So That Happened

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

I am a big fan of roasting vegetables.  It's a ridiculously simple way to prepare vegetables while giving them a texture and depth of flavor that steaming or boiling simply cannot impart.  Sure, roasting vegetables may take a little longer, but the end result is so very much worth it.  Using the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Roasted Green Beans (it's a subscription-only recipe - sorry! - but you can sign up for the 14-day trial) as my template (you can see one of my initial attempts of roasting these here), I've roasted several kinds with varying (but mostly positive) results.

Last week I tried roasting one of my favorite treats, sugar snap peas.

Pretty, no?  These came straight from my local farmers market.  I love eating sugar snap peas raw by just splitting them open and popping out the peas like candy.

Here they are halfway through the cooking process.  Yes, I took them out of the oven for this picture.  You can see how much water they have lost so far.

And here are the little guys after roasting.

Don't they look delicious?  Don't you want to dip them in wasabi mayonnaise and snack away?  Or, if you're like me, just eat them hot right off the baking sheet?  Ahem.

Seasonal Haiku Time

It's mid-November

and I'm wearing summer clothes.

Whither, Fall weather?

Holiday knitting?

No time!  Hope people like their

unfinished projects!

Eggnog Latte, you

are a cruel temptress.  Why must

you be so tasty?

I had to write a

fourth haiku because I do

not like odd numbers.

The Master Cleanse: A Follow-Up

A few days ago I put an APB out on the Master Cleanse and you were all so great in leaving comments - thanks!  I wanted to let you know that I decided to not do the MC as it seemed very drastic.  Not only that, this has a pretty stressful month for me and taking on something like this would not do my psyche or body any favors.  I'll stick to what I've been doing for several months, which is a lot of portion control (including weighing most of my food into eight-ounce servings).  It's worked very well for me so far.

In case you were wondering, my co-worker finished the MC and lost ten pounds.  Her fiance, on the other hand, lost nineteen pounds.  NINETEEN.  In TEN DAYS.  She said he said he feels fine but...I don't know.  That seems like an awful lot of weight to lose in less than two weeks - to me, at least.  

A Totally Shameless Promotional Post

Those of you who have been reading this blog know that I've mentioned my best friend/partner in crime/traveling cohort/fellow food fiend/better half Heathyr.  You know how you have that one person you can call at any time day or night no matter what the problem, or even if there isn't a problem at all?  She's mine.  We clicked instantly the moment we met 12 years ago in college, and have pretty much shared the same brain ever since.

ANYWAY.  Heathyr has managed to remain off the interwebs for the most part - that is, until now.  (I'm serious - she wasn't even on Facebook until literally last night, which led me to check if hell had indeed frozen over.)  Earlier this fall she did what most of us dream of doing: she up and quit her job and moved to the Bay area to become a sommelier student.  And she's writing about her adventure here:

Working the Vine

So read her blog, won't you?  I promise you will not be disappointed.  And if you are even just a little bit, I will come over and punch you right in the throat.  Because even though I know what Dionne Warwick & Friends have told me, that's really what friends are for.

The Master Cleanse: Any Thoughts?

I've been watching my co-worker like a hawk with great curiousity for the past week as she has been on the Master Cleanse.  In case you don't know anything about it, it's essentially a 10-day (or longer) fast in which you only drink a specific blend of water, lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup (click here for more details including the recipe). 

I have been thinking about doing it for some time because it seems like a nice way to "reset" your systems.  I know many people who have done it and absolutely rave about it (read Carla's take on it if you would like), so I wanted to cast a wider net and get more input from the interwebs.  Have you done it?  Did you like it?  Did you miss things like chewing?  Would you do it again?  Help a girl out and leave your thoughts - thank you!

Inappropriate!

The Circus Animal Cookie Beast with Two Backs.

Dear Alton Brown,

May I call you AB?  Okay then.  

AB, you know I have nothing but deep, hateless love for you.  I've seen every episode of Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt/Waves/Foam: the El Bulli Edition (okay, that last one may be a figment of my imagination), and I have all of your books.  Friends bring me magazines from places near and far if they have interviews with you.  I've even met you (twice! eee!) and managed to stay cool and not completely geek out in your presence.  See?  Nothing but love, which is why it pains me to do this:

Long hair?  Really?  

Really?

Is this the kind of comparison you want?  

Tough lovingly yours,

Me

Twu Wuv

Here's a quick shot from my Vegas trip:

We stopped in Baker on our drive to Vegas for some good ol' Dairy Queen, where my faithful traveling companion Mr. Bear found his soulmate in the form of a Dipped Vanilla Cone.

Phew.

I just got back from a wonderful four-day weekend in Las Vegas with my best friend, H.  It was just what the doctor ordered: lots of conversation, laughter, shopping (I should just sign over my paycheck to Sephora), drinking and eating.  

Oh, the eating.  

I am too exhausted to write a proper post now, but I wanted to let you all know that we ate here, here, here, here, here, and here, and had the most AMAZING meals at every single place.  No joke. 

I promise to write actual reviews of each restaurant, but right now I need to get some sleep!

I KNEW IT!

Oh, look!  I'm not dead.  I'm very much alive but just verrrrrrry busy here, especially because I leave for vacation tomorrow - yay!  However, I couldn't let this story pass without commenting. 

Remember that whole salmonella scare where we all stayed away from tomatoes?  Granted, that wasn't hard for me being that I can't stand raw tomatoes (processed tomato products, like sun-dried ones, ketchup or tomato soup are okay, though), but the latest news is that there could very well be another source for the illness:

Taken from this article:

The FDA has begun looking at jalapeno peppers as a possible cause of the outbreak, as well as ingredients used to make salsa such as cilantro and Serrano peppers.

Because cilantro is EVIL!  Cilantro is the devil's weed!  Cilantro breaks up families!  And rumor has it that a cilantro plant was seen starting one of the zillion fires here in my lovely state.  Because it is E-V-I-L.