Late night at work
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
basil mint vodka lemonade, maneul jjong jangachi and chicken soup
A weekend of cooking!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #3
Good thing I like green things, because the first few weeks of the CSA season is pretty much solid green, every week. Salads and omelettes have become a way of life and even my eggs are green (from all the extra vegetables I keep throwing into the pan). Nom nom nom.
CSA 2013 Partial Share #3
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch garlic scapes
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4 oz salad mix (which I really really need to remember to wash tonight)
Winner: GARLIC SCAPES. <3 <3 <3 I adore garlic scapes. They're so cute and so tasty!
Challenge: Lettuce, especially after last week. I still have half a head of red leaf in the fridge (if it hasn't gone bad by now). Le sigh.
I was supposed to get a chicken, but I came at the very last minute and they were out by the time I got there. So I'll probably get one next week or a double chicken share the week after. I am running out of space in my freezer though, so I'm going to try and cook the first chicken with my friend during July 4th weekend.
CSA 2013 Partial Share #3
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch garlic scapes
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4 oz salad mix (which I really really need to remember to wash tonight)
Winner: GARLIC SCAPES. <3 <3 <3 I adore garlic scapes. They're so cute and so tasty!
Challenge: Lettuce, especially after last week. I still have half a head of red leaf in the fridge (if it hasn't gone bad by now). Le sigh.
I was supposed to get a chicken, but I came at the very last minute and they were out by the time I got there. So I'll probably get one next week or a double chicken share the week after. I am running out of space in my freezer though, so I'm going to try and cook the first chicken with my friend during July 4th weekend.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #1
Here we go! Official kickoff of my second CSA season :) I signed up for a partial share this year and I'm already feeling veggie envy when I compare my share with the full share. However, I realize a full share would be way, way too much for me, so I'll do my best to be content with my partial share. Besides, I technically have more this year, since I was splitting last year's share in half with my old roommate.
CSA 2013 Partial Share 1
- 1 large head red leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Easter egg radishes
- 1 chicken*
I think I'll highlight two types of produce per share this year. One that I'm excited to see and one that promises to challenge my culinary skills (or the endurance of my taste buds...remember all the carrot tops last year? ugh.)
Winner: Radishes, though this is hardly a fair comparison.
Challenge: Cilantro. No one is surprised.
I flipped back to my CSA Share 1 post from last year and it's kind of funny looking back. It makes me glad I'm documenting my little escapades. I got lost, it was raining, and I was mildly horrified when some lady found a bug stowaway hiding in the produce.
This year's share and last year's share are similar (lettuce, radishes, spring onions, cilantro), though this year is starting out a lot lighter in terms of volume and variety (no kale yet :/). I think it's because we had cold weather so late into the spring. Perfectly fine by me, as I'm sure the rest of the season will be fantastic.
It should be pretty easy to use up this week's share. The lettuce and radishes will make for a nice salad, especially if I supplement them with some chicken. The spring onions can chill in the fridge I guess. Maybe I can make cilantro, radish top, and onion omelettes with some Wisconsin cheese grated over the top? I think I have some frozen sausage too. Actually, that doesn't sound half bad. I'll invite the girls over for brunch this weekend :)
On a side note, my window box got a little crowded, so I thinned out the seedlings last night. They were choking each other to death, but it was still hard to uproot so many of my little babies T_T For the record, baby borage leaves really do taste like cucumbers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the basil, but I can't tell which of the sproutlings are basil and which are parsley. I have my suspicions, but for now, they remain unconfirmed. I suppose I could just google it, but where's the fun in that?! Stay tuned for more sprout updates.
*Poultry share will be delivered every odd week plus one extra on the last week (total of 12 birds).
CSA 2013 Partial Share 1
- 1 large head red leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Easter egg radishes
- 1 chicken*
I think I'll highlight two types of produce per share this year. One that I'm excited to see and one that promises to challenge my culinary skills (or the endurance of my taste buds...remember all the carrot tops last year? ugh.)
Winner: Radishes, though this is hardly a fair comparison.
Challenge: Cilantro. No one is surprised.
I flipped back to my CSA Share 1 post from last year and it's kind of funny looking back. It makes me glad I'm documenting my little escapades. I got lost, it was raining, and I was mildly horrified when some lady found a bug stowaway hiding in the produce.
This year's share and last year's share are similar (lettuce, radishes, spring onions, cilantro), though this year is starting out a lot lighter in terms of volume and variety (no kale yet :/). I think it's because we had cold weather so late into the spring. Perfectly fine by me, as I'm sure the rest of the season will be fantastic.
It should be pretty easy to use up this week's share. The lettuce and radishes will make for a nice salad, especially if I supplement them with some chicken. The spring onions can chill in the fridge I guess. Maybe I can make cilantro, radish top, and onion omelettes with some Wisconsin cheese grated over the top? I think I have some frozen sausage too. Actually, that doesn't sound half bad. I'll invite the girls over for brunch this weekend :)
On a side note, my window box got a little crowded, so I thinned out the seedlings last night. They were choking each other to death, but it was still hard to uproot so many of my little babies T_T For the record, baby borage leaves really do taste like cucumbers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the basil, but I can't tell which of the sproutlings are basil and which are parsley. I have my suspicions, but for now, they remain unconfirmed. I suppose I could just google it, but where's the fun in that?! Stay tuned for more sprout updates.
*Poultry share will be delivered every odd week plus one extra on the last week (total of 12 birds).
Thursday, March 28, 2013
chickening out of eating chicken
kay so one definite downside of educating yourself about what you eat is that you actually notice what you're eating and you know what's probably in it (or not in it, as it were).
In the past, I've ordered chicken from a number of restaurants with no problems at all. Recently, I've noticed that food from my old standbys just doesn't seem as good anymore. I highly doubt that the food from all these places radically worsened at the same time, so the problem is probably me. But seriously, it's a problem. The chicken is weird. It tastes funny. It sometimes crumbles (yeah, I know right? that is not something meat should do, ever, except maybe ground meat but that's a totally different story and we won't go there today.) The chicken doesn't hold up to close inspection and it generally does not appeal to me. There are exceptions, of course, and I've started taking notice of which places serve food I actually want to eat.
Bored and curious, I googled these exceptions and discovered that interestingly enough, the places serving food I like tend to source free-range, hormone and antibiotic free, and sometimes organic chicken. It could be that a place willing to buy quality chicken probably invests in other high quality ingredients, generally leading to higher quality dishes. It could also be that they put in more effort to cook the chicken well. Whatever the reason, I've become more picky about what meat I choose to eat. Being picky is usually seen as a bad thing, but I think this time, the offense is forgivable.
(It's not just chicken, by the way, but inferior chicken has been the most obnoxious offender to my newly vigilant tastebuds.)
Alsoooo...it's still freezing. Spring, hurry up!
In the past, I've ordered chicken from a number of restaurants with no problems at all. Recently, I've noticed that food from my old standbys just doesn't seem as good anymore. I highly doubt that the food from all these places radically worsened at the same time, so the problem is probably me. But seriously, it's a problem. The chicken is weird. It tastes funny. It sometimes crumbles (yeah, I know right? that is not something meat should do, ever, except maybe ground meat but that's a totally different story and we won't go there today.) The chicken doesn't hold up to close inspection and it generally does not appeal to me. There are exceptions, of course, and I've started taking notice of which places serve food I actually want to eat.
Bored and curious, I googled these exceptions and discovered that interestingly enough, the places serving food I like tend to source free-range, hormone and antibiotic free, and sometimes organic chicken. It could be that a place willing to buy quality chicken probably invests in other high quality ingredients, generally leading to higher quality dishes. It could also be that they put in more effort to cook the chicken well. Whatever the reason, I've become more picky about what meat I choose to eat. Being picky is usually seen as a bad thing, but I think this time, the offense is forgivable.
(It's not just chicken, by the way, but inferior chicken has been the most obnoxious offender to my newly vigilant tastebuds.)
Alsoooo...it's still freezing. Spring, hurry up!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
FRIENDS! and chickens and eggs
I can now claim to have convinced not one, but TWO people to sign up for a CSA because of me! One in California and one here in New York. I am so pleased, I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat.
I'm worried, of course, that they won't like it. That I've been hyping it up to everyone. But honestly, I'll just let the produce do the talking, and I'm sure it'll be fine.
I was hoping to pull my roommate into sharing my CSA with me this year, but it looks like my roommate may or may not be with us this summer. So...I've decided that instead of being overly ambitious, I'm going to sign up for just one partial share ($375 for 22 weeks of a larger-than-half-of-a-regular-share) of vegetables. I wanted to try the eggs, fruit, or chicken because it looks so good and I want to support Free Bird Farms. But I didn't know what the best option would be and I was scared being overwhelmed by Foodmageddon again.
I can polish off fruit quite happily and easily on my own, but I like the idea of free range, organic (not certified, but raised organically) chickens and eggs, and I wanted to give it a go at home, rather than relying on super duper expensive fancy places that I like to think about eating at because heaven knows I'd never be able to take myself there without feeling awfully guilty about how I'm prioritizing my spending. T_T
I digress. I ended up deciding on the chicken share. Why? Eggs are perishable but these chickens are frozen. Plus, they seemed like a slightly better deal. $90 for a dozen eggs a week comes out to a whopping $4.09 per dozen eggs. That's a lot and I am not quite sure the difference in taste and quality would be worth it. I snooped around and the prices for free range, organic eggs are anywhere from $3.50 to $5.50 per dozen in NYC. Regular eggs are $$2.00 - $3.00 a dozen. While it would be nice to have eggs with beautiful, rich, nutritious orange yolks, I just don't want to commit to a full season right now. I guess the humane treatment of chickens is another factor, but on this point, I'm indifferent, since chickens raised for meat also face the same issue of humane treatment. The deciding factor for me was just that I don't eat a lot of eggs to begin with and they are fairly perishable.
On the other hand, I can get 12 chickens for $180, which comes out to about $15 a chicken, or $3.75 a pound. Although pricey, I did some investigating online and in stores, and this is actually fairly reasonable for a free-range, organic chicken. Normal chickens go for a lot less - something like $4 to $8 per whole 4lb chicken. The price markup for free range and organic chicken is a lot higher than it is for eggs. Why do I bother buying free range and organic then? It freaks me out that I'm eating chicken meat laced with antibiotics and hormones. I don't know. I don't like it. Plus, I've seen the chickens being raised for meat and eggs at Free Bird Farm and I can definitively say these chickens were raised happily. I can't say the same for the chickens I buy at the store, free range and organic or not. Finally, chickens can be frozen. They will keep for up to a year in my freezer. This gives them a significant advantage over eggs.
And I know $15 per chicken is a lot, but I know how to stretch my chickens. I can easily, easily, make at least 5 or 6 meals out of one chicken. Roast chicken for two meals with a side of veg, chicken over rice or chicken with pasta or even chicken salad sandwiches can make another two meals, and the leftover chicken bits and bones makes for at least two meals of chicken soup. I can add noodles, rice, or potatoes to the soup to instantly make it more filling. The price breakdown comes to about $2 to $3 per meal for the chicken. Rice, vegetables, noodles, potatoes, and pasta are super cheap, so the total cost of a full meal would break down to less than $5. That's a price I'm willing to live with, especially since I don't actually eat meat that much anymore, meaning my other meals are much cheaper than that. And I can rest easy, knowing what I'm putting into my body, how the chickens were raised, and who I'm supporting with my $. This makes me happy.
*Caveat: I don't know how "green" or local my chicken is, since I presume Free Bird Farm had to take the birds to be processed and frozen at a butcher plant, and I have no idea how far away that plant is, but I'm okay with that. This is a better option to me than what I can find in my supermarkets.
Why didn't I opt for both chickens and eggs? Quite simply: I can't eat that much. I think it's better to buy only what you need than to oversupply and waste food. Less food, more quality. In fact, I think 12 chickens is more than I can handle, so I convinced my friend to share some of the chickens with me. In exchange for buying 3-6 chickens off of me, I've agreed to teach him how to cook the chickens and pass along any excess produce, which I'm more than happy to do. Community building with CSA food! :)
All this thinking about local, organic, free-range, etc. made me wonder about all the other food I eat. I want to live better and I am considering kicking off a month of clean eating, where I restrict myself to only eating sustainably produced/harvested food, with an emphasis on organic produce, free range and hormone/antibiotic free meats, and wild-caught fish. And, of course, trying to support local farmers where and when I can.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of restaurants and grocery stores that are quietly (or not so quietly) sourcing local, free-range, sustainable foods. I think it would be fairly easy to pull off a month of clean eating in the city. I'll chew on this idea a little longer, but it's definitely something I want to pursue.
I'm worried, of course, that they won't like it. That I've been hyping it up to everyone. But honestly, I'll just let the produce do the talking, and I'm sure it'll be fine.
I was hoping to pull my roommate into sharing my CSA with me this year, but it looks like my roommate may or may not be with us this summer. So...I've decided that instead of being overly ambitious, I'm going to sign up for just one partial share ($375 for 22 weeks of a larger-than-half-of-a-regular-share) of vegetables. I wanted to try the eggs, fruit, or chicken because it looks so good and I want to support Free Bird Farms. But I didn't know what the best option would be and I was scared being overwhelmed by Foodmageddon again.
I can polish off fruit quite happily and easily on my own, but I like the idea of free range, organic (not certified, but raised organically) chickens and eggs, and I wanted to give it a go at home, rather than relying on super duper expensive fancy places that I like to think about eating at because heaven knows I'd never be able to take myself there without feeling awfully guilty about how I'm prioritizing my spending. T_T
I digress. I ended up deciding on the chicken share. Why? Eggs are perishable but these chickens are frozen. Plus, they seemed like a slightly better deal. $90 for a dozen eggs a week comes out to a whopping $4.09 per dozen eggs. That's a lot and I am not quite sure the difference in taste and quality would be worth it. I snooped around and the prices for free range, organic eggs are anywhere from $3.50 to $5.50 per dozen in NYC. Regular eggs are $$2.00 - $3.00 a dozen. While it would be nice to have eggs with beautiful, rich, nutritious orange yolks, I just don't want to commit to a full season right now. I guess the humane treatment of chickens is another factor, but on this point, I'm indifferent, since chickens raised for meat also face the same issue of humane treatment. The deciding factor for me was just that I don't eat a lot of eggs to begin with and they are fairly perishable.
On the other hand, I can get 12 chickens for $180, which comes out to about $15 a chicken, or $3.75 a pound. Although pricey, I did some investigating online and in stores, and this is actually fairly reasonable for a free-range, organic chicken. Normal chickens go for a lot less - something like $4 to $8 per whole 4lb chicken. The price markup for free range and organic chicken is a lot higher than it is for eggs. Why do I bother buying free range and organic then? It freaks me out that I'm eating chicken meat laced with antibiotics and hormones. I don't know. I don't like it. Plus, I've seen the chickens being raised for meat and eggs at Free Bird Farm and I can definitively say these chickens were raised happily. I can't say the same for the chickens I buy at the store, free range and organic or not. Finally, chickens can be frozen. They will keep for up to a year in my freezer. This gives them a significant advantage over eggs.
And I know $15 per chicken is a lot, but I know how to stretch my chickens. I can easily, easily, make at least 5 or 6 meals out of one chicken. Roast chicken for two meals with a side of veg, chicken over rice or chicken with pasta or even chicken salad sandwiches can make another two meals, and the leftover chicken bits and bones makes for at least two meals of chicken soup. I can add noodles, rice, or potatoes to the soup to instantly make it more filling. The price breakdown comes to about $2 to $3 per meal for the chicken. Rice, vegetables, noodles, potatoes, and pasta are super cheap, so the total cost of a full meal would break down to less than $5. That's a price I'm willing to live with, especially since I don't actually eat meat that much anymore, meaning my other meals are much cheaper than that. And I can rest easy, knowing what I'm putting into my body, how the chickens were raised, and who I'm supporting with my $. This makes me happy.
*Caveat: I don't know how "green" or local my chicken is, since I presume Free Bird Farm had to take the birds to be processed and frozen at a butcher plant, and I have no idea how far away that plant is, but I'm okay with that. This is a better option to me than what I can find in my supermarkets.
Why didn't I opt for both chickens and eggs? Quite simply: I can't eat that much. I think it's better to buy only what you need than to oversupply and waste food. Less food, more quality. In fact, I think 12 chickens is more than I can handle, so I convinced my friend to share some of the chickens with me. In exchange for buying 3-6 chickens off of me, I've agreed to teach him how to cook the chickens and pass along any excess produce, which I'm more than happy to do. Community building with CSA food! :)
All this thinking about local, organic, free-range, etc. made me wonder about all the other food I eat. I want to live better and I am considering kicking off a month of clean eating, where I restrict myself to only eating sustainably produced/harvested food, with an emphasis on organic produce, free range and hormone/antibiotic free meats, and wild-caught fish. And, of course, trying to support local farmers where and when I can.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of restaurants and grocery stores that are quietly (or not so quietly) sourcing local, free-range, sustainable foods. I think it would be fairly easy to pull off a month of clean eating in the city. I'll chew on this idea a little longer, but it's definitely something I want to pursue.
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