Whipped Butter

Is one of my favorite things.
Whenever they serve whipped butter without you having to ask for it, know that you are going to get a good meal.

Spread it on the warm bread and feel it dissolve and disappear on your tongue then taste it on your lips afterward.

Likey

I saw this vegan cookbook at that place that is so informal that they ask you what you want to pay for things.
I couldn't believe it. They have prices on the books and things and they say you can just pay what you think is fair.

This is not good for a person like me, because then I start to feel guilty, like I am taking food from someone's mouth and then I am tempted to OVER pay.

But I didn't buy the book. I was so tron over the price I just looked through it, and then put it down.
However I really did like the book, the food, and the illustrations.

YAY!

One of my articles got published at halogentv and they want me to send some more!


I feel so happy.
http://www.halogentv.com/slow-food-in-the-city/

Vegan Vegetarian

I suspect that I will be attending more potlucks of this nature if I am to go to more of the movie screenings about Sustainable Agriculture.

The array of vegetarian/vegan food that they had at the potluck was great.
I didn't eat anything because I wasn't hungry, but I was really impressed at everybody bringing something tasty and the hosts bringing dishes and cutlery from home so that there would be no wastage of paper plates.

I talked to Kai is Kai (media and vegetarian lifestyle) and Keesh (environmental protection) a lot before the screening

Kai makes documentaries and offered help anytime we need it.

I was like YEH we may need.

So it's really going to happen

I like how friendly and helpful people are being.

I didn't think it would be this way at all!
I thought that filmmakers would be stingy with their knowledge or expertise...

I've only run across one such so far

I am so happy about the way things are going.

Domo

We had the first workshop and then two hours in between the second and we were hungry
So we went back to that place with the song.
Mister.

She had this

I had this

The ginger sauce was amazing.....
This was on the table of the people across from us....

Grill Master

Well there was 'a game' (i.e. excuse for cooking)
So R got all grilly with the grill and did meat and potatoes

We had workshop so I got these just as C as finishing getting her clothes etc.

Soooo yummy.

I love when people love good food and cooking.

Green

Well I still scout for the documentary and this is one thing I came up with.


The lady in charge is so nice and helpful.

You know when you ask someone for help and they play games as if they are going to help you, get all the information they can from you and then proceed to be negative about what you are doing? Well I am finding that That's the exception, not the rule.

When we started these projects I got one reaction like that but thankfully I blew it off. Everybody is eager to be a help!

YAY for greatness!

She gave me every single piece of contact information she had
I took of course and she is brilliant on camera

I can't wait!

The produce here is all organic

All local, and fresh

I had a great time just staring at everything.

Some producers also make soap and this is what it looked liked packaged.

Scouting Novelty

One of my fav things to do is scout novelty food shops and see what they have

C went with me and the guy opened up just for us.

It was cute

And I get that it was mainly about selling the wine

However, I think they can do more with the space

Also add some more gourmet food items

Chocolate

Maybe some coffee, tea etc.

Stuff that would draw some other 'gourmet' shoppers in.

I thought it strange that they were all locked up on the busiest time of the weekend

Lovely

You know when you meet up with friends and they are lovely and you have a great time?
That was this day.
Everything was so great
We told stories and laughed and had fun.

Sorry Z and E couldn't be there but it was still amazing

The food was heavenly and the momosas hit the spot (tee hee)

The pate was so fresh and full of flavor

We had Eggs Benedict

F had Belgian Waffle with fruit

Then we all had dessert...

The place itself was so pretty

We all like being nice places and relaxing..
Oh this was so good.

An effort

Once again I am renewing my efforts to 'eat decently'
That means that when I cook I will force myself to sit at the table and concentrate on what is on the plate and eat it slowly.
Instead of the usual, sitting on the love seat in front of the tv and hurrying through the meal so that I can get on with the business of doing something else.
I never do that when I am at people's houses or at a restaurant. I savor the food and the connection and the talking.
Its great.
At home, I just want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and how I want to do it, and it seems like eating gets in the way of that.
So I hurry through it.
I like the cooking part
I can experiment and mix and be happy that all my strange combinations, and pinches of this and pieces of that are melting and mixing in the right proportions and tasting oh so good.
But when I get everything done and on a plate.
I just kinda feel deflated.
Its all over then and the food seems boring (even when its not)
SO then I hurry my way through to get it done.
SOmetimes I don't eat what I made.
Most times I have to because I am hungry. It's more fun dishing the meals out into various containers and looking at them.
I dunno.
From today I will make an effort.

I have a great soup at home.
It's a spicy soup with shredded vegetables from a japanese blend.
I added some vegetable dumplings and grogonzola cheese to thicken and give it a creamy tang.
Then I added sweet potato puree and some chopped pecans.
It is sweet, tart and spicy all at the same time and I loved smelling it.
But I didn't eat any.
I just put the whole heavy pot in the fridge.
I tasted it with a spoon though :)
So today I will put some into a bowl.
(I will take pic when I do that)
Sit at the table
Read some more "Like Water For Chocolate", and see how it goes.
Cross fingers!

Guava Gorgon Tartlets for Thanksgiving

With Flaky Pastry!

Pastry shells

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shortening, chilled
• 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups of gorgonzola cheese
• 1 cup of guava paste cubed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Mix the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a knife, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Drizzle carefully 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.
4. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
5. Roll out dough, and cut with cookie cutter or glass rim and put into muffin rounds.
6. Fill pastry cups halfway with gorgonzola and then add two cubes of guava paste to each cup
7. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes and then reduce tem to 350 and back for 15 minutes more.

So I got my lard from the store

Then I proceeded to decided what was a good day to go ahead and use it
Guava paste cut up into cubes is the sweet lover portion of the recipe.

Gorgonzola

Vegetables (You'll see)
I made these little pies/tarts
Sifted the flour

Cut in the lard (don't use the rub in method- this stuff has to remain cold)


(After I added the salt)

Added ice cold water water and mixed lightly

Then refrigerated dough for 30 mins

Rolled out dough on floured surface


Cut like so


Then did this

Added Gorgonzola (Oven is preheating at 450)


Added guava paste
Added Vegetables


Baked at 450 for 12 mins and then 350 for 15 mins more
Let cool

Then MUNCHIN and CrunCHIN

They were lovely and heavenly.

The thing is that I think I like the guava added to the gorgonzola because it brings out the flavor of the gorg and then sweetens it up.

Its soooo good.

I should have added guava to the vegetables too!

Soothing

I was having clove tea, which is soothing enough but then I remembered my tomato juice.

I always kinda flinch over tomato juice thinking it will taste acidic but when i actually drink it, it's so good.

So I had some
Sooo goood
:)

Amazing

I love movies that have a lot of food themes
Therefore when I saw 301/302 (foreign film-Korea)

It was like being in heaven.

I love this movie

Absolutely love it.
The story

The actors

The plot
The food
Everything was great.

So cute

I was driving home and I saw...

This

I had to take a picture before the light changed.

Adorable! :)

Craving

I was craving sweet and I was craving pie (This is egg custard)

I went to the store where I saw Lizbeth and she asked me what the occasion was.
She wanted us to get together and make cheese!

I told her I was craving pie and snickers cheese cake.
She then showed me the tub of icecream in her basket LOL

After I ate that I feel oogy and dizzy (sugar) so I had to eat some veggies.
It took no time at all to cook them and I felt better after I ate them.

Cheese cake

Art made the best and most decadent cheesecake I have had in a long time.
With white chocolate shavings on top

I don't usually eat cheese cake but I have been having a craving for sweet potato....
Oh yes sweet potato cheesecake
And he made me take some home.

But he was actually making 'fair' brownies when I arrived at his place...
Men who cook (great!) :)))))

It's in my fridge tempting me.
But I will resist for as long as I can!
(we will see how long that lasts)
I loved the cheese and cilantro pesto he served.

Herbed goat cheese goes with any occassion!

Supposed to be

Well that night was supposed to be about wine and for the most part we did talk about wine
I had a great great great time.

I laughed and laughed and people talked and talked like old friends etc

YAY!
Me and Kristie shared tapas...soooo ggoooooooooddddd!

I miss

I know I had this when I was feeling ill but I don't remember where I got it.

Now that I feel slighly oogy again, I wish I had some, but I don't know where I bought it and I haven't seen them since this time :(

Revisited

Easiest thing in the world
To make and to eat.
You can have it straight up

Or add a little guava syrup to tame the acid.
Guava syrup is my new recommended sweetener of the day.
Plus I really like this place. It's so relaxing to go there.
It seems that not many people know about it so I am really happy when I go there.

The thing is...

I am addicted
Potsickers rule my apartment

It's because they are so good, so cheap and so plentiful and so filling.
one bag is three dollars at the Asian store
There are like 24 in a bag of them
I eat for for dinner

So good...
I always want to have them
All I have to do is heat them up and add whatever I want.
This time I added
A touch of Habanero

A pinch of dill
Two pinches of oregano
A tiny piece of guava cheese
A few crumbles of gorgonzola and....
1 tbsp of sesame orange dressing.

It was the yummiest thing ever

I added olives when it was done and had a field day watching Diane Lane cry over letters....

Ad

Like these types of posters....

Imaginative/creative

Looks like

Juice or "drank"

But more potent

right for the occassion

That dark night...

I didn't have any but I though Delirium was cool

Some hard candy

Cute but I wouldn't get any..

Sick of mints....

At this place

That has that name from the song with Domo Arigato.....
She had this

It looked good


I had this Panko with a spicy Mayo sauce


It was very good.
And a lot.
I must have put 3/4 of it in a box to take away.


I decided that I like the place :)
It's just a few steps away from her house too!

Not for nothing

In the sampler, we ordered all light beers.
That is because most of the darker beers have that bitter guinness afterTINGE

So we yum yum-ed on the lights, however the darker of the lights Still had that tinge
What to do what to do!????

No Deal

At the store there was a deal
You get two of those tubs of ice-cream for $5.00 so I decided to get it.
I also decided to break with convention and get flavors I don't normally eat.
Try to step out of the box as they say
BIG MISTAKE
I chose mint chocolate chip
and butter pecan (instead of vanilla).
The butter pecan should be fine but the mint is too minty
Reminds me of toothpaste and medicine with candy
:(
It's a huge tub of ice-cream...

I will taste it one more time then if I don't like it
Via con dios...

From Scratch

I was reading through my Naparima cookbook and realized I have everything in the pantry to make cookies from scratch

So I took this and some baking soda and salt


Creamed the butter and sugar (can never have too much sugar)


Added the chocolate hazelnut and an egg


Mixed in flour


Dropped them on greased baking try

Cook for 12 mins and Voila!

Soo good to smell

No I haven't eaten any yet! I liked making them.

Devoted to

Papaya

I think I will buy them more often.

They are sooo good

Loaf

Tried meat loaf after a long time of not having it.

I like meatloaf lol!