January 5, 2009
A friend just dropped off about 8 pounds of baby bok choy. He volunteers at a charity and occasionally, food donations from farms, grocery stores or whatnot overwhelm their storage, cooking and distribution capacity. This weekend, for example, a farm dropped off two pallets of vegetables. Pallets, not crates, or boxes, pallets stacked with boxes crammed full of leafy green vegetables.
It’s wonderful that those they’re helping will be treated to fresh vegetables, but that’s way too much for them in one go, so they sent the volunteers home with a case, each. I’m going to be eating baby bok choy, fresh, delicious, crunchy, baby bok choy for a WEEK. This is awesome for I love love love bok choy. In fact, my aunt’s family will be, too – there’s no way we can eat up that entire sack of veggies by ourselves.
And while I’m eating that lovely veggie, in soups and various other forms, I’ll be:
Doing laundry.
Emptying out and consolidating the contents of my under-the-desk plastic containers.
Reorganizing the contents of my under-the-bed clothing container and the lift-top bench I have.
Taking an even more critical look at my bookshelf.
Making a decision about my hair. (to cut, or not to cut? How short? What’s perfect interview length?)
Submitting any cover letters and applications necessary.
Tackling the why didn’t I get a bonus when everyone else did? question.
Taking my business clothes to the tailor for some tweaks and nips, in search of a more perfect fit!
December 9, 2008
Healthy or not, we’ve been toasting pizza rolls for breakfast this morning. Yesterday morning, it was tator tots, $5 for a five pound bag. It’s been rough of late, comfort food gets me through a day.
If anyone needs to go shopping at Old Navy, here’s a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase:
November 14, 2008
You may not know this, but I think about food 65% of the time. It’d be great, if it didn’t always lead to cravings. Everyone has been pretty bad about bringing lunch to work regularly, lately, so the next best thing is try to keep the frequency and cost low and the serving sizes large.
Sadly, no one likes to deliver to our little black-hole pocket of town (discrimination, I say! our money is good!), so it’s usually a challenge to combine low-cost, high volume, and free delivery. Recently, though, we were blessed by Google Maps.
A search of [restaurants] and [our zip code] turned up a well known Mexican eatery that literally caused heart palpitations when I floated the idea. Turns out that I’m the only unenlightened one here; others were regulars once upon a time and simply couldn’t handle the sizes of the servings any more.
They were not kidding when they called the Hollenbeck burrito a gut-buster! No matter the size, I’d normally have a hard time justifying more than ten dollars for a burrito except it lasted two full lunches, and very nearly did in my dinner on the firstday. Measuring in at 12 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 2 inches thick, the burrito was practically a deal for $11. That’s 144 square inches of burrito goodness, doused in enchilada sauce, and topped with more pork.
Mmmm …..
And to satisfy my bargain seeking soul, the restaurant misunderstood my delivery order for a pick up so they knocked 25% off the bill to compensate for the nearly 1.5 hour wait, making my burrito $8 after tip. We’ll be ordering from them again!
Image credit: Tales of an LA Addict
November 11, 2008
There are days I’m great at watching the food spending, like today, a can of tomato basil soup ($1) and a baked potato ($0.75) from grocery shopping.
Some days, a little less good: yesterday, bought a cheeseburger with extra veggies ($3).
Other days, I’m tempted to just throw caution aside and go for the gusto. Is it so reprehensible that the following announcement had me reaching for the phone and my credit card? (And we all know I only use credit cards because I want to, not because I have to, right?)
LA’s first Zagat Presents event takes place at Josie on December 2nd. For the night, chef Josie Le Balch’s eponymous restaurant will be all about pears. The four-course dinner will explore pears from Bosc to Bartlett showcased ripe in a pear salad, distilled as a sorbet intermezzo and roasted alongside a Maple Leaf Farm duck breast. And, of course, there will be a pear dessert. Plus, a pear cocktail will be paired with each course. If you’re interested, reserve quickly ($65 for four courses with cocktails; call 310-581-9888 and mention Zagat Presents).
I’m a sucker for all things pear. Mmm…. and duck? Plus pear? I’d try to deny being a gourmand, but that’s a lie. I love food. And I really love good food. It’s a bit of a battle, keeping the balance between budget and feast, though.
Image credit: Like a Local
November 9, 2008
it’s just that … I’m hungry now. And my dad has this sixth, seventh or even eighth sense where I + kitchen are concerned and always seems to head me off RIGHT before I can start cooking something up. If he manages that, he kicks me out of the kitchen because he has to prepare the food. It’s like I have to turn on super-stealth mode just so I can cook for m’own darned self and stuff something simple and easy into my system before I pass out.
I usually understand why he’s crippling my once burgeoning, nearly fantastic cookery skills because he has to provide for me in at least one way. But I’m staaaaarving and ramen or a quick curry will only take two minutes!! Not twenty!
I have got to be quieter next time I’m really hungry.
August 15, 2008
Some deliciousness from a little Cuban cafe we visited:
Ropa Vieja
Cafe Jerez
Triple Berry Chocolate Cake
August 14, 2008
As much fun as some of the travel has been, I’m starting to feel a bit turned around by so much of it. Already, I’ve got to pack tonight for another trip, this time for a wedding up north. Of course I’m looking forward to seeing and spending time with people but there’s been scarcely a moment to breathe between trips (or blog!)
I’m looking forward to a weekend or two of peace and quiet to catch up with myself.
I did get a nice 30 minute workout in last night. Spent some time on the treadmill, broken up by chasing the dog around the yard or being chased by him, and worked with some free weights for a while. It’s hot enough that it’s not hard to break a sweat, but at least some of that was from actually working out. The dog joined me because he needs a workout too, but I get nervous playing the chase game with him, he’s still a big galumph and tails me too closely. He nearly took me down last night and I’m not sure if that’s because he meant to or because he sprang too closely. Anyway, if I end up with some major injuries caused by falling during a run, you can blame the dog.
Also, I managed to fit in some studying before and after dinner. It wasn’t a ton, but it was good brain food.
Yodlee’s acting funny. It refuses to retrieve ING account information.
Regarding work: *sigh* All I can say is, I’m Kim Possible, “so not the drama.”
Lastly: I love Bin Bin rice crackers. (aka: MSG crackers, to some folks.)
