Things that made me smile...

Yesterday:
- Helping a friend get her apartment in shape so she can get back to finishing end-term work. The three of us got things from "epic mess" to "that's the color carpeting I remember!" and "hey! my fridge is clean!" in about 4 hours. Not bad for an afternoon's work.
- Hanging out at leahfelicity's place last night with the ( Read more... )

Yesterday, decorating party for National Coming Out Week was a success. I made a couple of signs for my car, the designated "Picnic Food Transport Unit" next Saturday. As much as I would love to march across town hefting signs and singing with the rest of the bunch, I fear my ankle is already complaining bitterly at the prospect. I'm barely up for ( Read more... )

Dinner was delicious! The lamb was not the star of the show, in part because I slightly overcooked it, but also in part because the sauce was so fabulous. I've suggested protobella mushrooms as a vegetarian substitution, but you could leave out a substitute entirely. The apricot-wine-spinach mixture stands on its own!

Lamb with Apricot and Wilted ( Read more... )

I know some of you know why I busted out laughing when I saw this on the shelf at my local pan-Asian grocery store. And bought it because it's pain-free kancho for 79¢. Most appropriate is the look on the lower left cookie which is missing its ass. Bwahahaha!


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I spent all morning yesterday watching videos of making spätzle, a thick egg noodle popular in southern Germany. So last night I made a batch with some frozen chopped parsley. The half-German in me squeed with delight! I wanted more! So next time: bigger batch. :)

Here are the method/recipe I used (I omitted nutmeg & I recommend this) and an ( Read more... )

Eggplant Gyro Filling (vegan)

1 lg. eggplant, sliced into strips 1/4"-1/8" thick and ~2" wide
olive oil

Seasoning Mix
onion
garlic
oregano
salt
black pepper
marjoram

Optional Seasoningsrosemary ( Read more... )

While looking up egg replacers for brownies (I'm likely to try a combination of applesauce and a little oil), I came across a few recipes that sounded delicious and I thought I'd share. I know at least one person on my flist is vegan, and others likely have vegan or food-allergic friends. Or are looking for a new direction in cooking. So here goes ( Read more... )

The USDA ordered the recall of 143 Million pounds of beef from a California processing plant due to employees moving of visibly sick cattle into the processing line since January 2006. About 1/4 of it went to school lunch programs as hamburger and most has probably already been consumed. The USDA has apparently been unable or unwilling to take ( Read more... )

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My university has a course for hotel/restaurant management students where they plan and put on themed dinners in a fine-dining setting on campus. The theme tonight was Thai, and it was the students' second run (slightly different menu, and various lessons learned from the first run). How could I resist?

AppetizerTom Yam Gaeng. Lemongrass broth ( Read more... )