Food Obsessions: The first online post (part two).

Begin part two.


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The last remaining bites of leftover chicken mole and arroz rojo on really great nixtamal corn tostadas I just discovered thanks to my friend Rebecca2. These tostada shells are imported from Mexico and only have nixtamal corn, salt and a smidgen of some natural preservative. Please find them, they will change your life! They can literally transform anything leftover into a meal. Here is their website in Spanish: http://www.sanissimo.com/ In Wisconsin, they carry them at Woodman's - a regional superchain




Rising Buns: above.

I will never buy hamburger buns again after last summer. When perusing the Internet for recipes I came across What Geeks Eat: http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/2008/06/24/the-weakest-link-the-hamburger-bun/ and got this amazing recipe. I use half of Vanessa's recipe for 12 2 oz-ish buns. Leftovers make great pressed sandwiches the next day. I also use bread flour and let the dough rise in a warmed oven (preheat to 175 Fahrenheit and then turn off) for about an hour instead of the longer cooler rise she does. I also form rolls by hand rather than the cylinder method she uses. Mine look to be a bit softer than hers, but nonetheless very delicious.

Baked Buns: to the left.


I had insane cravings for coconut macaroons. These weren't quite perfections, but were very edible. Especially crumbled into vanilla ice cream spiked with rum and chocolate...




I know that Martha Stewart is supposed to be the preeminent authority on all things relating to the household...but sometimes I wonder who is testing her recipes. It was very tasty and healthy, if not a little on the dense side, but it's a good thing I used half the recipe (by weight) because there was so much flour in this baby that my Professional Kitchen Aid had a hard time keeping up. And there was no way I could have kneaded by hand, seeing as I am not a professional arm wrestler.

I now know that I have to figure out how to import pictures faster. I lost information twice here typing things in, and actually will admit that I split this in 2 parts because it would not save any more info on the first half of the post. I can hardly believe I'm THAT wordy... Now to find time to research the technicalities.

Food Obsessions : April 2009, the first online post (part one).

I am posting my recent obsessions of food photography here for the first time. The last post I sent to my short email list was about a month ago already, and I'm surprised continuously how fast time goes. A month ago I was in the midst of my Angelina Jolie lips: I finally connected that it was my new shampoo. Even though it was almost entirely organic, the dermatologist thought it may have been the resin in the raspberry leaves, the first ingredient on the list. Fortunately, after I stopped using it, my lips are feeling completely normal again. Unfortunately, however, they are no longer as seductive as Angelina's.

On with the photos:

It nearly killed me to eat this sandwich, due to my lip problem at the time, but it was entirely worth it. I made one for Sasa to take to work too. I was in the mood for sprouting things, so after the 4 days or so it took my sprouts to sprout I celebrated with this: hummus, baked and breaded eggplant and oven roasted tomatoes from Mollie Weizenberg's article in Bon Appetit. I was also excited at my revelation to bake softer oat flour bread on a piece of parchment so it would slide onto the baking stone without sticking. All in all a very winning combination.

Clearly, I have fantasies about becoming a photographer.

I've made this same mango crisp 4 times this month... The last time, I used hardly any sugar and really delicious champagne mangoes in the filling, and I thought it was the best yet. I wish I were virtuous and enjoyed this best with yogurt, but sadly it's really the best with ice cream. I secretly enjoyed that neither my husband or little boy would eat any, but then justified by making really small amounts only one mango at a time.

Post Easter egg salad sandwich, with sprouts.

End part one.

I will never doubt you again...(or The Case of Salmon Roe Addiction)

Tonight we were going to go for dinner, but our boy, 2.5, was under the weather. So we ordered take away from Lotus Restaurant, a Japanese/Chinese place in nearby Oak Creek. I have eaten here several times - the first time scrupulously because it offers both Japanese and Chinese, but we are not exactly smack dab in the middle of a culinary hotbed here on the near southside of Milwaukee so we checked it out. When our boy was mere months, we were semi regulars since he was a great dinner companion when he was a small tot... Now we eat there only every once in a while, but tonight we had the best meal ever...and completely by accident.

My husband pretty much said this was what we were getting: Amazing Sushi. Really, that is what it was called. It was described as "7 pcs double sushi (2 kinds mixed and 1 crabmeat hand roll)". It didn't sound too amazing to me. But I admit when I am wrong. I had wanted to order regular sushi maki rolls. He insisted. I said fine, I'm sure it will be good. But I thought only good, not GREAT, not the best amazing sushi I may have ever had...

We've eaten at many sushi places, some not so great holes in the wall, some really good, some super expensive. But none of my experiences came close to eating these 7 pieces of double sushi with my husband while boy was watching I Spy in the living room. I only wish I thought to photograph each piece before eating. Only after the satiating first few bites, did I regain composure enough to think of it...

Look at them, in the dimming light of our first really warm day in Wisconsin: they are perfect. We had already gulped down the kobe beef one, neither of us had ever had anything like it.

I never had salmon roe before, but I tell you this: I will definitely be having it again. If I could find a reasonable way to have this in my fridge at all times, I can already think of about 100 ways to use it. It is delicious. It is like pure essence of salmon, with salty overwhelmingness and that pleasant pop that all fish eggs have. I could go on, but I think I will spare you.

The second piece we shared (I'm glad we took it home, because I didn't feel bad gingerly slicing each piece in half so we could both try...) was lobster. Who knows what was on it, but it was so good, we could hardly talk about it. All that was left was this tiny claw:

And salmon that would make a Jewish Delicatessen blush!

These were the best, silkiest salmon pillows we ever ate...

We think this was real crabmeat (not depressingly, flabby crab stick) with white tuna wrapped around it...with green onions and tobiko.

All in all I have to say, Honey, I will never doubt you again. This was up there on the top ten of most memorable meals. And to think it is right in our backyard...

The Ultimate Playlist (aka: mixtape #1)

I would say that I probably love music. Most likely more than the average everyday person. I would also say I couldn't nail down my favorite genre; I am as likely to listen to Miles Davis as to Billy Idol...though I guess Miles would win if it came down to it. He does claim the ring on my cell phone after all. For a couple of years, I kind of fell out with music purchase, and came rather late to the electronic music revolution. I was sticking to my guns with hundreds of cassette tapes, an ample vinyl collection, and of course the CD. I think I may have been stubborn.

9/14/2007 at 8:49 p.m. changed all of that. That was my first foray into the downloading universe. And I'm sure that I only began because I got an iTunes gift card for my birthday in September. It all began with Carmen McRae's You Took Advantage of Me.

Some time ago I read Stephen King's article on his top 20 most played songs in Entertainment Weekly. I never looked at my play counts until after his article. Then I realized that there is something to it. Tracking songs that you listen to again and again seems to show you what you already know to be true about yourself. It's no secret that every song somehow transports you to another place or time, either one you experienced firsthand, or one that you somehow missed out on due to age or morality.

So without further delay, my top 10 most played songs (maybe the next ten will appear in a day or two). I will preface with the fact that I have only included purchased music since 9/14/07 - and have not included the collection of CD's that I have imported. I may make an exception as I keep writing, but I'll try not to. In the instance there are ties, I will pick my favorite or list both.

  • #1 You Took Advantage of Me - Carmen McRae. 59 plays.

 

I know that I have included this song on mixtapes sent out to at least 2 people for their listening enjoyment. I love Carmen McRae. In college, I was addicted to her songs in The Subterraneans soundtrack, which I still have and listen to on cassette. This song was playing in the opening credits of Real Genius. I guess I was too young to see this movie in 1985. I didn't see it until 2006. While the theme of the song, written in 1955 according to this discography: http://www.carmenmcraediscography.com/50s.html has nothing to do with high IQ college students in the 80's, it immediately endeared the movie to me.

  • #2 Almost Like Being in Love - Nat"King" Cole. 50 plays.

The greatest thing about downloading is that you can be thinking about a song you don't have somewhere either on cassette or album or CD and then for $.99 you can download it in your kitchen from your iPod. That's how this song makes the cut. Again, a movie motivator. This was the closing song from Groundhog Day, a film I saw in the theater 3 times when I was in high school. I have other versions of this song, the Charlie Parker version being a distant second with only 19 plays. I think this song is great, but the play count is probably also high because the length of the song is only a minute and 56 seconds...

  • #3 Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes. 49 plays.

Another song that popped into my head one day after remembering and reseeing the movie Duets. Not Good. Please don't go and watch it because you saw it here. But this song is addicting, as you can see.

  • #4 Destination Unknown - Missing Persons. 44 plays.

My husband actually downloaded this song, and I think the plays are up there because I played Genius playlists of other songs (probably Bette Davis Eyes) and it automatically plays this song like every 5 minutes. I like the song fine, but I think I'm a little over it. Kind of like Gary Neuman's Cars.

  • #5 Paper Planes -MIA (Kala Bonus Track Version). 38 plays.

It's important to know the version of this song - because seriously, there are like 200. Every other version is not as good. This has the Clash's Straight to Hell sample predominately out in front like it should be, making the reason it's so catchy and good to begin with. I am rather out of touch with mainstream music, and originally thought this song became so popular due to Pineapple Express. But this song wasn't in that movie to my knowledge, and I really don't know why it became so popular. I'm sure someone does - if you do, please let me know.  (Postscript: it was Slumdog Millionaire.)

  • #6 Lovesong - The Cure. 37 plays. 38 as I write.

I can not get enough of this song. I had to hit play when I saw it. I'm sure I was just a smidge too young when this originally hit the airwaves.

  • #7 Night and Day - Charlie Parker. 36 plays.

I really do love Charlie Parker, and this song in particular I guess. I think most jazz is amazing because how can you really tell who is playing an instrument? But you can, and Charlie Parker is one of the most amazing. It requires attention to listen to this in my opinion because it seems to change and I hear it differently each time.

  • #8 28 Butts - Little Jackie. 34 plays.

I heard Little Jackie on the radio when I was driving around last summer, and got totally addicted to this song. She's funny too: "I think back to the days I was smoking Kerouac -it was really kinda like an addiction, nonfiction, just reading my days and nights away". Maybe I identify with that.

  • #9 Kiko and the Lavender Moon - Los Lobos. 33 plays.

I can't get enough Los Lobos. I'm sure this playcount would be higher, but I recorded this to a CD and listen that way alot of the time. This track is the title of the album, but I think the whole album would rate as high. Tied at 31 plays are Wake up Dolores and Saint Behind the Glass (which I noticed was in the movie Nacho Libre - which I will endorse here and tell you to go and rent it now...).

  • #10 La Receta - Kemo the Blaxican. 28 plays.

Downloaded 11/28/2008 after seeing 10 Items or Less - another great movie. If you listen to this song, you keep hitting the replay. It's got a horn section, enough said...and anything in Spanglish... The recurring theme here seems to be that on the occasion that I am able to watch movies, the music is just as important as the film, or maybe that they go hand in hand, are better than the film, or are the reason for the film.

So maybe you will go and do as I did to Stephen King's playlist and preview them in iTunes to see what it is that made him write about them. Or link here to see his top 20 on the EW website: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20198509,00.html