Food

Things in the southwest are a little different than where I grew up in the northeast. Aside from the weather (which is the primary reason I decided to get my ass out here) there are a laundry list of additional differences. The extreme heat impacts housing style, design, and placement. Speed limits are much higher due to expanded width of all roads (and to quote Tyson Nash “I don’t mind that a bit.”). The Farmer’s market can run all year. The food out here is delicious but some staples of the northeast diet are harder to find as agreeable to my biased palate.

Of course I’m talking about pizza, subs, and Chinese food. All of my former favorites in Boston are now some of my least favorites out here. But try to get that good a steak, veggies that fresh, or decent (authentic) Mexican food in Boston and you’ll know why the southwest has its own flavors that make it great.

So when Matt texted me a week or so ago to say he bought himself lunch and had “the best steak and cheese sub ever” I was of course skeptical. In my mind the best steak and cheese I’ve ever had was from this hole in the wall place in Lynn, MA. I can’t remember the name of the spot – Angelina’s is coming to mind? – but that hardly matters. I could still drive there if dropped in Lynn; I still drool for their subs sometimes.

Now before I go on any further I should probably explain that sub is short for submarine sandwich. AKA grinder, hoagie, hero. Every place in the United States seems to have their own term for this 6-12” bread receptacle of deliciousness.

In Phoenix they’re usually hoagies but I’ll likely never stop calling it a sub. Some things are ingrained from birth; personality traits. And when I looked at the menu for this local spot Matt raved about, Corleone’s (a small chain of four locations), only to see their carbohydrate vessel referred to as a ‘hoagie’ it put me even more on the defensive.

But then the other night Matt picked up a couple subs from this place and I was instantly transported to a crappy table in Villa Pizza (the original location thank you very much). In my head I was sitting in a sub shop in Boston. I was eating one of the best steak and cheese subs I’ve ever had.

Not the best (like I said above) but I’d for sure rate these guys in the top five ever.

Now, if Phoenix could just import their water from Boston and convince one or two of the guys from Bianchi’s to move here with one of the original pizza baking ovens I would know without a shadow of a doubt that Phoenix is heaven on earth.

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge F is for Food

Thanks, for the Everything

I’ve been spotty reading blogs lately as well as commenting back to people’s posts but yesterday a photo and post over at Freshness Factor Five Thousand had me thinking about all the things I’m grateful for, thanks-full for and inspired to acknowledge. It’s been quite a while since I’ve put one of these lists together so it seemed like the right time to do it.

A lot has been going on here and many changes are afoot this year and I really love how every year, month, week, day, hour brings a new reason to be grateful or inspired. Sometimes it’s just nice to take stock of what we have, what we’ve had and where we hope to be so of course this list is far from all inclusive but off the top this is my own personal accounting of the awesomeness as I see it in the world. As always, in no particular order.

Heat
Hot water
Cups of tea, coffee and clean drinking water
Bacon & blue burgers
An open mind
Family
Friends
Fun times with both of the above
Music that gets me through the hard times
Music that inspires me to acknowledge the happy times
Playing the drums and the man who is teaching me to do so
Winning the lottery
Having a little extra to donate to charity because of the above
Fruits and vegetables
P90X
Facebook
Ability to ingest information as I start my journey toward an MA in English
Inspiration
My sewing machine
My paint brushes
Muscles to work hard and work out
Yoga
A healthy dose of cynicism
Showers and toothbrushes
Creativity
The library
Snuggling
Lost
Gas in my car’s tank
Agents who have rejected me & my novel
Football
My bloggy friends, some of whom I consider to be my closest friends in the world
Writer’s license
Cannoli
Enough money to pay the bills
A little extra left over to save for our upcoming move
Strength I’ve gained through adversity
Books
Hair dye
The end of eras, relationships and experiences
All six senses
Silence
Crackers
eBay and the people who buy what I sell
Fabric
A roof over my head
Poetry
Wool socks & winter boots
Flip flops and bathing suits
Sunshine
The power to change
The knowledge to know when to do just that
The sense to know when not to
A voice to speak how I really feel
The couth to know that some stories should be kept private forever
Basil
Road trips
Victoria’s Secret
Rainbows and sunsets
Hugs
Stars
Art in every form
Love in every form and sense of the word
My terrycloth bathrobe that I’ve had for 15 years and still love like it was brand new
Laughter
Intention
Acceptance
And of course, the unrelenting, unwavering, love and support of my husband; without it I would have been committed years ago. ♥

Under the Wire with The Dish!

I tossed and turned. My brain was all tingly with excitement for the vast array of possibilities. A burger recipe. That is what we were charged with conceptualizing for The Dish! in June and immediately I realized it would be no easy task. There are so many different types of burgers it was going to take some serious crafting to come up with the perfect one.

I toyed around with the idea of a meatless burger because the veggie burgers they sell in the store are not only processed but always seem to have mushrooms. I figured “If you want something done right, do it yourself”. Unfortunately my limited brain capacity for cooking didn’t really allow a good filter and I never came up with anything (yet, I swear it will happen one day!)

Instead Matt was the one to cook up some ground turkey burgers by adding a whole bunch of spices and some home grown basil to make one super tasty treat! We cooked them on our George Foreman grill and although we didn’t have sliced cheese, Matt improvised and pulled some string cheese for his own unique take on a cheese burger.

So here’s Uncle Matty’s Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey (85/15 fat)
¼ tsp ground chipotle spice
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix it up well and grill to your desired level of done-ness. We like just medium so did 12 minutes on the Foreman Grill. We ate them on light wheat buns; top with your favorite condiments.

Now Matt also mixed up ½ tsp chipotle, ¾ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp garlic powder and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper to sprinkle over our fries on the side. He baked for about 20 minutes on 400.

The meal was spicy but not “mouth on fire oh no I might pass out” hot which was just perfect on the cool night we ate these.

Now are you a burger person like we are? If you are and you write about it then submit your link to The Dish! by July 5, 2010 and you could win a $60 CSN Stores gift certificate to spend however you want.

Um, score!

Seriously, we all know burgers of some sort will probably be involved in our meal plan this upcoming weekend so why not snap a photo of it & toss a post up on your blog? You might just win the GC but even if you don’t win that you score anyway because you got an awesome burger out of it!

But I Got a Great Meal Out of It

Most of you know that I was a huge fan of the television show Lost. For six seasons I stuck through the weird twists and turns and I even tried to accept the (apparent) dissonance of last night’s finale, but something about it being over like that makes me more than a little sad. There will be no more answers to questions; the melody is unfinished and the lines do not rhyme. But, ah, that is classic Lost and I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now before I lose everyone with paragraphs of babbling about a series finale that many of you were not addicted to like me, I should probably explain what that show has to do with the title. Earlier this month my friend Ginger started up this new gig over at ‘Would You Like Fries With That?’ called The Dish. Each month she will post a recipe created in her very own kitchen and challenge readers to come up with their own version. So for last night’s finale that is just what I did.

Food was a huge part of the show as a whole -- how they hunted for it, picked it, where they happened to find a bunch of it, who’s food it was -- and two items in particular were frequently mentioned: boar and mango. Since they were deserted on a tropical island, it was fitting. My mom came over to watch the finale with us last night so we definitely planned to have some mango, but the boar? Well I picked up Boar...’s Head deli slices of course!

I knew I wanted to do something funky with the mango and suddenly it hit me -- The Dish! I knew that mango would be a perfect ingredient for Asian Inspired Noodles and I started pulling stuff out of the cabinet to create on the fly. When it was complete it had a Polynesian flair and I am calling it:

Sweet & Salty Fruity Noodles
1 package ramen noodles
½ a ripe mango
a good sprinkling of coconut
fresh cilantro
a sprinkling of dry basil
cubed meat (or other preference, we used pork)
water chestnuts*
bamboo shoots*
soy sauce (low sodium)
agave nectar
sesame seeds

(Sorry to say there are no measurements because I just kind of tossed it all together or in the bowl until it looked right and tasted good.)

*I forgot to get these but plan to do so next go round!

Cook ramen as directed, omit seasoning packet. Drain & run under cold water for a minute or so.
Chop, bake, dice, slice, open everything else. We kept all things in separate containers so each of us could add to our own liking.
In a shaker pour about 3 oz soy sauce, 1 oz agave then shake, shake, shake your booty until its blended well. Taste for yumminess (should be an even balance of salty/sweet).
Chill (preferably in the yard with a good book).
Mix it all together in your own bowl, pour a drizzle of sauce over and eat immediately.

Thanks for the challenge Ginger, if it wasn’t for you I never would have conceived of this yummy meal; it was a perfect compliment to our night of getting Lost one final time.

And in other news…

When my mom got here last night she came in carrying my manuscript. All of my “test subjects” have now read the book, given me their ten cents (and multiple pages of notes) on what could be further revised, edited, and what works well. Since I’m done painting for the time being, the next couple weeks are all about final edits, kick ass query letters and crossing of fingers that this baby gets picked up before I start writing the next one in November.

Wish me luck with the book and get over to The Dish for more Asian Inspired Noodle Bowls!

Break me off A Piece of That

This past Wednesday I went to the Farmer’s Market with S and the twins and since it is winding down there was a ton available. I picked up a whole bunch of veggies at the grocery store that I just didn’t see at the FM like avocados, carrots, cilantro, red onions, etc. and then at the market I grabbed a butternut squash, red pepper, corn on the cob, an enormous heirloom tomato and a jar of locally packaged Thai peanut sauce with nothing artificial added. Yum.

The night I brought all the veggies home it occurred to me that I never actually liked squash so I have not made it in the ten years Matt and I have been together. I had never seen him with squash on his plate, he’s never even ordered it out, so it was going to be interesting to find out if either of us would eat it.

Over the past couple years I have been experimenting with re-trying foods I used to not like because I figure tastes change so why not give it a go. I think I have mentioned before that this experimentation led me right down an avocado filled path of yumminess, so I wondered if squash could be the next alright veggie.

Yeah, not so much.

Well OK, in all fairness, just not the way I did it. I have major issues with texture in my foods as well as this very odd thing where if I have had the same flavor in my mouth for too long I feel nauseated and I have to stop eating it in favor of something else; sometimes I have to stop eating altogether, don’t ask I’m a freak. Usually it happens with pasta or chicken but never with veggies, until now.

I cut up the heirloom into small cubes, tossed it into a pan with a shake of dried basil, a pinch of each -- nutmeg, sea salt, black pepper and sugar -- and set it to boil. Once it was boiling I simmered it on low for about 2 hours. Making sauce is one of my specialties. In fact for a long time it was the only thing I could cook that I didn’t screw up beyond recognition (lemon poppyseed super bouncy ball anyone?). For some reason, the tomato and I are just happy bedfellows; if I wasn’t Irish, I would have definitely been Italian.

Squash however is entirely new territory for me, so a lot of online research had to be done before I was ready to give it a go. Upon delving, I discovered that about two minutes in the microwave will soften both: the skin to easily peel it, and the meat (is that the proper term here?) enough to cut it up easily. I cubed it, tossed it in my 8x8 Pyrex and sprinkled the top with a pinch of salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar then I tossed about a ¼ cup of water in the bottom, covered with my recycled aluminum foil (awesome stuff which I had sent to me recently by Reynolds) and baked on 350 for about 35 minutes.

Zucchini chunks were steamed and vermicelli was boiled and when all was said and done I mixed them all together in a big bowl.

Matt downed that squash so fast I didn’t see a single chunk make it to his bowl before it was in his mouth. I asked why he never mentioned that he loves butternut squash so much, since he clearly missed it something awful over this past decade.

I couldn’t understand his response as his mouth was full of squash.

On the other side of the spectrum was me. I ate about 5 chunks of squash until I finally had to admit that while the flavor was good, the texture was not going to work. This was a vast accomplishment though as I never used to like the flavor, so I started hatching a plan for what could be done with the rest of it, in lieu of allowing Matt to turn into a butternut squash of course.

Into the food processor (my new favorite household appliance by the way, we finally broke down and got one a few weeks back because it is fall and fall is all about soup) went everything chunky along with about a half a cup of 2% milk. Out came the most delicious creamy soup I have ever made.

Admittedly, yes, it was the first creamy soup I’ve made but seriously, who’s counting? Since butternut is a winter squash I have a feeling we will be experimenting with it around this house a lot over the coming months.

That is if I can keep any of it off of Matt’s fork.

If it’s Broken, you’ll find the Thought Process behind it here:
Bridgete, Kate, Ginger, Bree & KC

Broken Thoughts Are Handy on Friday

Another week gone. They fly so fast I have no idea what to even do with myself anymore! Last weekend we painted and this weekend will be all about relaxing over some super yummy meals with family. It should be a nice time all around. On top of that we have both decided it is high time to go sit out in our yard so we are both grabbing a book and will be doing just that.

I’m still reading On the Road, Jack Kerouac. It isn’t a very tough read per se but he is so erratic sometimes it is hard to follow along. Considering I have a similar style of writing you would think I could but strangely I like to have an entire land built for me when I read; a place I can “travel” to in my imagination and I don’t want that place to be too broken or I just can’t get into it. His voice is casual though and he isn’t too pretentious from what I can gauge so far so I will definitely finish the book, it just might mean I read the same paragraph three times before moving on so it might take a while.

I’m kind of feeling like Kerouac today; I’m eating pie and ice cream for lunch.

Last night I made the coolest dinner out of fridge scraps; better known as the random stuff left at the end of the week. I baked some salmon steaks in the oven then placed them on top of a killer salad made from baby spinach & basil leaves, seedless red grapes, walnuts and diced apple. Then I cubed some crusty Italian bread, marinated garlic in butter on the stove top, saturated the bread with the liquid then baked until they were crouton crispy. It was sort of Waldorf-y but I drizzled blue cheese across the top. Matt was impressed. More importantly, we were both full. Here is the plate because I told him he was not allowed to eat it until I took a picture haha.


Then after dinner we headed out for our evening walk and this was at the end of the street just as we walked out the door.

Pretty!

Tonight I read about a cool thing going on in Davis Square in Somerville called Art Beat. Apparently there is going to be all kinds of artistic stuff, a wind powered car parade, food and some other randomness. Hopefully Bridgete is still up for meeting us there but Matt and I are planning to go either way. Should at least be interesting enough for a blog post so stay tuned

Man I am totally dying for a cannoli.

Today S and I did a little over two miles going from East Arlington, to Arlington center and back on the bike trail. Because of where they are it added a little extra on. I’m really tired now and downing lots of water. It seems to be starting to work I think. Well my butt feels tighter even if it doesn’t look that way yet. Guess I’ll keep it up and hope for the best. If nothing else it’s a nice way to get out of the house everyday for both of us. And it means I can eat pie for lunch and not feel too bad about it. Of course it is Chocolate Overkill Pie so it’s actually good for me. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.

I’m just not feeling it today. I don’t know what “it” is exactly but I’m feeling very fatigued and I fancy crawling back under the bloody covers, turning the fan on and just napping the rest of the day away.

Clearly I’ve turned into a British person; maybe that’s why, the trip from England to get into my skin over here across the pond was far too long and now I’m exhausted.

Maybe it was watching Sense and Sensibility the other day that has me talking like that. Perhaps it is because “Desmond” is back on the season we’re on of Lost. Or it could be from playing Jethro Tull on Rock Band.

Yeah, that’s it. I’ll sod off now. Safe Friday night to all.

The BTP All Stars
Ginger
Bridgete
KC
Bree
Kate

Oh What A Night

When I went to bed last night I felt that I had done something to make a difference in the world for the entire day. Yesterday was filled with blogging, sewing, creating from new recipes, community activism and great conversation. I felt as if I took a giant leap forward toward a happier and healthier life and want to keep that train a-rolling for sure!

Working from home has become a more regular occurrence as I gear up for the craft fair in November. I have been running the sewing machine (not my car) pretty much non stop. I have a feeling that running the machine is definitely less of an energy sucker than my car would be though. So some of the adorableness of this week includes:





Have I mentioned that the pattern for the clutches is one I created myself a handful of years ago? I have been improving on the design and making changes over the past couple years like adding the Velcro instead of a button, making sure my company tag is sewn in there and generally just lining up the seams and notions better. Everything gets easier with time I guess!

Because Murphy’s Law is something all of us Irish folk are fully in touch with, I know this purse will sell at the fair. So far it is the one I love the most and would keep in a New York minute if given the opportunity (like it not selling at the fair and I get to just take it home for example).

So for Ginger and Karen I would just like to let you know that I did finally create the recipes you both shared that I have been dying to try all month. I combined the two together for a yummy feast last night for mom, Matt and myself before we headed out to the town meeting. On this plate are the salmon patties Karen suggested trying and the ribbon zucchini with pesto Ginger posted. Y-U-M!!

Good. Now that takes care of our minds and bodies, but we should do something good for mankind or the planet for a couple of hours. -- Cher, Clueless

After also devouring some of my mom’s delicious oatmeal chip cookies we took off to hear about all the awesomeness our town is doing in the way of sustainable efforts. There were two guest speakers, one from the Chamber of Commerce, the other from the Committee for Secure Green Future. Both were excellent speakers with quite a wealth of knowledge to share. There were eleven of us in total including the three of us newbies. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to have new members attend! One of the members is also the webmaster and when he found out that I write an environmental blog he asked if I would be interested to let them grab my RSS feed as well as possibly write articles for the soon to be newly revamped website. How could I ever say no?! I am really looking forward to getting more involved with these folks because their reach in the community is so positive.

With that said, today I begin research on my town and the efforts already in place for a better environment here such as waste removal, recycling, energy savings, litter clean up and a slew of other topics that will become extremely fun topics to do a write up on for the website. Of course I plan to finish up this little baby tonight.