No Groceries? No Problem.

I love grocery shopping.

When I was in middle school and high school, I used to go grocery shopping with my dad. We would normally go on weeknights. Some things I remember always being on our family’s grocery list included:

shredded cheddar cheese (for melting over broccoli)
sliced provolone cheese and deli meats (for sandwiches)
lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, lemon juice (for my dad’s salads with homemade dressing)
apples
grapes
nuts
potatoes
ice cream
shredded wheat cereal (for my dad)
apple jacks / cookie crisp / frosted cheerios / rice crispy treat cereal (for my brother and me)
skim milk
bisquick pancake mix
rice crispy treats from the Publix bakery (we would usually eat these before we got home so that my mom would not find out)

When I went to college, grocery shopping by myself was very exciting to me as well. It made me feel like a real adult, even though I was not really paying for my own groceries or anything. I never made lists. I would just wander through the isles picking up things that caught my eye after hitting up the basics. I did not cook much in college so there was a lot of sandwich/salad supplies purchasing going on.

As what some might call a “real adult”, I still find trips to the grocery store fun. I thought the feeling would go away and be replaced by annoyance or dread, but it is still something I look forward to each week. Maybe it just reminds me of the good times scanning the isles at Publix with my dad when I was younger. I shop a little differently now. I usually plan what meals I will make for the week in advance. Now that I cook, my grocery list is usually just made up of the ingredients I will need to make the meals for the week. I rarely buy snack foods anymore. My list is made up of things like 1 large white onion, ground cumin, mango nectar or baking powder.

Like all things I actually enjoy doing, it is sometimes hard to find the time to go grocery shopping. Since I tend to buy what would be considered more ingredient-type foods rather than general foods or snack foods, if I skip a trip to the grocery store, I am pretty much left with a bunch of random things that do not go together in the refrigerator. This was the case yesterday for lunch at work. I had not done any grocery shopping in a while. I had plenty of leftovers thanks to Zach’s family that was recently in town visiting, but of course I left them all at home yesterday. As lunchtime rolled around, I scrounged the following things from the refrigerator that belonged to me: double fiber english muffins, little bitty cherry tomatoes from the farmers’ market trip on Sunday, some random pepperonis and a half-block of monterey-jack cheese. Sounds like pizza to me!



No Groceries No Cry Pizza

1 english muffin
4 quarter inch slices of cheese (right off the block)
about 8 cherry tomatoes
4 slices of pepperoni (or whatever deli meat is in your refrigerator)
salt and pepper to taste

Toast the English muffin in a toaster oven until it has started to turn brown.
In a small bowl chop up the cherry tomatoes into tiny pieces (or you can just squeeze them all together), and add salt and pepper
Spread tomato mixture over each English muffin half.
Place the cheese slices on top of the tomato and then the pepperoni on top of the cheese.
Microwave your little pizzas for about 30 second to melt the cheese.
Put them back in the toaster oven until crisp to your likeness.



This will cost you only about 250 calories for both pizzas.

The List

Everyone has their own list of foods they do not like and will not eat under any circumstances. Who knows how certain foods get on this list. I know for some of us, there are foods on our respective lists that we have never even tried before or at least have not tried in a very long time. For example, my intolerance for mayonnaise comes from a time in my childhood when a friend’s mother made me a bologna and mayo sandwich. I was not used to mayonnaise in my sandwiches. My mom used to make them with just bologna, and that was the way I liked them. I believe it was that episode that stuck mayonnaise on the list for me until the end of time. I have not really tried it since then, but it is just the smell at this point that makes me queasy. This recently got me wondering what is on my list and why. I did not want my list to get too long because I don’t like missing out on too many things when it comes to food. In my conscious effort to slash my list, I think I have done a pretty good job in the past year or so. Here are just a few things that used to be on this list that have since been removed:

Chicken on the bone – This was a great hurdle to get over, but there are so many times I find myself in a position where this is what is for dinner (with no escape). I do not remember the specific dish that got me out of my funk, but now I eat it all the time and even make it myself without even a second thought.

Sushi – Everyone kept saying you just have to have it from a good place. This infuriated me because it was like people just did not believe me when I said I did not like to eat it. People, it is raw fish! I think I eased into this one by tasting a Philly Roll (salmon and cream cheese) dipped in the wasabi and soy sauce that Zach ordered once. And no, it was not from a “good place”. It had more to do with the mood I was in I suppose. Either way, I am glad I like it now; it is very un-Californian to hate sushi.

Avocado – The only thing more Californian than sushi is avocado. These people put it in everything: their salads, their sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, omelets, etc. I found myself asking waiters to 86 the avocado from pretty much 50% of dishes I would order in restaurants. It was not until last December, when we had our assistants’ holiday potluck that I even tasted guacamole for the first time. We were waiting on everyone to arrive, and I was starving. There were chips and guacamole that someone had made sitting on the table, and I thought I would give it a shot. Check!

Honeydew – This green melon is just too prominent in fruit salads. I was sick of leaving ½ of the fruit salad on my plate at restaurants. Everyone just needs to suck it up and eat the green chunks. It is tolerable and even good at times if it is ripe.

Mushrooms – It was out of necessity that I learned to like mushrooms. Every time we ordered a pizza, Zach would want pepperoni and mushrooms. It was just silly to pick them off every single time so eventually I just left them on. I will even dare to say I like them now if cooked and seasoned properly.

Beer – Light beer is the alcoholic drink with the least amount of calories for the amount of liquid you get. It is also the cheapest adult beverage you can buy when out “for drinks” with friends, which is an inevitable and even frequent situation if you work in the entertainment industry. If you are watching your weight and your wallet, it is really the best thing you can do for yourself to learn to like light beer.

A few things are still on the list and are likely to remain for the rest of time, but I guess you never know. For now, my list remains small:

mayonnaise
tuna (excluding ahi tuna)
cucumbers
chicken salad
egg salad

A great way to ease into something that is on your list is to try a dish that includes the food instead of just eating the food on its own (the same way I started to like mushrooms on pizza). I slashed artichokes from my list a long time ago after trying spinach and artichoke dip for the first time. I love spinach and artichoke dip. When I found a recipe for spinach and artichoke macaroni and cheese, my heart melted. It just sounded like the marriage between two things that I could not love more. It did not disappoint.

All Good Things Come Together Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

(a Rachel Ray recipe)

Salt to taste
1 pound regular or whole wheat penne (cooked al dente according to box instructions)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry
Ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, veggies (spinach and artichoke), some salt and pepper to the sauce, and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.
Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more Fontina and Parmigiano over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.



Pictures of the batch I made were digitally misplaced so this is a picture from Rachel Ray's website. I will replace it with my own picture the next time I make it, but I did not want anyone to have to wait another minute to try this.

Something's Missing

It is sometimes really difficult to tell when something is missing. I remember those little picture games growing up where you had to compare two photographs and figure out what is different between the them. Or sometimes a person is just off, and it is hard to explain exactly why. The following story is not a case of this. It is very clear what this person is missing, his dignity.

I have this friend...of a friend of a friend of a friend. It is not necessarily that far removed, but I am trying to protect this person's identity as to not cause irreparable damage to his reputation and whatever self-respect he may have left. Anyway, this young man moved to New York City after graduating college and secured a job at a large company. This person moved up in the company after a relatively short time into an administrative assistant type position. While the rest of the country was mid-downward spiral into the economy's toilet, this guy was on the way up in the world. Apparently, the pressure of a steady, paying, and coveted job was too much for him to handle; he decided he needed to quit. Two weeks? Phone call? Letter of resignation? All not necessary to this guy. He thought things would be easier to just not go in one day...and then the next day and then the next. Yes, that's right...he would just not show up to work ever again. This may have seemed like a good idea for a little while, but not for long. This young man began to feel like he made a terrible mistake by not informing his employer of his intentions to quit his job. He did what any well-raised boy would do; he called his mama. The details here are fuzzy, but it does not even matter how this came about. All that you need to know is that this guy's mom called his boss and quit for him.

Yes, hello Mr. Boss, this is (we'll call him) Henry's mother. I would like to thank you for all you have done for my son. However, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you we will not be requiring your employment beyond this point. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to continue wondering. But I will not be answering anything further at this time. That will be all. Thank you.

Sometimes it is easy to tell what is missing, but when it come to cooking, that is not always the case. I made these cookies for the first time by the recipe exactly. They are delicious and unique. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying them either way. However, I felt like something was missing. They tasted delicious. They were sweet, nutty, and flavorful. It was the texture that seemed off to me. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are usually soft and chewy, and these did not have a chewy texture. They were thick, but crispy and very sweet (likely because of the coconut). I like them, and I would even consider making them this way again, but I wanted to experiment. The original recipe did not call for an egg so I tried making them again, just adding an egg. The cookies with the egg were softer, less sweet, and thicker almost more of a muffin-type texture). Both versions were great. The combination of ingredients here go so well together, and I would recommend baking them whichever way sounds more appetizing to you. I will likely continue experimenting with this one and update if necessary.



Mamma's Boy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

(adapted from an Everybody Likes Sandwiches recipe)

1 C butter
1 C brown sugar, lightly packed
1 t baking soda
1/4 C hot water
1 large egg (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 C oats
1/2 C dried coconut
2 C semi sweet chocolate chips (if you want to add walnuts, mix some crushed walnuts in with the chocolate chips to equal 2 cups)

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Then add the vanilla.
In a large bowl combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer and then slowly add the egg mixture.
Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to the butter and egg mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (except for the chocolate chips and nuts)
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, stirring well.
Add the chocolate chips (and walnuts if desired).
Drop dough onto a greased cookie sheet. This should make about 24 medium sized cookies. I don't like them to be too small.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

Sweet Tealessness

Within the first week of moving to Los Angeles, I found myself at the one place I knew I could find the good ole' sweet tea I was looking for: McDonald's. No one else seemed to serve it up in this town. Although it is not something I drink regularly, I definitely need some sweet tea every once in a while as a refreshing treat. It was piping hot outside, perfect conditions for a large $1 McDonald's sweet tea with lots of ice. I cruised up to the drive-thru window and placed my order. Silence. And then:

"Sweet tea, mam?"
"Yes, please. One large sweet tea with lots of ice."
"Ummmmm, well we have iced tea, and we have sugar."
"You don't have sweet tea?"
"Well you can put the sugar in the tea I guess."
(defeated) "Never mind. I'll take a diet coke."

I realized that day that not only do people in Los Angeles not serve sweet tea in their restaurants, they do not know what it is. I was disappointed in my new city. I decided if I ever own a restaurant one day, I will be sure to slap it on the menu. I would find a recipe similar to the sweet tea they sell at Chic-Fil-A, Publix, or Sonny's BBQ.

Due to restaurants' lack of sweet tea, I have recently gone on to open my mind, mouth, and heart to alternatives like raspberry teas, honey green tea, chai tea, thai tea, and long island iced tea (which I realize does not really fit in this category but is still tasty). I will sometimes brew a nice cup of hot chai or green tea at work in the afternoon. I usually add a packet of artificial sweetener and a little bit of milk to the brewed cup. Try this for a nice, relaxing, aromatic drink for only about 15 calories or so (depending on the amount and type of milk you use).

Since that encounter at the drive-thru, I have come across one restaurant in Los Angeles that serves sweet tea, Zeke's Smokehouse . Although it is far from Chic-Fil-A sweet tea caliber, I applaud them for including it on the menu. Also, I am proud to announce there are a few McDonald's stores finally catching up with the times. Sweet tea is slowly popping up on menu boards across the city. And why shouldn't it? It is such a great, refreshing summer drink. I stopped attempting to make the kind of sweet tea I love because there always seems to be something missing when I make it myself. Yes, I said it. There are just some things that cannot be improved upon by making them at home. Joining sweet tea on this list would be french fries, doughnuts, and pizza. The best version of each of those foods will never be made in my kitchen. I could never make french fries that taste as good as the ones they serve in most restaurants. Anyone would choose Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and the famous Cafe Du Monde's Beignets in New Orleans over whatever fried dough I could slop together. And nothing...I mean NOTHING homemade beats a pizza pie from one of the following Los Angeles joints: The Village Pizzeria on Larchmont, Tomato Pie and Joe Peep's New York Pizzeria in the valley.

In an attempt to avoid disappointing myself by retrying my hand at regular sweet tea, I decided to make something I have never had before. I don't know if this makes me a good judge in this case, but I can certainly say with confidence that this mango tea pleases my taste buds. I wouldn't mind sipping on this all summer.



Pitcher Perfect Mango Iced Tea:

(a Bobby Flay recipe)

1 1/2 quarts water
6 black tea bags
2 cups mango nectar (mango juice will do if you cannot find nectar)
Sugar (to taste...I used 1/4 C)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Thinly sliced mango

Bring water to a boil, turn off heat add tea bags and steep until tea is dark, about 5 minutes.



Remove bags, add mango nectar and add sugar, to taste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place in pitcher and add mint leaves. Pour over ice and garnish with mango slices.

Give me a Break.

I know I have mentioned the concept of “Sammy Days” in my previous, non-food related blog. Basically, “Sammy Days” is a term that refers to the self-appointed days off my brother and I would take during high school. This is not to be confused with sick days or planned days off for a special trip or vacation. These were literally days that I was basically too tired or lazy to go to school, and they were never decided upon in advance. I know this all sounds bad, but I like to think that my “Sammy Days” provided the right amount of freedom and self-responsibility I needed to respond positively to the high school experience. My brother and I have both become very self-motivated adults; I feel that this fact can be attributed, at least partially, to our common use of the “Sammy Day” or our shared tendencies to realize when enough is enough when dealing with teachers, books, and dirty looks.

Everybody needs a break at some point. Good things can come out of being given the opportunity to relax and/or be lazy like this slow cooker recipe. It is almost too easy. This will by far be the greatest return on your cooking time/effort investment you have ever seen. This meal is so complete and tasty, it cannot be easier and it is nearly impossible to mess it up. Try this recipe when you need a break, but you do not want dinner to reflect that in any way.

Sammy Day Mexican Chicken:

(adapted from Recipe Zaar)

4 frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 15oz can golden corn
1 15oz can black beans
1 15oz jar salsa (however spicy you like it)
1/3 C hominy (optional)- this adds a little more of a grainy flavor as if you like that sort of thing.
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese (the original recipe calls for 8 oz of regular cream cheese, but I think a half-package is plenty, and I cannot tell the difference between the reduced fat and the regular, but adjust as you will)

Just throw the chicken, corn, black beans, salsa, and hominy (optional)into a slow cooker.



Cook on a high setting for 4-5 hours or on a low setting for 6-8 hours.
For the last 1/2 hour, place the cream cheese (in chunks) on top of the mixture.



Mix it all together. The chicken should just fall apart as you mix. I try not to mix it too quickly so that the chicken stays in slightly thicker shreds. You can serve over white or brown rice in a bowl, over tortilla chips for some intense nachos, or you can stuff it in a tortilla for a nice fat burrito. For a burrito, feel free to add rice, tomato, lettuce, or anything else...not that you really need anything more than just the chicken mixture; it definitely stands alone.

Under the Sea

Have I ever mentioned my baton-twirling days? Maybe I have not because they lasted about a minute, and I do not mean a minute; I mean a minute. I was in the third grade, and my best friend Michelle and I decided it would be a great idea to twirl some batons to the song, "Under the Sea" from the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid for the elementary school talent show. We literally knew how to do the following:

*twirl the baton vertically
*twirl the baton horizontally
*pass the baton in a figure eight motion between my legs

If it is hard to imagine the combination of the above three "tricks" being entertaining for the length of an entire song, that is probably because it would never have been considered entertaining by any stretch of the imagination ....at the time at least.

A video of this exists. I believe it is in the form of a VHS tape in my friend Meagan's collection of insanely horrible and embarrassing videos from our childhoods. It is probably somewhere between the 4th grade solo I sang in a jean jumper of "The Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler and the lip sync I did with some gal pals of "Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls in 6th Grade (I was Scary Spice).

I don't know if my struggle with enjoying seafood began with the great "Under the Sea" fiasco of 1994 or not, but for as long as I can remember I have never been a fan. While I would enjoy the occasional fish stick, I never grew up liking salmon, shrimp, scallops, trout, sea bass, crab, lobster...none of it. I am just now beginning to slowly explore the world under the surface of the sea. Here is where I am at:

Shrimp ...yes please
Salmon ...eh, no thanks
Sea bass ...wonderful
Tuna ...never!
Scallops ...okay
Crab ...sometimes
Crab Cakes ...of course!
Sushi ...yes please
Tilapia ...okay
Calamari ...eh
Halibut...YES YES YES (thanks to the recipe below)

Under the Mediterranean Sea:

(recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 small onion, quartered
4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 t dried rosemary (plus additional sprinkle for fish)
2 T olive oil
1 t coarse salt
pepper to taste
1/4 c green olives
1 T capers
2 filets of fish (I used halibut)
juice of half a lemon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a foil-lined walled cookie sheet, evenly line the pan with the cubed potatoes and large onion chunks. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss everything around with your hands to coat. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes until starting to brown.



On a plate, season the fish and the cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper and a bit of rosemary and coat with the remaining olive oil. Use your hands to make sure everything is covered with the oil and spice.



Push the potatoes to one side of the cookie sheet and place the fish and the tomatoes on the other side. Fill in remaining gaps with olives and capers. Squeeze lemon juice onto the fish and tomatoes.



Return tray to oven for another 20 minutes or so, until fish is cooked and tomatoes are roasted and wrinkled. Transfer onto plates and serve.

Co-worker Appreciation Day

I work with some really great people. Those of you who work in the entertainment industry know that times can get seriously tough in the office. Having supportive co-workers to lean on is key to survival when stressful situations arise. These relationships can be unique because the people you work with are really the only people who can understand what you go through on the job. Whether you send an actor to the wrong casting office for a big audition or you copied the wrong "Michael" on an email to a client, supportive co-workers can make all the difference in a work environment. They are there ... there to pull together and finish off the 6 lb bag of pretzels that mysteriously appears in the kitchen (we did it, guys!), to quickly instant message you the answer to a question your boss is asking, to help you track down scripts that can be hard to find, to send you entertaining links to look at when you need a pick-me-up, to help you find humor in what can seem like disastrous situations and possibly most importantly, to help you come up with hair-brained ideas to cover up your mistakes.

I like my job, and I like coming to work in the morning because I like these people. These people like food. As a result, I decided to make something delicious for them, something I know they are ALL fans of:

Everybody Likes Garlic Cheddar Biscuits:

Makes about 9 biscuits

2 1/4 C bisquick baking mix
3/4 C milk
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 C sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder



Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix bisquick and milk (as directed on the box)
add minced garlic and cheddar cheese, mixing thoroughly into dough
drop dough onto a greased baking sheet (should make about 9 biscuits depending on the size of each)
Bake biscuits for 8-10 minutes (more for larger biscuits)until they begin to toast slightly on the top.

While biscuits are baking, melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
Mix salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt into melted butter.

Right after removing biscuits from the oven, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the tops of each biscuit with the butter mixture.



Remove biscuits from baking sheet, and serve while still warm.