All I Want for Christmas is…food!

ok…not really, but with Christmas coming up,  I’ve been trying to think of really nice inexpensive gifts.  My secret to gift giving and preventing regifting is to get something that you would really love if you had “so and so’s taste”  This might be a little more difficult if you don’t know the person very well.  But gift giving is much like the golden rule.  I know I wouldn’t want the hickory farms cured meat and cheese gift basket or bath salts from Walgreens, so don’t give them as gifts.  If you do, you or your friends will be seeing them again next year under your tree. ewwwwww gross!  Housewares and kitchen gadgets can be great gifts for that foodie friend of yours.   For my firm’s white elephant gift exchange we have a $20 maximum spending limit, so I’ve been looking for something inexpensive yet of definite quality.  You might think that $20 can’t really get you anything of real quality/use in the kitchen department, but I can think of some really great and great looking gifts.

I love the Bodum Pavina Double-wall Thermo Glasses. Not only are they beautiful, interesting, and very practical, but they are also quite inexpensive.  At 15.99 for the 12-oz glasses, you can get a set for a friend and one for yourself!  I did!  =)  They keep teas hot and juices cold with no condensation or coasters.  However, reviews for the 21oz are not that great.  They seem to break a lot easier than the 12 and 9oz sizes.  theseattlebear and theyummybear both recommend this item.  ok ok…I got to go to a dinner party now.  I will update in a bit with more great gift ideas!

mmmm…mmmm…goood

It’s Saturday!!!!  I love Saturdays.  I can wake up at noon, have a great brunch, and then take a nap j/k!  But I could if I really wanted to.  Actually,  I did two of those three things…you can guess which ones.  Thebaguettebear is staying with us this week and my roomie works on Saturdays and comes back for a late lunch break.  So sometimes I like to surprise her with a special lunch.

I love breakfast sandwiches, but they’re usually too greasy and definitely not fresh.  I usually feel sleepy and my stomach gets all growly bear on me after eating one of those.  It’s great to make your own breakfast sandwich because you can use all the high quality produce and meats you want.  I like to start off with some really amazing bread.  Luckily cheeseboard makes these large english muffins.  They’re perfect for a breakfast sandwich.

I got them when they were fresh from the oven and still warm.  Sooo good.  Thebaguettebear says that it’s the bread that makes a great sandwich, and I totally agree.  For this sandwich I chose to make a cajun style chicken.  I love the kick that it gives a breakfast sandwich.  Breakfast sandwiches are also a great way to get rid of left overs =)

I used a variation on a cajun chicken recipe form recipezaar.com.  After sauteing the chicken in my new All-Clad Saute Pan, I let it rest for a few minutes while I sliced some fresh vine ripened tomatoes and avocado.  I also scrambled an egg and seasoned it with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Then I shredded the chicken into more bite sized pieces and sauteed them for a minute more.  I really like the final step because the cajun seasoning really gets into every bite.  The shredded chicken also gives it a nice texture.  It’s still very filling yet light at the same time.  Absolutely Delicious!  Next time I’ll put some more greens in for a bit of crunch.  Arugula and green sprouts would definitely take it to another level!

It’s the hap happiest season of all…

It’s that time of year again.  Time for shopping!  and recession means sales!  Lots of them! Sometimes it’s good to see the glass half full.  Anywho…I’m beginning to start my Christmas shopping and am looking for some good deals.  Today I’m on the look out for the Le Creuset Halo Tea Kettle.  My mom really wants it.

I tried to talk her out of it.  I think an electric tea kettle is faster and more efficient, but she loves the old school look and feel of the Le Creuset tea kettle.  So today I’ll review the Halo and then go deal hunting.

Description: Unique locking handle makes lifting, filling and pouring whistling tea kettle extra easy. Heat-resistant phenolic knobs and handle. Heavy-gauge steel coated with glossy enamel. – Sur La Table

What are the benefits of buying Le Creuset?  Mostly Durability and longevity.  This will be a teapot that you’re never going to have to replace whereas an electric tea kettle will most likely be replaced within 10 years.  Le Creuset’s glossy enamel also makes it super easy to clean.

If you ask me there are really two kinds of shoppers: those who will wait and then pounce when a good deal comes around and those who look for the best deal right now.  I love instant gratification, and I love a good deal.  Guess which one I am?  Anyway…back to things…

The Le Creuset tea kettle retails for $55.00 and getting a good deal on this tea kettle will definitely be a challenge.  When I went to Marshalls the other day, I saw a similar Le Creuset tea kettle selling for $30.00.  If you’re not picky in terms of style and color, I would definately recommend it.  Unfortunately my mom wants the halo tea kettle, but in the cherry hombre pattern.  If you search with microsoft’s live.com an ebay link shows and you can get 15% cashback on your buyitnow ebay purchases.  But no cherry halo tea kettle =(  Boooooo…

Cooking.com has a coupon code for $15 off $100. C88966.  and an addition 6% cash back with ebates.com! That’s a pretty good deal with LeCreuset.  And you can pick up a little something for yourself when you get the tea kettle!  I’m all over that.

Baby it’s Cold Outside

brrrrrrrr…it’s chilly here and foggy.  A perfect day for soup!  I usually make miso soup, so my soup making capabilities are quite limited.  So today I decided to try to recreate a soup from my past.  Sunday at my parents’ coffee shop used to always be vegetable beef soup.  It was a hodgepodge soup made up of left over vegetables and meat from the previous days.  It was my favorite soup at the restaurant, and since I only worked there on Sundays, it was perfect.  I don’t know the real recipe; however, I think my simple recreation turned out quite successful.

Vegetable Beef Soup

• 32 oz beef broth
• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 lb top sir loin steak
• 1 onion
• 1/2 lb green beans
• 1/2 cup of macaroni
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• garlic salt to taste

Coat the pan with olive oil.  Once it heats up, place in bite sized pieces of the beef.  Before the beef is done, sprinkle it with some salt.  I use top sirloin because even if you only cook it for a short period of time, it turns out really tender.  If you have more time available you can use a different meat and obtain a more braised beef texture.  YUM.  Take out the beef and place it in a separate plate.  Add onions to the stockpot.  Cook until transparent and then add the beef broth and canned tomatoes.  Bring up the soup to a simmer and add the bay leaf and thyme.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and salt to taste.  I would prefer to use a garlic powder, but I only had garlic salt available, so I omitted any extra salt.  Add the macaroni and the green beans.  The macaroni will finish in about 7-8 minutes.  It’s a really quick hearty and yummy soup.

For this piece I used a 5-quart Anolon stock pot.  I bought it 2 years ago at ross for $20.00; however, mine has a glass top.  Amazon is currently selling it for $29.99.  It’s really good quality for the price, so if you’re looking for a budget buy, I totally recommend it.  The beef caramelizes well in the pot.  I can’t really say anything bad about it.  In the future, I do plan to upgrade to an all clad stainless steel stock pot, but I’m content with my current pot until I can afford the all clad.

What’s for Dinner????

Today some workers came in to put in new tile for the bathroom.  The bathroom was really janky and was having mold issues, so they came to fix that all up.  It’s about time.  The workers were a little weird and flirty (says the roommate), so she coerced me into going hiking up the mount tamalpais.

The views are very pretty and I walked 20000 some steps.  (I was wearing my pedometer)  When we got to the end of the trail, it got really dark, and I tripped and twisted my ankle.  Luckily we didn’t get eaten by mountain lions, and I was able to hobble the rest of the way to the car.  For dinner I was rewarded with dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn….IN-N-OUT!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm…og.  I got a double meat burger extra toast, fries, and a chocolate vanilla milkshake.  My roommate and I are not fans of American cheese.  How does everyone else feel about it?