Visit the kelpforest....

I probably shouldn't spend the money, but I finally signed up for the Menu Mailer at SavingDinner.com, which I've been meaning to do for quite a while. Every time I've mentioned it before, runsamuck poo-poos it because he doesn't use recipes, and apparently he can just memorize a shopping list for the week and get everything needed (except he doesn't). He pulls one of his textbooks out of the cookbook cupboard, and tells me it has all the shopping list I need for whatever reason, never mind that it's geared for cooking for 40-400 people - oh you can adjust that all in your head down to five, can't you?

You know, there's a reason I need a calculator to play 301 in darts, dearest.

Unlike him, I'm not a trained chef, and somehow it seems like I wind up doing a lot of the cooking. Which means we have spaghetti or Hamburger Helper a lot. I'm just not organized and anything that will take the thinking out of making meals for everyone sounds good. If I don't have to spend the time making up a menu and figuring out what I need to buy for it (which I frankly find overwhelming to just think about right now), and having everything on hand so I don't have to get home from work, open the fridge door and go, "Now what the hell have we got, and what the frack can I make with it...", that's all to the good, especially since he's going to be asleep until 9pm four days a week, when I have to wake him up to go to work. Since he started, half the time we've had either frozen pot pies or cereal for dinner.

I used to like cooking. I used to have friends over and make something fancy, like Indian food. But now I have picky eaters who won't eat half of what I make and my brain is fried by the time I get home from work. I know John sees it as a creative outlet, but it's not my medium. Not something I want to be experimental in. I'm not saying I won't try something new, but you gotta tell me how to do it - I'm not going to make it up on my own, unless it's something I've done a million times like stir-fry or soup.

It has menus for six days of the week, leftovers can be lunches, and you can select from various types (Body Clutter, Heart Healthy, Regular, with vegetarian and Kosher options listed for each). If you want to swap out recipes, you can do that and it changes the shopping list for you.

Dad did most of the grocery shopping; we let him because he liked to and it was really his only getting out of the house. But he really didn't buy the most healthy diet in the world, and he got a lot of junk. Since he passed away, we've been just grabbing what we need right before we make it, and I'm sure we wind up spending way at the store than we should be. So I'll try this for a month and see how it goes...

Oh, and I guess I need to get a crockpot. I've been meaning to do that anyway. And clear some space on the counter for it. Gah!

On the last of school before Winter Break, Angus's core special ed class will be sharing family traditions and having a "Cultural Feast," for which each child is encouraged to bring some type of food, whether from a family tradition or cultural background. Huh. About the only traditional thing I make every year is clam chowder on Xmas Eve - which I actually changed from my mom making oyster stew (I like the flavor of oysters but not necessarily the texture). Last year when we went up to my brother's in his new place in LA, it morphed again into clam dip; he'd made something else, and had us make something my grandparents used to traditionally put out at family gatherings (that and celery sticks with Lawry's Seasoned Salt). I'm not sure how a bunch of seventh graders, some with allergies, and probably others with texture/sensory issues, are going to feel about clams, much less soup that might get kind of messy. Angus suggested calimari - ha! Even better! I can just see some kid's reaction to tentacles.

As far cultural background...um, haggis? Irish whiskey (runsamuck's suggestion)? Can't see those going over real well either. ;p

He did also bring up Hoppin' John, more of a New Year's thing. We've made it a few times, but I wouldn't quite say it's a tradition (and no one in either of our families is even Southern) - we could always make it one though.

Suppose this might've worked better if I'd taken them out of the wrappers, but we were going to be taking them along on a road trip. Cling wrap over the top of the bowl.

Kitchen
Huntington Beach CA
Canon EOS 1000D
30 April 2010

13. candy ☺
10. film ☺

I had sushi three times this month before I remembered to have my camera along...

( It's still February, right? )

24. Sushi ☺
2. Groundhog, or someone/thing named Phil ☺
15. Sign of Love ☺
23. Something that represents where you live ☺
14. Heart ☺
12. Jelly beans ☺
16. Flowers ☺

Oh dear, I meant to keep up better on the scavenger hunt thingies. Here are a good 50 toes, and maybe a finger and front paw or two...

( moar... )

25. Bare feet ☺
6. Something that helps you start the day ☺
10. Contents of your friend's wallet ☺
20. Game ☺
27. Birthday Candles ☺

Still in San Francisco - Even the furniture is trying to escape! I was informed, while taking pics of this building, that the city had sold this building, as it's been empty for about five years and the owners had not done anything to improve it. Also that it was the source of all the mother bedbugs, as there was a local invasion of them. The guy telling me this also told me he used to be the drummer for Natalie Cole's band and had travelled all over the world with her, but had fallen on hard times lately.

Apparently, this is sort of a piece of artwork as well as a decrepit building, but according to this website, it's sadly scheduled for demolition. ;_; 

( +3 )

11. Something in decay ☺
5. Writing on a wall ☺
4. Your favourite unhealthy snack ☺
17. Train ☺

And wouldn't you know it, I've had sushi three times this month, and every time, haven't had my camera with me! Grrr!

My dad bought these. I am afraid to open them.

Habañero HOT!!!
Kitchen, Huntington Beach CA
Canon EOS 1000D
28 June 2009

(Even as of this posting [10/28/09], they are still in the freezer.)

edit 11/5/09: I eventually chopped them up fine and used them in lentil soup, where they were quite tasty. Still not sure I could handle an entire one by itself.)

I am not a huge maker of things from scratch. I leave that to my spouse who's a trained chef; unfortunately, I seem to do a lot of the cooking. I am no snob when it comes to spaghetti sauce out of a jar, although I do go as far as trying to find brands that don't have corn syrup as the second ingredient (Ragu® makes me gag). Tonight, however, I found we were out, so I put together some from tomato sauce/paste, etc; although those still come out of a can, so I suppose it's not that much of a stretch. In the process, I found most of the cans in our cupboards were two or three years out of date! And considering the dates on canned goods when you buy them are several years in the future...man, we need to rotate our canned goods a little better. The main nod to "fresh" - the basil from my Thai Queen plant outside the back door.

Spaghetti sauce
Huntington Beach CA
Canon EOS 1000D
22 March 2009

The tiny Thai place we order take-out from. It's decorated as if it were a big restaurant, but they only have about six tables. I have to wait outside to get our order. When runsamuck's not feeling well, we've been known to order Pad Thai two or three days in a row. Mmmm, Pad Thai. We really ought to order something different, but damn, I love nooodles.

Thai Gulf
Huntington Beach CA
Kyocera Switchback phone camera
03 January 2009

Too tired to come up with dinner - so pancakes it is.

Kitchen
Huntington Beach CA
Sharp VE-CG30
29 December 2008