God Save Cuisine: 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011

Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

Monday, June 13

Last supper.

Thanks to Scott Hulme for making me look ridiculous during at least one meal every day for the last year. I wouldn't have done it for anyone shorter.

The end.

Three Hundred and Sixty-Four

Sunday, June 12

Coffee.

Went to Peet's Coffee for a little afternoon brew. I settled on an iced vanilla latte, as did pretty much everyone else I was there with. The picture just made it look so good...(which it was).

Thin, chewy, mini wafers filled with caramel. I remember getting these in Holland, freshly made and as big around as my head. The already paper-thin wafer is sliced in half and the bottom is smeared with gooey caramel and then the top put back on and served warm. Trader Joe's stocks this adequate but less phenomenal and much tinier knock-off.

Three Hundred and Sixty-Two

Friday, June 10

Chicken.

Roasted chicken breast, stuffed with feta, mozzarella, black olives and Mediterranean herbs. Served with mushroom risotto and parmesan.

Three Hundred and Sixty-One

Thursday, June 9

Hot dog.

Pan-fried to perfection, with mustard, ketchup and dill relish in a whole wheat bun. Served with French fries, baby bell peppers and baby carrots.

Three Hundred and Sixty

Wednesday, June 8

Egg drop soup.

Haha, I really love this stuff. This time in a restaurant, which is my preference. Took this picture with my phone. I don't like corn very much but smuggled into egg drop soup is one of the few times I really don't mind it. Probably because I'm distracted by the fact that I'm eating such amazing soup.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Nine

Tuesday, June 7

Mojito.

Girls' night with Amber, Jen, Jess & Alysia. Highlights included Kevin Bacon opening his car door directly in our line of driving, stepping out in his skinny suit, his hair glimmering in the sun, and flashing a smile that seemed to say, "I love girls' night, you ladies look fantastic." Oh, and also this mojito.

Actually it was really tasty, with freshly squeezed cane juice in all its deliciousness.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight

Monday, June 6

Watermelon.

Fresh, juicy, cold watermelon. One of the best things for a hot summer day.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven

Sunday, June 5

Cheesecake.

Cheesecake Factory's New York style cheesecake, so creamy and decadent. Served with blueberries and strawberries.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Six

Saturday, June 4

Cognac.

Hennessy cognac. Smooth and full-bodied, it is the Queen Latifah of cognacs.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Five

Friday, June 3

Tenderloin.

Dad's famous beef tenderloin and Mom's celery root & potato mash and roasted veggies. Have I mentioned recently how much I love mashed potatoes? Because man, I really do. Add celery root and it's even better.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Four

Thursday, June 2

BreathSavers.

I love these things! More substantial than a Tic-tac, but still not as big of a commitment as gum. I'm not a huge fan of Altoids, I find them curiously not great-tasting. But these...these I like.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Three

Wednesday, June 1

Cereal.

Made possible by the efforts of Michael. From top left: fruit loops, honey nut o's, rice crispies. I have to say the loops are my favorite, followed by the crispies and finally the o's.

Three Hundred and Fifty-Two

Tuesday, May 31

Beef & broccoli.

This is pretty self-explanatory. I'll just add that it was delicious.

Three Hundred and Fifty-One

Monday, May 30

Steak sandwich.

Leftovers from the night before. Thinly sliced steak, cream cheese, baby lettuce, horseradish, salt & pepper on toasted sourdough.

Three Hundred and Fifty

Sunday, May 29

Steak & potatoes.

Grilled steak, cooked just right (although, when does Dad not grill a steak perfectly?) and grilled potatoes with sour cream and chives. Served with a tossed salad.

Three Hundred and Forty-Nine

Saturday, May 28

Egg drop soup.

I actually followed a recipe this time, and liked it less than when I winged it. This one has lime juice and ginger and soy sauce and things like that. I don't like it as much as when I get it in restaurants, that's for sure. It certainly wasn't bad, though.

Three Hundred and Forty-Eight

Friday, May 27

Breakfast.

I love eggs this way. Scrambled, with sauteed sausage (chicken sausage with smoked gouda and apple) and cheddar cheese, salt & pepper. Served with that rosemary toast from before.

Three Hundred and Forty-Seven

Thursday, May 26

Sandwich.

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard & mayonnaise on this incredible rosemary sourdough bread that Mom & Dad get from our local farmers' market. So tasty!

Three Hundred and Forty-Six

Wednesday, May 25

Couscous.

Mom & Mike put this little gem together. Couscous, chickpeas, cumin, sauteed chicken and enchilada sauce all tossed together and served with salad. Delicious.

Three Hundred and Forty-Five

Tuesday, May 24

Rice & dumplings.

Chicken & cilantro dumplings, served with white rice and a cilantro pesto. For the pesto, I used blanched almonds rather than pine nuts, and obviously cilantro in place of basil. I didn't love it, but it was good with the rice and I think it complemented the dumplings (which were delicious) well.

Three Hundred and Forty-Four

Monday, May 23

Roasted vegetables.

Quite the hodgepodge. Zucchini, squash, onions, baby bell peppers, mushrooms. I dislike most of those plain, but Mom fixed them up real* nice with balsamic vinegar and herbs so I wouldn't be able to taste their zucchininess, squashness and mushroomness. Thanks, Mother!

*your welcome

(yeah, I did it twice)

Three Hundred and Forty-Three

Sunday, May 22

Coffee cake.

One of my favorite coffee cake recipes, with blueberries added! Soft and moist and spicy and berry-y.

Three Hundred and Forty-Two

Saturday, May 21

Herring.

Pickled herring in wine sauce, served with white onion and dill. Not a big fish fan, and I actually prefer the herring that comes in cream sauce (to distract from the fish), but this is tolerable.

Three Hundred and Forty-One

Friday, May 20

Chocolate wafers.

Like Coffee Crisp but somewhat less delicious. I'll settle for them though, because you can only get Coffee Crisp in Canada. And these do still have chocolate all over them. So I mean, come on.

Three Hundred and Forty

Thursday, May 19

Kefir.

I've loved this stuff ever since I can remember. It tastes amazing and is apparently also good for you...what more could you want? Just more Kefir, really.

I've also tried pomegranate flavor; I don't think they can make this stuff taste bad.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Nine

Wednesday, May 18

Cheese.

Asiago with rosemary and olive oil. Stiff but still creamy, and the rosemary was nice and soft. Perfect by itself or with a cracker.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight

Tuesday, May 17

Agua fresca.

Very loose interpretation - watermelon, triple sec and ice. I could eat watermelon all year, so needless to say I found this very refreshing.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven

Monday, May 16

Cereal.

Maple Pecan Crunch with sliced banana and almond milk. This cereal has corn flakes mixed in. I love corn flakes.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Three Hundred and Thirty-Six

Sunday, May 15

Hot dog pizza.

A polish dog with diced onions, relish, deli & yellow mustard and ketchup, wrapped in a slice of cheese pizza. Just another lunch with Michael Anderson and Jonathan Goodwin.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Five

Saturday, May 14

Strawberry frozen yogurt.

I prefer frozen yogurt to ice cream, and who can say no to the convenience of making it in-home?? So fresh and so sweet.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Four

Friday, May 13

Snacks.

Toasted sliced baguette, topped with unripened goat cheese and roasted tomatoes, garlic & mint. Thanks to David & Diana Vierra for the inspiration, and Mom for the execution.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Three

Thursday, May 12

Cake.

Mike's birthday cake: the Death Star and Millennium Falcon. Chocolate cake with a whisky buttercream.

Three Hundred and Thirty-Two

Wednesday, May 11

Salad.

Chicken, pears, walnuts, goat cheese and baby lettuce, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper. So refreshing.

Three Hundred and Thirty-One

Tuesday, May 10

Cauliflower soup.

Garlic, chicken broth and cauliflower...nothing could be simpler. Really creamy and full-bodied.

Three Hundred and Thirty

Monday, May 9

Mexican food.

Beef tamale, rice, corn, black beans, baby bell peppers.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Nine

Sunday, May 8

Mother's Day snacks.

Strawberries, pineapple, grapes; artisan bread; two aged cheddars, one with Irish whiskey and one with Irish stout; chocolate-covered almonds; white wine.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight

Saturday, May 7

Spinach salad pasta.

Orzo, topped with creamed spinach, topped with bacon and hard-boiled eggs. I made it up. It was good.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven

Friday, May 6

Onion tart.

A ton of caramelized onions with a splash of balsamic vinegar, baked in pie dough and covered with gruyere. This dish was a phenomenon.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Six

Thursday, May 5

Margarita.

Blended, as it should be. Criticized though I am.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Five

Wednesday, May 4

Peach.

Farmers market, sonnn.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Four

Tuesday, May 3

Tea.

Ohhh, Trader Joe's. How do you need to spell-check your products, let me count the ways.

It's just the one, really.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Three

Monday, May 2

Garlic bread.

I like to go to Vons and buy artisan bread for like $1. This was not a mistake.

Three Hundred and Twenty-Two

Sunday, May 1

Chocolate pudding.

Homemade pudding, nice and rich. Yummmm

Three Hundred and Twenty-One

Saturday, April 30

Pasta.

Roasted brussels sprouts, bacon, and caramelized onions, served over shells tossed in a garlic bechamel.

I'd just like to add that brussels sprouts are severely underrated.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Three Hundred and Twenty

Friday, April 29

Flautas.

Shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, all kinds of stuff wrapped up in flour tortillas and fried, topped with sour cream, salsa and cilantro. These were flaut of this world.

See what I did there....