We didn't get too crazy at the party last night (I had a mojito and 2 beers) and were home by midnight.  We woke up pretty early, but didn't get out of bed until 9:30.  It felt good to just lay there and not have to get up to do anything.  But, we finally got up because we were hungry - so we made omelets.

I had defrosted some soy chorizo I bought a few weeks ago.  I was disappointed to find that when you take it out of the casing it just crumbles - it's not solid like real chorizo sausage at all.  I mixed that with some onion, mushrooms, and red pepper for my omelet.

The chorizo tasted just okay.  It tasted just like overly seasoned Morningstar crumbles.  I won't be getting these again.  Although, I did see yesterday at New Seasons a different brand of soy chorizo.  Maybe I will try that.

We headed to the Skybox bar in Sellwood to watch the game.  I decided when we got there that I didn't want to drink and I'm proud to say that I didn't!  I was a little bit "naughty" and ordered a Diet Pepsi and clam chowder for lunch.

They had a few vegetarian items on the menu, but it was either veggie burgers, salad, or fried stuff.  I really wanted the chowder so I went ahead and got it after the waitress assured me that it didn't have bacon in it.  Thankfully, it was good - nothing is worse than bad clam chowder.  I would have been really disappointed to have ordered a non-vegetarian dish and not like it.  I also snacked on a couple of the hubby's fries.

After coming home and watching a couple more football games, I had a snack.

I really wanted to try the dark chocolate PB I picked up at Target last week and a Jonagold apple was the perfect accompaniment.  The PB was pretty good, but not necessarily very chocolatey.

Continuing my lazy day, I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so I decided on Trader Joe's Indian food.  I had a saffron cashew rice dish, also from Target, that I thought would go well with the beans and lentils, so I heated that up too.

I love that Naan from Trader Joe's.  It's in the freezer section and sooo much better than the naan you can get in the bread section.  It's pretty calorie dense so I don't get it very often.  I've had this one last piece in the freezer for months, so it was due to be eaten.

As I was making dinner, Chris suggested going to Cold Stone.  He NEVER wants to go there because he doesn't like getting the mix-ins and thinks the ice cream is too gummy.  It 50% sounded good to me, but knew if I went, that Erin would be proud of me!  Plus, I hadn't been there in years, so I thought, what the hell.  I didn't finish my dinner so that I would have room for ice cream and packaged the rest up to bring for lunch sometime this week.

I ordered a "like-it" (the smallest) sinless sweet cream (with Splenda - the horror!) and mixed in brownies and Heath bars.

I could only eat half of it before it became too much for me, so I brought it back home and stuck it in the freezer for another day.  Five years ago when I lived with my friend Bridget, we used to go to Cold Stone all the time.  I would order a chocolate dipped waffle bowl brownie sundae, with mix-ins and eat the WHOLE thing.  My, how things have changed - most definitely for the better!

It's 9 p.m. and I've been watching football all day.  It's exhausting!  I actually think I might head to bed.  I didn't get in a run like I wanted, so I'll have to do that tomorrow.  Chris is going on a photography day-trip with his Dad tomorrow to the Mt. St. Helens area, so I'll have most of the day to myself.  Yea!

It is thought by devoted food historians that the frittata has origins predating the omelet, and may have gained popularity in Italy during the observation of Lent. Traditional Italian frittata fillings include fontina cheese, garlic, nutmeg, italian sausage or ham, and sweet peppers. The American frittata craze is noted to have began in 1952, when the New York Times published the first frittata English language recipe.

Frittata's are perfect for using random leftovers when your food stock is slim, and make an excellent impromtu meal.

In this video clip, owner and executive Chef Jay DeLong of Canape Specialty Chef Services in Seattle prepares a hearty cheese and veggie frittata recipe for a perfect anytime entree.

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Click here to watch.

Traveler Brandon Follett is delighted to find a greasy cure for homesickness at Merritt's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 large eggs
1 Tbs. butter
¼ c. cooked shrimp
¼ c. Monterey Jack Cheese
1 medium green onion
½ tsp. dried parsley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. beat eggs in a bowl
2. melt butter in skillet over medium heat
3. pour eggs into skillet
4. use spatela to lift edge of omelet and let uncooked portions underneath to cook
5. spead cheese, shrimp, green onions and parsley on one side of the egg
6. fold in half and transfer to plate

Kitty was eat a mouse/rat.  It seemed too small to be a rat, but the tail was far too long to be a mouse.  I think Kitty had devoured half of it by the time I walked by so it very well could have been a rat. 

Colleen: Ew, disgusting!  That's gross cat.
Random girls in the backyard who don't live here (have I mentioned that people come and go all the time?): Blank stares in my direction.
Colleen: Awkward laugh.  The cat's eating a mouse/rat.
Random girls: Slight giggles, still uncomfortably staring at me.

I proceed to go in the back door.  I take notice of Halima in the doorway.

Colleen: Halima, the cat was eating a mouse/rat.
Halima: Oh, sore-ry. (Ugandans put a lot of emphasis on the first syllable of "sorry.")
Colleen:  It's not your fault.

I continue inside the kitchen-ish area of the orphanage.  I'm greeted by Auntie.

Auntie: Caaaaa-lean.
Colleen: Auuun-tee.
Auntie:  Hands me a plate.  Breakfast.
Colleen:  Opens the plate.  An omelet.  Delicious, but did I mention that I just saw the cat eating a mouse/rat.  Vomit*.

The end.

* I didn't vomit.  I only said that to add drama to the story, as a matter of fact I've not had any weird intestinal problems since I've been here.  I downed the omelet as fast as I could while thinking about Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar before thoughts of the torn apart mouse/rat consumed my brain again.

Er zijn heel veel gerechten waarin fijngesneden spekreepjes de extra touch geven. Om te beginnen een omelet. Daarbij moet je er wel op letten dat je spekjes en omelet niet in hetzelfde vet mag bakken, want dat geeft echt wel teveel calorieën!

Ga als volgt tewerk:
1 reepje spek (neem bij voorkeur gezouden spek, vers afgesneden, niet van die voorgesneden spekjes die je ook in de supermarkt kan vinden). Verwijder de zwoerd en ook de stukjes kraakbeen, en snij het spek in kleine reepjes. Dat mag ook met een schaar, dat is veel gemakkelijker. Doe een klontje boter in de pan, en bak de spekjes op hoog vuur tot ze knapperig zijn. Laat ze uitlekken op een stuk keukenpapier, en giet het vet weg in een potje (kan je gebruiken voor een ander gerecht).

Doe nu opnieuw een stukje boter in de pan. Terwijl je wacht tot dit smelt, breek je twee eieren in een kom, voeg je zout en peper toe, en klop je de eieren stevig met een klopper op. Is de boter uitgesist, giet dan de eieren in de pan. Voeg de spekreepjes toe. Niet roeren met een vork, maar wel aan de buitenranden het reeds gestolde gedeelte naar binnen trekken, en de nog te stollen vloeistof naar de buitenkant laten lopen door de pan scheef te houden. Zo kan je alle vloeistof laten stollen, en behoud je toch een vaste, luchtige structuur. Vervolgens draai je het omelet om met een spatel. En kijk wat een prachtig omelet!

1.   Basic omelet – Beat the eggs together. Add salt and pepper. Heat a spoonful of oil in a pan and spread the egg mix on it. Flip the omelet once it is brown and let it cook for a minute.

2.   Onion omelet – Beat the eggs together. Add salt and pepper. Add finely chopped onion. Cook it in the pan as before.

3.   Variation of onion omelet – Instead of onions, you can add finely chopped tomatoes to the egg mix or you can mix both onions and tomatoes too.

4.   Veggie omelet – Chop finely some cabbage, carrots, onions and tomatoes and fry it in a pan. Mix this with the eggs and beat it together. Then make the omelet.

5.   Masala omelet – Beat the eggs together and add salt and pepper in it. Heat a spoonful of oil in a pan and spread the egg mix on it. Once the underside is brown, put fried cheese and veggie mixture on it and fold the omelet three ways to make a triangle.

6.   Healthy omelet – Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Beat the egg whites together and add minimal salt and pepper. Prepare the omelet as a basic omelet in a pan. The removal of egg yolk reduces the fat content and leaves only proteins behind making this a very healthy preparation.

7.   Sunny side up/down – Heat a spoonful of oil in a pan. Break the egg directly on the pan. Let the egg white coagulate and take it off once the underside is brown. This omelet is called sunny side up as the appearance is of a sun against a white background. If you do not wish to eat a runny yolk, just flip the omelet and let it cook for a minute before taking if off the pan. This omelet is called sunny side down.

8:25am-9:05am: Run around the neighborhood = 175 cals burned.

10:50am: Le Peep bfast! 1/2 of a White lightning omelet: Lean diced chicken, onions, green chilis, and blended cheeses topped with avocado, diced tomatoes, and side of chunky salsa (225). Served with fruit (100) and 1/2 toasted and buttered English wheat muffin (mm) (105) Breakfast = 430 cals

1:50pm: banana (90)
2:10pm: 20 Spelt pretzels (120) , 2 tbsp pistachios(80), 1 strawberry fruit flat (40) Trail mix snack= 240 cals.

4:20pm: 1/2 Nature Ovens Brainy bagel with 85 cals of almond butter (200)

7pm: 1 veggie burger (175), 1 slice of american cheese (110), 3 pieces of lettuce/ 2 tomato slices/ relish/mustard (30), baked beans (100) = 415 cals. But I ate pretty fast because I was hungry/cold...not a good combo! So I feel full now, but looking back, the calories weren't too high. Once this settles, I may be hungry, in which case, I'll have an applesauce or something!

net: 1330

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/omelet/index.html

My food choices have changed a bit, but breakfast for dinner is still delicious. I made and omelet with broccoli, onion, tomato, sting cheese sliced up, and green pepper. On the side I had sweet potato fries.

For dessert I decided to have more breakfast - actually the left overs from my brown rice porridge this morning.

I then got side tracked cutting up some carrot and cucumber sticks, before i knew it my omelet was burnt :(. I toped it with the sauteed vegetables, added some reduced fat shredded mozzarella and folded it and waited for the cheese to get all melty

It was still pretty nice and i couldn't really taste that it was burnt. Omelets are one of my favorite foods to make for my self. I can whip one up in a a matter of minutes, they are delicious and also can be really nutritious and filling from all that protien from the eggs.

On the side i also had the carrot and cucumber slices and sugar snap peas from our garden.

After Lunch i still felt a bit hungry so i had these new  Sun Rice BBQ Flavored Rice Cakes. The packet comes with 3 and they actually  tasted pretty good

Sept. 18, 2008   7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sept. 26, 2008   7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sept. 27, 2008   7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sept. 28, 2008   7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

— Carly Fisher

Menu sarapan favorit saya adalah omelet, yang sering saya buat di hari liburan. saya suka omelet penuh keju dan daging asap. tak terlalu baik buat orang dengan kolesterol tinggi sayangnya.

berikut adalah resep omelet favorit saya

Bahan

4 butir telur segar

2 sendok makan susu bubuk

1 lembar daging asap, potong tipis

4 lembar keju slice, dipotong potong

1/4 bawang bombai (atau seperlunya), cincang

10 buah jamur champignon segar (atau seperlunya)

garam dan merica secukupnya

Pembuatan

kocok telur dan susu bubuk sampai rata, setelah itu baru
tambahkan bahan bahan lain. Tuangkan adonan secukupnya ke penggorengan yang telah diolesi minyak / margarin (coba pake minyak zaitun deh, aromanya wangi banget) lalu panaskan dengan api sedang. Tunggu sampai kulit luarnya agak keras, setelah itu lipat omeletjadi bentuk setengah lingkaran, kecillkan api tunggu hingga omelet matang ( sekitar 2 -3 menit). ulangi sampai adonan habis

hidangkan dengan kentang goreng, saus tomat

oh ya, ini buat 2 omelet sih. tapi mungkin bisa untuk 3 omelet dengan porsi kecil

kenyang deh ~

Yesterday I got up to make oatmeal, but I realized that I was out of Smucker's sf syrup! NO! I considered the options. I could use a pinch of brown sugar. I could use real maple syrup (!!). Or i could forego the sweet oatmeal and try the savory oats that I've been seeing on other blogs. After about five minutes I decided FORGET IT! Why compromise?! So I made a random assortment of stuff: a plum, 1/2 cup microwaved egg whites, and an Ezekial muffin w/ sf apricot jam on top.

I've only recently started eating plums. I figure I eat prunes all the time so why not go for the original source? They're so CUTE and delicious! And portable! I could fit like 100 of those babies in my purse! That's probably more than I'd want to eat in a 24 hour period but you know what I mean!

Anyways. Yesterday was the best day of my life because I FINALLY GOT TO WORK OUT AGAIN. Thank you all for being patient and listening to me whine about not making it to the gym. The combination of work, flooding, and being exhausted prevented me from going this week. I only went once. So yesterday I went and seriously kicked my butt with ham/glute/quad exercises and an hour on the elliptical. It was so, so glorious! Before I went I ate this bar:

I caught up on Rachel Zoe while doing cardio. Anyone else watch her? I love Brad. I wish he was my next door neighbor!

Lunch was a mammoth salad.

• baby spinach
• broccoli slaw
• baby apple
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• lots of red onion
• Boar's Head turkey
• apple cider vinegar
• squirt of Agave
• sweet pickles

I decided not to add jalapenos. My poor digestive system needs a little break.

I went to work this afternoon. What better way to spend a Saturday? Actually, I don't mind at all. I stayed there until about six. This was my afternoon snack:

When I got home, Rob was asleep on the couch. Nice, but hello! He told me he'd grill chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner. I was really hungry at this point so we decided to just make whatever we felt like. I went looking for the Boar's head turkey I used for lunch but couldn't find it. Turns out I'd put it in a drawer next to the sink. Ha! Well, we had to throw that away, obviously, and I went with breakfast for dinner.

While I cooked, I ate the last of my baked tofu.

It's so good plain. Then I had two Kashi Heart to Heart waffles with sf apricot jam and an egg white omelet. I mixed 2/3 cup egg whites with a mashed up Laughing Cow light, cooked that for awhile, then added spinach, bell pepper, and red onion.

I put the bomb raspberry salsa on top. It was awesome! The only problem was I didn't realize how filling it would be. For the next three hours I felt WAY too full. I ran some errands and stuff to get rid of the sensation. I also drank an All-Bran lemonade because I knew there was no way I'd be eating a bowl of fiber before bed.

Around 10:00, I wanted a little something before bed, so I had 1/2 cup nf plain yogurt mixed with a couple prunes and a bowl of grapes.

I loved reading about your favorite ethnic foods yesterday. I'm surprised no one mentioned Polish food, though. C'mon - pierogies? Pork knuckles? Kielbasa? ;) Joke. I have to represent the Polish people because my husband is half Pole.

Which brings me to my question for today! What's your heritage? I'm predominantly Irish. Erin go bragh!

I made a quick lunch before I went to my mom's house. She needed help loading songs on her ipod. I made a chicken salad with mixed greens, olives, zucchini, cucumber, sprouts, cheese, and croutons with a light balsamic vinaigrette.

Tonight for dinner I'm planning on making tacos for Mike and a big taco salad for me....and a few light beers to drink. Hopefully I'll be able to post the picture later.

EDIT: When Mike got home from taking his test we went to his sister's house, but before we left I had a spinach pizza and 2 coors lights. When we got to his sister's I made myself a turkey sandwich with mustard, cheese and lettuce with Doritos. I also had 2 bud light limes and a ice cream bar (270 calories). Not a very healthy night, but I'll make up for it tomorrow. :)

Ham and Cheese Omelet

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs sour cream
• salt, pepper, marjoram
• butter
• ham
• mild cheddar cheese

Beat the eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper and marjoram. Melt the butter in a skillet that has a lid. Cut up the ham and cook it a bit in the butter, then pour the eggs over it, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Put on the lid and cook on medium low heat until the edges brown and the top is dry. Fold in half.

Charlie and I split this between us.

If you have fresh mushrooms, cook them in a DRY skillet until they're brown and toasty-smelling, then add the butter, ham, etc.

After breakfast, I helped Charlie put two windows in the office. ...Well, okay, HE took the old windows out, brought the new windows up from the basement, made sure the openings fit them perfectly, edged them with insulation, lined the opening with caulk, fitted them in and screwed them in place. But I was the one who went outside and made sure the shims fit into the shim slots. He couldn't have done it without me.

Then Mom and I went out to lunch with my cousins Paulette and Patricia. They're so much fun and so kind. We're very lucky in our relatives. We went to lunch at O'Charley's, where we found that a school chum of our youngest daughter is now manager there. Yay, Adam! I ended up ordering a cup of loaded potato soup and a dish of artichoke/spinach dip with tortilla chips. Ate all the soup, but the dip was too rich for me.

After we'd visited with the cousins for a couple more hours, I came home and cooked some corn on the cob and mashed potatoes and braised a chicken breast in oregano and spinach. Much nice.

MA

Writing exercise: You go somewhere and find an old school friend of one of your children in a position of responsibility. I'm cheating on this one, because I've already written a story using this.

I’ve been trying to look a little more deeply at the vegan lifestyle this week, and not always succeeding. It’s quite interesting to see the workings of a subculture which you’ve never before seen in any much detail, by which I mean that you see all kinds of interesting arguments. It’s like hearing a fight in a language where you’re sort of competent but not fully fluent — you don’t get all the references and idioms, but find yourself fascinated despite yourself.
Read the rest

I've been trying to look a little more deeply at the vegan lifestyle this week, and not always succeeding. It's quite interesting to see the workings of a subculture which you've never before seen in any much detail, by which I mean that you see all kinds of interesting arguments. It's like hearing a fight in a language where you're sort of competent but not fully fluent — you don't get all the references and idioms, but find yourself fascinated despite yourself.

We can quite easily start with the debate over honey, for example, which I've mentioned briefly before. The Vegan Society, the big boss of the movement, says it's a no-no. Then again, they also say that you shouldn't wear wool or leather, which makes me think that what they're promoting is more properly called lifestyle veganism than dietary veganism.

The site Vegan Outreach, on the other hand, has a more lenient and relaxed perspective on the subject, saying in regards to the question, "What about Honey and Silk?":

[I]t depends on one’s definition of “vegan.” Insects are animals, and so their products, such as honey and silk, are often not considered vegan. Many vegans, however, are not opposed to using insect products, because they do not believe insects are conscious of pain. Moreover, even if insects were conscious of pain, it’s not clear that the production of honey involves any more pain for insects than the production of most vegetables or other sweeteners, since the harvesting and transportation of all crops involve insect deaths. The question remains a matter of scientific debate and personal choice. When cooking or labeling food for vegans—particularly vegans you don't know—it’s best to be on the safe side and not include honey. As for vegan advocacy, we think it's best to avoid the issue as a defining one.

So it's obviously not as cut-and-dried as many people think. It also brings up other side issues, as this very good article from Slate attests:

Honey accounts for only a small percentage of the total honeybee economy in the United States; most comes from the use of rental hives to pollinate fruit and vegetable crops. According to food journalist Rowan Jacobson, whose book Fruitless Fall comes out this September, commercial bees are used in the production of about 100 foods, including almonds, avocados, broccoli, canola, cherries, cucumbers, lettuce, peaches, pears, plums, sunflowers, and tomatoes. Even the clover and alfalfa crops we feed to dairy cows are sometimes pollinated by bees.

Life for these rental bees may be far worse than it is for the ones producing honey. The industrial pollinators face all the same hardships, plus a few more: They spend much of their lives sealed in the back of 18-wheelers, subsisting on a diet of high-fructose corn syrup as they're shipped back and forth across the country. Husbandry and breeding practices have reduced their genetic diversity and left them particularly susceptible to large-scale die-offs.

This is obviously something unpleasant to contemplate for many vegans: the lifestyle would be untenable in many places without the possibility of obtaining fresh vegetables on a weekly basis during the wintertime, which is dependent upon large scale industrial farming. While use of industrial beehives is not technically eating animal products, it does depend upon the suffering and unpleasant lifestyle accorded to the bees themselves, which rather makes a mockery of the stance of avoidance of animal cruelty at any cost; if one cannot eat honey because it is cruel to bees (a position which is by no means logically unassailable) because it is cruel to bees, then it follows that one ought also not to eat food which has been produced using industrial pollinating hives. At this point, by this standard, the only viably and entirely vegan option is to buy a farm and grow everything yourself, taking care to harvest everything by hand so as not to kill anything living in your fields; and even if you do avoid honey, you can't have sugar a lot of the time. Happily, such organisations as Vegan Outreach suggest a more common sense approach.

Vegans have something of a reputation for being stern, moralistic and dull; presumably this occurs between fainting fits. I imagine that this is also dependent upon the fact that a lot of our cultural conception of what is fun depends upon eating and drinking, and given that a lot of vegans who do it for their health are also likely to be teetotallers, this rather gets them coming and going. That being said, I recently came across a rather funny vegan blog called Yeah, That "Vegan" Shit, which has a funny as all get out post called More "The Most Bizarre Google Searches by Which People Stumble Across This Blog", which handily leads to an archive of previous post, which is all similarly gigglesome. Some of it almost beats my personal favourite on The Odd Blog, which is dinosaur noises.

A more serious but ultimately very very good site is SusanV's FatFree Vegan Kitchen, which has dozens of excellent recipes for vegans, most of which are very low fat and very nutritious. She even managed to come up with a vegan omelette, believe it or not, and I'm particularly intrigued by the recipe for vadouvan, a kind of French-Indian seasoning from Pondicherry.

While we're on the subject of nutrition, I came across something which worried me rather: Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient for human beings. Essential in the same way that water, air and... stuff is essential kind of essential. Yeah, that essential. If you don't have it, you're screwed, because not having it makes your brain melt or something. Ok, I may be am overstating it slightly, but it is an essential component for correct neural functions.

Apparently the only way for humans to reliably get this vitamin is via eating meat, dairy and eggs. Basically, the only reliable source of B12 for a vegan is to eat fortified foods or to take a supplement, neither of which I am crazy about as an idea.

Fortified foods tend to be more expensive, more so than is warranted for what you get in them, and I dislike the idea of taking supplements; I've long been of the opinion that you should be able to get everything your body needs from dietary sources, unless you're ill in some fashion. In the case of most people, vitamin pills basically amount to the ingredients for expensive urine. Don't get me wrong, if that's your thing, go crazy, but I'd rather not be literally pissing away money like that if I can avoid it. However, while I'm against supplements, apparently the digestive uptake of B12 is fairly good in supplements, so I will be taking a daily B12 supplement. But I'm only doing it under protest so I don't die or become suitable for vegan consumption.

One more thing, and then I'm gone, Columbo-style. Tonight's dinner. I've been craving something simple and easy, and I think I have it: I bought corn on the cob earlier today, and will be eating that. I'll be grilling (broiling to you Merkans) it with some oil, salt and pepper. Alongside - chips/fries, slathered with salt and vinegar. I may cook something else with, but I'm not sure. Maybe some tomatoes and green peppers... Yeah, that sounds good. I'd better get and prepare some of it.

I'll post again tomorrow, but in the meantime, everyone take care and enjoy your weekend.

Crossposted on The Odd Blog

If you are looking for a simple way to entertain your kids and get out of cooking Saturday morning breakfast at the same time, the old "eggs and food coloring trick" may be just the solution you need.   My girls stumbled on the idea this morning and ran with it, giving Paulano an easy blog topic for the day.

Basic steps:

* Heat skillet.
* Whisk eggs.
* Separate eggs into 2 or more bowls.   One bowl should contain a majority of the eggs, and should be used as your "background color".
* Use food coloring to tint the egg mixtures in each bowl.
* Paint the skillet with egg mixture, using whatever utensils you think will make a cool "brush".
* Cover drawing with your "background color".
* Add cheese, cook, flip and serve.

If you are the type of person that watches the Food Network, if you go to Farmer's Markets, if you know what slow food is, or if you know the price of arugula, you may be interested in the food lover gifts, chef gifts, cooking gifts, and restauranteur gifts at Kyle Design.   Be sure to check it out!

Kyle has dozens of items with food-themed images including switchplates, nightlights, metal wallets, condom cases and business card cases.

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By the time I got home (8:30pm) I was starving...I snacked on some Annie's cheddar crackers and dark chocolate chips. I wanted something quick for dinner so I made a spinach omelet using egg beaters, spinach, jalapeno mexican cheese, avocado and salsa. On the side I had a morningstar sausage patty and an english muffin with lowfat cream cheese.

The days are definitely getting longer. This didn't happen until 7:00!

15 minutes later...

Andrea, do you ever miss the big sky?

I knew I didn't want oatmeal today, so I just opened the fridge and stared at its contents until inspiration hit. I made an omelet using 3/4 cup egg whites and one Laughing Cow light herb cheese mashed in with the whites. Then I stuffed it with spinach, lots of basil, red onion, and red pepper chunks. Yum! I topped it with peach chipotle salsa.

And I paired it with a slice of Rudi's ww bread with sf apricot preserves.

I read ALL morning. Probably for five hours. Ew! I love to read...just not research articles w/ tons of stats!

My morning snack: a little pluot and an Oikos.

I cleaned the entire house before making a big lunch. Sometimes when I make a salad, I get tempted to put in EVERYTHING I can think of. Today I had to hold off. I almost added quinoa, corn, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichokes, cottage cheese, etc.!

Instead, I threw in:

• baby spinach
• broccoli slaw
• yellow bell pepper
• tons of basil
• red onion
• tofu turkey
• sweet pickles
• jalapenos
• sprouts

I rolled some of it into a Flat-Out (I love doing this with salad). I also had half a baby apple.

Warning: that is the first in a series of blurry pictures

After lunch, Rob and I ran a bunch of errands together. We had to go down to my office to fix something at my desk (the drawer handle, for those interested) and I ended up cleaning all the furniture and dusting all horizontal surfaces, which is the perfect way to start the week. I LOVE TO CLEAN. I also love to bargain shop! We hit Target and I got some stickers (for my class), a beard trimmer (for my lumberjack hub), and a maxi dress (for your bloated friend Erin). I got it a couple days ago in another color. If you like shapeless dresses to wear in hot weather, check it out - it's Mossimo and costs about $22!

We had to bounce out of Target, because I could feel some major hangriness approaching!

I was in the mood for hummus, so I had a nice blob of that (Sabra's) with a couple carrots and some of last night's corn. I also tossed in a few prunes for some sweet!

And then it was time to work. :( I try not to do that on Sundays (when Rob's awake, anyway) but I had a lot of reading to do.

I made pizzas tonight inspired by both Em and Rose! I used a Flat-Out for the crust (Em's technique) and toppings inspired by Rose, who makes one fresh pizza! I included the blogger secret ingredient that Heather announced today: tomatoes!

Mediterranean Pizza (in 5-10 minutes)

Crust: Flat-Out Multigrain wrap, sprayed with olive oil spray and seasoned with garlic, oregano, and chili pepper flakes

Toppings:

• spinach
• basil
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
• 2 T feta
• red onion
• sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• thinly sliced zucchini

Instructions: Bake at 350-400 for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is and how much crunch you want.

I actually don't like raw tomatoes at all; I think they're revolting. They make my throat close up (unless they're sweet 100s, which I've only had twice). But I am so down with SDTs! They're so chewy, sweet, and intense! You can buy them dehydrated or packed in oil. I usually get the dehydrated variety, but the ones in oil are plump and melty and the oil in the jar works great as a marinade or salad dressing.

After dinner I did yoga. I didn't go to the gym today :shock: but I'm not freaking out over it. Partly because all that cleaning sorta felt like a workout.

After dinner, I baked lots of tofu, watched a DVR'd Hills episode, groomed, changed the sheets, cleaned up the kitchen, and spent some quality time with my animals. Just being near them is very calming and wonderful for me. I also took this picture for you guys - it seemed appropriate, given how I started this post!

Not bad, huh?

Then it was time for a snack! I had frozen grapes (which I left out to defrost for a little bit) and a mixture of 1/2 cup pumpkin and 1/2 cup nf plain yogurt. I also drank an all-bran pink lemonade.

I'm actually excited to tackle this week! How about you guys?

I've decided to end my posts with a question, because I'm interested in all of you and I love the dialogue that goes on in the comments section. I see other bloggers do it and I really like it! I'm not sure that all of mine will be related to food and exercise, though. And I might forget to do it sometimes.

Here's my first one: Do you have a pet? If so, please describe! :)

Night guys!

So when Lisa came down to Philly for the weekend, I decided to take her on a tour of the standards in brunch.  We had plans to meet up with college friends; we had plans to get absolutely toasted; we had plans to sit and talk and catch up and get to the meat of our own existential crises.  But more importantly, we had plans to eat.  And a weekend retreat equals two prime opportunities for brunching à la wherever you are.  The decisions we made were based as much on walkability (we wanted a minor trek) as on stomach (we both decided against heaviness; hangovers and weight aren't a good match).  But I also wanted Lisa to see a bit of Philly, and so we ended up walking quite a bit and checking out some of Philly's cute(r?) neighborhoods.

It's one thing to be a college student at the outskirts of a major city: you go into "town" maybe once or twice a month, push that to three in birthday months.  You know the city is there but you don't utilize it unless you have an assignment or a specific purpose (art history classes that direct you to the PMA; women's studies courses with an internship component).  So you graduate, and you've spent, what? a total of 36 afternoons in a city that has an incredible amount of things to offer?

Tsk, tsk.  Obviously, the way to remedy that is to come back once the demands of paper-writing, club-running, thesis-drafting, etc are behind you.  When you can give time to the city that was there for you, even if you didn't remember to visit all that often.  So Lisa's visit was as much a glorification in Philadelphia as it was a reunion.  Making the most of her time was, therefore, a guilty necessity.

We decided on a sampling of Philly's best.  Some may disagree with me here; that's fine.  But in a quest for comfort foods, familiar faces, and places representative of the Philadelphia entrepreneurial spirit, I think Lisa and I hit all the right places.  On Friday night, we opted for a range of places: Raw sushi and sake lounge, Cuba Libre, Sugar Mom's and Apothecary.  The food at Raw was exquisite; our waitress was eager with helpful suggestions and we waddled out, nicely full and ready for some exploring.  Cuba Libre granted us a pair of very sweet mojitos; Sugar Mom's turned out not to be quite what we wanted at the time, but will be a place I return to.  (Though, truth be told, I prefer Tattooed Mom's.  I'm just putting that out there.)  But we struck gold at Apothecary.

I'm always excited to see friends doing what they love.  Be that creating a show for the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival or building crazy new artworks, I like seeing people enjoy themselves in a way that supports them.  Maybe it's because I'm still seeking out that perfect melding of passion and salary; whatever it is, walking into Apothecary and realizing the bartenders were college comrades was certainly an experience I was not expecting but one that I'll treasure.  On the practical side, of course, was the fact that they knew their drinks inside and out and could tailor them to Lisa and my specification (don't want ginger in a ginger-infused beverage? try elderflower instead).  So big props there.

Saturday was the Big Day.  Not only was there a party in Jersey--send-off celebrations in this age group inevitably turn into reunions; that's the other reason people go to them--but Saturday was the day of Lisa's first Philly brunch.  Heavy from dinner and drinks the night before (and recovering from a 5-week Brazilian getaway), Lisa wanted something light on the eggs.  Not easy to do when you're talking brunch.  A walk was also determined as a "must" for the event, and so we bustled off in search of Beau Monde's amazing crepes.  Lisa picked the Smoked Trout, Leek and Spinach crepe; I opted for the Mushroom, Bacon and Goat Cheese.  I cannot say this enough: I am addicted to Beau Monde's crepes.  In fact, I would be there right now if, well, if a bajillion things weren't waiting for me to do today.  Sigh.

From Beau Monde (where we enjoyed an Elvis medley) we wandered in the Italian Market a little bit; I bought plums and Lisa bought loose-leaf tea.  (Lisa also ended up with a new pair of mustard colored flats, too, for those of you seeking new ideas in footwear.)  From there, we made our way to Capogiro.  The idea was to get coffee, but I was quickly distracted by the luscious flavors of gelato.  Lisa tried a few but ultimately returned to her coffee needs; I, instead, went with a melding of the basil lemon and the kiwi gelatos.  Yum!

After that, the party In Jersey (which was suprisingly close; I sometimes forget how not far parts of Jersey are).  Which led to dinner at Good Dog.  Something about Good Dog is so fascinatingly comforting that I have a hard time remembering it's a bar.  It's become the place to go after an event--a happy hour, a party, a good conversation you/I don't want to end.  It's loud, certainly, but it's homey and the food is surprisingly good.  What more do you need?

Sunday morning dawned, lush and lovely.  Lisa was heading out in the early afternoon but wanted to have a star Philly brunch before she left.  So what was I to do?  One thing, and one thing only: take the girl to Sabrina's.  While the Buggles played in the background, Lisa had the Apple Cheddar Omelet and I the Eggs Benedict Florentine.  Though the cheddar wasn't as sharp as she'd have preferred, the omelet nonetheless hit the spot.  As for me, this was my first foray into the Eggs Benedict realm.  With an avocado-tomato topping, the dish hit the spot.  Now I know: Hollandaise is not merely for D, who still gushes about her eggs benedict at Honey's.

And that, it seems, is how to do Philly when you're in for a satisfying, homey, retreat from responsibility.   Most of the weekend was spent on foot, and so Lisa got a tour of the Philadephia she'd missed in college and reacquainted herself with the parts of the city she had known.  I've always thought Philly was sort of like a childhood memory: it is present for you in some form, but not until you're actually thinking about it or confronted by it does it seem real and true.

-bisoux

]]> http://blackcoffeeandbourbon.wordpress.com/?p=771 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:05:56 +0000 Black Coffee & Bourbon http://blackcoffeeandbourbon.nl.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/i-actually-made-an-omelette/

I love eating omelettes but have never been able to successfully make one until this morning.  My prior attempts have usually ended up with the egg being ripped in half and looking very sad.  However, for some reason this morning everything worked out.  I placed my small frying pan on the stove, gave it a once over with some non-stick cooking spray and set the heat to med/high. 

In a bowl I cracked two free-range eggs and added a little water.  I then beat them and tossed in a little kosher salt and pepper.  Once the pan was at the right temperature I poured the mixture in and allowed it to cook.  When the edges looked firm I swirled the remaining egg around to get a little more of it to cook before attempting to flip the omlette over. 

This is the point where I usually make a mess of things, but to my surprise I was able to flip the omelette over with a small spatula without destroying it! I decided to fill it with some leftover sauteed peppers and onions I had sitting in the fridge along with some feta cheese. 

As I slid the omelette onto my plate I was very happy and ran to get my camera as I felt a need to immortalize my first successful omelette!

Let us start with Rabri this time-Mahaveer Rabri in  Mishra Rajaji Ka Rasta, and Raja Park and  on Tonk Road.

Sodhani's on Tonk Road offers  Rasgulla's, Kulfi and great Dal ki Kachori's besides rest of the sweets.

Sambharwala  in Ghi walon ka rasta for Ghewar & phini and Doodh Mishtan Bhandar in Chand Pole Bazaar (near Sikar House area) for the same items and also for good Chaat.

For Gulab Sakri & Mishri Mawa -  Somy Ji Rawat in Sonthli walon ka Rasta & LMB.

For Gajak - Narayan ji in Johri Bazar & Jagannath Ji in Ghi walon ka Rasta.

Sanjay omelet at Janta Store,Bapu Nagar  for Omelet.

Dal-Baati-Choorma & Rasmalai & Rajbhog at Natraj on M.I.Road

Chinese cuisine at the Golden Dragon,near Bake Hut off M.I.Road

Sundaes and Milk Shakes At the Ice Cream Parlour next to Surya Mahal Restaurant on M.I.Road

Shree Maya Restaurant on M.I.Road for a good vegetarian meal

Dana Paani Restaurant in Vidhya Dhar Nagar offers Fast Food Joint & a Disco besides a Restaurant.

For Paan Mohan & Prem Paan Bhandar on M.I.Road & Murli Paan Bhandar In Tripolia Bazaar.

Karan's Guesthouse

Once we parked in the crowded parking lot, you could tell you were in for something good. The robust smell of breakfast filled the air. By the smell of breakfast I mean full bodied coffee, infused with crispy fried bacon waftingbthrough the air.

First thing you notice is the expansive glass windows. It gives everyone driving by a chance to see the long line of hungry customers. Once inside you see it's like a cafeteria style diner.  With plenty of seating for everyone in line.  You'll find that most people get their orders to-go.  Once you get in line, even though long it moves pretty quickly.  Their system works very well.  While in line, you have time to decide from the many breakfast options on the menu for your gastric journey.  They have numerous omelets, grits based breakfast bowls, and the other standard fare.  Also they have some great square large biscuits.  They give three with each entree.  I can't see how any one can eat three AND their meal, but its there for the brave.

When you finally get to the counter, you are presented with more options.  You can grab a mug, and pour your own cup of Joe.  They also have decaf.  There aren't any mocha latte blah blah here.  Just regular, but very good Joe.  There is a lady behind the counter that will ask for your drink order, if it's anything other than the coffee.  Once you get to place your order, you pay and take a seat and wait.  For a place that offers that many options, they have very fast service.  If you are dining in, the two waitresses will bring your order by calling your name.  Thats when the magic happens.  

I had the Sausage Omelet.  It is made up of patty sausage and American cheese, that's cooked inside the omelet.  it comes with three huge biscuits, a small cup of grits and grey thick gravy for the biscuits.  My better half had the bacon omelet, that is made with whole strips of not too crispy bacon.  I'm not sure what brand of pork meat they use, but it was perfect.  Each omelet was loaded with the afore mentioned meats, and was cooked to perfection.

While you're enjoying the food, the great service continues.  They are checking on your periodically to see if you need more coffee or anything else.  You come away from there feeling welcome and not rushed.  After we finished the meal, we sat and talked for awhile.  It's a sight to just sit there and watch the people come and go, and how the whole process works.  Not once was there a break down or slow down.  

It gets a four of five brownies.