Totally Posthumous Cleanse/Detox Wrap

First off - ah quit a day(ish) early. Thar was a halloween party @ my work on the 29th, n ah totally drank a beer n ate some junk. But ah still made it four weeks.

Tha big thang(s) ahm takin from this experiment is a) it DAES make you feel bettah but b) it's nawt a way ah NEED ta live my life just yet. Also that ah don't like havin ta spend all my time thinkin about what ahm eatin, what ahm gawna make, what needs ta be bought, etc.

Ah dae like that a few newer ingredients gawt introduced ta my routine: quinoa, flaxseed, etc. Ah also am very thankful it inspired me ta attend my local farmers market (or markets sometimes) n try ta git tha majority of my foods thar. Ah realized at some point that ahd basically been cookin entirely from scratch in many cases, minus some spices, n that tha most cheatin ahd done was some beans er grains (specially durin my cleanse phase), otherwise it had all been bought at a local market.

It also forced me ta stop dependin on a few non-local products: especially bananas. Ah love bananas - thar easy, tasty, cheap, n good fer ya. Ahd basically been eatin a banana every mornin fer a long time - it was a jump-start to my day, ah could eat it while waterin tha plants, it gave me just a lil energy ta ride ta werk. But thar nawt native. Those bananas come from far far away. So instead, ahve been eatin an apple er pear er persimmon bought from a local vendor. Nawt quite as easy, but bettah fer everyone (specially tha local vendor ah suppose).

So ah believe thars compromises ta be made. Ah love bread n cheese n eggs - thas fine. Ah currently dont eat TOO much of eitha, but ah should be more mindful about those products. Ahve also been good about nawt dependin on tofu fer protein - which is good fer a lawt of reasons. N ahm still gaein to tha farmers market - ah love it. Ah hafta wake up early on my Saturday, but it really is totally werth it.

But ah did miss tha occasional junk food. Ahve definitely snacked a bit now n then since, n haven't felt bad about eatin chocolate er chips er drinkin beer. All in moderation ah figure - n tha more aware of it ah am, tha bettah off ahll be ah think. Right?

All in all, ahm glad ah did it. Ahll prolly dae somethang similar again. Its good ta escape ones comfort zone - specially when you feel awesome durin it. N ah took some good thangs away.

Here's my most recent expedition intae cookin local food:

Attempt at Thai Curry
- Jasmine Rice - cook in cooker

In saucepan, heat olive oil (ah always cook w. olive oil), sesame oil, n soy sauce. Chop 7-8 spicy red peppers (From farmers market of course - $1 a huge bunch ahll nevah use). Sautee in sauce with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and ginger.

Add diced potatos and water. Cover and simmer.

5 minutes or so later, add green beans. stir and simmer. add more ginger.

a few minutes later, added chopped mushrooms and yellow/orange bell pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, then add 30+ thai basil leaves. Stir basil leaves in until wilting, cover for a few more minutes. Squeeze lime over, stir, and serve over jasmine rice.

How'd it come out? Tasty as hell, but a bit spicy. Ahd really thought ah had some coconut milk that ah was gaein ta add, but couldn't find it. Also, ah lost my fish sauce a few months back n haven't replaced that yet either. Ah think w. tha addition of one, er both, of these, it will be pretty fawkin good. Altho all tha recipes ah looked up called fer eggplant, so maybe ah should incorporate that next time.

Ah BAKE!

At my job, Thursday is Snax day. Every week, a different employee prepares/buys a snack of some sort and those who are interested snack and chat together for a half hour or so. This week was my week (Actually, two weeks ago it was my week b/c ah double-booked myself, but that week was slammin w. gigs n crap so ah just bought some day old cookies from a local bakery).

Ah was determined ta actually make somethang, n wanted ta make somethang savory as opposed to sweet - nawt that ah succeeded. Ah ended up gaein w. pumpkin bread and zucchini bread b/c my moms pumpkin bread is one of my favorite thangs in tha world, n ah wanted ta give some selection as well (in case people didn't like pumpkin bread). So, ah bought a ton of ingredients n went ta werk (these days, whenevah ah use a new recipe it requires a lawt of purchasin b/c ah dont have many ingredients in my house. Also, anytime ah have a new spice ta play with ah insist on buyin it in bulk at Rainbow Grocery, which while pretty cheap fer organic spices ends up bein a bit more expensive b/c ah also buy a shaker fer every spice. But thas my problem.)

Anyway, this is one of my first solo bakin experiments so ah hoped it would come out good - even tho ah couldn't find a teaspoon ta measure (seriously, ah couldn't find a teaspoon in my house. Mixer yes, but teaspoon, nope. We have a spoon problem ovah here). Ah really enjoyed it actually (except fer gratin tha zucchini) - somethang very cool about werkin fer a solid half hour er so, n then throwin it in tha oven ta dae its thang - thinkin "well, my werk is done, we'll see how it comes out."

Ah think it came out pretty damn good actually. Sure, both breads were a bit sweeter then ah wanted, n ah couldve given tha zucchini bread anutha 10 minutes in tha oven, but ah enjoyed them, n they tasted similar ta my moms food. Whas really important tho is that werk loved it, n ahm pretty sure most of thar praise was genuine. Check it:



Tha best thang howevah is that ahm startin ta gain a lil confidence in tha kitchen on my own. Even tho ahve cooked fer myself pretty much tha whole time ah lived w. tha rents, n definitely before then, ah didn't dae much branchin out (minus tha whole gaein-veg thang). But knowin ahll be able ta continue some food traditions in tha family one way er anutha feels good. Ah wouldn't say that cookin necessarily runs in tha family, but ah dae feel ahve inherited some good instincts from my rents - instincts that'll make some lucky lady very happy one day should ah evah become a stay-at-home-husband!

WE COOK!

Yes, ah forced my house ta have dinnah togetha. N they LIKED IT! Gawta love message boards.....

Ah stepped in ta make tha main course - stuffed shells a la my mom's recipe. It might've smelled like mom's cookin, but it has a way ta gae - both in terms of texture (ragu was too watery) n taste (BLAND stuffin - even w. spinach!).

Howevah, ah feel prety proud fer takin tha first step - cookin my mom's ragu from tha get-gae. Ah can't share her recipe (nawt that it would help much) but here's a glimpse at tha ingredients used:



That was mostly fer tha ragu - which ah multi-tasked on n also made lunches fer a few days. An ol' throwback to my bawstan/nova days, some SUPAH MAC N CHEEZ. This time includin:



At one point in time ah was simmerin tha ragu:



While ah was also steamin broccoli, fryin tofu/peppers/zucchini, n boilin macaroni:



Thas rite, ah ken multi-task.

Anyway, tha shells came out passable - lookin nawt TOO shabby:



Altho a lil shabby, ahll admit it.

We had tons of food, n people came ta visit! Then tha roommates posed (Cuz it was tha first time we've evah been in tha same room togetha, nae joke).

Say cheese Roommmates!



Finally, ah was extra happy cuz ah found Gallo, a Guatemalean beer ah enjoyed greatly, sold in my favorite container - tha LITER Bottle. Out here they call it Famosa, but it tastes tha same as cheap....



Updatin ken be fun!