tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38163752552278236102024-03-07T22:36:17.577-06:00earthy · toasty · spicyReaders Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-7163297868360447642013-10-22T12:20:00.000-05:002013-10-22T12:21:28.309-05:00Kale, Tomato and Potato Hash<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NFFhBu9M9CU/Uj9fjmlztLI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/NghXj0WRu90/s1600-h/IMG_3595%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3595" border="0" height="387" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cjPRHTgYdpA/Uj9fkvEEB1I/AAAAAAAAA5g/PTMdIFDp5qg/IMG_3595_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_3595" width="570" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As someone who very much enjoys cooking, entertaining, and feeding others, I am constantly in the market for an easy recipe that is also socially neutral. I need dishes that are edible to my myriad of friends who have food restrictions. I have friends who keep kosher; friends who are vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; friends who have gluten allergies or are gluten-sensitive; a friend who hates cheese; and even a friend who doesn’t like chocolate. I know. The last two just seem crazy, but wonderful people do exist who dislike cheese and chocolate! That’s alright. More for me, thank you! <br /> <br />This hash is a very easy dish that not only tastes good, it’s healthy, colorful, and steers clear of pretty much every dietary minefield. It tastes delicious with parmesan sprinkled on top, but that’s optional. This has become my latest go-to when I have guests. My favorite way to eat it is with a side of hot buttered bread (french baguette, drizzled with melted butter, bake in the oven at 350° for 12-15 minutes, serve with your topping of choice – I love blackberry preserves). Top that off with some fresh hot coffee, and I’m a very, very, happy, girl. <br /> <br /> </span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aAtdJuniifM/Uj9fmUf_FGI/AAAAAAAAA5o/ua3Da8e7MyE/s1600-h/Happy%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Happy" border="0" height="432" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zUj2qfUO5zg/Uj9fnnZTrdI/AAAAAAAAA5w/3bTBiqAtXzs/Happy_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Happy" width="570" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Before we go into the oven! Such an easy recipe…. chop, layer, toss, bake.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Zuo8kBIdUM4/Uj9fo9faObI/AAAAAAAAA54/u9jstray9ks/s1600-h/IMG_3593%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3593" border="0" height="387" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Uwz6bS3-7YU/Uj9fp8vX3sI/AAAAAAAAA6A/HA2W_KyAHjU/IMG_3593_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_3593" width="570" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Out of the oven, piping hot and ready for zee close-up! <br /> </i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Recipe </b><i> </i><i>Serves 4. </i></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 3-lb. bag of small yellow potatoes <br />4 Roma tomatoes <br />1 small bunch of kale<br />2-3 Tbsp. olive oil <br />1 tsp. salt <br />freshly cracked pepper <br /> <br />Lower the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven, and pre-heat the oven to 425°. <br /> <br />1. Rinse off the potatoes, tomatoes, and kale. <br />2. Chop enough potatoes until you have one layer in your roasting pan. (You can also use a glass casserole dish – any oven safe pan is fine.) Chop the tomatoes and add them to the potatoes. Tear the kale into small shreds and add them on top until the dish is covered. <i>See above. </i>3. Sprinkle with olive oil, then add salt and pepper, and toss together. (I like to use my hands.) <br />4. Bake for 35 minutes, and serve hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-8323694813608005512013-09-08T18:13:00.001-05:002013-09-08T18:29:02.526-05:00Honey Yogurt Whole Wheat Bread<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pCH4Kubz_QI/Ui0EbNnNoCI/AAAAAAAAA4U/skXFVxpBNPM/s1600-h/IMG_3576%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3576" border="0" height="387" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gdEGViPykjw/Ui0Ebxtwd6I/AAAAAAAAA4c/5A0v04md8s0/IMG_3576_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_3576" width="570" /></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> <br />For my birthday this year, a dear friend gave me a beautiful bottle of olive oil, made from his family's farm in Greece. The olive oil is... fantastic. Beyond fantastic. It tastes so flavorful and fresh, you can have it on its own. I mean, I wouldn't advise you to drink it straight from the bottle, but if some dribbles off the side of the bottle and you happen to see it and you want to catch it with your finger and then you want to suck that olive oil off your finger, then, well... who am I to judge? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-RG9gqaTJh6s/Ui0EcjtrE8I/AAAAAAAAA4k/IUTZpmZiNsg/s1600-h/IMG_3585%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_3585" border="0" height="570" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tHDA5mchyfk/Ui0EdqbEMfI/AAAAAAAAA4s/fupeJi3VoUg/IMG_3585_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_3585" width="387" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">What’s left of the olive oil. That is some good ish right there. <br /> </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />Oftentimes when I feel unmotivated to do something, I give myself a proverbial carrot to help me along. This morning, in order to inspire me to clean the kitchen and then work out, I promised myself hot coffee and fresh, homemade bread. Here’s my recipe for quick, whole wheat bread. From start to finish, it takes less than an hour. In the batter, I use whole milk plain yogurt, whole milk, and raw local honey. I also used a scoop of the delicious olive oil, shown above. It turned out wonderfully. The density is similar to other quick bake breads (like banana bread), but it’s got a bit more of a crumb. Can’t wait to have some for dessert tonight! One of my favorite things to do is to toast it in a pan with butter – you can get a nice, crunchy, buttery crust on the bread. If you’re feeling extra extravagant, garnish with ice cream. Hot damn that is some good eatin’ right there. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6ga23alkibM/Ui0EeQ4zieI/AAAAAAAAA40/2eEJ5ZEjAvU/s1600-h/IMG_3574%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3574" border="0" height="387" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4SDQsVDfIQk/Ui0EfMtjWKI/AAAAAAAAA48/QJZAfFZ75zk/IMG_3574_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_3574" width="570" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b><br />Recipe </b><i><br />Adapted from <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-bread-no-yeast-299080" target="_blank">Shelbee's</a> recipe.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Makes one (1) loaf. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />2 c. whole wheat flour <br />1 c. all-purpose flour <br />2 tsp. baking powder</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> <br />1 tsp. baking soda <br />1 tsp. salt <br />1 cup of honey <br />1 cup of yogurt <br />1/2 c. whole millk <br />1/2 c. olive oil <br /> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />Pre-heat the oven to 350°.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />1. In one bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. <br />2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, yogurt, milk, and olive oil. <br />3. Make a well in the bowl of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix until just combined. <br />4. Grease a loaf pan on all sides and pour the batter in. Bake for 40 minutes. <br /> <br />Once the bread is done, flip the pan over to knock the bread out. Put the bread right side up and, if you’re impatient and hungry like me, feel free to liberate a slice of fresh bread from that pan, and pop it in your mouth. Perfect with jam and butter, and a cup of coffee or tea. I didn’t even make it to the dining table – just ate it, standing in the middle of my kitchen. Mmmm….. Happy Sunday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-47379400622687553612012-01-27T07:21:00.000-06:002012-01-27T07:21:14.212-06:00Lunar New Year & Chinese Almond Cookies<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OqnLxRo_Y7A/TyKcuTbdaNI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/XCORALXjMEY/s1600-h/IMG_2821%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2821" border="0" height="420" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3toNvWDb7oU/TyKcvY5_bvI/AAAAAAAAAzY/nc1iPUXtQyo/IMG_2821_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2821" width="620" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The lunar new year is possibly the biggest Chinese holiday of the year. It is a huge family holiday, and families travel far and wide to be together during this happy, auspicious time. My mom told me that, traditionally, the new year was observed for two weeks and people went home to be with their families. Nowadays, overseas Chinese typically take anywhere from 2-7 days to celebrate the new year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">While there is a lot of overlap in how the new year is observed, each province and village celebrates the holiday in its own way. Because my father’s family is from Guang Dong (southern China), and my mother’s family is from Taiwan by the way of An Hui (northern China), I was raised with a mix of traditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">My mom told my sisters and me that everything you do for the first week of the new year sets the tone for the rest of the year. The Chinese culture is chock full of superstitions, and most traditions have a reason, story, or symbolism behind them. Avoid fighting and stress, which includes no working and no major cleaning – everyone eats, relaxes, socializes, and plays games. You aren't supposed to use a broom, because you might sweep out the good luck. You aren't supposed to use a knife or scissors, because you might cut your good luck. Before the first day of the new year, everything in the house is cleaned top to bottom to chase out any ill-fortune that might be lying around and give the new year a clean start. We all wear something new that is red, because red symbolizes good luck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">In many homes, the word fortune is hung upside-down, outside on the front door. This is to symbolize good fortune pouring down on you.</span></div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mAKluERZ-U4/Tx4uiw1Wn1I/AAAAAAAAAzM/gH1oHmjh2E8/s1600-h/papercuts-fu%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><img alt="papercuts-fu" border="0" height="498" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AArEvw2srAU/Tx4ukIDgxrI/AAAAAAAAAyg/JPUkrgFBTeQ/papercuts-fu_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="papercuts-fu" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This is fortune, right side up.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">While most people take the word down after awhile (just like any holiday decoration), I keep 福 (</span><a href="http://www.mandarintools.com/sounds/fu2.aif"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">fú</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">) on my door all year-round. I don’t think you can ever have enough good fortune!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">We also give hong bao, which are little red envelopes decorated in gold and filled with money. Traditionally, adults give hong bao to children. Interestingly enough, you are a “child” until you are married. Once you are married your parents no longer have to give you hong bao and the giving is reversed (you give hong bao to your parents and grandparents, and to children). In my family, on new year’s day morning, my sisters and I used to go to my parents’ bedroom and bow three times to them, wishing them good health, prosperity, and a happy new year. Then, they would bless us with good wishes and give each of us a hong bao. To properly receive hong bao, you accept it with both hands as you bow to the giver in thanks. After receiving our hong bao, we'd bow and say, "gong xi, gong xi" which means congratulations. My grandparents also gave us hong bao, and all the grandchildren would line up in front of them to bow, and give and receive blessings. </span></div>
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<img alt="hongbao" border="0" height="339" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZtPkPBsDxXM/Tx4uk64KDpI/AAAAAAAAAyw/Gxwe43f67Kk/hongbao_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="hongbao" width="500" /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Hong bao. There are tons of variations though; you can even find hong bao with Mickey Mouse on them!</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The Chinese culture is very superstitious about numbers. For this type of thing, I’d look to a place like </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Wikipedia</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> for all the number combinations that are good or bad. There are so many, it takes real effort to memorize them all. The worst number is 4, which is a homonym of death. You want to avoid giving money beginning or ending in 4. Generally, the other odd numbers are good, while 2, 8, and 9 are particularly auspicious: 2 because good luck comes in pairs, or the desire to double your fortune; 8 because it is a homonym for prosperity; 9 because it is a homonym for long, thereby symbolizing longevity and a long life. Some provinces celebrate the birthdays ending in 9 the way Americans emphasize the celebration of decade birthdays. Some provinces believe celebrating on the decade birthday ending in zero is not fortunate, because zero symbolizes emptiness. When giving money, it's okay to give whole numbers ending in zero because it's the first number that counts. Don't ask me why. My mom’s favorite number is 168, which is one of the luckiest number combinations: 168 (yi liu ba) sounds like 一路发(yi lu fa), which roughly means long-lasting prosperity, or prosperity all the way. The cash given in hong bao is traditionally nice, new and crisp, fresh from the bank. Fresh money, fresh fortune.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Good gifts to give during the new year? Food! Oranges and other citrus fruits symbolize good luck, wealth, and a sweet life. They are similar to the color gold, which is a good luck color. You also can’t go wrong with chocolates and candy, to wish someone sweetness in his or her life. Plants are also good gifts, but make sure you do your homework and get the right type! This year a good friend gave me a jade plant, which I’m thrilled about. Jade symbolizes friendship, wealth/prosperity, and good fortune.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This year, I made my first lunar new year dinner by myself. It was exciting on one hand, but it also filled me with longing for my mom and sisters. When we all lived in the same city, we gathered together to make food, talk, and laugh together. My mom’s egg rolls are to die for, and she made everything taste delicious. Every dish symbolizes some kind of good fortune or blessing for the new year. The six basic types I’m familiar with are good fortune, wealth and prosperity, good health, longevity, happiness, and abundance. For more, you can check out this </span><a href="http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/food_symbolism.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">site</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> for a brief, though not complete list. I’m only one person, and a novice new year’s cook, so I went with a soup, three entrees, one side dish, and a dessert. In this post, I share how to make the dessert: almond cookies!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Also, I got a really lucky surprise new year's eve: I got to see both my sisters!! Their flight was delayed and they ended up with an overnight layover in Chicago! I was so, so happy. We hung out for eight hours eating cookies, laughing, and talking the night away. It was the best.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The Year of the Dragon New Year Menu!</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chicken Soup</b> <br /><i>chicken, ginger, shitake mushrooms</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Roast Chicken</b> <br /><i>brined whole chicken, bacon fat, olive oil, cracked salt and pepper</i></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Roasted Brussel Sprouts </span></b><i> <br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">bacon fat, chicken fat, cracked salt and pepper</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Steamed Salmon</b> <br /><i>soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic, scallions</i></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Shrimp Fried Rice </span></b><i> <br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">rice, green peas, eggs, shrimp, scallions, garlic</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Almond Cookies</b> <br /><i>recipe below!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fnw4SxHhglo/TyKcxBpJQQI/AAAAAAAAAzo/O9b8p_egJcw/s1600-h/Almond%252520Cookies1%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Almond Cookies1" border="0" height="395" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-msrNYTKHGb0/TyKc12pM-7I/AAAAAAAAAzs/Qp5bw5pySGU/Almond%252520Cookies1_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Almond Cookies1" width="620" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-f9VdcTRieB4/TyKc3xHyxVI/AAAAAAAAAz0/M1_NMWfvqtQ/s1600-h/IMG_2824%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2824" border="0" height="420" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Mh9xQwRacbM/TyKc5WBL38I/AAAAAAAAAz8/JO41BeAWYWU/IMG_2824_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2824" width="620" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Besides being delicious, almond cookies symbolize wealth and prosperity. So eat up, eat up!!<i> </i><b></b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Recipe</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This recipes makes about 36-46 cookies.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">1 c. whole wheat flour <br />2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour <br />1 tsp. baking soda <br />1/2 tsp. salt <br />1 c. butter, room temperature <br />1 c. sugar <br />3 tsp. almond extract <br />1 egg <br />Whole almonds (36-46)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">1 egg (for the wash)</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Pre-heat the oven to 350°.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">1. Mix together the flours, baking soda and salt. <br />2. Cream together the butter, sugar, almond extract, and<i> </i>one egg. <br />3. Combine the flour and butter mixture together until it looks all pebbly. <br />4. Form 1 tablespoon balls of dough. Gently flatten the top with your fingers and press a whole almond into the center. Alternatively, place an almond inside the tablespoon and pack it with dough. Then, flip it over so that the cookie looks like a little dome. <br />5. Beat the second egg and brush it over the top of the cookies. Bake for 15 minutes.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">新年快樂! 恭禧發財!</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><b>Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span></div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-78785165070559035372012-01-16T15:06:00.001-06:002013-01-16T15:59:45.764-06:00Vegetarian Chili<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As a card-carrying omnivore, this is the only vegetarian chili I’ve made that’s been worthy of a post. Even my dad – who “has to have” his meat – enjoyed this chili.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ivqHt8uH4BU/TxSRWATYkwI/AAAAAAAAAx0/V3W4Q-Rn9pk/s1600-h/IMG_2765%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2765" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mECELtuuquM/TxSRW6uZyGI/AAAAAAAAAx8/LBunNqxXam0/IMG_2765_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2765" width="520" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyone who knows me knows I’m an avid omnivore. While meat represents a small percentage of my food pyramid, I <i>love </i>meat and appreciate it deeply. A perfectly cooked steak, strips of bacon, the crackly skin of a just-out-of-the-oven broiled chicken – all make me close my eyes and smile with quiet joy. Knowing all that, you might be shocked that I’m posting a vegetarian recipe for chili. Well, with all the above being said, I <i>also</i> love my veggies. A coarsely salted roasted brussel sprout, the juicy leaves of garlicky stir fried kale, and the often overlooked baked potato are a few of my favorites. Eating a huge bowl of vegetables is wonderful for your mind and body, so what better way to do that than in a chili. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While I don't claim this to be a “legit” chili recipe (I can hear hollering from the South that no self-respecting chili has beans), it is <i>a </i>form of chili. If this country is allowed to bastardize Chinese food and call it “Chinese" food, then I have the right to call this chili. Your turn, Counsel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In addition to the health benefits of eating lots of vegetables, my lazy cooking brain loves how easy it is to make. After washing the vegetables, all you do is dice, turn up the heat, and then eat. It really is as simple as that.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Recipe </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Cooking oil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 small onion <br />Garlic – as few or as many cloves as you like </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 green pepper <br />1 red pepper <br />3 carrots <br />3 celery stalks <br />1 package of mushrooms </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Dried oregano (about 1/2 teaspoon) <br />Dried basil (about 1/2 teaspoon) <br />Chili powder, a few pinches</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 small can corn (unsalted) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">2 small cans of beans (I like kidney, cannellini, butter) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">2 small cans chopped tomatoes (fresh tomatoes work great, of course) </span><br />
<br />
Salt and Pepper<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Dice the garlic, chop the onion, and add them to a pot on medium high heat with a little bit of oil. As that is heating up, dice the celery, carrots, peppers, and mushrooms and stir them into the pot as you dice them up. Mix in the spices. Then add all of the rinsed, canned vegetables to the pot. Stir and bring the chili to a boil; simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.</span></div>
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Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-76379673488876396002011-11-08T23:40:00.000-06:002011-12-11T00:35:03.655-06:00The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Grilled cheese sandwiches are underrated. They're often forgotten. How many times have you wondered, <i>what should I eat</i>, while you had bread, butter, and cheese sitting in your kitchen? Yup, that's what I thought.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I'm almost embarrassed to post this since it is so elementary... but I've had the unnecessary experience of eating a sad grilled cheese sandwich.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> The perfect sandwich requires understanding of how to cook what, and when. Once you've got that down, you can do it in your sleep. </span><span style="font-size: small;">The way I cook this sandwich ensures a crisp and toasty
exterior, with a hot, gooey, cheesy center. I hate it when the bread is
really crunchy and scrapes the roof of my mouth. Don't you? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I wholeheartedly encourage you to get fancy with this sandwich. What doesn't go well with melted cheese? Add slices of tomato, bacon, caramelized onions, whatever you like. The recipe below is the foundation for your perfect grilled cheese. I love pairing it with tomato soup, aka grilled cheese's match made in heaven!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2679" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3p6aYe97KgY/TnjvUEzumWI/AAAAAAAAAws/BfFiebTz0Nw/IMG_2679_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2679" width="520" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mmm, cheesey goodness.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Recipe </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">2 slices of sandwich bread <br />1-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (optional) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">2 tablespoons of butter <br />Cheese, sliced (amount is up to you)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(1) Heat a pan to medium. If you're adding mustard or any other condiment, slather it onto one side of each slice of bread.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(2) Add butter to the pan and, once it has melted, add both slices of bread (condiment side up). Swirl the bread around the pan until all the butter is soaked up. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(3) Add the cheese to one or both slices. </span><span style="font-size: small;">If you're adding other ingredients (such as tomatoes,
bacon, etc.), put it on top of the bread now. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Let it toast, as is, for about one minute. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Lower the heat, and then flip one slice of bread onto the other and let toast for one minute. </span><br />
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</div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-4594884592756949032011-10-21T10:41:00.000-05:002015-11-02T00:41:14.646-06:00Apple Pie with Whole Wheat Butter Crust<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I recently had the BEST pie crust I have ever tasted: it’s
buttery, it’s flaky, it’s crisp, it’s perfect…. It makes me want to make more
and more pies!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Every pie crust recipe I
read says that the key to flaky crust is to keep the butter and water cold,
including an approximate one hour chill time after the dough’s been
formed. However, I am not the most patient cook and I don’t want to chill
the dough for an hour. This is my “quick” pie crust recipe, and it’ll give you
a delicious, flaky, buttery crust that will have you running back for
more. Best part is, it’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>easy</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to make, and doesn’t require extra
chilling time. This pie is best if eaten within 24 hours of
cooling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Recipe for the Crust </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Makes a
bottom and a top crust for one pie</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2 1/2 cups of whole wheat
flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon of salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 cup of cold, real,
unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 cup of ice cold water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
Recipe for Filling</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5 large apples, chopped
(about 6 cups)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon of fresh lemon
juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon nutmeg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1/8 teaspoon allspice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
Directions for the Crust and Pie Filling</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(1) Put a bowl of
water into the freezer. Stir the flour and salt together. Dice the
butter and incorporate the butter and flour together so that it looks like
sandy/pebble-y crumbs.<i style="font-family: arial;">
I use my hands! Get in there!</i> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Don’t worry about not keeping
it freezing cold,</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">I promise, you’ll be fine.</i>
Once the flour/salt/butter is the right texture (see below), put the bowl in
the freezer while you prepare the filling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XQLKS_f-F3s/TnfSZIcVh-I/AAAAAAAAAvI/L4hY-QDsbZY/s1600-h/IMG_25996.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><img alt="IMG_2599" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-etucfcATRV8/TnfSaINFHtI/AAAAAAAAAvM/X1Ef1_tum9M/IMG_2599_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2599" width="520" /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sticks
of butter, right before the final dice. I actually looked at this and
thought… “f*ck yeah.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OpYDNj1siM0/TnfScjJmKaI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/Z2-au_mgBsw/s1600-h/IMG_26015.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><img alt="IMG_2601" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HxMK3cQZhW8/TnfSeTBGrtI/AAAAAAAAAvU/yE-10amqqOs/IMG_2601_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2601" width="520" /></span></a></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Sandy/pebble-y
crumbs” </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(2) Peel and core the apples. Chop them into 8 wedges,
and then chop each wedge into 4 pieces. Once you have six-ish cups of
chopped apples, mix in the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and
salt. Set aside to let the fruit marinate. Now, preheat the oven to
425°.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(3) Take the ice water and crust mixture out of the
freezer. Sprinkle a tablespoon of ice water into the mixture and use your
hand or a spatula to start folding the mixture into itself. Keep adding
water until the entire mixture is sticking together (I use between 5-10
tablespoons).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(4) Flour your surface, divide the mixture in half, and roll
out the dough for the bottom crust. The dough is large enough when it’s
about 1.5 inches larger than your pie pan. Once the bottom crust is in
the pan, remove extra dough from the outside of the pan with a knife.
Then roll out the top dough. Add the apples to the pie pan and cover with
the top dough. Use the flat part of a fork to cinch down the sides of the
pie, and then remove excess dough with a knife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Now, my dough never comes out in a
perfect circle, but there’s a “quick and dirty” way to get it perfect. My
mom taught me to just cut off weird edges and roll them into the spaces that
are needed. To easily transport the dough to the pan, I recommend rolling
it out over parchment and then flipping the parchment over the pan, dough side
down. With all-purpose flour crusts, you can fold the crust into
quarters, but the whole wheat crust doesn’t seem to like that and rips.
My first crust actually ripped almost entirely in half when I folded it, and I
had to do some fixing.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I also like to use the extra
dough to cut out shapes for decorating the pie. Or, I shape them into
little cookies and put them in the oven 15 minutes before the pie is
done. They’re so good by themselves, or with peanut butter, or preserves.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fCwfLV0NZLU/TnfSgTVDQzI/AAAAAAAAAvY/ytLjKmOSC3g/s1600-h/IMG_26064.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><img alt="IMG_2606" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BhV_1HkZbjY/TnfShPaEPmI/AAAAAAAAAvc/miMtE8z-5qo/IMG_2606_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2606" width="520" /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ha… you can actually see my
wine bottle/rolling pin in the corner. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Wine
bottles work great as rolling pins.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: xx-small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mSb6tkf9cCw/TnfSiVvM8FI/AAAAAAAAAvg/KF88Z37vdgQ/s1600-h/IMG_26074.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2607" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KQq2qdKKWNc/TnfSjTvjNOI/AAAAAAAAAvk/q0hwXzUk2Xc/IMG_2607_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2607" width="520" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pbUT42aAM34/TnfSlNCzD3I/AAAAAAAAAvo/VzKPpS7Qh-Q/s1600-h/IMG_26084.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2608" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-P7d7nhJDRAw/TnfSmW9YkmI/AAAAAAAAAvs/FHzv_u3aCFo/IMG_2608_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2608" width="520" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JqgdcJovUpo/TnfSnobfW-I/AAAAAAAAAvw/Exmdzky6B38/s1600-h/IMG_26094.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2609" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vY9gCbHjDZU/TnfSofc1fxI/AAAAAAAAAv0/BRUmtmAK0Ms/IMG_2609_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2609" width="520" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(5)
This crust is flaky and crisp at the same time, so I suggest cutting vents into
it along the shape of the pieces you want. Otherwise, the crust will
break up when you cut it. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes, then lower the
heat to 375° for 30 minutes. Allow it to cool for a few (2-4) hours.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6qwwsmEUTxo/TnfSqMuzuoI/AAAAAAAAAv4/jj1PdF0bqfc/s1600-h/IMG_26145.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2614" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZtGN-TiuT-w/TnfSrauXEQI/AAAAAAAAAv8/EoQSyvfjhFo/IMG_2614_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2614" width="520" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NfveKjZd3sk/TnfSuMo_KII/AAAAAAAAAwA/vQMfPxZqbS0/s1600-h/IMG_26176.jpg"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><img alt="IMG_2617" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-twVFCT3qaYQ/TnfSvoA-cmI/AAAAAAAAAwE/vHDLzfJEN6M/IMG_2617_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2617" width="520" /></span></a></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Can
you see how thick that crust is? It’s my and my family’s favorite part of
the pie.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-naushyBFSYU/TnfSxt0b89I/AAAAAAAAAwI/z0PcN6t_9NQ/s1600-h/IMG_26229.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2622" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5A_SRPQj8PQ/TnfSyfx4Z4I/AAAAAAAAAwM/zc4YG3ol13Y/IMG_2622_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2622" width="520" /></a></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mmm,
flaky layers of delicious whole wheat crust....</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y037itMarJM/TnfSzpblzhI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mEEmQV00GiM/s1600-h/IMG_26244.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2624" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v-nz3pda6CI/TnfS0zU1b9I/AAAAAAAAAwU/nIklknmRIzI/IMG_2624_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2624" width="520" /></a></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-75456390333499645632011-10-14T02:29:00.004-05:002013-01-16T16:01:22.171-06:00Potato Lentil Soup<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eQQ5N7yagxE/TnfwoSSpw5I/AAAAAAAAAwY/49D3BWdNr2M/s1600-h/IMG_26605.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2660" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-h_Uec7RcjvQ/TnfwqQtcJaI/AAAAAAAAAwc/-ItaVjNooYI/IMG_2660_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2660" width="520" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Though I'm a summer baby, I love autumn. Autumn means the holiday season, cozy sweaters, hot cocoa, and COMFORT FOOD!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This is a super easy, healthy, delicious soup that’ll warm your bones and have you coming back for more. It only takes 30 minutes’ cooking time, and besides spices, you only need TWO ingredients: potatoes and lentils. Can it get any easier than that? I don’t think so.<br />
<br />
Well… okay, no soup can beat <a href="http://earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com/2010/08/egg-soup.html" target="_blank">egg drop soup</a> in regards to fast, but this potato lentil soup is still pretty darn fast. This soup is especially perfect if you have last-minute guests coming over. Grab some butter and a baguette, and you’ll have a feast in a snap! <br />
<br />
I prefer not to peel my potatoes since the skin houses so many awesome nutrients. My mom also taught me to eat/use everything possible, so I’m reflexively adverse to throwing food away. Potatoes have gotten a bad and incorrect reputation as a “filler” food – they’re actually <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1206765/Why-potatoes-suprising-health-benefit-key-lasting-weight-loss.html" target="_blank">great</a> for your body. If you’re not used to it yet, try keeping the peel on this one time. The peel gets super soft in the soup and adds a nice consistency.<br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3wYClk0qNdk/TnfwsuptN4I/AAAAAAAAAwg/oumCV7SwulU/s1600-h/IMG_26545.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2654" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2bbMIJl4fmc/TnfwuLxO36I/AAAAAAAAAwk/51PstbHB1DE/IMG_2654_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2654" width="520" /></a><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><i>I used golden potatoes, but any type of potato will do.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">
<br /><b>Recipe </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">8 cups of water <br />1 cup of lentils <br />4 cups of chopped potatoes <br />4 cloves of garlic <br />1/2 teaspoon dried thyme <br />1 bay leaf <br />1 teaspoon salt <br />1/2 teaspoon pepper <br /> <br />(1) Add the water and the lentils to a large pot and bring it to a boil. While it’s heating up, chop up the potatoes and add those to the pot. Peel and smash the garlic, and add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf to the pot. Once the water reaches a boil, lower to a simmer. <br />(2) Simmer for 30 minutes, then add salt and pepper. If you like, mash a few potato pieces with a fork to thicken the consistency of the soup.<br />
</span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-84835676444310726582011-09-25T20:48:00.003-05:002014-05-15T11:44:37.486-05:00Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies with Almonds<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_ogKJhQoiHQ/TnleCJTtDPI/AAAAAAAAAww/M9-uK1bD-lo/s1600-h/IMG_2702%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2702" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TDZADirR9fg/TnleC5wOscI/AAAAAAAAAw0/LbhuwkZfd8A/IMG_2702_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="353" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2702" width="520" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I was really bored the other day and had a sudden hankering for chocolate chip cookies. This is big news in my world. I haven’t liked chocolate chip cookies in ten years. I can hear your likely reaction now (<i>how can that BE???</i>), but it is what it is. Most chocolate chip cookies are just gooey, sugary dough with pockets of hardened chocolate inside. While that may sound great to some, I think it’s a sad excuse for a cookie. The texture is all off (hard chips in goo? no thank you), and there is so much sugar that the chocolate doesn’t shine through at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I went to the fridge to see what I had on hand and found a bag of chocolate and peanut butter chip morsels. Score. Chocolate + peanut butter = my favorite! I'm also loving whole wheat flour and have been using it in every recipe calling for all-purpose flour. I substitute it in a 1:1 ratio and do not increase or decrease anything else to "accommodate" the whole wheat flour. Some sources say to increase the liquids, or only substitute up to 50% of the flour, but I haven't listened. I've been happy with every product made this way and love the wheat flavor that comes through. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The following recipe is adapted from the Nestle’s bag, and I’m thrilled with the results. THRILLED. These might very well be my new favorite cookie. This recipe makes <b>50 </b>cookies. Have a tall glass of cold milk on hand! I enjoyed these cookies while nestled in with a good book and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">a cup of hot coffee</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Recipe </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">2 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour <br />1 teaspoon baking soda <br />1 teaspoon salt <br />1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) <br />1/2 cup brown sugar <br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract <br />2 large eggs <br />1 1/2 cups of combined chocolate chips and peanut butter chips <br />1 cup of chopped nuts </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 375</span><span class="st" style="font-size: small;">°</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">(1) Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. <br />(2) Beat together butter (room temperature is best), brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. <br />(3) To make each cookie, roll 1 tablespoon of batter onto a ball and place each the ball an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie before putting them into the oven (I like to use the bottom of a glass). They will barely spread, so don’t worry about crowding. Bake for 9-11 minutes and then allow to cool. Or enjoy a treat and sneak one in while they’re warm – they’re oh so good that way!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">*Tip from my sister: if you want a less crisp/crumbly cookie, you can try experimenting with the batter and adding one to two egg yolks. </span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-20813670412368754182011-09-18T12:42:00.000-05:002011-12-07T13:00:37.660-06:00Potato Pancakes<blockquote style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SKxHWIKL1Gw/TmktezT-22I/AAAAAAAAAug/3o49h0PM5RY/s1600-h/IMG_2516%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2516" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1zQ-NACPLKk/TmktfmqkukI/AAAAAAAAAuk/0NteKLfo2GE/IMG_2516_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2516" width="520" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Not sure what to do with those leftover mashed potatoes? Potato pancakes, baby. They're fast, easy to make, and a yummy way to eat those leftovers. K loves making these for breakfast. <b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Recipe </b> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 cups mashed potatoes <br />1 egg <br />1/3 cup of flour <br />salt and pepper to taste <br />butter for the pan</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(1) Beat the egg and combine it with the mashed potatoes. Add the flour and salt and pepper to your taste, and mix until just incorporated.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />(2) Heat the frying pan to medium-high. When the pan is hot, add butter. <br />(3) Pour 1/3 cup of batter into the pan, slightly flattening it with your spatula. Cook each side about 1 minute until golden brown.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can keep the cakes hot in the oven (atop a cookie sheet or whatever you have handy) at 200°.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Feel like adding a another flavor dimension to your potato pancakes? Consider adding:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cheese (grated; add to the batter before frying)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Scallions (chopped, then sauteed; add to the batter before frying)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Shallots (diced, then sauteed or caramelized; add to the batter before frying)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Onions (diced, then sauteed or caramelized; add to the batter before frying)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Garlic (diced, add to the butter in the pan)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-48349618241829711882011-09-13T17:32:00.000-05:002011-09-18T12:39:52.187-05:00Homemade Granola<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LcfYocCGGuI/Tm_X3RiGJCI/AAAAAAAAAuo/xhuflK6horI/s1600-h/IMG_26505.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_2650" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ks5-cm-Y2Nw/Tm_X4H_MN9I/AAAAAAAAAus/kt09VZkR7Ws/IMG_2650_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2650" width="520" /></span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It turns out, granola is really easy to make. After you try making it once, you’ll be hooked. No more shelling out ridiculous dollars for a wee bag of granola. You’ve got the best thing: homemade! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I’ve wanted to make my own granola for awhile now. I finally decided to give it a go, but only using ingredients I had on hand. This would prove to be an interesting adventure, since I didn’t have all of the ingredients of any one recipe. I ended up reading at least eight recipes and going through four cookbooks, and then going through my cupboards to see what I could use to make do. Here is my crazy, I’m-not-making-a-trip-to-the-grocery-store granola. And if you ask me… it’s freaking delicious. Lesson of the day? Granola is very forgiving. Add or subtract what you like, and feel free to substitute honey with maple syrup, or oil with butter. I didn’t have sliced almonds on hand, but I did have whole, raw almonds. So, I stuck a cup of almonds into a large freezer bag and smashed them to bits with my wine bottle (how versatile that wonderful things is!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><img alt="IMG_2626" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QVt35MJdgEU/Tm_X4qx9NdI/AAAAAAAAAuw/EhfZYy1m39E/IMG_2626_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2626" width="520" /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I’m a raisin-lover, so if I have raisins chilling in my kitchen next time, they’re definitely going into the mix. Several recipes advised adding dried fruit to the granola <u>after</u> it’s done baking though, so take heed. America’s Test Kitchen noted that dried fruit (like raisins, specifically) get burned and hard as a brick if you put bake them into the granola. In my next batch, I’m going to eliminate the sugar altogether to see how it tastes. I try to avoid refined white sugar because it’s processed, not a real food, and has zero nutritional value. That being said, I don’t avoid it like the plague. I certainly have a bag of refined white sugar in my kitchen, and I’m not going to feel guilty about it! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I asked my sister, a professional cook with a degree in culinary arts and a background in molecular gastronomy, what the shredded coconut did to the baking goods. She said it adds some texture and sweetness. Also, if you toast it, it adds a caramelized note. Yummy. You had me at “caramel.” Shredded coconut, she said, also adds moisture to baked goods and you can't taste the coconut flavor. She doesn't like coconut, but adds it to her cookies and no one - including her - can taste it. It adds some behind-the-scenes oomph, so try it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I added cinnamon and nutmeg because I’d recently baked a pie, and I love the way those spices mingle together. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I also learned, through taste testing, why every single recipe recommends regular, good old-fashioned oats rather than, say, quick 1-minute oats. The 1-minute oats still taste delicious, but they aren’t as chewy as regular oats since they’re already chopped up. If you are also in a I’m-not-making-a-trip-to-the-grocery-store mood, feel free to make a batch with the 1-minute oats. You’ll be fine. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">All in all, I’d guess that a bare bones granola only needs oats, vegetable oil, and honey (if you like it sweet). Try mine, or make your own batch! I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results. <i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><i>I burned my first batch (oops, 375° is too high!), but the second batch came out perfectly! I baked them at 300° for 30 minutes.</i> <b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Recipe </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">3 cups of oats (regular is best, but 1-minute oats are okay in a pinch) <br />1 cup of smashed almonds <br />1 cup of chopped pecans <br />3/4 cup dried, shredded coconut <br />1/4 cup white sugar <br />1/4 teaspoon cinnamon <br />1/4 teaspoon nutmeg <br />1/4 cup honey <br />1/4 cup vegetable oil <br />3/4 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 300°.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">(1) Mix the oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in one bowl. In another bowl, mix together honey, oil, and salt. Thoroughly combine the contents of both bowls and spread the granola evenly onto two baking sheets. <br />(2) Bake for 15 minutes. Take the baking sheets out of the oven and stir the granola. Switch the top sheet to the bottom rack, and vice versa. Bake for another 15 minutes. <br />(3) Once the granola is done, do a final stir while it’s still warm. This ensures that the granola doesn’t adhere to the pan. Allow it to cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-E57Dt3wefOI/Tm_X5XSZ4sI/AAAAAAAAAu0/qQ1hFLtBBnY/s1600-h/IMG_26375.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_2637" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--mYglpZqJNs/Tm_X5ymo-ZI/AAAAAAAAAu4/T-jGNY1cv8k/IMG_2637_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2637" width="520" /></span></a></span><br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Before…</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TNvrHqFO6K8/Tm_X6xMLKuI/AAAAAAAAAu8/dZW8oudMXNs/s1600-h/IMG_26535.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_2653" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sLi6V0wtO3I/Tm_X7eyWyGI/AAAAAAAAAvA/IYUjlD0rNAw/IMG_2653_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2653" width="520" /></span></a></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">…and after. <br />GET ME SOME MILK!</span></i></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-18543493133451980152011-09-08T14:28:00.001-05:002011-09-09T14:38:54.926-05:00Tahini Soy Salad Dressing<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">My mom "Chinese-izes" almost everything she makes, which means somehow or another, soy sauce finds its way into the recipe. One thing she likes to do is use soy sauce as a salad dressing base, so I took a cue from her and ventured out to make my own salad dressing. My desire to cut more and more non-real/non-whole foods out of my life is growing stronger. And, making your own food can save a lot of money! I toss this dressing with my current favorite salad: kale leaves, cucumber, carrots, and grape tomatoes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Recipe</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />4 tbsp tahini </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 tbsp soy sauce </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2 tbsp fresh lemon juice </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2 medium garlic cloves </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">6 tbsp cold water</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(1) Shake together all of the above ingredients. Refrigerate to chill prior to use if desired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-liM4bNzqgL0/TmkXbxT7peI/AAAAAAAAAuY/nwLdk4xZm2E/s1600-h/IMG_2598%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2598" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QHFcHS0x9Nk/TmkXcW-qJfI/AAAAAAAAAuc/uDbknpeoP70/IMG_2598_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2598" width="520" /></a></span></div>
Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-23615102672499487172011-09-03T11:40:00.000-05:002011-09-08T14:36:10.782-05:00Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Nest Cookies with Chocolate Eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnS1jrTMXuA/TmJYXpRk8BI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/no8gbzxoAx4/s1600/YC+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnS1jrTMXuA/TmJYXpRk8BI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/no8gbzxoAx4/s640/YC+Cookie.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a late night munchy inspired by my special Maine family; the recipe is modified from <a href="http://fondlyoptimistic.blogspot.com/">Fondly Optimistic</a>. K got the ball rolling because he's always hungry; S's genius was adding chocolate eggs; J's formation of the dough made us think of nests!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the first version of this cookie - it was kind of a haphazard throwing together of this and that, I didn't really follow the directions and was actually certain that the cookies I made would taste really gross. I was seriously about to throw all the batter away until my Maine Mom said I should just make them anyway. Next time, I might adjust the next batch to 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and see how that works. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The cookies don't have any sugar in them, but you can add them if you'd prefer a cookie with some sweet. As is, these taste pretty wholesome/granola-y and are yummy with a cup of coffee or cocoa.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Recipe</b><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 Tbsp butter (<i>real</i> butter)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 cups oats</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 bananas (mashed)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tsp salt</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 tsp baking soda</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1.5 cups of whole wheat flour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chocolate of your choice, about half a chocolate bar (chopped small or use your fingers to break into little pieces)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">Turn the oven on to 350°.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1) Melt butter in a pan on medium heat and add oats. Stir to coat the oats and let "toast" for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the oats hang out.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2) In a bowl, beat together the mashed bananas, peanut butter, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3) Add the oats to the banana batter and mix thoroughly. Then add the flour and mix thoroughly. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4) Use a big spoon to roll small balls of batter (about 2 Tbsp each) and place them onto a cookie sheet. They don't need to be spaced far apart because they will barely spread. Flatten the center of each ball with your thumb to form a "nest." Place chocolate pieces into each nest.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5) Bake for 15 minutes and let cool.</span></div>
Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-6029377254335038042011-07-14T17:45:00.004-05:002011-09-08T16:09:12.643-05:00Lesson of the Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkddzN6wYPk/Th-_CRA4MCI/AAAAAAAAArY/cCh1unv40Yc/s1600/Comic+HIDC+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkddzN6wYPk/Th-_CRA4MCI/AAAAAAAAArY/cCh1unv40Yc/s1600/Comic+HIDC+01.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>A lesson from Commercial Paper.</i></span></div>
Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-61619467592722147942011-07-11T20:34:00.015-05:002011-12-29T13:04:28.222-06:00You Know You're Studying For The Bar If...<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A break from our regularly scheduled program….</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You Know You’re Studying For The Bar If…</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Things that normally wouldn’t piss you off now seem like personal affronts.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">“Freaking out” is in the standard rotation of your daily emotions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You think this would actually be a very convenient time for the world to end. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You are definitely, totally, unequivocally addicted to caffeine, your barista knows your drink by heart, and you don’t care if you need to drink two 5-Hour Energy drinks back-to-back, because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you’ll do whatever it takes</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You get Tourette’s and curse-out inanimate things like your non-working cell phone or model answers that include ridiculous, obscure nuances and exceptions that weren’t covered in the lecture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Days have blurred together – you can’t distinguish yesterday from the day before and you have absolutely no idea what day of the week it is. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You can’t remember what a “gym” looks like.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You Google things like “how to pass the bar” and actually look to see if there is advice that might help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Making interesting or vulgar acronyms for legal tests is the highlight of your day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You feel incredulous when non-bar takers invite you to fun events, or say things like “you deserve a break” – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do they not understand what you are going through??</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You want to scream when answer choices include any one of larceny and/or/but not if/unless burglary/robbery. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WHY DOES IT MATTER – that shit got JACKED. PERIOD.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You can’t have meaningful conversations with anyone not preparing for the bar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">People say things like, “You can take the bar again” or “It’s just a test” or “You’re really smart, you’ll be fine,” and you want to stab them with a fork.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You question whether you really want to be a lawyer and fantasize about all the other jobs you could have pursued that don’t require taking the bar exam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You want to punch anyone who conveys Blackacre beyond his or her grandchild. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">16.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You read fact patterns and wonder if you can tie all these idiots together and push them out to the middle of the ocean.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">17.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Your inner circle now consists of all those idiots: lazy painters and shady owners, non-complying merchants and breaching buyers, incompetent criminals, thrill-seeking minors, unreasonable manufacturers, stupid tortfeasors, overeager cops, people who NEVER follow the speed limit, and that fucking asshole who won’t record his fucking deed!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">18.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The hottest action you’ve gotten lately involves “touch and concern,” “firm offers,” piercing veils, commingling, and fertile octogenarians. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">19.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Routine conversation starters like “what’s up” and “how are you” leave you tongue-tied. Should you tell them about your aching joints, sore muscles, eye twitches, muscle spasms, nightmares, and general inability to do normal everyday things because those brain cells are now reserved for memorizing rules like how to perfect a security attachment on an oven (which you will now, always and forever see as a “fixture”)…? Or just say “fine.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">20.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A friend tells you about an upcoming vacation/party/anything else a normal person would look forward to and all you can think is: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I hate you</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .3in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">21.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Shaving isn’t a priority anymore, and for that matter, neither is changing clothes or trying to look good at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">22.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You have trouble sleeping or have developed a drinking problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">23.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You’ve cried at any point because you bombed a practice test.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">24.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You’ve cried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">25.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You dream of revenge and want to intentionally inflict emotional distress upon the bar exam, until you realize you can’t because your tort would fail the IIED test. And then you want to shoot yourself for actually running your fantasy through the proper legal test. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">26.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Any inhibition you might have had about categorizing your “doctorate” as a true doctorate as opposed to a master’s degree has evaporated – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you've totally earned this shit.</i> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">NOW GO OUT THERE AND KICK SOME BAR EXAM ASS!!</span></b></div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-65557756125571665252011-06-21T16:32:00.005-05:002011-06-23T22:51:39.070-05:00So Easy My Fiancé Can Make It Mac ‘n’ Cheese<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Cbnc_CIQU6Q/TgEM44c9AHI/AAAAAAAAAqA/ge2KUcYvuNw/s1600-h/IMG_2494%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_2494" border="0" height="353" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8i89f9-sunU/TgEM5vcSUrI/AAAAAAAAAqE/HjE-L7Kg9C0/IMG_2494_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2494" width="520" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I’m studying to take the bar exam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Among other things, this means I have less time to cook. My awesome partner-in-crime has taken over the kitchen, for which I’ve been grateful. Sometimes things go awry, but for the most part, it’s been an interesting culinary adventure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">While I consider myself a “lazy cook” (my eyes glaze over when there are lots of instructions or ingredients), his patience in the kitchen is even shorter. He can work out for five hours, I kid you not; but put a frying pan in his hand, and <i>his </i>eyes glaze over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">With that in mind, we’ve simplified what we eat while still trying to eat real food. Possibly the greatest result of this adventure is that he’s picking up on cooking logic! <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">While making this dish, he made a suggestion based on eyeballing the ingredients together, and it turned out he was right. I was very, very proud. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Every Sunday, I usually make a lot of food to get us through the week. Homemade leftovers are perfect for packed lunches and evenings when you are too tired or busy to cook. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This is a perfect “Sunday” recipe. </span>It’s tasty, there’s a lot of it, and it’s so easy my fiancé can make it! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I’d like to dedicate this recipe to all my friends who are also studying for the bar. <b> </b>This baked mac ‘n’ cheese recipe is ridiculously easy to make and – surprise! – there are vegetables in it to kick up the “good for you” quotient. Best of all, <i>it tastes so good</i>. It has that perfect, creamy texture you hope for in a mac ‘n’ cheese, with the added yumminess of a toasted cheese top. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Recipe<br />
</b>1/2 lb. elbow macaroni <br />
8 oz. shredded cheddar <br />
8 oz. shredded mozzarella (set aside 1/2 for topping) <br />
8 oz. plain yogurt <br />
16 oz. frozen vegetables (I used the carrot/peas/corn mix) – <i>his awesome idea to double the amount of vegetables </i><br />
Salt (to taste)*</span></span><br />
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</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Preheat oven to 350°F.</i> <br />
(1) Follow the pasta box’s instructions and cook pasta to al dente. <br />
(2) Thoroughly mix everything together in a big bowl </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(including the frozen veggies).</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(3) Put the mac 'n' cheese in a 9x13 glass casserole dish, then top with the rest of the mozzarella. <br />
(3) Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">That’s it! You can easily double this recipe since the portions sold are usually twice the amount needed here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">*A note on “to taste.” I’d try ≈ 1/4 tablespoon of salt. It’s always better to under season than over season because you can add more salt if needed, but you can’t take it away. I also prefer to pour the salt into my palm and use my fingers to sprinkle it in. This gives you more control as you can actually see how much salt you’re putting into a dish. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-41909854502284069692011-04-10T15:56:00.004-05:002012-02-17T13:07:28.785-06:00Fruit Crisp (with brown rice!)<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love cobblers, crisps and pies! How can you go wrong with baked fruit, butter, and some oat crunch? And surpri-ise… this recipe is fairly healthy for you. I cut out refined sugars and added a “secret” ingredient: brown rice. It lends a lovely texture to the cobbler. The downside to using brown rice is that it takes forever to cook. However, since I always make more rice than I need for a meal, it’s ready to go when it’s baking time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You can use almost any combination of fruit that you like. If you use blueberries, you’ll want to add some starch to soak up the juices. Otherwise, the crisp will be liquid-y and goopy. If you don’t use blueberries, I find that starch is unnecessary. For this recipe, I like to use a combination of blueberries, strawberries and apples. In total, I use 4-8 cups of fruit and adjust the other ingredients accordingly. If you use apples, I find that the flavor is more complex and rich if you use at least two different types of apples. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Serves 6.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Topping <br />
</b>6 Tbsp. unbleached flour <br />
1/4 tsp. cinnamon <br />
1/4 tsp. nutmeg <br />
1/4 tsp. salt <br />
5 Tbsp. butter cut into 1/2” pieces <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Honey, optional (I eyeball this… maybe a 1/4 cup?)<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Filling</b> <br />
4 cups of fruit <br />
4 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca (if you are using blueberries) <br />
2 c. brown rice (or however much you like) <br />
1/2 tsp. grated zest <br />
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(1) Heat oven to 375</span><span style="font-size: small;">°. <br />
(2) Mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the butter and, with one or both hands, squeeze the mixture inside your fists. Rub your thumb along your fingers to sift the mixture back into the bowl. Eventually, the mixture should look like tiny pebbles. It’s okay if there are little chunks of butter throughout. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. <br />
(3) Prep the fruit – wash, slice, etc. as needed. Fruit should be bite sized – 1” or smaller. Zest a lemon and squeeze fresh lemon juice. <br />
(4) Toss together the fruit, tapioca (if you’re using it), brown rice, zest and lemon juice. Pour the fruit mixture into an 8” or 9” baking pan. <br />
(5) Cover the fruit mixture with the chilled topping and bake for 40 minutes. Turn the heat up to 400° and bake for 5 minutes more to get a nice golden crust. <i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The picture in this post shows a two-layer crisp. After baking, I simply put half of the crisp onto the other half. </i></span></div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-9924258788171847162011-03-26T01:18:00.003-05:002012-01-27T07:21:51.451-06:00Beef Stew<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TY2D-b506aI/AAAAAAAAApw/Jx6CbClujkM/s1600-h/IMG_23462.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="IMG_2346" border="0" height="370" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TY2D--H84_I/AAAAAAAAAp0/x0aGHmpxjsw/IMG_2346_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2346" width="545" /></span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Everyone’s idea of comfort food is different. In my dictionary, comfort food is food I grew up eating and loving. It’s food that makes you feel like… you’re home… and <i>everything is going to be alright</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Beef stew is one of my comfort foods. There is something wonderfully comforting about a whole pot of food happily bubbling away on the stove. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Like many Americans, my family consulted The Joy of Cooking when cooking American dishes. My mother ultimately Chinese-ized the non-Chinese food we ate, creating a delicious cuisine that defines a special category of comfort food for my father, sisters, and me. My family and I eat beef stew with rice and it really hits the spot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This recipe is a variation of my mom’s. It will warm your bones, leaving you deeply satisfied on a cold winter’s night. It’s also pretty economical. A whole pot cost me about $12 and resulted in 16 servings! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Note: while I think it makes complete sense to write recipe ingredients according to chronology, I also like to write recipes so that it makes sense shopping-wise and preparation-wise. Ultimately, I think it’ll all make sense.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Recipe</b><b><u><br />
</u>rice </b>(make as much as you need, whatever type you like) <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>2 lbs of stewing beef</b> such as chuck, short-rib meat, or bottom round (1"-2" cubed) <br />
<b>4-6 stalks of celery</b> (1/4 cup of 1/4” dice; remainder slice into 1" sections) <br />
<b>4-6 carrots</b> (1/4 cup of 1/4” dice; remainder slice into 1" sections) <br />
<b>4 medium sized waxy potatoes</b> (slice into 1" sections) <br />
<b>small onion</b> (1/2 cup small dice) <br />
<b>garlic</b> (2 Tbsp. minced)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>flour</b> (1/2 cup) <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>dried oregano</b> (1 tsp.) <br />
<b>dried rosemary</b> (1 tsp) <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>dried thyme</b> (1 tsp) <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>salt</b> <br />
<b>pepper</b> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>2 bay leaves</b></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>cornstarch or tapioca starch</b> (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b> <br />
</b></span></u></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">(1) Cook the rice. <br />
(2) Rinse and pat beef dry, and put into a bag. Season and dredge with: <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 cup of all purpose flour <br />
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>1/2 tsp each of oregano/rosemary/thyme/salt/pepper <br />
</b>(3) Heat oil, medium-high, in a large stewing pot. Add the meat in batches until all sides are browned. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add more oil as needed. This process seals in the juices of the meat making it more tender and flavorful. If a crust from the beef is created at the bottom of the pot, leave it as this will make the stew richer. <br />
(4) Once all the beef is browned and has been put aside, lower heat to medium and add: <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/4 cup celery <br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/4 cup carrots <br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 cup onion <br />
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>2 tbsp garlic <br />
</b>Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened (about 5 minutes). <br />
(5) Add the beef back into the pot and fill the pot with enough water to just cover the meat. Also add: <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 bay leaves <br />
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>1/2 tsp each of oregano/rosemary/thyme/salt/pepper <br />
</b>Stir and bring to boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. <br />
(6) Add the rest of the vegetables: <br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">celery <br />
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">carrot <br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>potato <br />
</b>Add some water to barely cover the food. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes more. <br />
(7)<b> </b>Once done, taste and adjust any seasonings. I usually add more salt at the end, maybe some pepper. If you'd like to thicken the sauce, add cornstarch or tapioca starch to cold water. In a separate bowl, mix: <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>1-2 tbsp of starch with equal parts cold water <br />
</b>until thoroughly mixed. Add to pot while stirring. Add more cornstarch/water mixture if desired. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ser</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ve hot over rice. ^_^</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-37990393352793492642011-02-21T23:55:00.001-06:002011-05-30T19:24:35.520-05:00Turkey Sausages<div align="center"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TWNB8hHTWeI/AAAAAAAAApc/WFMTvv8d9qA/s1600-h/Sausages5.jpg"><img alt="Sausages" border="0" height="370" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TWNB9e8ZP-I/AAAAAAAAApg/iFVLde-lp9E/Sausages_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sausages" width="545" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Who likes meat with their breakfast, show of hands? (Me: bouncing up and down in my seat, hand raised high.) And who orders sausage with breakfast, regretting it afterward? (Me: sad face; hand raised.) </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It’s time to put a stop to post-sausage regret, folks.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Sausages, while delicious, are often heavily processed. Usually after eating them, I pay for it with a stomach ache. I recognize that I don’t have the stomach for most processed foods (case in point: <i>every </i>time I eat at McDonald’s, I get sick), but that doesn’t change the fact that sausage, generally, just isn’t that great for you. For years now, I very happily eat bacon instead (sigh!). But sometimes, I wistfully think about sausages and the rift between us.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">People often think that cooking and eating real food is more time consuming and costly than eating processed food. But, that isn’t always the case: it is often cheaper to make your own food than buy what a factory has put together for you. If you make an effort to cook more often, I think you will discover the following:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">1) You will have more money in your wallet. <br />
2) You will be eating better. <br />
3) You will feel better because (a) you’re eating better and (b) you have more money in your wallet.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">For brunch this past Sunday, I decided to make my own sausage patties. I served them with milk, coffee, buttermilk pancakes, and strawberries and apples dipped in dark chocolate. The sausages were DELICIOUS. I loved that I didn’t get a funny taste in my mouth, and my stomach felt great! Friends commented that they were “delicious,” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">“</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">clean tasting,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> “not greasy,” and “savory.” The cherry on top? The sausages, altogether, came out to about $2.80, so each sausage cost $0.20. That’s a deal that’s hard to beat. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I hope you try making your own sausages!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">When forming these sausages, I took two tablespoons of meat and free-form mooshed them between my palms. If you want them to be flat instead of domed, make an indent with two of your fingers in the middle of the sausage. To drain them, I put the patties in a sieve placed over the sink. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This recipe makes 14 sausages.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TWNB91-hoWI/AAAAAAAAApk/dz93yFoIj8c/s1600-h/sausage%20recipe%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="sausage recipe" border="0" height="272" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TWNB-f3YfnI/AAAAAAAAApo/ojAV0FnuEV0/sausage%20recipe_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sausage recipe" width="545" /></a></span></div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-1041656757186525462011-01-29T17:55:00.003-06:002014-11-30T10:06:40.509-06:00Rice Porridge aka Juk, Jook, Xi Fan, Congee…<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TUSohF1jr8I/AAAAAAAAAo8/dUznuJz_wxw/s1600-h/juk1%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="juk" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TUSoifbREII/AAAAAAAAApA/ZTGXq99jlG8/juk_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" height="370" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="juk" width="545" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Juk is one of the <i>easiest</i> one-dish meals you will ever make, and it is incredibly versatile. Rice and water make up the base of juk, but it is easily complemented by almost anything the palette desires. I enjoy it with soy sauce, salted peanuts, <i>pi dan</i> (preserved duck eggs), <i>ro song</i> (dried, shredded pork), chili bamboo shoots, or <i>luo buo gan</i> (spicy preserved turnips). Juk is especially delightful when accompanied by <i>you tiao</i> (deep fried dough, also called a “Chinese donut” in America) or <a href="http://earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com/2010/11/cong-you-bing-scallion-pancakes.html" target="_blank"><i>cong you bing</i></a> (scallion pancakes). It is a great go-to food when you are feeling sick, particularly when made with chicken soup! Most Asian cultures have some version of juk. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipe is so simple, you could make it in your sleep. My mom makes a huge pot for our family reunions and after holidays (Thanksgiving turkey juk!). After you cook bone-in chicken, duck, or any other meat, save the bones for juk. If you’re not planning on making juk within a couple days, you can refrigerate or freeze the bones. If you’re craving juk and don’t have meat/bones on hand, you can resort to store-bought stock. I encourage you to take liberties with flavoring and make it your own!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leftover juk can be stored in the fridge. When you reheat it, you will need to add more water. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This makes 5 cups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TUSoi4NFi3I/AAAAAAAAApM/XDkRskzMw8E/s1600-h/Fullscreen-capture-1272011-115852-PM.jpg"><img alt="Fullscreen capture 1272011 115852 PM.bmp" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TUSojpSzImI/AAAAAAAAApQ/6aX63hWmICI/Fullscreen-capture-1272011-115852-PM%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="116" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Fullscreen capture 1272011 115852 PM.bmp" width="545" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-32275454687357271022011-01-24T20:36:00.001-06:002014-06-13T12:30:16.611-05:00Cocoa Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TT4xA_PeK2I/AAAAAAAAAnA/dy5gmVWyFoE/s1600-h/IMG_2360%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2360" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TT4xCD5281I/AAAAAAAAAnE/lu2vxFXSf54/IMG_2360_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you haven’t noticed yet… I am <i>in love </i>with peanut butter. Do I eat peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon? You bet I do! And what could be more perfect than the pairing of peanut butter and chocolate? Heaven! Since I have a lot of unsweetened cocoa on hand (I love a mug of hot cocoa during the wintertime), I decided to mess around and find out how it’d pair with my peanut butter cookie recipe. Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As it turns out, the combination is <i>wonderful</i>. I made two batches – a “mini” cookie and a “small/regular” cookie. The recipe is very forgiving, so you can easily halve, double, or whatever to your heart’s content. As to type of peanut butter, I prefer Trader Joe's peanut butter, but any peanut butter that is minimally processed (i.e. ingredients are just peanuts, or peanuts and salt) is okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Cookie Tip!</i> Have a glass of cold water handy when pressing tine stripes into the cookies. If the dough starts to stick to your fork, dip the fork into the water. </span></div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TT4xCx0mcsI/AAAAAAAAAnI/8wGrFhGC-es/s1600-h/Fullscreen%20capture%201242011%2075425%20PM.bmp%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="Fullscreen capture 1242011 75425 PM.bmp" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TT4xDgX5p-I/AAAAAAAAAnU/rIYFG8tg6JI/Fullscreen%20capture%201242011%2075425%20PM.bmp_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Fullscreen capture 1242011 75425 PM.bmp" /></a></div>
Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-49654941077150368362011-01-18T10:34:00.003-06:002011-01-22T13:51:56.461-06:00Chocolate Caramel Apples with Nuts<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TTUQmfzzqvI/AAAAAAAAAmY/Sn0c7PIpw2Q/s1600-h/100CANON4.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="100CANON" border="0" height="505" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TTUQm9OGoqI/AAAAAAAAAmc/ZfIks0RoZC8/100CANON_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100CANON" width="323"></span></a><br>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Food makes me so happy, and caramel apples don’t fail me in that department. This past Halloween, I couldn’t think of a treat I wanted more than a caramel apple. Wishing for a little more flavor complexity, I added chocolate and nuts. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br>
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The first time I made this delicious treat was for a Halloween party. They turned out great, except for two little hitches. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br>
</div><a href="https://earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com/2011/01/chocolate-caramel-candied-apples-cover.html#more">Read more »</a>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-84972816281447763342010-12-02T20:21:00.006-06:002016-01-26T17:59:03.041-06:00Family, Food, and The Fun Game<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">Alright folks. If you’re not down for holiday cheer and lovey dovey sappiness about family, stop here. You’ve been fairly warned!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">I love the holiday season – particularly, Hallowthanksimas which spans from October through December. Halloween throws open the door to winter festivities with sweets and costumes, ushering in my two favorite holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas because those are times that my extended paternal side of the family – all 31 of us – try to make it back to the northwest corner of the U.S. to be together, catch up, give hugs, and EAT. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">Food is a common way my family shows love. I am fortunate that my family boasts a number of fantastic cooks who love to cook and bake from scratch. They don’t mess around when it comes to food. This year, we had an incredible Thanksgiving spread to feed 24 people: brined roasted turkey, succulent roast beef, ham with crisp blackened skin, steak with mushroom sauce, three different types of gravy, roasted cauliflower with bacon, squash with a delicious gouda sauce, caesar salad, cranberry walnut bread, challah bread, wild rice, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, baked sweet potatoes and yams, tofu and avocado in a soy/sesame sauce, pumpkin cheesecake, jello cheesecake, peanut butter pie, apple pie, jello jigglers, homemade whipped cream, wine, coffee and milk! I was so pleasantly stuffed, I had to be rolled out of the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT4zlrRII/AAAAAAAAAkw/tjGYfptP7FM/s1600-h/2010-11-302.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-302" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT58plrkI/AAAAAAAAAk0/OB0eO1ywNKM/2010-11-302_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="348" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-302" width="545" /></a></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";">~ Thanksgiving spread ~</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT63h7tgI/AAAAAAAAAlA/E1P0dJ7sePA/s1600-h/2010-11-303.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-303" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT78jV3mI/AAAAAAAAAlE/lmauAvGhjzA/2010-11-303_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="349" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-303" width="546" /></a></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><i>Desserts</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">I feel very lucky and thankful to have such a wonderful family. Because of my grandparents’ strong family values, my extended family is quite close even though there are a lot of us and some of us live far away. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">In addition to cooking, eating and gabbing, we also love to play games. Two nights in a row this Thanksgiving holiday, we were up past 2 AM playing and hanging out. We play enthusiastically, we play to win, and there are usually tears rolling from laughter. (You guys should see my sister act out a “tank” – it was <i>awesome</i>.) One of our favorite games is The Fun Game. I’m including the “recipe” below, as well as a few more pictures from the feasting that occurred. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">I hope you all have had a lovely, relaxing holiday season so far! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial";">The Fun Game</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">You need: <br />
- 4 or more players, divided into at least two teams <br />
- Two bowls or containers <br />
- Pens and paper <br />
- A timer to time one minute</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><b>Set up</b>: Divide people into teams; how many members per team is up to you. Cut the paper into small pieces and dole out the pieces to each player. How many pieces per player is up to you. For four people, I’d recommend 10 pieces each. Anywhere from 30-50 pieces, total, is a good number. Each player writes down a noun, folds the paper in half and drops it into one bowl. Proper nouns are okay. Once all the paper is in one bowl, you’re ready to play. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><b>How to Play</b>: The Fun Game has three stages, but can be played with four or more depending on how creative you’re feeling. Determine a "batting order" for each team so that each player gets a one-minute turn to get their teams to guess what is written on the paper. In Stage 1, each team has one minute to guess as many slips of paper from the bowl. To get your team to guess the word, you can say anything except for the word on the slip of paper. However, if there is a parenthetical on the slip of paper, for example, "Luigi (from Mario Brothers)," you can say any of the words in the parenthetical. Once one minute is up, tally your points and pass the bowl to the next team. The bowl gets passed from team to team, with each player getting one minute to get their team to guess as many slips of paper as possible. Once the bowl is empty, the next stage immediately begins. Pay attention to all of the answers, because in Stage 2, all rules stay the same except now you can only say ONE word. Continue as before, with one minute for each team. Once the bowl is empty, the next stage begins immediately. In Stage 3, all rules remain the same except you can’t speak or make sounds – you can only act, like charades. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">Suggestions for more stages:<i> Puppet</i>: each player chooses a player from another team to be a puppet. The puppet doesn’t move except when controlled to do so by the player. No talking or sounds.<i> Drawing</i>: draw out the answer on the slip of paper without using numbers, symbols, or cues (such as an “ear” to signify sounds like or dashes/boxes to signify how many words, etc.).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">All players have to get their team to guess answers at some point – no passing!<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><b>How to Tally Points</b>: A team gets one point for every piece of paper that it guesses correctly. If a player truly does not know the noun written on the paper, the player can skip without penalty. If a player starts to talk or act and the team doesn’t get it, the player can skip, which results in minus one point. If the player breaks a rule (e.g. says more than one word in Stage 2), skip the paper, continue playing, and take one minus point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT89rWw3I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/m7nY3EQPNu0/s1600-h/2010-11-30%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-30" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT9vpu4YI/AAAAAAAAAlY/Qjqnf3o-UAc/2010-11-30_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="357" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-30" width="559" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";">The night I returned home, I found my sister made blueberry turnovers from scratch… no biggie. <br />
They were freaking delicious.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhT_SzsBmI/AAAAAAAAAlg/8H4ivdjjmKg/s1600-h/2010-11-301%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-301" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhUAW1PmaI/AAAAAAAAAlk/8707DHCNuLs/2010-11-301_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="378" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-301" width="556" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> <br />
Some of Mama’s home cooking! <br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial";">(L-R, T-B), steamed taro root with pork belly, stir fried garlic green beans, garlic and ginger stir fried sprouts, bamboo shoots with pork belly and tofu, ginger soy chicken with shitake mushrooms.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhUBUpitPI/AAAAAAAAAls/Ek3xLYO3OGo/s1600-h/2010-11-304%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-304" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhUBwAUlHI/AAAAAAAAAl0/ZiaQAKz1xNE/2010-11-304_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="354" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-304" width="553" /></a></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>Oh… did I mention that my sister is a </i>professional</span><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"> cook? She’s amazing.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"> <br />
She’s also a total brainiac. Both my sisters are – they’re ridiculous.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhUDTpx2BI/AAAAAAAAAmA/E9bTj0siCjU/s1600-h/2010-11-305%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="2010-11-305" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TPhUEUhYuMI/AAAAAAAAAmE/YpGUDIY_aGU/2010-11-305_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="352" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2010-11-305" width="551" /></a></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><i>Dim sum!</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"></span>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-15650153929890847752010-11-22T23:59:00.008-06:002011-09-15T13:46:52.237-05:00Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancakes)<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TOtYUU9Bp7I/AAAAAAAAAjo/3XY9UHG2UGM/s1600-h/food34.jpg"><img alt="food3" border="0" height="325" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TOtYVzaORNI/AAAAAAAAAjs/RlmF7TJcNKY/food3_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="food3" width="508"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><i>L-R… Cong You Bing / Rolling up the scallions in the dough / inside view of the bing</i> </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Living in Chicago and being far away from Chinatown means that I can’t easily spoil myself with my Mama’s home cooking, or simply eat out at my favorite Chinese restaurant. While this has made me a little sad, there is also a bright side. (Team Glass Half Full: win!) The bright side is, I’ve had to start making a lot of my favorite food from scratch. This has been a wonderful way for me to eat healthier and preserve parts of my Chinese culture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">This past weekend, I had two dear friends over for xi fan since they’ve never had it before. For those who aren’t familiar, xi fan* is rice porridge that is common in virtually all Asian </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congee" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">countries</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">. (Xi fan is also known as congee, juk, zhou, etc.) I didn’t feel I could serve guests xi fan by itself, so I decided to make cong you bing,* aka scallion pancakes, to go with it. And guess how I learned to make it… from a Chinese cooking show someone uploaded onto YouTube! I watched the whole thing, pausing it to stop and write down instructions, and then had a go at it with my own little modifications the next morning. They were so delicious – hot and chewy with multiple layers of goodness; perfect dipped in xi fan, stuffed with soy sauce scrambled eggs, or on their own.</span></div>
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<a href="https://earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com/2010/11/cong-you-bing-scallion-pancakes.html#more">Read more »</a>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-54561542356369428472010-11-17T19:28:00.006-06:002012-01-27T07:23:16.948-06:00Dao Si Pai Guet (Black Bean Spareribs)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Oh </i><i>my goodness, this dish is soooo goooood ^_^</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dao si pai guet, aka black bean spareribs, is one of my all-time favorite dishes! If I got to choose my last meal on earth, this would be it. Just thinking about it is making me drool. Chinese black beans (dao si in Cantonese or dou shi in Mandarin) taste very different from the black beans you might be used to eating. Dao si is fermented and salty. (I’ve only found them in Asian food stores and recently discovered you can buy them </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Douchi-Fermented-Black-Beans/dp/B003K3KOM8" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">online</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">). Part of the allure for me probably lies in the fact that it’s hard to find really good dao si pai guet. Instant dao si in grocery stores is <i>not </i>the real thing. And forget about finding a restaurant to try this delicious dish. Ninety-nine percent of the time they don’t have it, or if they have it, it’s not worth eating. Restaurants’ dao si is usually immensely watered down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The strangest part of not being able to find good dao si pai guet at restaurants is that it is SO VERY EASY to make. So… I’m going to share my mom’s family recipe with you (my paternal grandmother’s recipe is a little different). If you want to experiment, please do so by all means. But with this dish, I personally think that less is more. This recipe yields very tender meat with bold and fragrant flavors. It will make you close your eyes and smack your lips. I love popping a bite into my mouth, stripping the bone of its meat and sucking out all the marrow. And the sauce – oh my goodness, don’t even get me started! I can eat a salad bowl full of hot, freshly made rice drizzled with this sauce all over it. NOM NOM NOM….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I make dao si pai guet with small and big pork ribs. If you want small ribs, ask the butcher to cut the rack into 1” strips, lengthwise, then cut it up further into 1”x1” chunks. Sometimes I do that last part myself. I especially love getting fatty pork ribs (they say southern style on the package) and making this recipe. What a treat!! I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as my family and I do. ^_^</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This recipe serves about 6.*</span></div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TOSDzbcKNHI/AAAAAAAAAjg/_H6to8oweVY/s1600-h/Desktop1%5B4%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="Desktop1" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kj01O3eypNw/TOSDz8fez7I/AAAAAAAAAjk/6ahaNSyTvjI/Desktop1_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Desktop1" width="559" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Doo doo doo, nothing to see here, just a bunch of beans and garlic cloves hanging out ^_^</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Recipe</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 lb of meat (can use pork, beef, etc. I've even tried it with oxtail)<br />1/4 cup of fermented black beans (dao si)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 medium to large cloves of garlic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 cup of water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">(1) Rinse the meat and cut to desired size, if needed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(2) Blend the beans and garlic into a paste. Adding a little bit of water helps. I like to use a mortar and a pestle, but you can use a food processor or blender, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(3) Brown the meat in a big pot, then add the bean paste and water. Stir it all together. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for 40 minutes. Make sure the sauce is simmering and bubbling over the meat. If it isn't, turn the meat over at the 20-minute mark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>My mom says: each stove is different. If there isn't enough sauce, you can add starch and water. Mix 1 tablespoon of starch (corn or tapioca) with 1 cup of cold water. Mix it well. Stir the meat while adding the starch mix to get an even mixture.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816375255227823610.post-84277617015759680882010-11-05T16:46:00.008-05:002010-12-05T14:13:42.695-06:00Campfire Coffee + Mocha<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG" title="By Julius Schorzman [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], from Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="A small cup of coffee" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG/512px-A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG" width="512"></a></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG">Julius Schorzman</a>.</i><a class="external text" href="http://assembleme.com/" rel="nofollow"> </a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few weeks ago, I realized my coffee press was cracked. It faithfully served me delicious cups of coffee for two years. I tried making coffee in it anyway, but it leaked immensely. So sad! K's father told me how to make coffee around a campfire, and I tried it at home. It worked like a charm. I made a huge, soup pot full of coffee and we (K, his parents and I), enjoyed chilled glasses of coffee with milk and brown sugar, with a side of freshly baked banana bread and butter. YUM!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I ordered a new press, but have been using the campfire method for a few weeks now. I love it! It is ridiculously easy to make coffee this way. I almost feel that coffee makers are unnecessary purchases. On top of it being a money saver, I was doubly happy because now, when I go camping, I can still have my coffee without bringing anything but a pot. Sweet! I really hope you try it. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The recipes here serve 2 cups (8 oz. each) of coffee.</span></div><a href="https://earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com/2010/11/campfire-coffee-mocha.html#more">Read more »</a>Readers Without Peters - A Seattle Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06586391208042958382noreply@blogger.com1