Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Cooking Asparagus

I apologize for not posting anything in a while... I've been incredibly busy and tired these last couple of weeks. I'm trying to find a way to balance everything I want to do and have to do. I've decided that I will only really bake on Thursdays and Sundays, Wednesdays will be for prepping. I really want to get through New Moon before the movie is released in November so I'm going to try Fridays out for that. Mondays and Tuesdays will be my shopping days (groceries and miscellaneous supplies) . Saturdays are for JMK whom I have not seen much of lately even on his off days (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Of course Sundays will also remain ironing day. I'm a weirdo, I like ironing, I find it relaxing. Don't judge me.

Whew!! I feel slightly better now. It always feels good to plan things out loud, at least for me it does. Now I feel a tinge of obligation to try and stick to this schedule. Let's talk food now, shall we?

Today is Terri's birthday and as tradition would have it, we stuffed our faces. Our potluck today consisted of: Creole spaghetti with sausage, Pasta salad, Chicken salad, Pinwheel sandwiches, Fruit salad with marshmallows and Alice's famous chocolate cake. I made this: Ham and asparagus gratin (recipe from campbellkitchen.com) .

It had flavor and was great, everyone loved it yet... I'm embarrassed to say that I goofed on cooking the asparagus. I didn't realize until after (of course, always after) that I was supposed to snap off a whole 1/3 of the stalk. I only cut off able 1/4 inches! LM tried to make me feel better by giving me her famous, "Now you know and knowing is half the battle" speech. Nice try.

And you know what else I didn't realize until after? I left my slice of chocolate cake in the fridge at work! I'm mad at myself. You people just don't understand. This cake is way better than any chocolate cake I've ever made. In the wise words of Claud, "it's orgasmic!" If you know me, you know that I; a. cannot have chocolate because it gives me phlegm and b. am not a big sweets fan, but this cake, takes the cake. Ok enough of that.

On Saturday, I made this: Baked Ziti

I got the recipe from my Cooks Illustrated magazine. Thanks to LM who got me a subscription for my birthday! The little squares are cubes of mozzarella, yeah, I know, it looks strange but it had lots of flavor and the kids liked it. Next time, I'll use shredded cheese.

Last, last Friday, JMK and I went to one of our favorite places, Mamita's. I got the Arroz a la Jardinera


He got his usual, Lomo Saltado. This picture is actually from one of our day trips, told ya we liked this place.

Last weekend was Valentine's Day. Big deal. We didn't do much. My sisters and I cleaned the house because my clean freak dad was coming back from China that night, God forbid he comes back and the place is a mess. There was some other drama rama brewing but I won't go into that. I do remember getting 4 hours of sleep Thursday night and having to deal with said drama on Friday. JMK got me this:


It was red and everything! Some days, I love him more than usual. I've made a solemn vow not to use it until I move out and have my very own kitchen to put it in.

I got him this:

It's the LG Vu, we got a good deal on it. Of course, being the spoiled brat that he is, he had to have all the bells and whistles to go along with it. He's been watching t.v. on it like he's never seen a television before in his life. As long as he likes it I guess that's all that matters.

On Sunday, we had brunch at Home, or is it No Place Like Home? Whatever.

There are two locations, one in Los Feliz and the one we went to in Silver Lake. It was a different crowd but the food was awesome and the service wasn't too bad. Restrooms (at least the ladies' one) were clean. Price was decent, maybe a buck or two more than Denny's? I got the California Omelette (with ham instead of bacon). The home fried potatoes were amazing! I'm not just saying that because I LOVE potatoes, they had good flavor and were cooked right.


We shared the Santa Fe Egg Rolls. Apparently, they make the gaucamole fresh every morning, so our waiter insisted that we take it to go. JMK eagerly obeyed.

Today, Jonathan comes and asks for my email address so that he can place orders over the weekend when I'm not at work. Lizzy said it'd be a good idea to have one specifically for the biz...
nancyslovinfromtheoven@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Cookie orders, Taxes and Rain

I started filling cookie orders on Wednesday and finished on Thursday... Here are some pictures of what I was baking. I also had orders for Chocolate Chip but didn't bother to take any pictures. Next time, I promise.

Chinese take-out packaging =)

Peanut Butter Munchies
Oatmeal Raisin
Sugar


Yesterday, I tried unsuccessfully to do my taxes. My tax guy apparently forgot about our appointment so Nick Nack and I went over to Boston Market to grab some lunch. She got the 1/4 white meat with corn, mashed potatoes (hold the gravy) and macaroni and cheese.

I got the chicken pot pie with a side of new potatoes (because I love potatoes!).


After lunch we made a second attempt with the taxes and still no luck so we went shopping for more baking supplies. On the way home, we encountered a closed main street forcing us to take a side street and there we spotted this...

I made fajitas for dinner and couldn't decide whether to use beef or chicken, so...


It's been raining since Thursday. I hate the rain. I remember when I was younger and actually liked getting wet, now, I try to avoid it at all costs because I get sick so damn easily. I had to wake up extra early Saturday to take Buddy to her Science Bowl competition. I guess it was worth it because she came back with a second place trophy. I'm so proud of her smart ass. And the Nickster got straight A's. These damn kids... I guess I did something right.

I'm so not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. The only good thing is that the Feds are gone. I'll just have to trudge on like I always do. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Super Lunch, Super Bowl and... the Feds are coming!!

I forgot to mention in my last blog that we had an awesome department luncheon last month. Our wheelchair vendor gave us $100 for lunch, and without much ado, we high-tailed on over to Lola's Pollo a la Brasa (on Victory & Kester in Van Nuys). I love their chicken. It's got TONS of flavor! A big plus is that it is reasonably priced, $15 plus tax for a whole chicken plus two sides. We always get the fries as one of the sides and this time the other side was beans. LM and I also got a side of Papas a la Huancaina. Delish! Sorry about the picture, I started eating then remembered about taking a picture for this blog. That green stuff is the Aji sauce, which has a nice kick. I often told JMK that we were made for each other, he's from the potato country and I LOVE potatoes.


On Thursday the 29th after a rough day at work, JMK and I went to the Olive Garden for dinner. He got the Steak Tuscano of course (according to him, pasta is poor people food) and I got the Four Cheese Stuffed Mezzaluna with Shrimp. Yum! Unfortunately, I filled up on breadsticks (with Alfredo sauce of course!) and stuffed mushrooms so I had to get a to-go box. JMK had no problem scarving down, 2 Cokes, 6 breadsticks (with sauce), most of the ensalada, half of the mushrooms and all of his dinner. He took his own picture that's why the knife is in the way.



Sunday was no ordinary Sunday, it was Super Bowl Sunday! It's about the only football game that I will sit down for. I was rooting for the underdog like I always do and JMK was confident about Pittsburgh's win. I fell asleep during 2nd Quarter but I did catch Harrison's run down the field. Reason I fell asleep is because I woke up early to cook up these beauties.

Pico de gallo. JMK said it was spicy this time. =)
Potato salad. Red potatoes (I left the skins on for Carlitos), celery, hard-boiled eggs, S & P, mayo and (just a squirt) mustard.
Fruit salad... honeydew, cantaloupe, strawberries, red seedless grapes, and pineapple.
Chicken tenders
Ah!! These chicken wings are naked!
And now they're dressed! Whew!
This is the awesome filling (russet potatoes, green onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream and S & P) that goes inside of...
These critters. They taste like a loaded baked potato wrapped in a tortilla. Yum!
Kabobs a la LM (except for the mushrooms that was all me). I marinated the steak overnight in Lawry's Steak & Chop marinade. Before...
And after.. Yum! The meat had lots of flavor. The peppers were tender. Not bad for a first-time kabob-er eh?
The federal department of health people came yesterday and caught everyone off guard. We passed our state inspection just fine last month, but I am told that these guys are auditing the auditors. I spoke with all three of the inspectors within a span of 30 minutes. Talk about stress. I had answers. I just hope they're the right ones. These guys (two guys and a gal) are here for the week so I guess I have to make nice.