I like oatmeal. I like pancakes - but they have to be light and fluffy, not heavy and thick. I found a great recipe for oatmeal pancakes, which was a great combination of two good foods. At first I was a bit scared it would be maybe like fried up oatmeal, but it wasn't. And the pancakes were still light enough I could handle it. Plus, husband who HATES oatmeal liked them (at least I think he wasn't being facetious).
Oatmeal Pancakes
2 cups oats (the regular kind - Old Fashioned or Quick, not steel-cut and not instant)
3 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1 Tbsp peanut oil
Butter or extra vegetable oil for the griddle
1 Put oats into a large bowl, add the buttermilk. Let the oats soak in the buttermilk overnight.
2 Mix in the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and peanut oil.
3 Then proceed as with any pancake recipe. Heat a flat iron surface - griddle or large pan - to medium high heat. Oil the pan with either a Tbsp of butter or vegetable oil. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle to the desired size, usually about 5 or 6 inches wide. When air bubbles start to bubble up to the surface at the center of the pancakes (about 2-3 minutes), use a flat spatula to flip them over. After a minute, peak under one for doneness. When golden or darker golden brown, they are done. Note that cooking the second side takes only about half as long as the first side. And the second side doesn't brown as evenly as the first side. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
Serves 4-6.
recipe found at: Simply Recipes
May 31, 2006
May 27, 2006
Sopa de Fideo Aguada (or Vermicelli in Tomato Broth)
I had a little spare time at work this last week, so found myself perusing food blogs. Found many recipes that I'll be trying out.
I found the following recipe on words to eat by. Tried it out today and found it very good with grilled cheese, crackers, or cottage cheese. Pretty easy to make also, as there's not many ingredients.
Sopa de Fideo Aguada (Vermicelli in Tomato Broth)*
Serves 6
3-4 T. chicken fat or vegetable oil
4 oz. fideos or vermicelli (found in the grocery store Spanish/Latin foods section)
¾ lb. very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 large can stewed tomatoes)
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
¼ medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
Salt
Heat fat/oil until it smokes and add the bundles of noodles without breaking. Fry until deep golden brown, stirring, then drain excess fat/oil (leave about 2 T.).
Put the tomato, garlic, and onion in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the pot and cook over a high flame, stirring and scraping pan, until mixture is almost dry. Add the liquid and the parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until pasta is soft, 8-10 minutes. Remove parsley, adjust seasoning, and serve.
*recipe slightly altered from original blogger's post found here
I found the following recipe on words to eat by. Tried it out today and found it very good with grilled cheese, crackers, or cottage cheese. Pretty easy to make also, as there's not many ingredients.
Sopa de Fideo Aguada (Vermicelli in Tomato Broth)*
Serves 6
3-4 T. chicken fat or vegetable oil
4 oz. fideos or vermicelli (found in the grocery store Spanish/Latin foods section)
¾ lb. very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 large can stewed tomatoes)
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
¼ medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
Salt
Heat fat/oil until it smokes and add the bundles of noodles without breaking. Fry until deep golden brown, stirring, then drain excess fat/oil (leave about 2 T.).
Put the tomato, garlic, and onion in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the pot and cook over a high flame, stirring and scraping pan, until mixture is almost dry. Add the liquid and the parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until pasta is soft, 8-10 minutes. Remove parsley, adjust seasoning, and serve.
*recipe slightly altered from original blogger's post found here
mice and music
Thursday evening we went to our local school's spring program. We have a few friends that have kids that go there, plus it's really funny to watch the tiny 1st graders singing at the top of their lungs.
The concert ran a bit long, as the music teacher was retiring and two-thirds of the program was honoring him. It was good, but after 2 hours I was happy to head home.
We get home and I put lunch leftovers away and I hear a bit of scuffle in the dining room. I think at first it's the cats chasing each other, then glance over to find Norman chasing a mouse around under the table. I scream and ran over to stand on a chair in the other room for awhile.
You have to understand I HATE mice. They totally creep me out. I grew up in the country, with dogs, cats, chickens, horses, skunks, rock chucks (aka marmots, or fat fatties as I call them) and mice. I could handle the skunks and rock chucks. But the mice always freaked me out. They would be in the chicken house, eating the chicken food, or in the dog house trying to stay warm. We had two huge metal trash cans with lids that were full of dog and chicken food. And my siblings didn't always get the lids on tight, and the mice would be in the can and jump around as you were reaching in to get food. They always startled me, and were quick little buggers, which I think is what bothers me about them.
Norman has brought mice into the house before, played with them a little bit, then eaten them. And he's always kept them downstairs. But this time I think he decided it was time to teach Oscar how to catch mice too. So after my climbing on a chair, lovely husband went to inspect. Then the cats chased the mouse into the kitchen, and they weren't totally paying attention, as they let the mouse run/slide right under the refridgerator (glad it wasn't the pantry right beside it!). Now I (and the cats) had no way of getting it out. I got a mouse trap w/ peanut butter and set it near the fridge. Oscar liked the pb, so set the trap off and it wasn't reset.
Yesterday morning I wandered around looking for mouse remains, but found nothing. I wondered if the mouse had escaped, or been eaten, or snuck into the fridge. The cats didn't seem to be camping around fridge anymore either. Just to be safe I set the mouse trap again last night.
This morning I woke to Norman throwing something clinky around in our room. In my still mostly sleeping state I glanced at him and thought he'd found an empty key chain and was throwing it around. Husband woke up and heard it and went to see what exactly was going on. The mouse had been caught in the trap, and Norman decided we needed to get it out of the trap for him to eat. He had hauled mouse, trap and all, upstairs (I would have liked to see that!) and was throwing it around. Husband gave Norman praise for bringing it to us, then disposed of it. (I have a wonderful husband that way - alert way faster than me and takes care of the dirty work.)
So, no more mouse, at least that I know of. Though in cleaning yesterday I did find evidence that a mouse had been in our house, which makes me wonder if we have more uninvited visitors. Think I'll have to set the trap again and see.
The concert ran a bit long, as the music teacher was retiring and two-thirds of the program was honoring him. It was good, but after 2 hours I was happy to head home.
We get home and I put lunch leftovers away and I hear a bit of scuffle in the dining room. I think at first it's the cats chasing each other, then glance over to find Norman chasing a mouse around under the table. I scream and ran over to stand on a chair in the other room for awhile.
You have to understand I HATE mice. They totally creep me out. I grew up in the country, with dogs, cats, chickens, horses, skunks, rock chucks (aka marmots, or fat fatties as I call them) and mice. I could handle the skunks and rock chucks. But the mice always freaked me out. They would be in the chicken house, eating the chicken food, or in the dog house trying to stay warm. We had two huge metal trash cans with lids that were full of dog and chicken food. And my siblings didn't always get the lids on tight, and the mice would be in the can and jump around as you were reaching in to get food. They always startled me, and were quick little buggers, which I think is what bothers me about them.
Norman has brought mice into the house before, played with them a little bit, then eaten them. And he's always kept them downstairs. But this time I think he decided it was time to teach Oscar how to catch mice too. So after my climbing on a chair, lovely husband went to inspect. Then the cats chased the mouse into the kitchen, and they weren't totally paying attention, as they let the mouse run/slide right under the refridgerator (glad it wasn't the pantry right beside it!). Now I (and the cats) had no way of getting it out. I got a mouse trap w/ peanut butter and set it near the fridge. Oscar liked the pb, so set the trap off and it wasn't reset.
Yesterday morning I wandered around looking for mouse remains, but found nothing. I wondered if the mouse had escaped, or been eaten, or snuck into the fridge. The cats didn't seem to be camping around fridge anymore either. Just to be safe I set the mouse trap again last night.
This morning I woke to Norman throwing something clinky around in our room. In my still mostly sleeping state I glanced at him and thought he'd found an empty key chain and was throwing it around. Husband woke up and heard it and went to see what exactly was going on. The mouse had been caught in the trap, and Norman decided we needed to get it out of the trap for him to eat. He had hauled mouse, trap and all, upstairs (I would have liked to see that!) and was throwing it around. Husband gave Norman praise for bringing it to us, then disposed of it. (I have a wonderful husband that way - alert way faster than me and takes care of the dirty work.)
So, no more mouse, at least that I know of. Though in cleaning yesterday I did find evidence that a mouse had been in our house, which makes me wonder if we have more uninvited visitors. Think I'll have to set the trap again and see.
why take the time to check lists
So we bought our house about 10 months ago. Since then we've sporadically been getting junk mailings from other real estate agencies and mortgage companies in town offering their services for help to sell our house, help to buy a house, help in refinancing, 2nd mortgage, etc. It's all pretty stupid, and kinda bugs me, but I usually just throw it away. I don't feel it's worth the time to call or email and tell them to stop already.
Well yesterday we got another letter from an agent saying it was still a seller's market and she was the agent for us. I looked at it, noticed it was dated April 2006 (uh, hellooo... it's the end of MAY!), and said "thanks a lot Pearly Sue"*. And then it hit me. I looked at her name again, and said it again, and realized that this was the agent who had listed this house and helped the previous owners sell. She was the agent for this house 10 months ago!
It seems you'd have a list of houses your office sold in the last year, and maybe you might want to check that against the list of people you're sending solicitations to. (Though she seemed to be kind of a twit when we worked (through our agent) with her when buying the house.)
I think I'll have to make a call to chat with her, and let her know it's seriously TACKY to not double check!
*name changed to protect identity
Well yesterday we got another letter from an agent saying it was still a seller's market and she was the agent for us. I looked at it, noticed it was dated April 2006 (uh, hellooo... it's the end of MAY!), and said "thanks a lot Pearly Sue"*. And then it hit me. I looked at her name again, and said it again, and realized that this was the agent who had listed this house and helped the previous owners sell. She was the agent for this house 10 months ago!
It seems you'd have a list of houses your office sold in the last year, and maybe you might want to check that against the list of people you're sending solicitations to. (Though she seemed to be kind of a twit when we worked (through our agent) with her when buying the house.)
I think I'll have to make a call to chat with her, and let her know it's seriously TACKY to not double check!
*name changed to protect identity
bee
I was sitting at the table, and heard a buzzing noise. I looked under the table to find Oscar trying to play with this bee. It was huge, and quite ticked.
May 24, 2006
Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach & Tarragon
A favorite of ours. Easy and good.
Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach & Tarragon
from Quick from Scratch Pasta
10 oz fresh spinach (fresh has better flavor in this recipe than frozen or canned)
2 TBSP butter
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb spaghetti
5 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1. Remove any tough stems from the spinach. In a large frying pan melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the scallions and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and stir until wilted. Simmer until the liquid evaporates from the spinach, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain spaghetti and toss with 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the spinach mixture, the cream cheese, parsley, Parmesan and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.
oohh, and if you drink wine, my cookbook also recommends trying either a bottle of Vouvray from France or one of chenin blanc from California. (Chenin blanc grapes make a wine that is fruity but bursting with acidity, which is an excellent match for tarragon.)
Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach & Tarragon
from Quick from Scratch Pasta
10 oz fresh spinach (fresh has better flavor in this recipe than frozen or canned)
2 TBSP butter
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb spaghetti
5 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1. Remove any tough stems from the spinach. In a large frying pan melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the scallions and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and stir until wilted. Simmer until the liquid evaporates from the spinach, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain spaghetti and toss with 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the spinach mixture, the cream cheese, parsley, Parmesan and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.
oohh, and if you drink wine, my cookbook also recommends trying either a bottle of Vouvray from France or one of chenin blanc from California. (Chenin blanc grapes make a wine that is fruity but bursting with acidity, which is an excellent match for tarragon.)
mmmm, cereal
I really wish they had one of these closer to me. It seems like a fun place, though not sure I'd actually visit more than once...
May 18, 2006
three cheers for cubicle-like work areas
boy howdy do I love sitting at my desk, doing my work, while listening to a coworker share with her boss what she heard from someone else that apparently I said. (And in this case I can guess what the boss is saying in response.) Then the lovely "well, I don't know, like I said, it's second hand information, but that's what (coworker) told me she said."
Um, hello, there's only a partial wall between us. Surprise! I.CAN.HEAR.YOU. And if you were listening, you'd hear my responses/answers to your talking too. If there's a problem, just come talk to me, rather than talk about me or what you think I said.
I'm getting a little annoyed at being talked about or undermined (for policies not my own) by the cubicle next door...
Um, hello, there's only a partial wall between us. Surprise! I.CAN.HEAR.YOU. And if you were listening, you'd hear my responses/answers to your talking too. If there's a problem, just come talk to me, rather than talk about me or what you think I said.
I'm getting a little annoyed at being talked about or undermined (for policies not my own) by the cubicle next door...
May 10, 2006
Ginger Beef Noodle Stir-Fry
Ginger Beef Noodle Stir-Fry
I kind of combined two recipes I found for stir fry and came up with my own concoction. I made it with beef – though think it would be even better with tofu. Really yummy.
Ingredients
8 ounces beef strips, chicken pieces or tofu
3/4 - 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili oil or cooking oil with 1/8-1/4 tsp ground red pepper mixed in
Mixed vegetables cut into bite size pieces - asparagus spears, mushrooms, broccoli, green onions, spinach, carrots, water chestnuts, red/yellow peppers, etc.
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups hot cooked rice or noodles (ramen, rice, etc)
Directions
1. For the sauce, in a small bowl stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger; set aside.
2. Preheat wok or large skillet to medium-high heat. Carefully add the oil to wok or skillet. Add vegetables. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from wok or skillet.
3. Add beef/chicken/tofu & garlic; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Stir sauce; add to the wok or skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
4. Return vegetables to wok or skillet. Add sesame seeds. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce; heat through. Serve immediately with hot cooked rice or noodles.
Makes 4 servings.
I kind of combined two recipes I found for stir fry and came up with my own concoction. I made it with beef – though think it would be even better with tofu. Really yummy.
Ingredients
8 ounces beef strips, chicken pieces or tofu
3/4 - 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili oil or cooking oil with 1/8-1/4 tsp ground red pepper mixed in
Mixed vegetables cut into bite size pieces - asparagus spears, mushrooms, broccoli, green onions, spinach, carrots, water chestnuts, red/yellow peppers, etc.
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups hot cooked rice or noodles (ramen, rice, etc)
Directions
1. For the sauce, in a small bowl stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger; set aside.
2. Preheat wok or large skillet to medium-high heat. Carefully add the oil to wok or skillet. Add vegetables. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from wok or skillet.
3. Add beef/chicken/tofu & garlic; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Stir sauce; add to the wok or skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
4. Return vegetables to wok or skillet. Add sesame seeds. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce; heat through. Serve immediately with hot cooked rice or noodles.
Makes 4 servings.
May 8, 2006
a real brighty
David Blaine is a crackhead. Doesn't want to let the people down? Umm, what people? And is being alive less important than being a "failure"?
Serious crackhead.
Serious crackhead.