left.

wednesday's leftover lunch: the remains of the wheat bread with avocado and a fried egg. salad of bibb lettuce (or boston, i can't remember), carrots, raisins, and pepitas. leftover pasta, a rift on a recipe from what katie ate, the book not the website, borrowed all the way from louisiana via inter-library loan. it's got peas, pinenuts, asiago and reggiano cheeses, roasted tomatoes, loads of oregano and salt and pepper, a bit of a cream sauce.

close-out.

i was traveling (and not so much cooking) for the final weeks of 2012. that meant i needed to make sure the fridge was empty when i left for new york (no, not THAT new york. western new york. the one by canada and niagara falls.). the above meal was one of the last ones i concocted before i left. pasta with a sauce that included cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, and tomato paste. i know that sounds crazy, but it was delicious tossed with green beans (a current fave) and crushed red pepper and probably some other spices i can't remember any longer.

let's say i was BEYOND SUCCESSFUL in emptying the fridge. ask casey and alex. it was impressive.

20 to 30.

how will i remember ten meals? i might do not.

(also, in the time it took to start this post and upload some photographs, i ate a pile of sushi. did i make it at home? yes. it was full of tofu and pickled carrots and cucumbers and i covered it in tamari and wasabi and pickled ginger. oh, and i drank some unfiltered saki. a day without class in the morning, no matter how much work i have, is something special.)

april 20th and 21st. on both of these nights, i watched casey climb rocks. in a competition. it was awesome. and he was so strong (that route was ranked a 12, for those who understand-- i do not). and super adorable. it was like this:

it also meant that i ate in restaurant afterwards on friday and i have no clue what i ate on saturday. i think it was greek fries at the standard. as if that's a dinner. 

this is when it becomes a blur. luckily, there are photographs of a few moments of greatness. 

1. casey and i grill it up and eat veggie burgers on ciabatta with tomatoes, grilled onions, and avocado. along with some corn. it's the season!

 2. i make one of the best fried eggs i have ever made. i throw some old rice in a pan with onions and garlic and stir fry. i toss the egg on top and cover it in provolone. then i devour it with kirby cucumbers and carrots and hummus.

 3. shira and i roast some pearl tomatoes in the toaster with olive oil, oregano, thyme, garlic, and who knows what else. then, we toss some linguine with broccoli rabe (that we cooked in the pasta water!) and olive oil and garlic and cover it with parmesan. this might have been from bon appetit but i am really not positive anymore.

 4. this was the night we made the curried egg salad (definitely from bon appetit, probably april) and ate it open-faced on toast with pea shoots. also in the mix was this awesome salad of avocado, celery, radish, and cucumber from bought, borrowed, and stolen. (that book is the rockest. soon i will have to return it to inter-library loan.)

on april 29th, casey and i made bean salad to take to a cookout with his work buddies. all sorts of beans and parsley and olive oil.

and! on may 3rd, shira and i hosted a "make your own banh mi" party. i have no clue if there are photos but it was delicious (as well as shira's first time making pork--and at least her second with rhubarb crisp!). we'll have to ask her if there are pictures.

day five.

consumed so fast.

pasta with sauteed peas, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, and garlic, tossed with ricotta and chives and mint.

also(!) mint juleps with honey syrup and bulleit bourbon and mint foraged off north greensboro.

stuffed.

i might have just consumed the biggest bowl of pasta i have ever had. it's also probably smaller than most bowls of pasta consumed in america. i am sure there's data on pasta.

arriabiata.

i asked michelle what to make for dinner and she suggested spaghetti so that casey and i could eat the long noodles and end up kissing like in lady and the tramp. first of all, that is ridiculous and second, i did not have the proper noodles in my house. then, she suggested vodka sauce and i didn't have any vodka and so she said arriabiata. i had no idea what she was talking about, but, as she explained, it's the spicy red sauce.

when winging it,
1. cook the pasta.
2. pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a pot and throw a pile of crushed red pepper into it with garlic (i used 3 cloves but i like everything garlicky) and half of a finely chopped red onion.
3. i also threw in a chopped mushroom but that's up to you.
4. when it's all soft and smells good, add a can of diced tomatoes and a few dollops of tomato paste. (i was using what was already open in my fridge for this recipe.)
5. add a bit of red wine vinegar and let it all marinate for a bit.
6. in the end, i added some oregano and more pepper.
7. top with grated parmesan. everything is even better with cheese.

and there was a little salad of spinach, radish, and yellow bell pepper.

practically leap day.

shira's birthday.

1. she claimed that she didn't want me to make a cake. or ice cream. i had been *threatening* to make the mississippi mud pie from the baked explorations cookbook. but she kept telling me no, no, no. i bought 3 pints of ben and jerry's (cherry garcia, mint chocolate cookie, willie nelson's peach cobbler) from the shop using one of a million coupons on the fridge.

2. and then! i ran into her friend marcia, who informed me that shira said i was making it. yes, she did.

so i did. for shira's study group. and i have no real photographs. if you REALLY want the recipe, shoot me an email and i will type it out or buy baked explorations. you will not regret it.

the short version: a sugar wafer cookie crust, topped with a thick layer of fudge chocolate yum, smashed coffee ice cream, concluding with another layer of chocolate (this one more cocoa-y).

3. the actual birthday. my late class was canceled and so i was able to cook us dinner, enjoyed with one of our favorite north carolina beers, shotgun betty.

i had been hungry for this smitten kitchen recipe: lemon pasta with olive oil. shira's birthday was the perfect excuse for decadence. and we already had pasta and cream and so i really did not have to buy too much. we sauteed some leeks in olive oil and tossed them in as well.

yum. yum. yum.
and a salad of cucumbers, carrots, and roasted beets.

4. shira is likely to hate this picture. i think that's ok.

again.

we finished the arugula. homemade arugula pesto (with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, toasted pine nuts) over pasta with cherry tomatoes.

***you know how to make pesto, right? in case you don't, here's a quick recipe: chop two cups of arugula and 2 cloves garlic. toast 1/4 cup of pinenuts over the stove. use a food processor to chop it all finely with less than 1/4 cup of olive oil, maybe only 1/6. salt and pepper to taste. use your discretion.***

salad of turnip, cucumber, and carrot with lemon-poppy seed dressing and roasted beets.

and by "we," i mean shira. obviously.

ADDENDUM, october 9th, 1:50 pm.
i just ate the leftovers in my office while reading about food safety. and it was still super delicious.

the worm.

ok. brace yourself. the carrboro farmers' market is only open from 7am to noon on saturdays and 330-7pm on wednesdays. those are some pretty small windows to find food. when i rode there on wednesday, i missed it completely and rode about a mile too far over small hills but in some pretty awful heat. i have realized, though, that it's much, much cooler in the morning and at night, and that it is really the heat slowing me down, not my lack of athleticism (which is certainly still a component of the equation). i was awake pretty early this morning and even with my dawdling, i was there at 10am, which was late. i almost did not get any eggs.

how would i be able to go on? with no eggs? i eventually found a farmer with exactly one dozen left. thankfully. and pears, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, potatoes, cheese.

so i went home and read the new yorker and leisurely ate my fried egg, garlicky purple potatoes, green beans with brown jasmine rice, and a small salad of english cucumber and sungold tomatoes (with a little salad supreme).
but my dinner, while seemingly simple, was great. pasta with sweet peppers, sungold tomatoes, tons of basil, and smoked mozzarella. i seasoned it only with sea salt, and crushed red & black pepper.
the times of this farmers' market are confining. i have to be awake and ready to ride my bike early each saturday?! i am going to be so strong. and this early bird is going to get that worm.

cold salad.

it was really hot earlier this week so cold food was the only thing edible. i made a cold pasta salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions, basil, and goat cheese. with a little sea salt and crushed pepper. delicious.

what i like about a cold salad i that you can make it with anything. it's like a sandwich that way. good ingredients just taste lovely; they need no real sauce or dressing. that's what made this meal so awesome. either that or i had been at the beach all day and was hungry and would eat a horse.

ri-CAH-ta or ri-COH-ta

when you buy the fresh ricotta, you have to use it quickly. damn you, perishable foods.

so i ate a lot of pasta while i had the ricotta. it's so good and creamy and just faultless. this was a tasty dish, potentially the easiest i had made in a while.
1. cook pasta according to instructions. (i used organic whole wheat. i don't tend to buy the whole wheat, but i am attempting to branch out.)
2. chop a bunch of small tomatoes and basil.
3. drain pasta. mix with helping spoonfuls of ricotta.
4. add in basil and tomatoes. crush black pepper over the whole and add a shake or two of sea salt, to taste.
5. mix gently.
6. eat.

cacio e pepe plus.

i made cacio e pepe the other night, with aged pecorino from caputo's. (i have no idea as to why i chose not to photograph it.) i really love pecorino: salty, savory, delicious.

for tonight's meal, i roasted garlic in the toaster oven(!) with fresh thyme and black pepper. also, i sauteed the onions and peas in unfiltered olive oil with a bit of sea salt and pepper. then, i mixed it all together with the pasta and the pecorino and some more thyme, as well as some freshly cut tomatoes. pretty good, if i say so myself.

also planned: stop eating so much pasta. convinced my belly is getting rounder. boo.

all carbohydrated.

i have been so tired and busy. and all i want to eat is pasta. probably because i don't want to think too hard. i also didn't grocery shop enough last week, so it's about using what i've got. like bowtie pasta with rainbow chard, onions, garlic, and chickpeas.

and then, more pasta.

pasta is the meal of the food rut. it's what i eat when i can't think of anything better. and it's cold and snowy and i want comfort food all of the time. so, wednesday night: homemade not-spicy-enough tomato sauce with chard and mushrooms and onion and garlic.

to die for.

i found the recipe in a box of recipes--tons of pieces of paper clipped from magazines, sent to me by tina and lindsey, a disorganized mess of potentially great meals.

orrechiette with pecorino, peas, and leeks
1. cook 1 pound of orrechiette (those are the ones that are shaped like ears, but obviously you can use whatever shape you like).
2. slice 2 leeks thinly. the light parts. saute in 2 tbsp of olive oil, with salt and pepper.
3. add approximately 10 oz. of frozen peas, defrosted. cook for 5 more minutes or so.
4. add in 3/4 cup of cream (yes, i said it: cream!) and 1 cup of grated pecorino (or parmesan). cook for another few minutes.
5. salt and pepper to taste.
6. mix the sauce with the pasta. top with a little chopped parsley and more pecorino.

kids, it's good. really good. and serves 5. i don't cook with leeks enough. they rock.

coffee constant.

i am drinking A LOT of coffee. my colleague has caught me drinking coffee at work 2 mornings this week, which is after i have had coffee at home. but i love LOVE it. i am busy and tired. and, i mean, coffee is so good.

i was home all day yesterday, and drank coffee all day, which is something i only allow myself to do on the weekends. in graduate school, april and i would drink it all day, every day, probably about a pound per week. obscene, really.

so, for breakfast, fried egg (yes, still), black beans with chard, garlic, and onion. also: tomato and mozzarella, and yellow corn ships and hummus. with more beowulf blend coffee.
study snack: more coffee. carrots. everything i want in the world. (i love that you can see my earplugs in this photo, in addition to au revior to all that and a postcard to hazel.)
caputo's is this awesome italian meat and cheese shop on my block. i have been buying fresh mozzarella there (i like it salted), and yesterday, i stepped it up and bought fresh pasta as well. i might not go back to dried. this was awesome.
i put the broccoli in the pasta water for a little while. this way it was already cooked through when i stir-fried it with the onions, garlic, and bell pepper. (i was also then able to re-use the water, and preserve some of the vitamins.) i added the tomatoes (organic, probably not local) and mozzarella last. yum.

hands full.

my roommate's boyfriend's family has a farm. and he's from cooperstown, new york, like ommegang and the baseball hall of fame. and he makes pesto.

so the roommate cooked up that tasty pesto with some broccoli rabe and bow-tie pasta. the roommate seems to think this blog is one of the weird, nerdy things i do, but he's the one who mentioned that his cooking should be described here, even if the boyfriend actually made it.

whole wheat.

why? why did i buy the whole wheat pasta? i know it is just as processed as the white. it just SOUNDS healthier. i played into the hype. (this is much like yesterday, when michelle and i were at cvs and saw that a name-brand make-up had changed much of its packaging to a bright green color. i asked her if she thought it was to make us believe it was "greener," more earth-friendly, and she said yes. but there was no suggestion on the packaging that it was any better than it was before. because it was not.) but i digress.

i don't like the whole wheat pasta (lindsey does). it's softer and has an odd consistency. luckily, i had so many other goodies in the bowl: fresh tomatoes, chard, chickpeas, garlic, mushrooms, and crushed red pepper. ok, so there were probably TOO many things in the bowl. that's ok, too.

on another note, i think i am going to buy fresh pasta from now on, as it seems like there is more than one place in my new neighborhood that makes it. that's so much more exciting all-around.

reunited, and it feels so good.

in graduate school, i lived with 3 lovely people: lindsey, april, and hannah. we had not been together in years and so we organized a sleepover-reunion at my place this past saturday. of course, that meant that i had the opportunity to cook for everyone, in between the arm-wrestling and the discussions of sex and grammar.

we started with spring rolls in the backyard: rice paper skins full of bean vermecelli, cucumber, carrots, basil, and sunflower sprouts. a spicy peanut sauce made with chili oil. and of course, cocktails: whiskey sours made by lindsey with homemade ginger syrup and lemons.

we eventually needed more food, and while the girls munched on chips and hummus, i cooked a pasta dish with chickpeas and arugula. so easy for a group. i had found a recipe in the august issue of cooking light earlier that day. awesome.

1. cook pasta (i used a half-bag of the corn kind.)
2. in a pan, heat olive oil and add in chopped garlic (2-3 cloves) and crushed red pepper. when the garlic is browned, add in salt (1/2 tsp), tomatoes (2 cups chopped), and beans (i used one can of chickpeas, but you could use any white bean). cook for a couple of minutes.
3. toss pasta and tomato-bean mixture, with a little of the pasta water and a good handful of chopped arugula, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, and grated parmesan.
then there was more drinking. we finished most of the bottle of whiskey, in addition to a half-bottle of reyka vodka and an almost-full bottle of gin.

so, yes. we eventually went to sleep. i had been anticipating frying many eggs in the pan sunday morning, but my roommates were m.i.a. therefore, i only got to fry 4, not 6. that's ok, too.
we ate the eggs with fresh corn cut off the cob with butter and sea salt, in addition to carrots, cucumbers, sunflower-flax bread, and a baby plum.
(most photographs courtesy of hannah and her fancy camera.)

the easiest.

sometimes you make a dish so easy, it's hard to understand why you had never done it before.

seriously, kids. this was a cold pasta salad tossed with grape tomatoes, sliced basil, crumbled feta, and a sprinkling of pepper. feta cheese is pretty salty so you don't need to add salt.

yum.