I don't suppose there's anything worse, in the Atkins-dominated empire that prevails today, but could there be anything better than an onion bagel, toasted to perfection, with chive cream cheese and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice? Hm. I thought not. Saturday, May 21, 2005 »0 comments
Green Glass Goblets
Every meal is a sacred rite. What other human activity do you get to spend an hour with the people you love most, your friends and family, daily? Not everyone has that luxury, after all.
So make the everyday a little more festive, with these water goblets. Instead of your assorted tumblers (if you're like most middle-class families, they're probably odds and ends you've collected over the years), these are an elegant but practical alternative (unless you have young children, I suppose). They're not crystal, and they're not formal, so it's ok to ding them up a bit. They add a touch of elegance without going overboard. (And they have something of a chalice-y thing going on, don't they? Like water unto wine. Hmm... this "religious rite" metaphor is running away from me...)
You can find these everywhere, actually. I bought a couple on sale at Target a couple of years ago, at $1 each. I use them to hold my makeup brushes. : ) Thursday, May 19, 2005 »0 comments
Some Sorta Mexican Food...
Today, I made Mexican. I know it's only vaguely Mexican, as I tend to think along the lines of French cuisine, but it's inspired by the culinary savoir-faire of my roommate at school, who is Mexican. She cooks things much spicier, while I like my food light and fresh. I depend upon herbs for flavor, she, spices. So they taste vastly different, but it's still all good. I like how the elements are brought together separately, and they can be combined in endless variations. I like to wrap 'em all up in tortillas (warmed on a hot pan), but obviously it's up to you.
1. beef ground beef green peppers, hot, minced fine 1/2 small onion, chopped 1/3 fresh cilantro, chopped generous dash of pepper Mix ingredients together in a bowl (the barest splash of tequila is interesting, if you want to get fancy), and cook in frying pan on high heat. Be sure to stir often to break up the chunks of meat. That's it. The onion-and-cilantro thing is my innovation to cut the greasiness of the meat, but you may prefer it otherwise. Add more pepper for more heat, and of course you can try other variations of herbs and spice as you see fit.
2. beans 2 cans of pinto beans shredded cheddar cheese Pour beans into a small saucepan, on medium heat. Stir often, mashing as you go (you don't have to have a smooth paste, but most of the beans should be mushed). Add the cheese as the paste thickens—I like to use a good handful of cheese, since I love cheese, but add less, if you like. The rest of the shredded cheese, presumably, you'd use to top your tortillas, of course.
3. tomatoes fresh, very ripe tomatoes, diced smidgen of salt, just a smidgen fresh cilantro, chopped There's nothing in the world so great as fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I love it. Don't be afraid to be a little rough with the tomatoes, a little bruising allows the tomatoes to absorb the flavor from the cilantro (the salt helps with this, it's not actually there to add flavor). I love cilantro, so I use a lot.
4. salsa I just buy it. For lots of heat, I like green chili, rather than the more familiar Tostidos or whatever that brand is. For regular not-so-spicy-as-hell salsa, Green Mountain Gringo makes fantastic salsa (which I prefer to eat with chips, anyway; why waste a good salsa on something that hides the flavor?). I like mango salsa, too, from... hmm... I forget the brand, but I'll get back to you.
5. shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc. Pretty self-explanatory. I prefer to mash my avocadoes myself, as store-bought guacamole tastes funny to me.
6. tortillas The trick is to warm them first, by searing them (this is a very quick process) on a hot frying pan. Just delicious.
Fin: Wrap them all up and eat! Monday, May 16, 2005 »0 comments
