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

cheesy indian bread with rice and potatoes and warm spinach salad

my food tends to blend together by the end of a meal!  :)

needed to use:

leftover indian rice and paratha bread 

two slices of the epic mustard pizza

red potato and carrot mish mash 

i thought of making some sort of melted cheesy wraps with the rice, but didn’t know what to put with it, so i dumped it with the potato and carrot leftovers, reminding myself that Casa Que Pasa in Bellingham, WA has a super duper potato burrito and people dig it.

i preheated the oven to low (200 or so) and arranged on a cookie sheet the pizza and the parathas (which are kind of like super thick whole wheat tortillas) with shredded muenster on them.

while that was going on i figured dinner could stand a little color so i sauteed up a thinly sliced red pepper, on medium-ish heat so that it could blacken a bit with some butter and bragg’s (i turned down the pan before i put garlic in, ‘cause i didn’t want to blacken that.)  

i had a whole lot of baby spinach on my hands (as i like to do :) so i thought of making a warm salad.  i tossed spinach in the pan with the peppers and stirred so as not to singe parts of the leaves while leaving the rest untouched.  (it can start to look a little unappetizing then... :)  i did, however, get distracted by the oven and cook my spinach a little longer than i intended.  just as well; it was much better that way.

i served salad in bowls, and put the other three things on the plate, letting will decide if he actually wanted a weird potato burrito or not.  

cheesy indian bread with rice and potatoes and warm spinach salad

it was fun to eat, too, ‘cause i ended up combining things one by one.  after i had my burrito, with some of my salad on top, i put the rest of my potatoes in with the salad, and then ended up scooping it out and adorning bites of pizza with it.  three separate meals all coming together.  that’s some sort of shit in a pot record!  :)

approximate price: $7 

Buttermilk Pancakes and Veggie Scramble

i was quite taken with the pattern from the pan.....very galactic :)

how super fun to be an adult (tho i use the term soooooo loosely!) and be able to make breakfast for dinner!  i always wanted to do that when i was a kid (i won’t go into that tragic story ;) and now i CAN!

so we’ve actually been having a moth problem in the kitchen for a while....i’ve been unpleasantly surprised on a few occasions when opening containers or reaching my hand into a bag.  SO i’ve been trying to use up open grains and things just in case, and pancake mix was one of them.  i wasn’t sure will would be into it but i should know by now that he appreciates food (especially food made with LOVE :) and i can pretty much do what makes me happy (in the kitchen and out! :)

so i made up some buttermilk pancakes, and also some eggs scrambled with veggies.

i always start onions (with a little butter) cooking in the big frying pan and when they start softening up i start adding “the other stuff” (whatever that happens to be :)

i had half of a red pepper, so i chopped it small (it spreads out more that way ;) and when that softened up a bit too i added three eggs (i just stir them once they get in there....saves a dish) and then some garlic.  garlic really doesn’t need much cooking, though it can handle it if it gets it, as long as it’s not straight on the pan.

i added the spinach before the eggs solidified so that it would coat them and cook with them a bit.  it’s important to stir spinach frequently, as the parts touching the pan will cook really fast and the parts not touching won’t cook at all.  always best to make the dark green stuff look as appetizing as possible!  :)

SO!  buttermilk pancakes and veggie scramble 

it really was a fun dinner!  and i even had an extra pancake to take to work the next day for a random part of lunch :)

approximate price: $4

Garlic Red Potatoes and Carrots with Spinach Salad

i chopped up some apple in the salad too....good, but note to self: don't use granny smith next time! :)

needed to use:

red potatoes

the process:

the potatoes were relatively small, so i cut each into quarters and put them in a pot of boiling water.  while that was happening i chopped up two 

yellow onions 

into larger pieces than usual, with the intent of them being a more substantial part of the dish, and then searched the fridge for other ingredients.  i found some 

*carrots

and chopped them up into bite size pieces as well.  instead of using two pots i just put them in with the potatoes (after the potatoes had a few minute head start).  consistency isn’t too, too important with most veggies, but potatoes you want to make sure are done enough.

i drained the water and added the mix to the pan of onions, which i had on low with some olive oil.  i know olive oil has a low burning point....but i substituted it for butter because i wanted to make a vegan dinner when i was that close to one!  ;)  i figured on low heat it would be ok...and added some bragg’s for good measure and more liquid.  then several cloves of garlic, of course..... then i figured a little 

italian seasoning 

would make it a more official looking dish, and then for good measure i added a few good dollops of dijon......i’m recently obsessed....hooked.....done for!  :)  i’m also recently obsessed with olive oil, vinegar, and dried cranberry salad.  i put it with whatever greens i have, and preferably a few other goodies, like toasted nuts, or olives, or feta cheese, or green onions, but if it has to it will stand on its own.

and there it was: a delicious vegan dinner (i think!).  will went back for thirds!  :)  

garlic red potatoes and carrots with spinach salad

approximate price:  $5

* i definitely prefer organic veggies, though the local grocery store is seriously lacking in that department!  some non-organic veggies are far more passable than others, but for me and carrots it’s a make or break deal.  and the organic ones only cost a little more than non-organic, usually around $1 per pound.  for color and sweetness, it’s a steal!  :)