Kirby Von Scrumptious

Get on the Zucchini Boat!

2008-10-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Zucchini boats are really easy to make, and you can pretty much fill them with whatever you want. I've seen other recipes for zucchini stuffed with pine nuts, cheeses, even something like tuna fish or potato salad. I like this variation, with a stuffing of Italian-ish guacamole. You can also use yellow squash instead of zucchini for the boat.

Avocado Zucchini Boats
makes 6 boats

Ingredients

- 3 medium zucchinis
- cooking spray
- pinch of salt
- 2 medium avocado, mashed
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- several grinds of fresh black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Lay halves cut side up on a foil-covered cooking sheet, and lightly coat with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

As zucchini is baking, mix avocado, tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper with a spoon and set aside.

Remove zucchini from oven; using a fork and spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard. Fill the middle of each zucchini with the avocado mix, and serve!

These little zucchini boats are very versatile: you can either serve this as an appetizer, a side, or even a main course.

Entertainment tip of the week: go see Rachel Getting Married, one of the best movies I've seen in months. It's authentic, moving, beautifully directed, and proves that Anne Hathaway's got more than princess performances up her sleeve.

Hot Knives' Balla'Naise

2008-10-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

I am a lady of many interests, but I spend an unholy amount of time reading food blogs. Admittedly, it is pretty lame to spend hours a week staring at photo after photo of people's meals, eyes glazed over like a zombie. But whatever. It's better than, say, smoking crack, so I'm not really worried about it.

One of my very favorite food blogs is Hot Knives, and this is because it combines two of my very favorite things in this life: scrumptious grub and delicious beers!

They make mostly vegan food on their site and usually have both beer and musical suggestions to go with each recipe. I made their Nut-Veg Balla'Naise the other night, and it was fantastically delicious. I can't believe how much it tasted like meat, and it was made with walnut dust. This is a really inventive vegan way to get that meaty Italian flavor. Even my veggie-hatin' little brother liked it, and he eats mostly peanut butter sandwiches and Chef Boyardee.

To see the recipe, go here.

And I know I talk about my kittens too much, and I'm sort of turning into the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons....
...but this picture of Pepe is the best photo I've ever seen in my entire life, so I couldn't resist. When I look at this, I see, "I have exorciiised the demons!"

Fugly-Lookin' but Scrummy-Tastin'...

2008-09-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

This looks repulsive, yes? Well, guess what? It's not!

What you see above is not a turd, but is actually.....

... Trader Joe's dark chocolate-covered chile-spiced dried mango!! Incidentally, this may also sound disgusting to some, but I happen to be nuts about it! It might even replace chocolate-covered pretzels as my very favorite sweet snack. It's that perfectly bizarre combination of spicy, salty, fruity, bitter, and creamy!

You can get little containers of this chocolaty mango treat near the check-out lines at Trader Joe's; they're under $4, and they're also gluten-free and vegan! However, knowing TJ's wily tendencies to discontinue all my favorite items, these will probably only be around for like eight more days-- so dig in while you still can!

Also, I have a pet update for you. Some of you may recall a few weeks ago when I was freaking out over my cat Fiona's hatred for the new kitten friend I adopted. Well, you all should be glad to know that Fiona and Pepe are getting along much better, and they play with each other all day long! Fiona is still a lot bigger than Pepe, and she tends to bully him (as you can see from the picture below, in which she is biting his head), but at least they're keeping each other entertained.

In this picture, I like how Pepe is glaring at the camera like, "What the fuck are you looking at, help me."

Easy Weekday Dinner: Broiled Salmon with Marmalade-Dijon Glaze

2008-09-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

SO! My first full week back at work was wild and crazy as usual; however, getting back into a daily routine has made me more productive than usual, and that means cooking a lot more square meals for myself in the evenings.

I don't have much to say about this particular recipe, except that it was very delicious and simple, and the glaze could successfully be used on other types of proteins besides fish.

Broiled Salmon with Marmalade-Dijon Glaze
modified from Cooking Light

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup organic apricot-orange marmalade (Trader Joe's makes some)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (I used TJ's Hot & Sweet Mustard)
- 1 garlic clove, passed through a garlic press
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of salt
- a few grinds of fresh black pepper
- 2 large Wild Alaskan salmon fillets (or 4 small fillets)

Directions

To make the glaze, mix the first six ingredients in a small bowl, then chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Then, preheat broiler. Brush half the glaze over the salmon fillets, using a pastry brush. Broil for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush the remainder of the glaze over the top. Return to the broiler and broil for 3 more minutes (or until the top starts turning brown and spotty).

I served this with baked whole wheat tortilla chips (same method as pita chips here) and easy balsamic spinach, found here. Perfecto!

When LIfe Hands You a Pickle, Fry That Sucker and Dip It In Honey Mustard

2008-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school! And boy, was it a DOOZY!

Without revealing too much, I can tell you that my school is in the process of undergoing some serious changes. Because of facility/zoning/real estate issues, we currently have to bus our kids from South L.A. to a temporary location in the Valley, to a school that is still under considerable construction, with the simple guidelines to "bring ever icebreaker and team-building game you can think of."

However, my school has always been kind of free-spirited and wackadoodle during the first week, so the whole staff just tried to stay positive and roll with it.

Although the day was indeed totally insane at many points, I was lucky to be placed with a group of 7th graders who were totally game for all the off-the-top-of-my-head ideas, like..... a two-hour game of charades!

Therefore, the moral of the story is, don't have a hissy when you're in a pickle, because pickles can actually be quite delicious-- especially when they're fried!!

Fried Pickles Du Jour

Ingredients

- a jar of pickle slices (I used the ones that were sliced lengthwise, then I cut them in half)
- all-purpose flour
- yellow mustard
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp salt
- several grinds of fresh black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
- BBQ sauce and honey mustard to dip (optional)

Directions

First, place the pickles between paper towels and lay a book on top of them to drain the excess liquid. Only leave them for about ten minutes-- you don't want them to be too dry.

Next, heat the oil in a frying pan or small pot. Start by heating it on medium-- if it needs to be hotter, you can always turn it up, but you don't want it to burn the pickles when you drop them in (like I did with the first batch).

Then, fill one bowl with flour, one bowl with mustard, and one bowl with breadcrumbs and spices.

Dredge each pickle in flour, cover it in mustard (wipe off the excess with your fingers), and dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Set each slice aside; when you have covered all the pickles, send them into the oil in batches. They don't take long to fry at all-- maybe 1-2 minutes-- so be sure to watch them closely and remove them with a slotted spoon when they're starting to look brown and crispy.

Lay the finished pickles on a few layers of paper towel to drain the excess oil, then serve with BBQ sauce and honey mustard. Scrum DIDDLY!

Shortcut to Nirvana at Hipcooks East!

2008-09-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

About six months ago-- when my job was sort of kicking my ass big time-- I started casually whining about how I needed a new career. I was all, "Waaah, but what else will I doooooo, I have no other marketable skiiiiiiiiiills...."

Then, it hit me: "I can go to culinary school! I LOVE to cook! It just might be my PASSION!!!" So that was kind of my tentative future plan-- that is, until I perused an assortment of California culinary arts programs' websites and discovered that the tuition runs around $50,000!!!

So that was a big never mind. Besides, if I were searching for a less stressful career field, food service would probably not be the first place to look.

However, I still felt the itch to learn more about cooking; so when my good buddies the Food Monster and John David gave me Hipcooks gift certificates for my birthday, I totally wigged out with joy!

My man friend Joe and I went to Hipcooks East for the Indian food class, Shortcut to Nirvana, on Friday night, and it was EXCELLENT! In three hours, our eleven-person class made a whole slew of dishes full of fresh ingredients and fragrant spices.

We started off with homemade mango lassis: the best I've ever tasted! Our other beverage was a delicious fresh mint mojito-- by far my favorite cocktail.

We began our first course by making three kinds of traditional condiments: mango chutney, cool cucumber raita, and spicy cilantro "Green Machine" chutney. These were the dipping sauces for our homemade papadums and potato and pea veggie samosas (pictured above). Everything on the plate was amazing and so easy to make.

After chowing down on our starters, we returned to the kitchen and got to work on main courses: fresh, light, and tart tamarind fish curry (with a tofu option), creamy, tomato-based chicken tikka masala, and saag paneer, all served with fragrantly spiced basmati rice (all pictured below).
Everything was so scrumptious; and even though I was under the impression that most Indian dishes and curries took several hours to prepare and cook, we finished all of these dishes in under three hours (and that included pauses for explanation. demonstrations, and appetizer eating).

The space was also really open, inviting, and calm. The whole atmosphere emphasized relaxation and enjoyment in the kitchen, not stressing out about following a recipe, using conventional measurements, or making mistakes. Our teacher, Lisa, was really enthusiastic about everything; she also let us make the decisions about which spices to include and how to tweak the flavors after taste-tasting. I definitely learned a lot, not just about making these particular dishes, but about overall flavor combinations and cooking methods.

This was a great experience that I would highly recommend to anyone; you can check the website for their class schedule, which changes monthly and has options for every taste. They also make accommodations for vegetarians: there was a vegan at this particular class, and we made tofu versions of each dish for her before adding dairy.

So if you can't afford to drop 50 Grand on a culinary education, but are interested in learning a few new tricks with some nice and fun people, check out Hipcooks!

Uhhhh.... So This is Tender Greens?

2008-09-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Although I am but a lowly public school teacher, most of my friends work in the entertainment industry. And although their jobs can sound pretty exciting, I am honestly most jealous of the fact that they get delicious free lunches from hip and delicious restaurants everyday. While I am enjoying some variation of "bean and cheese tostada" in the cafeteria, my boyfriend Joe is trying to choose between four bento box options from Beacon, and Yo Soy Liz is enjoying organic mung beans at Akasha. But I'm not bitter or anything...

However, I got a taste of the Biz this morning when I went to the Fox lot in Century City; I was lucky to sit in on a table read for the show Joe works on, which will remain nameless (hint: the stars are animated and yellow).

When I left at 11:00, I thought I should swing through downtown Culver City to grab some grub before the crazy lunch hour hit. Feeling in the mood for a fresh and healthy salad, I opted for Tender Greens.

Now, usually I don't post negative restaurant reviews, but Tender Greens has enough doting admirers that I'm sure it won't suffer from me saying that I will probably never eat there again.

I ordered a Mediterranean spinach salad (pictured at top), which included cucumber, feta cheese, kalamata olives, green peppers, tomato, and lemon oregano dressing.

Pros
- Tender Greens prides itself on using locally grown and organic ingredients, which is cool.
- Everything did indeed taste fresh.

Cons
- Not enough stuff: There were only a few cucumber slices, a couple of ultra-thin green pepper strips, and barely any feta.
- Bland: The dressing was really boring: it made the whole thing taste really watery.
- Super crappy presentation: I know it was take-out, but come on. Look at the picture. (And that was after I attempted to spruce it up as much as possible at home.) A $10 salad should look at least a little pretty.
- And speaking of the price.... considering all the cons, $10 is too much.

May I ask what the big dumb deal is about this place? When I got there five minutes before the 11:30 opening time, there were already seven people waiting in line outside (One of whom was complaining to her friend about how her nanny wasn't raising her son right because "It's part of Latino culture not to discipline boys." UGH).

On the other hand, I suppose that this experience might make me a bit more forgiving towards my poor little bean and cheese tostada lunches in the future...

Bargain British Cookbook Spinach and Ricotta Balls

2008-09-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

You know when you go to Borders or Barnes & Noble, and you pass by the Bargain Book rack, and you think, "Oh, wouldn't it be delightful to buy some cheap books?" Then, you peruse the shelves and realize it's just a big embarrassing crap pile? The cookbooks in particular are usually laughably bad bottom-dwellers, such as A Man, a Can, and a Plan, 501 Recipes Using Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and other such classics.

On a recent stroll past the clearance section, I spied a $2.99 vegetarian cookbook from UK company Confident Cooking. There are a lot of weird British cookbooks like this one on the racks-- you know, the kind that uses lots of courgettes and capsicums and has like a trillion "grams" of butter in every recipe (The metric system! Oh, those wacky Brits!). But I can't resist a $3 book-- especially a cookbook because I only have four.

After inspecting the book at home, I was greeted with many bizarre and unsavory recipes like... beetroot hummus!
Mushroom Moussaka!
Mushroom Nut Roast!
And this totally strange mashed potato-bean-lentil-mushroom thing! I love mushrooms, but JESUS.
However, there were also a lot of normal and seemingly harmless recipes, so I'm going to write it off as a successful purchase.

One of the weird yet intriguing dishes that I have wanted to try is the spinach and ricotta gnocchi pictured on the cover (at top).

I made many modifications to the recipe, especially to the sauce, which was originally a heavy butter sauce with barely any tomato. And by and large, this is nothing like gnocchi: the texture is more like that of a meatball. But overall, these cheesy spinach balls were really tasty, unique, rich, hearty, and rib-ticklin'ly ballicious!

Bargain British Cookbook Spinach and Ricotta Balls
modified from Delicious Vegetarian Food
makes 4 huge servings (or 6-8 smaller servings)

Ingredients*
*use organics when possible

For the balls
- 7 pieces white bread, crusts removed
- 1 1/4 cup milk or soy milk
- 2 lbs. frozen spinach, thawed
- 12 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup finely shaved Belgioioso Asiago cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- several grinds of fresh black peppercorns
- 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the sauce
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced into discs
- 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
- a pinch of salt
- a few grounds of fresh black peppercorns

Directions

In a shallow pan, lay bread slices flat, pour milk over the top, and soak for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze all the liquid out of the thawed spinach. Combine spinach, cheeses, eggs, and spices. When bread is good 'n soaked, squeeze out excess milk and stir into spinach mixture. Cover and chill for one hour.

Remove spinach mix from refrigerator and fold in flour.

Then, roll the mixture into little balls (anywhere between one teaspoon and one tablespoon big, based on your preference). Boil salt water in a large pot, then drop about 8 spinach balls into the water at a time. When the balls rise to the top of the water (after 2-3 minutes), remove with a slotted spoon, and send in the next batch.

To make the sauce, just heat the oil in a saucepan on medium, then add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.

To serve, place 6-10 spinach balls in each bowl, spoon tomato sauce over the top, and enjoy!!

And did you like the liberal use of the word balls in this selection?!

Herb and Fruit Spa Salad with Chickpeas

2008-09-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today, Yo Soy Liz and I had appointments at le spa for free facials, so I fixed an quick healthy lunch in keeping with my day o' beautification.

Herb and Fruit Spa Salad with Chickpeas

Ingredients* *use organics if possible

- 2 cups baby spinach
- 15 fresh basil leaves
- 5 strawberries, chopped
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 1 Tbsp extravirgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch of garlic powder
- pinch of salt
- three grinds of fresh cracked pepper

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together oil, vinegar, and spices in a smaller bowl and drizzle over salad. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.

Makes one large serving; double, triple or fourple as needed.

This salad is very refreshing and flavorful, and you can make many substitutions for endlessly yummy combos. Sub cranberries for currants; blueberries for strawberries; walnuts for almonds, etc.

A Night of Cat Mediation Calls for Some Pizza!

2008-08-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

As of late, my 11-month-old cat Fiona (aka the Freaking Love of My LIFE!!) has been getting very lonely during the day, which just rips my heart out because she is my favorite living thing. Therefore, I adopted another kitten on Friday (from Sante D'or in Los Feliz, which is an awesome no-kill rescue shelter), in hopes that they could become the best of friends and entertain each other during the day while I am at work.

Fortunately, Pepe the kitten is precious and lovable...
Unfortunately, Fiona is not a fan. Since Pepe's arrival, she has spent most of her time hissing at him or moping in the bookcase...
I was hoping that they would start kissing immediately, but the closest they have actually gotten without fighting is this:
I didn't want to leave the house even for one minute, in fear that Fiona would eat poor Pepe. So, as a tribute to my last pizza-and-cat-themed post, we ordered in from Tomato Pie.

I love pizza with a Ninja-Turtles-ish intensity, so I am constantly sort of disappointed by the pizza selection in Los Angeles. It seems like you can only find a large pizza under $15 at places like Domino's (which blows, obviously).

Tomato Pie is a pretty good choice, especially with their new Silver Lake location; we ordered a large Mediterranean Pie (pictured at top) for $17. This was definitely a reasonable deal, considering it was topped with lots of fresh ingredients (spinach, zucchini, roma tomatoes, corn, feta, and black and Kalamata olives) and fed three hungry people, including a Food Monster. This might become my new go-to pizza delivery place in my neighborhood.

Does anyone know of any other cheap, delicious, non-chain-y pizza delivery places that are in the East Hollywood/Los Feliz/Silver Lake area? Hit me up with suggestions, por favor.

Now, I must get back to moderating Cat Boxing 2008. Tata!

Fun with Gadgets and Coconut Yam Mash

2008-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

My darling mother was in town this past weekend, which was awesome because (1) she lives in Texas, so I don't get to see her often; (2) she is the ideal guest because she gets really excited about all activities, even going to Trader Joe's; (3) she makes me feel extra hilarious because she laughs hysterically at everything, even if it is not funny at all; and (4) sometimes she brings me presents!

Our birthdays are one day apart-- August 15th and 16th -- so we decided to exchange gifts during her visit. And lucky me: Mom got me a bunch of supercool cooking tools!!

While making a big delicious bowl of coconut yam mash this evening, I used the adorable little masher and kickin' hand mixer that she brought me. I read about this Hawaiian-ish dish awhile back and definitely wanted to experiment with the sweet-and-savory flavor combination. It turned out scrummy as a mofo: obviously an unusual spin on mashed potatoes, but very satisfying, easy, and vegan to boot!

Coconut Yam Mash

Ingredients

- 2 large yams (or 3 if they're smaller), peeled
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp toasted coconut flakes
- 1 cup unsweetened low-fat coconut milk* (regular is fine if you're not watching the ol' caboose)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 3/4 cup grated carrots

Directions

After peeling yams, cut them into little cubes. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add yams, and boil for 15-20 minutes or until yams are tender.

Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds and coconut flakes by laying them out on a foil-covered tray, lightly spritzing them with cooking spray, and cooking them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

When yams are done cooking, remove from heat and drain water. Move to a large bowl and smoosh up real good with a potato masher.

Add coconut milk, ginger, allspice, salt, and white pepper. Then, using a mixer, whip on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until light and fluffy! Set aside.
Steam carrots and peas however you please (I don't have a microwave, so I just do it on the stove top). Stir into yam mix. Top with with sesame seeds and coconut flakes, and enjoy!

The Omnivore's Dilemma

2008-08-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

In the past few months, I've been getting more than a few queries about whether or not I'm a vegan/vegetarian, both from friends and from people who read my blog. The short answer is, no, I'm not.

See, this is the deal: I'm not strictly vegetarian, but I don't eat much meat. The majority of my diet is vegan or vegetarian for two reasons: (1) I don't really like meat as much as other foods, and (2) I have ethical issues with the meat industry. Just take a little stroll around the PETA website, and you get the gist.

And above all, I think our culture just eats too much meat in general. You don't need to eat animal products at every meal, or even every day. There are so many delicious alternatives that it is just not necessary to oversaturate the market that causes all these inhumane issues in the first place.

All the vegans and vegetarians out there are probably asking, "Well, if you know how the industry works, then why not swear off meat completely?"

And the long answer is that, in my mind, the meat industry is more evil than the overall concept of eating animals. I'm more of the "Circle of Life" kind of gal who sees eating meat as a natural part of existence, something that has happened since the Dawn of Time or whatever (for reference, see the "But Dad, don't we eat the antelope?" convo between Simba and Mufasa here, starting at 9:20).

Unfortunately, the meat industry has transformed what I see as the natural function of the food chain into something disgusting and abhorrent-- which is why I rarely eat meat, and when I do, it's either organic free-range chicken or sustainable fish (see this awesome article).

Another reason why I'm hesitant to take the plunge is because I don't want to put a label on a lifestyle I know that I might not be strong enough to uphold 100% of the time. I'm a pretty anxious, neurotic person in general, and vegetarianism is something that isn't always accepted in certain situations. I can't go home and tell my Bobby-Flay-lovin' dad that I won't eat the barbecue he spent hours preparing. I can't go out for a special meal at a fancy restaurant and avoid the meaty highlights of the menu. I can't turn down the butter-and-cream-packed homemade cupcakes that one of my sensitive students timidly offers me throughout the school year. I can't deny the fact that every couple of months, I get that craving where I just really want some chicken.

I have great admiration for vegetarians and vegans for being stronger than I am about these tough choices.

But for myself, I feel like I can most effectively feel good about what I'm eating by being more conscious about the origins of everything I put into my body (animal product or not) and making choices that cause the least amount of harm to the animal community.

And who knows? Only in the past year have I truly understood that eating is a moral act, whether you realize it or not. This is a process for me-- starting with a commitment to organics whenever possible-- so who knows where my food philosophies will end up.

And here is a great non-meaty dish for vegans and omnivores alike: Mango Ginger Tofu with red peppers from the lovely Isa Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance. It's sweet, spicy, zippy, and packing major flavor. That's something that everyone can appreciate.

All'Angelo: A Scrumptious Special Occasion

2008-08-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a foodie for all expense purposes, but I definitely don't do the fine dining thing very often. I simply don't have the scratch; nor do any of my friends, as we are all young, modestly-paid entry employees who spend most of our money on booze and/or giant burritos.

However, my birthday was Saturday, so I wanted to ring in my 25th year on this planet by eating a super scrumptious fancy meal. I decided on All'Angelo, a relatively new Venetian-style Italian restaurant on Melrose that has been winning rave reviews in Los Angeles Magazine, the L.A. Times, and Esquire.

The ambiance:
The restaurant interior had a very softly lit romantic atmosphere (which was great because I was dining with my adorable man friend, Joe). The ambiance was also very relaxed, which I appreciated because I tend to feel a little uncomfortable in extremely pristine situations. The decor was simple and unimposing, and I saw more than a few people wearing jeans. However, I was still too freaked out to take a picture of any of the dishes, for fear of looking like an unrefined bumpkin or something.

The service:
Our server was really attentive, friendly, and made excellent suggestions. This was also maybe the first time in my dining experience that every single dish we received arrived at the perfect moment-- approximately 2 minutes after we finished the previous course. Plus, the owner, Stefano Ongaro, walked around the restaurant and stopped by our table to ask how everything was, which is always very nice and personable.

The FOOD!!:
Both Joe and I decided to order off of the Prix Fix menu, which offers four courses for $39, with two options for each course; this is definitely the way to go if you visit All'Angelo. If you order off the menu, you're going to drop at least $60 if you get an appetizer, main course, dessert, and a glass of wine. On the other hand, if you and a friend order all the items off the Prix Fix menu, you can taste 8 of the restaurant's best and most popular items, all for under $40. Prix Fix dining is only available Monday through Thursday, though, so don't expect it on the weekend.

My favorite appetizer dish was the octopus salad with celery and bottarga. I have never tasted octopus with texture like this. There was not even a hint of rubberiness; each bite was exquisitely tender, with a great little crunch from the celery.

The absolute best dish of the night was the Saffron Lasagne with Lamb Ragout, one of our primi dishes. The lasagna was actually made with crepes instead of noodles, so the texture was unbelievably smooth and airy. And although the ragout and saffron sauce were creamy, the overall taste was light and soft.

The secondi platters were both okay, though I probably favored the mussels.

The best dessert we tasted was the chocolate raspberry mousse. Oh my gaaaaaah it was freaking decadent and impeccable. Each bite was perfectly smooth, rich, creamy, and fruity: the best chocolate mousse I've ever had, hands down.

In conclusion, All'Angelo was definitely fancier and pricier than my normal fare, but the experience was lovely, memorable, and an outstanding birthday meal.

Sweet Endless Summer Slaw

2008-08-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I received a bit of a shocker yesterday. For various reasons that I won't go into, I will not begin teaching the first week of September as I expected.

Now, don't worry: I have not become a jobless hobo (although that sounds like a rip-rollickin good time!). I'm actually just starting school at a much later date: the end of September, not the beginning. This means that I essentially have an extra month of summer vacation on my hands.

I had already mentally prepared myself for my return to school, so this recent newsflash left me befuddled at first. However, I have adjusted my attitude to be more like that of a person with a New Lease on Life: you know, like those movies where a douchebag Wall Street guy has a near-death experience and realizes that he needs to appreciate every moment. Or whatever. Examples of New Lease on Life goals often include:

- "I'm finally going to start that blues rock band with the guys at the office, like we're always talking about..."

- "I'm going to get my pilot's license... because I feel like my spirit has already taken flight..."

- "I'm going to tell my wife that I love her more often..."

"I'm going to buy that Porsche.... sure, I just lost my job. But fuck it-- I'm alive! ALIVE, I tell you!"

I've made a similar list of goals for my New Lease on Summer-- things I meant to start doing back in July, but never quite got around to:

- Get that tan I keep talking about

- Adopt a little friend for my rapidly aging/increasingly lonely kitten

- Look into this "car registration" thing

- Tell my boyfriend that I love him more often

- Learn French via the Rosetta Stone.... no, wait a minute. That's ridiculous. Never mind.

- End my three-year sebatacle from oral health and go to the freaking dentist already

- Get caught up on Battlestar Galactica videos so that I can watch the new season live on the SciFi channel in September

- Make many more delicious summer-themed dishes, like this one: a sweet, hearty, crispy cole slaw that goes beyond the normal backyard BBQ fare. I've really been going crazy concocting sweet-savory dishes lately, and this one is very satisfying and unique.

Sweet Endless Summer Slaw

Ingredients
For the slaw:
- about 1/4 head purple cabbage, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 Red Delicious apple, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
For the dressing:
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise or vegannaise
- 1 Tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

First, toast the coconut flakes and sesame seeds by heating them in 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes (or until they start to turn brown).

Next, combine all the slaw ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and drizzle over slaw. I don't like my cole slaw too oily, so this is a slim amount of dressing; but you can always double it if you're a saucy sort of guy or gal.

You can serve immediately or chill in the fridge for about an hour to really pump up the flavors.

Olympic Chinese Phyllo Packets

2008-08-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

However you feel about the games being held in China, don't you just love the Olympics?! Although I feel conflicted about all the political turmoil, I cannot deny my love of the summer games! The passion, the drama, the tears, the triumphs-- don't you remember when Kerri Strug nailed that crazy vault move on a busted ankle in Atlanta at the '96 Olympics? That shit was bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

There are so many nail-biters coming up...

Will Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal meet again in the tennis finals?

Will Dara Torres live up to her ball-bustin 41-year-old superbod??

Will I be able to forgive Michael Phelps for wearing this horribly schlongtastic Speedo nightmare???

A few friends, including the Food Monster and Yo Soy Liz, rendezvoused at my crib to watch the $50 million opening ceremony last night. To marry Greek and Beijing Olympic traditions, I wrapped Chinese ingredients in phyllo dough. The results are perfectly crispy, sweet, and salty, with a little (or a lot) of kick!

Olympic Chinese Phyllo Packets

Ingredients

- 1 package frozen phyllo dough (the kind I used was vegan, although some brands might include butter)
- 1 block firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- Teriyaki Mainade (I used Soy Vay Veri Teriyaki)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 fat clove garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like the spicy)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp raw peanuts, chopped
- pinch of salt
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp scallions, chopped
- cooking spray

Directions

Thaw phyllo dough according to package directions.... or ignore them like I did! I set the dough out for one hour, not five, and it was fine. As long as the phyllo is soft enough for you to cut or rip by hand, it works for this recipe.

Drain tofu and press dry with paper towels. Cut into small cubes, cover with teriyaki marinade in a shallow bowl, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When dough is soft and tofu is marinated, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium-low. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Then, add celery and bell pepper and saute for about 3 minutes. Add tofu to the pan and saute 3 more minutes. If the mix seems too watery, you can cover the pan and steam it a little bit so that the liquid evaporates. Finally, add sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, peanuts, salt and pepper. Saute an additional minute or so, then remove from heat.

Next, lightly coat the insides of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Now here is the deal with phyllo dough: it's awkward as a mofo. My original intention was to stack four sheets and cut the pile into 12 squares. However, as I was unrolling the sheets, they started breaking and didn't cooperate at all. Thus, I just stacked four sheets as best I could, then tore the pieces by hand. They weren't really squares, but it didn't really matter. Whatever shape you cut or tear the dough, the pieces should be about as big as your hand (unless you have giant ogre hands or freakish baby hands, and then adjust accordingly).

Poke each piece of dough into a muffin cup, scoop a spoonful of tofu mixture inside and sprinkle a few scallions on top. Then, just twist up the top to make a little pouch, and zap a tiny shot of cooking spray on top! Don't worry if they looks sloppy-- once the packets bake, they will look golden and crisp and adorable!
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the tops and golden brown. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then delicately remove from the tins with a spoon. Wait a few more minutes to serve because those little packets are pipin' hot!

Lazy Summer Grapefruit Quinoa Salad

2008-08-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

As you may already know, I am a high school English teacher; and in exchange for ten months of enduring eye rolls, under-the-desk texting, and essays copied and pasted from the internet (Seriously? You kids think I don't know how to Google suspicious material???), I have two glorious months off during the summer!

Last summer, I was Suzie McProductive. Everyday, I woke up at 8:30, made myself an organic fruit smoothie, hiked up Runyon Canyon, wrote for several hours, read voraciously, cleaned, and engaged in lots of other worthwhile activities.

This summer, I cannot say that I have been quite as busy. I spend most of my days watching Bravo reality shows, submitting pictures of my kitten to I Can Has Cheezburger?, and wondering if it's too early in the day to drink beer.

But whatever, I don't really give a crap because once school starts, my life will become an unholy abyss of stress. Therefore, I am going to hold my head high as I watch every Project Runway marathon that hits the screen!

I will also make myself as many delicious summer lunches as possible, like this one: a sweet, sour, tangy, crunchy, light, summery grapefruit quinoa salad. This is absolutely perfect for a lazy summer afternoon in which you have a busy schedule of doing squat.

Lazy Summer Grapefruit Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- a pinch of white pepper
- a pinch of salt
- one scallion, chopped
- 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 cup grapefruit, chopped
- 2 Tbsp raw almonds, chopped

For the dressing

- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp grapefruit juice
- 1 Tbsp agave nectar
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a pot with 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 7 minutes. Add chopped mint, cumin, ginger, white pepper, and salt to the pot; then recover and simmer about 3-5 more minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. You can tell that quinoa is done when you see a little white ring around the grains.

In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for the dressing. When the quinoa is done, add the rest of the ingredients, drizzle dressing over the top, toss to coat.

This makes a large single serving-- just for me, because all my friends are responsible people with jobs-- but you can also easily double or triple the recipe.

Kirby's Weekend o' Fun in Monterey!

2008-08-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am quite lucky to have an adorable man friend named Joe who puts up with my many kookilarities; we also have many similar interests, such as fine foods, nature exhibits, and delicious beers! Therefore, we decided to visit Monterey and Carmel this past weekend to enjoy the lovely Central California coast and all it had to offer, which included....

1) Scrumptious Seafood!

Our first night there, we ate at Monterey Fish House, an Italian-style seafood restaurant that is a favorite of the locals (according to Yelp, anyway). This was a sweet little joint with a busy family atmosphere: noisy, crowded, but also warm and homey; and luckily for us, the food was also off the hook!

We started off with oysters on the half shell, which were FRICKIN GINORMOUS! They were so plump, juicy, and fresh... makes you realize how sad and inferior most other oysters are...

I am a huge fan of tentacled creatures, so for my entree, I chose the Calimari Parmesan: basically, it was a huge breaded Mexican squid steak, topped with eggplant Parmesan, and served with a side of penne and steamed veggies. Oh my gaaaaaaah, this dish was crazy delicious!! The calimari was perfectly cooked; the eggplant was tender and spicy; thus, I SCARFED this mother.

Joe ordered the scallop special, served in cream sauce. Holy crap, this thing was so rich and decadent, I was surprised that my man friend didn't fall asleep right there at the table. Probably because I am really fascinating.

Even though we were stuffed to the brim, we decided to take advantage of the special occasion and order dessert: Tirimisu, served with a side of Spumoni ice cream. The tirimisu was light, creamy, and a perfect ending to a lovely meal!

But we didn't just eat in Monterey; we also drank a few at....

2) The Monterey Beer Festival!

When I ordered the tickets for this festival, I pictured it as a darling country get-together with like 50 people in the yard behind the town hall or something like that. Holy crap, was I wrong! This event was a total Beerstravagaza! There were throngs of excited beer lovers making the rounds at Monterey Fairgrounds that Saturday afternoon, sampling malt-and-hoppy delights from over 60 breweries.

For just $30, we got a wee little plastic mug, and we could sample as many tasty brews as we liked! We tried everything from Monty Python's Holy Ail to He'Brew Pomegranate Beer to Young's Double Chocolate Stout. There were also lots of local breweries in attendance, such as Aleworks from Santa Rosa (pictured above with slick, futuristic cooler-beer-dispenser contraption).

Initially, I was concerned that there would be a lot of belligerent drunks causing a ruckus, but everyone was really just super happy to be there drinking lots and lots of beer!

In addition, they had some mediocre food and bad bands playing on site; however, the day as a whole was a blast, especially because I only got sort of sunburned, which is an accomplishment for me after an afternoon of outdoor fun.

The entertainment continued the next morning, when we went to...

3) The Monterey Bay Aquarium!

I feel sort of ambivalent about wildlife attractions (aka zoos etc.) because they often make me really depressed, a la Free Willy; but the Monterey Aquarium is absolutely gorgeous. They have giant tanks filled with exotic fish, shark-type-creatures, and unusual plants. I also started freaking out more than the small children during the sea otter feeding show because they are insanely cute (the otters, not the children). Did you know that they float on their backs and use their chests as little workstations so that they can sort and pick at their food?!? Any secret admirers out there are welcome to get me an otter for Christmas. He could live in the bathtub. He and my cat would probably get along great!

Although the otters were precious, the best part of the aquarium was the jellyfish exhibit. I could stare at jellies for hours. Now you can too, thanks to this handy video that I took with my camera and my Spielberg-esque directorial skills:

Quick note: the aquarium is located along Cannery Row-- if you visit, breeze right on through that sucker and ignore everything else in the general vicinity. Cannery Row is basically a large open-air mini-mall, lined with terrible gift shops and equally stupid restaurants, such as Bubba Gump's (which, oddly enough, was packed even at 11:30 a.m.).

Monterey was fabulous, but there were other destinations nearby that we checked out as well, such as...

4) Carmel-by-the-Sea!

This angelic seaside haven was extremely (almost eerily) picturesque. We were only there for lunch, but this is a great place to spend a longer vacation if you (A) have lots of money, (B) are interested in spending lots of money, and/or (C) have money-spending on the brain.

We did eat lunch at an ultra-quaint, yet moderately-priced little Mediterranean bistro called Village Corner.

We dined on light and refreshing Buffalo Mozzarella with tomatoes, basil, and olives...

... a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich for me (jam-packed with roasted vegetables, including an unbelievably tender portabello mushroom, covered in pesto, and feta)...

... and a heapin' club sandwich with perfectly crispy golden french fries for Joe.

Carmel was lovely; but alas, we are not millionaires, so we had to get on home with our broke-ass selves.

5) Finally, the entire drive through Big Sur was truly majestic. That alone could have made the trip worth the effort. There were so many breath-taking views of the cliffs on the coast, with the waves crashing and these inexplicably low clouds over the sea... the whole scene was just heavenly.

We also stumbled upon the Henry Miller Memorial Library, an unusual spot that was actually more of a bookstore/art gallery/community stage/boho hangout than an actual library. Unfortunately, there were no drum circles or any other wacky fun going on when we were there because we arrived ten minutes before closing. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting stop, for sure.

So that is that! I already loved the hell out of California to begin with, and this vacation just confirmed my suspicions that it is the most beautiful, delicious, delightful state in all the land!

An Award and an Apology

2008-07-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Two orders of business:

First, two of my best pals -- Liz at Yo Soy! and Andrew at The Food Monster-- nominated me for a Brillante Weblog Award! I obsessively check their blogs for new posts every day, so this was very exciting for me.

According to the rules, once you have been nominated, you should pay it forward and nominate seven other blogs. Here are some of my faves:

1. Thursday Night Smackdown: This might be the funniest blog out there, food-related or otherwise. Michelle's weekly adventures into her cookbook collection -- from Paula Dean to Susan Goin -- constitute the MOST HILARIOUS SHIT EVER, I kid you not. Plus, she cusses a lot, and everyone knows that it is fun to say/read bad words.

2. 28 Cooks: This vegaquarian blog always has the loveliest, simplest recipes, accompanied by really thoughtful writing. She also has like 40 awesome hummus recipes to choose from!

3. The Skinny Gourmet: I love food, but I'm also always watching out for the ol' Von Scrumptious caboose (aka the size of my ass). Erin's recipes look beautifully decadent, but are actually healthy. Eureka!

4. L.A. and O.C. Foodventures: There are about five trillion food blogs about L.A. dining, but this is one of the best. You can find great suggestions for restaurants, events, and websites to check out; plus, H.C. is just a really nice person who was one of the first to comment on my blog in its earliest days!

5. Teenage Glutster: It's sort of an anomaly that I love this blog because there are usually no pictures on it, and I am pretty food-porn centric in my blog preferences. But the writing is so engaging that I don't even miss the photos! And I especially like blogs that connect food experiences to life experiences, and Javier does that extremely well. I am also really impressed with him because he is like a hundred times smarter and more mature than I was at 19.

6. Technicolor Kitchen: Patricia's recipes all look freaking delicious, plain and simple.

7. To Live and Eat in L.A.: I think this blog has already been nominated for this award, but whatever -- this is an AWESOME site, and it showcases some of the best vegan food in Los Angeles. I was so depressed when it went on hiatus for a month, and I am so pumped that she is back up and running!!

Okay, second, here is an apology: I probably won't post anything for awhile because I went to upstate New York for a wedding this weekend and ate everything in sight, and now I am fat. So I will not be eating anything cool this week; thus, no posts.

Sorry. Wish me luck with my carrot sticks.

Girly Eggplant Rolls

2008-07-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

I am so very sorry, folks.

I am aware that this is my third eggplant-related post in a row; but dang, homies, I love me some eggplant!! And I told you fools that I go through phases. Eggplant is my new culinary boo, and I simply cannot get enough of it.

My gal pals Courtney and Yo Soy Liz came over yesterday evening for Ladies Night, and I whipped up these eggplant rolls to munch on while we watched Project Runway.

These particular rolls would technically fall under the Italian and vegan categories, but this a totally versatile hors d'oeurve recipe: you could definitely mix up the ingredients in a trillion different ways. Fill the rolls with apricots for a little Moroccan flavor; make a Greek snack with Feta and olives; maybe even stuff them with avocado and pico de gallo for a Mexican appetizer. The possibilities are endlessly delicious!

Girly Eggplant Rolls

Ingredients

- 2 large eggplants
- extra virgin olive oil
- cooking spray
- Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
- fresh basil, chopped
- raw almonds, chopped
- sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (I used the Trader Joe's kind, soaked in olive oil and herbs)
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Using a really sharp knife, cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. (Any thinner and they tear when you're preparing the rolls; any thicker and they're too fat to roll up.) Lay the slices between two paper towels, and let them sit for about 30 minutes to an hour (the moisture needs to drain out).

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium-low. Cook eggplant slices for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Before you add new slices, be sure to add another spoonful of oil to the pan. If it seems like the oil is drying up too quickly, you can moisten the skillet with some cooking spray to keep the eggplant from burning.

When eggplant has cooled for a few minutes, spread a thin layer of Tofutti/cream cheese on each slice, then sprinkle basil, almonds and tomatoes on top. Roll it all up as tightly as possible, season with salt and pepper, and serve.