Monday, January 05, 2009

good eats & good views, part I

hello people. over the past month, too much political play has filled this web log. so, tonight i begin my newest venture: an experiment in both the culinary arts and the visual ones. a disclaimer: i am no chef and no skilled critic of television or movies. but, just the same, i guess that is what this whole web 2.0 thing is all about: a bunch of amateurs giving their unwanted opinions. and also people trying to use as many colons as possible. for example: i have already used four colons.

i was thinking, what if the end of the world came along, and the only place i had to turn was my local, organic-only, high-end grocery store? what would i do if i didn't know how to make delicious food from organic and locally-grown products? so, to turn a new leaf (this is NOT a new years resolution, which i hate) i decided to go grocery shopping on saturday and then cook my food for the entire week. i spent $70, and i'm hope it lasts me until next saturday, or even beyond. the only rules i have for this week are these: (fifth colon) first, the use of recipes is strictly disallowed, although i am allowed a lifeline per day (or week, i haven't yet decided), but I'm not allowed to write anything down on such telephone calls; second, actually, i only have one rule, and I already wrote it.

so, my first experiment? well that actually happened on Saturday night, but I made it again tonight. I will tell you what it was. I named my creation, "Popeye's Special." As you all know, Popeye was a cartoon strip character (who later made his way into cartoons and even movies) who was both a sailor man and a connoisseur of spinach. So, naturally, this salad is made a spinach, a basic ingredient of any delicious salad. i also carmelized (or candied--i don't know the correct verb for what I did) a handful of cashews that I bought at Whole Foods. Second, I boiled an egg. Third, I sliced an entire apple into thin slices. I placed the above ingredients in a bowl with the spinach. I shook it all together. Then, i got some mozzarella cheese, which obviously pairs well with spinach, and sprinkled it over the green goodness. Lastly, i dusted my concoction with Chillmark's Original Toasted Sesame Dressing. I'd imagine this dressing wouldn't be that hard to make, although I bought it from Whole Foods. The ingredients are: (6th colon) Canola Oil, Lemon Juice, Soy Sauce, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Water, and Xanthan Gum (I have no idea what Xantham Gum is). Anyway, the result was a delicious, fresh, crispy bowl of vegetarian delight.

To compliment my salad, i poured a cup or two of soy milk in the blender, added a whole bannanna, a tray of ice, and a spoon or two of sugar. I then blended it all together for a frothy cup of dreamy soy creamy beverage. i heated two pieces of bread, buttered them, and my meal was complete.

So there it is, the first half of my first entry of good eats & good views.

As I sat down to consume this deliciousness, I turned on Paranoid Park. If you haven't yet discovered the IFC channel on your local cable network, you must quickly. The movie is directed and written by Gus Van Sant (director of Good Will Hunting and the new movie, Milk). It's a good, short viewing perfect to compliment a small, scrumptious meal. The movie is an hour and a half and tells the story of a 16-17 year old Portland kid who gets mixed up in some bad happenings at a local skate park. the highlight of the movie is two fold: first, the portrayal of the way kids speak and act is pretty spot on; second, the sequences of skating are some of the most beautiful things that i've seen for a while. oh, also, the editing is pretty wild. so, if you like good movies, go see this one. or don't. whatever. i'm going to the kitchen now to cook a chicken concoction over night in the slow cooker.

now, just realize that i used 7 colons in this web log post, and i'm about to use 8: be amazed.

22 comments:

Dad (TMF) said...

Colons and food.

Amy F said...

Oh, you're cooking. How perfectly cute. Was it my comment about eating out?? Sounds like you are quite the chef. And so self-sufficient. Such good qualities...

One rule should be that you don't make the same thing twice... :) Can't wait to hear about the deliciousness of the chicken concoction.

libby said...

I'm excited about this. I think I'll make your popeye concoction. Sounds yummy. So, while you're busy being an amateur cook, I think I'll try my hand at being an amateur photographer. We'll see how it goes...

Anonymous said...

I like the change in topic. I saw this earlier and thought of you. I'm glad the election is over.

Obama Supporter Video

Skinny said...

that conconction of yours does not sound satisfying. i'd much prefer a baconator i think.

Stephen said...

anonymous: stop being stupid (9 uses of the colon).

skinny...you have special needs.

Susan said...

Reading you new blog entry made me think of Andy Rooney. I don't know why just sounded Rooneyish.

paul said...

when you mentioned 'using colons' i thought of the last manual dis-impaction i did...

paul said...

the gvs movie sounds great. i need to pick it up...

Carolina said...

Paul: I tried to skim over the term manual dis-impaction without consciously digesting its meaning. But I couldn't help it. And now I have to run to teach a class. With manual dis-impaction on my mind.

Stephen: Admirable use of the colon; I'd love to see what you can do with a semi-colon.

Stephen said...

carolina, i could do the following things with a semi-colon: make lists that i have to separate with semi-colons because the lists are long and complicated; connect two independent clauses, just because i want to; or use however, moreover, or even "for instance," as long as i follow "for instance" with a list of three or more items.

Paul: you made me look up manual disimpaction as well. I'm just happy i was able to discover PoopReport.com. Surely this is Lafe's favorite website.

patty said...

You have told us how the chicken concoction tasted. Have really kept cooking, or did you go out to eat a couple of times?

petey said...

stevey: you need a colon cleansing.

paul said...

carolina: sorry to have cluttered your clean mind in such a way...

Emily said...

i'm libby's friend and happened to click on your blog: xanthan gum is a food additive derived from corn... as with nearly all food additives. if you are interested in food additives and whatever "industrial organic" (contradiction?) provided to you by Whole Foods is, i'm currently reading the Michael Pollan book the Omnivore's Dilemma and its super fascinating.... i thought i'd throw in my 2cents since you're striking exactly what's been on my mind.

gChameleon said...

after reading your post, i have only this to say: what costs $70 at whole paycheck costs $35 at trader joe's.

Stephen said...

mem and ghill: your points are both well taken. ghill, i go to whole foods because it is far less crowded than the union square trader joes, and it is far easier for me to get there. if i had a trader joe's where i didn't run into everyone all the time, then maybe i would do it. mem, i will check out michael pollan's book. i've been meaning to for a long time. i like the mantra: "eat food, mostly plants, not too much."

erin gale said...

stephen: next time you come to utah or next time i am in new york, you can cook and i'll pick the movie. hao bu hao?

Stephen said...

keneng.

jimbo said...

stop it you two.

(anna)belle said...

i liked that movie, and i think i'd like that salad... i'd like to see you again too.

Hannah Ruth Frandsen said...

stephen, i also need to cook maybe i will do this with you... MAYBE! let me know of some nice, easy, tasty ones:)