orangehennesey

Filing recipes for later.

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:05:11 GMT

All of my plants got eaten by snails / slugs this year, including my (eight) beloved eggplants. It's hard to motivate myself to plant more because it feels like, what's the point? Unfortunately, I refuse to use poison or pesticides, because I don't want that near my vegetables, so it seems like I'm just paying to feed the snails and slugs.
This is just a reminder to myself not to give up, and to plant more things in pots away from snail / slug territory. The payoff will be worth it; I'll have eggplant to use in these recipes. Right?

Super lazy Eggplant Parmesan.
- eggplant
- mayo
- panko breadcrumbs
- onion powder, garlic powder, fresh parsley, oregano, thyme
- grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat 425° oven
Mix breadcrumbs with seasoning and cheese
Spread mayo on eggplant
Dip in breadcrumb mixture
425°, five minutes, flip, five more minutes or until golden brown
Serve with tomato sauce and extra cheese

Link to Eggplant Parmesan pizza:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Eggplant-Parmesan-Pizza-or-the-Yummiest-Pizza-Ever-219700

Wish me luck in my battle against the snails and slugs.

MS Paint Fail.

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:14:22 GMT

mspaintfail, originally uploaded by jangkaeng.

The title says it all, doesn't it?
Does that even look like asparagus? Or sausage? Or a heart? (No to all.)

... don't judge me.*

Anyway, procrastination on math homework via MS Paint and random blogging aside, asparagus is coming into season, so excited! Fun fact: asparagus is not only good for you, but it also makes your pee smell. I read it in a really good book. SERIOUSLY. It's not from experience. (*REITERATED)

Asparagus, sausage, tomato sauce and mozzarella on pizza. Dried thyme, parsley, oregano (or prepacked Italian seasoning). For me, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes before consumption. SO GOOD. At first it was questionable. "Asparagus..? On pizza? hm. Well, Wolfgang Puck did it." If it's good enough for WP, it's good enough for me. So I did it.

THANK GOODNESS for Wolfgang Puck, and his really hot wife for the sole reason that she's really hot. WP helped me conceptualize the pizza, and the hotness of his wife reminded me that one can not eat five slices and still attain a hotness at least somewhat comparable to hers. Hooray.

Banana cream pie.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:13:43 GMT

The boy has a weakness for pie. I have a love of baking and cooking. Nice how that worked out, huh? This was my attempt to impress on our first Valentine's Day together: banana cream pie.

I was unhappily surprised to find that so many recipes for the filling had cornstarch as an ingredient. I have nothing against cornstarch; it was just unexpected. I'd always thought that the filling would be a custard instead of a pudding (milk thickened with eggs vs. thickened with starch).

In the end I went with this recipe for the filling and my roommate's recipe for the crust, with a little extra salt because I wanted to. This crust is super flaky and buttery, so the salt worked well. It was so easy, and yes, I did end up impressing my date :)

P.S. Lest you think it was all fun and games we tried to make Rice Krispie treats as a fun activity (we're lame like that) and FAILED. How does one f*** up Rice Krispie treats?! We didn't even drink that much wine! Sadly, they (it, as it is all one massive disaster) are hard, overly crunchy and more than a little bit scary. I'm still eating them though, because I am marshmallow obsessed.

Holy f***in' hell.

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:33:48 GMT

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com
Tagline: "Where dreams become heart attacks."

Quite possibly the most amazing site EVER. It showcases ridiculous feats of food such as corn dog pizzas, burgers with 10 patties, deep fried Coca Cola (wtf) and other tributes to excess. Beautiful. There is a breakfast burrito (one of my top 5 food weaknesses) that weighs SEVEN POUNDS in the archives.

I feel the need to go for another three mile run today after reading this. The first one was not enough to burn the calories gained from merely looking at the photos. Maybe this is what love feels like. Or heartburn. yeah, that too.

Go take a look and be amazed.

I'm healthy.

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:21:06 GMT

There is nothing as ugly and difficult to photograph as a good, messy, faux-unhealthy burrito.

- Slow cooker "refried" beans
- Baked chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper; cubed
- Cotija cheese or shredded jack cheese (mm.. pepper jack)
- Lettuce, tomato, cilantro. I don't like raw onions :( but you can have them if you want to.
- Rice (see below)
- Tortilla

The beans are key. So easy and so AMAZING. I'm in love with my little green slow cooker.
My faux Spanish rice method:
1. Wash rice until water runs somewhat clear. It'll be translucent but light.
2. Add 2 cups rice and 2 cups water to rice cooker. Basically, 2 cups of rice. I always use a 1:1 rice to water ratio.
(This can be done on the stovetop according to your ratios, but I have no idea how to do this without burning my rice).
3. Add 1/2 cup tomato sauce to the rice for 2 cups.
4. Optional: add chicken seasoning and cilantro to rice.
5. Cook per your rice cooker instructions.

Assemble burrito ingredients as desired on tortilla. Try not to put too much filling, otherwise your burrito will explode like James Bond's pen gun in Never Say Never Again.

BURRITO GOODNESS

OH MAN.

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:13:52 GMT

You know what I just realized?

I can make TIRAMISU now. With booze that I can buy on my own. Ah, the taste of being newly 21. (Don't judge me.)
Currently looking for the perfect recipe.
Also considering the most important aspect: Kahlua vs. Starbucks coffee liqueur. These are my two favorites.

I am crazy excited.
Experimentation begins this week.

Noooooo it are my birthday!

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:06:43 GMT

more animals

I can has cheezburger: my favorite website ever.

But yes I am going to be a year older soon. I will be able to buy WINE (and whiskey)! Amazing. Instead of buying one of those beautifully decorated Chinese cakes, I made my own. Laptop still won't read my memory card, but it was basically a white cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

Chinese cakes are lighter and fluffier than many other cakes because whipped cream is used to decorate instead of frosting. The actual cakes are also less dense (slightly heavier than angel food cake), but in this case I opted for something probably found online, though the source is uncertain because it's a recipe scribbled in one of my notebooks.

Whipped cream > frosting. For real. I like frosting, but sometimes it's just too much. Cream paired with fresh fruit is pretty amazing, and there is really nothing I'd rather have on my birthday cake.

Neglect.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:46:36 GMT

I actually do feel bad neglecting this little food corner of my life. No excuses, but a small list of things I wish to consume tomorrow:

- Giant omelet with tomato, bacon and sour cream
- Artichokes
- Sourdough bread
- Tacos
- Chai tea
- Baked potato

Yet another batch of ugly cookies.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:39:48 GMT

So I was inaccurate in my statement that I was going to post about the madeleines. They did turn out beautifully; they had the distinctive bump on the back, perfectly golden and crispy exteriors and tender insides. They looked like gorgeous little shells.

The day I was going to post about them, I learned that my laptop (which is still dying a very slow and very depressing death) will not recognize my camera memory card. I also got in a huge fight with the intended recipient (related keywords: boyfriend) and.. blah blah blah, not important. Writing about my first madeleines will occur when I can get pictures from my camera.

Until then, UGLY JAM COOKIES! I will not even post the recipe. I have never had success with baked goods from this book so I don't know why I even bothered, when there are so many other, more successful, overall better recipes available.

At least they tasted good.

Baklava.

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:46:39 GMT

Finals are over, but I still feel busy. I'm in love with a boy that will be going away soon. My beloved soon-to-be Marine. Basically, I'm trying to make the most out of the time we have left together. Going to make madelines tonight as part of his holiday present. Will talk about madelines later, most likely tomorrow.

Until then, look at this baklava. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. It also took Steph H. and me THREE HOURS to assemble. Key word: assemble. This three hours probably does not include baking time. I don't quite remember because this was supposed to be written about back in July, right after the Greek Festival in the Valley. Was it.. 300+? layers of phyllo, individually brushed with butter? I think it was. Perhaps more. Painful but with beautiful and delicious results. Homemade baklava. CHECKED OFF THE LIST (of things I need to cook in my lifetime, which will also be written about soon hopefully).

We used a combination of the recipe on the back of the phyllo dough and Emeril's recipe from FoodNetwork.com. I don't think we used cloves or lemon zest. It's something worth doing at least once IF (and only if, because alone I think this project would be torturous) you're with a really good friend (<3 Steph H.) and if you want really amazing baklava.

Okay. Madelines tomorrow or Friday morning before I head down to Riverside to see my boy.

The "I miss Los Angeles food" post.

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:16:41 GMT

0210081906, originally uploaded by jangkaeng.

Finals and final papers have been consuming my life for over a week now, and won't end until Wednesday. (See what I did there? Consuming? Food blog? hahahaaaa... lame. Obviously my brain is broken.)

I forget to eat when I am stressed out. I have been eating a lot of Nutella and toast when I actually DO remember to eat, which is not exactly healthy. I also had not had a vegetable for three days as of five p.m. on Monday, which was finally resolved when Bee and I went out. At first I wasn't hungry, feeling ill from days of bodily abuse via not eating properly / at all, but when he bought me a salad it took me about ten seconds to eat it. NUTRIENTS, they flowed into me! Okay, I am clearly insane.

Anyway, after finals are over I am heading to the SFValley / L.A. area and eating the following post-haste:

- Tamales and pupusas from Vallarta
- Soondobu from BCD
- Fish tacos from that delicious Mexican restaurant my brother and I frequent which has no name
- Pho
- Cheap chinese food (haha.)
- Dim sum
- Thai food
- Sushi; seafood in general (Seriously, for a coastal city, Santa Barbara completely fails at serving up decent seafood.)
- Ethiopian from Nyala
- Daglas pastrami

SO EXCITING. This is basically a list of things that I can't really get here within reasonable quality and / or price. I think what I miss most living in a not exactly ethnically diverse area is ethnically diverse food. In L.A., there is abundant, amazing and often cheap food of numerous types everywhere.
By the way, anyone that wishes to join me is welcome to do so. <3

Purple potatoes.

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:35:56 GMT

Photo from this seed vendor. Labeled "ALL BLUE MINI-TUBER*ORGANIC."

Seriously, these potatoes are so gorgeous! Is that odd to say about a potato? I tried purple potatoes once at a restaurant in Beverly Hills (ohh, swanky) and fell in love with them. The texture was pretty different from a normal potato - more flaky, I suppose? The taste was intensely potato-y. Like a potato x5. Delicious.

I'm thinking of growing these the next time I have space to garden. I wonder what my potato-loving Irish boyfriend (way to not fit a stereotype, baby! haha just kidding) would think.

"Ugh. I ate so much that now I have a food baby in my stomach."

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:49:47 GMT

I got back to L.A. where my parents live to celebrate Thanksgiving with them (read: cook everything for family and friends, from turkey to pumpkin pie, while sneaking wine from my mama's stash). I'm so happy to be back, for more reasons than one. I get to see family and friends, which is amazing in and of itself. But there is a more food-centric side to this happiness. You see, towards the end of the liminal period between last midterms and Thanksgiving break, I kind of ran out of food in my apartment. So, understandably, upon seeing my parents' fridge full of food, I raided it. And now I am so full that I am about to burst. yay!

Now time to prep the turkey for tomorrow and make pumpkin pie.**

**Note to self: the giant Libby's can of pumpkin makes THREE pies, not two like the can says. I have made this mistake every year for three years now.

Happy (American) Thanksgiving :)

I'm so healthy.

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:41:29 GMT

My love for Doritos (Salsa Verde flavor, if you must know) has been rekindled. Ever since a pre-Thanksgiving party on Friday, I have been eating mostly Doritos and self-assembled pizza bagels. I know, I see you shaking your heads in shame and disapproval. I agree. This is especially unfortunate in light of the fact that I have a physical fitness test for a potential job to take in less than a month.

Thankfully, I'm going back home to L.A. Wednesday for Thanksgiving vacation, which means my mama will be able to convince me to eat vegetables. It's not a difficult thing to do; I just have to be in the same room as a vegetable and most of the time I will eat it. Actually, that sounds like most food with me. Thank goodness I run.

Quick chicken noodle soup.

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:06:06 GMT

I haven't been feeling well, so this is what I've been eating. It doesn't taste too long and tastes much better than a soup that comes from a can. Quick instructions:

Add two chicken legs to a pot, cover with water and boil until cooked through. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Add chopped carrots, onion and celery to the pot. Add a bay leaf and two sprigs fresh thyme if desired. Boil until vegetables are tender. Add meat back into pot. Remove bay leaf and thyme stems. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to soup.

Hot dog egg rice - Asian American latchkey kid food.

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:56:38 GMT

The boyfriend is an Irish boy from a predominantly white neighborhood, so he was a little shocked and horrified when I made hot dog egg rice for myself one morning. I made him pancakes, which I don't eat very often because they sit very heavily in my stomach afterward, so it's not as though he had to eat this (wonderful) concoction of fried egg, pan fried hot dog, ketchup and rice. He still thought it was the craziest thing he'd ever seen. (Come to think of it, I should have explained it as fried rice deconstructed.)

I think this is something most Asian American children have eaten at some point or another. It's fast, easy and cheap. I'd say it's definitely more American than Asian (like fried rice itself), but it doesn't matter because it tastes really good, and now that I am almost finished with my undergraduate education it's quite nostalgic as well. I added a pickle because I have a weakness for them, and actually just recently realized that every Asian culture has some sort of pickle. Koreans have kimchi, Japanese have takuan and other pickles, Chinese have pickled bamboo shoots etc. etc. I was born and raised in Los Angeles so I crave kosher dill pickles. So good.

umm.. FAIL.

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:59:02 GMT

This photograph represents my eating habits as of late. Messy, disparate, ridiculous, and super fail. I've been eating things like hot dog egg rice (exactly what it sounds like), macaroni and cheese (albeit the homemade kind) and canned tuna with peas and olives. Not exactly unhealthy, but very random and not photogenic at all. It's because of exams and papers.

I'm writing this tuna combination down so that I won't forget it, but I really recommend this. SO good. Sweetness / freshness from the peas and salty bite from the olives. Freshly cracked pepper is almost essential here; it adds so much.

Tuna, mayo, peas (god I love peas) and sliced green olives. Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

I just ate a Tupperware container full of it and will probably make more in an hour (can't sleep).

Chili with sour cream.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:58:32 GMT

This post was deleted previously, and I apologize for anyone reading it again. I posted this chili recipe at the height of my apathy towards beans. This apathy was a result of eating black eyed peas for every meal, every day for two weeks give or take a few days. It's a long story involving my boyfriend Bee rarely eating meals with me now, not eating meat when I don't eat with him and also being a college student with limited funds, so hopefully it's understandable that I could not even look at this photo without a shudder of horror along with a sigh of resignation.

That said, this chili was pretty good. The recipe was given to me by a good friend with whom I frequently drink beer and cook, so it's almost a given that this chili is best eaten with a cold beer in hand. Perhaps root beer, for those that don't imbibe? I don't know.

Seasonings can be adjusted to taste and any type of beans can be used. I had dried black eyed peas on hand. Regarding seasonings: for the record, I tend to like my food very spicy. It's in my blood.

Vegetarian Red Chili

Spice mix:
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder (omit if using fresh garlic instead)

3 cloves garlic (omit if using garlic powder)
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped jarred pickled jalapenos
1/4 cup pickling liquid / juice from jalapeno jar
1 cup tomato sauce or 2 cups diced canned tomatoes
2 cans beans, drained OR 1 1/2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight (6-8 hours) and rinsed
Water

Possible garnishes: sour cream, chives, green onions, cilantro, corn chips

1. Saute garlic (if using fresh) and onions in vegetable oil in a deep pot until fragrant. Add flour and stir until no longer visible, making sure there are no lumps of flour remaining.
2. Add jalapeno, pickling liquid, tomatoes, beans and spices. Add water until entire mixture is covered. Stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for at least 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook until enough water evaporates for your chili to be the consistency that you like.
4. If using a slow cooker, follow step 1, then add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
5. Garnish as desired.

P.S. This chili goes very well with Dos Equis (or other beer, maybe not something as heavy as Guinness though) and cornbread. mm, Dos Equis.

Banana Bread.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:21:55 GMT

Quick recipe before I rush off to class.
This is what you do when your smoothie bananas start to turn black. It's good. Seriously. I've been eating this for days.

Banana Bread (adapted from a million different recipes used over the years.)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 bananas
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
3. Cream butter and sugar (wet ingredients).
4. Add eggs to wet ingredients; beat mixture until fluffy.
5. Add bananas and cinnamon to wet ingredients mix. Stir to combine.
6. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients slowly until incorporated.
7. Add honey and chocolate chips. Add nuts if desired.
8. Bake in a 8 in. x 8 in. x 3 in. square pan for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to rack and allow to cool further. Cut as desired.

Black eyed peas.

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:16:12 GMT

I just bought a bag of dried black eyed peas to add protein to my diet, since I am trying to eat less meat. (I said less, not none. Sorry, mom and any other vegetarians out there. Meat free is still not for me.) Legumes are a cheap source of protein. This is perfect for broke-ass college students because protein is filling, and perfect for runners because protein helps build muscle.

The thing is, I don't really know what to do with these beans. For the first trial batch I cooked them with bacon and onions after soaking them overnight, but this turned out bland and frankly not very appetizing, looks or taste-wise. I ended up dousing everything in hot sauce before eating it all, taking it like a (wo)man in order to prevent food waste.

More experiments to come. My roommate and I were dancing around to Black Eyed Peas (band) - "My Humps" while I was cooking these, and it was awesome. Hopefully these black eyed peas (legumes) will prove themselves some kind of awesome as well.

If anyone has suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated!

Apples (plural) and quince (singular) pie.

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:28:20 GMT

Despite the massive amount of school drama going on, I'm still having some fun. Making apple and quince pie with Jello shots on the side with my roommate in our little kitchen was really awesome, especially since I was able to get a bit buzzed on a Monday night. (Sorry if I rambled on and on cheerfully to you after drinking - vodka makes me giddy and garrulous, a potent and terrible combination.)

I've never had quince. It supposedly has a distinctive taste, texture, and smell. Honestly, it looked, tasted, felt, and smelled like a very stiff-fleshed apple with a hint of pear. That's not to say it's bad, just that the quince we had probably weren't prime examples of the fruit. In any case the pie tasted as delicious as it looks. It's loaded with fruit, cinnamon, sugar, and butter - really, what could be better? We didn't really use a recipe, but this is what we came up with. I must say it turned out perfectly.

Crust:
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
5 tbs ice water
1 egg for glaze
sugar and cinnamon for top

Filling:
3 large Fuji apples
2 quince
1 cups sugar
4 tbs cinnamon (or to taste)
2 tbs flour

1. Combine butter, flour, and salt until well combined. Add water as needed to make a firm dough. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. While dough is resting, core and peel apples and quince. Cut fruit into very thin slices and place in a large mixing bowl. The quince we had were fairly tough, so be careful while coring and slicing these.
3. Add sugar and cinnamon to fruit. Mix well, and let rest until macerated (fruit releases juices).
4. Divide dough into two uneven pieces. Roll out the larger piece for the base of the crust and lay over pie tin, pressing down; dough should cover the entire bottom and sides of the pan. Trim excess.
5. Fill tin with fruit ONLY. Leave the liquid at the bottom of the mixing bowl. It's okay if the fruit is in a huge pile - it'll cook down.
6. Stir filling flour into the fruit juice. Mix very well, making sure there are no lumps at all left. Big raw flour lumps are not tasty.
7. Pour juice over fruit filling.
8. Roll out the smaller piece of dough for the top and place over filling. Press two dough sections together. Cut small slits around the edges of the pie crust for ventilation and one in the center.
9. In a small bowl, beat egg. Brush beaten egg over top of crust. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
10. Bake at 425 for 1 hour, until crust is golden brown.

Try it! It's awesome. And if you don't have quince just substitute two small apples in - it'd still be a kick-ass pie.

Guacamole!

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:22:51 GMT

"What the heck is a beer battered avocado?" I asked gc as we passed a stand at the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria with its sign boasting, "Beer Battered Avocados with sweet corn relish!"

"It'll change your life," replied a cute dad in front of us, who, little daughter in his arms, turned to enlighten us.

gc looked at me and shrugged. "You want one?"

I replied tentatively in the affirmative, so we bought a beer battered avocado. "You try it first; I'm scared," I said, looking curiously but nervously at the two deep fried avocado halves sitting atop a pile of chips, covered with golden corn kernels, hot peppers, and Thousand Island dressing.

He took the fork from me and took a bite. His face instantly melted into a look of pure ecstasy, and an almost inappropriate groan left his lips. "Oh god, you have to try this. It's amazing."

Still nervous, I nibbled at an avocado chunk. My heart caught in my chest, and not just from the deep fried batter. "Oh my god. Oh my god! Who thought of this?" I tried it again. "Oh.. man. That's so wrong. But it's just so right. This is quite possibly the most amazing thing ever."

This was how we managed to buy a bag full of semi-ripe avocados (5 for $3!) to take home and experiment with. We haven't quite gotten to the beer battered part yet, but as you can see in this guacamole, we have put some of the avocados to good use. It's not aesthetically great, but it sure as hell tastes great.

Guacamole
1 ripe avocado
Juice of half a lime
Half of a beefsteak tomato, chopped
1/4 cup onion or 2 tbs onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove skin and pit from avocado; mash flesh with a fork. Mix with other ingredients; season to taste. Let sit for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to integrate. Eat and feel the avocado bliss.

Holy f**k.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:31:18 GMT

Guys. I just made turkey meatballs for my movie date night with gc and they were so freakin' good that I ate two straight out of the oven. Then I briefly contemplated cooking something else entirely for him so that I could eat the rest in secret while hiding under the dining room table, muttering to myself about "My precious.." because they were just that amazing.

Oh my god. What have I done? I have created a monster; that monster is 5'3, female, athletic and is currently obsessed with turkey meatballs.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 large eggs
Two large dinner rolls mashed into crumbs, or 3/4 cup prepared breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Sauce (I used barbecue sauce, you can use tomato sauce or whatever other sauce you'd like with your meatballs)

Mix all ingredients (except sauce) until everything is incorporated. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow breadcrumbs to expand and for flavors to integrate.

Form 1.5 inch balls - this does not have to be exact, just make them all the same size.

Sear in a hot pan with vegetable oil until all sides are browned.
* Make sure your meatballs are not touching each other when they are searing, otherwise they will not brown correctly.

Cover the bottom of a casserole dish OR slow cooker with sauce of your choice.

Using a slotted spoon to drain excess oil, transfer to a casserole dish or a slow cooker.

For casserole dish:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover meatballs with sauce and cook for 1.5 hours. Smaller meatballs will cook faster.

For slow cooker:
Set to low.
Cover meatballs with sauce and cook for at least four hours. These can be left in as long as you like, just make sure that the meatballs are cooked through. Again, smaller meatballs will cook faster.

Wines!

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:54:54 GMT

I'm on a wine bent lately. In trying to expand my palette, I've been trying some good and some bad wines. I've had strong but sweet Ethiopian honey wine, really disappointing California Cabernet Sauvignon and some tasty (as well as drunkenness-inducing) Cava. Next on the list: Prosecco, Cabarnet Blanc, and Merlot.

Anyone have any other wine recommendations? They would be greatly appreciated!

Mystery melon!

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:21:37 GMT

Picture7 002, originally uploaded by jangkaeng.

The seeds for this plant came from a melon bought at Galleria (Korean market in LA). Does anyone know what it's called? What size should it be before I can eat it..? It is larger now, and is green with darker green stripes.

Also, the eggplant is overtaking the backyard. I am a little afraid to go back there.