COOKING BASICS - The Equipment...

As you may already know by now, I have a tiny kitchen. And that tiny kitchen requires a certain efficiency when it comes to equipment. I've lived in bigger homes with bigger kitchens, and I've gone through a lot of extraneous equipment, but it just so happens that the current reality of my living space matches with my generally minimalist conclusions about what I need to be content in life in general, and in the kitchen specifically.

Getting ready to post for 30 days straight on cooking basics, I thought it would make sense to first share what equipment I use on a daily basis to produce three varied meals a day (on most days), pulling from a number of cuisines and spanning a wide array of techniques and processes. Truth is, as minimal as my collection might seem to some, a person could do as much with less. But what I've got now makes for a fairly comfortable and convenient setup.

You won't see ubercheap stuff, and you won't see uberexpensive stuff either. A few of my pieces are in the upper midrange as far as cost goes, but they are worth every penny over the long run for their durability and ability to retain and conduct heat. Lest I should be misunderstood, it is totally and completely possible to make really amazing food using the crappiest equipment you can get your hands on, but at this point in my life, I can afford a few conveniences.

There are a handful of other items not pictured or listed that also get some play in my kitchen, but this is the stuff I use most and would recommend to those looking to outfit a new kitchen with everything they need to comfortably produce food from a variety of cuisines. As my brain is generally disjointed this week, I imagine I will have to revisit this post a few times before it's set in stone, but here goes nothing.

(Again, this isn't an exhaustive list of every last item I have and use, and I also have a fair number of wooden, plastic, stainless steel and bamboo spoons and spatulas of varying shapes and sizes as well.)

POTS, PANS & OTHER COOKING VESSELS

- round 5-quart enamel cast iron Dutch oven for braising and deep frying

- 10.25" enamel cast iron skillet for roasting and baking

- stainless steel 8 quart stock pot for making stocks, soups and popcorn

- stainless steel 3.5 quart saucepan for making stocks, soups, sauces, popcorn and rice
- stainless steel 13.5" saute pan for sauteing stovetop, making sauces and also for roasting in the oven

- 6" non-stick frying pan for eggs, pancakes, crepes and other small jobs like that

- 13" oval non-stick pan for bigger eggs, more pancakes, medium sized saute jobs

- 14" wok for stir fry and occasional deep fry and sometimes even boiling stuff if I'm short a pot

- half-size commercial aluminum sheet pan (18" x 13" x 1"), usually lined with aluminum foil, for most of the stuff that gets put in the oven like roasted veg, meatloaf, etc. (not to be confused with a cookie sheet)

GADGETS

I talk all the time about how I'm not very big on kitchen gadgetry, but here are a couple whose function really is difficult to duplicate without great inconvenience.

- small China cap for straining stocks, broths, yogurt

- microplane for grating citrus zest, whole nutmeg and cinnamon bark, and pulverizing small amounts of raw garlic and ginger

- cheese grater (from IKEA - they are the best) for grating cheese  :P

- vegetable peeler

- whisk

- high heat tempered silicone spatula

- measuring cups and spoons

KNIVES AND STUFF

I've already posted about my favorite knives. They really are one of the best kitchen values I've ever found in the history of ever.

I also keep two cutting boards on hand - one for meat and veg, one for fruit. It is near impossible to completely remove the smell of onions and garlic from a cutting board if you don't have a dishwasher (which I don't), and gawd do I hate tasting onions and garlic on my fruit...

SMALL ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

- blender for salsas, smoothies, shakes, and kimchi of all things...

- hand mixer for when my kids want cheater cakes or brownies, fresh whipped cream, or when I want to whip up my mashed potatoes

And a food processor if you're feeling splurgy. I don't use my Cuisinart all that often, but it is incredibly handy on the occasions and for the purposes for which I do use it such as grinding meat, making pastry dough, making pasta and the occasional hummus and that's pretty much it. Now that I put it that way, you might wanna think twice about forking out the dough for a food processor if you're just starting out...

I think that covers it, and can I tell you how daunted I am by the idea of coming up with sensible, relevant, and logically progressing posts on the basics of cooking for 30 days straight?

A lot.

Until mañana,

shinae

P.S.

ADDENDA TO THE LIST

10.26.11 Jan reminded me there is no colander in this post. OF COURSE I USE A COLANDER. ALL THE TIME. My brain is for shit right now. But then I already told you that. I'm sure I'll be back with more...

Oh, and they're pictured, but I forgot to mention STAINLESS STEEL MIXING BOWLS. You know, for MIXING THINGS.

Say It Clear, Say It Loud: I Am COOK, I Am Proud...

From Merriam-Webster:

chef: n.

1: a skilled cook who manages the kitchen (as of a restaurant)
2: cook

No toque or white coat. Just me and this apron. ^^

As I'm gearing up to start another monthlong blogproject on cooking basics, I'm downloading some culinary-related mindworms so I can start fresh.

There was a thread started on chowhound a few weeks ago about a blogger named Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman getting her own show on the Food Network, and within the subdiscussions, one of my fellow chowhounders voiced their displeasure at the fact that Food Network is referring to Ms. Drummond as a chef. And quite a few people disagreed, because as with so many things in life, there are so many different takes on a thing.

But I agreed - heartily, repeatedly, and in a detailed fashion. Not because I have anything against The Pioneer Woman (I don't even really know what she does except from what I've read on that thread). But because I think we've diluted the term *chef* so much in our culture that it has no meaning anymore. Notwithstanding the second definition above, I think most of us can agree that we don't see the terms *cook* and *chef* quite the same way, and the term *chef* has a certain prestige and cache to it. One I believe should be earned.

And well-meaning compliments from others aside (I am only pleased and grateful when my friends call me a chef out of kindness and encouragement), it would be quite another thing for me to call myself a chef when I have not

- toiled in the figurative and literal pressure cooker that is a busy professional kitchen,

- worked on my feet for hours on end, every day, weekends and holidays included or especially,

- managed and/or babysat a motley crew of hard partying back of house staff with hangovers, frequent smoke breaks and babymama drama issues,

- managed and maximized inventory to produce hundreds of orders a night,

- and taken responsibility for every last plate of food that has left my kitchen

for years, sometimes decades, that I could in good conscience call myself *CHEF*.

Not even that I was paid and fairly well by others to cook for them in their homes during my two year stint as what I begrudgingly and reluctantly call a *personal chef* makes me comfortable to refer to myself as a chef. Not then, not now.

Today, I am a damned good, very experienced and dedicated home cook, and I am proud of that distinction. While I very much admire the likes of Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, Alice Waters, or any number of great sushi chefs whose creations I've had the pleasure of eating, or Florent over at Marche Moderne, I am not them. And Ree Drummond is not them. Nor is Giada or Ina or Alton or Rachael... And neither is that kid who just graduated the CIA with honors.

As someone who cooks in a tiny, and quite average home kitchen, I probably know a few tricks some of those chefs don't about how to navigate a kitchen as humble as mine, and those are the notches on my apron strings I proudly display. But far be it for me to cheapen what those people have earned through years of blood, sweat, tears, cuts, burns, and other kinds of sacrifice in the kitchen that I've never known and likely never will know.

THEY are CHEFS.

I am COOK.

And that is all the distinction I need.

shinae

Chicken Teriyaki And Sorry That Took So Long... :/

No matter how sophisticated we are about food, it's often the simplest things that make us collectively drool.

Browned and crisped chicken skin is one of those things.

And when that browned and crisped chicken skin is complemented by a delicate glaze of soy, ginger, onion, rice wine, and a touch of sweet, it's all the more irresistible, isn't it? And that is the magic of teriyaki chicken. Simply delicious and widely appealing, when it's done well, it takes a pretty picky omnivore to turn it down.

My preference is to grill it over a low flame, but on the day these pics were taken, some serious brewing was going down in the yard, and I didn't want to add to the mayhem. On days like that, or when I just don't feel like dealing with coals, I find the broiler an excellent workaround.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN
Serves 4

For the chicken:

- 2 pounds boneless, skin-on chicken thigh meat
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine, sake, or white wine
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 or 4 slices of fresh ginger (or if you don't have fresh, use 1/8 teaspoon powdered)

For the glaze:

- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
- 2 or 3 slices fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/6 of an onion
- 1/4 cup rice wine, sake, or white wine
- 1 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar

- 1 teaspoon corn starch slurried (dissolved) in 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 1/4 cup unsalted chicken stock

1) Season the chicken with the marinade ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly to evenly incorporate. If you're planning to cook the chicken shortly, leave it out while you make your glaze. Otherwise, refrigerate until 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. I say it all the time, and I'll say it again that for the most part, most things cook better at room temp.

2) While the chicken is marinating, put all the glaze ingredients except the corn starch slurry and unsalted chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat.

3) Once the glaze has come to a gentle boil (you should see gentle, infrequent bubbles rising to the surface and popping), add the cornstarch slurry and unsalted chicken stock, and bring back up to a very gentle boil over medium heat.

 

Once the glaze comes back up to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes, and cut the heat.

4) While the glaze is cooling, preheat the oven to 400F and place the chicken meat side down on a foil lined pan.

5) Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes in the 400F oven, then turn on the broiler, and place the chicken about 4 inches under the broiler to crisp up the skin another 2 minutes or so. After 1 minute, check the chicken every 15 seconds or so and take it out when it looks like this.

When you put anything sweet and fatty under the broiler, it can go from perfectly charred to burnt beyond recognition in a matter of seconds. Best to be vigilant! :)

Slice skin side down - and do it decisively so you cut through the skin - and serve with a little glaze spooned over.

On this particular day, we ate it with a little steamed white rice, some garden salad dressed with homemade Thousand Island, and a ham tamagoyaki (rolled omelette).

All together now...

Hope you rike. ^^

shinae

On Social Media Whoring...

As I'm duplicating my internet presence on Google+, I am conflicted about what I'm seeing over there as well as my own contribution to it. And what I think I'm seeing is lots of people who seem to want to make overnight internet rockstars of themselves, counting friends and circles and marveling aloud at how many people are *following* them, as if blowing airkisses out to a sea of adoring fans.

And while some may call this the pot calling the kettle black, I just want to say...

Gag me with a 2 X 4.

May I be forced to drink a case of Yoohoo chased with a forty of Olde English if I ever start calling a fellow human being my *follower*.

shinae

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Post Mortem By The Numbers...

Here is a link to my mostly food albums where I post just about every single meal I cook every single day.

This is the 4-burner range (2 of which are wonky, the biggest one included) in the roughly 7.5' x 6.5' (I think I previously reported 7' X 6' but it's slightly bigger than that) kitchen in which all of the cooking happens.

In the past 4 weeks, I spent $390 on weekly grocery runs, and an additional $20 on what I would call band-aid meals - the $8 Panda Express lunch the Man bought that one day I didn't have dinner leftovers to send with him and $12 in coupon fried chicken meals.

The $390 breaks down as follows:

Produce - $101 or 26%
Meat - $96 or 25%
Pantry - $63 or 16%
Dairy - $59 or 15%
Indulgences (wine, desserts) - $31 or 8%
Grains (bread, cereal) - $18 or 5%
Misc. (cleaning supplies, toiletries) - $23 or 6%

Considering how much more expensive all other foods are by the pound, that means we eat a lot of fresh produce. That is something I consciously strive for, and I feel affirmed by the data. :)

Including the aforementioned band-aid meals, we have eaten 225 meals total between me, the Man, the kids (who are with us on the weekends), and very occasional guests.

- 73 breakfasts at an average of $0.76 per serving,
- 75 lunches at an average of $1.09 per serving, and
- 77 dinners at an average of $2.23 per serving.

An overall average of $1.33 per serving.

Included among those meals have been California Rolls, Lasagne, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Braised Pork with Kale & Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Black Bean & Chorizo Chili, Korean Style Braised Chicken, Sauteed Bulgogi With Shiitakes & Onions, Korean Style Spicy Stir Fried Octopus, Havarti & Egg Croissants, Gumbo, Soy Ginger Beef & Potato Stew, Caprese Croissants, Mole Inspired Chicken Tacos, Fried Whole Fish Thai Style, Sweet Potato Ravioli, Bacon & Egg & Havarti Bagels, Fried Chicken, Kimchi & Bacon Fried Rice, Tandoori Chicken With Aloo Gobi, Pernil With Platanos Maduros Fritos, Korean Bossahm (Lettuce Wraps), Yakisoba, Broiled Salmon With Homemade Tartar Sauce & Collard Greens Braised With Bacon, Udon With Poached Egg, Red Velvet Cake, Club Sandwiches, Brownies a la Mode, Teriyaki Chicken With Tamagoyaki & Garden Salad, Angel Hair Pasta With Fresh Tomato Ragu With Sauteed Mushroom & Romaine Salad, Bacon & Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Omelettes, Arroz con Pollo, Crepes With Spiced Apple & Rum Soaked Raisins, Picadillo Empanadas With Lime & Cilantro & Jalapeno Curtido, and the occasional glass of wine, some sparkling, some not.

That's 35 different dishes inspired by at least 8 different cuisines, and I didn't even list them all (though I did list most).

Considering that, as of this writing, an Egg McMuffin costs $3.29, a Big Mac $4something, and an Angus Burger $6something (the Man just drove past a Cracky D's menu to gather data for me but alas it is breakfast time and lunch prices are not yet up), it's really hard to think of a good reason to pull up to that drive through most days (though I'm not saying we never do or never will).

In the past 4 weeks, we have gone out to eat 3 times. It happens that none of those 3 times was on our dime. But when we do dine out, we average between $20 and $25 per person, largely because a lot of what we like to eat when we dine out in the immediate area is sushi. Since I have the luxury of staying home and cooking almost every meal, it doesn't make much sense to dine out in a not quite ready for primetime restaurant environment.

It is now 9:25 AM, and I have big plans to buy 24 fresh oysters for $20 from a local aquafarm, dress them with a lovely little ponzu-inspired mignonette and some microplaned horseradish and wash them down with a $5 bottle of cava from Fresh & Easy.

It's off to the shower...

shinae

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 28 (LAST DAY!)...

This is it - the last day of this monthlong project. I'm glad it's over, frankly. And not because our budget ends here - because it doesn't. If anything, we've taken a good look at what we spend to eat some pretty mediocre food in our hood and decided that we should eat out even less frequently than we already do and save up the dining out occasions for meals that really matter.

And given that a big part of my economic contribution to this household at the moment has to do with cooking, I take that responsibility seriously. When the numbers are staring you in the face - $40 for lunch and a beer at a so-so Korean restaurant out when our dinners don't even average $2.00 per serving in ingredients at home, $4.00 tops if we include the beer - it's hard as a fulltime albeit less than perfect domestic goddess to justify eating out just to not have to cook.

But the reason I'm glad it's over is because - and I don't know if you've noticed - I'm ADD. That I've stuck with the mundane task of recording everything I eat for 28 days straight and tallied the numbers even is nothing short of a miracle. And well deserving of foie this weekend. Or if not foie, oysters and very bubbly libations. I am determined to make one or both happen.

There's a quick post mortem to come after this one, but first I want to get the meals out of the way.

BREAKFAST

I used up the rest of the crepe batter from last night and the apples, and we had that for breakfast.

BREAKFAST: $0.40 total for coffee

SNACK

I didn't eat much of the crepes for breakfast and got dizzy hungry mid-morning, so half a PB sammie.

SNACK: $0.25 total.

LUNCH

Still feeling a little funk from the heat and the kinds of difficult interpersonal issues that sap your energy, I opted to make one of the easy comfort meals of my childhood: rice, bacon and kimchi. The Man came home and joined me. That and some honeydew.

   2 cups of rice $0.80
+ bacon $1.00
+ honeydew $0.60

= LUNCH: $2.40 total, $1.20/serving

DINNER

I was so, SOOOOOOOO tempted to beg out of cooking dinner, and the Man would have gladly obliged, but I could hardly have left this last meal uncooked. And the Man, who's been such a sport about this project, this blog, my occupation of the top of the chest freezer in which he keeps all the beer booty, and from which he has to clear my cutting board, my mixing bowls, the produce, the condiments, and my camera just about every time he wants to draw a mug or pull a bottle, was richly deserving of a deep-fried something, so picadillo (peekkahDEEyoh) empanadas with homemade pastry it was.

That plus a cilantro, jalapeno and lime curtido (kkoohrTEEdoh) and a mug of the Man's truly beautifully brewed IPA.

   1 pound of ground beef $2.50
+ onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, bay and some other seasonings $0.75
+ 1 egg, flour, sugar, a stick of butter, some salt, and vinegar for the dough $1.50
+ cabbage, lime, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic and seasonings for the curtido $1.00
+ oil for frying $1.00

= DINNER: $6.75 total, $1.70 per serving (4 servings total)


A whopping $10.80 spent on the last day of this project.

Saturday:  $18.15
Sunday:  $17.30
Monday:  $11.20
Tuesday:  $7.75
Wednesday:  $13.50
Thursday:  $4.80
Friday:  $10.80

$86.00 spent this week. Some pork, cheese, yogurt, and produce odds and ends left in the fridge. I could probably go a couple more days without shopping if I want to clean out the fridge and start clean again, but the childrenfolk are already making food requests for the weekend so so much for the temporary shopping moratorium!

Back sometime in the next 24 hours with some data and retrospective observations on this project.

Thanks for tuning in and for all the comments and words of encouragement here and elsewhere. You made this project go by quickly.

:)

shinae

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 27 (Second To Last Day)...

Wouldn't you know the last week of this project I am bogged down with unseasonal heat and chick issues???

I really wanted to go out with a bang, but the heat and the exhaustion together have so far made for an uneventful kind of cooking week. Second to last day of this project, and we find ourselves eating ramen for the second time in a week.

A Honeycrisp apple peel rose - a byproduct of what little
cooking I actually did do today...

I've committed to building up my Google+ page a bit as I think the hangout function there could prove to be very useful when I eventually get up and running with the virtual cooking classes. Let me just say that I don't know how people manage so many social media sites at once because I have a feeling managing G+ and facebook on a daily basis is going to be the fulltime job I haven't been looking for.

In a preemptively splurge-y mood to congratulate myself for getting through this budget mostly on time, I have been researching places in San Diego to buy a slab of foie gras because that and oysters on the half shell with some mignonette and freshly grated horseradish have been on my mind for a long time. And I am pretty sure there isn't a place around here within a quick drive that I would care to pay someone else to prepare them for me. But then again, considering that it's highly unlikely that I will be able to buy just enough foie gras for two, maybe I'll try to find a place in San Diego proper that does a decent foie. The oysters I can source on my own...

But that little splurge aside, we will carry on with the same grocery budget - at least for the foreseeable future in which I am likely not winning any lotteries and still trying to find a way to monetize exactly what I want to do with food in a way that I can feel good about given all my little personal and philosophical quirks. For all the little budgetary sacrifices we're making and how relatively simple a life we are living compared to the ones we used to lead, I know how very privileged and blessed I am to have the luxury to think in such highminded terms about the career path I want to carve out for myself.

And I owe so very much of it to a man who has been so amazingly loving and supportive and emotionally generous from day one. If I told them what an incredibly good and decent egg you are, Dean Robinson, they might not believe me. Thank you. I love you.

BREAKFAST

Extra big bowls of Cheerios because there wouldn't have been quite enough left for another bowl...

   2 bowls of cereal with milk $1.00
+ 2 cups coffee $0.40

= BREAKFAST: $1.40 total, $0.70/serving

LUNCH

Leftovers from last night's arroz con pollo dinner for the Man. An apple and some cheese for me.

LUNCH: $0.75 for apple and cheese.

DINNER 

Yet more ramen and poached egg with some kimchi.

And then, inspired by a pic Kay posted of her dessert crepe at Lucques, I made crepes with spiced apples, bourbon soaked raisins, and vanilla ice cream.

   2 packets of ubercheapo ramen $0.40
+ 2 eggs $0.35
+ green onions & cilantro $0.10
+ 1 apple $0.30
+ 1 egg, some flour, sugar, butter, vanilla and milk for crepes $1.00
+ ice cream $0.60

= DINNER: $2.65 total, $1.35/person

Only $4.80 spent today. LOL. Leftovers and ramen. Reminds me of a much younger version of my life.

Saturday:  $18.15
Sunday:  $17.30
Monday:  $11.20
Tuesday:  $7.75
Wednesday:  $13.50
Thursday:  $4.80

$75.00 and just one day left in this project. I'm thinking empanadas tomorrow, but the heat might kill that idea...

shinae

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 26 (Wednesday) & Something About Waste...

Because she will likely tire of it, I will mention her only one more time this week to say she told me so.

Maria told me to put the other half of those corn tortillas in the freezer, but I didn't. And as a result, my biggest waste in these four weeks:

Adios, supermoldy tortillas. Lo siento... :(

In the past four weeks, I've managed to throw away very little, really. A couple of dried up, half used limes, a little bit of leftover braising liquid, some very small scraps of produce that got too dried up to use and can no longer be sacrificed to the compost pile because we've given up that pipe dream... the serious gardening one, I mean.

And for the negligence that kept me from taking 1 minute out of my life to put them in a freezer bag and shove them in the freezer, I threw away 40 something tortillas that would have lasted at least 5 taco dinners. It's not the money because those tortillas cost all of a buck forty. Just a little disappointment in myself that I let my laziness get the better of me. But you can be sure the next time I have to bring home 80 corn tortillas because the Meximart doesn't let me buy fewer at one time, half of them are going into the freezer immediately.

BREAKFAST

More cereal.

   2 bowls of milk and cereal $1.00
+ 2 cups of coffee $0.40

BREAKFAST: $1.40 total, $0.70/person

LUNCH

For me, the rest of that pasta. With kimchi, even. Why does pasta sauce taste that much better the day after and the day after? I have some theories, but whatever the reason, lucky for me it does.

For the Man, a cheddar, bacon and caramelized onion omelette.

   2 eggs $0.35
+ 2 slices of bacon $0.20
+ half an onion $0.10
+ some cheddar cheese $0.50
+ some milk, S&P, and oil $0.10

= LUNCH: $1.25 total.

DINNER

Not being able to locate the saffron I thought I had, I opted out of paella and made something similar: arroz con pollo (ahRROHSS kkohn POHyoh) - literally, rice with chicken - with some super sweet roasted red bell pepper and some broccoli and cauliflower tossed in a little olive oil and roasted until the florets had crispy edges, almost as if they were deep fried.

Some homemade aioli (ayOHlee) (something very much like mayonnaise) to go with it all, and a bottle of semi-dry cava to wash it down.

Bubbles make happy. They make you forget
all about all the passive-aggressive, paranoid,
guilt-tripping and crazy-making person
in your life...

   5 chicken drums $2.00
+ onions, peppers, garlic and seasoning for chicken $0.75
+ broccoli & cauliflower $1.50
+ 1 egg, some oil, some lemon juice and some garlic for aioli $0.75
+ 2 cups rice $0.80
+ 1 bottle of cava $5.00

= DINNER: $10.80 total, $3.60/serving for 3 servings.

Saturday:  $18.15
Sunday:  $17.30
Monday:  $11.20
Tuesday:  $7.75
Wednesday:  $13.50

$70.00 spent with two days left to go.

I am trying really hard today not to let my empathy for someone who pretty much makes *LOCO* out of everyone who spends any appreciable time with them get the better of me. There are two sides to every coin, and contrary to some popular thought, compassion can be as much of a weakness as a strength.

Wish me luck.

shinae

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 25 Y Algo About !Viva España!...

I am green with friendly envy this morning.

My friend Maria went to a tablao the other night and posted pictures of what looked to be a great flamenco show, and then that fabulous biatch turned around the very next night and went to hear Ferran Adria speak. I could only have been made jealouser if he had cooked for her, but he didn't, so thank Goddess for small favors. Take that, Maria.

Mis zapatos are out of practice. I wonder if the landlord
would mind a little taconeo on these cheap
Pergo floors...

But jealousy aside, I want to thank her for reminding me of a place, a people, a language, and a culture I love and to which I am inexplicably drawn - except for their affiliation to Enrique Iglesias and bullfighting. No one's perfect.

I haven't gotten to travel in a while, but to go back there is next on my agenda. <nudge to the Man>

I think I might make a chicken paella (ppahEHyah - unless you're a Brit and you say it like it's written, which is silly) tonight. Too bad we drank the rest of that tempranillo-grenache last night.

Ohhh... I just remembered there's cava... That and a little Paco de Lucia on cue should make alegría .

That last link, btw, is for a clip from Carlos Saura's Flamenco, which is a visually and aurally stunning introduction to flamenco cante, toque, y baile (singing, guitar and dance). Que te disfrutes. :)

BREAKFAST

Some more of those ham and cheese croissammies with a little dab of strawberry jam to cut through the salt. If you've not tried it, it's not as odd as it sounds. Or, perhaps you will find it oddly delicious.

And in honor of the new gopher hole in our front yard...

   2 croissants $0.75
+ 3 slices of turkey ham $0.10
+ cheese $0.60
+ 2 cups of coffee $0.40

= BREAKFAST: $1.85 total, $0.95/person

LUNCH

Leftover pasta from last night and a Honeycrisp apple for both of us.

LUNCH: $0.60 for two apples.

For dinner, I'm thinking that chicken paella and steamed or roasted broccoli with a lemon aioli on top and a bottle of cava to wash it down. Because you can't not finish a bottle of cava. Because if Jesus had meant for us to piecemeal the drinking of sparkling wines, they would have come down from heaven with screwtops on them.

I'm guessing about $10 total because of the cava, but I'll be back much, MUCH later with dinner pics and the breakdown.

!Olé!

shinae

DINNER

@6:58 PM - Plan B. Completely wiped out this afternoon by the kind of exhaustion you can only experience by being female, I sat on the couch to write and fell asleep for too long.

Since we had another one of those $5 Church's Fried Chicken coupons for 3 drums, 2 thighs, 2 of their funky chewy biscuits, and a side of something that you're supposed to think is mashed potatoes and gravy, we ate that plus a homemade garden salad with Balsamic vinaigrette made weeks ago.

   Takeout chicken, biscuits and mashed potatoes $5.50
+ lettuce $0.30
+ 1.5 avocados $1.15
+ 1 Roma $0.20
+ 1/2 a cuke $0.30
+ some red cabbage $0.30
+ some after dinner ice cream from last night $1.00

= DINNER $8.75 total, $3.90/person


Saturday:  $18.15
Sunday:  $17.30
Monday:  $11.20
Tuesday:  $7.75

$56.00 spent with three days left to go. I will definitely make that paella for dinner tomorrow. I just hope I don't feel like I'm feeling today. UGH. :|