My Indian Name is Runner of Many Errands

by Emily

Would you believe me if I told you we just got home?! Well, sort of. But it has been a busy day.

Adam came home this afternoon and we headed out on errands – H&R Block to file our taxes and SuperCuts so I could get a trim. Neither errand was all that exciting; taxes are sort of a joke when no one in the household has any income, and in the same vein all I can afford is a $13 hair cut. I did find out that when I donate my hair to Locks of Love this spring I can get my hair cut for free, so that’s good news.

We were so cranky with hunger by the time we headed home that french fries with vinegar from ETS were a necessity.

Obviously.

I’m glad we got in some veggies of the non-fry variety for dinner.

We made a big batch of Emily’s Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup.

The soup is full of sweet potato, rutabega, kale, and black beans, then topped with avocado. It was very tasty, so head on over to The Daily Garnish to check out the recipe.

The minute we were done eating (and I use the word “done” loosely here) we head to rush out the door to UPS. Sidenote – Mom, Tiffanys sent me back my fixed bracelet. Sidenote 2 – Don’t ever buy the Tiffany Sea Starfish Bracelet, it’s gorgeous, but the stone falls out of the charm like 8 times a month.

We had to stop at Rite Aid for some things on the way home (um, hair dye, get excited!), and now we’re about to settle in with some Sour Patch Kids and X-Files.

What’s your favorite kind of soup? I actually not much of a soup girl, but this recipe may be a new favorite.

3Feb2011

Off the Map, Into the Oven

by Emily

Lots of excitement in the geek household today, I received a package of samples with dry ice in it.

Might have been the highlight of my week.

My three-course lunch kept me full late into the afternoon, and in fact I wasn’t hungry for dinner until after 8 o’clock! Which was great, because this meant that in addition to watching “Off the Map,” and being a jr. scientist, I also had the focus to bang out the rest of an assignment for next week. Sidenote – Off the Map, it’s like Grey’s Anatomy, but in the jungle. Watch it if you live for dramatic drama.

When I made Emily and Jenna’s beans and potatoes I knew they’d be good, but I didn’t realize how many servings I was getting myself into. We’re on our third day of leftovers! They’re still tasty, but I felt the need to take the meal off the beaten path a bit.

Into my mini casserole went a layer of beans, a layer of potatoes, and 30 minutes in a 450* oven, and out came my version of a single serving Shepard’s pie.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is Friday, having two days off really made the week fly by!

What new shows are you loving this season?

2Feb2011

Delightful Dippables

by Emily

As I mentioned early, today was a snow day, and a glorious snow day it was! Not a lot of work got done, but you know how it is.

I did make a very successful (vegan) lunch.

With a nice roll up (a play on a dish I love that my mom makes with cream cheese for parties). Spread a tortilla with humus – Tribe Roasted Garlic, – chopped green peppers, and radish sprouts.

Tightly roll up and chop using a big scary knife.

Lay out like a fancy sushi roll.

Eat the unsightly ends.

I also ate half of a piece of vegan jerky I split with the husband.

I paired my roll up with some roasted kale.

And dipped everything in some Stubbs bbq sauce.

It was a tasty, tasty lunch.

Later in the afternoon I snacked on 1.5 servings of Newman’s Own Spelt Pretzels.

With a chocolate soy pudding and a diet pop.

Of course, I dipped the pretzels into both the pudding and the soda. Sooo good. Honey wheat pretzel sticks dipped into diet cherry coke is my favorite snack on Earth.

Dinner was a repeat plate.

Leftover baked beans,

leftover caramelized onion mashed potatoes with a dab of Smart Balance Light,

and some sugar-free applesauce topped with a few Maple Mini Wheats and red hots.

Again, delicious, delicious.

What do you like to dip pretzels in? Before you hate – have you ever tried pretzels dipped in diet pop?

1Feb2011

Eat, Live, Garnish

by Emily

Bleck. I’ve been in a crummy mood all day. My retainer fitting properly finally means it’s actually working, which means my mouth is hurting. Additionally I’m irritated with myself for not starting Biochem work. I know the longer I put it off the worse it’s going to be but I’m a week in and it’s feeling a little daunting. Plus I was so excited about these filled Mini-Wheats, but when I ate a small bowl this afternoon they hurt my mouth.

Bleck.

I know something guaranteed to put a smile on my face was a blogger-approved dinner.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes from Emily at The Daily Garnish,

and Mom’s Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Baked Beans from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run.

The guacamole gravy? That was all me!

It ended up being a very tasty meal.

A time intensive(ish) one as well, the potatoes required a good hour of hands-on time while the beans were baking in the oven. As I was removing the caramelized onions from the pan genius struck, and guacamole gravy was born. I kept a few onions in the pan over medium heat and added a chopped avocado and a bit of evoo. Once everything was warmed through I deglazed the pan with some mushroom broth. A bit more broth and some mashing, and the best potato topped ever was born!

It was great to get back into the kitchen and make my husband a nice hearty (vegan!) meal. Sidenote – that’s not to say the husband didn’t help cook this meal, mashing potatoes is hard!

What is your favorite kind of gravy?

27Jan2011

Gourmet for a Thursday

by Emily

Dinner tonight was pretty gourmet for a Thursday. Actually, it was pretty darn gourmet in general!

We started with a salad course.

I had a romaine base with chopped pear, soy nuts, and low-fat poppy-seed dressing.

Super yummy. This has been my favorite salad dressing for years, but I think this is the first time I’ve bought it since we moved from Miami in 2003.

For the main course I made Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis from Cooking Light.

Actually, I put all the ingredients in a bowl; Adam technically made it since he’s the one who had his hands all up in the raw meat.

We thought the recipe was pretty good (7/10), here are the changes we made –

98% lean turkey subbed for sirloin, with an extra 1/4 pound of meat
no onions and no oregano (just because we were out, they would have improved the dish)
panko bread crumbs
an extra ounce of white cheddar subbed for parmesan
and horseradish mustard subbed in for horseradish and dijon

On the side we made a batch of Waffle Fries from Alexia.

I got this product for free using a coupon from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have bought this with my own money, but I’m so glad I got the change to try it because I would totally spring for it again! The fries were perfectly crispy and seasoned but not soggy at all.

All in all it was a very satisfying dinner.

We’ve been watching The X-Files (via Netflix instant watch) and I can’t get over how cheesy the first season was! Did you watch the X-Files?

23Jan2011

Like a Saftey

by Emily

Confession – in order to write my clever title I had to Google “football players who tackle.” And I was a cheerleader.

Anyway, that’s what this weekend has been about, tackling my to-do list:

Hooray!

I tackled two weeks worth of laundry (actually, the husband tackled this, but I folded!),

I tackled the pile of outgoing mail,

I tackled my huge stack of unsorted magazine clippings,

I tackled my planner for the semester,

And more! I didn’t work the whole weekend, but I did more in two days than I’ve done in two weeks.

Breakfast this morning had a mix of carbs and protein to fuel me up.

That’s a plan fat-free yogurt with Crofter’s Strawberry Jam stirred in, topped with Kashi H2H and some chunky peanut butter.

So good! Peanut Butter and I have totally resparked our love affair lately.

Around noon I headed out to run some errands at school and replenish our food stores. Wegman’s was terrible this afternoon – the hot bar was barely stocked and the store was packed. Nonetheless, I managed to carve out a booth of calm and spend an hour tackling my NYE resolution to read more.

Eating materials, hot bar Asian style veggies, potatoes, and sweet and sour chicken.

Reading materials, The Food of a Younger Land, Mark Kurlansky.

When I got home from pushing my way through the hoards I snacked on a mini bag of kettle corn and a glass of skim milk.

Dinner involved some prep throughout the day – chicken getting soft and shreddable in the crock pot, red onions caramelizing on the stove – but the end result was beyond worth it –

Bbq chicken pizza with caramelized red onions and gouda!

I topped a store-bought crust with caramelized red onions, shredded chicken tossed with bbq sauce, and gouda, and 10minutes later I had pure, steamy bliss.

Bliss served with a side of roasted asparagus.

It was a pretty heavenly dinner.

Dessert was from the bulk bins; yogurt pretzels, chocolate pretzels, and a piece of local sponge candy.

I’ve got to go shower and get my beauty sleep; school starts tomorrow!

17Jan2011

Pizza for Breakfast and Presents for Dinner

by Emily

I’ve got to cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, so hang in for a longish post. Thank goodness I don’t do things like work out or leave the house, there’d just be too much to say!

Breakfast (late breakfast) was one of my favorites, Pizza Eggs.

Eggland’s Best scrambled up with turkey pepperoni, sharp cheddar, and marinara sauce. To die for.

Making it even better, I’ve discovered the best way ever to scramble – leave the yolks set (almost like you are making fried eggs) and scramble just the whites. Then, at the last minute, scramble in the yolks. Allowing the components to cook apart for a while takes eggs to a whole ‘nother level!

Lunch covered another favorite technique, my new favorite for tuna salad.

I call this “Last Date Tuna Salad;” my regular recipe – canned tuna, miracle whip, and tons of pickle relish – taken over the edge with the addition of lots and lots of chopped red onion. Try it, you’ll thank me, just don’t kiss anyone right after lunch!

Aside my salad was a piece of ciabatta bread, toasted and buttered.

It was a ~~smelly~~ tasty lunch.

I had to eat a peppermint stick to slay my breath before the husband came home!

I also nibbled through the last two cookies this afternoon.

Remind me how I haven’t made every last one of Jenna’s recipes yet?

Then came dinner.

My generous parents know we’re too poor for healthy seafood (and I’m too much of a girl for sardines), so they gifted us with “charge some salmon to the credit card one night, and marinade it in the maple dill dressing from your stocking” for Christmas. <– Yes, this was a stocking gift; and yes, they’re a little crazy.