Monday, January 23, 2012

Onigiri, First Attempt

During Christmas week, JustAwesome and I went to San Francisco. We saw some old friends (and their babies), ate some amazing chow, and (my personal highlight) stayed in Japantown. It was like sleeping at Mitsuwa but way better! I loved it. Lots of shops and restaurants and spas. Lots of Japanese knick knacks. JustAwesome came back to the hotel with this:

Rice Ball Face Maker

Um ok, I guess we’ll make some rice balls. We had just been talking about it. What a great afternoon snack it’d be (JustAwesome), what a delicious breakfast (me). We tossed in the drawer with some other single-task tools and quickly forgot about it.

Until I saw this post.

Brown Rice Ball with tuna (from a jar)

Our first try was Delicious (cap D) but I don’t think we packed the rice enough. But so cute, with those little faces! I think we’ll probably try again soon (tonight if JA has her way). I don’t blame her. The possibilities of these are endless.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Garbage Night (aka Playing Ketchup)

Empty Fridge with film and ketchup

The refrigerator is oddly empty so I’ve decided that tonight should be Garbage Night. Tonight we will eat whatever crap is in there. Hopefully it isn’t a gross combo…



DINNER MENU

• Whitefish salad (Russ & Daughters) on cracker. There is only one cracker’s worth (each) left. And that sh!t is too good to toss.


• Edamame from freezer. (see, NEW RULES)


• Salad. Definitely the last day for the greens. Thankfully we’re getting more food tomorrow.


Pea Soup. Just made from frozen peas.


• Butternut Squash SoufflĂ©. Heated up in oven from freezer. I have no idea where they came from or when we bought them. (see, NEW RULES)


• Sausage. Grilled in pan. A little salsa on top. These are the most delicious vegetarian sausage in existence. We discovered this company at Bark. I like them better than meat sausages. We always have these around and are great when you need a protein. No, I’m not a vegetarian. Yes, they’re very good.


• Vanilla ice cream. Leftover from the tasting. Can probably find some cookies, too.


• Beer or wine, water or seltzer.



NEW RULES:

No more frozen fruits and vegetables. Not until we prove that we actually eat it. We never just “toss some in” as we think we might. And we don’t bring edamame as snacks. We just don’t. Keep buying peas though. It’s a good soup and only takes a few minutes to make.


No more impulse buys at Trader Joes’. Under what situation will frozen File of Sole suddenly sound appealing? And, please, no more random meals from Asian markets. There is too much sodium. And questionable ingredients. I am too afraid to actually try them. Yes, (vegetarian) mackerel would be delicious as an appetizer with nori and avocado, I just can’t imagine defrosting that thing when I happen to remember to buy nori and my avocado is perfectly ripe.



IN CONCLUSION:

I think Garbage Night was a success. The fridge and freezer are neat and organized and I didn’t spend a cent. I had some protein, some veg, some carbs, some fiber and some fat. And I stayed on Plan. With all of the money I saved, maybe I should buy a new pair of skinny jeans...


Sunday, January 8, 2012

New Years’ Resolution


This year I vow to make more cocktails.

I love a great cocktail but I don’t really know much about them. I did go to bartending school once for kicks but never really made any. Yes, we have our small repertoire of pretty good drinks (our favorite is The Back Forty, which I can tell you how to make but then I’d have to kill you so...) but mostly we drink beer* or red wine**. Honestly, I didn’t know much about beer or wine (or cheeses), or much of anything, until I met JustAwesome five years ago. She knows quite a bit about beer (even started a brewing collective once upon a time), but the other things just developed as things do...

We started at Saxelby Cheesmongers and Anne suggested, we tried and loved it, Anne suggested something else, we tried and loved it again. And so it grew. And then we tried this olive oil and that olive oil. And so it grew. And as I began to taste, I began to read more. I read about this new chef and that new product. And so it goes...

For wine, we just picked a good local shop, which had nice employees and good picks for under $20 and ordered a mixed (red) case. And we drank. And drank. And drank. And then we ordered another and another. And so it grew. And now I can go to a restaurant and pick out something that I’d like. I’m not intimidated. Do I know anything about wine? No, not really, but I’m definitely in a different place than I was 5 years ago. And so it goes...

We found a bartender (Michael C from Savoy) and he introduced us to bourbons and Meyer lemons and the freshest of freshest ingredients. And we drank. And then we tried cocktails at different places and found more bartenders (none as wonderful as Michael C) and drank more drinks. And so it goes...

I sometimes say I never tasted or smelled or saw color before I met JustAwesome. This embarrasses her, but it’s true. I really began to taste. She does have an amazing palate—she can really pull out ingredients from a particular dish—which helps (and also embarrasses her) but really she taught me to slow down and pay attention. This is our slow food movement. Discovering and enjoying new things with each other. And stopping to taste. Really taste in. It is a fun hobby.

So, where to begin? We downloaded a copy of The PDT Cocktail Book onto the iPad and we’re ready to jump in... Let the games begin!!!



L’Chaim! And a Happy New Year to you all!


*I think beer deserves the same respect that people give wine, damn it!

**We tend to drink the Italian & French ones, assuming that those come by boat, rather than Californian, which would presumably come by train. True? I don’t know. But they’re less expensive so that’s how we do it at the Feral Casa.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Auntie Feral’s Root Beer Tasting

My niece, Rad Wigs, was coming to town and we wanted to have some fun.
Pizza night, of course. But then JustAwesome confessed that she was feeling JustAwful from her cold so we needed a new plan. And quickly!

And so I present:
Auntie Feral’s Root Beer* Tasting 2012


The Judges:
• Feral Cook, aka Auntie Feral
• Rad Wigs, a nine year old representing the state of Colorado
• JustAwesome, feeling JustAwful


The Categories:
• Smell
• Body
• Flavor
• Sweetness

The Contenders (I know, I did the best I could!):
• Boylans
• Gus
• A&W
• Mug
• C&C
• Stewart’s

The Winner(s):
Believe it or not, A&W and C&C did the best!
Next time, we should make our own root beer!


Some of our notes said:
Not as minty but not as sweet. Thick body, hints of vanilla. Smells like wintergreen.

Dessert:
Root Beer Floats with Adirondack Creamery Vanilla Ice Cream.
(The only nice thing that bodega sells!)

*Root beers came from our local supermarket so...