My Crabcakes Are Better Than yours

My walk wasn't too long...I applied sunscreen to my fair skin and wore a hat, but it was super sunny and hot and I feared the dreaded pink of a sunburn...and I wasn't wrong to be fearful, I ended up a little pink. When I returned home I decided to deal with some of the remaining lump crab meat I had since it didn't all go into the party's dip. I made crab cakes, is what I did. Now this may sound weird, but I'm going to tell you what I did. I basically made standard crab cakes except that one portion of the bread-crumb like element was replaced with crushed lime Tostito chips. I know it's a bit out of the ordinary, but it worked pretty well. Sauteed them in a little olive oil and ate them with a bit of cilantro and sliced tomatoes. Tasty. That's what they were, tasty.

Quick

Some time in the past week I made a quick dinner: sauteed spinach with garlic and cumin over thick spaghetti with good parmesan cheese slivers.

The Things I Can Do

Last week I roasted another chicken. This time its herb component was a mix of sage, thyme and rosemary.
The next day I stripped the carcass of all remaining meat morsels and put it, along with another carcass C. had in the freezer, into a stock pot. I stocked the hell out of it, making an extremely rich and chickeny broth. To this broth I added smoked sausage, okra, diced tomatoes, a bit of spices and rice. This was a nod to the concept of gumbo. And you know what? It was quite good. Whenever I make something without following a recipe I am prepared to be unimpressed but, well, this time around I was impressed...with myself...because it was so freakin' good.

Dippity Delicious

Last night I gorged myself on pita chips, homemade guacamole and lobster dip c/o Costco. Boy howdy was it good.

Artichoke Dip Spread on Toast and Drizzled with Truffle Oil Bitches

I'm going with very self-explanatory posts tonight, it seems.

Ziti-Rrrrific

The other day, because I had all the ingredients and was jonesing pretty hard core for carbohydrates, melted cheap cheese and tomato sauce. So I made myself some ziti. A lot of it, actually. There was a day that I would make the same amount of baked ziti and it would be eaten within three hours...or mostly eaten by three hours and completed in 48-72 hours. What? Anywho the ziti was eaten in slightly smaller portions but, thankfully, it was not all eaten by me (tonguethrust, wayward and lh). Not all that special but a perfectly satisfying meal with a little salt and red pepper flakes. Oh, and a dash (gluttony of gluttony) of truffle infused olive oil.

The other night I had some pie. Believe it. I had pie. I had pie and a hot toddy. Well, I have hot toddies most every night, but this night there was pie. I topped the pie with some 4 year old Grafton cheddar cheese. I topped a bit of the pie with a bit of fancy brie. I topped all the pie and all the cheese with craisins. It was an entirely satisfying eat-fest.

I Ate The Food

So I'm waiting for the photos to upload....oh and now they have. The other day I was working from home and had just received a pay check direct deposited into my account. I decided to give another shot to ordering sushi in. This time from Indie Cafe. A place I've been to in the past. And again. I don't learn from my mistakes (obviously). It wasn't bad. I ordered their: white scorpion, spicy salmon and yellowtail with scallion rolls. I can't decide, but I think none of it was great. Of course the reason for the non-greatness is/can be easily blamed on the fact that I had it delivered. But I think the real problem is not only that it was delivered though maybe partially. I think it's that I can't bring myself to go to my favorite neighborhood sushi joint. Forgive me but it's like Dim Sum. Just a bit too reminiscent of the people ( ie person) I usually would partake such yasty tummy treats.I also, for the sake of difference and whatnot, ordered the Tom Yum Rice. It is not Tom Yum soup soaked up by rice...but the shrimp are cooked nicely and every fourth bite of the rice is something quite special. Noted to self: if you want sushi buck yourself up and go in, otherwise you will never think sushi is good again. I'm wondering if sushi and I are done. That a strong food passion was bolstered by a relationship and with the relationship sadly in kaputs perhaps a specific other love dies too? I don't mean to be unrealistic or overly dramatic. It's just that I loooooooved sushi for so long and yet, without the ebf, I have found my ability to do without quite manageable. Just don't ask me about the other things...the things not quite as easily manageable. What? Horses? What? Boa constrictors in the ceiling? What?
What a lame self-serving post.

It's Very Good

To learn how to make the most tasty, rich, fatty and delicious mushroom soup ever (at least in my experience of making soups) go here. I made a lot of this soup on Tuesday. Now I will eat it for the rest of my natural born life. Which is great because it's good soup. It's bad, however, becaues it is as rich and fatty as I say it is. Mmm, heavy cream.

Visitors Make Party Fun Time (Happy Birthday Tonguethrust)

On Saturday Mousehead, She-Who and Exploded Viewer came from two corners of the earth (Indiana and California) for a whirlwind hello fest. I was at work until 6 and while I was doing that whole worky thing they were buying food and taking names...or calling people with names at any rate. The only thing I did to prepare for the fun was make the below tomatoes.

This was exploded-viewer's burger. I thought it looked very good though I ate mainly sausage.
Mousehead took a turn at the grill minding.
It was a good night for the most part. I, of course, talked too much and acted the fool at least five times. Then I had work the next day. The weekend working does cramp one's (already limited) social schedule. It was nice to see the no-longer-living in Chicago faces as well as an array of equally unseen though still living in Chicago faces.

Oh and thanks to the three visitors for doing such a bang up job of the cleaning the house so's that when I came home, expecting to have to tackle a mess and a half, there wasn't much to tackle at all!

Oh yes, and it was tonguethrust's birthday as well...it's never too late to go over to her blog and wish her belated good tidings.

Love Me Some Radishes

My goodness. These radishes were eaten by me at least a week ago. I love radishes with a bit of salt. They're the perfect healthy snack...if only I always turned to radishes when I was hungry.

Bit A Bit A Burger

On one of the nights I hung out with the dogs...I think Saturday? I made myself a burger. The meat was seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and something else. It wasn't all that good, honestly.

Chinese Deliberation

I'm beginning to think I need to find a new favorite "Chinese" dish because the renditions I've been finding in Chicago for the last two years just ain't cutting it. Fried bean curd and broccoli in brown sauce I may have to bid you adieu. Last weekend I ordered Chinese from Mei Shung for the first time. I did this sort of because my mother suggested it. Well, it was more I had called her to tell her about the jobby and she countered with 'now you can go have a nice sushi dinner'...but I, for once, didn't feel like a sushi dinner. I felt like sitting on my ass in my house watching movies while eating Chinese food.
I also ordered wontons and rangoons. None of it was very good but I think that's more because I ordered the dumplings steamed and rangoons aren't really very good ever. And the tofu and broccoli (Mei Shung Tofu) wasn't bad it just wasn't what I actually wanted. I think I may try encouraging a love of lo mein or fun noodles.

Salmon Fest 2007

On Sunday Tonguthrust and I had people over for Salmon Fest 2007. Below is a photograph of the salmon veggie quiche that Tonguethrust made. It was very good.
Quiche insides.
We grilled salmon five or six different ways. Below is a lemon, dill butter sauce that I did. I also did a honey soy glaze. Tonguethrust did a salsa, a onions lemon and dill and another that I have temporarily forgotten.
One of our guests brought major amounts of baked goods. Below is a brownie with tasty vanilla cream kind of icing.
Another fish by Tonguethrust.

Salmon Snack

Goodness. I have no idea when I ate this. Maybe Thursday? A bit of the smoked salmon Tonguethruster brought home with her, pickled okra and capers. The strange thing about this is that when, a few hours later, I went into the fridge for some other tid bit of sustenance, I realized that the rest of the salmon from which I got this lovely nibble had disappeared. Tonguethruster wasn't home and I wasn't drunk nor cracked out. And yet, having searched in the trash, all over the refrigerator and in every room I had been in since eating the salmon, I could not find the package. The salmon disappeared. Into thin air. Really, I looked in the trash three times and in the pantry and at least six times in the fridge. I simply don't understand it.

Hash Browns

To learn how to make my very simple, but still tasty, hash browns go here.

Pork Shoulder Dinner

On Monday I made pork butt. I'm getting quite good at it. I followed my basic recipe but added two small hot peppers and ginger. It was also the largest shoulder I've worked with. In the past the shoulders have been about five pounds before cooking. This one was at least ten pounds. It just made it much harder to turn. In fact it was downright impossible to turn once the meat had gotten good and cooked and tender...to turn it would mean instant falling meat. It would be the Falling Meat Crisis of July, 2007. We invited five people over and they all came. Mom made deviled eggs and one of the guests brought homemade ratatouille.
The shoulder didn't quite keep its form when transferred from the roasting pan to the serving plate...but no matter, it was quite good. I think it may have been my best yet.
Mom made a wonderful salad, baked beans and okra. I made roasted potatoes, peppers and onions.

Mmmmm. The next day I made a lot of the leftover meat into pulled pork.

Come Alone...Little Doggie

Whenever I find myself in a Costco (and this goes back to childhood) I try almost all of the samples they offer. When my mother and I were in Costco last week we tried blue cheese/pre-cooked hamburgers, chicken and cheese ravioli, Hershey's chocolate milk, pizza of some kind, hot dogs and carrot juice. Oh and some weird Philly cheese thing that I really did not like. But the hotdogs werre good. My mother and I both thought so. So we purchased (or rather she purchased) a bunch. The lady who provided our sample seemed very pleased and grateful...I wonder if they're paid on a referral basis. Or if it's a big bonus or some other incentive type thing. I don't think I'd like to be a sample hander outer at Costco. No, that's a job I wouldn't like. The other day I had two of the Costco hotdogs...they're a Hebrew brand but I forget which one...not the one you would think of first. Any who. I cut my hot dogs down their middles and put cheddar cheese in them...because that's how I roll. They were very good.

Not Tim Curry, Chicken Curry

I log a few hours in the library most days. Not every day but most days. I usually spend the first hour blogging and doing things with photographs. Then I do some job searching and application making and cover letter creating. I average about three jobs for every day I do it. Since June I have applied to numerous college and private high school admissions office, one community college, a plethora of editorial assistant positions, a photo research position or two, a copywriter position for Old Navy, many freelance writing jobs and, most recently, a Kraft recipe coordinator position. Thus far I have gotten no positive replies and only one absolute negative. Though I am pretty certain that any of the jobs I applied to in June are gone and done and not ever going to come my way. It's a bit frustrating. I know it's to be expected but it's still a wee tad bit annoying. Two nights back the parents and I were talking and I had a brief moment of clarity. Clarity in the form of the kind of person I am, the sort of job I want and the life I would like to live. What it comes down to is: a large part of me would be really happy being a rural postal worker. I asked my mother if she would be disappointed if I did this and she said no. Though she also said that she would say it was what I was doing while, really, I was a writer.

Notice the difference of these two hypothetical conversations...

Hypothetical conversation #1.
Setting: A cocktail party or dinner hosted by my parents and attended by their various friends.

Lady Friend: So, cc's mom what's your daughter up to these days?
CC's Mom: Well, she recently got her MFA in writing up in Chicago.
Lady Friend: That's great! That's exciting!
CC's Mom: Yes she seemed to enjoy her time there.
Lady Friend: So what's she doing now? Writing the great American novel? Living in some hip artistic community?
CC's Mom: Well, no. Actually, she's a postal worker.
Lady Friend: Oh. I see.

Hypothetical conversation #2.
Setting: The same.

The first five lines are the same.
CC's Mom: Well, she's a writer but you know how it is she's got student loans and she wants to buy a house so until she sells her novel she's working at a post office.
Lady Friend: That's so smart! It's good to be a bit practical while striving for creative perfection.
CC's Mom: Yes, I agree.

Okay those two examples aren't really as different as I meant them to be. But you see what I mean? I am a writer. I do write. But I'm not entirely certain that any novel of mine will ever make it into a bound form. This is just the truth. And I am certain that I am not really made to have some high powered job that is cool and interesting and fun. In the conversation with my parents I began reliving my days at the sheep farm...and missing them. The days were nice. My tasks were, for the most part, soothing. Using my hands, organizing, being almost entirely on my own. But with the occasional surprise when my boss turned up to say that the dogs had escaped, a new lamb was born, the sheep got out, whatever it was. And now I'm applying to these jobs where things won't be simple. I can do them. I may even do them well. But part of me really would like to find a nice small town and be a mail carrier or clerk or sorter (excellent benefits and not too shabby pay). The only problem is that one has to take an exam. Actually that's not the problem. The only problem is that there is often a one to two year wait period before you get a job and this is assuming you are in one of the top spots of aforementioned exam. You see, people in the postal world hold on to their jobs forever. Which means it would be very difficult for me to find a small town to work in. I mean to go to the post office on Monday and ask our local postal guy how the exam was and how it all works. I mean do I have to take the exam in the place I hope to be employed or can I take the exam and shout from the mountain/rooftops that I would move anywhere with open space and a cheap housing market if I could work in a post office?

Oh yes. After the library yesterday I came home to chicken curry. Made from the left over roast chicken...it was really good.

Lunch With Flowers

Yesterday we had some people over for lunch. Four adults and two children to be specific-like. They brought flowers with them and arranged them out on the rock. We offered nuts, olives, herbed goat's cheese and other treats for starters. Mom made a salad and I made two dishes of Eggplant Parmagiana.


The grapes were delicious and, if I do say so myself, the eggplant was pretty good too. Actually, it was all good.