If you ever need a pick me up breakfast, I can help you. Here goes:
1. Take a tomato. Slice it. Take 2 slices of bread, toast them. Stack on one side.
2. Fry 2 eggs, and add some cheese.
3. Spread some pesto on one slice of the toast.Hopefully you have really garlicky pesto. That’s the best kind.
4. Put it together. Eat it. Brush teeth, because they may taste garlicky.
So I made some chili last night.
I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t really like chili. But I thought, “Let’s try a new recipe.” So I did.
This was the recipe:
This is what I ended up using:
I tried to eyeball the veg, and see what I needed. Carrots are yum in chili (but not in salad, grated. I hate stringy carrots, they are sneaky) and the pepper was good. The onion was delicious, and sauce works great as a replacement for paste.
All I can tell you is even though I kind of doubled some things and didn’t double others, one thing is for sure: I used too much chili powder. I thought since I was doubling the meat, some of the veg, and adding a little extra water, it would not be as spicy.
Man, I was wrong. Jeff ate a bowl, but told me he might not be able to do it again. Which means I am stuck with a pot of chili I’m not in love with in the first place + it is too spicy.
I must say, though, it is pretty tasty as far as chili goes. Maybe I do like chili, after all. I just have to have a bottle of water next to me… (picture to come.)
I did it. It was me. I promised myself I never would. I scoffed at the idea. But then, standing in my kitchen after cleaning the counter of rotted potato juice, damning boxed Pasta Roni to hell since we’ve been eating it once or twice a week lately, and wondering what on EARTH would fill my ever-hungry stomach, I realized it was time.
To make the bag-o-potato that Jeff had purchased once upon the time he claimed was delicious. I reasoned with myself–it was here, I shouldn’t waste, there ARE children starving in Africa, Asia, South America, and probably down the block from me. They are edible, and they have potatoes in them. Plus, as we are moving in a few weeks, I shouldn’t allow them into our new home. Right? We should just use them up…now. RIGHT?
This is the bag. The bag full of offensive powdered-potato. But I had exhausted my other options for sides. I had no choice. So I opened the bag, to investigate.
The inside seemed OK. It was powdered, but smelled like potato. I wasn’t sure how large the potatoes would get, so I had to guesstimate which bowl size I would use. This one seemed to be the right size. I wasn’t sure how large powdered potatoes got. But I have seen those amazing meals they give to people in the army, when you add water and it becomes so hot you can’t even hold it. So I knew there was magical things that could happen when it says “Just add water.” Like sea monkeys. Just add water, and soon you have a family.
Anyways, I waited for the water to boil. I made a list of reasons I was justified in my head, and I when the water boiled I poured it into the bowl. The bowl, of course, DID burn my hand, because I wasn’t thinking that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to hold said bowl as I poured the water. But that’s another story. Then I poured the potato powder in and Voila!–
Potatoes.
I must say, they were not as bad as I thought they were going to be. I guess I have to take them off the “Absolutely not” list and put them onto the “Only in an Emergency” list.
Dually noted.
I’ve been absent for a while. I apologize. I thought I had chronic tonsillitis, but really I was just sick. Meanwhile, I have been getting ready for today. The day of all days. The day of new beginnings. Election Day, 2008. My friend K.S. is voting for the first presidential election today–she was too young last time around. Her sister is voting, too. I voted. Jeff voted. K and SS are voting. It’s a movement. I have friends coming out of the woodworks who are voting. B from work and SJ voted this morning. It’s so exciting. Everything is moving, everything is starting, and everyone is READY. FINALLY.
Last night I roasted a chicken for the first time, and made some more banana bread. Then I made cupcakes. I had a lot of pent up energy that I didn’t know what to do with. This morning I covered B’s carpool shift here at work, and chatted up my co-workers about the election. Wearing two Obama buttons, I was pretty sure it was clear which way I voted.
I am so excited for today. I am so excited for tomorrow. I am excited for the day after that. The future. The beginning, an end, something bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. I am proud to call America my home, and I am proud of places like Michigan that have 98% of their possible voters registered. I am proud of places like Ohio where people are waiting for hours to get their chance to vote, and for the volunteers who are committing themselves to getting every vote counted. I am proud of California for focusing on “No” on Prop 8. This morning, I saw some students at the school I work out with signs, standing in line at the car pool, trying to get parents to see their signs—NO on Prop 8. What a wonderful world we live in. I am so proud to call it my home.
Notes: Today you can get a free tall coffee at Starbucks, and a free ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.
Well, the big day is almost here. No, not Halloween. Thanksgiving. The big Turkey day. My first away from home. I am very excited about the prospects of the up-and-coming holiday, and recently I had a conversation with Jeff that went something like this:
“Hey Jeff, I want to host Thanksgiving.” – me
“OK. Cool.” -Jeff
“Hey, I think Jen and I are going to host Thanksgiving.” – Becca, who just had walked in.
“Oh.” – me (Disappointed because I wanted to cook the turkey)
“But, can you do the turkey? Please?” – Becca
“Um, sure, no problem.” – me (Internally screaming YES OF COURSE)
But now I had a problem. I had to make a turkey. I’ve never so much as thought about roasting a bird. But my friend K can do it, so if she can, I can. Thus, I came up with a six week plan.
Week 1: October 19-25
*Research types of recipes for roasted turkey
Week 2: October 26-November 1
*Practice roasting a chicken
Week 3: November 2-8
*Practice on a small-sized turkey
Week 4: Nov 9-15
*Whittle away recipes, choose favorite 1
Week 5: Nov 16-22
*Whittle away recipes, choose favorite 1, buy ingredients
Week 6: Nov 22-27
*Discuss with Becca how her oven cooks, lay out final plan, purchase turkey
*Cook!
Now I know that might seem a little ridiculous, but I want my first turkey to be delicious. So I am going to practice. I’ve bought a chicken for this week, and last week looked at some recipes. However today, I was researching a bit more, and I found this:
“Number of Diners: 12.
Turkey Size (including leftovers): 16 to 18 pounds.
Thawing Time (for a frozen turkey): Refrigerator, 3 1/2 to 4 days; cool water (changed every half hour), 8 to 9 hours.
Roasting Time (unstuffed): Roast at 425° F for 45 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 350° F, and continue to roast until a thigh registers 180° F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours total.”
This sounds harder than I originally thought. And that information is from “Real Simple.”
Real Simple also had this little trick: “Tip: Roast two small turkeys side by side rather than one extra-large bird. They’ll be done in almost half the time.”
I just might, Real Simple, I just might.
Meanwhile, I’d like to hear what you all think–what’s hard about cooking a turkey, what’s easy, what do I need to remember?
I already feel like I need to purchase a meat thermometer, and a baster. So I did some more probing on the website from Real Simple, and found out there are 7 things I should own to make a turkey. This might get expensive.
*Meat thermometer
*Baster
*Roasting pan
*Roasting rack
*Carving board
*Carving set
*Gravy separator
Looks like I have some work to do…next up, “40 ways to Simplify Thanksgiving.” I can’t think of 10 things I’d need to do, let alone 40 things I’d want to make my life easier. Looks like I have some learning to do…