Farmers Market Fun

Jose and I went to the Sunset Valley Farmers Market today, it was sooo hot outside though! It was fun going to see what all the local farmers/business folk were selling, even if some things were a little on the pricy side, like Jose's $3.00 chai tea...but we did pick up some worthwhile items that will definitely serve as lively ingredients in a few of this week's dinners. There were so many different herbs to choose from; I decided to buy a little bit of basil, sage, and oregano. I also came across a farmer who was selling these tiny garlics with a very powerful, almost sweet scent. In spite of their little size, their smell was a lot more potent than that of the much larger garlic cloves I normally buy at the grocery store. I can't wait to use them, even the herbs. I notice a significant difference in taste when using fresh as opposed to dry herbs, and I hope to eventually start my own herb garden, but that probably won't be for awhile. For now, I'm happy with the occasional visit to the farmers market, and here are a few pictures from this weekend's herb-buying-and-spotted-pig-spotting adventure :


These are some of the things I bought. I love the fresh flowers in a can idea, it's cheap and a cute paradox. Oh yeah, that may look like a munchkin bell pepper, but, apparently, it's a cross between a chili and red bell...I think jalapeño? Can't remember. And those are the mini garlics with a loud bark (click on the pic for a better look).


I love these flowers:


my new spotted friend without fur, the spots are my fav:

Let them eat cake!

Last year for Jose's birthday, I made him a cake from a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It's called "Crazy Chocolate Cake"; I was surprised he loved it, considering I didn't have much time to work on it, it called for absolutely NO butter, milk, or even eggs...I thought it was a weird recipe, but was grateful that he liked it, no less. I wasn't too happy with it, so of course I tweaked the chocolate cake recipe; I was happier with it after a few alterations...then I discovered that the "base" of the recipe made for a great cake, you just have to change a few of the ingredients depending on the kind of cake you want to make. I made a chocolate chip cookie cake using the main components of the chocolate cake recipe, including my changes...it came out with an interesting taste, considering I added a lot of the ingredients that are usually added to the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. Again, Jose likes it, and I actually like it too; adding those extra dairy products really does make a big difference in both the texture and taste of the cake. So here's the recipe...too bad the picture doesn't look as yummy as the cake really tastes, but that's why I'm not on the road to being a professional photographer, I just don't have the knack for it; I'll stick to cooking, baking, and writing, thank you very much!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
3 Cups Cake Flour
2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Nonfat Milk
2 eggs + 1 egg white
2/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Crushed Walnuts
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

Topping:
1 Graham Cracker (crushed)

Basically, mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, and then mix them together, including the crushed walnuts and chocolate chips. After baking in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes in 2 round baking pans, then letting it stand to cool-off for about 15 minutes, the cake should be ready to frost! I made a really cool frosting (it's actually on the cake) but I did not bother measuring the ingredients. All I know is that I used about 1/4 of the amount of butter than was called for...guess what I used in its place???? Plain flavored organic rice milk! It was pretty unbelievable how much healthier it came out (since most frostings call for a ton of shortening and/or butter) but we literally couldn't taste the difference! I will forever use plain rice milk in place of an entire stick of butter whenever I make frosting! Oh, almost forgot, sprinkle the crushed graham cracker on top of the frosted cake, then place a few chocolate chips on top; it'll really look like a chocolate chip cookie cake if you do !

My worst hospital experience. EVER!

Jose sent a few others and me an article that talks about the key issues to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to fire your doctor. Thankfully, I haven't had too many bad doctor experiences. Though there have been those few doctors that seemed to not really care about what I had to say...I've only once had a really bad experience at a hospital. I won't mention the name, but I will say it was located in South Austin; if you're from around here, you probably know the place I'm referring to.

Anyway, I went there twice this year. The first time wasn't actually bad at all; it was the time I was sent to ER by a general practitioner who thought I had pancreatitis, right before I had my gallbladder removed. Anyway, that visit, like I said, went really well--other than the fact I was sick. It could be that the people who work during the day are a lot more knowledgeable and respectable than those who work during the late night hours? Who knows. The second time around wasn't so pleasant, it was the night following my gallbladder removal. I went to ER because I had the worst stomach pain in the world, it was literally so bad that two shots of demerol still didn't cut it (it has morphine-like pain killing properties)--in fact, it just made the agony of it all so much worse because I had an allergic reaction to the medication, so I was ridiculously itchy; I felt like I was going to scratch my face off.

Anyway, the first unpleasant experience came when the nurse was injecting me with demerol the first time around that night. Jose was right next to me and he told him (the nurse) that when I had a similar, strong pain medicine before, the nurse injected me slowly because it gave me a huge migraine type headache the first time. Well, this nurse said it wouldn't make a difference if he did it fast or slow (but the nurse before said it did)...hell yeah it did, I could feel it! In fact, that's why the nurse from the prior time injected me with the medication slow, because the first time she did it, I was writhing in pain, I thought my head was going to explode. Well, during this hospital visit, the jerk of a nurse did it fast, even Jose got upset because he was actually the one to tell the nurse to do it slow; Jose knew I was in pain because of how hard I was squeezing his hand. Tears seriously came to my eyes; don't ever have them inject you with a quick, huge dose of demerol, it leaves you feeling pretty disgusting in the process! Needless to say, this nurse actually did do it slower the second time he injected me--but even though I told him I couldn't stop itching from the first injection, he went ahead and gave me another hit. AND guess what? I later discovered that I was actually having an allergic reaction to the medication (aka the itching)! What a nut.

That's not the worst part about it. They had to do a CAT scan of my digestive system, to make sure my liver wasn't damaged, because sometimes that can cause the kind of pain I was experiencing. So, after not being able to eat after the surgery, and this was the doctor's orders, a nurse said I needed to drink a pint of this contrast solution that would make my innards pretty much "light up" for the CAT scan. I did it, though it did take me awhile, considering I felt like my insides were having problems even when they were empty. Still, while I was slowly drinking this solution, the nurse came in and told me I needed to hurry up, otherwise it would wear off. I told her OK, then I asked how much time I would have to finish it but SHE DIDN'T TELL ME! Next thing I knew, another horrible medical assistant with a lovely ghetto attitude came in with an evil grin plastered on a face and a tube in hand, then she said she was going to insert that tube down my nose if I didn't finish the remaining drink right then and there! She then walked closer to me as if she was preparing to do it (and she was because she actually brought someone else in to help her assemble that ugly tube machine!). I merely responded by saying she was being rude and her behavior was inappropriate. I wasn't unpleasant in my response, but I told her that the fact that she literally had the tube in her hand and said, word for word, "I'm going to stick this tube down your nose," without any warning and with the intent of scaring me, was completely wrong. Oh, and here's the best part, right after I told her that she shouldn't be trying to scare me into doing it (and that I would've appreciated it if they actually told me how long I had before I needed to be done with the solution!) I heard her gossiping outside my room...ABOUT ME! She was laughing with another nurse and then she said "she knows what she's getting, I just told her"! As if I'm some prisoner of theirs in a torture chamber instead of a sick patient recovering from surgery in an emergency room! Seriously, I was baffled, and I wasn't exaggerating because even Jose was disturbed by her far from professional behavior.

Of course, we confronted the doctor about the situation; thank God he wasn't that bad, but the nurses and medical staff that night were absolutely horrible. I think I left that night feeling more sick than when I arrived. Don't ever let this happen to you; avoid this place, and similar places with yucky hospital staff, like the plague!

My little house

Hewo!
Here is a little picture of my little living room filled with little things that Jose and I collected from here and there, all bargains, of course. I will post a more exciting entry soon! (By the way, I posted this picture here on the side of the little afro whatever-it-is because it reminds me of Jose...when he's in dire need of a haircut and a good frizz control serum, I thought it was cute!)

Long time no type!

Hello World!
Sorry it seems as though I've temporarily fallen off the face of the earth. Life has been keeping both Jose and I very busy! Of course, I'm still cooking, nothing will stop me from making new dishes! Not even my own funky digestive system.

Anyhow, in just a few short days we will be moving into our new apartment! I am so excited, it'll be our first "home"! It's likely we've purchased almost every possible cute decorative objective from the thrift stores here in Austin. I've never done so much thrift shopping in my life and I think I'm an addict! Sometimes I'm amazed at what cute objects people throw away. Just last weekend I purchased this really sweet Pillsbury Dough Boy sugar/creamer set...and, no, I don't drink coffee, but I've always wanted Pillsbury Dough Boy paraphernalia, even if I refuse to buy his pre-made cookie dough. (I was a big fan of that stuff as a kid, now I have a pride issue about buying even canned beans or practically-already-made cookies/cakes--one day I will make everything from scratch, I'm determined!)

In just a few weeks, Jose and I will hopefully be working part-time, and in just a little over a month he'll be starting his final year of college...then it's time for the great move to wherever Jose wants to go to law school! Sometimes I think I'm more excited than he is, though I'm sure he's looking forward to it, but I'm coming down with that former military brat syndrome. What are the symptoms? Well, for me--I feel awkward staying in one city for too long. Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted to settle down and feel like I actually have a real home (instead of feeling the way I did during the "moving years," as if I lived in a storage facility loaded with the many boxes I refused to empty, since I'd have to start packing right after unpacking the last box, anyway).

But it's not exactly time to officially settle down yet, if you know what I mean. Even when Jose's in law school, we'll still be going back and forth, probably during the summer months, between Texas and Connecticut...or New York...or Virginia...or California (depending on where he decides to go). So it seems I've adopted a few ways of the gypsy, but once that biological clock starts ticking, and I start buying onesies, bibs, and bonnets with my college insignia embroidered on them in tiny pink or blue letters, I plan on settling down, most likely here in Texas with my far from cowboy, not quite city slicker, but wonderfully dorky hunk of a hubby, wow...what a long title I've given him, and what a run-on sentence that was!

In much fewer words, I'll sum up my blog absence excuse like this: Life is good, lots of sunny days...but we're still in Texas, literally and figuratively, so the weather changes in the blink of an eye. No complaints here, though, at least we have an umbrella of blessings to keep us dry when it pours; it helps us last through the unexpected storms, if you will. Speaking of the weather, now in a more literal sense, the lightening and thunder outside are pretty intense right now...I will definitely miss these Texas storms when I leave. But I am looking forward to seeing the first snowfall of another state's winter season, and mostly...living life the way it was meant to be lived under any conditions: loaded with love, full of thanks, and stuffed with meaningful moments, like the after-effects that develop from sharing a near perfect Christmas dinner with the people who've inspired us to live that way long after we've broken all our other New Year's resolutions.

I'm grateful that I can finally see I have so many things to be grateful for.

Recipe: Meatball Soup

This recipe was taken from my grandma's version of meatball soup. I improvised, mainly because I seriously don't remember what, exactly, went into the actual "soup" part. I've made this multiple times, and to be honest, I usually tend to overcook the little pastas and zucchinis. That didn't happen this last time, though!

I usually purchase ground meat (turkey in my case) 1lb at a time, but when I use it to make something other than meatloaf or hamburgers, I find that 1lb tends to be too much meat when it comes to dishes that call for more than just a slab of ground meat (things like meatball soup). So that's why I actually used the same meat from the previous recipe (I seasoned it the same way, so refer to yesterday's entry for the meat when preparing the meatballs). I cooked both dishes on the same day. My initial plan was to just make the meatball soup, then I realized I wanted to make something new with the "leftover" meat, hence the chilaquiles recipe I posted yesterday.

Anyway, here's what I added to the meatball soup this time around, usually I change up the recipe each time I make it. It's nothing major, really, just different veggies depending on what's in the fridge (my grandma adds spinach and I was going to until I realized the only spinach we had was canned, and that stuff is gross, in case you haven't figured it out for yourself!)

Meatball Soup (this makes enough for about 4-5 hearty servings)

Meatballs: (see previous entry for the "meat" recipe, but this time, roll the meat into 1/2-1 in. meatballs)

The soup (these ingredients will be added to a large pot that should be able to hold more than 1qt):
3/4 of the 32 oz Pacific Natural Foods beef broth quart (the rest can be used to make gravy...)
1 cup water
1.5 TBSP salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning
2 tsp salt (I'm guessing here, basically, whatever amount tastes good to you)
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp black pepper
1/2-3/4 of 1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 bag of baby carrots, cut long-ways or 2 large carrots, diced
1 large zucchini or 2 medium, also diced
1 large corn on the cob, remove kernels with knife and add to soup pot
1.5 oz sliced black olives
1 can stewed tomatoes*
1/3 of a 16oz bag of garden rotini pasta
*the stewed tomatoes add a lot of acid; the soup can be made without it and it'll still taste good, tomato just adds another dimension of flavor. If you do want to go ahead and add it, you can add a little baking soda to lessen the acidity.

Instructions:
Bring beef broth and water to a boil once the spices and stewed tomatoes are added. Next, lower the flame to a medium setting and add the meatballs until they are no longer pink. Once the meatballs are cooked, add the carrots...once they are tender, add corn. Lower the flame even more, to a "low/simmer" setting, then add the zucchini. Cook the zucchini for only about 5-7 minutes, then add the pasta and olives. The pasta is the last thing to cook, turn off the flame when the pasta is less than al dente; the heat from the soup will continue to cook the pasta until it's just right. Once the pasta is cooked (again, while the flame is off!), the soup can be served, since it will be cool enough to eat at this point.

Recipe: Quick and Easy Chilaquiles

So here's my first recipe posting...and it's for a Mexican dish! It's not authentic, although Jose claims that it tastes like it is, so I'm gonna take his word for it. Why isn't it authentic? Because I used so many canned items and...premade tortillas! I am ashamed, I truly am, considering I am half Mexican and grew up with a grandma who makes the best Mexican food this side of the border. I usually hate using canned goods, but when I'm too lazy to make the food myself, I purchase it premade. I know how to cook beans, at least, but today, I was too lazy to do even that! It's ok, though, considering I'm still entitled to the "college student" label, and we all know what most college kid's diets consist of: Ramen and Ramen, and maybe white rice or some kind of freezer burned pizza! I like experimenting outside of those three food groups, but like I said, sometimes it's nice to just keep it simple...we all have days like that.

So here it is, it's my quick version of chilaquiles. If you're not familiar with this simple but still pretty good Mexican concoction, it's a mix of meat, chili, cheese, and tortillas (or corn tortilla chips, but I used soft flour tortillas, instead). I changed up the recipe even more by adding black beans, they're full of iron and fiber! yum yum! I also mixed in some ground meat (oh, and I use ground turkey instead of ground beef because it's a lot healthier). The cheese I used was very American: Colby jack...but I don't have any goats around here, and I'm not as fabulous as my grandma, who can make her own cheese! So, Kraft, thank you for saving this culturally ignorant child by coming to her rescue on a lazy day like this!

This recipe makes about 4 servings of chilaquiles

Here are the ingredients:
For the meat:
1 TBSP garlic and herb bread crumbs
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 tsp fine herb spice (I bought this at Central Market*)
1/2 Tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
1 TBSP olive oil

*Central Market is basically a gourmet grocery store here in TX, I know they don't have them over in CA, but Whole Foods probably carries this mix of spices too.

The other stuff:
1/2 15 oz can organic black beans
1/4 bag low fat Kraft colby/jack cheese
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 container mushrooms
2.25 oz can of sliced black olives
1 10 oz can Old El Paso green chile sauce (mild, if you can't take the heat like me!)
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
5 flour tortillas (cut these up into little bite-size squares)

Garnish:
1 tbsp sour cream/serving
1tsp pace picante sauce/serving
1 small handful colby/jack cheese/serving


Instructions:
Mix the meat and all the meat ingredients into one medium sized bowl (except the olive oil), after all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed in the meat, cook the meat over a medium-low flame/setting in a pan with the olive oil until the meat is no longer pink. Then, slowly add in "the other stuff". First the mushrooms, mix them in with the cooked meat so they absorb the flavor of the spices, then add in the black olives along with the olive juices from the olive can. Then add in the red pepper and Tabasco sauce, mix in with meat/olives/mushrooms. Finally, add the green chili sauce, followed by the flour tortillas, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Lower the flame so it's on the lowest setting, and cover the pan until the cheese melts and the tortillas are soft. Then serve and eat as is or with the garnishes. See, it's pretty darn simple and it only takes about 30 minutes to cook/prepare and less than 2 minutes to eat!