so i've been away for a little while! my sweetie and i went on a european holiday for three weeks, and the question of "how was your trip??" has been quite difficult to answer (as it often can be :) the truth is, for me at least, that being in countries where english is not the primary language, i often felt very vulnerable and a little scared. out of my comfort zone, i suppose! just because i didn't want to accidentally be rude or anything like that, but it was an amazing and humbling experience.
and one thing we definitely enjoyed was THE FOOD! :)
it's different over there....there is a relationship with food that is far less prevalent in the states. food is celebrated, enjoyed, eaten slowly.....people are proud of their food, and i dare say we didn't find a bad restaurant (or street vendor!). in many places it was a bit more costly, but it's FOOD! it's what we nourish and replenish our bodies with. it's worth it!
i may have some exquisite meal stories on the way.... but for now i've added a PHOTO GALLERY and stocked it full of some of our favorite (delicious!) european memories.
bon appetit :)
pork chop and fennel stir fry over quinoa
second rendition of leftovers for lunch today! :)
i admit i was excited and a little scared to get back in the kitchen after three weeks of not lifting a finger and having amazing meals made for us in europe, but it was really no trouble slipping back into it (except worrying just a bit that whatever i was making for will was not very good in comparison! :)
we recently signed up for a local organic produce delivery service, and got our first box a few days ago. i wanted one that DIDN’T give you a choice on what you got so i could be surprised and hopefully push my boundaries just a little!
i ALSO got a wonderful cookbook from my sweetie that is more along the lines of ingredients and ideas than about recipes. the ones included are a bit more loosely structured....with a kind of “here’s what you do with the base ingredient and then add whatever else you want” approach, which DOESN’T get me in a panic! :)
so in our first produce box we got a couple heads of fennel with everything still attached, and i was faced with something i have never, ever cooked with before. perfect! i looked it up in my handy dandy new book and found that, among other things, you can slice up the heads and saute them. again, perfect!
i put some quinoa on to cook (about 20 minutes, i’ve found, in a 1:2 water ratio) and put on some fresh spring onions (also from our produce box :) to start browning with some butter while i sliced up the fennel heads.
we also had some leftover pork chops from dinner with the folks (one of which i used on a pizza at my birthday party the night before ;) so i sliced one up and tossed it in with the onions and fennel.
i stirred occasionally ‘til the quinoa was done, putting in some fresh garlic towards the end. i mixed a little olive oil and salt in with the quinoa, which i put first on the plate and put the stir fry on top with a little fresh fennel “leaf” garnish.
pork chop and fennel stir fry over quinoa
approximate price: $5
veggie burger stir fry
stuff to use:
random veggies
frozen veggie burger patties
usually i’m not in a big hurry to use frozen stuff up, but i was visiting some dear family friends and trying not to leave “my” groceries behind when i returned home :) it’s a little intimidating being in someone else’s kitchen, but i do all right ;)
i’m a big fan of bread, but i knew if i didn’t use it i would have room for other stuff, so i went for a stir fry instead. veggies for the taking were red pepper, celery and zucchini, so chopped them up in no particular order and mixed them in a frying pan (with a little butter, and i didn’t have my usual go-to’s so that was it!)
the veggie patties are a little hard to cut through when they’re frozen solid, so i microwaved two for just long enough to soften them a bit, but not make them fall apart (about half a minute). i chopped them up into bite size pieces and tossed them into the mix.
i kept it on medium-ish low heat to get things a little bit charred, but turned it down when it started to smoke just a little too much! i went into the other room for a bit so i’d make sure to let it cook long enough and not jump the gun....i do that....
onto a plate with some ranch dressing and a sprinkling of parmesan and i was sooooooooo happy. serious yum!
veggie burger stir fry
approximate price: $4
Fish and Chip.....Casserole?
as i've said....everything on my plate winds up mixed together by the end ;)
stuff to use:
leftover fish and chips
for real. i was determined to do something with these. i mean they’re potatoes right? i know potatoes! i remained a little uncertain, but determined.
i started with some onion (just to get off on a good foot ;) and the only other veggie i had on hand was red pepper so i got some of that going too.
i chopped up the mound of french fries into bite sized pieces, and chopped up the fish pieces too. (no other good way to heat them i don’t think!)
i threw that all together in the pan and started adding stuff in attempt to make the french fries NOT dry and gross :) butter, the leftover sauce that came with it (tarter?), garlic, bragg’s, and we didn’t have any malt vinegar but i figured regular vinegar couldn’t hurt....so......
fish and chip......casserole?
this was definitely the weirdest thing i’ve made in a while. i realize it sounds totally unappetizing, and maybe it was, but we were hungry and the novelty of it was enough to cut me some slack ;) and really, it was actually pretty tasty. (i did NOT however attempt to reheat this again when it came time for the next adventure! i do draw a few lines, and that was one of them. i actually threw something out.....)
approximate price: $3
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
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