised as a vegetarian. My parents stopped eating meat (including fish) before I came along. I'm pretty sure they made that decision mainly because they believed it to be a healthier lifestyle. I grew up eating healthy, balanced, vegetarian meals at home. Of course, from time to time I became curious about trying different meats, but I was never very impressed. I just can't handle the texture and it's also a bit of a mental thing as well. I've never in my life eaten a hamburger or a steak; nor do I have any desire to try them. 

Even if I hadn't grown up vegetarian, there would have been certain foods I wouldn't have eaten anyway due to my spiritual beliefs such as pork, shellfish, catfish, etc based on Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. So my decision to stay vegetarian is in part a spiritual decision as well. I should clarify that I do not think it is morally wrong to eat meat and I absolutely don't judge anyone that does. It's about choosing what I think it best for my life based on the things I've learned and my personal convictions.

I never had to make the decision to become vegetarian and therefore never had to give up anything I was used to eating or enjoyed. I have a ton of respect for those who grew up eating meat and for whatever reason decided to stop. I know for some that is very difficult. I am not very good at giving things up, so I applaud those who succeed! 


If I had grown up eating meat, it's impossible for me to say whether or not I would be vegetarian now. However, I think the odds are pretty good that I would eventually become one. I am very concerned about the meat industry today and what meat may contain that could be very harmful to us. I'm also pretty horrified at the treatment and disrespect that the animals receive in many facilities. I just can't bear to watch those awful videos.

I think you can be perfectly healthy if you eat meat responsibly; I also think it's becoming harder and harder to do so. On the other hand, you can be very unhealthy as a vegetarian. After all, donuts are meat-free! It's all about balance and making good choices no matter which way you go.  

Mashed Potato Flautas

This is one Brian's favorite meals. You can fill flautas with various different things, but I really love using mashed potatoes. Some people use corn tortillas instead, but I have always preferred the taste and texture of flour. This recipe is quick, easy, and very satisfying; though it's admittedly not the healthiest recipe I've shared.It's comfort food and sometimes that's just what you need. 

  Ingredients:

• 1 package mashed potato mix (I get the herb-seasoned kind for some added flavor)
• 6 soft medium size flour tortillas 
• vegetable oil
• grated pepper jack cheese 
• Possible toppings: lettuce, chopped cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, jalapenos, etc 

Prepare the potatoes according to the package directions. There are usually 2 packets in the box and I just use one for Brian and I, so if you have more people to serve use more potatoes and tortillas accordingly. I can fill 6 medium flour tortillas with one packet. 

Heat oil in a medium or large skillet - about a half inch deep. Meanwhile, start filling the tortillas. Use a heaping spoonful of potatoes and spread in the middle of the tortillas. Top with some grated cheese. Roll up each tortilla sort of burrito-style and, if the oil is hot, line the skillet with the tortillas and cook until golden brown on each side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pat the cooked tortillas with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. I also turn the oven on low to keep the finished ones warm while the remaining cook until ready to serve.

Top with whatever sounds good to you. I mixed some sour cream and salsa together and added some chopped cilantro. This creates a nice, creamy sauce that spreads easily over the flautas and adds a lot of flavor.

Tomato Bruschetta

This is a fantastic use for summer tomatoes and basil. Light, slightly sweet, and crunchy - it's quite a crowd-pleaser and it's super easy!

Ingredients:

• french bread slices (the pre-sliced ones are great)
• 4-5 really good quality tomatoes, diced small (seeded is probably best, but sometimes I'm too lazy and just drain the extra juice off before mixing with other ingredients)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced - plus 1 or 2 whole for rubbing on bread
• 2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped or cup into thin strips
• olive oil, a splash for the tomatoes and more for drizzling on bread
• 1 tbsp - 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• salt and pepper 

(This amount serves about 2-3 if main course and probably 4-5 as an appetizer) 

Throw all the ingredients together in a medium bowl and stir to combine. I like to let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes to let the flavors marinate with the tomatoes. 

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with the slices of bread (I like to use pretty thin slices) and drizzle olive oil over the tops. Place under the broiler until golden brown and then flip them over and repeat on the other side. Then rub a garlic clove over the hot slices (one side is fine). 

Now taste the tomato mixture and add salt or more balsamic if needed. Unless serving immediately, I arrange the bread slices on a platter around the tomatoes and let people top their own to avoid soggy bread. Some shaved or grated Parmesan for the top is also a plus.   

Deep Thoughts

I feel I must warn you now, if you were expecting actual deep thoughts, you've come to the wrong place. 


Do you remember on SNL when they used to do the Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy segment? This was one of the few things I ever found absolutely hilarious about SNL. I even have a little book collection they published years ago. Yes, yes, I have a weird sense of humor. It's better that we just clear that up right now. 

And now, without further ado, some Deep Thoughts. 


 To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks." 

Probably the earliest fly swatters were nothing more then some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.

If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what really throws you into a panic.   

If you're an ant, and you're walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin. 

If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive you up wall. 

Something tells me that the first mousetrap wasn't designed to catch mice at all, but to protect little cheese "gems" from burglars.  

One day one of my little nephews came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me. 

You can all stop shaking your heads now. I'm done. For now.  

Couscous with Squash, Zucchini, and Tomato

I threw this together last summer in effort to find new ways to use the abundance of squash and zucchini I was getting from my garden. I'm so impatient to have that garden goodness once again, but since I don't yet, I made do with the pitiful selections of Wal-mart. Darn you, Wal-mart. You could go in another flavor direction with this and make it more Italian, which I'll probably try sometime, but this is what I've tried so far:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into thin slices
• 2 yellow squash, cut into half moons (actually, after making it this time, I think I'd prefer them to be cut in half again in smaller pieces)
• 2 zucchini, cut same as squash
• 3 large tomatoes, cut into thin slices or diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped (when do I not use garlic?)
• 1/2 tbsp Greek seasoning, plus more for latter
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground red pepper
• salt and pepper 
• package of couscous 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt, and pepper and cook for several minutes until soft and maybe even starting to brown. 

Then add the squash, zucchini, and garlic. Throw in the spices, along with some more salt and pepper, and mix together well. The vegetables will turn a lovely color. Cook all this together until the squash and zucchini are tender. This will probably take at least 10 minutes, or more, depending on how big you cut the vegetables. In the meantime, prepare the couscous according to package directions.

When vegetables are tender, lower the heat some and add the tomatoes. Try to keep as much of the juice from the tomatoes as possible. Season with a little more salt. Let this simmer together for a couple minutes.

Taste to see if you would like more spices, salt, etc. I added some fresh, chopped Greek oregano since I'm growing some, but if don't have any, no big deal. Growing your own herbs, by the way, is fabulous. They are always fresh and waiting for you and so much cheaper than the store! There's no turning back for me now. 

To serve, make a little bed of couscous and top with the vegetables. I always sprinkle on some more Greek seasoning over the top. 

If you think of any other spice that you like that would be good - particularly Moroccan style spices - go for it.  And let me know what you did!

Black Bean Burgers

There are probably a million ways to make veggie burgers and a vast array of different ingredients you could add to them. I like them a lot of different ways, but one of my favorites is black bean. I had never tried making my own version from scratch until recently. Hopefully, I can make pretty good estimates of the spices as I didn't measure - opps. 


Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1 zucchini, grated 
• about 1/2 to 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• half an onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp or more chopped fresh cilantro
• about 1/2 tbsp Greek seasoning
• about 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• fresh cracked pepper
• around 1 tsp salt 
• a few splashes of hot sauce 

Put then beans into a large bowl and mash. I mashed them to the point where there were still some whole bean pieces. 


Add all other ingredients and mix together well. You may need to add a little more bread crumbs if the mixture is not forming patties pretty easily. 


Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat and when good and hot, form the mixture into patties and place in the oil. Don't make the patties super thick - you want them to cook all the way through. After a few minutes, when the patties are a nice brown, flip them and do the same on the other side. I place the patties on some paper towels when cooked to soak up some of the excess oil. 


Top with all your favorite burger toppings and enjoy!

Don't Wear Clothes at Random and other thoughts

Every semester where I teach ESL, at mid-terms and finals there is mass grading of student essays and speaking tests. The students are at various levels in their English learning, and, as to be expected, sometimes things don't come out exactly as they'd intended. Thus, funny student quotes get passed around in emails, making the massive grading load just a little more bearable for us teachers. This time around, I collected the quotes from my and other teachers' grading to share with the rest of you. 

Perhaps we're all better off not knowing what students need this for...

"International students need much money for their studying. Likewise they need many things in their life like clothes, cellophane, and material for studying."

Seems a bit harsh to me.

From a SPEAK test, giving directions: 

“Turn left, then you will see the child care center in your face.”   

This explains a lot.

"International students cannot sleep one time so they look tired."

They must be reading the box for the Godiva Brownie Mix. 

"In addition, the students will see delicious taste with reading and more exacted when they do homework."    

Boy, sure wish someone would send me one after a hard class...

"For example, if some student did not come to the class and today we have a hard class, and I know this student is absent, so I send massage for him."

Smokers, this must be very uncomfortable for you...

"Also, the smokers have hard breath."

I just knew our job was dangerous. 

"There are many bad effects to come late to the class like; entrap the teacher and miss smoothing very important part of the lesson."

I do hope everyone's brain and sheep are in a good way today. 

"Moreover, there are many good advantages for sleep early like; healthier to the body, make the brain in a good way and make the sheep for the body very good."

This is just plain scary. Do they know something we don't??

"Global Worming is one of the most serous issues for our environment, our health and our economy."

   

Please,please, please don't let this person ever be in government...

"People should have the right to clean air and safe environment, and the government should stop that from happening to protect its citizens from its dangers including the fact that it is a huge risk for both smokers and non-smokers."

Always good advice...

"almost all people always wear clothes anytime and anywhere. However, I think that we should not wear many kinds of clothes at random. We should wear them selectively."

Hmm. This sounds more like a Mel Brooks movie to me... 

"I watched a lot of interesting movies, but THE WIND IS GONE is the most interesting movie which I watched in my life. The story-back-round was The War of South America and North America. It talked about a girl who name was Scali. She was a beauty, smart and independent. When she dreamed in love, the war happened.

Scali was acted by Fewenny who was a famous actress."

This just seems a bit harsh...

"If these two countries’ young people are not over the legal age for drinking alcohol and seeks by policemen, they will get the lawful educate.Therefore, the government need to solute children drinking alcohol."

Cars just get smarter and smarter. 

"cars made our life more essayer "

Well, I guess I better go ahead and eat that cupcake, you know, for safety.

"This fat can make women warm in winter and be safety when the wind blowing."

On second thought, if it's going to cause debates, perhaps I'd better not...

"The junk food is a serious disease. There are many diseases which are produced by junk food such as, obesities, high blood pressure, and debates"

Wait a second. I thought if I built it they would come? Oh darn.

"If you do not have friends, you should study hard, and they will come to you."

(I have no idea why those places are marked in white and I have given up trying to fix it - sigh.)

Guacamole

My dear friend Matt won't eat guacamole because it's green. I think it's hilarious yet, at the same time, tragic. A life without this creamy goodness is a no life for me. I'm not giving up on you Matt, there's still hope!

Ingedients:

• 4-5 ripe avocados (I estimate about 1 avocado per person - which is probably pretty generous) 
• juice from 1 lime
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced  
• 1 tomato, chopped
• roughly 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro 
• salt and pepper
• diced jalapenos - optional (seriously, how do you make accent marks!) 

Remove the flesh from the avocados and put in a medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients except tomato and mash with a fork until it reaches the consistency you prefer - some like it a little chunky, some more creamy.  If you like onion, chop up a little red onion, finely, and throw it in too. I, however, am not a fan of raw onion.

Next add the tomatoes and stir them in gently. Taste to see if it needs more salt. 


How easy is that! Of course, this goes great with tortilla chips and as a topping to your favorite Mexican dishes but don't stop there! I love guacamole with eggs, on toast with cheese and tomato slices, and on sandwiches.

Tortilla Soup

Confession: I do not know how to make tortilla soup. 

That is, not traditionally or authentically anyway. This is the version I've come up with from tasting different restaurant variations. So authentic or not, either way, it's quite tasty. If it's not my favorite soup, it's way up there. 

Ingredients:

• 1 - 32oz container veg broth 
• 2 - 14.5oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes 
• 1 - 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 - 4oz can diced green chilies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5-7 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp cumin 
• about 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro - you will not get the flavor from dried
• 2 tsp liquid smoke 
• tortilla strips for topping 

First, heat some oil in a decent size pot and add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Let this cook for a few minutes until the onions soften. 

Next add the cumin and stir into the onions and garlic. 


Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilies, liquid smoke and cilantro. Season again with some salt and pepper. (I know I never say how much salt to add. Just keep tasting and adding until it tastes right for you.) 


Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste to see if it needs more salt, etc.


Top with tortilla strips and maybe a little more fresh cilantro. 


I had initially purchased some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to add to the soup, thinking they would compliment the flavors well. I was right. However, it's a good thing I tasted one first - it would have knocked Brian's socks off. So I just chopped one up to put in my bowl. It was delicious. If you can spice freely in your house (lucky you), I suggest adding a couple right in the soup as it cooks. Or you can do like I did, and your pansy family members won't pass out.


(Just kidding honey. Love you.)

Asapargus and Artichoke Bruschetta

I absolutely love bruschetta. It's essentially the perfect food in my opinion.

A couple things I've learned about bruschetta: 1) I'd been pronouncing it wrong for years. The "ch" actually makes a "k" sound:  brusˈketːa. - Thank you Food Network. 2) I used to think it only referred to the toasted bread topped with the more common tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil mixture. Actually the word bruschetta only refers to the toasted bread with olive oil, garlic, and salt. (Which, in my opinion, is heaven all on it's own.) Therefore, there are many delightful possibilities for toppings.

This is what I made last night: 

• about 10-12 slices Italian bread (it is so much easier to buy it pre-sliced)
• 1 bunch asparagus - don't get the real thick ones - chopped into thirds
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts (I run my knife through them just a bit more)
• 1 package fresh mozzarella cheese pearls (the pearls work perfect for this but you could just use thin slices)   
• olive oil for drizzling 
• 1 clove garlic
• Greek seasoning
• chopped, fresh herbs  

First, boil some salted water and cook the asparagus pieces for just a couple minutes - they will continue to cook some later. Also, drain the artichoke hearts and roughly run your knife through them. When the asparagus is done, drain the water off. I returned them to the pot and then threw the artichokes in with them. Then season both with some Greek seasoning. Set aside for now. 


Next, line a baking sheet with the bread slices and drizzle each slice with olive oil. Put these under the oven broiler til lightly brown. Watch carefully!! When you pull them out of the oven, rub the garlic clove over each slice. 


Now, top each slice with some asparagus and artichoke pieces. Then take the mozzarella pearls and dot each slices with several. Now sprinkle the fresh herbs over the slices. I used basil, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. 

Pop the slices back under the broil until the cheese melts and hopefully starts to brown a little. The trick is getting the cheese to brown without burning the edges of the bread! 


This would, of course, make a great appetizer but we made it our main course with a side salad. Scrumptious.


P.S. As I struggle with lighting and food photography techniques, I have temporarily suspended step-by-step photos. It is very apparent that natural light and no flash is the way to go, however, a have a very small window of natural light in my kitchen!

Blood Bank: A Love Connection

This is my last fainting story - for now. However, life is not over and I am still squeamish. If I ever see that movie where the guy cuts off his own arm, I may very well have my next installment...

This story takes place when I was a teenager and attending the small church school I went to essentially all my school years. For some reason, our science class took a field trip to the hospital lab where my father worked as a medical technologist. I have no clue what we were there to see or how it was related to our class. What I do remember is the blood bank portion of the lab tour. 

This is where things began to go down hill. 

While giving our class what I'm sure was fascinating and valuable information, one of the techs was holding up a rather large bag of someone's blood.

Someone's deep red blood. 

The funny thing is, I didn't even realize the blood bag was affecting me. Maybe being contained in the bag helped - if it had been free flowing I'd been out cold in two seconds flat. 

Of course, if it had been free flowing, we would have had much bigger problems... 

We students were leaning on nearby desks as the woman spoke. I honestly do not remember much at this point other than slowing checking out of reality and leaning over until my head was nearly resting on the nearest person's shoulder. A person who happened to be one of the...well...let's say awkward boys in school.

I suppose someone must of noticed my even paler than usual state, and sat me down. 

I'm sure my father was near by, shaking his head. 

Or laughing hysterically.    

Eventually, I pulled myself together, and - mercifully - the field trip ended. 

As if the day could have been any more unpleasant, my friend informed me that the guy next me - the one I leaned on whilst fainting - thought I was making a move. Yes, a move.


Because, what better place to make a move than in front of your father and giant bags of blood? 

The Mexican Airport Fiasco

As I take a much needed break from grading, I'll take this time to write the next installment in the embarrassing fainting stories series.

First, a little background. A few years ago I went to school for a month in Guadalajara, Mexico to finish my undergrad degree in Spanish. Being vegetarian, it is always a little concerning to go and stay in foreign countries at the mercy of other people preparing your food. "Oh, you don't eat meat. OK. Chicken?" 

Sigh. 

This time however, I was very lucky. I even had another vegetarian roommate. The house mother I stayed with was an incredible cook and did not have any trouble making delicious vegetarian meals for us. Therefore, we ate at home for every meal of every day in veggie bliss.

Then, the day before we were scheduled to leave, the school held a banquet for the students and served lunched. My roommate and I decided to forgo the delicious meal I'm sure would have been waiting for us at home and eat at the banquet. This turned out to be quite the unfortunate decision. 

Since the main dishes contained meat one type or the other, our lunch consisted of corn tortillas and guacamole. That seems harmless enough, wouldn't you say? 

That night at dinner, even though I was presented with incredible home-made tamales, I just didn't have much of an appetite and could only manage to pick at them. I was tired and just felt... strange. I went to bed and at some point awoke with the most excruciating pain in my gut I think I've ever had. Without giving too much detail, I was making frequent, unpleasant trips to the bathroom all night long. There was one point when, after leaving the bathroom, I was so weak and light-headed I couldn't even make it back to the bedroom. So I lay there, sprawled out on the floor outside the bathroom door. All I could think about was how I had a plane back home to catch in the morning and that if I was going to die of e coli - dang it - I was going to do it in my country!

The next morning, slightly better but still suffering, I managed to pull myself out of bed and as I hobbled out into the hall I saw my roommate, looking about like I felt. Funny thing was, she had also been in and out of the bathroom all night with the same affliction and somehow we never crossed paths. It's a good thing too. It probably would have been a little alarming to see me passed out on the floor outside the bathroom...

Somehow we managed to pull ourselves together a little after being infused with Gatorade by our dear house mother. We even got dressed, put on make-up, did our hair, and looked pretty darn good if I do say so myself. At least, good for a couple of pale, slightly green, dizzy girls. 

We packed, said our good-byes, and got into the taxi. We did it! We were going home! 


Once at the airport, I met up with my group going back to Little Rock, and my roommate went to her check-in line. I was not feeling great of course, but I was considerably better than I had been the night before so I thought things were going OK. So there I was, standing with our group getting our boarding passes and checking in luggage when that all too familiar feeling starts creeping over me. I could almost feel the blood drain from my head. Then came the yellow dots creeping over my vision - threatening to take over my world. 

They won. 

Things went totally dark. 

The next thing I knew,  I was lying on the ground in front of the ticket counter. Voices were drifting in and out of coherence. And then I began to make out the concerned faces of my group looming over my head. 


Then, to my utter dismay, I saw two uniformed men coming towards me holding...oh no...they didn't bring...yes they did...a stretcher. 

Seriously. 

You mean to tell me that they are going to lay me down on that thing and carry me out of here in front of all these staring faces! The freak American girl. They probably all assumed I'd had too much tequila. Gringa. 


And so, after much prodding from my group members, I reluctantly crawled on the stretcher and let two men carry me out of the airport. Thank goodness for a kind, caring member of our group, Caleb, who came with me. They took me to their small station where they had me lay down. 

As they tried to ask me questions about what had happened and what my symptoms were, it was becoming apparent that along with my dignity, I had also lost any ability to speak or comprehend Spanish. Again, I was so thankful for Caleb. He talked to them for me and then explained things back to me. Unfortunately, what he was translating was that they wanted to give me an IV.  

Really?, I thought. Are you TRYING to make me pass out again?! 

Luckily, everyone around me was much more sensible than I was at the moment and eventually convinced me that it would be the best thing as I was so dehydrated. So while squeezing all life out of poor Caleb's hand, they started an IV. Very quickly, I started to feel much, much better. 

Though I was extremely concerned about missing my flight, the IV finished and I was able to make it to the gate with time to spare - and without passing out. 


After a long day of traveling and trying to keep my puny self together - and conscience - we finally made it back into Little Rock where my sweet husband picked me up. 

You know what some of his first words were? "Wow, you look hot!" 


Go figure. 

Yes, it's called the e coli diet. Very effective. 


P.S. I think it is important to note, that after about six times visiting Mexico, this was the one and only time I ever got sick. I love Mexico. Wish I was there right now.

The Olive Can Incident

For those of you who know me fairly well, you know that there are just some things I cannot handle - blood, injuries, any kind of gross medical talk, and needles to name a few. My aversion to these things has caused me some interesting - and embarrassing - situations in my life. And for some reason, I'm sharing these with all of you. (Even though I should really be grading a million essays.)


I was probably about 15 and had arrived home from school or some other activity. I was hungry - for some reason I hadn't eaten all day. Off I went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. I believe I was making Haystackes (basically taco salad), and of course, with Haystackes, I must have black olives - it's the law. I opened a new can. Somehow in the process I sliced the back of my hand on the lid. At the first drop of blood, the world began to rock a little and those awful, familiar, yellow dots threatened to take over my vision. 


My father, who was the only parent home at the time, comes around the corner to find his daughter inexplicably plopped down on the kitchen floor, sitting in an awkward Indian-style, head hanging, holding the injured hand. 


"What happened?" 


"I cut my hand on the olive can. It's bleeding." 


"Uh oh, we better have a look at look that and get it cleaned up. Let's go into the bathroom." 


So I pull myself off the kitchen floor and drag myself into the bathroom where I sit on the edge of the toilet using the cabinet to prop me up while holding my hand over the sink for dad to assess and bandage my gaping, gushing wound. 


And then it happens. Things go black, the blood drains from my head, and I slump over the sink. 


Then I hear something. A familiar sound. Is it? Yes, it is. Laughter! My father is laughing at me! Doesn't he care about the gash in my hand that will surely need 3 or 4 stitches?! How could he be so insensitive? So cruel? 


He must of smeared some antibiotic ointment on it and perhaps slapped a band-aid over it too. I don't remember. I do remember somehow getting up from the toilet lid and mumbling, "I think I need to lie down..". 


It's a good thing my bedroom was only a few feet from the bathroom. 


Next thing I know, I'm hurtling face-first towards my bed - inches away from the frame, but thankfully landing on the mattress. I have fainted a second time. 

Dad has tears rolling down his checks. Not out of concern - oh no - but uncontrollable laughter. Seriously. What kind of parent shows so little concern for the well-being of their child? Ah, the shameful neglect I suffered.


Oh, I did forget to mention one little detail. It's not important really. It shouldn't change your opinion of the story in the least bit. I'm told - though I swear I can still see a scar - that my gaping wound... was...well... the size of a paper cut. 


Stay tuned for The Mexican Airport Fiasco and Blood Bank: A Love Connection.