Susie's Meanderings

Crock Pot Chili

One of the things I love about my crock pot is that I don't have to soak my dry beans anymore. If I think I might want beans for dinner, I just have to get my measurements right, and hey presto! Dinner when I get home. I'm still struggling with the ratio - last week's jambalaya was a little dry, and this week's chili was a little soupy, but it couldn't have been easier. I have a big vat of dry mixed beans from Costco, a can of tomatoes, water, a little bullion, an onion , a little bacon, and then I just emptied my spice cupboard into the crock pot, and I must say, it turned out remarkably tasty....I've discovered this chipotle chili powder which gives everything an interesting flavor. Later this week - chili dogs and nachos....

Crock Pot Wonders

So, I've just bought a crock pot. And it's not something that I was brought up with, so I'm still learning how to cook in it. But it's a marvel. I love that I can throw a hunk of meat in to the pot in the morning and have dinner ready when I come home. Oh, and with a little more effort (but way less effort than say, making french toast) I made a really delightful bread pudding.
So here are my favorite recipes so far. You'll notice how short they are:

Corned Beef (for Rueben Sandwiches): buy a package of corned beef. Put in in the pot on low for 6-8 hours. Eat. (Leftovers: corned beef on rye, corned beef hash...)

Pulled Pork - buy a pork shoulder (don't be put off by the fat) cut the string. Rub with some spices (if desired - I used stuff from my cupboard, and some honey). Put in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Eat with mashed potatoes (if you're so inclined, you can make a really nice gravy from the drippings). Leftovers: mix with BBQ sauce for BBQ sandwiches.

Fajitas - I haven't actually eaten these yet, but they're tonight's dinner. Get some flank steak, rub with spices and garlic. Put in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. The recipe I read said to also throw in the onions and peppers, but I think that would make them mushy, so I'm grilling them separately. So far it looks promising. The meat is falling apart, but has a very nice fajita flavor. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Last Supper

No trip to Seattle would be complete without a trip to the Grouchy Chef - which was excellent as always. This time we took the kids, who, sensible of the honor done them, were models of perfect behaviour. So I guess I can say goodbye to regular good food for a while, because life finds me once again in an airport with a suitcase full of peanut butter and saltines (and starbucks coffee) awaiting my marathon of flying. At least I'm back on American Airlines, where I still have enough miles to upgrade (even if I have lost Goddess flyer status). I've turned power management on my computer to "Ultimate Battery" in the hopes that it will live long enough to keep me entertained today. It's promising 7:00 more hours of battery life, so with a little judicious reading, it might just make it.

Good Eating

After two months at sea, where I don't even have to look at the menus anymore to know exactly what's on offer on any given night, I'm almost ready to eat dog food, just for the change. But fortunately, that's not necessary. I was greeted last night with a Thai beef curry, prepared by my brother-in-law, who is no mean chef. This morning Dad made waffles, and tonight we went out to "Tokyo Ninja" (sort of a scaled back Benihana). Not entirely unlike eating on the ship for entertainment value, but the food was better.
Meanwhile, my nephew has promised to teach me to play video games, so my five days will not be without entertainment.

Tim Tams

The problem with traveling the world is that you discover yummy things that you can't find anywhere else. This contract's food has been Tim Tams. I'm not sure I can really do justice to their choclately cookie goodness, but they come in lots of flavors. My current favorite is either Tia Maria or Chocolate Chili.
Anyway, not much to tell about today - another sea day, followed by two port days in which no crew is going to be allowed off the ship, so look for more exciting odes to Tim Tams. The sun is finally out, so I might go work on my tan tomorrow, which has suffered sorely in the rain.

Who Needs a Campfire?

Today I discovered that the toaster oven makes the perfect toasted marshmallow. If you cut a marshmallow in half (not traditional, I know, but bear with me) and place the two cut halves sticky side down on top of a Nestle Tollhouse Break-and-Bake Chocolate Chip Caramel cookie (lazy of me, I know, but irresistible), then one cycle of the toaster oven on its lowest setting produces a cookie that is perfectly warm, with a marshmallow topping that is exactly perfectly toasted. Further experimentation proved that a whole marshmallow, uncut, (for the purists) requires two cycles of the toaster oven on its lowest setting, and then the top will be browned, but the middle still just slightly firm. It doesn't blow up, it doesn't run around, it just toasts, like a marshmallow perfectly situated on the right length stick in the middle of the embers.

Sports Drink of Champions

My father makes the best gin and tonics in the world (and I've had a few, so I think I'm qualified to be an impartial judge) - the key, I'm told, is that the tonic has to be cold so it doesn't melt the ice, and the gin carefully measured. At any rate, at the end of an afternoon of circuit weights and running, they go down just like koolaid. The only problem with it as a sports drink is that I'm so thirsty I drink it down too quickly and can't properly appreciate the subtle flavor. On the other hand, it does take the edge off the pain.

Grouchy Chef Once More

I ate at the Grouchy Chef again for the first time since it reopened, and I must say it didn't disappoint. It was still full of signs about how no insulting substitutions would be allowed, though they'd cut back on the "keep control of your children" signs. The food, of course, was fantastic. I think I had Pork Adobo, mm and I have to recommend the chocolate mousse torte for dessert. Really, if you haven't been there it's well worth the trip to Mukilteo. When I'm back in Seattle, anyone who wants to meet me there for lunch is welcome to join me, as I fully intend to eat my way through the menu.

The Grouchy Chef cooks Again

First of all, because I love this restaurant and think it should be supported, I'm delighted to say I have it on good authority that it will be reopening in its old location in Mukilteo on June 7th. If you ever get up there, make it a point to stop in. The food is amazing.
Also, I think it provides an interesting comment on blogs. The reason I know my favorite restaurant is open again is that two complete strangers read my earlier posts about it (I'd link back, but time is limited here on the ship) and commented to let me know it would be opening again. So while I'm here in the middle of the ocean, I can still get news from back home. I hear there's some great new stuff on the menu.

Living the High Life

I love having the run of my mother's kitchen. Lots of space, most any gadget I need, and my own personal sous chef (Mom) to run out to the garden and cut fresh herbs for me at a moment's notice. This week has been such fun - Shrimp Scampi, Steak au Poivre. Pork Dijionaise, it's a good thing my mother makes me go running every day. (4 miles yesterday - it felt great, until the shin splints caught up with me today). The best part is, it's inspiring my mother to make desserts again - where it used to be ice cream every night, this week it's been brownies (and I'm pretty sure my mom makes the best in the world), jelly roll (with blackcurrant jelly, which brings it to an entirely new plane of existence), and zuchinni bread ( a cooperative effort). Best of all, she's promising to make pie soon.

Tis Better to have Dined and Lost

I am bereft - the Grouchy Chef has closed his doors, after I had eaten only two glorious meals there, with the intent to work my way through the entire menu (incidentally, his shrimp mashed potatoes will be the stuff of my dreams for years to come). The pale light beaming out of his little storefront taunts me as I drive past on my way to work out, saying "you're not eating here sister." My niece's little friend tried to console me by pointing out that there was a Subway in the same strip mall, and I couldn't begin to find the words to explain to her that there was no comparison.

The Grouchy Chef

If any of you ever get up to Mukilteo....my sister and I just ate at the most amazing restaurant (and yes, it is called The Grouchy Chef ) . It's the most unprepossessing place, in a strip mall, and it's filled with hand lettered signs that say "keep your children under control" (needless to say, we had left the kids behind) and "no insulting substitutions to the menu" - and it's run by one man (the grouchy chef) who seems to take the orders, cook the meal, and bus the tables all by himself - so it's definitely no frills - but the food.... I had the special which was a chef salad, with gorgonzola, pear, house smoked salmon, roasted red peppers, and some honeydew, followed by some little strips of sirloin steak with horseradish cream - all for $6.99. My sister had something more Asian influenced - again with the house smoked salmon - and we ended it with a mango sorbet (well, who am I kidding, we also got the double chocolate mousse torte with rasperry sauce) that was to die for. It was without doubt some of the best food I've had in a really long time. Despite the strip mall atmosphere, it seemed like an expensive meal out, only it wasn't.

Under Par

First of all, I'm happy to report that my putt putt golf game is improving . Once Ross showed me how the little line on the putter helps you aim, my game improved a lot. Once again we arrived in the middle of a birthday party, but this time they hadn't yet started playing, though it does interesting things to the game to have 15 ten year olds scampering over the green. Yesterday I went to grocery nirvana - that is to say - Whole Foods, and spent a happy hour there buying little fresh cheeses and herbs, all of which will , of course, go in the garbage at the end of the week when I go on vacation. Sigh. In the meantime, however, I will eat well. Oh, and I made hummus yesterday for the first time in my life - who knew it was so easy?

I am a bad bad girl

I am a bad bad girl. Today lunch was a bavarian creme filled donut and iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts. I tried to eat real food, I was at the grocery store and got THE WORST premade sandwich ever created. Two bites and I could take no more. It was like eating salt on bread, so I thought, well, I'll round it out with some iced coffee, and then I remembered how tasty the chocolate Kreme filled was. Imagine my horror when she said they didn't have any of that kind of donut. I determined that was a sign, and opted for coffee alone, but when I got up to the window she said, kindly "are you sure you don't want a donut"? And it came about that I wasn't at all sure, and in fact, was very easy to convince. So now I'm on a caffeine and sugar high, thus the rather wordy and convoluted entry. My poor librarians... Oh, rumor has it that Harry Potter is selling for $16 here at the Walmart. I bet they're out by now though. Sigh, the late bird really doesn't catch anything.

Weekend in Paradise

Is there anything so nice as a weekend at my parent's house? This morning started out with a little coffee, some of my Mom's special scrambled eggs, and my Dad's perfectly crisp bacon. A leisurely stroll through the Saturday farmer's market, then home for a quiet morning of reading the New York Times. And the highlight of my day - for lunch - not a cheese sandwich, but a cheese plate - Cambozola, St Andre, Welsh Dragon, Chevre.... a little pickled herring from the local fish store, and some stuffed grape leaves from the co-operative grocery store that has unaccountably moved into and taken over the former corner mini-mart. It's a vast improvement really, but a bit of a shock to find organic toothpaste on the shelf that used to house penny candy. If it weren't for all the locally roasted coffee we're drinking, I'd be fast asleep right now on the napping couch...however, once my mother is done gardening, she has assured me we will go out for a short little run, so it's not all sloth and good eating at the Thomas house this weekend.... Oh, and I neglected to add Jeanne Roy to our rolls yesterday - thank you Aaron for being more observant than I.

Slave to Public Opinion

I am nothing if not accomodating. Aaron requests better colors for my visited links. Done. Tracey wants an email link. Done also. I have WAAAAY too much time on my hands. Any further requests? I'm happy to oblige. (and Rebecca - if you're reading this, I've also fixed the inconsistency on my August Calendar) Oh, and in case anyone out there is interested - today I had brie in my sandwich. In fact, I'm just working my way down Pete's Deli's Sandwich Specials List, so far the Cran Turkey still reigns supreme, but in the meantime I'm finding some tasty little sandwiches. Had a few brief moments of heady freedom today, drove all the way up to Everett to do a little shopping - I find it a little ironic that I live in the middle of a big city, and still have to drive 45 minutes to shop at Target.

Cheese Sandwiches

Once again kudos and many thanks to Kris Bellfor his extraordinary patience and help with my blog template. If you hate the colors, blame me, Kris was long gone by then. Without Kris, there would be many broken and ugly blogs in the world today. I wish I had more to say, but my brain is just done today. (With a nod to Erin and Ruth - I had blue cheese in my sandwich today), and since our blog circle seems to be in a state of navel gazing today, I know why I blog, I'm hopelessly narcissitic (actually, it never ceases to amaze me that anyone reads this at all, )and I've gotten very bad about keeping a journal, but I sincerely hope the rest of you will continue, because it makes it so much easier to keep track of everyone. I blame it all on Luke who said wistfully during training one day "I wish everyone would keep a blog so we could all stay in touch that way" and that was what pushed me over the edge into this voracious world of blogging. So to Ruth and Erin, no self doubting - I'm very interested in what you had for lunch today

Katie has inspired me

Katie has inspired me to return to work on my website (even with the painfully slow connection I have here at the hotel). And, due to the many requests for the Crepe recipe from this weekend, I have been inspired to start a recipe of the week page. Again, very much a work in progress. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to manage it. But you can see my first efforts here. Katie reminded me that I had originally intended to do sort of "hotel food" recipes, and this doesn't qualify, but I'll follow up with some stuff that you can cook with only a microwave and a fridge. Oh, and I'm so pleased, because today I figured out how to create my continuing calendar by tweaking the code I already have. So July is up now, and much to my delight, I seem to be on vacation for most of it. Yipee!

Weekend in Sippewisset

So, just came off a fantastically relaxing weekend with all my coworkers in an amazing beach house. Where I discovered that Stephanie is my kitchen and food network soulmate And, I return to connectivity to discover Ruth has joined the blogger ranks, Yay! Back at the Hampton Inn in Fairhaven now, which is a small step down from the beach house, but has a remarkable number of large windows for a Hampton Inn, so I won't complain. I have far far too many pictures from this weekend (most of them, oddly, of Kris Bell taking pictures of things). Okay, no more hyperlinks. That's what I get for spending the weekend with all my blogger companions. Pictures soon, perhaps when I can connect at better than 24k.