Hungry Times Two

The Adams Test-Kitchen had three successful experiments on MLK day (thank you Dr. King for your culinary and social justice inspiration). I've had three cans of organic great white northern beans hanging around the cupboard for a few weeks, so I figured I should put them to their intended use: White Bean and Chicken Chili. The recipe was easy to follow (except for that "cooked chicken" part, oops, so I have simply stewed it a lot longer than called for in order to make it salmonella-free). We had that for dinner, and given that we've both felt a little sick lately, the cumin, green chiles, Tabasco and chili powder gave our tastebuds a what-for. Erin made up two healthy, yet tasty , treats from things that are normally frowned upon by people who insist on tasty food: oatmeal and flaxseed meal. First, she made oatmeal biscotti, and if you've never tried it, you should. It tastes just like biscotti yet it's got the fiber and grandma-goodness of oatmeal in it. Al...

Trader Joe's, as we've raved before, is a great store. Here's a photo of the amaryllis we bought on a shopping trip over Thanksgiving, now coming into full bloom. It adds a great bit of COLOR to our living room, despite the cold temperatures and bare trees outside. Overall, a great investment of $10 or so.

In myNew Year's Resolution to write more, I was inspired by a Saturday day-trip we took to Cincinnati, my birthplace. We drove up early Saturday and arriving in town, headed for Clifton. It's the neighborhood near the University of Cincinnati, and given that we were HUNGRY and COLD, we ate gyros. The lamb was off a spit, as any self-respecting gyro place should serve it (pre-sliced "sqaure lamb" just isnt' the same as chunks off the spit). After our lunch, I asked the server where the nearest Graeter's Ice Cream place was, remembering that a shop was somewhere nearby. A few minutes later, Erin tucked into Black Raspberry Chip, their most famous flavor, and I had mint chocolate cookie, very nice also. We spent the rest of the day going over to the west side to see my childhood home, over to Mt. Adams and Eden Park (Krohn Conservatory is AWESOME!). After that, we drove east to Mariemont , a 1930s-era planned " Garden Suburb " that I've read about,...

After vexing over some work place discussions ("What is rural, and how do you keep it that way?"), a coworker and I walked from the office down "beautiful" (in a crumpled-up Colt 45 can, wind-blown trash, random piece of clothing on sidewalk kind of way) Lafayette Street to Dandgures, a great meat n' three place. I had meatloaf, white beans (seasoned well and not overcooked), collards (nice and spicy), a hoe cake and sweet tea. Greg (the fellow luncher) had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans I believe. At $8 for meal, drink and all, it was worth it. I'd definitely go back. If you're curious to know where it is, check out the map. Plus, somebody else has a photo of the place's mural on their blog. Pretty cool. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=re3&q=Dandgures,+nashville&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl http://nashville-dailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/10/dandg...

This is brilliant. Ever since I read it on Wednesday I've internally chanted the mantra "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." I even wrote it on a Post-It (yes, thank GOD for Post-Its!) and put it at my desk as a reminder that I don't have to intake in mass quantities of crap just because it tastes good and my hands and rumbling stomach take over from my mind every time I reach for edible products. I placed Pollan's book on hold at the library so I can learn more about his approach. I like his point that past generations would fail to recognize most of what we eat as actual food products. I doubt my own great-grandmother from "down home" on the farm in Badin , N.C. would have known what the hell Cheetos or Milk Duds are. My promise this year is to SLOW DOWN when it comes to eating. It's amazing how fast a meal that takes nearly an hour to prepare gets sucked down in sheer minutes. I think slowing down could lead to less food intake and a greater...

What is up with mixing natural peanut butter? With all the gooey oil on top, it requires an industrial strength mixer to get it all gelled together. I tossed an entire $4.95 jar into the trash out of disgust this past weekend because I couldn't properly combine the oil and the rest of the peanut "matter." I nearly dislocated my elbow stirring that mess. Just give me Peter Pan - all that's required is the little pull and peal seal to get that stuff going! Random, I know. Molly at work tells me that Scott and I indeed misordered at Kien Giang. Apparently the Pho, Po' Boy sandwiches and "pancake" dish are where it's at. Looking forward to giving it a second try. And, I'm happy to know she and Mark are reading this. Hey ya'll - feel free to send me some thoughts/comments/heckling/whatever. Right now I am digging on Detox Yogi Tea and the "Blueberry Walks Into A..." Bar from Trader Joe's. The bar is like a Nutri-Grain but actually ta...