The day in bike ride: August 29, 2010, with bonus errands
September 1, 2010
My new big thing is the Chef Shack food truck. It’s two chef gals who make amazing culinary delights. They usually post the menu on Facebook, and Saturday morning they also posted a photo of the charcuterie plate that they had on offer at the Kingfield Market in south Minneapolis.
photos © Chef Shack
I didn’t get myself going quickly enough to get down there by the 1:00 end time, so I instead went to the Uptown Market where they also were (I think they have three vehicles—two trucks and one trailer), figuring I’d get it there instead. The round trip to Uptown is about 8 miles; on the way home I jogged down to the store to pick up some necessary items and that added another couple miles.
Photo1: entering the Hiawatha commuter trail.
Photo 2: heading southish on the Hiawatha commuter trail to meet the Midtown Greenway.
Photo 3: heading west on the Midtown Greenway at 11th Avenue.
Photo 4: Midtown Greenway at 4th Avenue. Thanks for the heads-up, sign.
Photo 5: Bryant Avenue South and 29th Street. I lived in this apartment building for 11 years. Three blocks along 29th are where the Uptown Market is on Sundays.
Photos 6: The market, looking west.
Photo 8: Waiting for my order. It turned out that they didn’t have the charcuterie plate here, so I ordered the bison burger instead.
Photo 9: Bison burger with pepperjack cheese and chips. Dining on the curb in the shade. It was quite hot but not too humid so it was just barely tolerable for the exertion of the bike ride.
Photo 10: One of the many gardens along the Greenway, at Harriet Avenue South.
Photo 11: Heading back east along the Greenway. Access ramp at Park Avenue South.
Photo 12: The Greenway jogs north across 28th Street to cross the busy Hiawatha Avenue/Highway 55.
Photo 13: Target. Errand stop number one.
Photo 14: Cub Foods. Errand stop number two.
Photo 15: Cheese!
Photo 16: All items procured. I think this will work.
Photo 17: Approaching the weirdo intersection of Minnehaha, Franklin, and Cedar Avenues.
Photo 18: 20th Avenue, just about to cross Interstate 94. The home stretch.
Playing with food
August 22, 2010
I never had my own Mr. Potato Head when I was a kid. My one clear memory of it at somebody else’s house was during a babysitting event. My parents had dropped me off at the house of some people with kids my age. I can’t remember who they were, but I do remember that they had a Mr. Potato Head, and also that we spent quite a bit of time sliding down the stairs on our bellies causing me to be covered in rug burns by the time my parents picked me up.
Today when I went to the store, I forgot to get a potato to make a real Mr. Potato Head, so instead I introduce you his cousin, Mr. Pepper Head.
Head: red bell pepper.
Hair: cilantro.
Ears: tomatillo halves.
Eyes: fresh mozzarella balls and whole peppercorns.
Nose: jalepeño pepper tip.
Mouth: yellow bell pepper slice.
Items held in place with toothpick pieces.
Not such a cheap date
August 21, 2010
Yesterday’s goal was to buy the cheapest thing on the menu. Today’s goal was to spend nothing. I failed miserably, because I didn’t have time to plan ahead. That’s a little bit of a lame excuse. I do often pack my lunch for work, but the extra whammy today was my attendance at the Twins game tonight.
So in chronological order, my FAIL went like this.
Supper. I had planned to stay at the office until it was time to go to the Twins game, but because I switched bags and forgot my key, I had to leave when the last other person left. That spurred my decision to check out the Town Ball Tavern within Target Field because I had plenty of time. As you would expect, the food was overpriced, but the Summit pints that I am powerless to resist at the ballpark were, at $6.75 each, 75¢ less expensive in the Tavern than on the concourse. I ordered the Twin Towns Turkey Sandwich (I think that’s what it was called), which was basically a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich, for $10.50—exorbitant, I know. I had three bargain beers as well.
At the end of the sixth inning, I could no longer take sitting in my seat, packed in on a warm and humid night with no breeze to circulate the stagnant air, so I retreated back to the Tavern where there was air conditioning and big screens and had one more bargain beer. Total beer savings, $3.00.
Post game. By game’s end, I was hungry again (stupid beer) and so popped in to Pizza Lucé on the way back to my bicycle for a delicious slice of pizza with chicken, mushrooms, and onions, $3.95. Wonderful as their beer selection is, I did resist the temptation and just had some nice, cold water.
So that was fourteen hours, two meals, and one event out of the house. Grand total: $51.45. Ouch. It’s no wonder I’m always out of money.
Cheap date, for one meal anyway
August 20, 2010
In sort of the same spirit as my recent foray to Himalayan Restaurant, tonight I visited Chai’s Thai Restaurant, which is the restaurant nearest to my home that I have never been to. The goal this time was to order the least expensive thing on the menu. I had two choices, edamame and fried tofu.
I think it’s safe to say that recently I have been on a bent to sample new and weird foods. And when I say weird, I only mean stuff that you won’t find at Applebee’s. I certainly do not mean that I think the various ethnicities that inspire the dishes are weird. On the contrary. It’s very interesting to experience new things and it’s a little bit of an adrenaline rush if you feel a little uncomfortable in the process.
I have had edamame before which is why I ordered the fried tofu. And I have had tofu many times before as well, but not in a form that was fried, or at least not the way I was imagining this would be fried tonight. Now that I think about it, I guess I was making certain assumptions because it was in the Appetizers part of the menu.
With entree items in the past, the tofu has come in inch-square cubes, browned and obviously at least sauteed, which I suppose is technically, basically, fried. For some reason I subconsciously figured that this fried tofu appetizer would somehow be crispier.
And it was. It was sliced into quarter-inch thick squares and had obviously bathed in the deep-fat-fryer for a few minutes. It was served with a spicy peanut sauce and a sweet-and-sour type glaze. The tofu itself, of course, was bland, but the sauces were quite tasty indeed. I particularly liked the peanut sauce, probably because it was thicker and stuck to the tofu squares long enough to get to my mouth, versus running off like the sweet-and-sour.
It was enough to hold me until my entree arrived—pineapple duck with bok choy and vegetables. I’m sure I’ve had duck at least once in my life but I don’t really remember, so I figured it was closer to something I had never had before than the mahi mahi green curry, which also sounded delicious but the components of which I know I’ve had before. These were the two daily specials. You can see from the menu that they have lots of delicious dishes.
The pineapple duck was quite spicy and just about right. Unfortunately, the venue was not air conditioned and this was a humid summer’s day, so it didn’t take long for me to start sweating like you do with spicy food. The lighting was also very dim, so these aren’t the greatest photos ever either.
I think maybe we need to have a standing mission to try a new restaurant monthly. This has been enjoyable.
Local night out
August 4, 2010
It might be National Night Out, but I just had a little Kelly’s night out. Once again, I’d like to thank Tweak Today for giving me the boot in the seat that I needed to just do something. This evening that something was going to a restaurant I’d never been to and trying something I’ve never had.
Himalayan Restaurant is in my home neighborhood and was recommended separately by two of my neighbors. So when this assignment came up, I knew that’s where I was headed. It’s in an unassuming little building on the southeast corner of Franklin Avenue and 24th Avenue South, and the interior is typical of such restaurants.
A moment of quick scrutiny revealed that there were two Indian beers on the menu. I ordered the Kingfisher Lager because the other one came in a 22 ounce serving and I didn’t think I wanted that much. Silly me.
I had perused the menu online beforehand and pretty much knew what I’d get. I ordered the Kathmandu momo (steamed yak dumplings) to start. I was encouraged when my server—identified as Clerk 1 on my bill, shame on me for not looking for a nametag, I’ll call her Clara because I like alliteration—immediately piped up that they were her favorite.
For my entree I ordered the Khasi ko Masu (goat curry). I’ve had goat before, I think, at the Indian buffet where I sometimes go for lunch. I’m not actually sure. It gets dished up for you and I’m never quite clear which tag goes with which item; I just tell them to give me a variety. Again I was reassured when Clara said, as she served it, “My mom likes this. She loves to suck the meat off the bones. She’s Russian.”
I don’t eat out often enough to pretend to know whether what I ate was an outstanding example of Nepalese food and I’m not very critical anyway. What I do know is that Clara was delightful, the food was served steaming hot, the naan was the best I’ve had, and I have leftovers for another complete meal. The important thing for me is that I took myself out to a new restaurant, and it was a bonus that it was a place where I felt completely comfortable as a solo diner.
Smile and the world smiles with you
July 20, 2010
We could all use more smiles in our lives. From a young age, I remember my mom sometimes saying, ???Smile and the world smiles with you.?????
Smiles are infectious.
In my daily goings out and about I have belatedly semi-embraced a philosophy that a friend of mine was mature and unselfish enough to embrace twenty-five years ago. He said that he couldn???t in good conscience pass by his fellow human beings on the street without making eye contact and acknowledging their existence. I don???t remember if he included a smile with that.
In recent times, perhaps since I moved to my new, scarier neighborhood four-and-a-half years ago, I have been more willing to make that eye contact. Maybe it???s simply a component of self-preservation. I believe that the nefarious types will be less likely to cause trouble if you acknowledge them and indicate that they don???t necessarily intimidate you. And if you give them a half-smile to boot, maybe you take even more power back.
Also, as a white, native, American, I am quite in the minority in this neighborhood which is populated largely by immigrants from eastern Africa, mostly Somalia. They tend to get a bad rap from whites like me who may not consider that, as usual, it???s a few bad apples who spoil it for everyone. I want to be friendly. When I make eye contact, smile, and perhaps say ???good morning,??? most of my neighborhood cohabitants respond with a surprised smile, then reply with their own pleased greeting. I like to think I???m doing my small part to foster good will in the neighborhood.
That eye contact and smile follows me downtown when I go to work. There I find people who are by and large like me, but the reaction is the same???slightly stunned and then, in kind. I don???t know, it just feels a little good.
I???m not looking for a pat on the back and I???m pretty sure I don???t want you to start talking to me. But I know I like having my existence acknowledged and figure you might feel the same way.
Smile and the world smiles with you.
Oddly enough, I’ve not yet talked about one of my great food loves, salad. Or at least not that I’ve previously keyworded. In addition to pizza, I also always enjoy a good salad, especially if there’s a lot of it. And eating salad from these large stoneware bowls brings me happiness.
I have loved these dishes pretty much from the time I got them. They, and their smaller siblings of which I also have two, were part of a Rainbow Foods store deal; the pattern is called Pinwheel. I originally bought them to use as salad dishes for my at-the-time two rabbits. They came in four colors—the red and eggplant purple pictured, as well as mustard yellow and khaki green. I decided just a little too late that I should have bought four complete place settings with plates, cups and saucers, and all the rest. A large factor in the delay was that I didn’t know which color I wanted to focus on. I also already have three different sets of dishes.
So gradually I commandeered them from my rabbit(s) (what choice did they really have?) and they are now the preferred vessel for my own salads. I particularly think that the purple one sets off the veggie colors quite nicely.
As far as ingredients bffs go, there are four, all pictured. I already knew that I liked the tortilla+refried beans+cheese combo. But I have only relatively recently come to the variations of each that I now favor, plus the fourth brand-new one.
I have loved cheese and used tortillas forever, and for at least a decade have embraced whole beans as well. More recently I realized that refried beans are my friend—the mashing is already done!
Most recently, I tried the Cruz whole wheat tortillas. They are moist and not at all barky and are more nutritious than corn or white flour versions. On a whim, instead of plain refried beans, I dared to pick up a can of refried beans with green chilies. So good! For over a year, pepperjack cheese has been my overall go-to cheese. I use it in cheesy frittatas for breakfast, sometimes in my homemade egg/muffin sandwiches, and almost exclusively in the tortilla situation.
The surprise entry to delicious is the tomatillo. The Cub Foods where I do most of my shopping (because, I kid you not, they are the only store that sells a pound of spring mix salad greens for only $6.99) stocks heavily on the hispanic ingredients (and if I should use a term other than hispanic, do pardon me please). When I am strolling through the produce department picking up my usual tomatoes, onions, zucchinis, mushrooms, bell peppers, and sweet corn, I always think about the suggestion that each time you go to the store, you pick up one thing you’ve never tried before. It seems like a good idea, but I hardly ever do it spontaneously if it’s not something I need for a recipe.
But this time I did. Hello, tomatillo, my new best friend in kitchen, particularly in the context of tortilla+refried beans (with chilies)+cheese (pepperjack), as well as onions and peppers. You are the finishing touch that this amalgamation was looking for. You are a member of the nightshade family, like the tomato, but you have such a different, more savory, somewhat chile-y flavor. You are perfect for thinly slicing and adding, just before I grate the pepperjack. Bake at 400° for fifteen minutes and you have a simple masterpiece.
We be jammin???
June 1, 2010
What???s the oldest thing in your refrigerator? This jar of Welch???s grape jelly is five or more years old. Rob gave it to me when he was cleaning out in preparation for a Minnesota???California move. I never told him that I don???t really use grape jelly???at all. I don???t really use jelly of any kind???it seems mostly to be solidified corn syrup. When I did get jelly, I???d get currant jelly or something else red.
Kelly???s Unnecessary Blog, a.k.a. Kelly???s Confessional to Rob.
But I still have that grape jelly and it does get consumed???by my parents a few times each year. It???s pretty much just sugar. It???s fine.
When I did still eat toast for breakfast, I eventually shifted from the currant jelly to any mostly-fruit jam in an attempt to ingest as natural ingredients as possible, which I do not consider corn syrup or grape juice to be, even though they are touted as such. If fruit wasn???t the first ingredient listed, I put it right back.
I still don???t eat toast for breakfast (now I go more eggy), though sometimes I do keep whole wheat bread. My favorite is Healthy Choice 7-Grain. Whole wheat flour is the first ingredient and it???s soft and tasty. There again, just because bread is brown, that doesn???t mean it???s whole wheat. You must check the ingredients list. If it says anything other than ???whole,??? it???s not true whole wheat bread. Thomas 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins are good, too. However, the double fiber whatever muffins are like eating twigs and should be avoided.
I digress.
Now I have something new???Raspberry Pinot Noir jam, special delivery from Annie in Portland, Oregon. It is awesome! It???s made by the King Estate Oregon Wines, an organic, sustainable operation. Follow the link above and then explore the rest of the site. They use sheep to ???mow??? the grass. ???Moo??? the grass? ???Baa??? the grass? ???Bleat??? the grass?
The point is, it looks like a neat place. And the jam is made from raspberries grown in the vineyard???s orchard and spiked with Pinot Noir. From the moment you unscrew the lid, you can smell the wine. It tastes as delicious as you would imagine.
So when the jam arrived, I didn???t have any bread to spread it on. I experimented with making whole wheat flour baking powder biscuits, but those were a disaster. But they were good enough to sample the jam and find out that it???s as delicious as it sounds. I would have made the biscuits with white flour, only I???ve been out of it since March. Yesterday I went to the store mainly to get a frozen pizza for supper but with the secondary intent to get some pop ???n??? fresh biscuit dough. I ended up getting pop ???n??? cinnamon rolls. No raspberry Pinot Noir jam got spread on those.
Today I went to the store again to get a steak and some fresh veggies to grill for supper. Still no bread.
But I might just put a dollop on these whole wheat brownies I just made. Chocolate, raspberry, and wine, especially red wine that I???m drinking? Oh yeah. Not even noticing the whole wheat aspect 🙂
Enjoy every sandwich
May 20, 2010
There are several sandwiches that I like a lot.??
The first that comes to mind is a Potbelly Ham Wheat with a little bit of everything. I do dearly love Potbelly (and they have the best malts, too), but the sandwiches became less fun when I looked up the nutrition and learned that the Ham has over 2600mg of sodium. Now I eat them sparingly.
I also love a Chipotle Chicken Burrito???black beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and sometimes the medium salsa. Chipotle has ruined me for burritos anywhere else. I???m not making any judgement as to the authenticity of their style, but they sure are delicious! Unfortunately, its sodium is right up there, too, at over 2300mg.
Rounding out the top three also-rans is Panera???s Bacon Turkey Bravo. I can thank my friend Rob for that one. I initially preferred the roast beef Asiago sandwich, but his devotion to the Bacon Turkey Bravo caused me to try it and what can I say? Everything???s better with bacon! I have not checked the sodium.
The grand winner in my personal sandwich preferences is the Caprese panini from a local outfit, D???Amico and Sons. I usually get the lunch special, which teams it with their equally delicious (but not sandwich) Tuscan chicken soup and my choice of a chunk of bread or potato chips. I choose chips. It???s my version of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Well, or theirs, I guess. I???m just in heaven when I eat this sandwich.
Childhood food memories, part 2: family routine
May 5, 2010
When you were a kid, was there something that your family always did on a particular day of the week? The one I remember was grilled cheese sandwiches and sardines in front of the tv on Sunday nights.
I have doublechecked with my parents who are visiting this week and according to their accounts, I am actually merging two memories.
Usually we ate in the kitchen, at the table. And as I believe I have previously recounted, I often had the unpleasant experience of remaining at said table until I had eaten the last bite of food on my plate. When this involved liver, particularly chicken liver, a large part of my evening was wasted.
But on two nights of the week, I knew I would be safe. On those nights, we ate fun stuff in the living room in front of the tv while we watched my parents’ favorite shows.??
The appointment viewing that I remember was for Mary Tyler Moore and All in the Family, and Lawrence Welk and Andy Williams. But I got my meals mixed up.
Those shows must have been for pizza night on Saturdays. On parent or the other would run downtown to pick up a pie from John & Toni???s, and then we???d sit on the living room floor and dine while viewing.
The routine I remember more vividly was Sundays, when we???d have grilled cheese sandwiches and sardines. My dad says the show we watched was Ed Sullivan, of which I have no recollection. But I do remember that minding the sandwiches in the oven was one of my early cooking responsibilities. My mom would prepare the sandwiches and pop them in to brown, and I was in charge of telling her when they were toasted and ready to be flipped. I took this duty very seriously.??
When the sandwiches were served, the plate was garnished with sardines. I thought it was just something we did; my dad said it was a tradition in his family. This weekend I enjoyed the combination for the first time in thrity years and it was delicious.
Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog 