Real-est housewife

Almond butter + Made with love and a food processor.

March 21, 2013 by Edlyn

Remember here where I said I was driving myself crazy that I hadn’t take pictures of almonds. This post is the reason why. I’m over it.

All you need to make almond butter is almonds and a food processor. That’s it. Nothing was every this simple. Unless you choose to use a grinding stone. In that case you need almonds, upper arm strength and a grinding stone. Even then it’s no big deal.

I feel silly listing the ingredients (because there’s only one!), so I’m breaking off from my usual style (show off) and going nuts. When I made this for the first time, it took the food processor 15 minutes to reach almond butter status. The second time it took 5 minutes. I’m assuming this was either due to the quantity I used, or that I stopped the food processor to do the amateur cook version of “are we there yet?”. However long it takes, you’ll eventually get there.

Roughly chop the almonds and throw them into the food processor. I did not use raw almonds because as I just found out, they’re not really raw. Apparently they’re only ever raw 1% of the time. Be a champ and use natural almonds.

Set it to low and let the almonds be ground. You’ll notice that part of the almond meal gets stuck to the sides of the container, like a well. Whenever this happened, I would stop the motor and scrape whatever was sticking to the sides and started it back up. Eventually, the almonds start releasing their oils and form into ball. At this point, it becomes impossible to work the food processor without thinking it’s going to explode. Hence, your almond butter is done.

Here is a photo step-by-step of how the almonds ultimately get cool for school.

Your turn.

(You can use this recipe for almond butter in this, this, and of course, this)

Can’t live without snack bars Thursday

March 21, 2013 by Edlyn

I might be exaggerating a little when I say I can’t live without a snack bar. I can definitely live without them. Now more so than ever since going to a grocery shop requires every drop of determination I store in my quads to take a bus there. If you must know, a more accurate representation of what I can’t live without is quick to-go healthy snack things that I can just stuff in my bag for my bus rides. As if to say I’ll get stuck in traffic and might have to start chewing my shoe. I’m kooky but I’d never do that. What do shoes taste like anyway? Assuming you have a distant uncle who makes edible wearable shoes…you know, the usual.

For a person who takes her snacking so seriously, you’ll always find seeds and dried fruit in the house. Like a squirrel. My friend Claire (who quotes lines from my blog and makes me feel shy) would joke everyday about me eating bird seed when we worked together at the world’s best newspaper. It was the best, right Claire? I feel like she can hear me.

Last last week when we (not Claire and I {I wish}, rather Awesomeshoes and I) went for a hike on the island, I knew we had to have snacks. Even if we didn’t walk 5 hours and instead chose to vegetate in our stretchy pants, I’d still know we had to have snacks. I’m very intuitive that way. The old me would go to Trader Joe’s and pick a selection of granola bars and fruit-roll ups but the new me wanted to be more efficient. In the spirit of making the best of what we already have, I did exactly that.

I found this great guide to making protein/energy bars on this blog and I thought how lucky I was because I knew what all of those ingredients were. Admit it, sometimes you look at a plain and simple recipe and it’s plain and simply WTF. This wasn’t like that at all. Great!

The day before the hike, I put all these ingredients together and thought I’d leave out the flour because the other ingredients seemed sticky enough to bind everything together. They weren’t. No big deal except I had to fill crumbly crumbs into a Ziploc bag and those make for slightly difficult “on the move” snacking. On that day however, I felt blessed to be alive with my favourite person. As long as I had my water bottle, we’d be okay.

The next week, I tired it again and down below lies a successful second attempt and a new “Can’t live without…” recipe. Except I can live without them.

Black bean snack bars

As I (think I) mentioned, I did a lot of what this recipe entailed from a scratch. Here’s a little prior guidance if you choose to do the same. I soaked 3/4 cup of black beans overnight and then cooked them in plain water until they were soft. This generally takes 30-40 minutes. You can use a pressure cooker but since I don’t own one like a bad Indian, I just boiled them. Once cooked, drain them and leave aside. I also made the almond butter for which I’ll share the recipe in a separate post tomorrow. Can you wait that long? Okay fine, I’ll just do it today.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup dates, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 tsp juice of a blood orange (optional)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
Chocolate chips, raisins (to stir in at the end)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, which is 2085 degrees F for my oven. It’s still broken, thanks for asking.

In a food processor, pulse together the beans, almond butter, agave nectar, chopped dates, vanilla extract, blood orange juice, cinnamon and salt until combined into a paste. To this, add the buckwheat flour and process a little at a time until it’s all mixed well. Pour this out into a big bowl and mix in the rolled oats with your hands. You can also do this in the food processor but if you do, pulse it only until it mixes together. You don’t want the oats to get too crumbly and dry out the mix. Add the chocolate chips and raisins at the end and mix them manually. ROAR like a lion/ess.

Grease a deep baking pan and then spread and flatten the mixture into it. You want the the snack bars to be at least an inch thick.

Bake for 15-17 minutes on the middle rack. Let it cool before dividing it into individual bars. I always have the hardest time with the whole “letting it cool” part.

The heart wants what it wants.

Bunny in a hat

March 18, 2013 by Edlyn

0%.

That’s how much attention I’ve been giving to my drawing lately. My whole life revolves around taking buses and getting to places, which leaves me little time to sit down and make a complete drawing. You’ll be happy to learn that yesterday was different. I happened to flip back some pages I use to scribble on and I found this really cute doodle I made. I don’t know what I was thinking when I drew it but I high-five’d myself and felt really cool. It was just a simple bunny in a hat but that’s all it took to feed my brain some smart food.

I drew a lot of bunnies in magician hats and I can’t wait to do some more. I love new series of things…they get me excited for no reason. If you have a bunny in a hat idea, pass it on. I’d love to see where it goes in my head. Of course I’ll give you credit. I’m nice, remember?

On a completely typical “Cat + You” side of things, this is how I look when I’m grocery shopping alone. I’m never this way when I shop with my married person but that’s only because he’s a lot crazier about these sugary things than I am. Me, I try to be the voice of reason.

ICE-CREAM. Sigh. I’m starting to think it’s not worth being an adult about these things.

Today, my blog friend who was first Gayle’s friend in Goa because they both worked at the same cafe where they made amazing cupcakes and things, let me know that she received a drawing I mailed her a couple of weeks ago. YAY. That sentence was too long. Take your time with it.

I think it was in January that I wrote a blog post where I asked my then imaginary readers if they wanted a postcard drawing or letter from me. If you weren’t reading then, you must know that I love sending mail and I take it a little too seriously. This girl was the only one hungry and excited about it and 2 months later, I finally sent her a drawing that came to me out of nowhere. All I know of her is from reading her blog. I took a wild guess that she’d like the haathi (elephant) and cake. Whoaaaaa what a smart one I am.

She hasn’t told me I missed the mark yet so I think I did okay.

If you want to feed my letter-writing insanity, email me your address to edlyngd@gmail.com. I promise I won’t send you any cable bills.

Now do the bunny hop.

Cilantro cured salmon + Absolution Part 1

March 5, 2013 by Edlyn

I remember when I did this. Yikes. Not to the recipe. Yikes to the fact that I made a mess of something as easy as salmon.

I am usually Ms Perfect when it comes to cooking seafood. I don’t mean to brag but my years of living in Goa and watching my parents work with fish has made it (close to) effortless for me.

Cooking fish well, I can do. Doing the fancy medium rare slices you see on TV or eat at fine dining places, I struggle with. That’s not to say I haven’t tried. I have been successful on a rare occasion or two but just as I began to celebrate, my dad walked in and decided it was not the way of our ancestors. There was no reichado masala. Just some salt, pepper and fancy pants garlic, cilantro and lime. I mean, who does that?!

What a non-Goan Goan.

Those kinds of cooks hide away in 5-star hotels and Internet kitchens. If you do find out about them, your friend will find a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Then you know what comes next. If you leave your friend at home, the fish will probably be too bland and you’ll wish he (because I can only see my male friends abuse sauce bottles) was there.

Over here in my new apartment home, this is my kitchen! Until I have to do dishes, I’m celebrating. Because of all good things cooking in our kitchen has done for me, I have yet to get over that earth-shattering, brain-melting, eyeball-spinning feeling of looking at the mess I’ve just made.

Over it.

For now.

I despise dishwashers.

But fish? I love fish.

I had to make a connection before I lost you all.

I have 2 salmon recipes for this week and I’ll share it in two parts so as not to confuse you further. One of them is cooked well but it’s just enough to keep that smooth texture I love about the fish so much. The other recipe, which I’m going to share today is a dream. It’s so easy to prepare for and the hardest part is waiting for it to get ready so it can get it yo belly!

Oh the struggles of home-cooking.

Onwards.

I found this recipe in Kim Severson and Glen Denkler’s The New Alaska Cookbook. It has plenty of seasonal recipes by chefs from restaurants and bakeries in Alaska and I am completely in love with it. If you love fresh seafood, this book is poetic.

Ingredients

1 filet fresh salmon (2 lbs) Skinned, bones removed
1 cup sugar
1 cup sea salt (the recipe calls for kosher salt so use what you prefer)
1 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped

Prepare your salmon.

Unravel a piece of plastic wrap long enough to go around the salmon filet at least 2-3 times. Place the salmon on the plastic wrap and sprinkle it with half the sugar and then half the salt. Spread it well using your hands. Not feet.

Put half of the cilantro on the plastic wrap in the shape of the filet and place the coated side of the salmon on top of it. Put the rest of the sugar and then the salt on the other side of the salmon, coating it as you did before. Add the remaining cilantro on this side as well.

Fold the plastic wrap over the top and roll it until the plastic wrap reaches the end. I tied mine with a rubber band just because sometimes I feel like plastic wrap is going to give up of me and go on strike. If you’re not eccentric, don’t you bother your tail feathers about it.

Place the filet package into a shallow pan (or baking tray) and put some heavy weights on it. The water from the salmon needs to be squeeeeezed out over the 3-4 day period it stays in the fridge. I used cans of stuff I found in the kitchen cupboards to achieve this but be as innovative as you can. I placed the salmon in the fridge and left it there for 4 days (96 hours). You can also leave it in for 2 or 3 days but since it was my first time, I stuck with 4.

Remove the excess sugary-salty liquid that collect at the bottom of the pan as and when you notice it (trust me, you WILL notice it!).

Four days later, unwrap the salmon and slice it thin. Arrange it on a plate with crackers or eat it on a sliced baguette with avocado spread on top (of the bread…just in case I wasn’t clear).

I think I can forgive myself now.

Red pepper and goat cheese frittata (sort of)

March 3, 2013 by Edlyn

Stick to the Sunday program, dude.

I am. I am.

I woke up in the way I want to wake up everyday: To the sun. The blinds were closed but I knew it was there. My roomie and I knew we had to put breakfast of hold. You don’t ignore the sun in these parts.

We took the dogs and our lazy selves for a long walk and then had short playtime, which was interrupted by a black cat. More than other cat colours, black cats don’t give a shit about you or your smelly puppies. Dogs of every other shade, colour or size however, make up for that deficiency. How? They chase them. If you don’t want your dog to get run over, you chase back.

It’s a slightly inconvenient but we do what we do…for love or something.

When we got home, I remembered I made crepe batter. Too much crepe batter. So much crepe batter that it was interfering with my eggs on a Sunday. Gah.

And you know what I did? I made them anyway. In 10 seconds. So I could eat crepes with my roommate, shoo away dogs, AND get the goat cheese out of its case without my life falling apart.

Typical Sunday morning.

Red pepper and goat cheese frittata

You’ll need 2 eggs, half of a half of red pepper, chopped, (I could’ve just said quarter), 2 tbsp of chopped red onion and some goat cheese to sprinkle on the top.

Set your oven to broil. In the real world, that’s 500 degrees F. Our oven doesn’t know what that means. It goes up to 450 degrees F and decides it’s not worth the trouble. My scrapyard threats have stopped working.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whip them with a dash of salt and pepper.

Cook the onions and red pepper in a frying pan with oil until the onions get soft. It should take about 2 minutes. Once this step is done, pour the eggs into the frying pan and cook them for 3 minutes, constantly stirring so they don’t set. They need to be only partially cooked.

Since I don’t own a skillet I can put in the oven, I had to transfer the eggs to a ramekin. I topped it with goat cheese and cooked it for 6 minutes in the 450 degree F oven. Your eggs will be done once they puff up slightly and turn golden on the top. Let it cook and serve with chopped chives as garnish.

Or don’t.

I’m clearly not one for rules.

Now can you guess where the oven gets it from?

Can’t live without Thursday on Friday: Starring beets

March 1, 2013 by Edlyn

AKA Throwback Thursday on Friday. AKA I forgot to write this post because girrrrlfriend, I had other shit to do.

All these non-existent jobs I have are taking too much of my blogging time. I made myself understand that I do need work and until I become world-famous, this is the path I need to take. Yesterday I spent a lot of time reading about local farming and seeing if there’s any work or learning experiences in it for me. It has nothing to do with my degree but who follows that stuff anyway?

I’ve been thinking a lot about food since I moved here. In a stuff my face way as well as what exactly I’m stuffing my face with way. Grocery shops are nothing like they are back in Goa. People are so much more spoiled for choice and within all these options lay my biggest doubts. I’m reading labels and I don’t understand why half the stuff that’s in plain milk is in plain milk. I worry…because I was so used to getting vegetables a few hours away, from across the state border. Our vegetables had spots, sometimes we’d find worms in the pea shells (I’m still scared of shelling peas), the tomatoes would spoil in less than a week and no amount of love would keep fresh spinach looking fresh if you didn’t cook it on the same day.

I like that.

Why don’t we let the same rules that we apply to ourselves, apply to our food? Food that comes from the earth is supposed to be imperfect. Thank you farmer for perfecting the art of growing uniform, refrigerator-sized melons but I want it to be a struggle. I want my produce to spoil because if it doesn’t, all it has been reduced to is a convenience. Food isn’t convenient. Back home, my parents will shop twice if not thrice a week for vegetables. They’re brought in fresh on Sunday and exhausted on the same day if not the next. My dad turns into angry young man if there aren’t vegetables for him to cook for lunch every morning. Quick ‘n’ easy works but why go there?

I’m sure hugsband feels the same way but he hasn’t wrapped his head around it like I have. This is his world; I’m the one with the “other perspective”. I don’t want to force him to drive me to every farmer’s market or pick up the weekly CSA basket. We still shop at a grocery chain but thankfully, they have a section of local produce that looks “ugly” enough to draw me in..if you know what I mean.

If I sound like I’m complaining, I’m not. I just want the farmers who grow our food to be more responsible. Supporting your local farms is the only way. For those who have already chosen this path, congratulations. Your lovely insides are now part of an amazing debate.

Roasted vegetable peasant soup with cilantro pesto

My beetroot romance goes back to the day I took my first bite of them and they made my tongue a deep red. Then I’d ask the all important question: “Efj nuah naung ehd?”. After that, there was no looking back. If you asked me what my perfect beet recipe was, I’d say sliced, cooked till soft, with salt and pepper. It doesn’t take much. I wish I remembered this before I scoured 85 cookbooks looking for a recipe that lets the dear beets, be beets without me having to change my clothes and walk to the store. Hey, there are important decisions! Finally, she helped me..a woman after my own screwy Louie brain. Only difference is that she looks 10 times more attractive than I do right now in my sweatpants and unintentional windswept hair. Whatever.. YOU’RE the stalker.

Ingredients

2 beets, stalks cut off
2 carrots, peeled
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup rotinin (the colourful kind, which will eventually all turn red anyway so use what makes you happy)
3/4 cup garbanzo beans (I soaked them overnight and then cooked them in salted water for an hour)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (.7 oz)
1 tsp lime juice
15 lightly toasted almonds
4 tbsp olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, folks. Mine take 2 hours to get that hot so I ran laps around the apartment to annoy the neighbours. Sweet deal.

Line a small baking dish with foil and add the washed beets and carrots to it. Coat them well with 3 tbsp of olive oil, salt and some pepper. Place it into the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, I got angry knocks on my door. Don’t be like me.

For the cilantro pesto, I de-leafed the cilantro and put it in a blender. I could’ve use a food processor but I don’t know the difference yet. To toast the almonds, fill a champagne flute with…oh never mind. I put the almonds on another baking tray and popped them in the oven along with the veggies for about 5 minutes. I pulled them out mid-way just to toss them around before I took them out for reals.

To the cilantro, add the almonds, cheese, garlic, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, lime juice and a tbsp of olive oil. While blending, pour in the rest of the olive oil in a thin stream until it comes together in a green harmony. If it feels too dry, add more olive oil by the teaspoon. It’s ready when there’s still traces of almond crunch and it’s pasty enough to spread easily on bread.

The beets and carrots should be done by this point so take them out of the oven. Peel the beets and chop them and then do the same with the carrots.

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a large pot and then add the rotini. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the garbanzo beans and 3 tbsp of the pesto and cook for a few more minutes till the pasta is al dente.

Now you have 2 choices as per Bev’s recipe. You can either stir the roasted vegetables into the pot or serve them in bowls and then spoon the vegetables on the top. I did both, but that’s just me. Whichever you choose, don’t forget to spoon a bit more of the cilantro pesto on the top.

Don’t make me say I told you so.

Red tongue, here I come!

BBQ chicken pizza + A short story made long

February 27, 2013 by Edlyn

What is it about BBQ chicken, smoked so perfectly that makes you feel so impure, unholy and in need of a soul cleanse?

Nothing.

That was a trick question. Do not fall for it again.

Yesterday I felt like Awesomepants was in need of a treat. No, not THAT kind. The food kind. I’d like to think I can do no wrong when it comes to making dinner. Ninety-eight per cent of the time, it works. The other 2 per cent is a lady who wishes she didn’t feel so compelled to feed her partner wholesome green produce (I’m sorry b, I really care) and who wasn’t a cliche when it came to the grill. I’m not scared of it, no. There’s something about a warm living room and couch with a husband making dinner that seems a lot more appealing to me.

As if coincidental to my plan, we got rid of our grill on Sunday. Who knew that grills grew pretty moulds in rainy conditions? Not me. I definitely wasn’t paying attention in Biology lab when there were pickled snakes to look at.

Since I can’t grill chicken, nor do we own a grill anymore, I decided to to this local BBQ joint downtown. It’s small, nondescript and looked just like one of those places that you never know existed because it’s such a well-kept secret. I always noticed the “Eat Ribs” sign from the bus station, where my wandering begins and ends.

DID SOMEONE SAY RIBS? << Sure fire hugsband reaction.

Off I went to the bus to carry home his favourite food. I knew he said he wanted a protein shake for dinner (No.) so I made peace with all that BBQ lovin’ and got a mix of chicken and ribs. (Fewer..like 3) Ribs: (More) Chicken = perfect ratio for world peace.

Good chicken makes me happy. Good leftover chicken makes great pizza. Great pizza makes me happy. Good happy makes pizza chicken. Happy chicken pizza good.

There’s always a method to this madness.

PS: You don’t have to add the BBQ chicken if you don’t have any. This pizza works just as well without it.

Ingredients

For the pizza bread:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 – 3/4 cup warm water
1/4 tsp honey
2 cups (10 oz) whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

For the toppings:

Shredded leftover BBQ chicken
1 Roma tomato
4 oz mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Dry basil
1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
A handful of cilantro leaves
1/4 cup of red onion, sliced very thin

Add the yeast to water along with the honey and let it sit for 7 minutes. I might have let it sit for 2 more minutes because I forgot. You can give me dirty looks…

…but I won’t see them! HAHA. I like you guys! Stay.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and olive oil and mix it up with your bare hands.

Like a caveman! Except, I don’t think cavemen ate bread as much as they did wooly mammoths. I say go bare because it’s the only way you can truly feel the dough. You’ll know what it lacks (too sticky, more flour, too dry..etc) and you’ll use more of your instinct to give it that. Hands are the future, people.

This is my hand.

To this mixture, add the yeast+water mixture and knead the dough until it all comes together. Once this step is complete, cover the bowl and place it in a nice warm space 40 minutes.

It won’t rise much or at least to noticeable levels. Don’t worry about that. Take it out of the bowl and knead it for 5 minutes, working the dough nicely. Put it in plastic wrap and into the fridge so you can work on the toppings.

Slice the tomatoes horizontally and place them in a bowl. To the bowl add, about a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the slices, the chopped garlic, dry basil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and let it sit for 5 minutes. Slice the mozzarella and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Back to the bread, take the dough out of the fridge and flatten it with your hands. Do this as far as you can and then take a rolling pin to it. Grease a baking sheet (because that’s what I used) with olive oil and put the dough on top. The sheet I used was a perfect fit. I had to cut very little off the edges. If I had to guess, the final rolled-out dough was about 1/2 an inch thick. I pressed it down a little bit more with my fingers once it was on the sheet.

Brushed some more olive oil on top of the dough and then add the tomato slices + the juices from the bowl it was in. Lay out the cheese very strategically so there’s cheese in every bite. Though I’ve stated the amount of cheese to be used, it’s just a guideline. You can go crazy. Finally, add the chicken and red onion.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the bread is crisp along the edges.

Sprinkle the cilantro on top for some flava.

Slice.

Take so-so presentation picture for blog.

Attempt to eat pizza with fork.

Realise foolishness.

Bare hands. Future. Remember?

Chocolate almond butter cups + sprinkle of coconut

February 25, 2013 by Edlyn

Can you tell I bought a tub of almond butter? Can you also tell my chocolate craze is still alive?

Yes and yes. Don’t you worry about me, you nice animals.

Close to 2 weeks ago on that icky February Thursday that I refuse to speak about, I impulsively purchased some almond butter. It had no fancy label and was in a generic plastic container, which means only one thing: Someone ground it with their own two hands and I was going to pay top dollar for it.

Because I’m insane.

I came home and immediately decided I wanted to make my own almond butter. So I call on my best friend that lives in the Internets and I came across a website for another brand of almond butter. As skeptical as I usually am, I defied my instinct and clicked on the recipe section et voila! the recipes were actually quite perfect and the most perfect of them all was this one.

Again, because I’m insane.

I love reading a recipe and realising I have everything it calls for and Guess what? I did! The fact is there were 15 other recipes I could have tried but they weren’t chocolate almond butter cups. Borrrring. So naturally, I made them and naturally, I ate them and naturally, you should too.

Ingredients

9.5 oz chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
2/3 cups natural almond butter (crunchy)
3 tbsp powdered cane sugar
Coconut flakes to top (you can also use sea salt)

First melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (a pot with the chocolate chips on top of a pot of boiling water), stirring slowly till it gets a smooth consistency.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh shit. This picture deserves some good ol’ fashioned cussing. It is that good.

Since I used regular sized cupcake liners to fill the chocolate, I also used a regular-sized cupcake tins.

Spoon a little more than a teaspoon into the liner and turn it slow to coat the bottom. Repeat this step for the rest of the liners and put it into the refrigerator to set. Meanwhile, prepare the almond butter filling by combining it with the powdered sugar. Mix well and form into discs that will fit well into the liners.

Once the chocolate has set in the fridge, place the almond butter “patties” on it and spoon the rest of the chocolate on the top. Make sure there’s no almond butter peek-a-boo, meaning cover the little patty completely.

Sprinkle some grated coconut on the top and put the butter cups back into the refrigerator until it sets.

Like this. Oh snap.

And again.

Can’t blame a girl for putting almond butter to good use, can you now?

Poached eggs on parmesan potato hash + A chocolate box

February 24, 2013 by Edlyn

Hi Gayle, (My youngest sister who actually knows how to cook and doesn’t pretend like me.)

I made poached eggs! Do you remember when you’d say, “Make! It’s so easy” or something like that? I don’t either but every time I make poached eggs, I think of you for some reason. It’s not the first way I choose to cook my eggs because my eyes are usually blind when I wake up. I’m not saying they’re difficult to make either BUT it involved a bit more than a simple scramble and putting effort into anything food-related makes me think of you.

L’aubergines also remind me of you.

I’m not even close to you in cooking skill level. You’re a lot more stubborn when you cook, choosing to break rules and not use measuring spoons. I can’t ever tell if that’s a good thing of a bad one but as soon as we get to taste it, all doubts are put to rest. BECAUSE IT’S FREAKIN GOOD. Duh.

You’re only 22. At that point in my life, I was working at a silly newspaper. Before that I was deciding whether I should have 1 or 2 vada pavs from the canteen. I usually went with one plain vada and one complete vada pav. At 20, you laid the foundation of your own home business, designed a logo, made chocolates and went out and learnt skills that will help you be the best at your craft. You see what I’m trying to say here?

I know you feel like nobody takes you seriously at home. It’s mostly true. It’s not your fault nobody can see beyond your unruly hair that you have combed since Roma left. It’s also not your fault you were born last and mama and D love having you around more than acceptable parental levels (haha). The part that I (and I hope everybody else) take seriously more than anything is your talent. Yes, you are lazy (sorry) but when you’re at work, you’re every thing a future chef is supposed to be. You may not be able to prove that you’re 22, when you’re forever 6 but it gets a bit easier to let go when we see your passion. We’re proud.

You need to keep doing this. There’s a reason that I see your face in ever corner bakery I walk past. You’ll be the owner and maybe you’ll let me wash the dishes and make good chai. You’ll call it “Little Chocolate Box” (OBVEEESILIOUSLY) and you’ll be the happiest when you go to bed because you’re living your dream.

I am happy for you, I really am.

Now shut up and eat these eggs. And don’t wear my clothes. I’ll check when I come home, 9 months from now.

Poached eggs on parmesan potato hash

Err..how did I make thiiiss…..Oh yes. This was enough for 2 people.

For the parmesan potato hash, I used 1 potato, grated parmesan (go nuts…or not), salt and pepper.

I grated the potatoes on a cheese grater and drained then of the starchy water with a cheesecloth. It actually quite a pretty sight. I added grated parmesan, salt and pepper to the potatoes and fried them in a lightly buttered pan. Form the potato mix into a ball and flatten it on the pan. Cook on one side till it brown like in the picture and then flip it over. Repeat the browning process and set on a plate.

I used 2 eggs and poached them one at a time. I let a pot of water come to a boil. I then added a little salt and a tablespoon of vinegar to the water. I reduced the heat so the water would be set to a simmer. I broke 1 of the eggs into a cup and gently placed it into the water. I cooked it for 4 minutes because I like my poached eggs to be a little runny as well as a little firm. If you want the egg to be more undercooked, leave it in only for two minutes. You’ll have to use your kitchen judgement to get the egg cooked the way YOU want it. Take it out of the water and place them on a paper towel to dry off. Repeat with the other egg.

Place the eggs over the potato hash. Crack a bit of pepper, add some salt, toast some bread (butter it) and eat.

Gayle, why aren’t you eating?! Oh wait, you’re not here. Whatever man. More for me.

Banana pancakes. Life choices. What’s the difference?

February 23, 2013 by Edlyn

Since I’ve been so good with sharing embarrassing things about myself, I’d like to throw this information out there into the universe too. Hopefully it doesn’t find its way into a black hole:

I signed up to run a 10K race in January. Not just any 10K. It’s the Best Dressed 10K.

Applaud.

Now I know you thinking: “How is this embarrassing? I can’t even run to my mailbox! Get that triple cheeseburger!” Thank you, your words mean a lot. You had me at cheeseburger. It’s still slightly embarrassing that after 2 years of trying to be a runner, I still don’t know where exactly I stand.

2 years ago, I made a mad dash to reclaim my life after I found out I’d be married soon. I needed one more milestone for myself before the leap. As if planning a wedding in 5 months wasn’t challenging enough, I also wanted to die at the end of a half marathon. It was either that or climbing Mt Everest and Everest seemed too easy for me. After waiting till the last week to sign up, I never got a spot. No clearer indication that I just wasn’t into it.

Yet, a huge part of me still was. I kept running every week. Though I took breaks to do silly things like attend my wedding, I persisted. I read an article last year about how running was one of the greatest metaphors for life; that you get out of it what you put into it.. Since then, I’ve never wanted to jump back into fighting myself more.

I have no faith in my knees, I have the most erratic eating habits, I’ve been a failure at building muscle since 1987 but I. want. this. I want to feel the ecstasy of crossing a finishing line even though it’s only 10 kms away. If it means I’ll finally drown out those voices that say I’m incapable, I’ll take 2 of each. I will feel every step and run it like this was meant to be.

10K? No biggie. Best dressed? You better believe it.

Banana pancakes

When I eat 5 of these, I can run like it’s nobody’s business. This + Led Zeppelin = Magic to my feet. Tested and certified. It’s also gluten-free.

Ingredients

2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
3 tbsp buckwheat flour
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
Pinch of salt

You’re going to have to do a lot of mixing, as it goes with ever pancake recipe in the world. Mash the bananas and add the almond butter to it. Mix it all up and add the eggs. Mix it some more and add the buckwheat flour, honey and cinnamon.

Heat a griddle pan if you have one. I just use a normal civilian frying pan in fear that I might type girdle instead of griddle. All I can say is, you do not want to heat a girdle. Especially if you’re wearing it. I am not. Now I’m afraid I’ve interchanged the words. Please bring it to my attention if I have. After you’re done laughing, that is.

Griddle. Heat. Done?

Spoon the batter onto the lightly greased cooking surface of choice. Once you spot tiny bubbles on the top, flip it over. Cook through a minute more on the other side and flip it on a plate. If you notice that the pancakes are turning too brown after you flip it, reduce the heat slightly.

Serve with maple syrup or butter or honey or all 3!!!

Okay maybe not all 3.

Who does that?

Can’t say.

Gotta run.

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