Thanksgiving Feast

Menu:

Turkey and gravy

mashed potatoes

candied yams

mushroom asparagus ragout

sugar snap peas in cranberry sauce

green been casserole

buttered corn

sausage stuffing

vegetarian stuffing

rolls

sweet potato au gratin

Amazing. Family and Feast. I need nothing more :)

Pasta with Sausage and Roasted Veggies

This pasta dish had chopped up hot links roasted with peppers and onions. I also added some homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on top. I thought the hot-links tasted a little too much like hot dogs instead of sausages.. but Potato was fine with it as is. This one gets an only an OK from me.

Election Night Special!

Election night 2008 was a historic event on U St in DC. I watched the results roll in at Suee and Tad's place, while coloring a printout of the electoral college map with scented red and blue markers. The streets were quiet during the beginning of the announcements-- I imagine many people sitting just like we were, nervous and anxious as the states were being called, huddled in living rooms with eyes glued to the tv.

Well what better way to dispel nervous energy than TACO MOUNTAIN! Such a ridiculous pile of taco goodness (topped with Tad's guacamole and Suee's cheesy been dip), I am sure, has never before made an appearance at an election night dinner. Taco mountain underscores a fundamental paradigm shift of the present bloggerita.. I have decided to eat meat again. But this is another story for another time*.

Before McCain's concession speech, we started hearing intermittent screams and cheering outside. After president-elect Obama gave his speech, the roars were louder than the cheers from Grant Park coming through the cable broadcast. We couldnt just sit there, we had to get out! And so we did!! U street was alive with people- screaming, hugging, high-fiving anything that stood still long enough-- the party even extended to cab drivers and riders, while the street was still open. Eventually the roads were blocked to car traffic, and people swarmed the streets dancing and cheering. We moved towards the drums, rhythmically pumping up the crowd on 14th and U. People were dancing on top of the bus waiting booth.. a young guy was waving from the top of the street light.. and the drums played on. This is where a Washington Post photographer captured the moment (photo below taken from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/11/05/GA2008110500823.html?sid=ST2008110502454 )..celebrating the election results with hundreds of people.

And after a full night of nerves relieved by festive and uncontrollable cheering and partying.. we were more than a little tired. But never fear! Special election night Jello Parfaits awaited us back at the apartment-- Blue raspberry and Strawberry Jello with whipped cream. A fantastic end to a great night!

*The Omnivore's Dilemma had something to do with it

Roasted Veggies and Beet Greens

Beets are wonderful! The sweet earthy flavor is delicious paired with some roasted potatoes and carrots, all topped with salt and pepper sprinkles and a little bit of butter. All the vegetables were roasted at 350 for 45 or so minutes (I kept cooking until a fork easily punctured the beet). The beet was whole, with skin, the potatos sliced, and the carrots in large chunky pieces-- all together tossed in a small amount of olive oil and baked with a tin foil roof.

The beet greens are the leaves that come with the beet root-- and they are delicious! I think I even prefer them over spinach! I stripped the greens of the thick stems and then tore the leaves into 2 inch bits before sauteing in garlic and olive oil until tender. Delicious, and very healthy!! The added fiber of the beet root and the energy from a small potato make this a great meal. Portion control is the dictator on whether this meal will feel heavy-- an overdose of potatoes always puts the sleeper hold on my mental agility.. but just the right amount (1 small 2" diameter red potato) and you wont feel a lack of substance to the meal. I am a carb addict, so I am pretty resigned to adding some form of carb to each meal.. althogh I can alter the quantity!

Halloween Spectacular

Opting for the low-key All Hallows Eve, we gathered together for a simple dinner.. my part: spaghetti and meatballs. I was going to use bottled sauce, but on Amanda's suggestion, opted for a homemade version with canned tomatoes, garlic and basil. The recipe was inspired from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Sauce-III/Detail.aspx but was modified with meatballs instead of just cooked ground beef. I also added caramelized onions, sauteed zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms instead of the canned mushrooms called for in the recipe.

I generally don't like my homemade sauce because it tastes very acidic-like.. like raw tomato. But this recipe calls for simmering the sauce for 1 hour (I actually simmered it for A LOT longer while waiting for everyone to show up)..which made that raw canned tomato taste disappear. The resulting sauce was.. well.. saucy, which is an excellent outcome in my book!

Add to this meal some glorious shrimp and cheese bread, garlic bread, and Gorgonzola and nut squash, we had a spectacular Halloween feast! To top it off, Tad brought pumpkin pie and Suee brought cupcakes-- spooky Howl-O-Ween Cupcakes (pictured above). The werewolf cupcakes were delicious!

And of course, to accompany, what better way to celebrate the fall season than pumpkin beer! I decided to find a bunch of varieties so that we could do a side-by-side comparison...

Alas we drank to much to tell! Bwahahahaha, Happy Halloween Indeed!

Apple Crisp

Fall- the air is chilly, the leaves are colorful, and the harvest season means natures bounty is plentiful this time of year. For Columbus Day Weekend, Potato and I took a journey into western VA, West Virgina, and Maryland. Along the way, we bought a 1/2 peck of apples and a giant pumpkin at a roadside farmstand in West Virginia. The leaves were very colorful and we passed several vineyards along the way-- but we didnt stop-- because we were busy looking for a camping spot before the sun went down! We resolved to go one a Northern VA/Maryland wine tasting tour, because all of the vineyards looked amazing! (If you're interested, we can make a day trip out there... you know where to find me)

The apples were so pungent they made the car smell appley all the way home...and I couldnt wait to eat them! 6 or 7 apples later (over a few days) I was looking for a change. So I made apple crisp! The apples were starting to get soft, so they werent as tasty to eat-- but you cant tell in the final apple crisp. I got the recipe from the food network (you can find it here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/apple-crisp-recipe/index.html).. I used red delicious apples..which is waaay off from the tart granny smith called for in the recipe... but it was still deliciously consumable!

French Onion Soup!

I have been craving french onion soup for a LONG time. You know how it is-- lusting over the recipe during those 10 minute internet breaks at work, falling asleep thinking about the caramelized onions and melted cheese, and even pondering different and new expressions that you might invent upon tasting such a delicious creation.. (Good God This Soup is Dancing on my Tongue Like Mario Lopez). Wait, you dont fantasize like that? Well anyway, my long drawn out dreams were always cruelly crushed like a clove of garlic before being simmered in olive oil and spinach. But I digest. It boils down to this (hehe I'm so punny), I lacked the requisite cooking vessels to prepare such a creation. You know- those cute bakable soup bowls with individual lids. So I would eventually close allrecipes.com or fall asleep unsatisfied with the status of my cookware collection. That is, until a visit to the Salvation Army store out in Sterling. There, sitting on a shelf between some abandoned nick-knacks and a collection of mis-matched beer steins, were a perfect set of two ceramic soup bowls! FOR A DOLLAR! I almost cried I was so excited!!

All my planning was not in vain-- I had the recipe stored (you can find it here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Onion-Soup-I/Detail.aspx) and almost all of the ingredients on hand. A french baguette was all I needed, and this creation was a reality! I used swiss cheese, and caramelized the onions with a dash of freshly ground peppercorns. With wine and the rest of the baguette, the soup was everything I had hoped for and more.

Dragon Fruit

The Korean market is a magical place of hope and wonder: Behold, the DRAGON! errr.. fruit. The phytological history of the dragon fruit was concisely summed up by my nephew: A dragon visits and leaves the dragon fruit.

Ok so perhaps that is not the most scientific of explanations-- according to Wiki, the dragon fruit is a fruit from a cactus like plant, grown in tropical South-East Asian countries. After a quick tutorial on how to eat it (cut in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon), we were ready to eat!

The crunchy black seeds gave the fleshy fruit a texture akin to the texture of kiwi, but the taste was different-- sweeter and plainer -- and delicious! It was expensive.. but definitely worth a try! I am willing to splurge on this fruit again. And until the day I can try it amidst its natural environs, I will have to be content with the glories of the Korean market.

Garden Salsa!

My tomato plant yielded its last two tomatoes- and what better way to celebrate the fresh harvest than in salsa!!

Garden Salsa

Tomato, finely diced (it helps if the tomato is not soft, but just ripe enough to be firm and bright red)

Onion, finely diced

Cucumber, diced

Cilantro

Salt to taste

Fresh salsa is one of my most favorite cooking ingredients.. I love to use it on breakfast burritos, quesadillas, as dressing for salad-- Potato even eats the fresh salsa on his hot dogs! (He swears this is one of the best ways to eat a hot dog)

Crab Pasta Salad

I got this recipe from all-recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pea-n-Crab-Pasta-Salad/Detail.aspx in an attempt to use some leftover imitation crab from an earlier sushi extravaganza. It was amazing. In the time it took to boil the pasta al dente (7-8 mins, according to the box of medium shells) I was able to get all the other ingredients together. Mix and enjoy! Potato is generally not a big fan of spinach or peas, but he ate them up with no complaints!!

Cooking Club: Thai Food!

September Cooking Club. The Menu: Tom Yum Soup and Chicken Satay to start, then Red Curry, Drunken Noodles, Thai Green Beans, and Pad Thai for the main entree, and to cap of the night: Mango Sticky Rice!!

The Tom Yum Soup featured Kaffir Lime Leaves and jumbo shrimp in a delightfully spicy blend that had some of our cooking club attendees crying! For the more sensitive pallets, Amanda (the creator of this fiery soup) suggested adding coconut milk to the broth. This was delicious! The Chicken Satay was marinated with turmeric, cumin, and other savory spices before being broiled and served hot with Thai peanut dipping sauce. The dish was very reminiscent of Indian spices, which might be due to the fact that Sundhu (chef for the satay) is, in fact, Indian.

The red curry was fantastic, with fresh snow peas and red peppers, and despite Lindsey's (chef) personal wishes: fresh broccoli. The curry wasn't very spicy, which was actually a welcome relief since we were still recovering from the soup! The thai green beans (chef: Allison) were seasoned in a divine sweet/savory sauce including (I believe) cashew butter and sesame oil. The overall flavor strongly hinted at peanut sauce.

For a dish that was proclaimed to be "an utter disaster," the Pad Thai was actually pretty good. Chef Julia used buckwheat noodles as a measure of desperation after failing to find pad thai rice noodles at the grocery store. The end result was a more casserole-like pad thai, but all the flavor was there so we were just as happy! The drunken noodles (my contribution) were not spicy at all, and the tofu was a bit vinegar/lime juicy (I guess the word I am looking for is tangy)-- but the dish gets plus points from me for the complex flavor attributed to the fish, oyster, soy, sauces and the rice vinegar. The recipe came from a food blog: http://www.desertmodernism.com/blog/2006/01/thai_drunken_noodles_pad_kee_m.php

I of course, rarely follow recipes with 100% accuracy.. and in this dish I added snow peas, thai eggplant, and one of those long yellow-green banana-pepper (but bigger) peppers. I loved the veggies.. and recommend adding some if you want to try the recipe.

Alas I did not take a picture of the mango sticky rice (chef: Sundhu)- by that time in the evening my stomach was full and my camera tucked away from the food carnage that ensued immediately after the photos were taken. Oh well, Shes just going to have to make it again! bwahahahahaha!

Archive Posting Begins

Many of you might have noticed the recent lack of posts-- never fear, I have not stopped cooking! Due to some computer issues, I was taking pictures and saving them to post later...well.. I just uploaded ALL of them: I have my work cut out for me! Hopefully I will be posting a few posts per day to slowly archive my recipes. Enjoy!

Harvest! and New Farmers Market

My bell pepper plant yielded a mighty harvest of 5 peppers yesterday...coupled with a few tomatoes from the vine (total harvest so far: 6 tomatoes), I had an amazing burrito with fresh garden salsa!

Also- There is a new farmers market in town, near the King Street Metro station, across from the Hilton in the small park demarcated by King Street and Diagonal Road. Wednesdays 3-7PM. I've had great luck with the produce from the market-- especially the collared greens (they lasted forever in the fridge!)

Sprouts!

I am trying my hand at home-made (is that the right word?) sprouts! After some internet research and a few phone calls to mom, I have come up with an action plan:

Day 1: Soak whole mung beans in water
Day 2: Rinse and drain soaked mung beans. Wrap in wet paper towel and set in a bowl in a warm dark place
Day 3: Observe, Rinse and wrap again in wet paper towel
Day 4: Observe, if sprouts are long enough, dry on paper towel and store in fridge in zip-lock baggie

Today is Day 3. Progress is steady, I have sprouts about 1/4 inch long (so still pretty small). So far no traces of mold or anything like that (which I am worried about in my 70 deg kitchen).. the sprouts are more puny than the mung bean sprouts you buy at the store, but my online reading suggests that this is because store-bought sprouts are grown in controlled temp environments with chemicals and gasses and other things that lil ol me won't (or can't) add to a bunch of beans in water.

Shrimp-A-Palooza

Get Ready! The recipe list is growing for Shrimp A Palooza, an amazing new annual event in which I prepare a multitude of delicious shrimpies for everyone to consume! :)

Friday, 6:30PM. My House. Be there!

Guacamole Breakfast Burrito

Today is the first day post Cinco de Mayo, so what better way to celebrate than with leftover Guacamole... in a breakfast burrito! I fantasized about such a creation the night before, wondering what to do with all the leftover Guac from Lindsey's (of Hungry Eyes fame) Cinco de Mayo (ie, Cinco de Drinko) dinner party. I thought that just scrambled eggs and guac might be a smooth and creamy option by themselves, but I couldn't resist the urge to add my favorite breakfast potatoes into the spinach tortilla wrap as well. And, as a big cheese head, I added a slice of pepper jack over the steaming eggs.

It was delicious! The spicy onion-cilantro-ness of the guacamole complemented the smooth scrambled eggs in both texture and taste. The cheese added some saltiness and some bite with the pepper-jack and the spinach tortilla contributed with a subtle veggie flavor.. and the potatoes. Oh. Just when you thought, hey this is pretty good, BAM! you bite in to a crispy-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside breakfast potato. Bliss for breakfast.

Basil Turbot Fillet with Roasted Mixed Veggies and Rice

My mom has been in town recently; hence my.. ahem.. complete lack of posts for April. I have been eating to my hearts content every night without breaking a sweat..

So now that she is back home again :( I am going to have to familiarize myself with the kitchen...again..

Today's meal is a simple fix, with lots of vegetables, a pre-marinated fish fillet for protein, and a small amount of rice to provide fuel for the day. The fish (frozen, Trader Joes) was baked at 375 degrees for 34 mins, but was overcooked, so if I had a do-over, I would have taken it out of the oven about 5 minutes earlier.

The mixed vegetables are essentially the only thing I prepared, with sliced baby portobello mushrooms, sliced zucchini and summer squash, onions and a diced tomato. I roasted all of these together in a small amount of olive oil and added a dash of freshly ground peppercorns and salt. The key to this is to set the stove to high, add the mushrooms and onions and let them brown (if youve prepared portobello mushrooms before you will know this alone will smell amazing) then turn the heat to medium and add the squash and tomato. Simple summer flavor!

Peeps Cake!!

This 4-storey cake is strawberry and vanilla checkerboard cake with whipped vanilla icing and 38 peeps decorating the outer surface. Lindsey of hungry eyes fame hosted an amazing Easter dinner party and this was my contribution...

The cake is leaning slightly.. mostly because of my inaccurate top-cutting technique to flatten each layer before adding the next. I hacked at it with a bread knife, eyeballing how straight the cut was. The cake was finished by 1PM, and the party was at 4. By 2, the cake was leaning dangerously.. so much so that I devised a plan to insert a chopstick or skewer through it to hold it steady. I didn't have any of either on hand.. but I had a straight plastic straw from subway. The unwrapped straw was a bit flimsy.. but I poked it straight through the center of the cake, and I credit the brave little subway straw for maintaining the cake integrity until after dinner...at which time the great peeps cake massacre began.. and my oh my, what a glorious massacre it was!

Parathas, Peas Panneer, and Okra

A much needed trip to the local Indian store fueled my desire for this favorite of mine. I bought frozen parathas (delicious and completely hassel free.. but Im pretty sure nutritionally its the "big mac" of Indian food), premade paneer, and a large frozen bag of okra.

The peas paneer recipe comes from The "Ultimate Vegetarian" Cookbook. With premade paneer, the recipe is complete in about 20 minutes. 1 med onion is fried in vegetable oil or ghee. The dry spices and ginger garlic mix are added to the lightly browned onions, then peas and 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 c broth is added to the mix. The whole deal is simmered for 10 mins, then add the lightly toasted paneer and youre all set! Note-- if you dont have paneer, well fried tofu can substitute. The flavor is definately not the same (the paneer is a rich cheese with a distinct flavor, whereas tofu has more of a distinct texture but lacks much flavor), but it is a healthier and more locally available alternative and will work in this recipe.

Okra, commonly called lady's fingers or in Tamil vendaikkai is my favorite vegetable. Fresh okra is identifyable by breaking the tip, if the tip breaks cleanly with a snap, the okra is fresh. Frozen okra.. well.. you take what you can get. Generally it is cut into 1/4 inch pieces, which works out well for a plain okra fry.

To make plain okra, fry mustard seeds and urad dhal in a small amount of oil until the mustard seeds pop and the urad dhal turns light brown (careful-- burning the spice mix means you have to start over) Add cut onions and fry a few mins, till lightly brown. Then, add the frozen okra. Cook over medium heat for a while, stirring to thaw the okra. Once thawed, add about 1/4 cup water and let simmer. Add salt and a small pinch of chili pepper, and youre ready to enjoy the simple okra fry. This part of the meal is actually good for you.. but the effects are negated with the paneer and paratha...and especially negated if you opt (as I did) for the rasmalai dessert.

Japanese Fried Tofu and Vegetarian Sushi

Last weekend I tried a new recipe from one my all time favorite recipe books: "Easy Vegetarian Dinners"

The recipe looked so sophisticated- for the longest time I thought it was too complicated for me. But, it did come from "Easy" vegetarian recipes..so how hard could it be?

It was great! The recipe involves thinly slicing snow peas, red and orange sweet peppers and frying them in sesame oil. I just barely toasted the vegetables so they maintained their crispness, and I used a very small amount of sesame oil so that the flavor of the vegetables was preserved.


The tofu was also very easy to prepare. I took a regular package of extra firm tofu and cut it into 8 large slices. These were soaked in soy sauce for about 1 hour. Then, I coated each slice in an ample amount of cornmeal before pan frying it in a small amount of olive oil.



The tofu fried easily to a golden brown color in just a few minutes. This did not take long.. so I was looking for something else to prepare. According to the cookbook, the tofu is Japanese style, so I thought-- why not sushi? I had all of the ingredients handy from my last sushi experience. For sushi filling I had cucumber, carrot (I only had baby carrots, so I thinly sliced a few of those and called it good) and some avocado.

The sushi rice cooked quickly, since I only prepared 1/2 cup. I quickly added rice vinegar, following the recipe on the vinegar bottle. Once mixed, I spread the rice on the nori and rolled (as best I could.. I am no sushi expert) the rice together with a spread of toppings. Served with pickled ginger and wasabi, it wasn't bad at all! I topped the rolls with sesame seeds, and topped the fried tofu with sesame seeds as well. I had two problems with the meal: first- the fried tofu was missing some salt. The one hour soak in soy sauce wasn't enough for the hunk of tofu. Next time I will add salt to the cornmeal batter as well. Second-- I was missing saki! I was very pleased to find out that Trader Joes sells saki in its drink section.. be sure to pick some up while getting supplies for a meal like this! Happy Cooking!

New York City and the Giants Game!

OMG the Giants won the superbowl! Ok, so I confess, I am not much of a football person. BUT- I did watch the Giants v. Packers game, and that got me a little excited..since the game went into OT and all... It doesnt hurt that I was watching it with die-hard fans. Plus the thought of football themed food is delightful!! (Ok Ok, I'll admit it, I was a little more excited about the thought of food than the game)

After that game, my die-hard Giants fan Gavin called me up and invited me to watch the game at his superbowl party: in Hoboken NJ. We drove up, and of course, made a weekend of it. Saturday, we went into the city to eat in Little Italy. We walked into La Nonna, after strolling down Mulberry Street and being enticed by the menu. I ordered the special: a fettucini dish with crab meat. We also ordered two bottles of wine for the table. Halfway through my glass, the chef comes out with a cart that has the fettucini cooking in a pan on a burner. Next to the pan is a giant cheese wheel- similar to the display cheeses sold at Whole Foods. The rest is a bit hazy.. I think he coated the cheese top with oil... but then he LIT THE CHEESE WHEEL ON FIRE. The HUGE cheese wheel.

It was flaming pretty good now, and we were joking about the fire hazard when I genuinely started to worry. The flames were pretty big, after all, and this was a small little restaurant. Full of people. Without a second thought, the chef picked up the pan and dumped the crab and noodles into the flaming melted cheese wheel. He tossed the pasta and coated it with the freshly melted cheese.

A++ for presentation-- and I swear that it would be equally impressive to someone who hadnt had any wine! The food was deliciously cheesy (plus I got extra fresh parmesan grated on top) and the portion size was gigantic. Coupled with the soft but crusty bread and my trusty glass of red, I was in a state of food bliss.

The next day was spent lounging around and prepping for the Superbowl party. Breakfast was at the Bagel Smashery-- a wonderful concept of smooshing your bagel sandwiches to mix all the goodness together. Another bonus: they add ketchup into the egg and cheese sandwiches, pre-smashery. Add a cup of butterscotch coffee (my first cup ever.. it was delicious) and I was good to go. So sad though-- it appears the business is being sold. Who knows if it will retain its quality in the future :(

Later, I went to a drive-through beer pickup place with Gavin. No, that was not a typo. You DRIVE into the beer storage area and the workers will load whatever you want into your trunk. Kegs. 30-Packs. Soda. Whatever you want. Cool.

My dish for the superbowl party was simple, since we were travelling and I didnt feel like spending the whole day in the kitchen (though that is usually just my cup of tea..), I made cake. from a box. with store bought frosting. but hey-- at least I got creative with the icing.

And we all know how the game ended. Yay Giants!

Trader Joes Corn Bread

So the same day I made the candied yams (see previous post) I sat around with the oven preheating wondering if there was anyhing else I could possibly add to the oven without a lot of effort on my part. A quick scan of my bread and cake recipes was disappointing; I didnt have time for yeast and I was missing quite a few ingredients for quick breads.

So I turned to my pantry and lo and behold, a box of Trader Joes cornbread mix. Simple enough: add 1 egg, 1/2 c oil and some milk to the box. Wow was it delicious. The cornbread has pieces of corn in it and is subtly sweet and soft yet grainy, the way any good corn bread is. I cooked for slightly less time than the box called for, since my yams finished cooking and the a fork in the cornbread came out clean. I highly recommend this box mix! Yay cornbread fans!

Candied Yams

Candied Yams! Delicious! Definately not the most healthy food in the world-- although yams are very good for you-- this traditional rendition involves marshmallows and brown sugar. Still, as an alternative to say cheesecake, or a pint of ben and jerrys, I guess you can call this "healthy"

1 Yam, cubed and boiled

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

enough mini marshmallows to cover surface

Mash the boiled yam pieces and add the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Press mashed mixture into an oven save dish (I used an approx 9 x 5 oval). Press mallows gently into surface, bake at 350F until mallows are golden brown. Let cool and serve!

Great all by itself as a dessert, yams remind me of the holiday season. Except that I can enjoy this dish year round :)

Breakfast Potatoes

2 small red potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper

I spilled the olive oil over these potatoes on accident. Being particularly (and perhaps peculiarly) obsessed with healthy eating, I never use extra oil/butter/ghee/shortening in any recipe. I also have never successfully made good breakfast potatoes. This, however, was a success. I guess for some foods, you just cant cut out the fat.

Peanut Raisin Slaw

This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook:

16 oz shredded cabbage
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup peanuts
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder

Mix together and chill until ready to serve.

I first tried this unique recipe in a cooking class-- it was one of a few great surprises; I would have never made this slaw on my own. I do have to say that it was better in cooking class, but that might be due to the use of real mayo instead of light mayo. Also I shredded a small head of cabbage using my food processor, the recipe calls for shredded cabbage you would find bagged at a store, which is not as finely shredded as my home-shredded cabbage. This probably affects the flavor of the slaw, and may also attribute to my preference for the class-made slaw.

Mixed Berry and Orange Pancake Sauce

1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries
1 can Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup
2 Tbsp Sugar

I made this up out of desperation, having no maple syrup to accompany my weekend brunch pancakes. I actually just dumped everything together in a saucepan and heated through. It was tasty enough, but would have been better had I separated the sauce from the mandarin oranges and thickened it before adding the oranges and mixed berries.

The next morning, I got out my single leftover pancake and the remaining sauce. I attempted to thicken it by simply boiling for a really long time. This did not work, and the fruit disintegrated into a fruit compote like substance. Since I particularly enjoyed the whole pieces of fruit, I think the best solution is to thicken the syrup and then add the fruit.

Fantastic breakfast omlette

Breakfast Omelette

1 egg (free range, organic)
1 small tomato (A Campari tomato is delicious)
1/8 med onion

Mix well, cook on stove in olive oil. Flip when top side starts to bubble slightly. Enjoy!

Note: I buy Campari tomatoes at Costo, they keep a long time and taste wonderful. More information can be found here: http://www.camparitomatoes.com/

Tuna and potato fritters, spicy ginger chile corn, and collared greens

Tuna Fritters:

1 can tuna

Ample spoonfuls of Trader Joe's India Relish

2 small red potatoes

Cut potatoes into small pieces, boil in some water (I use a microwave safe dish and microwave the potatoes). Mash after potatoes become tender. Open can of tuna and combine with mashed potato a generous portion of India relish (2-3 Tbsp). Form patties and fry in olive oil. (This recipe courtesy Sundhari)

Spicy Ginger Chile Corn:

1/2 medium onion

chile garlic sauce

super sweet frozen corn

Mix ingredients together and fry with a small amount of olive oil.

Collared Greens:

3-4 large collared green leaves

mustard seeds

urad dhal

salt and pepper

Cut collared greens into rough 1-2 inch pieces. Fry 1 tsp mustard seed with 1/2 tsp urad dhal in oil, after mustard seed pops, add cut collared greens. Add salt and pepper to taste.