tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68453626595767044232024-03-14T02:35:08.132-04:00Adventures of a Kitchen PenguinJoin me on my kitchen adventures as I endeavor to live up to the title of "foodie."Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03959889812105549363noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-64702872615691763692013-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:002013-09-30T09:00:03.748-04:0033 or BustDear Readers,<br />
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It has been awhile since my last post but I've been rather busy over the past year. My grand Yakudoshi experiment has truly been an "adventure." What did I do? Here are some of the highlights:<br />
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February 2012 - Certification in Sanitation...so I guess I have some credentials now. <br />
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March 2012 - Traveled to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, The Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Expanded my knowledge of European cuisine.<br />
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April 2012 - Planned and cooked lunch for 300 at Defending the Gate. SO MUCH FOOD and they ate most of it.<br />
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May 2012 - Started culinary school.<br />
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September 2012 - Went home for the Okinawan Festival and learned how to make andagi. <br />
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September 2012 - Volunteered in the Green Room at Intervention (<a href="http://interventioncon.com/" target="_blank">http://interventioncon.com/</a>) and was asked to return as staff next year. Catered the BSR (<a href="http://www.bomb-shelter-radio.com/" target="_blank">http://www.bomb-shelter-radio.com/</a>) party.<br />
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December 2013 - Hosted DBF's parents for Christmas for the first time.<br />
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January 2013 - First SCA feast as head cook in 10 years. Lunch and dinner for 50ish and came in over $100 under budget. Got my money's worth from those whole chickens.<br />
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April 2013 - Took over as head retainer to the Baron and Baroness of Bright Hills. Many "light lunches" in my future.<br />
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May 2013 - Traveled to the Barony of Madrone, An Tir (Seattle, WA) to work in my friend's kitchen at Crown Tourney. Packed my knives and had a great weekend in a camp kitchen.<br />
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May 2013 - Invited to be <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kaffeeklatsche Chef (set-up and refresh the coffee and snacks) at Balticon (<a href="http://www.balticon.org/" target="_blank">http://www.balticon.org/</a>).</span></span> <br />
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August 2013 - Pennsic! First time in over 7 years and I spent the long weekend cooking. Worked with House Blackstar/Barony of Bight Hills to do Mongolian BBQ night, dinner for the King and Queen of Atlantia and guests, and Baronial Meet and Greet/Baron Chirhart's Birthday. Plus I decorated two cakes on-site...decorating with butter cream while camping!<br />
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August 2012 - Ran the Green Room, Enabler Party, and BSR (<a href="http://www.bomb-shelter-radio.com/" target="_blank">http://www.bomb-shelter-radio.com/</a>) live broadcast party at Intervention (<a href="http://interventioncon.com/" target="_blank">http://interventioncon.com/</a>). <br />
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September<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2013 - T<span style="font-family: inherit;">raveled to the </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shire of Ballachlagan</span>, AEthelmearc (New Manchester, WV) to work in Master Huon's (<a href="http://www.godecookery.com/" target="_blank">http://www.godecookery.com/</a>) kitchen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I did some other, non food related, things as well. There's so many things that I want to share with you and I hope you stick around to find out how this story unfolds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Best,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Akiyo </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans serif;"></span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-91119209155522489622012-07-06T10:12:00.000-04:002012-07-06T10:12:05.292-04:00Yakudoshi YearWith my 32nd birthday just a couple of months away, I may as well explain the yakudoshi project. Like many of my previous projects, it is grand in scope and not realistically achievable. But I should start at the beginning. What the heck is a <a href="http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Mar/18/il/FP603180319.html" target="_blank">yakudoshi</a>? In Japanese tradition it's a year for struggle, change, and realizing ones purpose. For men it's 42 (41 by western reckoning) and for women it's 33 (32 by western reckoning). I was going to just take a trip to Japan to be blessed and then the opportunity to go on the whirlwind Europe trip last March landed in my lap. I was going to say that going on the trip would be enough because I was home for New Years and I received blessings at the shinto shrine...but this is me and I don't do anything by halves.<br />
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Perhaps we should go back even further for the origin story of the largest piece of the yakudoshi project. Back to September 2011 at a hotel in Rockville, MD. I was doing my "FEED ALL THE PEOPLE" thing at the <a href="http://www.bomb-shelter-radio.com/" target="_blank">Bomb Shelter Radio</a> party at <a href="http://interventioncon.com/" target="_blank">Interventioncon</a> and I heard that a rumor was spreading about this professionally catered party...the party I was attending...the party that I was feeding. Wait? The food that I threw together in my kitchen last night? Professionally catered party? WTF? I went home and thought about it...and thought about it...and applied to culinary school. But I was going on the whirlwind Europe vacation in March and I didn't want to miss a week of class during my first semester so I waited until the summer to start taking classes. And I survived my first lab class. And I'm happy.<br />
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What I'm finding is that cooking feeds my soul and work feeds my bank accounts. I defined myself as an office drone for most of my adult life because I didn't have any other way to answer the "what do you do?" question. Saying "I'm in culinary school" makes me smile and it's a much more interesting conversation than "I'm an office manager." Don't get me wrong. I like my job. I respect my employer. I'm not leaving the corporate world to be a chef...but I don't want my day job to define who I am.<br />
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So you're going to culinary school...what else? There's the 1,000 cranes project that probably won't be completed in time for my birthday. I have about 200 folded and it's slow going because I bought 3.5" paper and it makes my hands cramp up after about 10 cranes. So that might happen eventually...or not at all. Yes, I can buy larger paper but I already spent the money and I don't have space for a giant cascade of cranes.<br />
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I'm getting rid of things that make me unhappy. Well, the specific items don't make me unhappy but the clutter does. I desperately want to be a minimalist but I collect collections so it's difficult. But it's getting better.<br />
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I haven't been writing in this blog, that's for sure. My life is ripe for blog entries and I'm too tired/lazy to write them. Bad penguin, no shrimp. I have pictures of the food I ate in Europe and the food I cooked in class.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EL-Kwszn3Go/T_bw7JfA6PI/AAAAAAAAAVU/3BaG82sGNqM/s1600/Schnitzel_11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EL-Kwszn3Go/T_bw7JfA6PI/AAAAAAAAAVU/3BaG82sGNqM/s320/Schnitzel_11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Gratuitous wiener schnitzel picture.</div>
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What else have I been up to? I planned a lunch for 300 people back in May. That was definitely outside my comfort zone. And that's the point of the project, to push myself out of my comfort zone to see if I can thrive. I hate risks and I love order (though you wouldn't know it to see my house right now) but that's not real life. This is my year and I'm testing my limits.Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-27396567588166868452012-03-05T22:39:00.001-05:002012-03-05T22:39:52.183-05:00Out Cooking...be back eventually<div><p>I'll leave you with this picture of tonight's dinner. Cock-a-leekie soup and rastons. A sourdough loaf stuffed with bacon, brie, and green onion then baked until the brie becomes melty. Thank you Madrone Culinary Guild.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eWa5kX6aVxc/T1WHBf3U87I/AAAAAAAAAHc/rVxkpdjadn4/2012-03-05_20-03-14_528.png' /></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-53990695483715896412011-05-02T09:00:00.002-04:002011-05-02T09:00:09.899-04:00Takuwan; My Favorite Pickle<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ43eoMtLC0/Tbn1yp6Z9tI/AAAAAAAAAFo/vurNgTlYFIs/s1600/Takuwan01.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ43eoMtLC0/Tbn1yp6Z9tI/AAAAAAAAAFo/vurNgTlYFIs/s320/Takuwan01.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600777862205011666" /></a><br /><div>You're at your favorite local sushi joint and there's this salty limp yellow disc on your plate or maybe there's a long skinny piece of it in your roll...that's takuwan.</div><br /><div>There are <a href="http://shizuokagourmet.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/takuanjapanese-pickled-daikon-basic-recipe/">other recipes</a> on-line that are more</div><div> involved or, perhaps, more traditional but they make a product similar to those salty limp discs and I don't like commercial takuwan; I like Grand</div><div>ma's takuwan (are you noticing a trend in my food preferences?). What makes Grandma's different? Well, they're crunchy, they're ready to eat the next day and this recipe is at least four generations old.</div><br /><div><b>The Recipe:</b></div><div>1 c sugar</div><div>1/4 c salt (Hawaiian or sea)</div><div>1 c Japanese vinegar (aka rice wine)</div><div>3 lbs Korean daikon (this is what makes the takuwan crunchy)</div><div>Yellow food coloring</div><br /><div>Peel and slice the daikon into 1/4" half moon pieces and put them in a large heat safe container (I use a big glass jar). Boil the sugar, salt and vinegar until everything is disso</div><div>lved then add a few drops of the food coloring. Pour over the sliced daikon and push the slices down until they are mostly submerged, they will shrink down from the heat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hn3YiaYphaI/Tbn1_n9h0II/AAAAAAAAAFw/gX6UU1-NTg8/s320/Takuwan02.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600778085019537538" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KTfNRqwCVI0/Tbn1_xtDIoI/AAAAAAAAAF4/3lwdDIY4QV4/s320/Takuwan03.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600778087634772610" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Grandma and I like to pack up the finished takuwan in clean peanut butter jars; that way you aren't giving away your nice mason jars when you share your takuwan with friends. This is a fresh pickle so please store it in the refrigerator and eat them quickly. I have eaten some that were six plus months old but they had started to discolor, they turn brown.</div><br /><div>Do you have a favorite pickle?</div><br /><div>Happy Cooking!</div><br /><div>-<i>KP</i></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-73261376431900342052011-04-04T09:00:00.000-04:002011-04-04T09:00:16.678-04:00Wisdom from Grandma: The last bit in the bottle<div>My maternal grandmother is one of the most influential people in my life. She lived with us for the first 14 years of my life and continues to live next door to my parents in the house that will one day be mine. Grandma was my babysitter when mom was at work. Grandma taught me how to cook, sew, crochet and balance a checkbook to the penny.</div><div><br /></div><div>Grandma makes energy bars. She is famous for them, friends of the family purchase ingredients so she will make energy bars for them. It isn't a care package from mom unless energy bars are being used to fill up extra space in the flat rate box. Energy bars are grown up rice krispy treats with oatmeal, raisins, peanuts, peanut butter and sesame seeds. Grandma uses a lot of peanut butter and peanut butter is not a cheap ingredient so she has a method for getting the very last dregs from each bottle...<i>toss in some marshmallows and use them to srcape the sides of the bottle. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>The same can be done with potato/macaroni salad and mayonnaise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do you have any tricks for getting the last drops from a bottle?</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Cooking!</div><div>- KP</div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-50992996823368143892011-04-01T07:00:00.001-04:002011-04-01T07:00:11.150-04:00News from the Penguinery<div>Spring is here, I know because I just bought sweet potato leaves at the Asian market (more on that later). The great processed food purge continues at KP HQ. There is one last bag of brownie mix and most of the pancake mix is gone, the last of the dry mixes. (Isn't that what I said in the last update?) Shaking my dependence upon canned goods has proven more difficult. What can I say? I LOVE SPAM! Bread baking is...not my forte.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am happy to announce that DBF has not, to the best of my knowledge, purchased breakfast from the deli in his office building once this year. I've kept him well stocked with waffles, banana bread and the occasional container of hash. In fact, he complains when I don't have something that he can take for breakfast. There are a lot of homemade waffles in my freezer, I just hope he doesn't get tired of them before we eat them all.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are, for the most part, eating better...or at least not eating out as often. My grand declaration of not eating out more than once a week hasn't panned out but it hasn't been for want of planned meals...I admit that I'm lazy. We're getting backed up on leftovers and I'm starting to rebuild the homemade microwave meal collection. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am about ready to give up on using the stand mixer to knead dough because my eyes don't know when things are ready. My hands, however, know how to make a passable pizza dough and plain loaf of bread. Yes, I can start the dough in the mixer and finish it by hand...but it doesn't work that way for me. Or, at least, it doesn't work that way for me right now. I do own a bread machine, minus a part, thanks to a dear friend not having space when she moved. Using a bread machine feels like cheating so it sits in the garage while I contemplate if I want to toss it or buy the missing part.</div><div><br /></div><div>After ten years of dreaming I finally have a bicycle. While my body didn't forget how to ride a bicycle after a 20 year break, it also didn't forget that I'm a sedentary office worker. The first goal is to ride around my neighborhood for 15 minutes without being sore and tired. The reward is buying a pretty basket for the bike if I make it to the farmers' market for opening day in May. Well, the reward is being healthier but the tangible reward is a nice basket.</div><div><br /></div><div>What have you been doing?</div><div><br /></div><div>Best Wishes,</div><div>KP</div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-47724719010065678972011-02-08T07:00:00.003-05:002011-02-08T09:02:05.135-05:00Who's got two thumbs and......another prescription for antibiotics? This girl! <div><br /></div><div>Sick=mindless cooking=no blog content=lame update...</div><div><br /></div><div>I did make two batches of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/basic-waffle-recipe2/index.html">Good Eats Waffles</a> that were promptly bagged, tagged and thrown into the freezer for quick breakfast food. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've been checking out the recipes at <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/">Eating Well</a> to get some meal inspirations. DBF can be difficult to cook for, what with the aversion to most green vegetables, so I've been perusing the "Kid's Recipes" and found an alternative for the homemade hamburger helper (ground beef, macaroni, onion, mushrooms & brown gravy mix). <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/hamburger_buddy.html">Hamburger Buddy</a> will be gracing the Blackbird Tavern dining table this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>DBF also reminded me that I agreed to make a Reuben pizza so that will need to happen before I abandon him, yet again, for my island paradise. Speaking of my island paradise, I'll be on Oahu for a long Presidents' Day weekend. I'll be attending a class, <a href="http://www.hawaiipacifichealth.org/events/valentine2011.aspx">Valentine in Paradise</a>, with my mother and grandmother. The class is about cardiovascular disease and prevention so, hopefully, I'll have something to share when I get back.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's on deck:</b> Port wine (kit) and Rock Hopper Penguin Stout (my recipe).</div><div><br /><div>Warm Wishes,</div><div><i>KP</i></div></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-24451894844617891582011-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:002011-01-26T07:00:08.624-05:00Party Like It's 4708!Well, not until February 3rd but I need to start planning my Chinese New Year foods. Why? Procuring ingredients might require a trip to DC Chinatown or getting a care package from my parents. Do we have any requests for a recipe pictorial?<br /><br />I want to make <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_gao">gao</a> so I can pan fry slices of it in butter after it becomes hard (I also like fried mochi tossed in kinako and sugar). I think it would be difficult to get DBF to eat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha%27s_delight">jai</a>. Honestly, I don't like jai but my mother made me eat a little bowl every New Year when I was growing up so part of me feels obligated to have jai...same thing with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C5%8Dni">ozoni</a>. Pot stickers? I like pot stickers and it would be useful to have some in the freezer. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_dui">Jin deui</a>? Maybe if I had help consuming them because they're terrible cold/reheated.<br /><br />Do you celebrate the lunar new year? Do you have a menu planned? Maybe I should just order take out from the local Chinese joint. Nah...what's the fun in that?<br /><br />Warm Wishes,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-90762346652080509842011-01-10T20:51:00.014-05:002011-01-10T21:39:32.244-05:00What do you do with a burdock root?<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TSu7b3EPq0I/AAAAAAAAADI/8du2c1Iw-9g/s1600/konbumaki_04.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TSu7b3EPq0I/AAAAAAAAADI/8du2c1Iw-9g/s320/konbumaki_04.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560744252231625538" /></a>I was teasing this all Saturday on <a href="http://twitter.com/kitchenpenguin">Twitter</a> and here's the answer...<i>konbu maki</i>. It's my father's favorite New Year's food and one of my contributions to the cooks guild meeting that I attended on Sunday. I was unable to find kanpyo at the local Asian market so I had to secure these little flavor bombs with toothpicks.<div><br /></div><div>But what's konbu maki? Seaweed wrapped pork rolls.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Konbu Maki</b></div><div>8 oz. nishime</div><div>konbu</div><div>1 lb pork butt</div><div>1 package kanpyo</div><div>1/3 c shoyu (soy sauce)</div><div>1/4 c sugar</div><div>2 T mirin</div><div>Gobo (burdock root)</div><div><br /></div><div>Soak the dried konbu in warm water until it becomes pliable. Cut into 5-6" long strips. Soak the kanpyo in a separate dish. </div><div><br /></div><div>Scrape the skin off the burdock root and slice into sections the width of the konbu. (I tend to quarter the thicker pieces and half the thinner ones). Par boil the gobo and pork butt (in separate pots) until the pork is cooked through (this is my timer). Slice up the pork so you have enough pieces for the konbu (the goal is to have one piece of gobo and 1 piece of pork in each maki).</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TSu7TW3Y46I/AAAAAAAAADA/bJfq_RtiCXY/s320/konbumaki_01.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560744106148815778" /><div>Roll.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is where you would tie the roll with the kanpyo (or use a toothpick if you don't have any kanpyo).</div><div><br /></div><div>Put konbu maki in a sauce pan, add enough water to cover (use hot water to speed up the process), and cook until tender (2-3 hours).</div><div><br /></div><div>Drain out water. Add shoyu, sugar and mirin mixture and simmer for another 30 minutes (or until reduced to a syrup).</div><div><br /></div><div>Some notes:</div><div><ul><li>My grandmother (and other people I know in Hawaii) swear that Okinawan konbu makes the best konbu maki. All the people surveyed are Okinawan so we might be biased. The package of konbu I used was purchased in Okinawa.</li><li>The original recipe does not call for soaking the konbu, I soak it to reduce the cooking time.</li><li>The original recipe does not call for par boiling the gobo and pork butt, I do this to reduce the cooking time.</li><li>Tie the kanpyo around the roll and secure with a knot (I use a square knot) then cut off the ends. I have seen recipes that call for pre-slicing the konbu but I think cutting as you go results in less wastage and a nicer presentation.</li><li>My father suggested using tofu instead of pork...experiment at will.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TSu-s-UkYiI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ZeyTLl9fMUQ/s320/konbumaki_05.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560747844771799586" />Babs: "Honey, that smells so good...pork allergy be damned. Nom nom nom..."<div><br /></div><div>Warm Wishes,</div><div><i>KP</i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-1877410307171345592011-01-07T07:00:00.002-05:002011-01-07T07:00:09.624-05:00Why start a project if you don't follow through? (Project Update)Penguin date 7th of January 2011...the not eating out part of the project is not going well. This is mostly due to poor health and general laziness at Blackbird Tavern. But I want to focus on the accomplishments:<div><ul><li>Boxed mac-n-cheese has been eradicated from the pantry.</li><li>Same for muffin/bread mixes (1 pouch of brownie mix and 2 pouches of taro pancake mixes remain).</li><li>We are generating less trash because our food comes in less packaging.</li><li>The holiday baking supplies have been put away.</li><li>All the baked good bomb boxes have been mailed and delivered.</li><li>The New Year's Eve food was well received and we're almost done eating the leftovers.</li><li>I have the fixings to make a big batch of Japanese style curry this weekend.</li><li>Thanks to <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/the-easiest-way-possible-to-freeze-soup-in-single-servings-136197">The Kitchn</a> I have a much better method for storing said curry.</li><li>The green onions that I'm growing from the bunch I purchased at the store are almost ready to plant.</li></ul><div>How's your January going? I'm going to make a pilgrimage out to <a href="https://www.bobmccutcheon.com/newmccutcheons/indexmain.htm">McCutcheon's</a> tomorrow so I can restock my parents' pantry with orange marmalade and strawberry jam.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Best Wishes!</div><div><i>KP</i></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-3568412132311269142011-01-05T09:16:00.002-05:002011-01-05T09:36:15.108-05:00SiO2 or Al?I was cooking up the last box of mac-n-cheese on Monday night and I started to think about how I'm going to need to make more things from scratch. Then I started to think about my freezer and batch cooking. I posed this question on Twitter but I thought I'd repeat it here with some detail:<br /><br /><blockquote>What do you think is more environmentally friendly: using glass (Pyrex) containers or disposable (recyclable) aluminum containers for freezer to oven cooking?</blockquote><br />Glass Pros:<br /><ul><li>Reusable.</li><li>Easy to clean (dishwasher safe).</li><li>Microwave safe.<br /></li></ul>Glass Cons:<br /><ul><li>Potential for thermal shock.</li><li>Expensive.</li><li>I will eventually have to move and/or sell/donate these containers when I return to Hawaii.</li><li>Requires storage space.</li></ul>Aluminum Pros:<br /><ul><li>Inexpensive.</li><li>Recyclable.</li><li>Take up little storage space.</li></ul>Aluminum Cons:<br /><ul><li>Generally a one use item.</li><li>Not microwave safe.</li><li>Not sturdy.</li></ul>Does anybody know how to calculate the amount of energy used to create a glass pan vs an aluminum pan? I did a cursory search and couldn't find anything useful. I imagine that the actual manufacturing energy is less for the aluminum but what about production of the raw materials? Yes, I can buy my glass pans used...but it's hard to find tight sealing lids for the older pieces and I will want lids for freezer storage.<br /><br />What do you think? Do you have any additional pros and cons? Suggestions?<br /><br />Warm Wishes,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-21883449223548998012010-12-31T07:00:00.001-05:002010-12-31T07:00:12.459-05:00Happy New Year!<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ototadana/4226812893/" title="Decorating for new year by ototadana, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4226812893_83d9290905.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Decorating for new year" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>As we see the tail of tiger retreating and the twitching nose of the rabbit waiting in the wings we know that 2011 is upon us. We're preparing food to take to a New Year's eve party but a year ago I was in Hawaii with my family preparing our traditional New Year foods: soba, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C5%8Dni">ozoni</a>, <a href="http://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/06/13/features/request.html">pig's feet soup</a>, <a href="http://www.hawaii.edu/recipes/pork/konbumaki.html">konbu maki</a>, <a href="http://madehealthier.com/images/2008/thanksgiving-nishime.jpg">nishime</a>, <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1818,136180-236206,00.html">yokan </a>(homemade this year), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namasu">namasu</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekihan">sekihan</a>. Alas, I'm on the east coast and the nearest shinto shrine is over 200 miles away. So I participate in my new traditions: spending time with my friends, black eyed peas and Scotch whiskey (not necessarily a New Year's thing but it seems to happen when we get together). I hope that you and yours have a safe and happy New Year. Proceed with diplomacy. Be calm and gentle, but persistent.<div><br /></div><div>Warm Wishes,</div><div><i>KP</i><br /><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ototadana/">Otodana</a> "Decorating for new year."</span></i></div></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-5455275306666370882010-12-29T07:00:00.001-05:002010-12-29T07:00:04.652-05:00As if My Innards Are Fighting a War With My FoodLife at Blackbird Tavern has been interesting, to say the least. DBF is on his second round of antibiotics...plus cough syrup with codeine...and I'm in denial that I'm sick beyond the help of OTC medication. Last week was a wash, I actually took a sick day for the first time in over a year, so we ate a lot of take out. It's difficult to write about cooking or finance or environmentalism when you're not practicing any of the above. Eating out means that I'm not cooking, I'm blowing the food budget and there's take out containers full of food that is probably bad for me. <div><br /></div><div>What happens when you're sick? Do you have a pantry set up that allows you and your family to continue having a normal life when you can't cook? Do you go for the easy solution or do you stick to your diet plan? What's your favorite thing to eat when you're sick?</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to have some hot tea and toast...hopefully I won't spend the next half hour laying on the couch thinking that I'm about to recreate a scene from Alien.</div><div><br /></div><div>Warm Wishes,</div><div><i>KP</i></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-66409338691785372672010-12-25T07:00:00.001-05:002010-12-25T07:00:08.520-05:00Merry Christmas from Blackbird TavernMerry Christmas from DBF and Kitchen Penguin! We hope you have a safe and happy weekend.Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-7415277161463591162010-12-10T15:34:00.005-05:002010-12-22T15:02:56.284-05:00KP's Completely Arbitrary but Possibly Life Changing ProjectWe are 22 days into the month of December and I am 22 days into my project. What's the project? I don't have a catchy name so we'll call it "KP's Completely Arbitrary Project." (Can you think of a better name? Leave a comment.) It's a little bit like <a href="http://sharonastyk.com/category/anyway-project/">Sharon Astyk's Anyway Project</a> and a little bit like <a href="http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/09/october-unprocessed/">Andrew Wilder's October: Unprocessed</a>. Basically, I'm fixing DBF's and my health by changing how and what we eat. My kitchen is where I find my center in, what I perceive to be, the chaos of my life. Change happens slowly for me; I am like the river slowly eroding the rock...and meandering. I have no illusions of completely changing DBF's eating habits, he won't suddenly start liking salads, but I intend to improve upon the quality of the food that he consumes.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Twitter followers will notice that I've been doing a lot of baking this month. Well, it's December and I need to make gifts. I'm also trying to use up all my mixes because that's phase one of the project, "use up the prepared/pre-packaged foods." Thus far, I have used all the cake mixes and I'm down to my last packs of brownies and muffins. The challenge is using the big box of pancake mix that I bought right before Thanksgiving; in hindsight, I should have purchased a box from a store other than Costco. We also have a good collection of canned soup but I can always take those to the food bank. Cleaning out the freezer will be difficult because we're down to the store bought frozen entrees that I don't like, ie. orange chicken with too much peel. I don't want to throw out food and I can't donate frozen meals so these items might end up in other people's freezers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Some Guidelines</b></div><div><ol><li><i>Eating out should be avoided.</i> That being said, I will not turn down a free meal but all unplanned free meals must have a planned meal as a back-up (ie. I cannot go to work without a packed lunch because they're having training in my office and I might be able to snag something). In an effort to be sociable, I can have one planned meal out once a week. Starbucks can happen two times a month.<br /></li><li><i>Every effort should be made to make meals from scratch. </i>I will eventually find something that I can't make myself or the equipment/materials to make the ingredient is cost prohibitive on a home scale. Balsamic vinegar comes to mind.</li><li><i>Comparisons of commercially produced products to the homemade equivalent will be documented.</i> I really enjoyed doing the pumpkin pie test.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Food must be prepared for travel lasting less than two days.</span> This is actually an extension of guideline #1 but I log a good number of frequent flier miles and I don't like ending lists on #4.<br /></li><li>DBF is exempt from guideline #1 if he's spending his own money but I will offer to pack him breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday.</li></ol>Phase 1 (Using Up the Open Mixes) will extend through the end of January since I keep finding more processed food as I clean the pantry.<br /><br />Phase 2 will involve baking, lots of baking. I make an OK white bread and quick breads but I need to work on replacing the hamburger and hot dog rolls that I purchase from the store.<br /><br />Phase 3 is getting into serious canning. I'll be making sauerkraut between Christmas and New Years but the major canning goals for 2011 are: apple sauce, tomato sauce, strawberry preserves, bread and butter pickles, corn (creamed and regular), and green beans. This will replace the majority of the canned goods that I purchase.<br /><br />I'm still trying to figure this out so things will change. What are your food plans?<br /><br />Warm Wishes!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">KP</span><br /></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-24864388352961283222010-11-30T15:53:00.005-05:002010-11-30T16:37:11.797-05:00A Rarity In These Hectic DaysI just received a call from <a href="http://www.ucc-hawaii.com/">Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC-Hawaii)i</a>, my favorite Kona coffee producer, to make sure that it was OK if they put the receipt in my box...because it's being mailed to an address other than my billing address. This makes an impression because it's the sort of thing that I would think about. This is going to a different address, is it a gift? If so, it's tacky to have the receipt with dollar amount, a gift receipt for returns OK, in the box.<br /><br />I'm getting ahead of myself...every year, I order a pound of good Kona coffee for future father in-law's (FFIL) Christmas gift. I order from <a href="http://www.ucc-hawaii.com/">UCC</a> because I've been to the plantation, done the tour and roasted my own coffee. In short, I know they have good product...just the sort of thing to give to a FIL.<br /><br />Did I mention that they called me last week to apologize for their ordering system thinking that they had ground pea berry in stock? And they understood why I couldn't order the whole bean (whole bean pea berry is in stock)...it's a gift and I'm not buying a grinder to go with the coffee.<br /><br />Anyway, I was impressed with their customer service. Not e-mails...personal service, something I find a rarity nowadays (especially when you consider that it's just a $30 order). If you're in the market for high quality Kona coffee then I recommend <a href="http://www.ucc-hawaii.com/">UCC</a>. They're friendly people that are passionate about coffee.Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-11558699185956111742010-11-23T16:33:00.003-05:002010-11-23T16:59:41.998-05:00Bucking TraditionWe will not have a turkey at Blackbird Tavern for Thanksgiving. DBF is cooking the meat and he doesn't do birds...which is fine because I don't do roasts. We picked up two boneless legs of lamb over the weekend and DBF should be picking up the last of the marinade ingredients. I don't have the recipe but I do know that the marinade involves 1 bottle of port wine (per leg), fresh garlic, rosemary, and ginger. And...Kahlua for the cook (apparently it's cheaper than Sheep Dip).<br /><br />I will be making corn bread (more on that later), mashed potatoes, minted peas, asparagus and <a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/11/what-evil-lurks-in-heart-of-pumpkin.html">pumpkin pie</a>. I was going to make buttered carrots for some color contrast but DBF's mom doesn't like cooked carrots. We sat down to dinner last year and, to my horror, I realized that other than the broccoli and cranberries we were eating a meal in shades of brown. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn bread and sausage dressing...brown, brown, brown... So this year we'll have two greens.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/03/friday-challenge-roundup-cornmeal.html">Corn bread...corn bread...corn bread</a>. I will be making 5 pans (that's 2.5 recipes) of corn bread this year. Two pans for DBF to take to his office party, two for a Thanksgiving dinner I'm not attending and one pan for the one that I'm hosting. I made the first two pans last night and they do not want to pop out of their pans...hopefully this is not foreshadowing of events to come. I only have two pans! I can't afford to let them leave the house, I need at least one for my own dinner, and I don't want to pre-cut the cornbread because that will lead to dryness. Seriously, the recipe starts with melting 3 sticks of butter...and lubing up the pan...and they're still stuck!<br /><br />DBF's parents will be here tomorrow. The house is almost FMIL clean and I narrowly avoided being sick. Hurray for OTC cold medications!<br /><br />I'd like to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you're able to spend the day with people that you care about.<br /><br />Happy Cooking!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-82877226913463947342010-11-17T09:05:00.008-05:002010-11-17T14:00:01.459-05:00What evil lurks in the heart of a pumpkin?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOPhQORbHWI/AAAAAAAAABA/ZM9Uhyv6Ztw/s1600/Pumpkin01.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOPhQORbHWI/AAAAAAAAABA/ZM9Uhyv6Ztw/s320/Pumpkin01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540519635421175138" border="0" /></a>None, it's just seeds and stringy stuff. As mentioned in my <a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/11/could-have-should-have-didnt.html">Monday post</a>, I'm doing a test run on pies for Thanksgiving. DBF vetoed the gluten free pumpkin pie recipe (<a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/03/no-gluten-no-dairy-pumpkin-pie-part-1.html">part 1</a> and <a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/03/no-gluen-no-dariy-pumpkin-pie-part-2.html">part 2</a>) so I used the recipe on the back of the can of organic pumpkin. My "family recipe" is the one of the back of the Libby's can. In my experience, the can recipes are all very similar...1 can puree, 1 can condensed milk, a couple of eggs and spices.<br /><br />The crust was store bought, I'll probably make it from scratch for the big day, so the only difference between the two pies was the puree. Yes, the fresh puree was more yellow than the canned. They both...tasted like pumpkin. But when one's entire pumpkin experience is likely based upon consumption of the canned product...one does not have a good baseline for comparison. The consistency was the same, I was very careful to remove the stringy bits prior to puree.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOPlM5NPKWI/AAAAAAAAABQ/TdWzv5xVepM/s1600/Pumpkin03.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOPlM5NPKWI/AAAAAAAAABQ/TdWzv5xVepM/s320/Pumpkin03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540523976273373538" border="0" /></a>A day of puree draining and an hour in the oven later...pies! As you can see, I used my ceramic pie plates. Can you guess which one is which? Hmm? Can you? The one on the right, green pie plate, is the one that I made from scratch.<br /><br />As exciting as preparing to bake and actually baking the pies was...eating the pie is better. I conducted a blind taste test with DBF and Evil Minion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DBF</span><br />Scratch: Spicier. More bitter.<br /><br />Canned: Molassesy. Sweeter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Evil Minion</span><br />Does not want me to watch her as she eats the pie...a reasonable request.<br />Scratch:Spicier.<br /><br />Canned: Tastes more vegetably. Sweeter. Molassesy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOQmCXT7msI/AAAAAAAAABY/OxjrrDx1yUw/s1600/Pumpkin04.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TOQmCXT7msI/AAAAAAAAABY/OxjrrDx1yUw/s320/Pumpkin04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540595263631760066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KP Verdict</span><br />I don't know if it was worth the work to process the pumpkin. Either my pumpkins weren't very sweet to begin with or there's something in the canning process that causes the puree to become sweeter, probably the extra heat. If the goal is to capture the flavor of the harvest then yes, it is worth the extra work to prepare the puree yourself. If you believe, as I do, that the intentions of the cook can influence the flavor of the food then yes, cut out as much of the external processing as possible. If you only need to make one pie a year to keep the future mother-in-law (FMIL) happy then...make it from scratch or at least make it look like you made it from scratch. I have enough puree to make this year's pie from scratch but I might be dumping out a can of puree into a container that I can conveniently remove from the refrigerator when FMIL watches me bake. Me? Evil? Never...<br /><br />Happy Cooking!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-47742323066467941732010-11-15T15:39:00.003-05:002010-11-15T16:02:17.715-05:00Could Have. Should Have. 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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">“I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it.”</span> - Samuel Goldwyn (1882 - 1974)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">I have a couple of posts of actual substance kicking around in my brain but they aren’t fully formed, at least not enough for me to communicate to somebody that doesn’t know me in real life. What happened to the posting schedule? I could make excuses about how I had to work late, or how I’ve been cleaning the house, or I was agonizing over my contributions two “light lunches,” or that I might have had a gallbladder attack (bad Penguin didn’t go to the doctor). But I said I was going to do something and I didn’t do it; that seems to be a recurring theme in my life lately. I could have…should have…but didn’t…prepare a month of standalone posts that I could use if I didn’t have time to write a post prior to the “re-launch” of Kitchen Penguin. The past is past and the future will be here all too soon, the present situation is that I don’t have filler posts so I’m four posts behind. </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">What I do have is three pumpkins worth of puree sitting in a cheesecloth lined colander draining into a large bowl in my refrigerator. There will be pie in the office tomorrow! I used the <a href="http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/maple-spiced-pumpkin-pie/">method described on Eating Rules</a> to process the sugar pumpkins. I also have a can of <a href="http://www.farmersmarketfoods.com/products/product_detail.php?id=1">Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin</a> so this will be a side by side taste test...is processing the pumpkin worth the effort? My initial observation is that the fresh pumpkin is yellower, because it wasn't heated in a can, but I don't generally go around eating unadulterated pumpkin puree so I don't have a good comparison on the flavor. The fresh puree tastes...well...like pumpkin. I wouldn't call it sweet but I wouldn't call it flavorless; it would make a good soup. There will be photos and reactions from my test subjects...DBF and co-workers...</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">T-10 days to Thanksgiving...are you ready?</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Happy Cooking!</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-51482942060438601052010-11-03T10:38:00.003-04:002010-11-03T10:52:37.779-04:00A Waka For My Rice CookerI have mentioned my <a href="http://www.kitchenpenguin.com/2010/03/friday-gear-rice-cooker.html">rice cooker</a> before. The one I have isn't fancy; it doesn't have a warm setting, a timer, or fuzzy logic...it cooks rice and that's all I need it to do. It knows when the "sushi" rice, the basmati rice, or the brown rice is done and it has a home in the kitchen away from the active prep/cooking area. My rice cooker is probably the most utilized small appliance in the kitchen.<br /><br />Steamy tendrils rise<br />One less thing that I can burn<br />Three cups rice washed plus<br />One knuckle water, press start<br />Itadakimasu, yum!<br /><br />What's in your kitchen that's worthy of counter space?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy cooking!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-76138770645554773642010-11-01T07:00:00.000-04:002010-11-01T11:15:21.245-04:00Manic Monday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TM7ZFgp1KXI/AAAAAAAAAA4/JbIjmEesBFY/s1600/kitchen_10-31.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pd5rqP7jIno/TM7ZFgp1KXI/AAAAAAAAAA4/JbIjmEesBFY/s320/kitchen_10-31.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534599680772876658" border="0" /></a>The kitchen is a mess and I have a migraine. No post today, check back Wednesday. Did you all have a happy Halloween? We had 10 trick-or-treaters at KP HQ...lots of leftover candy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy Cooking!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-18293469628041122282010-10-27T07:00:00.003-04:002010-10-27T07:00:15.492-04:00Small ChangesIf you're reading the on the main site then you might have noticed the new widget on the right side of the screen "What's Cooking?" I've started putting my menu planning on the kitchenpenguin Google calendar so you can see what's coming up. Yes, my breakfast is very boring: oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 T ground flax seed, 1 t brown sugar) and coffee...plus the occasional fruit. Also, my lunch is usually a repeat of the previous night's dinner. I put my lunches in nice bento boxes but the food isn't artfully arranged; this is why I rarely talk about the first two meals of the day.<br /><br />The calendar widget is also a real time window into the scheduling part of my brain. The lentil soup moved a day back and the lunches shifted around to accommodate the glut of leftovers. I'll eventually expand the calendar entries to include ingredient lists as well.<br /><br />Small post for today, I'm working on something longer for Friday. In the immortal words of Bill S. Preston, esq "Be excellent to each other."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy Cooking!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-3014686175008004522010-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:002010-10-24T19:07:12.288-04:00Wegmans Woodmore (aka, How KP spent her Sunday)Firstly, I do not work for Wegmans...or in the food industry in general. However, I am now considering applying to work part time at the future Crofton, MD location; I have seen the sign for the future site and I am excited. I have shopped at five Wegman's locations, 3 in VA and 2 in MD, so I have a baseline for my Wegmans experience. The new store in <a href="http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreDetailView?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=701095">Woodmore, MD</a> felt like it was the biggest one that I have been in.<br /><br />It was a mad house in the store at 9 AM. Thankfully, my shopping companion and I already had our cards so we didn't have to stand in the 20+ people deep lines at all the entrances. The main entrance, as with every Wegmans that I've ever been to, funneled the crowd into the vegetable section and that was a huge bottle neck. However, I must commend Wegmans on signage, traffic control, and having an employee in every aisle.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bigger than a bread box differences:</span><br /><ul><li>There is a sit down restaurant. I had the mahi mahi sandwich and my companion had the crab cake sandwich, both very tasty meal options. We would have stayed for dessert but the band was starting their set and it was VERY loud in the Market Cafe. I understand that the restaurant is where they hold the cooking classes.<br /></li><li>The store layout is flipped. The bakery, meat and prepared meals are to the left of the entrance; these things are to the right in the Hunt Valley and Potomac locations. Yes, there are other locations with these things on the left of the entrance but I usually shop at Hunt Valley so it was initially confusing for me.</li><li>Where are the penguins and cow? The model train was there but no penguins and cow. </li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other things I noticed:</span><br /><ul><li>Still too far north for <a href="http://www.cheerwinecorp.com/">Cheerwine</a>. Also, they don't have <a href="http://www.canadadry.com/">Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale</a> in anything smaller than a 2 liter bottle (important to my shopping companion).<br /></li><li>Fabulous cheese department. OK, I admit to being biased because I have a friend that works in this department.<br /></li><li>The only non-"baby" carrots in bags were Organic. While I do tend to prefer to purchase organic vegetables, I found the lack of options interesting.</li><li>Maybe I don't pay enough attention in the fruit section of the Hunt Valley Wegmans...they have passion fruit in Woodmore.<br /></li><li>I really need to take a walk down the aisles in Hunt Valley because I didn't know that Wegmans includes the UK in their international foods section. They have <a href="http://www.penguinbiscuits.com/">McVitie's Penguins</a>! Also, Jamaican guava jelly (a possible alternative when I run out of my supply from Hawaii).<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">So what did you buy?</span><br /><ul><li>"Baby" carrots (on the short list of vegetables that DBF eats)</li><li>Red seedless grapes</li><li>Bananas</li><li>Mushrooms<br /></li><li>Pacific Vegetable Stock</li><li>Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Stock</li><li>Pretzel rolls</li><li>Bagels (plain, egg, blueberry, raisin & marco polo)</li><li>Gluten free pretzels (for a picnic next week)<br /></li><li>Cream cheese</li><li>Eggs</li><li>Milk brie (should have used the $1 off coupon in the magazine but didn't see it until we got home) (for a picnic next week)</li><li>Port Salut (for a picnic next week)</li><li>Prosciutto (for a picnic next week)<br /></li><li>Sirloin steak ($1 off coupon)</li><li>Butter (Free with $10 purchase)</li><li>Bread (Free with $10 purchase)</li></ul>How was your weekend?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy Cooking!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-33953993193345891192010-10-22T07:00:00.003-04:002010-10-22T07:00:09.745-04:00Planning AheadI've been thinking about what I need to do in the next month and it isn't prudent to start a challenge right now. I need to clean the house, re-organize the kitchen (should have taken before photos), set up the new pantry space, plan the menu for Thanksgiving and get started on brewing Christmas gifts. Real life friends, I am NOT making any promises of brewed beverages for Christmas because I have never been able to pull this off...but I'm going to try one more time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's happening in the kitchen?</span> We have acquired a side board that is now storing the service for 8 that DBF's mother gave us, my teapot & tea bowl collection, and eventually the crystal glasses (I'm making DBF help me move those from the cupboard). I'm getting rid of a small George Foreman grill (an item from my college days), <a href="http://www.sunbeam.com/ProductDetail.aspx?section=kitchen&pid=1030">Sunbeam Hotshot</a>, and V slicer (it's a pain to clean so I don't use it). All this freed up enough cupboard space so that I could get the big Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid stand mixer off the counter. Small appliances still on the counter: toaster oven (needs to be replaced), electric kettle (used every morning), coffee grinder (also used every morning), and rice cooker. Once I get the crystal out of the cupboard next to the sink then I can move all the cups and mugs that don't live on the display/book shelves into the same cupboard. Why am I doing all this? After three years, I'm finally organizing the kitchen in the way that makes sense to me...as opposed to how DBF set it up when he bought the house.<br /><br />I have a very strong suspicion that I'll be receiving some small kitchen appliances for Christmas from DBF and his parents. His mother doesn't believe that I would actually want a waffle maker, stick blender, or blender...but I do...I REALLY do!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What about cooking?</span> Oh yeah! There will be a pie comparison, homemade pumpkin puree vs canned. I need to test out side dishes. DBF is making lamb so I don't need to worry about cranberries this year. I was thinking about making a chorizo and mushroom strudel as a stuffing alternative for the turkey but I don't think chorizo and lamb go together very well. Or am I mistaken? Maybe some <a href="http://greekfood.about.com/od/greeksidedishes/r/kounou_souffle.htm">3-Cheese Baked Cauliflower</a>, this recipe looks promising and DBF just said that he might eat it. What do you like with your lamb?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy Cooking!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-KP</span>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845362659576704423.post-22233701057690563432010-10-20T07:00:00.002-04:002010-10-20T07:00:14.994-04:00The 4 Fs and 1 E<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">As previously claimed, I have not abandoned the blogoshere and I do intend to make some changes here at KP HQ. The posting schedule will change from the original Monday to Friday to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. This will help to stop the burn out that I would have by Thursday when writing posts was scraping the bottom of the mental barrel.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">I had planned for this return post to be about a personal challenge that I want to undertake but that will have to wait until Friday so that I have a chance to run my idea past DBF first, he eats my food so I think it's only fair. Instead, I'm going to expound a bit upon the philosophy of this blog. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">What is the point of this blogging experiment? Um...I'm not exactly sure yet; there is no mission statement for Kitchen Penguin. I was reading the article "<a href="http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/no-competition/">There Is No Competition If You Build Something That Matters</a>" and I'm going to start working on #1 Solve Your Own Problems. What are my problems? Caviar tastes on a canned tuna budget. I feel stagnated as a cook. Working 80+ hour weeks for the past five months means that we've been eating takeout at least twice a week and there has been little variety at the dinner table when I do cook. I worry about the environmental impact of the food that I'm buying; how does buying cheap, possibly pesticide laden, vegetables grown on the other side of the country balance out with saving other people's plastic bottles from the landfill?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Which brings us to the four Fs and 1 E of the KP philosophy. Family. Friends. Food. Fiscal responsibility. Environmental stewardship. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Family & Friends - I hope this doesn't need an explanation; these are the people that I care about most.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Food - This is a food blog. I like to eat. I like to cook. Once upon a time I fancied myself a journalist so I'm going to write about what I'm cooking and eating.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Fiscal Responsibility - Eating at gourmet restaurants and cooking with fancy ingredients using the best gear is fabulous...if it fits into your budget. Me? Not so much. I'd rather pay my credit cards in full at the end of the month and save for retirement. Debt makes me extremely stressed and I want to be semi-retired by 50 so I need to find balance in my food budget; not just good for the wallet but good for the waistline. I've learned that when I live large, I am large.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Environmental Stewardship - I recycle. Heck, I pick other people's bottles out of the trash can so that I can take them home for recycling and I collect my friend's Brita filters and take them to Whole Foods for recycling. I compost. I air dry my clothes. I try to support local and organic farmers. I am in the process of replacing my personal grooming products with more earth, and body, friendly alternatives. My friends say that I'm a little crunchy granola. I cried while watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1280011/">No Impact Man</a> because following his blog gave me hope during a rough patch in my life. Buy good quality food and eat less of it; <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan</a> is right.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">So there you have it, the 4 Fs and 1 E of Kitchen Penguin. It's a little late in the year to restart the garden but I can start planning for next year. Thanksgiving is coming up in 36 days; DBF is cooking lamb and I'm doing the side dishes. I am completely reorganizing the pantry and kitchen. There might be a personal challenge announced on Friday. Lots happening here at KP HQ, stay tuned for details.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><i>Happy Cooking!</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><i>-KP</i></span></div>Kitchen Penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09938296435527489401noreply@blogger.com0