I have a pretty hefty cookbook shelf--whenever I've moved, they pretty much take up a whole box. I love the internet for quick ideas, but to me, nothing beats flipping through a cookbook and choosing delicious recipes to try. I use a few cookbooks that are pretty standard in the Mennonite world, but may not be as well known to my (few) non-Menno readers. Enjoy!
1. More-with-Less Cookbook: This is the first of the World Community Cookbooks (I call them the trilogy). The premise of this book is learning how to consume less of the world's limited food resources while eating well. This is a popular Christmas gift for young Mennos going off to college, because it is full of basic, cheap, and filling food. Some of my absolute favorite recipes come from this cookbook: cornbread, baked lentil casserole with cheese, quiche with shredded potato crust, and more. I also love all the thrifty tips and its focus on consuming less meat, eating cheaply, but still eating healthfully.
2. Simply in Season: This is the third in this series of World Community Cookbooks (the second, Extending the Table, is about foods from around the world--also great, but I don't use it as often as the other two). This one is all about eating locally and seasonally. The book is divided into 5 sections: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and All Seasons. For each season, there is a list of produce that is in season during that time of year and then recipes that use those ingredients. This is my go-to cookbook. The recipes are simple, delicious, and a great mix of vegetarian & non-vegetarian recipes. Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos, Hazelnut Coffee Brownies, Lemon Asparagus Pasta, and more! This is a great resource when you buy something new at the farmer's market: what should I do with kale? How about kohlrabi? There's several recipes for most things I bring home, and they are all delicious.
3. Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home: Mollie Katzen & the Moosewood Collective write amazing vegetarian cookbooks (they have a restaurant in Ithaca, NY that I am dying to get to some day). Whenever I am in a rut with my vegetarian meals, I turn here. This particular Moosewood cookbook is all about quick recipes that can be made in 45 minutes or less. I haven't found a dud yet! I also love this one b/c for each recipe they give menu suggestions--really helpful when you're short on time and want a full meal. I made James Asian Salmon from this book for his birthday, which was flavorful and amazing!
4. The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest: Another Mollie Katzen cookbook. I also use The Moosewood Cookbook as well and both are chock full of great, creative veggie food. They generally use ingredients I keep on hand anyway and are full of flavor.
Please check out these cookbooks if you're looking for creative and interested vegetarian or non-veggie fare. They've never disappointed me.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
V-day
After spending time with some lovely CO blogger ladies yesterday evening (thanks for a wonderful time Heather, Laura, Kathleen, Lauren, Katie, Beth--and especially Ashley for hosting! I look forward to hanging out with you all again sometime soon!), I am inspired to do two things I rarely do: blog and take pictures of my food.
Valentine's Day started off on the wrong foot when I rolled over in bed and James said, "It snowed." I went out to investigate to find about 3 inches of powder on the ground! We debated whether we'd go to church or snuggle back into bed. We got up and headed to church, which I definitely did not regret. Great hymn singing today, as well as a really fun combined children's/adult choir singing spirituals, followed by me eating half of the world's best cake donut ever (got to love donuts after church every Sunday).
James and I came home, planned meals for the week (including a very special Valentine's feast), and headed out to do grocery shopping. I actually love grocery shopping, especially Whole Foods for fun finds and yummy samples. :) We came to home to complete Operation: V-day Feast.
We had a fun time cooking together in the kitchen...we don't get the chance to cook together that often, but I think we're a good team. We had decided the day before that we wanted to do something with chicken sausage, and with a little searching on one of my fav cooking sites, we found Tomato and Sausage Risotto, which we planned to pair with some roasted green beans.
Oh man, this recipe did NOT disappoint! Yum. I'm looking forward to the leftovers. The recipe's supposed to make 4 servings, but this is so rich and creamy that I think it'll be more like 6 in this house. After lunch, we snuggled up and watched Community and Modern Family while nibbling on chocolate my parents sent us. Both highly enjoyable, especially Abed's antics on Community.
We've spent the evening in a cleaning frenzy, and have an organized fridge, clean kitchen, sparkling kitchen, and vacuumed floors to show for it. I love having a clean house on Sunday evenings! We had planned to make crepes with a blueberry sauce for dessert, but were too stuffed after lunch...we still may execute that plan yet this evening. What a fun foodie filled weekend! I'm so glad I have tomorrow off from work so that I can study and further organize my life.
Valentine's Day started off on the wrong foot when I rolled over in bed and James said, "It snowed." I went out to investigate to find about 3 inches of powder on the ground! We debated whether we'd go to church or snuggle back into bed. We got up and headed to church, which I definitely did not regret. Great hymn singing today, as well as a really fun combined children's/adult choir singing spirituals, followed by me eating half of the world's best cake donut ever (got to love donuts after church every Sunday).
James and I came home, planned meals for the week (including a very special Valentine's feast), and headed out to do grocery shopping. I actually love grocery shopping, especially Whole Foods for fun finds and yummy samples. :) We came to home to complete Operation: V-day Feast.
We had a fun time cooking together in the kitchen...we don't get the chance to cook together that often, but I think we're a good team. We had decided the day before that we wanted to do something with chicken sausage, and with a little searching on one of my fav cooking sites, we found Tomato and Sausage Risotto, which we planned to pair with some roasted green beans.
We've spent the evening in a cleaning frenzy, and have an organized fridge, clean kitchen, sparkling kitchen, and vacuumed floors to show for it. I love having a clean house on Sunday evenings! We had planned to make crepes with a blueberry sauce for dessert, but were too stuffed after lunch...we still may execute that plan yet this evening. What a fun foodie filled weekend! I'm so glad I have tomorrow off from work so that I can study and further organize my life.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Home
We're back. As I dozed in the back of the Super Shuttle van, I woke up and instantly recognized where I was, something I would not have been able to do a year ago.
On our shuttle ride to the airport at the beginning of this trip, our driver was pretty reliant on his gps and missed a turn or two. I would have never realized this fact a year ago. What was once unfamiliar (Denver) is now home.
It was a wonderful trip, full of family, food, games, and general good times. But 5 states and many hours of travel later, it is good to be home. We were in transit for about 12 hours yesterday, during which the following happened:
On our shuttle ride to the airport at the beginning of this trip, our driver was pretty reliant on his gps and missed a turn or two. I would have never realized this fact a year ago. What was once unfamiliar (Denver) is now home.
It was a wonderful trip, full of family, food, games, and general good times. But 5 states and many hours of travel later, it is good to be home. We were in transit for about 12 hours yesterday, during which the following happened:
- while waiting to print our boarding passes and check on our delayed flight to St. Louis, a small dog in a tiny duffel bag puked something green its owner's bag and the floor surrounding her
- the woman in front of us helped clean it up, just after a clueless young man rolled his bag through it
- our flight to St. Louis, which originally got pushed back so far we couldn't make our connecting flight, left earlier than expected
- while waiting for said delayed flight, two small boys filled my heart with joy: one ran in circles with total abandon, flapping his arms and giggling like crazy. the other sprinted away from his dad, had an amazing giggle, and had a father who was willing to play with his kid as long as he wanted to
- when we got off the plane in St. Louis, we walked the 10 steps to our next gate to hear, "the plane that will take you to Denver is landing in 10 minutes and we'll board as soon after that as we can." We high-fived victoriously to celebrate.
- before this, some folks on our St. Louis flight with a serious attitude problem made life a challenge for all surrounding passengers. Please, may they have made their Oklahoma City flight so that no other airport employees had to feel their wrath (I don't understand how being rude and grumpy makes people want to help you [see my last post]).
Friday, December 18, 2009
Why so mean?
I worked in retail for about 6 years. Only one customer has ever made me cry.
I had a good conversation with one of my coworkers about the incredibly rude comments she has sometimes received from visitors. Many of them made my jaw drop. This conversation left me wondering: How can people be so mean? How does ridiculing someone else for their career choices make people feel better?
With all of my retail experience, I feel that one of the good things I do for the world is to generally be nice to clerks and cashiers everywhere. In my own retail career, I have been yelled at when we're out of organic lemons and only have conventional ones. I have been yelled at for helping another customer (who was first in line), or for answering the phone, or for not pulling every string in the book to get a regular the type of rice milk they wanted on the shelf. I have watched grown men yell at Boston Market employees for putting the baked apples in the wrong container. I don't know how all this anger helps. So I try my best to be the best customer I can be. I was waiting at the post office one day during lunch time. There was one employee working, and I could tell that he was exhausted. When it was my turn, he apologized for my wait in a dejected tone. I met that apology with a smile and told him it was no problem. I don't understand how being rude helps the situation at all.
I have a theory that everyone should have to start their career in retail. There's something about shopping that puts customers at their worst. They are often upset with the cashier when the cashier is only passing along information from a manager or other supervisor. It is generally not their fault that they are out of size small polo shirts. You learn to see the world this way quite quickly in retail. You learn that you are more likely to go out of your way to help the nice customers who are understanding and calm, and that you will do whatever you can to not have to check out the customer who has already thrown a fit in the baking aisle. You learn that many customers will treat you horribly. I still don't understand why it is that way, but it is true.
I feel that I have a unique outlook on life. My mom used to be a waitress, so I know to never tip less than 20%, no matter what my service was like, and to speak to the manager if there is a problem (especially if the food arrived cold or something like that--this is generally not the server's fault). I worked in retail as a lowly sales clerk, so I know to smile when my checkout person at the grocery store seems frazzled and to engage if they initiate conversation. I know to say thank you and to make my displeasure known as calmly as possible. I truly believe that people will treat you nicely if you treat them with the respect they deserve.
The absolute bottom line is that everyone makes choices about their employment. Some have more freedom to choose than others. Some have to take jobs for the benefits, not their passion for that particular job. And sometimes people truly enjoy their work. I know that some folks looked down on me for spending my first year out of college working as a clerk at the local health food store. But I truly cared about my work, and I learned so much about natural remedies, healthy food, organic produce, local meat, and about myself and my needs in the workplace. Making snide comments about a person's chosen career is not ok. I challenge you to help stop this negativity. It's as simple as smiling at the person bagging your groceries. (in reusable bags, I hope :)
I had a good conversation with one of my coworkers about the incredibly rude comments she has sometimes received from visitors. Many of them made my jaw drop. This conversation left me wondering: How can people be so mean? How does ridiculing someone else for their career choices make people feel better?
With all of my retail experience, I feel that one of the good things I do for the world is to generally be nice to clerks and cashiers everywhere. In my own retail career, I have been yelled at when we're out of organic lemons and only have conventional ones. I have been yelled at for helping another customer (who was first in line), or for answering the phone, or for not pulling every string in the book to get a regular the type of rice milk they wanted on the shelf. I have watched grown men yell at Boston Market employees for putting the baked apples in the wrong container. I don't know how all this anger helps. So I try my best to be the best customer I can be. I was waiting at the post office one day during lunch time. There was one employee working, and I could tell that he was exhausted. When it was my turn, he apologized for my wait in a dejected tone. I met that apology with a smile and told him it was no problem. I don't understand how being rude helps the situation at all.
I have a theory that everyone should have to start their career in retail. There's something about shopping that puts customers at their worst. They are often upset with the cashier when the cashier is only passing along information from a manager or other supervisor. It is generally not their fault that they are out of size small polo shirts. You learn to see the world this way quite quickly in retail. You learn that you are more likely to go out of your way to help the nice customers who are understanding and calm, and that you will do whatever you can to not have to check out the customer who has already thrown a fit in the baking aisle. You learn that many customers will treat you horribly. I still don't understand why it is that way, but it is true.
I feel that I have a unique outlook on life. My mom used to be a waitress, so I know to never tip less than 20%, no matter what my service was like, and to speak to the manager if there is a problem (especially if the food arrived cold or something like that--this is generally not the server's fault). I worked in retail as a lowly sales clerk, so I know to smile when my checkout person at the grocery store seems frazzled and to engage if they initiate conversation. I know to say thank you and to make my displeasure known as calmly as possible. I truly believe that people will treat you nicely if you treat them with the respect they deserve.
The absolute bottom line is that everyone makes choices about their employment. Some have more freedom to choose than others. Some have to take jobs for the benefits, not their passion for that particular job. And sometimes people truly enjoy their work. I know that some folks looked down on me for spending my first year out of college working as a clerk at the local health food store. But I truly cared about my work, and I learned so much about natural remedies, healthy food, organic produce, local meat, and about myself and my needs in the workplace. Making snide comments about a person's chosen career is not ok. I challenge you to help stop this negativity. It's as simple as smiling at the person bagging your groceries. (in reusable bags, I hope :)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Confession:
I have become a terrible blogger. This fact has slowly crept up on me, and I am now fully ready to acknowledge it. I love reading blogs, and I could probably do it multiple hours a day. I like reading well crafted and interesting posts...and I used to like creating them myself. Recently, I've been happy to let that slide, and I'm not sure why. So, I decided to let my mind wander and ramble until bed time.
Today was a good day. It started off with orange juice and cereal with almond milk while reading blogs, which is a pretty standard way for me to start my day. I wore a new sweater to church (which is a story in itself--it was given to me for free by one of my summer camper's moms this past summer), and we got there 10 minutes before the service started to encounter a packed house! Today was the children's Christmas program, which means that we got to watch a literal host of angels, the cutest Mary & Joseph, and 4 narrators in very jaunty attire: 1 santa hat, 1 tan fedora, and 1 classy purple velvet dress with sash (these 8 year olds have better style than me!). We got through the donut line early enough to have cake donuts (obviously the most popular ones).
I had leftover lentil soup with a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and shared an apple. (cut into slices, which is really the only way to eat an apple, in my mind. Old habits from having braces die hard.) We ordered some Christmas presents, bought bus tickets for our upcoming Christmas travels, and then went to do laundry. (All I want for Christmas is on-site laundry at my apartment!) Eh, it's not too bad, since we generally do it at our old house and get to chat with old housemates. Upon returning home, I called my parents and chatted for awhile. James made pflinzen for dinner (Russian pancakes, which are the same as crepes), and I indulged in crepes with cream cheese and blueberry jam. Spent the evening getting stuff ready for tomorrow and packaging the mint chocolate cookies I made for the cookie exchange at work. I'm excited to see what kinds I'll come home with!
I can't believe there's only one more work week between me and a 2-week Christmas break that I feel so lucky to have. While tomorrow is a hectic day of back to back meetings and leading a new presentation for our visitors I've never taught before....it's my last Monday at work for two weeks! :) I am also chipper because after a week of sub-zero temperatures, highs were in the 40s for the past two days--amazing what a difference that makes.
Today was a good day. It started off with orange juice and cereal with almond milk while reading blogs, which is a pretty standard way for me to start my day. I wore a new sweater to church (which is a story in itself--it was given to me for free by one of my summer camper's moms this past summer), and we got there 10 minutes before the service started to encounter a packed house! Today was the children's Christmas program, which means that we got to watch a literal host of angels, the cutest Mary & Joseph, and 4 narrators in very jaunty attire: 1 santa hat, 1 tan fedora, and 1 classy purple velvet dress with sash (these 8 year olds have better style than me!). We got through the donut line early enough to have cake donuts (obviously the most popular ones).
I had leftover lentil soup with a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and shared an apple. (cut into slices, which is really the only way to eat an apple, in my mind. Old habits from having braces die hard.) We ordered some Christmas presents, bought bus tickets for our upcoming Christmas travels, and then went to do laundry. (All I want for Christmas is on-site laundry at my apartment!) Eh, it's not too bad, since we generally do it at our old house and get to chat with old housemates. Upon returning home, I called my parents and chatted for awhile. James made pflinzen for dinner (Russian pancakes, which are the same as crepes), and I indulged in crepes with cream cheese and blueberry jam. Spent the evening getting stuff ready for tomorrow and packaging the mint chocolate cookies I made for the cookie exchange at work. I'm excited to see what kinds I'll come home with!
I can't believe there's only one more work week between me and a 2-week Christmas break that I feel so lucky to have. While tomorrow is a hectic day of back to back meetings and leading a new presentation for our visitors I've never taught before....it's my last Monday at work for two weeks! :) I am also chipper because after a week of sub-zero temperatures, highs were in the 40s for the past two days--amazing what a difference that makes.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On Being a Cheapskate (& loving the earth)
At least once or twice a week, I look down and take stock of my outfit for the day. Almost everyday, I can count on wearing one item that I bought at a thrift store. Sometimes my entire outfit (excluding under-things) is made up of things that were either thrifted or free. I actually love scouring thrift store for lovely things that others have left behind. Case in point: my favorite pair of shoes.
These babies were found at a Goodwill store. I have worn them for three years now, and they are still in decent shape. I like shopping at thrift stores because tons of clothing is tossed aside that is still wearable. I like the idea of buying things at a cheaper price, and buying reused things instead of new.
Thrift stores are not just for clothes. I outfitted our entire kitchen with dishes & glasses senior year of college for under $10 at a Salvation Army store. I always have a list in the back of my mind of things I'm looking for: sugar bowls, wineglasses, candlesticks, Pyrex baking dishes, etc. When I find them at thrift stores I snatch them up. Most of these things are better made and last longer than what I could buy at Target.
While putting our new apartment together, I have often exclaimed, "Craigslist is amazing!" And it's true. Without Craigslist, getting furniture for our apartment would have been much more expensive.
Every piece of furniture in this picture of our living room was purchased from Craigslist. We also bought our vacuum cleaner, nightstands, and microwave from the site.
I like the thrill of Craigslist. Of finding something promising and contacting the seller...hoping to hear from them right away...and going to check out items. This is my favorite because I generally develop a picture of the person in my mind based on their name and email address. It's great to visualize who I will see...and then be completely surprised. I also like that by being a thrifty cheapskate, by default I am demonstrating my love for the earth. Otherwise, we would have bought a brand new coffee table that was just as nice. This way old things continue to be used, and are not discarded in landfills.
Our most recent (and most awesome, in my opinion) find took 3 months to happen. Since we moved in, we've wanted a table for eating meals at, but have a very limited amount of space to work with. Our kitchen has an awkward counter that takes up the space available for a table. So we decided to look for a round table with drop leaf sides, so it wouldn't take up much space, and cleared a space in our office for it. These tables are hard to come by, and way too expensive to buy new (because they are generally solid wood and well-constructed), so I relegated myself to the search. James and I had made several inquiries that all fell through...until this Sunday. Just 5 minutes from our house, we were able to acquire this:
The novelty of having a table hasn't worn off yet. We look forward to dinner not only for delicious food, but also for the chance to use the table. We're looking forward to treating the table to its first Thanksgiving dinner this month.
I am actually pretty proud of being a cheapskate when it comes to buying used clothing, furniture, and other items. It's a practical and fun way for me to feel like I am doing something ecologically sound.
Public Service Announcement: Always be careful when buying used upholstered furniture. I actually prefer Craigslist to thrift stores because you can talk to the person who is selling the items and take a look at their home. Bed bugs are a big problem, so I don't think I'd purchase something upholstered without interacting with the seller.
Thrift stores are not just for clothes. I outfitted our entire kitchen with dishes & glasses senior year of college for under $10 at a Salvation Army store. I always have a list in the back of my mind of things I'm looking for: sugar bowls, wineglasses, candlesticks, Pyrex baking dishes, etc. When I find them at thrift stores I snatch them up. Most of these things are better made and last longer than what I could buy at Target.
While putting our new apartment together, I have often exclaimed, "Craigslist is amazing!" And it's true. Without Craigslist, getting furniture for our apartment would have been much more expensive.
I like the thrill of Craigslist. Of finding something promising and contacting the seller...hoping to hear from them right away...and going to check out items. This is my favorite because I generally develop a picture of the person in my mind based on their name and email address. It's great to visualize who I will see...and then be completely surprised. I also like that by being a thrifty cheapskate, by default I am demonstrating my love for the earth. Otherwise, we would have bought a brand new coffee table that was just as nice. This way old things continue to be used, and are not discarded in landfills.
Our most recent (and most awesome, in my opinion) find took 3 months to happen. Since we moved in, we've wanted a table for eating meals at, but have a very limited amount of space to work with. Our kitchen has an awkward counter that takes up the space available for a table. So we decided to look for a round table with drop leaf sides, so it wouldn't take up much space, and cleared a space in our office for it. These tables are hard to come by, and way too expensive to buy new (because they are generally solid wood and well-constructed), so I relegated myself to the search. James and I had made several inquiries that all fell through...until this Sunday. Just 5 minutes from our house, we were able to acquire this:
The novelty of having a table hasn't worn off yet. We look forward to dinner not only for delicious food, but also for the chance to use the table. We're looking forward to treating the table to its first Thanksgiving dinner this month.
I am actually pretty proud of being a cheapskate when it comes to buying used clothing, furniture, and other items. It's a practical and fun way for me to feel like I am doing something ecologically sound.
Public Service Announcement: Always be careful when buying used upholstered furniture. I actually prefer Craigslist to thrift stores because you can talk to the person who is selling the items and take a look at their home. Bed bugs are a big problem, so I don't think I'd purchase something upholstered without interacting with the seller.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Things I Have Learned
1) I do not, in fact, hate cow's milk. It turns out that I love cow's milk that comes from happy cows, and just do not care for the taste of watery conventional grocery store $1.99/gallon cow's milk. This means that we drink 1 half gallon of happy cow milk every two weeks.
2) Sometimes, the best choice is the lesser evil. I worked at a member-owned co-operative health food store for a year. I love co-ops. I think they are the best places to buy your food--reasonably priced, small enough to provide excellent customer service and relationships, and good food. However, there are 4 co-ops in the state of CO. None of them are in Denver. So I shop at Whole Foods now, the same company that basically puts co-ops out of business when they move into the same town. I believe this is a better choice than a) using gas to get to a co-op, or b) shopping at a regular grocery store for all of my food (we still buy some things there) to avoid supporting the Whole Foods corporation. Here's the thing: because of Whole Foods I can choose which state my food comes from (and avoid Chilean apples and New Zealand kiwis) and choose locally produced meat. I think this is a better choice than buying food from who knows where made from who knows what at a conventional grocery store. I'm still supporting a giant corporation, but it's the best I can do.
3) Grey weather really impacts my mood. Where is the sun, oh lovely state of Colorado? At least the brilliant red & orange tree outside my window adds a burst of color to the grey sky.
4) I love Smartwool socks. Nothing else keeps my feet as toasty.
5) I will always love waking up naturally with no pressing schedule, as opposed to hitting snooze twice and groaning when the alarm goes off.
2) Sometimes, the best choice is the lesser evil. I worked at a member-owned co-operative health food store for a year. I love co-ops. I think they are the best places to buy your food--reasonably priced, small enough to provide excellent customer service and relationships, and good food. However, there are 4 co-ops in the state of CO. None of them are in Denver. So I shop at Whole Foods now, the same company that basically puts co-ops out of business when they move into the same town. I believe this is a better choice than a) using gas to get to a co-op, or b) shopping at a regular grocery store for all of my food (we still buy some things there) to avoid supporting the Whole Foods corporation. Here's the thing: because of Whole Foods I can choose which state my food comes from (and avoid Chilean apples and New Zealand kiwis) and choose locally produced meat. I think this is a better choice than buying food from who knows where made from who knows what at a conventional grocery store. I'm still supporting a giant corporation, but it's the best I can do.
3) Grey weather really impacts my mood. Where is the sun, oh lovely state of Colorado? At least the brilliant red & orange tree outside my window adds a burst of color to the grey sky.
4) I love Smartwool socks. Nothing else keeps my feet as toasty.
5) I will always love waking up naturally with no pressing schedule, as opposed to hitting snooze twice and groaning when the alarm goes off.
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