Thursday, March 3, 2011

My 2010 Cookbook Spreadsheet and Cookbook Recommendations

Perhaps some of you will remember from last year (January 26, 2010 blog) that I keep a spreadsheet of all my cookbooks and write the date next to the title every time I use one of them. At the end of the year, I can analyze which books I’ve used and what type of cooking I’ve done the most. All of this is really quite fascinating to me but perhaps you are not as engaged as I am. After all it’s what I’m eating, not what you’re eating. Bear with me.








Over the course of 2010, out of a total of 543 cookbooks, I used 86 of them, 32 for the first time. I prepared 218 recipes from these 86 cookbooks, 14 from magazines, newspapers, cooking classes, or the internet, 86 from my blog, and 36 of my own devising, coming to a total of 354 recipes.

This information tells me that I am still quite wed to cookbooks in the paper form, ones that I can crack open, check the index, scribble notes and paste photos. I’ve begun to use Epicurious and Big Oven apps on my IPad, sending myself emails of interesting recipes, but those numbers are still really small. The 86 from my blog are those recipes I am getting ready to post and need to photograph, as well as those I just love and “keep” using again and again.

I cooked 43 recipes from West Coast and West Coast Wine Country cookbooks, 34 from cookbooks featuring European or English food, 28 from the Healthy or Vegetarian cookbooks, and 21 from the Quick cookbook category.

I used FARMfood a whopping 18 times. This is a beautifully designed book, published by Indiana University Press. Daniel Orr is a Hoosier (from Indiana); I’m a Buckeye (from Ohio). So at our roots, he and I are neighbors—and I feel that every time I use his cookbook. He ventured away to see the world and to learn to cook but has now returned to Bloomington, Indiana and has opened a restaurant, FARMbloomington, which supports local farmers and ranchers by buying their produce. His recipes are really good.

I used The Illustrated Quick Cook and Martha Stewart Living’s Everyday Food: Great Food Fast a combined 15 times. I love spending time in the kitchen, as most of you know, so speed is not my highest priority. But I also realize that it is for many of you and I’ve been trying to find great quick recipes that are tasty and fun. Both of these cookbooks meet that criteria. There are also lots of good photos.

Aloha Days Hula Nights came in at 12 times. This Junior League cookbook from Honolulu is truly marvelous. I took it with me to Hawaii over New Year’s 2010 and used it a bunch at the beginning of the year. There is nothing slick about it. Just good recipes, well tested, and delicious.

Without Reservations came in at 10 times. I took Joey Altman’s cooking class at the Ranch in 2009, bought his book with few expectations and found it to be totally admirable.

I would highly recommend any of these five. I would love to know if any of you has tried them and what you think of them.

My 2010 Dinner Spreadsheet

I have another spreadsheet which I don’t think I’ve told you about before. You know that I write in a small dinner journal every night, noting what I’ve eaten for dinner and any wine or other beverage. On the left are a couple of pages from my 2010 journal. (Most pages don't have photographs.) I put the basic information month-by-month on a spreadsheet, see below, so that I can calculate at the end of the year how many dinners I’ve cooked at home or when traveling, how many times I ate leftovers, had guests to dinner (and who they were), ate in restaurants or had someone (bless them) cook for me. It’s really interesting to see the results. Or at least I think so.

Sorry this isn't clearer, but you get the idea.













Here are the numbers for Berkeley or Sonoma:
Guests came to dinner 39 times
Cooked 98 times (137 including for guests)
Ate leftovers 73 times
Ate in restaurants 47 times
Purchased prepared food and brought home 1 time
Friends cooked for me 15 times
Shared preparation for dinner 10 times

And here are the numbers when I’m traveling:
Cooked 9 times
Ate in restaurants 53 times
Friends cooked for me 12 times
Shared preparation for dinner 8 times

So during the course of 2010, I ate in restaurants 100 times (27%), cooked and ate my own food 219 times (60%) and had friends cook for me 27 times (7%). Six percent for everything else. Pretty interesting, don’t you think?

Im happy without FB

Yeah. Rasa happy pulak takde facebook.
Kenapa? Tak payah pikir shoutout orang lain.
Tak payah terasa dengan shoutout orang lain.
Saya boleh buat tak tau je. Coz mmg sya tak tau.
Yeah!!

Buat Ms.Diva,
Adakah anda rasa anda seperti artis?
Di interview oleh wartawan2. Diasak-asak supaya
anda memberi jawapan yang anda tak pasti apa jawapannya?
Bersabarlah. Tuhan lebih mengetahui.
Yang penting sila berhati-hati bila bercakap.
Terlajak perahu boleh diundur, terlajak kata buruk padahnya.
Walaupun anda adalah public figure (for this time being),
sila layan kami dengan cara elok. elakkan emosi menguasai diri anda.

Sekian.Terima Kasih.

Lemon love

I just wanted to share this amazing dress I found today!



Two More Pelicans

I like the combined geometry of the birds and the clouds in this one.

OT Tip - Guest Post continued on SPD


THANK YOU to my mother in-law Debbie for continuing her guest posting on Sensory Processing Disorder. I hope you are enjoying her posts and are learning some good information. Next week will be her last post on this subject. If there is a topic that you would like us to discuss, please feel free to e-mail me! So let's get to her post now! 




_________________________________________

Are you or do you know of anyone that is easily distracted by background noises?  Or work with a child that is always distracted by sounds and asking “what’s that?” all the time and not being able to focus on what they need to be doing?  These could be symptoms of auditory sensory issues.
Auditory:  Hearing/interpreting, localize sounds, discrimination between sounds.
Symptoms:
·         Sensitive to lound sudden sounds
·         Distracted by background noises
Solutions:
Teachers/parents:
·         Headphones or ear plugs to block out background noises
·         Simplify language when giving instructins to the class
·         Give a verbal warning before lound sounds, like fire drills to cover  ears.
·         Theraputic Listening programs.
Visual sesitivities can also prevent a child from focusing and completing task.
Visual:  Acuity, ocular motor, visual motor, and visual perception.
Symptom:
Hypersensitivity:
·         Sensitive to sunlight or fluorescent lights
·         Overdistracted by classroom wall decorations
·         Poor hand-eye coordination
·         Difficulty tracking across a page while reading
·         Difficulty copying from chalkboard
Solutions:
Teachers:
·         Decrease wall decorations
·         Adjust light in classroom
·         Table easel
·         Window guide for reading
·         Copy from page or book at close range instead of    chalkboard
·         (hypo) colored overlays across pages while reading
·         Wicking around edge to provide tactile cues while coloring
·         Parents:
·         Screen and monitors at proper height
·         Play catch to help with eye-hand coordination
~ Debra 
Disclaimer: I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The advise in these tips is not a replacement for medical advise from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child.

Fighting To Maintain The Illusion

Robert Tracinski has a fantastic summary of what's going on across the nation as our debt bombs go off. It says what I've been thinking, but it does so better than I can. Rather than try to top his excellent prose, I'll just link and excerpt.

Link.

Excerpt:
(T)here is something deeper here than just favor-selling and vote-buying. There is something that almost amounts to a twisted idealism in the Democrats' crusade. They are fighting, not just to preserve their special privileges, but to preserve a social ideal. Or rather, they are fighting to maintain the illusion that their ideal system is benevolent and sustainable.

Waterfalls And Waves

Another from my recent Sunset Cliffs excursion. The day was a grimy gray and the sea was a murky gray-green, so most of my shots ended up getting thrown out. I like the motion of this one - it shows the sea about to replenish the little waterfalls on the rock. The larger image shows the cycle of motion better, so it might be worth a click.

Our neighborhood

I just want to share a few photos with you from my neighborhood while walking the dog this morning.

It's hard to distinguish between seasons here in Florida because it's either warm or really f@"$ing hot! One thing that reminds me that spring is approaching are the flowering trees. Here are a couple that I saw today.














What's blooming in your neighborhood? 


Vegetable Curry Indonesian Style (Sayur Lodeh)

Vegetable Curry Indonesian Style

1 1/2 cups cut green beans
2 carrots
1/2 turnip
1/2 head cabbage
250 g firm tofu
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 cups water

Spice blend

1 inch fresh ginger
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons chili paste
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (optional)
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
2 stalks lemongrass
20 small dried shrimp, first soaked in hot water to soften
4 tablespoons oil

Chop all the spice blend ingredients and add them to the blender, except the chilli powder. Blend it into a paste.

Combine coconut milk and water to form thin coconut milk.

Cut all the vegetables into small cubes and sticks.

After all the spices are blended, add chilli powder according to your tastes.

Fry it in oil till the oils in the paste ooze out.
Add thin coconut milk and bring it to a gentle boil.

Dump in all the vegetables and tofu and simmer it till the vegetables are tender. Add salt to taste.

Adding pepper is not reccomended.
Serve Sayur Lodeh over rice.

Vegetable Curry Indonesian Style (Sayur Lodeh)

Vegetable Curry Indonesian Style

1 1/2 cups cut green beans
2 carrots
1/2 turnip
1/2 head cabbage
250 g firm tofu
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 cups water

Spice blend

1 inch fresh ginger
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons chili paste
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (optional)
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
2 stalks lemongrass
20 small dried shrimp, first soaked in hot water to soften
4 tablespoons oil

Chop all the spice blend ingredients and add them to the blender, except the chilli powder. Blend it into a paste.

Combine coconut milk and water to form thin coconut milk.

Cut all the vegetables into small cubes and sticks.

After all the spices are blended, add chilli powder according to your tastes.

Fry it in oil till the oils in the paste ooze out.
Add thin coconut milk and bring it to a gentle boil.

Dump in all the vegetables and tofu and simmer it till the vegetables are tender. Add salt to taste.

Adding pepper is not reccomended.
Serve Sayur Lodeh over rice.

Pelican In Flight

I shot this with the zoom lens on my Nikon D60 artillery piece down at Sunset Cliffs after a rain. I had to crop it extensively because the bird was far off. The details aren't great, but I love the geometry of the bird against the ragged hole in the clouds. It might be worth a click to see the larger image.

RED AMARANTH LEAVES SABJI


Red amaranth leaves are highly nutritious and contain three times more calcium than spinach. The youngest leaves have a milder flavour and are good to use in salads, the mature leaves are better cooked like spinach. Anything you would use spinach for, just use amaranth leaves exactly the same way.
Here is a simple and easy recipe.

Ingredients:
Red amaranth leaves ... 1 bunch
Onion ...................... 1 ( sliced )
Chana dal ............... 1/4 cup ( soaked in water )
Green chillies ......... 1-2
Tomatoes ................ 1
Tamarind juice ... 1 tbsp.
Salt ....................... to taste
Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp.
Cumin powder ....... 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder ... 1/2 tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste .... 1tbsp.

For tempering:
Cumin seeds ..... 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds ... 1 tsp.
Asafoetida .... a pinch
Whole red chillies ... 2
Dessicated coconut ..... 1 tbsp.
Oil

Method:
1. Soak the chana dal for at least one hour.

2. Separate the amaranth leaves from the stalks ( use only leaves) and wash them well.
3. In a pan heat a little oil and add the tempering ingredients. When they crackle, add the onion, green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Now add the tomato and the spice powders and put the amaranth leaves and the soaked chana dal.
5. Add one and half cups water, tamarind juice and let it simmer on very low flame until done.
Dal should remain whole ( do not overcook or mash it)
Sprinkle the dessicated coconut and serve.