You must, must check out Mark Bitman's 101 quicky/yummy picnic recipes. I'm glad he included one of my favorites -- blue cheese and roast beef sandwiches.
This pasta salad recipe isn't so quick, but it's great to bring to a party. (pix fixed)
Yes, scientists have found new health benefits from drinking red wine. Here's hoping that they find similar health benefits from Mallowmars and cigarettes.
Funny, funny discussion by Megan, Ezra, and Matt who are annoyed by this New York Times review of suburban chain restaurants. I'll take my condescension a la carte, please.
Although I didn't grow up in Manhattan with Megan and Matt, I did live there for nearly twenty years. So, I have to admit that I've never been to the Outback, Red Lobster, the Olive Garden, the Cheesecake Factory, or any of the other places in the article.
But New Yorkers shouldn't be too snobby, because Manhattan has its own chain restaurants. Teriyaki Boy. There's the Fajitas place that's run by Koreans (I forget the name). Dallas Barbecue. And all those Indian restaurants on 6th Avenue share a common kitchen, don't you know.
Steve woke up yesterday in terrible pain. He had stabbing pains coming from the bunion area of his foot. It was so bad that he skipped work and went to the emergency room. They x-rayed his foot and didn't discover any breaks or fractures. So, they gave him crutches (or stilts as Jonah calls them) and pain killers and sent him home.
This morning, his foot still hurt terribly. He popped more pain killers and called in sick again.
A few hours later, he's puking his guts out. He sets up an appointment with a podiatrist at 5:00 and suffers through the day.
So, what's ailing, Steve? Can you guess? If I was Flea, I might offer the winner a prize from my garage of sex toys. Too bad that I'm not that cool. Instead, I'll tell you the answer below the flap.
Dinnertime is never easy around here. The lack of time and finicky children drive me insane. I used to love cooking. Steve and I did it together in our little galley kitchen in New York City mixing up concoctions with curry powder from Little India downtown and fresh veggies from Ahn's around the corner. But that was when the kids were young and the jobs were less intense.
On Sunday, I made a summer pasta with grape tomatoes, broccoli, and basil from the garden. I added garlic, parm cheese, and a little chicken broth. I held back on the red pepper flakes, because I thought that this was one meal that all four of us would like. I liked it so much that I plated it in a nice bowl and took a picture.
NOT. Ian walked into the room and said, "eeew. That's gross. I want Ian's pasta." Ian's pasta is pasta with some Barilla dumped on top. I liked the boy better when he was completely mute.
And then the boys have the nerve to hate different things. I made bologna sandwiches for the boys for lunch today. One boy got bologna with butter and American cheese (never swiss or Muenster, never mayo, never lettuce). The other got bologna with lettuce and mayo (no cheese except Cheddar).
When I was a kid, we ate what was on our plate, and we liked it that way.
Last semester, things were really hairy, because I worked so many hours. We did a lot of Boston Chicken. My mom dropped off tubs of chicken and rice.
Ian is also a problem, because he might decide to dash outside with his brother while I'm cooking. But he can't be trusted by himself outside. That's when the rice burns.
Leslie Kaufman has some tips for making dinner after work. It has to be done in 15 minutes and the kids have to eat it.
I can't cook over the weekend and freeze things, because I usually work then or have family events. So, my repertoire is more white trash.
Meat -- Primio sausage, hot dogs, and ham steaks. (They can be pulled out of the freezer and thrown in the pan. Morning defrosting kills me.) Burgers (The problem with burgers is that you have to buy the meat the day before you cook it. Food safety issues.) Fish sticks (Trader Joe's are the best.)
Starch - Couscous (The best because it takes 5 minutes, but it makes a huge mess on the floor.) Baked potatoes (nuked). Rice (You can thrown in half a cube of chicken bouillon. In a pinch, Trader Joe's has frozen rice.) Pasta (butter or jarred sauce)
Veggies - Always have washed lettuce in the spinner. Carrot sticks. Broccoli. Frozen veggies.
My cousin, Eric, is in China as a messenger of globalization. He's managing factories that make plastic bags or paper clips or something in Qingdao. He snapped this picture of a hotdog stand in town. I'll take my hotdog with mustard, kraut, and attitude, please.
I was going to write a big heavy post on the unbearable lightness of blogs. Naaah. Let's talk meatballs.
In my media class, we've been discussing the agenda setting function of the media in country. The media helps to shuffle the nation's priorities by choosing which policies and topics to put on the front page. Of course, the big rebuttal to that statement is that people aren't lapdogs to the press. They often choose to focus more on articles in the back of the paper or in less significant sections. Take for example the list of most popular articles on the Times. Does it ever include an article on Scooter Libby? No, it does not. In fact, today it contains three articles about spaghetti and meatballs.
The public apparently feels very strongly about meatballs. And they should. Meatballs rule. I love these recipes, because they are very close to my family's recipe. Probably because the author comes from the same area of Italy as my Grandfather -- Abruzzi, a mountainous, rural area known for their pork. That's why you have to put pork ribs into the sauce or the gravy as the Bronx Italians call it. Makes it nice.
There are some differences. My grandfather was adamant that spaghetti sauce should not include sugar. He said that was for peasants.
The meatballs we make with ground pork, veal, and beef. We also add two slices of bread that have been soaking in milk.
Question of the Day How do you make a nice sauce?
After I survive the morning rush to get the kids off to school in time, I sometimes run into Starbucks to grab a coffee and to work on my laptop for an hour. As I'm paying the guy $1.50 for a plain cup of coffee, I look over at the tip cup next to register. Do I dump the 50 change in the cup? Gotta help the minimum wage slaves. But am I just enabling Starbucks to keep underpaying their employees? And I already paid $1.50 for a stupid cup of coffee. Haven't I helped out Starbucks enough? Besides should you tip people who just pushed a button for coffee? It's not like a lot of effort went into that.
The cup is stuffed. Looks like they've gotten a good haul already. A girl who works there told me that each employee rakes in an extra 80 bucks a week from the tip jar.
Now, it's way too early for a moral dilemma like this, and I get kinda grouchy for having to feel guilt so early in the morning. So, I turn to the guidance of the blogosphere. Tip or no tip.
5. The Frozen Jasmine Rice -- Pre-made rice is only for the laziest of cooks. I'm not proud.
4. Frozen Cod Sticks -- Kiddies love 'em. Made entirely from some rectangular fish.
3. Tandoori Chicken -- Individual lunch-sized meals, when peanut butter and jelly won't cut it.
2. Frozen Peas -- Again, kiddies love 'em.
and...
1. Black Beans Burritos -- One of those, a salad, and a glass of wine is a perfect meal.
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