Things I didn't consider...

As I mentioned earlier, I have resigned at my current job to advance my career with a new opportunity. While I did consider the friends I would be leaving behind, the big scary move to a new environment, and a possible double commute time (triple! in the warmer months when I typically bike to work), I failed to consider the culinary options I would be missing. Working on a city college/busy hospital campus provides near-endless options when one lacks a packed lunch. There's the cheap-o general cart where I can get a "small" eggplant and spinach parm sandwich for $3 that will fill me up in no time, the burrito cart that surpasses Qdoba and Chipotle with their sweet potato burrito for $3.50, the falafel cart that may not be cheap, but satisfies the occasional craving for falafel and baba ganoush, and ooh la la, the crepe truck, where I can get a veggie-filled crepe with the creamiest yummiest feta sauce slathered inside for a whopping $4.50. (I'm afraid the Crepewalk may even beat Temple's city-renowned crepe truck!) I could go on with more bargain eats and not-so-bargain eats, but lets just say, University City has something for everyone. Although I don't hit up The Real Le Ahn very often, I'm afraid this is the truck I'll miss most.

The funny thing is, in the 3 years that I've worked there, I've never found a good Chinese food cart in University City. If I'm craving anything Chinese, I have to splurge on the restaurant up the street. The Real Le Ahn is the one and only place to satisfy a very specific craving. When I started my current job, I was prone to sinus infections. Like 1 every 6 weeks prone. Like, boss pulled strings to get me to the best of the best in 2 days prone. Meanwhile, a coworker suggested I get an order of Le Ahn's lemongrass chicken soup. Long story short, I now credit Le Ahn (and the god of chronic sinusitis relief) with suffering only 1 sinus infection in the last 2 years. Just at the first inkling of a sore throat, I scrap the leftovers or previous craving I may have had for lunch and head right to Spruce Street, just west of 36th, for a generous helping of tom yum goong with shrimp (long ago I decided I love the shrimp version more than the chicken).

Item in image may appear more delicious than item I made.

So the other day, on my commute home, I was reflecting on the previous 3 years. The professional experience I've gained to get me to this next step, the people I've met, the colleagues who will now be friends, and of course, because my stomach is always influential, the foods I eat every day. It hit me, that on those lousy days, when I'm not feeling great, I'm not going to be able to run to Le Ahn for the soothing, healing, magical tastes of her tom yum goong. Panic started to set in; I started to re-evaluate this move. Common sense quickly started drowning out my panic-stricken mind and I said "self: you're just going to have to figure out a way to make your own tom yum goong and keep a hoarder-worried-about-nuclear-war-caliber stash in the freezer." So that's precisely what I set out to do.

I searched for a recipe and actually chose 2. I wasn't sure I could pull off the authentic one, so I kept the Americanized one on hand and had intentions of combining as I felt comfortable. I had to put in a request to Grace for her next trip to the Asian supermarket for nam prig pow and had an unjustified frustrating time looking for lemongrass (which can easily be found at Whole Foods). Once I had all my ingredients, I set aside an evening to make my first attempt (I'll refer to this in a bit).

Not much is needed to create tom yum goong, although I must admit, I tried to substitute 1 item that I knew nothing about since I didn't feel like tracking down kaffir lime leaves. Hubby didn't seem thrilled at my idea of tom yum goong for dinner, so I took that as a green light to load it up with mushrooms.

I started with 8 cups of water in my dutch oven. While the water heated up, I chopped and pounded the lemongrass stalks to allow the oils to infuse the water. I also peeled a few strips of the lime peel to use instead of the kaffir lime leaves and added the peels to the water with a few dried chilis. I let that steep for about 15 minutes...

...before I removed those aromatics and added the mushrooms, shrimp, and noodles...

While the shrimp cooked and the noodles softened, I prepared my soup bowl with the juice of half of a lime and a spoonful of spicy soury nam prig pow.

Five minutes later, I ladled some soup into my bowl, sprinkled some chopped cilantro on top, and tasted my own attempt at love in a bowl.

Ok, breathe. I can make this career move and not force my stomach and sinuses to give up their most favorite treat. It was definitely not on the same level as The Real Le Ahn, but for a first attempt, it was exactly what I was expecting. There are several things I will do differently next time; and I can assure you, in these cold winter months, next time isn't far off.

• I used shiitake and crimini mushrooms. The shiitake had a mushy consistency by the time I ate the soup even the first time and just got mushier with each serving of leftovers. Next time, only criminis and maybe some buttons.
• Hubby did eat a bowl (carefully ladled to avoid all specks of fungus) and noted that it was a little too lime-y. I'll put forth the effort to find the kaffir lime leaves next time. I'll put in the effort that I spent looking for the lemongrass that was sitting under my nose the whole time, to find the lime leaves.
• My Asian cooking source of knowledge suggested I cook the noodles separately from the soup and combine them at each meal time instead of cooking the noodles all at once in the pot with the soup. The noodles ended up breaking into many small pieces and seemed to suck some of the flavor out of the soup. Not in a good way. 
• I will not plan my evening around the soup's creation. It took a total of about 30 minutes, but only took about 10 minutes of active prep time. Simple, quick, delicious. 

All in all, I'm quite proud of my first attempt and am excited to try it again. Give it a shot before you need it. Freeze, then thaw and heat at the first hint of sickness. I'm telling you. It's even better than Grandma's chicken soup.

Fostering Love

I like to highlight specific dogs on my blog, but West Jersey Volunteers for Animals is desperate for foster homes for several dogs that should be in 1 animal homes. These are animals that may need a little bit of special attention, or may just need a place to be reminded how to live in a home. Fostering is a way to "test drive" having a dog, or a way to have a pet when you are unable to commit to providing a lifelong home for one. Fostering allows an ease-in period or a great opportunity for an animal lover who may travel a lot to give a dog a home part time.

A dog in a foster home is easier to adopt to a forever home. They are used to a routine, so their temperament tends to be better. A kennel is noisy and uncomfortable, so a dog in a foster home is well rested and less stressed. They receive regular exercise and play time, so they have a healthy outlet for their energy. They receive a consistent diet at regular feeding times, so they have a healthier weight and coat. They are observed in a home for health issues that may need treatment.

Fostering a dog isn't just feeding and providing a home for an animal that you will have to give up in a week or a month, or sadly, as long as a year. It's saving a life. It's saving the life of the dog you fostered for WJVA, allowing us to pull another dog from a local shelter and afford to house him/her in a private kennel, and freeing up a spot at said local shelter for another dog to live. 3 lives! That's 3 lives you're changing!

As I've said before, WJVA is a hands-on organization. Any health issues that may need to be addressed while in your care are covered by our vet. WJVA will provide temporary kennel homes for foster dogs, free of charge of course for foster families who may go out of town or need a break. WJVA will even provide food if necessary. Volunteers can pick your foster dog up for adoption events or you can come to adoption events and meet potential adopters with your pooch.

I've read and reread this post prior to posting it. My intention is to educate, not guilt. If you're thinking of getting a pet but would like to test it out first, this is your opportunity. If you're looking for a way to volunteer with an organization and have a love of animals, this is your opportunity. Do you have a warm home during this cold winter that could be the diving board these dogs need to make the leap to their forever homes?

The Truth About Spaghetti Sauce

I'm a different person today than I was in high school. See, I grew up thinking spinach and asparagus were gross. Nowadays, spinach and asparagus are 2 of my favorite veggies (don't worry Brussels sprouts, you're still #1 in my heart). You see, it turns out that I just didn't like the way my Ma "cooked" spinach and asparagus. I put quotes around cooked because the spinach came out of a can, and I didn't know asparagus could be anything but steamed (sorry to throw you under the bus Ma). While I avoided her spinach, asparagus, and meatloaf (That still stands, across the board. Not just Ma's. Blech. Its meat. Shaped like bread. Something's wrong with that.), there are many many things I loved that we ate when I was a child. Specifically, I was so excited when I'd come home and smell spaghetti sauce simmering away on the stove. To this day, I still picture my Ma's bright orange colander and white pasta bowl (with a chip out of the rim) filled with spaghetti whenever I make my own sauce.

The way I remember it, my mom tried to make spaghetti sauce for my dad soon after they got married. My dad, in a much more polite way than I ever would have expected, asked my mom if she would mind if he asked his mom what she put in her spaghetti sauce. Either I remember it incorrectly or I just stopped listening at this point. What I grew up believing, and telling people when they looked at me crazy because even as a college student in an apartment, I refused to buy bottled spaghetti sauce. I made my own, and proudly told people the story of the Micheli spaghetti sauce:

My mom isn't Italian and neither was my Granny. My dad's dad however, was the first of his parents' children to be born in the US. His parents emigrated from Italy with only the clothes on their back and a scrap of paper with the secret spaghetti sauce recipe. Ok, maybe that's not exactly how they arrived in America, but regardless, Nonna came with her technique and was poised to pass it to future Michelis. Or so I thought. 

I must admit: I don't remember my Granny's sauce. I remember making ravioli with her from as scratch as scratch gets. I remember being able to stomach maybe 2 of them drenched in sauce and being stuffed and happy for hours. So I grew up trying to perfect the sauce that I thought my dad's Nonna had taught my dad's mom, who had taught my mom, who taught me. Within the last 2 or so years, I felt good about my sauce. I was getting pretty close to Ma's! Yes! Go me! And then the bomb dropped. 

My mom chose the day of our hair trial 6 weeks before my wedding to crush me. My stylist was asking for a good recipe for spaghetti sauce when Ma chimes in with her recipe. I don't know how she said it (I think my conscience is trying to block it out) but it surfaced that what I thought was the "Micheli sauce recipe" is in fact a recipe that my Ma pulled out of a cookbook! Not my Granny, not my dad's Nonna. My Ma. Within the last 35 years or so. I was crushed. Think of all those people I shadily denied fantastic spaghetti sauce because I didn't want to give them the whole recipe, thinking I was guarding a secret. (To you, I apologize) So today, I present to the world, my favorite sauce. If its published, it's for the world to have. To savor. To love. 

I had the ingredients on hand, and what better smell to have in our house on a cold snowy day than homemade spaghetti sauce?? The only effort I really needed to put forth was to chop an onion and open 3 cans. 

I made a double recipe, but really, all you need is a few tablespoons of olive oil, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, a small onion, 1 little can of tomato sauce, 1 can of tomato soup, 1 can of whole tomatoes, 2 cups of chicken broth (my mom uses water and boullion cubes, and I've never done it but I'm sure you can use vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian) salt, pepper, and fresh or dried basil.

I'm notorious for burning garlic, so I start with a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil in my big cast iron soup pot, over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmery, I put in my chopped onion. When that starts smelling yummy and starts looking translucent, I add the pressed garlic. I let that cook a few minutes while I open all my cans. The first thing I add is the can of tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes were on sale about a year ago, so I bought them. I'll never use anything else!

Before I add the soup and the sauce, I chop up the tomatoes with my handy dandy Mix 'N Chop. Yeah, they squirt a bit, but the clean up is totally worth the taste. Something about diced tomatoes just doesn't work.

Then I add the soup, sauce, chicken broth and basil. Stir it all together and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, put the heat on low and let it simmer away. Each time you get off the couch to refill your wine glass or hit the bathroom, give the sauce a stir, scraping up anything that may be sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

The sauce can really be ready whenever you are ready to eat. You can brown ground beef in a skillet and add some sauce to make a meat sauce. Add some shredded chicken to make my Ma's version of meat sauce (I guess the cookbook suggested that. Silly me thinking it was a Micheli tradition). Today's batch sat on the stove for about 4 hours and cooked down to this rich red color:

I was making another of our favorites for dinner, so we didn't actually eat this today, but it will be ready for us whenever we're ready for it!

Of note, I did compete in an Iron Chef-style battle with this sauce. I lost, but I maintain the stance that the judging categories failed to concentrate on the featured ingredient-the sauce. Well, that and my dear sweet hubby and his cousin hated my meatballs and caused me to lose. Of note #2: I don't suggest adding meatballs to the sauce in this post because Michelis don't make meatballs. That, I know, is a family tradition.

A Holiday Wish

I originally started this blog out of boredom and an idea of how I could help the rescued dogs of West Jersey Volunteers for Animals in addition to the various adoption events that Hubby and I participate in. Writing a blog has led me to read more blogs (maybe I'm classified as a blogger by now), and naturally I'm drawn to those about animals and food. While my love affair for Rachael Ray has faded a bit in the last year, my love affair with free things has not. So when my ALL YOU Free Sample a Day email led me to Rach's site with the promise of a free sample of her dog food (which I will donate to my local shelter since it's not the brand my dogs eat), I found my way onto her blog (which is also a collection of several other blogs...how do I get added to that?!) and read a bit about what she does for animal rescues and her theories about the dog food she markets. I knew that Rach is a huge advocate for the misunderstood breed of Pit Bull/American Staffordshire Terrier/Staffordshire Bull Terrier/etc, and I knew she had a pittie girl of her own. But what I didn't know, was that Isaboo is Buster's doppleganger!!

Exhibit A

Ok, ok, calm down. I know it's exciting to see, but lets focus on a more critical issue than how to get Buster a job as Isaboo's stunt double. I must admit, I'm a bit skeptical of the marketing, since I know Rachael Ray cooks people food for her pup Isaboo, but I also must admire her realistic viewpoint and use of her fame to market healthy diets for dogs staffed by humans who may not have the time/means to cook for their pooches daily. My skepticism and then rational thought led me to think about all of those animals just sitting, waiting, hoping for a human to come find them and lead them out of the shelter. Lets assume from here on out, this post will be my Holiday Plea for all the homeless animals out there.

Rachael Ray has the right frame of mind. While there are crazy animal people out there: those who cook daily for their pooches, those who climb out of their own beds at 2am to climb into their dog's bed to comfort him so he can go back to sleep (guilty), those who buy nicer sweaters for their animals than for themselves, I could go on... Pet owners don't need to go through all that trouble. Adopting a dog is, in most cases, easier than buying/acquiring a puppy. Most adoptable dogs are older than 6 months, most have lived in a home at some point in their life and have been housetrained already, and most will be happy with a bowl of food twice a day, fresh water daily, a few toys scattered throughout the house, and a pair of human feet to keep warm by curling up on them next to the couch (or to wait for by the door).

Sure, bringing a dog into your life usually means altering your schedule a bit. You have to go home to let the dog out before heading out for happy hour. You may have to find someone to watch the dog if you need to go away for a weekend. You may have to make room in your bed if you're a softie and will allow your dog to sleep in your bed. But the dog will always be happy to see you once you do return, and will be thankful that you left him alone all day so he could get a proper nap!

We can't all be doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc, but we can all save a life. There are so many animals out there hoping for a family, a home, and a second chance. By rescuing 1 animal, you make room for another animal to stay in a shelter until he is lucky enough to go home. Adjusting to life with a new animal is temporary yet life changing. Yeah, there's the adding of dog food/cat litter to the shopping list, and scheduling a visit to the vet about as often as you go to the dentist (hopefully not more often), the more frequent vacuuming you'll need to do, and additional lodging plans when planning a family vacation. But there's also the relief you get when you come home from a bad day and there's a pooch wagging his tail and licking your face or a kitty waiting to rub against your leg. Its as if they are telling you "It's ok mom/dad. Leave all that bad stuff outside and lets have some fun!" There's the entertainment you'll get when your animal does something silly. There's the companionship you'll feel when you can read your dogs ears and know exactly what he's thinking. There's the excitement when you come home from a great day and have an animal ready to tag along as you take a walk with a little more pep in your step, or throw the ball a little further because your excitement allows your arm to play that much more.

Owning your own pet puts you in contact with other pet owners. Of course this happens more often if you lack a yard sufficient for playing, therefore must walk your dog(s) several times daily, but as dog owners, we've met neighbors and friends because our dogs like to play together. This helps alleviate the dilemma of finding someone to take care of your pup when you are away....ready made playdates and sleepovers!

Consider saving a life this holiday season. Let a deserving animal say "I'm going home!" I guarantee it won't be the last time you give your pet a holiday gift.

Ribby and Buster are hoping for big things from Santa Claws.

The Ugly Quiche

This Thanksgiving, I made my first attempt at baking a pie. Worried that genetics play a part in beginner baking skills, I made sure my Ma still made her traditional Pumpkin and Derby Pies. See, before Ma perfected her pies, she made an infamous apple pie that resulted in a crust that fused to the pie plate. Even though I wasn't even a glimmer in her eye when this occurred, she'll never live it down. Luckily though, through indirect intervention, I was enlightened and led to Trader Joe's frozen pie crust just in the nick of time. I'm happy to report that the resulting pie turned out to be delicious and in fact, the crust lifted beautifully from the pie plate. So naturally, I wondered what other works of magic I could create with this heavenly frozen pie crust....enter stage left.....quiche!

Hubby is a big fan of quiche, so I thought I'd give it a shot since I don't often let him pick the recipe du jour. I picked up a box of 2 frozen pie crusts on my way home one day and had the rest of the ingredients already on hand.

The wine didn't go in the quiche, but yes, it was essential to its success.

What I failed to realize though, is that the crust for pie attempt #1 was not pre-baked. What I also did not realize was the worth of pie weights and the purpose of covering the crust with foil when pre-baking it. Observe:

woops!

Once I stopped shaking my head at myself, I remembered what my friend said, "quiche is easy as pie!," figured no one would see the crust anyway, and since it wasn't burnt, I continued with my recipe. Ya know what? It was easy as pie! I mixed the egg, cream and scallions together, put the cheese and bacon on top of the ugly crust, poured the egg mixture on top and popped it in the oven.

so there's no crust around the side...what's your point?!

We were good and let the quiche set (probably because I was making a back-up meal in case the quiche was a flop), but once it was set, we dug in!

I know its more fun to read about things that don't go so well, but a) I wanted to brag about my yummy quiche and b) was hoping someone out there would tell me a way to keep the pie crust from sliding down the sides of the pie plate. Or is covering it with foil and putting pie weights on the surface the simple solution? On to the next adventure while I try to figure that out....

A Peace Offering

Last week, I submitted my resignation for my current position to take a step up in my career. While professionally, it's exciting and an opportunity that I can't pass up, personally, it's very sad. I have been in my current position for 3 years and have made some great friends out of my coworkers. Amina W.,  Grace K., (note: shout-out by name request fulfilled) and I all came to this department within a few short months and figured out what the heck we were supposed to be doing together. While this job isn't always easy (who's is?!), we've been able to keep it light and not take anything too seriously. We've developed a friendship that took us to eastern Europe, geological patterns that kept us there against our will, and will take us through many more years and countless cute baby pictures. So when I gave A and G the news that I am leaving, they replied with "we feel like we've been dumped."

Even though we all made nice and celebrated the holidays together at the division Christmas party on Saturday night, I still felt like I should bring them a treat to maybe win them over with food. Amina had fallen into the "I need anything and everything that uses pumpkin" cult this year (YES!! A new recruit!) and had passed along a recipe for Pumpkin Biscuits in her recipe search frenzy. I figured I'd try to win their love back with these delicious-sounding pillows of pumpkin-buttery goodness.

Purdy sure they still feel like they've been dumped. Only now they've already made it through the ice cream, vodka, and entire box of butterscotch krimpets and are stuck with the just-ok biscuits in the back of the cabinet. 

I threw the "I don't bake" conviction in the trash with the price tag that came on my new rolling pin and realized that baking isn't so bad after all, and there's always a stomach waiting to eat the sweet treats when the calories are staring me in the face. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase a pastry or biscuit cutter (aka: circle cookie cutter) to go with my new rolling pin. So I set to work making the coarse-meal-looking first step of the dough with my handy-dandy-hands before adding the pumpkin.

 Surprisingly, it all came together quite easily. Better than my first homemade pie crust attempt that had large chunks of butter scattered throughout.

So I got to this point and said "self, how are you going to cut these so they all bake evenly??" Since my head naturally turns to the wine/liquor cabinet in times of thought/confusion/wonder/24/7, I had a brilliant thought. When you're out of liquor, whats the purpose of having a cocktail shaker?? Biscuit cutting!

So I sampled a biscuit (because I learned in a very intense Iron Chef-like competition, that not tasting a dish can cause a loss due to undersaltiness) warm from the oven with a drizzle of honey on it.

Yes, I know it's sideways.

I enjoyed the pinch of cayenne pepper that my Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe called for. I did not, however enjoy the 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper that the pumpkin biscuit recipe called for. It's overpowering and just odd. I don't like a fluffy biscuit that is spicy. I'll decrease that to a pinch of cayenne next time, and oh yes. There will be a next time. Viva la pumpkin!!

Sheba the Snow Angel

When Ribby was a homeless dog, he had a friend named Sheba. Sheba was down on her luck and wasn't ready to make many friends. She enjoyed Ribby's company though (come on, who doesn't?!) and they played whenever they had the chance. Ribby joined our family a year and a half ago, but his girly friend Sheba is still looking for a home.

We aren't exactly sure what mix of breeds Sheba is, but think she may have some boxer in her. Maybe some terrier? rottie? American bulldog? A medium-large girl, about 65 pounds, and about 4 years old, she's in great shape. She has been in a foster home for a few months now, following more than a year in a kennel. She picked right back up with perfect potty habits, and has the run of the house even while her foster mom is out for the day. She can be crated during the day, but doesn't get into any trouble when left alone out of a crate.

Sheba looooves her long walks and rides in the car. Her foster mom has a convertible that she rides in and lets the wind run through her ears. During her long walks, she'll take breaks to lie down and bask in the sunshine. She knows she's a beauty!

Now that the weather is turning cold, Sheba is looking forward to making snow angels. She just loves to roll around in the snow!! Even though Sheba doesn't get along with many other dogs, she's a love bug to her human friends. She is very shy at first but it won't be long before she's rolling over for belly rubs and leaning up against her human for security.

Sheba is looking to be the star of your home. Do you have a stage on which she can shine? ;