My post is short and sweet today. Extra sweet like the Koogle and banana bread I made this lovely Sunday. Note to self, and the world, adding Koogle to my list of Jewish food adventures. Onto other news...
I am in love. Sighs. She is genorous. She is brave. She is sweet. And I love her.
Peace.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
18 hours, cholent
Google: cho·lent
ˈCHôlənt,ˈCHəl-/
noun
A Jewish Sabbath dish of slowly baked meat and vegetables, prepared on a Friday and cooked overnight.
Urban dictionary: cholent
An Ashkenazi food that looks like mush. It strongly resembles feces, but it taste heavenly.
mmmmmmmm........... that cholent smells so orgasmic
Heres a before and after to prove the point (no reeses or boos were included):
Heres a before and after to prove the point (no reeses or boos were included):
Growing up a reform jewish girl (emphasis on the very reform, culture only) I knew what cholent was, and it was a staple at every high holiday...the ones we actually attended. Now whether or not I ate it, as a picky eater, was another story. So the memory of it isn't strong, but I'm reminded of it every time I'm around my jewish relatives for any length of time. It came into my life again right after college, and I just graduated, and had moved in with my grandparents who are religious Jews who celebrate sabbath every week. (Please don't be offended by any misuse of wording or labeling). They ALWAYS had cholent in the house, and some there main purpose in life being grandparents was to feed me, I LIVED ON CHOLENT. Now after that year, it fell by the wayside once more, as I was reveling in the variety of food choices I had forgotten about while living there.
So what do you say prompted me to learn a jewish right of passage per say and learn to make cholent this weekend? No other than one of the other 4 (including myself) jewish coworkers at work. At this point we are a weird possy. But put any jewish person in a room with another jewish person, and you will be talking about food in 60 seconds flat, guaranteed. As soon as he said the word cholent, delicious memories of that year came back, and it was all I wanted. So here it is, my first ever attempt at cholent.
My first attempt has the major no-no's. I used canned beans. Clearly it's doomed. And I cooked in a slow cooker aka crock pot (this no no is iffy). I can only judge by taste, and it's not perfect but my first attempt tastes pretty close amazing with a side of home and love. I'll let the flavors warm me for the next week.
Recipe I made up after looking online
1/2 - 1 pound your favorite meat (I used chuck roast)
1 carton beef stock
2 cans (or equivalent) your favorite beans*
2-3 cups barley
1 onion
1 1/2 cup carrots chopped
3 medium red potatoes
Add any other veggies you like
Salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, cumin, **
Chop anything that needs chopping, drain and wash beans, and throw everything into the crock pot. Cook on high setting for 3 hours (if your crock pots really strong you can make it 2 hours) then low setting overnight (I cooked on low for 15 hours, for 18 hours total)
*if using fresh/dry beans, soak first (look that up!) and you may need to add water to the stock so you don't have crunchy beans.
**use whichever spices or combo there of you like.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Why Salad?
No seriously why? why does that word hold so much connotation? Why does salad just immediately turn us off. Even those who love vegetables sometimes look at that plate of mixed greens just staring back at you saying hey, you and me both know this isn't going to be pleasant. I don't know what it is but a salad, to me, never sounds all that appealing. Maybe because lately its the only vegetable i get everyday. Our cafeteria at school has progressively gotten worse and worse, after last years phase out of all the specialty things they used to be able to do for us, until Aramark started cracking down. They are a multi billion, that's right billion dollar company who is taking out there corporate greed on little old lake forest college. now know food prices have gone up but the food we used to get freshmen and sophomore year (for less money too) was way better with much more variety than the stuff we get now. We live for the 2 days a month now that we get fresh red grapes, knowing that is the best fruit we are going to get, unlike before when we could expect fresh fruit like grapes and strawberries weekly. Sunday brunch used to be the best too, now we are lucky if we get frozen mango.
But back to salads. So I try to eat vegetables at least once in day, but the hot vegetables they serve in our cafeteria are most often peas, corn, or mixed veggies that are soggy and that I wont eat even when they are fresh. There green beans don't really taste right but I will eat them on rare occasion. If they have broccoli (about once a week?) I will eat that. but 95% of the time I am stuck with a small salad. And I am a little picky about my salads, so when I am eating the same thing every day it kind of sucks. Lettuce, Tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, occasionally 1 additional ingredient to try and make it better. Then its time to douse it in ranch or Thousand, because heaven forbid I have the will power to add "just a touch of vinaigrette" as people do. It also doesn't help that the vegetables from our salad bar taste terrible, they are covered with chemicals. I never thought I'd meet a tomato that I didn't like until now. I mean really why do you have to ruin the only fresh option we have, the salad bar?
Don't get me wrong, I know that many colleges are a lot worse, I mean by a lot, and we still have it pretty good. And I know there are starving children and hungry people all over the world who wouldn't complain. We could feed an army with the amount of food waste are school produces, so I try to waste as little as possible, and when say I realize I'm only going to eat half of something I will always try and find someone who wants the other half. I do try and do my part. Also see "PS at the end of this post.
But seriously food is such a "thing" in our lives. its crazy. and it just makes me want to talk about it even if it is to complain. But maybe we need different names for things. As i said before why salad? Maybe next time I should tell myself that I'm just gong to go eat a bowl of vegetables? But the word vegetables doesn't rank that well in my head either. But maybe it would make my daily lunch and dinner diet more appealing if I got more creative. Seriously I end up eating the same thing basically everyday in our cafeteria for both lunch and dinner.
Protein: Some form of chicken (usually fried), a hot dog, or on RARE occasion when they have it, beef/roast.
Veggie: Fucking Salad.
Carb: French fry/Potato or sometimes rice.
And that's about it. The alternative is to get a sandwich which then just combines all three food groups into one thing. It's so boring and I am so sick of eating the same things. Whats even worse is that I feel bad for my vegetarian and vegan friends who have almost no options except chemical salad or french fries/Potatoes. I mean they are required to serve at least one hot vegetarian dish but its not always vegan and its not usually very good.
I long for the day next may when I no longer live in a college dorm. I pay for a meal plan and its easy and convenient. Its also required unless you petition a serious dietary restriction. I had the experience of living and buying all my own groceries last semester and it really was so much better. I spent way less money than I pay for a meal plan, and the food was hell of a lot better.
Oh food. I wish I didn't have to deal with you sometimes.
PS: My disclaimer of sorts: I am a big supporter of the Benkadi project, which works to help the people of Guinea West Africa in multiple ways, including supporting initiatives that improve access to food and have clean drinking water. It main initiative is education. find out more here: http://medusadrums.com/benkadi.htm
I do my part to help, so I feel I am allowed to complain once and a while. hmph.
Peace
Sam
But back to salads. So I try to eat vegetables at least once in day, but the hot vegetables they serve in our cafeteria are most often peas, corn, or mixed veggies that are soggy and that I wont eat even when they are fresh. There green beans don't really taste right but I will eat them on rare occasion. If they have broccoli (about once a week?) I will eat that. but 95% of the time I am stuck with a small salad. And I am a little picky about my salads, so when I am eating the same thing every day it kind of sucks. Lettuce, Tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, occasionally 1 additional ingredient to try and make it better. Then its time to douse it in ranch or Thousand, because heaven forbid I have the will power to add "just a touch of vinaigrette" as people do. It also doesn't help that the vegetables from our salad bar taste terrible, they are covered with chemicals. I never thought I'd meet a tomato that I didn't like until now. I mean really why do you have to ruin the only fresh option we have, the salad bar?
Don't get me wrong, I know that many colleges are a lot worse, I mean by a lot, and we still have it pretty good. And I know there are starving children and hungry people all over the world who wouldn't complain. We could feed an army with the amount of food waste are school produces, so I try to waste as little as possible, and when say I realize I'm only going to eat half of something I will always try and find someone who wants the other half. I do try and do my part. Also see "PS at the end of this post.
But seriously food is such a "thing" in our lives. its crazy. and it just makes me want to talk about it even if it is to complain. But maybe we need different names for things. As i said before why salad? Maybe next time I should tell myself that I'm just gong to go eat a bowl of vegetables? But the word vegetables doesn't rank that well in my head either. But maybe it would make my daily lunch and dinner diet more appealing if I got more creative. Seriously I end up eating the same thing basically everyday in our cafeteria for both lunch and dinner.
Protein: Some form of chicken (usually fried), a hot dog, or on RARE occasion when they have it, beef/roast.
Veggie: Fucking Salad.
Carb: French fry/Potato or sometimes rice.
And that's about it. The alternative is to get a sandwich which then just combines all three food groups into one thing. It's so boring and I am so sick of eating the same things. Whats even worse is that I feel bad for my vegetarian and vegan friends who have almost no options except chemical salad or french fries/Potatoes. I mean they are required to serve at least one hot vegetarian dish but its not always vegan and its not usually very good.
I long for the day next may when I no longer live in a college dorm. I pay for a meal plan and its easy and convenient. Its also required unless you petition a serious dietary restriction. I had the experience of living and buying all my own groceries last semester and it really was so much better. I spent way less money than I pay for a meal plan, and the food was hell of a lot better.
Oh food. I wish I didn't have to deal with you sometimes.
PS: My disclaimer of sorts: I am a big supporter of the Benkadi project, which works to help the people of Guinea West Africa in multiple ways, including supporting initiatives that improve access to food and have clean drinking water. It main initiative is education. find out more here: http://medusadrums.com/benkadi.htm
I do my part to help, so I feel I am allowed to complain once and a while. hmph.
Peace
Sam
Friday, May 11, 2012
Chi-town
So due to mostly foreseen circumstances, :P I have not really discussed any of my Chi-town adventures in a great while. There's been so many it's so hard to choose. the ones I've posted about here on the blog are really only a small selection of the things I have done this semester. ACM keeps us busy. From screen printing workshops, to toxic tours of little village, to a talk by Sam Hsieh the world famous performance artist, and best yet adventures wandering around Rogers Park. So many fun things and so much art!
I'll have some more pictures up soon, but I don't have to many sadly. We get so caught up in it all that You forget to stop and snap a shot along the way. :(
If you all are ever in Rogers Park, got to the HeartLand Cafe. It is so good! Reasonably priced and just simply amazing food. The menu is not really extensive, but its all fresh and numerous vegetarian options. And REAL sweet potato fries! so yummy.
So this is a pretty random post but I just wanted to update you all on my life adventures. Tomorrow I get to go see a bunch of my friends graduate (LFC Class of 2012) so sad! but a celebration none the less.
On Sunday I get to see To Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, one of my favorite things ever. It's this amazing performance show that is one of the longest running shows in Chi. It's put on by this amazing group called the neo-futurists. The show rotates in new skits every week so its constantly changing. If you are ever in Chicago this is a must see, especially since they have a Sunday night show at 7, a great way to end a weekend when there is nothing else to do on Sunday nights.
Peace.
I'll have some more pictures up soon, but I don't have to many sadly. We get so caught up in it all that You forget to stop and snap a shot along the way. :(
If you all are ever in Rogers Park, got to the HeartLand Cafe. It is so good! Reasonably priced and just simply amazing food. The menu is not really extensive, but its all fresh and numerous vegetarian options. And REAL sweet potato fries! so yummy.
So this is a pretty random post but I just wanted to update you all on my life adventures. Tomorrow I get to go see a bunch of my friends graduate (LFC Class of 2012) so sad! but a celebration none the less.
On Sunday I get to see To Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, one of my favorite things ever. It's this amazing performance show that is one of the longest running shows in Chi. It's put on by this amazing group called the neo-futurists. The show rotates in new skits every week so its constantly changing. If you are ever in Chicago this is a must see, especially since they have a Sunday night show at 7, a great way to end a weekend when there is nothing else to do on Sunday nights.
Peace.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Chicago, the city of Bipolar weather, perfect for me!
Well with no pun intended (well maybe a little) in that title, Chicago has really been a bag of surprises lately. It has gone from sunny and 10 degrees, to sunny and 45 degrees, to 20 degrees and freezing snow that melts into lots of water the next day when it goes to 50 degrees again, and now this morning, it is lightly snowing. So despite the sky not being able to make up its mind and the unseasonably warm days we've been having, I am slowly reminded that it is still winter this morning, even though the snow is not sticking and I walked to and from the coffee shop with just a warm sweater, no jacket. I also remembered that is is now March, and that spring will soon be upon us, hopefully.
However I would love to mention the awesome coffee shop I went to this morning, but it requires a short background story before of how I ended up there. Around 10am my roommate came in and said that some people were going to get breakfast at the Cozy Diner, a cute little place by the train which I've heard nothing but good things about there food. She asked me to come and at that point I had been up for an hour or so reading and I was definitely getting hungry. I threw on a sweater over my leggings, and waited for the rest of them to finish getting ready.
Growing up Jewish, I've been to quite a few diners and breakfast places, and I assumed that my roommates had the same background knowledge about how busy diners are on a Saturday morning around 10:30, and you are always expected to wait but it rarely takes more than five or ten minutes to be seated. I guess I assumed wrong, and as soon as they saw the crowd, they quickly decided to go across the street to the Taqueria for Mexican food. I felt bad leaving them, but I just was not in the mood for Mexican this morning, so I said I'd catch them later and I was just going to walk back.
I didn't walk more than 20 feet before I saw a sign that was ringing a bell in my brain. Cafe Mustache was just staring at me from right across the street. Now, wasn't that the coffee shop that I've heard about from no less than 3 people who live or have lived around here, but had yet to try? If I couldn't try the diner this morning, why not take the opportunity to try something else new? Besides I really wanted breakfast. and Coffee. Turns out, the Coffee was really good (and bottomless!) and the scone was perfectly sweet. the place was full, but not crowded, there was no line but almost always a customer at the counter, and it was quiet, but not silent, with music you could here and a perfect hum of people, but 1000 times more relaxing than the fast paced noise you'd find in any Starbucks on a Saturday morning. I stayed a little over 20 minutes enjoying my breakfast and then decided I need not dilly dally as I have so much work to get done this weekend.
Backtrack to last night, a bunch of the students from the program were going to this comedy thing with a moderate cover charge. When I turned them down, someone said I was going to regret not going to things. I think they were pointing out the fact that I don't do things with "the group" as much as the rest of them. But in all honestly I probably more experiences than they have. I go to film screenings and coffee shops. They go to museums and Subway(the restaurant chain). When they chose to stay in and have a small gathering of students chill at the apartment last Friday night, exactly like they would do any weekend at college dorms, I chose to take advantage of free tickets to a play instead. I like to think that a lot of the students in this program take advantage of the popular, where as I like to think I take advantage if the unexpected, unpopular, or last minute. Again different interests. Peace.
However I would love to mention the awesome coffee shop I went to this morning, but it requires a short background story before of how I ended up there. Around 10am my roommate came in and said that some people were going to get breakfast at the Cozy Diner, a cute little place by the train which I've heard nothing but good things about there food. She asked me to come and at that point I had been up for an hour or so reading and I was definitely getting hungry. I threw on a sweater over my leggings, and waited for the rest of them to finish getting ready.
Growing up Jewish, I've been to quite a few diners and breakfast places, and I assumed that my roommates had the same background knowledge about how busy diners are on a Saturday morning around 10:30, and you are always expected to wait but it rarely takes more than five or ten minutes to be seated. I guess I assumed wrong, and as soon as they saw the crowd, they quickly decided to go across the street to the Taqueria for Mexican food. I felt bad leaving them, but I just was not in the mood for Mexican this morning, so I said I'd catch them later and I was just going to walk back.
I didn't walk more than 20 feet before I saw a sign that was ringing a bell in my brain. Cafe Mustache was just staring at me from right across the street. Now, wasn't that the coffee shop that I've heard about from no less than 3 people who live or have lived around here, but had yet to try? If I couldn't try the diner this morning, why not take the opportunity to try something else new? Besides I really wanted breakfast. and Coffee. Turns out, the Coffee was really good (and bottomless!) and the scone was perfectly sweet. the place was full, but not crowded, there was no line but almost always a customer at the counter, and it was quiet, but not silent, with music you could here and a perfect hum of people, but 1000 times more relaxing than the fast paced noise you'd find in any Starbucks on a Saturday morning. I stayed a little over 20 minutes enjoying my breakfast and then decided I need not dilly dally as I have so much work to get done this weekend.
Backtrack to last night, a bunch of the students from the program were going to this comedy thing with a moderate cover charge. When I turned them down, someone said I was going to regret not going to things. I think they were pointing out the fact that I don't do things with "the group" as much as the rest of them. But in all honestly I probably more experiences than they have. I go to film screenings and coffee shops. They go to museums and Subway(the restaurant chain). When they chose to stay in and have a small gathering of students chill at the apartment last Friday night, exactly like they would do any weekend at college dorms, I chose to take advantage of free tickets to a play instead. I like to think that a lot of the students in this program take advantage of the popular, where as I like to think I take advantage if the unexpected, unpopular, or last minute. Again different interests. Peace.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!
I realized I never posted pics of my new apartment so here are a few for anyone not in ACM to see! There is a massive amount of food here with six people! Also a few of us had to take a trip to Chinatown for orientation and there is a pic of that too. Had a blast. good food in Chinatown. Peace. 
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