I know, I know.

I'm a terrible person.

A blog abandoner.

But... I have good reasons!  They usually involve my 40-hour-work-week, my adventuring off to spend as much time with R. as I can on my two days off, getting injured at work, and eating simply.

I was going to have a post about R.'s birthday cake, but I forgot to take pictures, and a post about cake without pictures isn't a post at all.

Then I was going to post about the Muffins of Greatness I made for him, but... when I woke up in the hotel after the muffins had spent the night there with me (he only got ONE the evening before upon arrival)... they were covered in ants.  Cue R. seeing me completely and utterly enraged for the first time.  It included plunking the container of muffins down on the front desk and saying "I have a PROBLEM." I was so skeezed out by the ants (I mean, I paid more for that stinkin' hotel than I usually would BECAUSE it was clean and nice!) and their presence that I didn't even want the container (a nice plastic cake carrier) back. I told them to keep it, shove it, we were checking out anyway, and they can kiss my future reservations (which there would be plenty of, given I've stayed there 3 times in the past month and a half!) goodbye.  They knocked my rate down for the night, but I'm still skeezed.

I mean, ants. In a hotel.  Ew.

But I'll be posting soon, I promise.  It's fall, so it means it's time for BAKED APPLES.  They deserve the all-caps, I promise.

Eat well!
-A

Not-your-fast-food-burrito.

Have you ever had a craving for something that you know is absolutely horrible for you?

That's me and mexican food.  I have moments where all I want is a giant burrito, filled to bursting with deliciousness and a big serving of tortilla chips on the side.  So good, but so, so bad for you. 

While I could debate the merits of Moe's and Chipotle respectively, and probably get in an argument or two over which is better, I tend to appreciate the Chipotle style of burritos more than Moe's. From either restaurant, I do enjoy the "naked" versions, or the bowls that have everything you would put in a burrito, without the tortilla.

Except, there is not a Moe's in the town I'm living in now. Or a Chipotle.  So today when the burrito-train hit me full force, I was lost.  Until I regained my senses, and remembered that I can cook.  A quick trip to the store, and I had embarked upon my mission to make a healthy, low fat version of a burrito from Chipotle.  Given that my dad ate one in under 5 bites, and approvingly licked his fingers, I think I succeeded.

Here is the recipe (makes like, a million small burritos. And rice-beans-chicken-and-mushroom bowls. I made a lot of the filling to keep and use for quick lunches and such.):

- 4 cups rice, cooked (I added a splash of lemon juice and some cilantro, a la Chipotle)
- 1 can diced chicken, we get the big cans from Sam's Club, Member's Mark brand
- Salsa verde, amount to taste
-1 medium package of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- Whole wheat tortillas
- low fat shredded cheese, mexican blend

1. Heat the shredded chicken in a pan with seasonings to taste (I used some chili pepper, cilantro, even some creole seasoning) and a bit of salsa verde.  When the chicken is warm, add mushrooms.  Cook until mushrooms are desired tenderness, and chicken is shredded and super tender.
2. Heat the pinto beans to desired temperature (I just nuked 'em.)
3. Layer the burritos!
    - Rice
    - beans
    - Chicken and mushrooms
    - cheese
    - a little more salsa, if desired.

I left out sour cream and guacamole because I'm always tempted to put WAY too much on.  These had a lot of flavor, but weren't too spicy, but easily adjustable if I want spicy later on.  One small one (I used the 'soft taco' size tortillas, and it created a decent size burrito) was enough to fill me up, and I resisted making a second because really, I knew that I could eat it, but I would be uncomfortably full later on.  I didn't even need chips with it, since there was all that fiber from the beans, mushrooms, and the tortilla, with the protein of the chicken.  I'm tempted to put the chicken and mushrooms on eggs for a breakfast tortilla tomorrow.

It's versatile, it's tasty, and it's healthy.  I'd say that one of these burritos clocks in at way under 500 calories, compared to the nearly/over 2,000 that one from Moe's or Chipotle does.  I am content, and my tummy is happily full of good noms.

Now I'm back to enjoying my day off, watching my lettuce pot garden (more on that in another post!) grow, and reading my library books.  I get to see R. tomorrow, so I'm very happy today.

-A

Family secrets.

So, there's this thing.  Called "Grandma jelly."

My entire childhood can be summed up in this phrase.  Grandma jelly.

In the backyard of my Grandma's house, there grows a gigantic fig tree. And every summer, the fig tree grows and grows, until it's so heavy with figs that we don't have to worry about fighting the squirrels, birds and bugs for the figs because we already have buckets and buckets of them.  It is from this tree that Grandma Jelly begins.

I don't know how my Grandma decided to make Grandma jelly, but I'm glad she did.  It's a mixture of fresh figs, mashed and mashed and mashed (we did it by hand, and she still does, because food processors are only good for certain things) and mixed with sugar and strawberry gelatin, cooked until perfect, then canned.  The result is this figgy-berry-chunky-seedy-spreadable-wonderful-concoction that was christened "Grandma jelly."

The tree hasn't been producing as much as it has in the past, which means that Grandam Jelly production has slackened somewhat.  Combined with the fact that she just doesn't have the demand that she used to, with the grandchildren almost all grown up and gone away, the stock of Grandma jelly has dwindled.  But she still makes it, fresh batches that leave the house with a lingering sweet fruit smell for a week afterwards, from the end of June to middle of July when the figs are at their ripest.

I love Grandma jelly. There isn't a single thing on this earth that it isn't good on.  Waffles, ice cream, PB&J sandwiches, hell, I've even used it as a sweet glaze on steak and chicken before.  It's amazingly versatile. I don't know what she does, or how exactly she makes it, but it's seriously one of my favorite things in this entire world.

R. has never had Grandma jelly.  But I managed to get a small jar from Grandma to give to him (how to tell she really likes him, yeah?).  It may come to him opened with a few spoonfuls taken out, but it will make it.  And he will enjoy Grandma jelly for the first time. I'm considering whether or not he likes it being a deciding factor in whether or not I can spend the rest of my life with him (I'm kidding! ... Maybe.).

My favorite story to tell of the power of Grandma jelly is this:
I had a supervisor at a store I worked at one summer who I really liked, J.  She was a tough broad who had a sweet side when she wanted to show you, and I really enjoyed working with her. One day we were bored, the store was empty, so we started talking about our shared passion for cooking.  Being summer, I shared that I was excited for the first batch of Grandma jelly to make it's appearance, and J. begged me, begged me to get her a jar.  Grandma relented and gave me a small jar for her, only because J. had just found out that she was pregnant for the first time, and my Grandma is a sucker for babies and their pregnant mommas.  J. rejoiced when I brought her the jar, and then two days later, she was on me like a drug addict begging for more -- she had used up the whole jar, on everything she could think of.  Waffles, ice cream, pancakes, bologna sandwiches (Hey, she was pregnant!), and she wanted, no, needed more.

Are there any foods from your childhood that are family staples like Grandma jelly? What are they?  How are they unique?

-A

Tea and poetry.

One of my greatest loves in life has been constant and true, never failing: Tea.

It may be pandering to a stereotype of Southerners by saying that I love sweet tea more than any other beverage, but it's true.  At least when the tea is brewed, not made from syrup in a soda fountain. Good tea. Not bad tea.

Is there really a difference between good tea and bad tea?  Isn't all tea packed with the antioxidants and flavanoids that make it such a health benefit?  Well, possibly, and I'm not a scientist to make any kind of solid comment on that front, and I'm feeling too lazy to do any research on the subject at present (I will probably end up doing some, though, just because not knowing something is one of my greatest irritations in life).  But I know that there is a definite taste difference that leads to the conclusion that a glass of sweet tea is Good tea, or Bad tea.  Just ask the Brits. They'll tell you.

I started out my life drinking sweet tea and sweetened hot tea at my grandma's house (any surprise there, folks?).  The hot tea was mainly because I could sneak a few extra scoops of sugar into the mug, and then be left with the grainy melty sweet stickiness at the bottom of the cup when I had finished the tea.  Sweet iced tea has always been one of my favorite things about Grandma's house, though.  Even though I know that she doesn't do anything special, doesn't buy anything other than the cheapest brand of tea and use regular sugar, somehow it just tastes better.  Maybe because it's made with love? (*wink*)

As I got older, I began to experience new kinds of tea. Flavored black teas, herbal teas, and green tea.  As a singer, I developed "magic tea" which is a herbal tea mixed with mint, honey, and a little bit of lemon that just plain made a sore throat feel better, and saved my voice on occasion.  I like green tea when I'm drinking hot tea, mostly because I've managed to convince myself that it's better for me, and I do enjoy green tea with lemon iced.  There is nothing that holds more meaning of cold weather happiness to me than a big mug of chai tea, inhaling the cinnamon and clove scent, luxuriating in the complex flavors of a good chai. 

I'm trying to cut back the caffeine in the evenings, since I do have to get up at a regular time these days.  I drink a lot of water at work (it's seriously hot outside in Florida, y'all.  Seriously. And humid. Water is my best friend), and I like to have a good herbal tea at night just to break up the routine of water, and it's something other than soda to give it flavor.

And there is no other past time in my life I enjoy more than curling up with a book and a mug of tea, even in hot weather.  Since I got two new books from the library today, I think that's what I'll do. 

What are you favorite beverages? Do they hold any meaning to you?

-A

Well, hi.

It's been a while.  Over a month, actually.

I didn't mean to take that long of a hiatus, but my life has been kind of moving along at a pace faster than I can keep up with, so I let the non-essential activities slide by the wayside in order to continue to be able to handle the important things.  You know, work, eating, paying bills, sleeping.  That kind of thing.

The move back home as officially been completed, and R. is safely off to his internship.  It's going to be a very long six months of only being able to see each other on occasion when our schedules line up (if it ever happens.  I'm crossing my fingers!), if the two months where he was back in California were any indication.  I miss him. He did, however, leave me the pancake mix and chocolate chips.  He did this while knowing full well how terrible I am at making them.  I'm going to take this as a sign that he'll be back for them.

Most days, I work.  Which means breakfast in the morning, a packed lunch of whatever I can grab while rushing in the morning, and dinner of some kind.  My job doesn't allow me the ability to snack at all, which means I've had to adjust my eating habits since snacking was one of the main ways I was able to keep hunger at bay, and continue to make smart eating choices.  That is, when the snacks were smart to begin with.  But now I've learned to adjust to three meals a day, not overloading one or the other, and keeping things healthy.  A sandwich for lunch, or leftovers, possibly some rice with chicken and salsa verde and a few Babybel cheese wheels melted in.  Breakfast is oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt for protein, and dinner is usually a protein and carb, and a vegetable if I can get my hands on it.  All well and good.

I admit that there are downfalls.  Like the fact that even though I know I get lunch, I never really know when I'm going to lunch -- so it could be earlier or later than I expected.  If it's earlier, I'm starving by the time I get off work, and stopping by Chick-fil-A or Great Wraps is a much more appealing option for dinner than coming home and wasting time cooking.  Take time to cook while hungry, or have instant gratification of waffle fries in mouth?  It's a difficult conundrum.  There are days when I eat late and I'm still starving.  I have managed to keep the worst of those at bay with an emergency Luna protein bar in my lunch box for desperate times, but there are only so many protein bars you can eat in your life before you hate them. Even tasty ones like Luna bars.

I haven't been very creative with cooking lately, so I don't have any good recipes to share with you.  But I promise that I will, very soon.  I'm working on writing up some of my old standbys that I usually just make from memory.  Some of them I don't think I ever wrote down, I just created.  It's about time I wrote those down.

Life is good, even if the future seems lonely right now.  I'll try not to get sappy on you guys, but I will say that I feel like Bonnie without her Clyde right now.

-A

P.S. R. managed to get my Grandma to allow him to cook in her kitchen.  She refused to sit down or "not help" the entire time, but it's still a pretty amazing feat.  It's things like this that make me love him!

Basics.

We all know that some skills in the kitchen take time to learn.  No one (except maybe, say, Emeril.  Or some other ridiculous chef) was born with the innate ability to julienne vegetables, perfectly sautee mushrooms, or anything else.  I know I wasn't, at least.  It's all a learning curve (something I've been struggling with, in and out of the kitchen.  Learning my way around a new job is always frustrating). 

One of the skills that seems so very basic but actually takes practice is making rice.

Yep, rice.

The white grains of cheap goodness.  Requires skill.

I'm not talking Minute Rice, where it's not really rice at all, and easily microwaved, and magically perfect.  I can do that.

What I'm talking about is making rice on the stovetop, the kind that comes in the bag and takes a good 20 minutes of simmering in order to get it right.

I've also failed at making rice more times than I can count.  But unlike other culinary failures of mine (ahem, pancakes, I'm lookin' at you!) I have successfully managed to conquer rice.

... Most days.

I find that my way of making rice works best when I have a pot that is almost too big for the batch, with high walls so that it won't be able to boil over that easily.  I also use a bit too much water, and if the rice seems really dry, I'll even rinse it before I throw it in.  It's a process that becomes unique to everyone.  I don't get it perfect every time, because different stoves, pots, etc. are all unique.  Like today, I made a big batch of rice in order to have something I can just nuke and pair with a protein for an easy dinner when I get home from work, and while the majority of the large batch was perfectly fine (I love my rice kind of sticky), there was the fact that some of it was stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Oh well.  At least it wasn't burned on, per se.  Just stuck.  It wasn't a non-stick pan, either, so it's not a huge loss.

Everything in life takes practice.  If I wasn't so dang frustrated with my previous failures at pancakes, I might practice more. But I practiced at rice because there were a few long stretches where rice made up the bulk of my food availability -- it was cheap, and easy to buy in bulk, and make ahead of time.  A lot of meals have centered around "What goes with rice that I haven't eaten six times this week already?"   It's a staple.  Pancakes aren't so much of a staple.  So at least I've conquered something important, right?

-A

A debate on food culture.

Earlier today, I indulged in an awesome meal: Shrimp and grits from a small resteraunt in town.  It was absolutely delicious.  There is a certain art to the food culture of the south, based in strong flavors, large chunks of vegetables, meat, a good strong sauce, and a solid starch to pair it with.  It's something that I've always loved about the way that Southern cooking is -- it's home.  The best kind is when you can tell that a person actually prepared the meal instead of cutting open a package and putting it in a pan to warm.

Ignore my foot, I was eating sitting down.

But my love of grits sparked a moment between R. and I -- he being a good California boy who swears that the California border is covered with checks to keep people from bringing in contraband grits.  Obviously, he's not a fan.  I believe his words to describe grits is that they are "just like undercooked oatmeal sans any flavor, necessitating smothering with butter and cheese. The butter and cheese are what people like."  (Personally, my favorite grits dish is simply cooked plain with a swirl of good maple syrup.) 

Shrimp and grits vary from place to place in the south, with the versions as wide ranging as the land mass you cover seeking out the variations.  I love seafood, but I admit to being a snob and not really willing to eat it unless I know it comes fresh.  Having grown up watching seafood walk off the boats and into resteraunts, it's difficult for me to accept frozen seafood that has been trucked in.  The shrimp I had tonight were HUGE, and being as I see shrimping boats heading out each morning as I go to work, I know they're fresh and local.  The vegetables were chunky, and there was even a gratuitous chunk of andouille sausage floating in the sauce.  Mixing the thick gravy with the cheesy grits made it perfect for eating with a spoon.

Someday, I'll get R. to understand.  Grits are an acquired taste, and are only really good when they're made from scratch, not instant.  It's the same thing with oatmeal -- if it comes out of a little paper package, it's not going to be good.  My favorite breakfast these days is to make a half cup of oatmeal, then mix it with a cup of greek yogurt for protein.  I love how creamy it makes the oatmeal, and I get a great dose of fiber and protein which keeps me full until my lunch break.  The same thing works with grits -- I've been known to mix my grits with scrambled eggs in the mornings and eat them all together.  I don't think cream of wheat really works the same way, since it tends to be a bit thinner, but I do love the creamier texture some days.  It works really well with sweet toppings like strawberry jam, or Grandma Jelly.

That reminds me to do a post later this week on Grandma Jelly.  I went over to my Grandma's house earlier today and found a big bucket of ripe juicy figs from the tree in her back yard ready to be made into jelly, and a few new jars already sitting on the counter.

I missed summers at home. I'm glad I get to spend some time here, with the food and family that I love.
-A