Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Comming Around

Hello All!

It has been one heck of a week! First a trip is on, then its off, then its back on again! Should I pack or not? Oh yeah...thats why I leave it for the last minute! So, in all, I am currently going to be spending then next few days in Chicago!! Yippie! I will return with some amazing pics to share with all thoes I adore most!

Before I leave I would like to have something for my viewers to rest their eyes on. I have been getting a lot of old pictures off of my (slowly) dying computer and on to a mass storage divice. I just found a few that I enjoy and have lots of memories tied to them. I hope that you enjoy them as well!

Weighted-down pine
*Gosh how I LOVE winter!*


My fish Moony Gourmet (RIP)



The weird things that people put on cars! A Pikachu plate!

Mother Nature doing her best work

Bark scrolls from a Birch tree

And some more interesting stuff:

I found this while wondering around today, on http://boringhistorygirl.blogspot.com/ The list below was done up by a guy from Britain called Andrew Wheeler. It's a list of what he thinks all omnivores should eat once in their life. Some of them are great and some of them are gross and there are some that I have never even HEARD of! Google here I come!

Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. Bold all the items you’ve eaten. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
  1. Venison
  2. Nettle tea
  3. Huevos rancheros
  4. Steak tartare
  5. Crocodile** Does Aligator count?
  6. Black Pudding
  7. Cheese fondue
  8. Carp
  9. Borscht
  10. Baba ghanoush
  11. Calamari** Both pan fried and batter fried
  12. Pho
  13. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich** MANY many times
  14. Aloo gobi
  15. Hot dog from a street cart** Would an outdoor vendor at a baseball game count?
  16. Epoisses
  17. Black truffle
  18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
  19. Steamed pork buns
  20. Pistachio ice cream** Just a taste test
  21. Heirloom tomatoes** They were stewed
  22. Fresh wild berries** We used to have wild blackberries in the backyard at home
  23. Foie gras
  24. Rice and beans
  25. Brawn, or head cheese
  26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
  27. Dulce de leche
  28. Oysters
  29. Baklava** LOVE it and would like to try my hand at making it
  30. Bagna cauda
  31. Wasabi peas** I heart wasabi! Sushi is amazing!
  32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl** At Boudin's, SF CA, the BEST!!
  33. Salted lassi
  34. Sauerkraut** Had it, but no NOT like it
  35. Root beer float** A&W, have not had it in a while, but I hear its the best way to go!
  36. Cognac with a fat cigar** Just had the cigar part, but with wine
  37. Clotted cream tea
  38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O** Tis a college student, what can I say?
  39. Gumbo** I am sure that I have sampled this somewhere along the way...
  40. Oxtail
  41. Curried goat
  42. Whole insects** Does inside of a sugar candy or covered in chocolate count?
  43. Phaal
  44. Goat’s milk
  45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
  46. Fugu
  47. Chicken tikka masala
  48. Eel
  49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut** Good, but I do prefer the Old Fashoned
  50. Sea urchin
  51. Prickly pear
  52. Umeboshi
  53. Abalone
  54. Paneer
  55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
  56. Spaetzle
  57. Dirty gin martini
  58. Beer above 8% ABV
  59. Poutine
  60. Carob chips
  61. S’mores** I suggest using a Reeses PB Cup for some variation on the original
  62. Sweetbreads
  63. Kaolin
  64. Currywurst
  65. Durian
  66. Frogs’ legs
  67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake** Benigets are amazing!
  68. Haggis
  69. Fried plantain** At a little Caribbean restaurant somewhere in Northern CA
  70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
  71. Gazpacho
  72. Caviar and blini
  73. Louche absinthe
  74. Gjetost, or brunost
  75. Roadkill
  76. Baijiu
  77. Hostess Fruit Pie** Apple, a long long time ago
  78. Snail
  79. Lapsang souchong
  80. Bellini
  81. Tom yum
  82. Eggs Benedict** Best I had was in Hawaii
  83. Pocky
  84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
  85. Kobe beef
  86. Hare
  87. Goulash** Dad loves it hot or cold, sampled, not a huge fan
  88. Flowers
  89. Horse
  90. Criollo chocolate
  91. Spam
  92. Soft Shell Crab** Sampled the hubbys at Sears Landing in Surf City, NC. Yummy.
  93. Rose harissa
  94. Catfish** The best meal CCC = Catfish, corn and corn bread
  95. Mole poblano
  96. Bagel and lox
  97. Lobster Thermidor
  98. Polenta** Do Polenta fries count?
  99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
  100. Snake

Thats all for now folks! -Porky the Pig

Friday, September 26, 2008

Im Back!

I'm back!!
Did you miss me? I wish, but I can only make the assumption that everyone had been just as busy as I have the past month or so. What with school, a job hunt, night classes, my Sr. Studio Thesis art project! Yikes! Busy busy bee, that is me!

So, amid all the running about, to and fro to classes, working out (so i can eat sweets!) and what ever else I deem appropriate to put on my plate, I would like to say that I HAVE been cooking. Well...that's a slight fib...I have been COLLEGE cooking. I.E. simple noodles...boxed recipes...grilled cheese...simple salads...and what not. But the other day I baked COOKIES and BROWNIES! Can ya believe it! There is one downfall, I have not been keeping up on my photos of said food. So you can believe me without proof. I really did make this stuff! You can ask my Sr. Thesis class!

So, What did I bake you may ask? Well, I baked Ginger Raisin Oat Cookies, and Cinnamon Vanilla Brownies. And alas...the brownies were our of a box, but I added the cinnamon and vanilla to kick things up a wee bit! Since the recipes are very sweet and simple, I am not going to post them here...but do-NOTE: the Ginger Raisin cookies are the same as the Pluot Raisin cookies subbing chopped candied ginger for the Pluots. The brownies are just a boxed mix and add in two cap fills of vanilla extract and 1-2 tsp. cinnamon.

To make up for the lack of current recipes, I give you some of my wonderful Photoshop abilities and a recipe that I made over the summer for a reunion at the cabin. Without further babble from me...I give you....

~Chocolate-Covered Sunflower Seed Cookies~
1 c. unsalted butter, room temp.
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. chocolate-covered sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 375F. Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl in between additions. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix on low until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate-covered sunflower seeds. Form into 1 in. balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 min. Let cool for 2 min. then transfer to a wire rack.
*I found the chocolate-covered sunflower seeds at my local Trader Joe's (God how I LOVE that store!)
**When I made this, I realized that I had no eggs so I mixed the sugars, butter, and vanilla together and the flour, salt, and baking soda, but kept them separate. I put the butter mixture in the fridge (bad idea) and went to get some eggs. When I came home. I preheated the oven and took out the butter mixture with the intention to add the eggs and continue on, but it was too cold! So...I thought...preheating oven...cold butter and sugar...put it in the oven! So I did this, and to my amazement, it WORKED! And it came with the bonus flavor of slightly caramelized sugar! If you don't have the same problem that I did, I'm sure that the cookies will turn out wonderful regardless!

I LOVED these cookies...they are more of a crunchy, thin cookie, which is a good and different change of pace from the thick and chewy. The sunflower seeds add a little hint of nutty flavor as well. De-lish!


~Whole Wheat Pancakes~

My uncle makes amazing ww pancakes and they are a special weekend cabin treat! I don't yet have the recipe, but i know that they have egg whites in them...so they are semi-healthy right? Anywho...the best way to eat them is warm off the griddle with a light slathering of peanut butter and then a nice drizzle of warm maple syrup...only live once right? Simply AMAZING! I have always thought it tastes like a Reeses PB Cup minus the chocolate but sweet none-the-less!
Well, that's all that I have for now....thanks for being patient with me...and my lack of posting. Now that things are starting to somewhat get into a regular pattern...posting should increase...hopefully!
Much Love!