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Posts from the ‘Vegetarian (or vegetarian option)’ Category

Feb 20

Chili beans with shredded greens

The weather here has been really lovely lately – a little unpredictable, but generally warm, sunny, and clear – and … wait. I think I’m breaking some cardinal rule by broadcasting what the weather is like here in Southern California in February.  I also probably shouldn’t mention that on Valentine’s Day we had lunch outside without jackets. But now it’s done, so I think we should just recognize that winter weather in Southern California is generally pretty awesome, and then move on.

What I was going to say was that on Saturday my good friend Nika drove up from San Diego and the weather was absolutely perfect for a somewhat challenging little hike in the Claremont Wilderness Park.  The recent rains left everything much greener than normal, and it was even warm (and uphill) enough for a while to hike in just a t-shirt.  We hiked around and talked about work, and travel, and college memories, and it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Onion

Shredded_greens

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Feb 9

3 Comments

Bowen Appétit basic vinaigrette

Salad_vinaigrette

I’ve never been a big salad person – I rarely order them at restaurants, and we rarely (very rarely) eat one as a main dish at home (exceptions: add some roasted chicken and some lovely fresh croutons, and I’ll be there). I don’t entirely know why this is; I guess I’ve always just found salads kind of boring, or maybe I’m just not that excited by cold and crunchy things. I guess I’m more of a warm and/or soft sort of person.

(That might be in the running for the best sentence on this site.)  Read more

Jan 4

Vegetables and whole grains. Vegetables and whole grains.

Vegetables and whole grains. Vegetables and whole grains. Vegetables and whole grains.

Veggies_yay

It started like a whisper, maybe on December 27th or so. It got louder, when we went to McMenamins for pints and burgers. It got louder, when we stopped at Eugene City Bakery to get pastries for the train ride.  It got louder, when I couldn’t decide between Swedish Fish and Raisinets at the movie theater so got both.  It started screaming by the time we went to Burgerville for lunch, and I could barely hear anything else as I ate my Grand Central Bakery cinnamon roll waiting for our plane back home.  And then I spent two days celebrating new years and watching football (i.e. drinking champagne and sausage risotto, and eating pulled pork and drinking beer), and my body said “my god, I give up.”

So tonight we had this for dinner.

Veg_salad

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Oct 26

Birthday tortilla soup

We’re a relatively new little family unit here in this house, which means we’re still in the process of creating and writing and forming the household practices that may one day become long-standing family traditions.  Some have started to stick (like the holiday treat boxes we give to friends and coworkers every year, and like how our annual Easter party always turns out to be the biggest and most fun party we have all year), and others haven’t worked out so well (like that oh-so-deliberate set of traditions we “started” on our first wedding anniversary and entirely ignored on our second).

Anniversary_shirts

I suppose sometimes it’s that deliberate quality that causes the downfall of a potential tradition – when they’re too planned to become second nature, and too forced to become a tried-and-true ritual.  And I suppose the best traditions are the ones that come naturally; the ones you don’t realize are traditions until you see that they’ve become a regular part of your life.

Like two-day birthdays. Read more

Oct 18

5 Comments

Sprinkles and whole milk make almost everything better

You can learn a lot about yourself through spending time in the kitchen.

Are you a patient person? Are you a detail-oriented person? How do you like to learn? Do you like detailed directions, or a basic idea to work with? Are you willing to put hours of time into something that may not work in the end? How well can you deal with failure? When you bake a cake that immediately crumbles upon taking it out of the pan and a frosting that gloops like thin glue, are you a person who throws it away and instead finishes that two-week-old In-and-Out strawberry shake in your freezer, or do you stick with it and eat it anyway?  Maybe with some sprinkles?  And a White Russian?

Cake_sprinkles_whrussian

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