beet it

No this is not a Michael Jackson tribute done entirely with beets. Although....that would be spectacular. Hmmmmm...

This is me trying to salvage a crap day. A day that began with me being plowed from behind into another car on my way to work. Iron Stef sandwich. Not any of the good kinds of sandwich. A smooshed car, pain-in-the-butt, no-good day sandwich. Some might call it a sh*t sandwich, but I wouldn't because I'm so lady-like. Right. So this is my second pretty bad car accident in less than 4 months. yeah. I am not hurt, save for a skinned knee, bruised shin, and a lovely seatbelt welt. I am however, extra-cranky. I missed out on a nice night at the botanical gardens because I was not able to get a rental car due to the other driver's insurance issues.

I guess the universe was telling me to stay home at least one night this week. Maybe the contents of my fridge had a conversation with the universe and were like "dude, some of us are fantastic ingredients and we are being neglected! Make her use us!!" Understandable, fridge contents, though I do not condone the universe's methods.


Anywho, message received. I decided to make the most of it. Use those fridge-dwellers and enjoy a relaxing evening at the homestead. Who was living in my fridge? Well, some fine beets from my sister-in-law's parents garden, which had been cooked for preservation, some farm fresh eggs, and some potatoes. Fried potatoes seemed like the best thing, with runny-yolked eggs on top. As for the beets? I made a simple salad by chopping them up, adding chopped walnuts, minced garlic, a wee bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt & pepper. The sweet, earthy, cool salad went nicely with the comforting fried potatoes and eggs. Top with Manchego, accompany with a few cold beers and the world seems alright again.

Bad day? BEET IT!!

less and more

With summer there seems to be less and less cooking, therefore less and less blogging and less and less blog readers. But I really want to try and update this at least once a week with something... so as it gets more and more hot and humid, I will be posting more... even if it means quick posts like this one consisting of iPhone photos and non-recipes.



Like I said summer has hit hard here in St. Louis. A wet wool blanket of hot wet air that causes you to break into a drippy sweat as soon as you leave the comfort of the air-conditioned indoors. Blech. So lighter meals it is! Tonight's dinner is simply rice, with firm tofu and kimchee. The kimchee provides all the flavor, so there is not recipe, cooking or prepping needed, except for the cooking of the rice. It's light, filling, flavorful and cheap. Summer on a plate.

While I was picking up tofu and kimchee at the Asian grocery store, I happened upon these...


When did my beloved Wasabi Peas get a little sister?!?! Why didn't they send me a birth announcement?!?! Seriously... I love crunchy pea snacks, and I love Sriracha sauce. Brilliant. My new favorite snack to have with beer. Spicy, garlicky, slightly sweet. Man do I love the Asian grocery store. It's a wonderland.