Best.Salad.Ever

So I bought a few random things at Trader Joe's last time I was there, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I made their pre-stuffed turkey breast this past weekend and I wasn't a big fan of the stuffing inside. Too sweet and way too soft and mushy. The turkey was good, though, but if we just ate it for dinner it would take DH and I two weeks! I also for some reason bought one of those hard salamis, not sure why, but it looked good at the time.

Anyway, I had this stuff, plus a couple ears of corn and leftover green beans from the turkey dinner, as leftovers and suddenly I found myself craving a "Big Salad", Seinfeld-style. So I used my leftovers to whip this little Big Salad together. I have to say (as I lick the plate), it was a very inspired merging of random ingredients. In fact, I think it may be my new favorite salad. I'm blogging this in part so I don't forget how to make it next time!

Obviously variations on this could be infinite. I think the key ingredients are the classic chef's salad fixings of turkey, salami, and cheese, combined with the sweet corn and garbanzos, and my ever-favorite Trader Joe's pita chips (honestly, I am quite possibly addicted to these evil little chips - thank God they are baked, at least!). For some reason the dressing was just okay until I added the lemon juice - it added just the right extra amount of acidity and brightness. Next time if I have them on hand, I'll probably add fresh chopped tomato and/or chopped sweet red pepper for a little more veggie action. I bet some fresh chopped parsley or basil would also be a nice addition.

Big Salad
1/2 bag hearts of romaine lettuce
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped turkey breast (if you happen to be using a pre-stuffed turkey breast from TJ's, scrape all said stuffing out and just chop up the actual turkey part)
1/4 hard salami stick, cut into 1/4-in cubes (I used TJ's white wine salami)
3 slices provolone, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
Sweet corn removed from 1 ear of corn
Cooked green beans with olive oil and salt/pepper (or you can use raw), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained
Crumbled salt pita chips from TJ's (a couple handfuls)

Dressing: (rough estimate of proportions)
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all salad ingredients in a Big Bowl (natch!). If serving immediately, toss with salad dressing and serve. If you are saving leftovers for lunch tomorrow b/c your DH doesn't like salad, plate before adding dressing and then drizzle dressing on top. Save rest separately for lunch.

Serves 2 and I can attest that it goes very well with a glass of chardonnay! (probably can't bring the latter to lunch tomorrow, but man am I looking forward to the rest of that salad!)

So those are cicadas!

I'm an idiot. I was driving to work today and I saw this little creature buzzing about and thought, "wow, that's a hummingbird... amazing!" I smiled to myself and felt a little bit of magic. About 20 minutes later I saw another one and thought... WOW. ANOTHER HUMMINGBIRD! Then promptly forgot about it for the rest of the day.

Until I was driving home on the Edens, and I noticed another little buzzing thing, the same as whatever I had seen that morning, then another. I started to get really curious and finally when I was stopped (not too hard to do in stop and go traffic), I saw one flying repeatedly (oddly) into the median and thought, "oh! oh! that's not a hummingbird, it must be a cicada!" I hadn't seen one yet despite constantly hearing about them in the Illinois media (for those of you who don't know, the 17-year cicadas have emerged from the ground this summer), so I was pretty excited. I'm not even into bugs and I was excited.

But it was so strange, on this stretch of the highway, I saw a new one flying around the cars and then toward the median every 30 seconds or so. Then I noticed something. I looked at the ground around the median (next time I stopped I looked more closely) and noticed that there were hundreds of dead cicadas along this stretch. (at this point I figured out they really must be cicadas b/c of their red legs that I could see from my car. Plus they are really big bugs!) The bugs flying into the median were also looking like they were about to drop any minute.

So, I thought about it.... after living underground for 17-years, hundreds or thousands of cicadas crawled out, flew across the expressway traffic, crashed into the median, and died. How odd and depressing is that? I'm not sure what it means for mankind, but it's gotta be a letdown for the poor cicadas.

Salad a la Buffalo

When we have a really nice, hot summer day like today, I sometimes don't know what I want to eat. I got home sort of early today (for me, 5:30 is early!) and decided I needed some exercise, so I walked to the store to get something for dinner. Once I got there I realized I had no idea what I wanted to eat but I was very.very.hungry.

Then, inspiration struck! My "famous" (at least to me, I don't think I've made it for anyone else but my husband) buffalo chicken salad. So good! And so easy! And you feel like it is somewhat healthy, even though it is so not!

So here's what I got at the store:
3 ears of sweet corn (this ended up being too much corn, but oh well)
Bag of Tyson's frozen buffalo chicken boneless "wings" (really little chunks of breaded chicken breast, i also had some leftover Target brand at home that was actually even better)
Hearts of romaine bagged salad
2 small tomatoes
Light blue cheese dressing

So once I got home, I boiled some water while pre-heating the oven and cooking the chicken according to package directions (for the stuff I got it was 400 degrees for 20 min).

Once the water came to a boil, I throw in the husked corn for 3-5 minutes, then drained and cooled. Took a sharp knife and cut off the kernels into a bowl. Then chopped the tomatoes.

I arranged the romaine on a plate, and sprinkled the corn and tomatoes on the top to taste. Once the chicken is done, I placed it liberally on top of the salad and drizzle with blue cheese dressing. (you can use more or less of the chicken & dressing depending on your appetite, I generally have more chicken than I should, but usually just a nice light drizzle of dressing)

I really freakin' love this salad - to me it tastes like summer. You really need to use fresh sweet corn if at all possible to counteract the spice and processed-ness of the frozen chicken. If you want, you can also add shredded carrots or chopped celery. That's all.

4-Hour Workweek?

I just finished a book called, The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. My dad actually sent it as a gift to my husband and me - I had to laugh when I opened up the Amazon package. His message said it made him think of us... hmmm, what are you trying to tell us there, Dad? ;)

But, to be honest, it could quite possibly be the most interesting book I've ever read. Ferriss' philosophy is that by taking simple steps to increase your productivity, simplifying your life, and outsourcing as much as possible, you can maximize your non-work life experiences while still making quite a tidy income.

I agree with a lot of his philosophy of taking control of your own destiny, and not becoming a slave to a corporate job which requires you to postpone living the life you really want to live until you are too old to enjoy it. Instead, Ferris proposes planning "mini-retirements" of six months or so throughout your working life so that you can do the type of things you have always dreamed, all while maintaining your business and/or job remotely with minimum time yet maximum productivity. He even gives tips for employees to propose a flexible work schedule that allows them to travel to China for a vacay without the boss even knowing. Well, not quite sure I buy that bit (or at least my company wouldn't), but the part about working for yourself, if you can establish the right kind of business (recommended: products, not services, generally online, and only focus on the types of customers - if this is possible - who spend the most money with the least amount of hassle - in other words, the 20% that generate 80% of your business and require the least work possible), was very intriguing. He has a lot of quizzes, activities, etc. that I want to go through now that I've read it, and see if any great ideas start to flow for me.

I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, this book is worth checking out. Who knows? If you do, maybe we'll bump into each other on a 6-month "mini-retirement" through Southeast Asia!

Sweet Vidalia

I do love Vidalia onions, and have to snap them up whenever I see them at the grocery store, which I did on Saturday. Trying to figure out a way to work in as many fresh spring veggies as possible with very little fresh meat on hand, here's what I made for dinner on Saturday night. It's kind of a hybrid of a couple of different recipes that I found in Cooking Light and online from Food & Wine. This was a big hit with the husband, it worked in a couple different veggies (even more since I served it with a small salad) and since I cooked it for just the two of us, it made lots of leftovers as well. You could also add zucchini or red peppers if you wanted more roasted veggies. I recommend serving with a salad, some good bread, and a nice glass of Savignon Blanc.

2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. asparagus
1 Vidalia onion
1-2 tbsp. fresh thyme
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1- 2 tbsp. olive oil (with additional for drizzling)
1 lb. penne pasta
~2 oz. crumbled goat cheese or feta

Preheat onion to 400 degrees. Cut asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal and slice onion. Spread garlic on the bottom of a rectangular baking pan / sheet coated with cooking spray. Follow with cut asparagus, sliced onion, and thyme. Sprinkle salt & pepper on top to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and combine with tongs or hands. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes or until onion is soft.

Cook penne according to package directions and drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Return pasta to cooking pot, and toss with roasted asparagus / onion mixture (being sure to include the yummy roasting liquid from the bottom of the pan). Add cheese and combine. Add reserved water, one 1/4 cup at a time, to taste. Add salt & pepper to taste. If desired, drizzle additional olive oil onto pasta to taste. Serve immediately.

Stealing Buddha's Dinner

I just finished the book Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen. It is a memoir about her childhood as a Vietnamese immigrant growing up in the 80's in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was a very quick read, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was fun to lose myself in Nguyen's nostalgic homages to "all-American" foods like Hostess Cupcakes, Wonder Bread, Pringles, and Superman ice cream. It turned my stomach a little to think about the processed glory of all the foods of her (and my!) childhood. Even more appealing to me were the descriptions of the traditional Vietnamese food that Nguyen's grandmother made for the family throughout her childhood. Cha Gio dumplings, shrimp cakes, spring rolls, and beef satay. Her descriptions made my mouth water for rice noodles and such way beyond any description of Twinkies inspriring cravings for plasticky white cream filling.

Food punctuates Nguyen's memories first and foremost (maybe even a little much at times), but a close second in her memory are some familiar friends from my own youth. Like me, she was a bookworm as a child, and she goes into detail on her memories of Harriet the Spy, Laura Ingalls, and Ramona Quimby. She also spend a good amount of time remembering beloved 80's music. Throughout the book, it is clear that she is searching for her own identity through American consumerism more than in her Vietnamese heritage or the simple serenity of her grandma's Buddhism. It was an excellent memoir and a revealing glimpse to me of what it must feel like to be so thoroughly "other" in a culture that was embracing the extremes of both diversity and homogeneity at the same time.

Mmmmmm.... frosting....

So this is my first post and tentative toe in the water in the great ocean of blogging. Or something like that. I just finished part of a very delicious carrot cake cupcake from the Alliance Bakery on Division Street. They have excellent cupcakes and also very tasty ham and cheddar croissants. But I digress. My point is that the fact that I just ate a cupcake is a perfect beginning to my first post.

I'm actually not so much of a baker, although I have been known to make the occasional cupcake or cookie. But I do appreciate a good cupcake. Mainly I used that particular food item in the title of my blog because, let's face it, the word "cupcake" is a fun, accessible word. Definitely better than "leek" or "flank steak". People see the word, "cupcake" and they think, "yeah, I can handle that!" It's small, it's sweet, it has frosting. What more could you want?

So, this being my first post and all, I thought I should make it clear what this blog is going to be all about. And the cupcake says it all. Sweet little bites (or would that be bytes) from my life, on what I'm cooking, what I'm reading. And slathered on top of it all, the randomness of my 30-something, urban-life-loving, overworked, tired, and ever-so-slightly insane thoughts.

So welcome to my blog! I hope it proves to be a sweet break for you as well as for me.