beer floats!

so i seriously didn’t realize that beer floats were such a foreign concept!  i mean, sure i’d only had one ever before, but when i was served that one at The Green Frog Acoustic Tavern in Bellingham, WA it just seemed so natural (and GOOD! :)  they used some kind of chocolate stout there, and what i had on hand that (re)inspired the idea was Real Ale Coffee Porter.

my sweetie was doubtful, as i expected, but it had something to do with the difference between a beer on tap and beer from a bottle.... i was not to be swayed.

my good friend, Alyse Black, came over for rehearsal and i announced it would be our reward for getting through the songs :)

little bowls, a big scoop of vanilla icecream (i let it soften up on the counter for a bit) and some coffee porter poured on top.  eat with a spoon, live well and be happy.

(true, it didn’t foam up all that much, but my goodness it was enough!)  

will wasn’t sold on it (though he did try a bite), but alyse and i both had seconds :)  

beer floats!

pass it on!  :) 

steak and pho stir fry over quinoa

stuff to use:

leftover pho (broth, tofu, and mung beans--i’m saving the basil for something else :)

leftover steak

leftover chinese food peanuts and sauce

ok so this was a no-brainer.  stir fry ahoy!  and we still have chard.....i almost forget sometimes.....so, perfect!

i planned on rice for this, but the rice hadn’t been opened yet and there’s a nice big bag of quinoa that remains moth-free so i was compelled to use some.  i took the pho broth and measured it by the cup (as both rice and quinoa are a 1:2 water ratio, i believe), getting one full cup and a partial one, which i filled the rest of the way with water.  

i put the quinoa and broth on to boil and then simmer with a lid (tho i really don’t know exactly how to do it....hot liquid and time--it’ll get soft!  just don’t let it burn :) and put on some chopped red and yellow pepper and onion (the usual....i know!)

i rare-ly cook with meat (get it get it??) but we had some leftover from dinner with the folks and it didn’t take too much talent to chop up the whatever-it-was and toss it in the pan, along with some garlic and bragg’s, the mung beans and tofu, and of course the peanuts!  oh my god did it smell good :)  when everything seemed “cooked” i chopped up the chard and stirred it in (remember greens generally need more frequent stirring than other veggies) and that was pretty much it!  i like my greens a little more “rare” than will, but we compromise and i make sure they aren’t left at all tough or fibrous. 

steak and pho stir fry over quinoa

this was really, really, really good!  one of my finest ;)  and almost everything was salvaged leftovers from something else.  awesome!!

approximate price: $5

Veggie Pasta and Salad

food is cute :)

stuff to use:

1 bag pasta

handful of chard

spaghetti sauce (leftover from the other night’s pizza)

that leftover wine

kalamata olives (in juice)

leftover shit in a pot (veggie stirfry stuff)

baby spinach

feta 

garlic

green onion

bragg’s

i fully realize that kalamata olives and feta cheese are not cheap, every day things usually lying around.  i didn’t buy either of these things; the olives came home with us from thanksgiving and my sweetie bought the feta.  he often brings me home those treats from the grocery store that i just can’t seem to buy.....maple syrup, jam, feta....

oh, and one bag of pasta?  SO MUCH FOOD.  

the process:

i started a pot of water to boil

in a big frying pan i put the veggie leftovers and tomato sauce on low

i chopped up three cloves of garlic and put in with the sauce

i needed more sauce than i had so i kept adding liquid in hopes that it might multiply.....braggs, wine, olive oil, olive juice......

i broke and called the sweetie to bring more sauce on his way home (though i COULD HAVE mixed the noodles with some olive oil and seasoning before adding the sauce and i bet it would’ve been fine :)

i made a salad with spinach, a bit of feta, kalamatas, green onion, oil and vinegar 

i emptied the noodles and put the back in the pot with the sauce

on the plate: 

veggie pasta and spinach salad

SO MUCH FOOD!   fed three people, a couple times

approximate price: $10

garlic mashed potatoes, red pepper rice and salad

my cooking is often accompanied by a yummy beverage of some sort :)

needed to use:

grilled red peppers

garlic mashed potatoes

rice leftover from the Epic Chinese Food Excursion this week :)

random salad veggies

i had stir fried up some red peppers a couple nights before and got too full from the mashed potatoes to do much with them.  (then i had a super random dream about hanging out with the obama’s at my mom’s house for a meal and suggesting the peppers i had made the night before...)  i put them in the big frying pan with the (brown) rice and some bragg’s to soften the rice up a bit and add some flavor.  (i should have put a little water in there too, as it ended up being a little bit dry, but not bad.)

i heated up the mashed potatoes in another pan, and chopped up what veggies we had for a salad of some sort.  (i can’t help it: fresh vegetables are good for you and i insist on trying to eat some whenever i’m in charge of dinner--thanks mama! :)  it ended up being cucumber, tomato, and celery (chopped into small bite size pieces--i chose to eat mine with a spoon), sunflower seeds, raisins, oil and vinegar.  (i always grind a little salt on the top for myself.)

some fresh green onions made the rice and peppers quite pretty, and that was it!  i had to call will downstairs only a few minutes after i started “cooking,” easy :)

garlic mashed potatoes, red pepper rice and salad

approximate price: $6