Saturday, April 3, 2010

Day 49- Slacking

It has been hot here. I'm trying to get used to it, but all I wanted to eat, all day long, was cold food. I have no good ideas for cold food, so I ate some cold left overs instead.

"Breakfast" was the last little bits of the tofu from the night before. I have very healthy intestines, and often break all sorts of food safety rules. I still like to clean my cutting board with bleach, but in a veggie only house I wouldn't bother.

Lunch was sauerkraut. Cold and full of vitamins.

Dinner was a pair of bean tacos with some onion and catsup.

Late night snack was more sauerkraut.

About 4 in the afternoon (while I was trying to figure out how to cook without heating the house up) I was chatting on the phone with my sister. She'd read an interview thing I did, and wanted to know what I wanted for easter.

My brain, of course, jumped straight to chocolate. I'm not sure what bunnies or chocolate (or Christians, for that matter) have to do with super old pagan spring fertility / goddess stuff, but ok. I'll take chocolate. She was thinking about something else. I might be getting coconut milk, instead. Which means i'll be able to make (cheater-style) sticky rice. I think mangoes are out of season, so I don't have to worry about that. But there are a lot of things you can put on sticky rice.

Like more sticky rice. Lucky me, it's easy to make, and good cold. Just about the perfect warm weather food. Still not as good as chocolate, though.

Is there something you like that's super simple to make, but really impresses other people? Is it your go-to dish for potlucks and dinner parties, or is it so good you keep it all to yourself?

9 comments:

  1. Well, I didn't realize that Easter was much of a gift-giving holiday. As I Christian kiddo I remember the egg hunts and hoping to get candy, but I mainly remembered being tortured at the mall while we looked for Easter clothes, and while we're there we might as well try on other clothes.

    I'm not normal for a girl. I don't really like the whole trying on of clothing thing, except maybe for Halloween.

    So will you be getting your sister something?

    As for this sticky rice, I have had it once or twice, and while I rather liked it at the time it didn't seem worth the expense of getting it at the restaurant, so I hope that is a recipe that you will share.

    As for the cold food, I really don't care for cold leftovers. Cold food is usually salad (which you probably don't have enough money for a good one at the moment) and desserts, and deviled eggs (which you've said that you don't eat). Maybe potato salad? Also, there are types of asian cold noodles, but I've never quite gotten the hang of that either.

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  2. I didn't think it was a gift giving holiday either. I know it seems to be a food sharing day, and big on chocolate, but other than that... yeah, I have no idea. Maybe I can make her some cupcakes or muffins or something. Need to figure out what i did with the cupcake liners I bought...

    When I get the stuff (even if I have to buy the coconut milk myself), I'll share. There are a bunch of recipes online for it, which is how i worked out my method.

    I've got cold soba and dipping sauce ingredients on my list to price next time I'm at the Asian food store. I might add some rice paper wrappers, too and make rolls. Those are good cold.

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  3. I don't know what your or any possible gift-giver's budget is, but for about $10 you can get a decent oil sprayer. You just put your oil straight into it, so you get the effect of a spray without the additives or propolsive stuff. It might help you cut back on the amount of oil you use when you cook.

    As a plus, I had one that seemed to work better with lesser quality oils - apparently the finer oils weren't viscous enough - so it would even play right into your strict budget.

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  4. Hey J,

    You could make pasta salad with chopped veggies. Or a fresh salsa dip for chips and cheese. Hummus is cold and great for veggies or toasted pita bread.

    I love making a veggie wrap using a bunch of shredded veggies like cabbage, broccoli, tomato, peppers, carrot etc. and mixing in a bit of mayo, barbecue sauce, and seasonings like garlic or pepper. Chill first then add browned onions when ready to wrap in a tortilla. It's delish.

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  5. @Kim- I used to have one of those. I use much less oil when I have more control over pour or spray speed. I'm actually putting a pour spout oil bottle on my list of stuff to look out for at the thrift shop when I go.

    @One Heart- The wrap sounds good. Hummus has been a stopping point for me- I can't find dry garbanzos for less than $2 a pound. I've got a couple new places I can try, but they'll have to wait until Monday. For some strange reason, everything in Charleston is closed today...

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  6. J,

    All you really need is a spout and an empty wine bottle. You might be able to find the spout at a party supply store, and then you just need someone to save a bottle for you.

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  7. I second the hummus on pita - add cukes if you got 'em. don't know why that hits my spot, but it does.

    Kim, where have you seen those sprayer bottles, I've been looking for one and can't find it.

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  8. my go-to cheap pot luck items are:
    curry-spinach pizza (equally good w/o cheese)
    and cheater samosas (use a pie crust, filo dough, or wonton wrapper as the case)

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  9. Maureen- I saw them this week at world market- hiding on the wall. Didn't get one, but I should.

    abby- curry-spinach pizza? like saag paneer on pizza? Samosas are always win with me.

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