by jamie on November 5, 2009
I have been on a kitchen high for the last couple of weeks. First, my apartment manager replaced our old school 1950’s style stove that I would have to re-light with a paper towel almost every night before cooking with an electric one. Score! Then, he had our nasty ass, crusty linoleum floors replaced with something that resembles hardwood. I don’t care if its real or not, it looks nice.
But all good things must come to an end; what was once a kitchen high has now turned into a meltdown. Last night after I got home from yoga, Bryan and I decided we would take it easy - no dishes, no muss or fuss - and just heat up a Kashi mushroom pizza, drink a little wine, and get to bed early. It sounded like such a great plan and really seemed like there was nothing that could spoil it - until smoke and ashes started to fill the kitchen.
At first, I thought it must be the pan on the stove but it really didn’t make much sense - I was SIMMERING rice for lunches today. After a brief moment of confusion, I discovered it was coming from the oven and saw the flames. And all I could think was oh shit and “BRYAN!!!”
Thankfully, he knew exactly what to do. My instinct would have been to open up the drawer and pour water on the flames. Instead, he had me turn everything off, open up all the windows and just let the fire burn out. If I had acted on my instinct, it would have been disastrous - our apartment would probably be gone.
It took almost half an hour for the flames to subside and by that time our kitchen was a smoky ashy mess. It took another hour for Bryan and I to clean some of the mess up - the important parts at least - he was on hands and knees scrubbing the ashes out of our oven and trying to get all the burnt goods out of there. Our plan for frozen pizza and an early bed time was clearly foiled. We ordered a pizza and ended up eating close to 11 pm before passing out - probably partly from exhaustion and partly from fumes. Ugh!
Worst part is, we still have to deal with it when we get home tonight. Our kitchen is still covered in ashes, we will have to throw out a lot of good food, our dish towels are in ruins and we will likely be up late again.
And the really crazy thing is, it was a silicone baking pan from WILTON BAKEWARE (we purchased it at Bed, Bath & Beyond) that started the fire in the first place. SCARY. If silicone is so easy to ignite and is that flammable, why is it sold as bakeware?
by jamie on November 4, 2009
I don’t normally have the urge to attack the Halloween candy leftovers - Milk Duds, Nerds, Snickers bars, eh no thanks. I’ve always thought that unless people started handing out bite sized Chocolove bars or something like that, that I was safe from temptation.
But this year is different, I’m having a total Tootsie Roll meltdown. I literally want to pick through the whole pumpkin in the kitchen to find every last one. I think the only thing that is actually keeping me from fulfilling that urge, is that my co-workers might notice a Tootsie Roll mountain on my desk (or at least the wrappers). :)
Tomorrow, I am bringing more for lunch. I haven’t had enough to eat today which is probably why I am craving, ok - FIENDING for Tootsie Rolls.
What’s your Halloween candy addiction?
by jamie on November 3, 2009
I feel like every time I eat green beans, they are either in some sort of Asian inspired dish or served alongside Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. Since I had a huge bag full of them that I needed to use, and wasn’t feeling the Asian or holiday cuisine, I decided to try something new.
Instead of just serving them as long, boring old beans, I went a little crazy - slicing and dicing them with a little a little lemon, olive oil. garlic and salt and pepper. After it was all said and done, I served them up with a sauteed tofu and mushrooms. Yum.
Here’s the recipe - you’ll love it - I promise. :)
Sliced and Diced Green Beans with Garlic and Lemon:
- A few handfuls of green beans, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Chop the green beans into small pieces (almost like little zeros) either by hand or in a food processor. I opted for the food processor - way easier! Heat a medium sized skillet and add the olive oil and garlic. Once garlic starts to brown add chopped green beans and lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
by jamie on November 2, 2009
My cousin Alyse and I had our weekly yoga date tonight, and somehow while talking about all of the stressful aspects of our week that we were attempting to sweat out in 1.5 hours of Bikram yoga, we started reminiscing about college, or rather all of the baking and eating we used to do. Her favorite way to relieve stress used to involve her Kitchen Aide. She would go on crazy baking adventures whether it was during mid-terms, finals, or simply to avoid studying or writing another paper. Sometimes she would just show up with plates full of snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies and of course, the famous DREAM BARS.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like her cookies and other random sweet treats, but there is no liking her Dream Bars. I simply love them. Her dream bars aren’t just any old dream bar, they were THE DREAM BAR. Pure bliss. Decadent. Delicous. And ooey-gooey. Sometimes, I didn’t know whether to hug her or slap her for bringing those heavenly snacks to my apartment.
With dream bars on the brain and yoga behind me, I just knew I had to make some of my own. Since she’s never actually given me her recipe, I decided to experiment. The result: rich, delicious, crumbly little squares full of chocolate, peanut butter and Barbara’s Shredded Oats cereal.
Here’s the recipe - you know you want one. :)
Preheat oven to 375 and generously grease a baking pan. Crush Barbara’s Shredded Oats into small pieces and combine with sugar, peanut butter, and 2 cups butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Spoon mixture into baking pan. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsps of butter with chocolate chips until smooth. Spoon chocolate mixture over top. Place whole Barbara’s Shredded Oats on top for an added crunch (optional). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy.
