Sometimes, I Eat Good Things.

My work had a Board meeting last night and I got to take home some uneaten vegetarian bibimbap made with soybean spouts and the regular bibimbap fixins. Hungry, I decided to add a fried egg to the mix to make it that much more awesome.


Here's the egg


The bibimbap, steaming and ready to go...


The plethora of banchan...would you say I have a plethora?


The egg topping the bibimbap, with the banchan at bay...


HERE is the final product, with the yolk nice and runny mixed in with the banchan.

My tummy is happy.

JUS DO EET!

moar funny pictures

Heaven is a Place on Earth.

...and it's not that far from my house.

CARNITAS MICHOACAN!

It's wise to listen to the Mexican (sorry, Mexican-Americans, he has the leg up on y'all) when he tells you that the al pastor is good that night. When he says so, just to for it.

I'm dead tired but all I wish is for this burrito (of which I just took an amazing bite of a nice, large, crispy slice of the meat in my mouth to feed my happy tumms) to last forever because it's probably the best tasting thing I remember eating in a long, long, long, long time.

No, I'm not exaggerating and I'm not drunk (yeah, I'm not).

This is good stuff, and if it wouldn't make a mess or cause me to break out, I'd sleep with this thing right next to my face to just take in its amazingness.

Sometimes, I Find Myself REALLY Cheesy.

I just read my first entry of this ever-lasting meme, Seven hings About Me You'd Not Likely Guess. It's not that I'm not aware of it, but sometimes, it just takes me by surprise as to how utterly cheese I can be.

For my #5, I can demonstrate that I have class.

Even more special is the fact that I am sharing something that I have just (as in, earlier today while stuck in traffic going home) realized myself, and only one person knows about it other than myself so far. Unfortunately, that one person is one of my three remaining readers, so this entry is lost on her, but I'll share for my two reluctant readers:

I can only pick my nose with my left-hand fingers.

I may be right-handed, but it's not like I have like ninja turtle digits on my right hand not allowing me to fit a finger from that side up a nostril, but it seems that I lack the nose gold-digging skill my sinister has.

I am aware I do hold a few residual skills exclusive to my left hand from when I was ambidextrous (I guess that could qualify as another fact) but more on the left-handed persuasion, but I never figured that nose-picking was one of those things.

So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that you wouldn't have to worry about getting boogers all over your fingers if I shake your hand or if you borrow a writing utensil from me. Unless I've been recently really, really bored, for those are the times when I try my hand (YAY PUN) at regaining more writing dexterity with my left hand (I guess that could be yet another and I'd be done...?).

Ghetto Gourmet

I live pretty simply, for the most part. In particular, when it comes to taking care of just my immediate needs, I go for the bare minimum, and that includes when I eat. Sure, I'll cook something semi-decent for myself every now and again, but it usually takes someone else eating for me to cook something proper. For example, when I know someone will be over, I'll make the effort to make a stop at the grocery to get food to cook, and depending on whether I have stuff already at home, what I make may depend on what I already have on hand. When it's just me (maybe my roommate who usually doesn't eat with me), I just get plain lazy.

Factor in the fact that I'm worried a bit about money and trying to save (aka BEING REALLY CHEAP), and you multiply the laziness by 1,000. I may have gone to the grocery sometime earlier last month, but I've been mostly surviving off frozen burritos and canned soup, and maybe a can of refried beans, but today, I felt like something different.

Having little to nothing around the house makes it easier to come up with a plan of attack. I had a few large hot dogs in the freezer, an entire onion in the fridge, and a bunch of tostada shells in the pantry.

That was more than enough for me for the night, so I boiled the three remaining hot dogs in a saucepan as I chopped half the onion and started cooking them up in the skillet. As I was doing that, I figured it would be tastier if I actually got one of the 'dogs and cooked it up with the onions, so I nabbed one of them from the saucepan where it was already warm enough to slice and toss into the pan with the onions. I may have put more hot dog in there, but my roommate wasn't sure how much she wanted, so I left two intact for her, and I figured that once the onions reduced down, the onion-hot dog ratio would be appropriate.

I thought about adding seasoning to the mix, but I figured the onion and the dog have enough to carry their own, and the tostada shell would be a nice, crunchy and starchy add to it. Once the dogs browned a bit and I could smell the sweet burnt smell of cooked onions, I was ready to eat.

It wasn't half bad considering, and it sure beat chewing on a mouthful of broken glass. I might have wanted the hot dog bits a little smaller, as the cuts I made were a bit too big for each bite, but I think the onions were just right. I'm pretty glad I didn't add any seasoning, as the hot dog was pretty salty in itself.

Roommie only wound up eating one hot dog, which left one uneaten, which I put away for maybe eating tomorrow. Maybe what I'll do is do something of the same, maybe add the last egg I think we have in the fridge and make a scramble of it...and since the hot dog water isn't discarded yet, I may save a teeny bit of that to add into some refried beans to soften and salt it a bit and at least I have breakfast!

But tonight marks an end of an era. The three hot dogs I warmed up last night were the last three in a giant pack of large dogs I got from work as surplus from an Earth Day event of last year (2007). My old work was the storage place for TONS of these packs of hot dogs for the local Fire Department, as they got an old-timey grill to raise money for their cause, but when they ran out of propane, they just stopped grilling, which left our work with packs of these, one of which I got to take home. It's taken the combined efforts of me and my roommate this long to get through all of them, and I feel like without that safety net of frankfurters if I'm ever starving, I very may well.


They were good while they lasted. Maybe with their departure, I may very well not buy much meat to cook, unless, of course, there's a special occasion.

Making Silk Purses

(I take pictures with my camera phone. It sucks. It's better than 1,000 more words written by me, wouldn't you agree?)

Perhaps it's not a silk purse per se, but I at least made a decent bag from some shiny fabric.

There was this large order of fries in my fridge that was vexing me. I got it last Saturday as part of a combo that really should be a duo, and it came with me from my housesitting place back home, and sat in the fridge for several days.

I couldn't bear to throw it away. But most know, fries usually don't keep very well, and I didn't have the heart to throw it away. The other night, in a bout of curiosity (and crazy hunger), I took the fries out to see if they were still okay. Surprisingly enough, they were edible. Fortunately, the burger joint from where they came sprinkles seasoning salt on them, and their medium cut allowed them to not dry out as quickly. But I wasn't in the mood for potato that night, and instead opt for my popcorn dinner, but strategized for a potentially good breakfast in the morning.

I woke up, got up as soon as I could manage, busted out the fries, an onion, some frozen bell peppers, the rest of a head of garlic I had. Chopped all those up and threw them in a frying pan. Added some spices, and I had myself some ghetto hash browns!



Apart from the fact that you had little ends that looked like french fry ends (because they WERE!), you almost couldn't tell that it was made from fries. It definitely smelled like breakfast potatoes (heaven forbid having french fries for breakfast), and when you tasted them, you could almost not tell they were made from not fresh potatoes! It's perhaps the seasonings and all the other veggie/fruit contribution that helped in those efforts, and all the same, it made for a good meal. The roommate agreed, as she was still awake when I was making them, and even though I didn't want to subject her to something potentially yucky, I invited her anyway, and as it turned out, it was decent and she liked it a lot!

I managed to steal a veggie sausage from work, and had that with the leftover potatoes from breakfast, and that was mighty tasty. I'm happy to know that I can whip up a good batch of potatoes (especially after miserably failing at one attempt that I've just now remembered, it was so bad), and more importantly, I'm cheap enough to make a decent batch from potatoes that had a different original purpose. Hooray for not wasting!

TWO FREE TACOS DAY IS TODAY!!!

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION!

And during a time that many people are hyper-sensitive to the smallest of things nowadays, I'll go on the record to say that THIS PROMOTION IS UNFAIR AND DISCRIMINATORY TO THOSE WITHOUT CARS. I may only kind of believe that, but for the sake of anger and arguing, I can blindly argue to support my claim.

I'd like to get into greater detail about it, but seeing that it's well past my bedtime and I'm not even at home, I'll have to promise to do it at a later time. For now, I thought I'd offer the deal to those who aren't already aware of the promotion, regardless of how unfair I think it is.

I just hope I'll get to it before the hormonal rage passes.

Packin' the Heat

Even at 7am, it's pretty hot. Like sweaty hot.

Of course, it doesn't help that I decide to make myself ramen for breakfast. Not only that, along with some other things, I make it spicy as well with white and cayenne pepper. I tried to let the soup cool a little bit before eating, but time and hunger prevented me from doing so. I was working up a sweat eating the stuff, but it was so worth it.

But then there was the kitten. She's now banished from sleeping with my roommate, who will be working the swing shift for the rest of the month, so her room is unavailable to the little terror, which meant she was milling about my person the whole time.

Every now and then, I'd look down at her, and she'd look up at me, and do her cute little kitten head tilt and gaze at me with her ice blue eyes. Against my best judgment, I finally picked her up and placed her on my lap for that human contact that she wanted. As expected, despite how hot it was, she stayed and lay on my lap as I finished my food.

I mean, really...
Could YOU resist this face?

She may not be that big, but her little body creates a good amount of heat. Combine that with the hot, spicy soup, I was melting, but really happy since I was eating soup while having a cute kitty on my lap.

I'm thinking of a word that best describes this...suffering from heat though enjoying it at the same time...

...oh yeah. Shadenfreude

...is Good Food

Yes, it was pretty hot today (and still is in this house)
Yes, I did wind up walking 1/3 of the way home from Little Tokyo and then spent about 30 minutes being DASHed around my 'hood.
And yes, I'm making soup for dinner.

I was originally going to make a small batch, but out of impulse, I decided to upend the rest of the veggie broth that's most likely past its prime in the pot. I should have left at least a bit to soften my next batch of black beans. Add to the mix a cup of lentils, a small handful of chopped onions, and chopped up chicken sausage that's been smoked and seasoned in cajun spices. I'm debating on whether to add another, or at least half a sausage to the mix, not really looking for more sausage action, but to get a better spicy flavor incorporated into the broth.

Add to the mix the fact that I'm in bed right now, which is warm, and I have a sprawled out kitten next to me that's a bit lethargic, but has managed to inch her way closer and closer to me. Now her paws are touching my arm. She's VERY warm.

No matter how hot it is, I'd never give up soup, or kitties.

Veggie Tostadas Part II

Even though I thought it better I finish up most of a carton of veggie broth in the fridge and make spicy lentil soup with spicy cajun chicken sausages, I went with my cravings and considered the fact that my roommate hates legumes as a whole, it was time to have another go at making veggie tostadas. After the decent first run on making veggie tostadas (note I'm not really making an effort for them to be vegan, even - the only thing substituted is the meat), I was prepared to make this batch even better than the first.

...not that such a thing would be very hard. Last time, I threw in a whole onion, veggie meat and seasonings and threw that on top of some refried pinto beans. This time, though, I was prepared. I restocked on onion and veggie meat, and made sure to get some mushrooms and bell peppers (the menage a trois frozen bell peppers from Trader Joe's). This time around, I decided to try the refried black beans with japapeno in them, and I thought I was set. As I was rounding the turn park my car at home, I realized I should have gotten some lettuce to shred on top, but I figured since I'm not using fresh tomatoes and cheese, I could have done without them (who am I kidding...shredded lettuce would have been nice).

I made sure to chop the onions and mushrooms pretty small to ensure my roommate ate them without much hesitation, especially since she wouldn't have the beans with it, and it's after noon and can't have the carb-o-licious tostada shell. I eventually mixed everything in, added some white pepper, a dash of freshly ground black pepper, and a healthy dose of TJ's 21 spice salute. I thought to put a bit of cayenne into the mix, but I figured to make the beans the spicier of the two, of which I didn't. I accidentally put in too much veggie broth to thin out the beans a tad, which made the mixture a good consistency of thick soup, and I didn't put half as much Tabasco as I should have. Still, I think it came out alright, with a good balance of "meat" and veggies, with the "meat" cooked well enough that it didn't have that mushy consistency. Since the beans were a little on the runny side, I spread as thick a layer as I could on the tostada shell without it dripping, added the meat mix, and then put more beans on top. It didn't have as nearly as enough kick as I would have liked, so I busted out the Tapatio. Overall, a good meal, and the roommate liked the "meat."

I think the veggies really made the meal. Even better, it's great to have more than one in the mix. I'm debating on if/when I add tomatoes, whether to throw it in the pan to cook, or have them fresh and raw on top. It would be a nice contrast to have its uncooked freshness, but there's that certain something cooked tomatoes that's so good. I don't know if that's kind of accomplished with the red, green and yellow bell peppers, but I'm almost tempted to try.

Now I have to figure out what to do with the runny beans now. I'm leaving the leftovers for my roommate so she can have them tomorrow before noon so she can eat them with the tostada shell. Maybe I'll make a soup out of that, or maybe make some kind of a topping with it...for something.

Next up in the cooking attempts: the lentil soup with the spicy chicken sausage. After that, I really want to experiment in replicating the oh, so comforting lentil soup from Father Nature in Pasadena. They may blend it with a bean or something, but either way, the lentils are smashed or blended or something, probably made with a chicken stock, and when served, a tiny dash of seasoning salt is put on top as well as some fresh chives. mmmmmmmm, I want that in my belly right now.

Sometimes, I Cook.

...that's usually when all the dirty work was already done for me.

I just polished off a pretty hearty breakfast made of leftovers. I had some so-so pulled pork from Friday (good and tender pieces, but really dry with very little BBQ sauce placed on them, plus, it was eaten after eating other REALLY GOOD, seasoned meats) with a little piece of conbread on the side. I decided to mince the pork really well, then throw that into a two egg scramble. Just to give it a dash of zing, I tossed in a heaping teaspoon full of hot Chinese black bean sauce and made a scramble. I warmed the piece of cornbread (which was decent), and found a small amount of leftover refried beans from tostada madness of last week, and now my tumms is happy.

Actually, I was planning on making this after I got home from my Downtown seminar, but I didn't wind up going home. I'm actually glad I didn't do it then, because it made the best breakfast. It's mornings like this that makes me think that I should make a more concerted effort to cook. I'm not the best at cooking by far, but I think I have a bit more knowhow than I previously thought.

My Former Life

I'm still pretty much convinced that I was Latin in a former life.

It's very rare that I'm NOT in the mood for a burrito, or something Mexican, Salvadoran, Peruvian, etc. More often than not, I am ALWAYS down for some chaufa de pollo, a good bean burrito, a pupusa.

For the past week, I've had the biggest craving for tostadas. I was thinking of making them myself, but knowing I didn't have the proper ingredients and the time to get them, I was trying to think of things I could have in lieu of them. I tried cooking up some fake chicken sold at Trader Joe's (which I didn't like - the texture was way too gummy) and season it all tasty-like, but that didn't work. The bean burrito run from Taco Bell was a major fail and am a bit embarrassed to even admit I spent money and ate them. Saturday I was looooooving the carne asada that was grilled, and then later the awesome guacamole and freshly made tortilla chips someone brought. Even though it was planned to get Arby's with the coupon I had on Sunday, I wound up getting Green Burrito flautas instead, and enjoyed mooching off another's carnitas nachos (good thing we decided to upgrade).

Still, that didn't satisfy my fix, and yesterday, I went and got some tostada discs, and was so excited to make them, I forgot to get other ingredients to add (mushroom would have been good, as well as tomatoes, but the bell peppers didn't look so good) and went home with that. At least I had onions, and to compensate for the lack of other veggies, I just chopped an entire onion into the mix. Then I used veggie ground meat and seasoned it with some cayenne and white pepper, as well as a generous dose of Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute. I also bought myself some vegetarian refried beans, even though I should have known myself better and had two cans of refried beans waiting at home. I added some veggie broth to thin it out and added a few splashes of Tabasco. Once that was all done, I busted out the Tapatio and I was ready to feast.

I was pretty surprised that it actually turned out pretty well!

Needless to say, that's all I've been eating since (save breakfast, where I had Oriental ramen with egg), and I'm contemplating having one more after already eating one for dinner.

Next time, I definitely need to make sure I have stuff like mushrooms, tomatoes, perhaps some bell peppers and maybe, maaaaaaaybe some cheese. OH! Lime. The lime would also make things pretty yummy.

I would need to get more ground meat of some sort, and of course, the above mentioned veggies to make more. After all, I still have a lot of tostada shells to polish off before they go bad.

Speaking of Latin food, I'm starting to learn how much I really do like Salvadoran food. I fell in love with the pupusa as soon as I discovered it, and even though some people don't favor it, I loooove their horchata made with toasted rice. I know some of their dishes they call one thing is different than the Mexican version, but I was so surprised when I was given a Salvadoran empanada yesterday. I had a feeling that it would be different than the other empanadas I'm used to (basically it being a food pocket), but I did not expect a lump of refried beans surrounded by sweet plantains, then fried. Even though it was a little heavier and sweeter than I kind of wanted, it was still really good. As I was enjoying it, my boss' housekeeper were trying to figure out how it's made, as she was the one who gave it to me, but didn't make it herself. Now we have this mission to try making our own Salvadoran empanadas, and allowing ourselves to have it in different sizes rather than that fist-sized lump of mushy.

I'm still kind of surprised that in the past few years people have mistaken me or thought I am Latin. It's a HUGE difference from when I was growing up and had people telling me I could only be Chinese or Japanese, because I was clearly Asian and those were the only kinds of Asian they knew. I was tickled when I overheard a conversation between two friends telling one another that they thought I was Latina when they first met me, and was kind of hoping I was so I'd be "part of their team."

At that moment, I wished I was.

Immer Gruener

I had a very special lunch packed for me. It contained two small quesadillas (which I had for breakfast), two quarter pieces of BBQ con on the cob, a Louisiana hot link on a bun, a bag of edamame, and four Trader Joe's Cookies with Perks (though that was a serious letdown: the "perks" were espresso and dark chocolate. Okay, it certainly is "perky," but I was hoping for something more along the lines of Medical Insurance/Dental, maybe 401k matching). I decided to have the hot link and both corn pieces for lunch today, and when I went to the kitchen to eat my yummy meal, I saw that my boss' housekeeper made herself some basic Maruchan chicken flavored ramen, and she added Choulula and lemon juice.

I instantly became jealous. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy my meal, because I did...A LOT, but man, some ramen looked mighty good right then.

Then again, I can't complain, because my meal was packed in this little number:

Still, you know how the saying goes...

Speaking of which, it's pretty nice being on this side, rather than that side anymore. Outlook seems brighter, I feel freer (it doesn't help that I'm wearing a skirt today), and I have hopes that I can actually sleep well again. I feel like a gigantic burden was removed from my back (because one basically has). I can't wait for Wednesday/Thursday, and I'm super anxious to see if things turned out okay.