These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things This Year

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things This Year

December 7, 2014 / No Comments

The holidays are here again, and everyone is crazy busy. My shopping is done for the year — as usual I finished early — but if you’re still looking for that perfect gift, let me offer a few suggestions, à la Oprah. Dear readers, these are a few of my favorite things:

FOR THE TEA DRINKER: Melitta 40994 1.7-Liter Kettle

Our last electric tea kettle, a perfectly serviceable Proctor Silex started to die in January. M picked up this new kettle after reading some excellent reviews and I certainly put it through the paces. Unlike our last kettle, the Melitta can fill two large mugs of tea and still have hot water to spare.

FOR THE PERSON WHO LOVES AFFORDABLE, YET BEAUTIFUL JEWELRY: The Rose and Petal 925 Sterling Silver Ring

I decided to upgrade my look this year, and since we were saving for a house, I focused on accessories. This ring was my favorite item.

FOR THE GADGET GURU: Zak Designs E-Z-Rol Garlic Peeler

This gadget is so easy to use! Just pop in a garlic clove, roll and voila! All of the sticky paper is removed. For just $5, you’ll never have to deal with the odor of garlic on your hands again. Best of all, it’s dishwasher-safe. Also comes in festive red and green.

FOR THE COOK: Paprika Recipe Manager

For years I have searched for ways to collect all of my online recipes in one place. After trying archived emails, PDFs and numerous apps, I finally discovered Paprika. With this app, you can “organize your recipes, make meal plans and create grocery lists.” It’s a very handy tool and one that you can use on a Mac or PC, iPhone or Android, iPad, Kindle Fire or Nook.

FOR THE PET LOVER: K&H Thermo-Pet Mat

I bought two of these mats last spring for my eldest cats because their old bones just couldn’t take the cold anymore. The mats were so popular that I decided to pick up two more in the fall. I’m now the most popular kitty mom around. One small note: If you do end up buying one, cover the mat with an old pillowcase. This will make cleanup super easy.

FOR THE FASHIONISTA: Signare Tapestry Handbag

Big enough to carry everything you need, compact enough to not look like you’re Mary Poppins. More importantly, this purse is sturdy, which as most women can attest, is not always the case with bags in this price range.

FOR THE LONGTIME FAN OF “THE PRINCESS BRIDE”: “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride” by Cary Elwes

Elwes, who played Westley in the film, has penned a wonderful behind-the-scenes book about this cult classic. While I have no doubt the print/ebook versions are great, I highly recommend the audiobook to hear Elwes, Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, William Goldman, Norman Lear, Carol Kane, Andy Scheinman and Rob Reiner share their favorite stories about the making of the movie. M and I listened to “As You Wish” in the car over several weeks and had a blast.

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS, OR AIM-TO-BE-MORE ADVENTUROUS: “I Dare Me: How I Rebooted And Recharged My Life By Doing Something New Every Day” by Lu Ann Cahn

This is a compilation of Cahn’s many fun and daring “firsts” — activities she’d never tried or hadn’t tried in about a decade. I decided to give it a whirl and this year I enjoyed quite a few interesting experiences. I avoided saying anything negative for a whole day, bought a rubber stamp that symbolizes me, figured out a way to eat, and like, brussels sprouts, got chased by zombies, had a letter-boxing adventure, became a vegetarian for a day, studied French, took piano lessons, took sign language lessons, shared a migraine photo, revealed my Oscar predictions, sounded a barbaric yawp in public, spent a whole day without looking in a mirror, stood up for a cause I believed in, took classes in astrobiology, the nature of terrorism, social media and archaeology, took care of someone after surgery, tried a fondue dinner and used a Youtube video to learn a new skill.

FOR THE PERSON RESOLVING TO BE HEALTHIER IN 2015: FitDesk v. 2.0

I picked up a FitDesk as a Valentine’s Day gift for my husband and ended up using it more than he did. Not only is the bike easy to ride, the desk part allows me to work while I do it (or more to the point distracts me while I do it).

FOR THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO STAY HEALTHY BUT HATES TO WORK OUT: Zombies, Run!

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I love this app. The game’s tagline says it all: Get fit. Escape zombies. Become a hero. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot. It’s great fun.
Culinarian Or The Next Jack The Ripper?

November 24, 2014 / No Comments

“A kitchen without a knife is not a kitchen.” –Masaharu Morimoto

I like knives. From the wee sgian-dubh to the gigantic claymore, I’m drawn to this cutting-edge weapon (get it? Cutting edge? Ok, I’ll stop.)

Put a knife in a killer’s hand and he instantly becomes more terrifying. But in the hand of a skilled cook, a knife is an appliance, a utensil, and only occasionally, a weapon.

Although knives — plus a healthy dose of anger — will surely make mincemeat out of any intruder, I’m far more likely to utilize them in the kitchen. The chef’s knife, the paring knife, the bread knife, these are the tools I use on a daily basis to make and bake nearly all of our meals.

When I’m cutting food during prep, I enter a zen-like state. The music of the blade slicing through the fruit or veg and brushing against the surface of my board only adds to the sounds of boiling water, clattering silverware, closing cabinets, sizzling entrees, timer buzzes and banging pots and pans.

This year, I received two chef’s knives for my birthday: a Victorinox which was created in Ibach, Switzerland, and a beautiful blade made of Toledo steel that M brought home from Spain. Well-made and well-reviewed, these wickedly sharp knives lack any fancy decoration, which is fine by me; they’re meant for work, not meant for show. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have every intention of putting them to good use.

(Photo by Eans)
The bit at the bottom

September 30, 2014 / 1 Comment

I love cooking. Baking, too, though I’m told by professional chefs that these are two very different skill-sets. The former involves creativity and experimentation, the latter is science and beauty. Yet to me, both activities are kitchen witchery.

There’s something magical about cooking and baking. You take ingredients from all parts of the planet, combine them skillfully, add heat or cold or motion — and ta da! A dish appears. You can transform the remnants of meat sticking to the bottom of a hot pan into a smooth and silky sauce. Combine cornstarch, vanilla, butter, sugar, eggs and milk in a pot and the concoction will transmogrify into a thick and delicious pudding. Pour heavy cream into a cold stainless steel bowl, whip it into shape and the liquid becomes a delectable, fluffy cloud.

Serving food to others is also an enchanting experience. Friends and family, why, they already adore you. But wake ’em up with the smell of freshly baked bread or cinnamon rolls, and love will fill their hearts. Hand ’em a mug of steaming tea or coffee or cocoa on an frigid winter’s day, and you’ll warm their bodies. Sit ’em down over a holiday table, and the food you serve will not only feed their stomachs, it’ll create traditions and memories.

The best part of edible alchemy occurs when no one is looking, for that’s when I revel in the secrets of cookery. Inside the kitchen, I make music out of banging pots and clinking silverware. I use the colors and shapes of ingredients to create art on a plate. With herbs, spices and salts, I intensify the flavors of food. And before any meal is served, I take a moment to enjoy the bit at the bottom: the gritty, chocolate brownie batter; the smooth, warm comfort of custard; the last dollop of creamy mashed potatoes still sticking to the wooden spoon. That tasty morsel is all mine.

(Photo by Humusak2. Used with permission.)
For when you need a spicy side

January 19, 2014 / No Comments

Many moons ago, I ran a food blog on Livejournal called Cooking for 2. As you can imagine from its oh-so-subtle title, the blog featured a wide variety of meals and desserts that served two people.

I prefer such recipes because I only cook for two people and I hate to waste food. My single friends enjoyed the blog because they could use the recipes I shared to whip up a quick dish for dinner and have another serving left over for lunch the next day. And empty-nesters liked the site because it helped teach them how to downsize meals they used to make for a larger family.

Most of the recipes I posted were adapted from the many cookbooks and food magazines that I keep around the house. But others were my own creations, usually designed by hunger, curiosity, taste and the foods I could find in my larder.

Here is one of my favorite sides. Enjoy!

Southwestern Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c corn, frozen or canned
1 c quinoa
1 1/4 c low-sodium chicken stock

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot , jalapeño pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the chipotle powder and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the corn and the quinoa. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa smells toasty and turns golden.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil (this should not take long).

Cover and turn off the heat. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with fork and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 2.

(Photo by Jacqueline Gabardy. Used with permission under CC BY-NC 2.0 license.)
Fresh Meals and the Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

May 4, 2013 / No Comments

I recently signed up for Hello Fresh, a food delivery service that helps make planning, purchasing and cooking meals a little bit easier.

I discovered the site via EarndIt, which is similar to a frequent flyer miles program, only instead of purchasing goods/services to receive discounts for travel, I earn discounts on healthy and fitness-related goods/services for every bit of exercise I do. EarndIt is connected to my Fitbit, a device that tracks my exercise and sleep habits. The more steps I take, the more points I earn. The more points I earn, the more healthy items I’m able to receive.

Which brings me back to Hello Fresh. Basically, the way it works is this: Chefs create five healthy and delicious meals. You pick three that interest you. On Thursday, a box will arrive in the mail with the recipes you selected — plus all of the ingredients. The vegetarian box costs $59/week, the classic box (featuring meals containing meat and fish) is $10 more. Each box feeds two people so it works out to about $11/person. And, delivery is free.

With my EarndIt reward, I received a $20 discount off my first Hello Fresh box. It arrived this week, and I immediately started cooking. The first dish, chicken chickpea pilaf with a hint of cumin, was a HUGE success. M and I both loved it, though I topped his dish with cilantro and mine with the toasted almonds. We’ll definitely be eating that one again soon.

The second recipe I tried was beef bulgogi (seen below), a Korean dish that included marinated beef, broccoli and brown rice. I didn’t particularly care for it — brown rice is too chewy — but it was fun to make. Plus, we still have some pork burgers to try later. Next week, I plan to order the sesame nectarine chicken, flat iron steak with beans and spicy shrimp linguine.

If you’re interested in trying Hello Fresh, you can buy a Fitbit, exercise your butt off and get the EarndIt reward (all of which I would endorse). Or, you can just visit the Hello Fresh website, sign up and save $20 by using the PROMO CODE SDA3RJ. Note: Delivery is currently limited to about 30 states, so be sure to check the map before subscribing.