angry chicken

links: this and that

by Patricia on January 8, 2010 · 5 comments

leeks2

Aren’t leeks pretty? I love the colors and the concentric circles… kind of like Nature’s tie dye.

  • Remember I had all of that butternut squash? Well, I tried a recipe from Molly of Orangette for a warm butternut and chickpea salad with tahini. It was really good. Dan went back for a second helping. We had it tonight with a fried egg on the side for a little extra protein. Yum. Also, don’t forget the cilantro… it adds a nice balance to the flavors (I almost skipped it because I didn’t have it on hand, but made a quick trip to pick some up and am so glad that I did).
  • Do you use reusable grocery bags? If so, good for you. I have a stack of them and use them religiously (most of the time). I came across this article on lifehacker today and now I am paranoid. Oy ve. Do you wash your reusable bags? If so, how often? I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t washed most of mine. They are mostly the recycled plastic-y bags or other funky material (a la the $0.99 bags at Trader Joe’s) so I’m not sure you can wash them in the washing machine. Anyway, apparently we should all be washing our bags all the time because of germs. Ick. This makes me wonder if I should phase out those plastic-y bags in favor of cotton canvas which can easily be thrown into the laundry. Hmm.
  • I’ve been saving my Christmas cards for a few years now with the intent to reuse them in some crafty way though I was never quite sure how. Thanks to the Long Thread, I believe I’ve found my answer: holiday gift tags. Just think, you don’t have to buy any new gift tags and they are super cute to boot.
  • This recipe cheat sheet is perhaps the single best idea I’ve seen on the internet and I wish I had thought of it first. But alas, I saw this on Amy Karol’s fantastic blog (angry chicken) long before I had a blog of my own. All of your favorite recipes in shorthand on a single piece of paper. How clever is that?

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Catching up

by Patricia on July 17, 2009 · 1 comment

I subscribe to a lot of blogs, and thanks to laziness and procrastination, I get really behind on reading them. There are times that I wonder why I don’t just unsubscribe to most of them if I can’t keep up. But then there are days like today when I have the time to catch up on my reading and I find so many interesting things out there. You may find this surprising, but many of these blogs have nothing to do with food. So today I thought I’d give you a short tour of some of the other things that fill my mind when I’m not dreaming of all of the delicious ways to enjoy food. [Continue reading...]

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While I’m scrubbing my burnt pot, here is a roundup…

by Patricia on April 12, 2009 · 2 comments

burned-pot

I have cooked artichokes myself exactly twice.  Both times steamed.  Both times just kind of winged it from a “how to cook artichokes” I found online that says to put a clove of garlic, lemon slice and bay leaf into the water to add some flavor.  My first outing was successful enough.  1 artichoke in the steamer for 15 minutes, and I had an edible artichoke.  The second time, however, was a slightly different story.  You see, I don’t measure the water when I’m steaming stuff.  And I’m not an expert steamer.  I just don’t steam things very often.  Anyhow, I put the artichoke in the steamer basket, set a timer for 20 minutes (why did I change from 15 to 20? I have no good answer.  What I learned though? If 15 is good enough, stick with 15… or add more water if you want to go 20).  I walked away to do some things.  Easy enough, right?

When I returned I smelled smoke.  Not huge billowing amounts, but still a little smoke.  The kind of smoke smell you get when you walk outside and a neighbor has a fire in his fireplace.  Not a bad smell, but not really what you want to smell in your kitchen.  I removed the lid from the pot and a puff of smoke escaped.  Uh oh.  The artichoke looked ok enough… just a little smokey.   So I tried it.  It had a slight smokey flavor but was not bad.  The pot though was not a happy pot.  The water had completely evaporated and there is a semi-permanent char on the bottom that no amount of scraping has helped.  I am currently working through these steps from eHow.  So far no change, but I am trying to salvage my poor pot.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  

But while I’m scrubbing, here is a round up of a few things that caught my eye this week:

- Bakerella is up to her usual magic with these Easter basket cupcakes.  Too cute!

- Maple pan-roasted baby carrots from Noble Pig.  These look delicious and would be a perfect side for Easter supper.

- Katie from Salt and Chocolate asks “Who wouldn’t want some cheesecake?”.  You know, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t love a slice of this vanilla bean cheesecake.  I know I’d love a big slice of it right now.  For dinner.  And maybe dessert too.

- And because I’m kind of on a “back to basics” kick lately in a lot of my life, I am really interested in trying to make my own butter like Amy from Angry Chicken did.  I mean, I love butter.  How bad could homemade be?

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Maiden Voyage

by Patricia on November 20, 2008 · 1 comment

I finally had some time to play with my new toy. I picked some fabric from my stash and whipped up an apron. I followed the “pattern” for a vintage apron in Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

The no-foot-pedal thing was freaky at first. I felt off-balance and rushed. And then I realized that I was trying too hard — that this machine doesn’t need as much guidance as my old one. Once I realized that and relaxed, it got easier. I don’t know if I will stick with the no pedal configuration but it is interesting.

Here is D. modeling the final product:

I like the pocket best:

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