I say “summer,” you say…
06/30/2010
QUICK! I say “summer,” you say…
Ice cream?
Tan lines?
Fireworks?
Jimmy Buffet?
Me? I say T O M A T O E S! Nothing tastes, smells, looks and feels like summer quite as much as a giant, juicy, seed-filled, straight-from-the-garden, might-contain-a-few-dings tomato. I give you Exhibit A.
Could that baby take a blue ribbon at the county fair or what? That’s from our very own desert garden. There are lots more where this came from, but this is the first beauty of the season. It didn’t need salt, pepper, oil, vinegar or a side of Ranch. Just slice and devour. Every bite brought back memories of buying perfect summer tomatoes from roadside stands in Pennsylvania with my parents and grandparents. Ahhh, summer.
A hardcore tomato lover, I even find the flavorless plum, cherry, grape and hothouse tomatoes sold in the dead of winter – clearly, way out of season – hard to resist. You can imagine my sheer delight with this fine specimen. Someone pinch me. Have I died and gone to produce Heaven?
If you’re not sold on the idea of having your own garden yet, here’s more food for thought. In addition to being a source of food, a garden can be surprisingly entertaining.
You gotta admit, a tomato with a nose is funny. I guarantee you won’t find this in your grocer’s produce section!
So back to the original question. I say “summer,” you say… Fill in the blank in the comments section. Happy summer!
In a rut? Get grilled squid.
06/15/2010
We keep it pretty basic food wise here at Casa de Less is Fabulous. The standard offerings include fruit and cereal for breakfast; fish, veggies and nuts or what not for lunch; portabella mushroom sandwiches, grilled chicken and baked potatoes, spinach salad with tortellini, whole wheat pasta with sautéed veggies, homemade pizza, or eggs with a side of fend for yourself for dinner. Throw in some strawberry ice cream, cereal bars and crackers here and there. Rinse. Repeat. That’s our no muss, no fuss simple approach to dining. (Note: We pull out all the stops for occasions. I’m talking complex, 25-ingredient Williams Sonoma recipes. Call me a hypocrite. There are certain days of the year when MORE is fabulous!)
If variety is the spice of life, where do we get ours? Our variety – and spice – come from those who have it mastered. We’re talking the Indian family who owns Indian Curry Bowl (too busy grinding spices to make their own Web site), the masters of all things Mexican at Cafe Rio, the purveyors of Persian food at Paymon’s Mediterranean Cafe and Gino and Nora Mauro’s old-style Italian awesomeness, served with a side of garlic bread, at Nora’s Cuisine.
But what’s a couple to do when curry, guacamole, tahini sauce and pesto get, well, vanilla?
Head to Chinatown Las Vegas.
Think I’m joking? Go west on Spring Mountain Road from the Strip and you’ll discover an impressive concentration of Asian businesses in the country’s first master-planned Chinatown. Whether you have a hankering for Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese cuisine – or massages – you’ll find it here. Yes it lacks the authenticity of San Francisco’s Chinatown. But hey, it’s Vegas baby! Close your eyes while you’re biting into that dim sum and you’ll swear you’re in the Orient.
Having sampled just about everything a Chinese food menu has to offer over the years, we decided to go Japanese, and not faux Japanese either. We’re talking show me the squid cartilage, beef tongue and chicken gizzards. Add those menu items to the all-Japanese customer base at Ichiza Sake House and we’ve got ourselves a winner. This ain’t no T.G.I.Fridays boys and girls.
We went moderately adventurous, including mackerel in miso sauce, chicken (not gizzard) skewers, vegetable croquettes, and a whole grilled squid (not breaded calamari with a side of Ragu). The squid was steaming, snow white, sans sauce and full of just-off-the-grill marks. We washed it all down with a giant shared Sapporo beer (think “40″) and got our post-dinner sweet fix from the Korean-owned Crown Bakery next door.
It was delicious. It was exotic. It was cheap.
Since moving from Pennsylvania to Las Vegas in 2001, I’ve realized that less dining hesitation is indeed fabulous. This from a girl whose culinary horizons stretched to chicken fingers, combo subs, PB&J (grape jelly only please) and medium hamburgers (NOT cheeseburgers) before moving West. That said, the mere thought of mayonnaise still makes me want to barf, I will never (EVER) eat tuna fish out of a can, and I’d starve in the desert before dipping a pretzel in French Onion dip.
What’s the take away? Life is meant to be lived. We only go around once, so do your sampling now. Get your chopsticks on, dear readers! Last I heard they’re not serving grilled squid in the after life.
Simple Pleasures Sunday: Hi-ho the Derry-o!
06/13/2010
This Simple Pleasures Sunday, I’m reveling in the knowledge that it’s possible two do to seemingly impossible things in fabulous Las Vegas…
- Live a minimalist lifestyle in the land of 148,491 hotel rooms and seven Cirque Du Soleil shows. (Read: BIG TIME excess!)
- Have a thriving veggie garden in the desert.
Since hotel rooms and Cirque shows aren’t the focus of this blog, we’ll run with veggie gardens. More interesting anyway, right?
After weeks of anticipation, consulting the farmer’s almanac and measuring the acidity of our soil (not really, we simply watered and waited!), we had our first harvest. I swear these home-grown veggies taste better and more authentic than anything sold for $1.29 per pound at Albertson’s, but I’m sure it’s a bit of satisfaction I’m tasting.
There are loads more where these came from. The grill is ready. Friend are awaiting the overflow. Summer has arrived. How simply yummy!
(See, I really could be a farmer.)
Wanted: Suckers who like eggs
05/22/2010
I don’t know about you, but cracking an egg does not cause me stress, hives or sleepless nights.
In all my years of egg cracking, I’ve had to fish a stray shell out of the bowl, oh, maybe twice. No therapy sessions required.
It’s why I won’t be buying this anytime soon. Okay, in this lifetime. Or the next.
The EZ Cracker (As Seen on TV!) intrigued me for its ridiculousness, not its usefulness, when I caught the infomercial. All infomercials are insulting, but this one wins the prize. This contraption, in all of its plastic, multi-part, cumbersome silliness…cracks eggs! separates egg whites! strips shells from hard-boiled eggs in seconds! no mess, no fuss!
Eureka! Where’s my credit card? I need three! But wait, it comes with the piece-o-junk-clutter-the-kitchen-more EZ Scrambler, so I can scramble an egg in its shell. My life is complete! In fact, I’m ordering one for everyone on my Christmas list.
Who buys this garbage? Who is so happy to never have to use the side of a bowl to crack an egg again that she’ll agree to two easy payments of $10, plus S&H? Whose mornings are so fraught with egg scrambling frustration that scrambling it in the shell with a device that looks like a dental instrument seems like a worthy option?
To maintain an effective, efficient clutter-free kitchen, I’ve bought into the “no item should have just one function” rule. It’s why I no longer own a strawberry huller, garlic press, melon baller, egg slicer or apple corer. I’ve learned that “gadget” is code for “expensive novelty junk you really don’t need, but think you do.”
That is, until you give it away.
Then you realize what a remarkable invention we have in the simple knife, invented by…cavemen.
I’m pretty sure they didn’t store their knives next to the their EZ Crackers. Unga Bunga.
Simple Pleasures Sunday: Throwback Snack
05/16/2010
Earlier this month, Katie at Making This Home praised stove top popcorn. Coincidentally, I read her post as I munched on the good stuff. Then Starbucks sent an eblast introducing “Popcorn Made Perfect.” The brewmasters are now in the gourmet popcorn biz. They tout their on-the-go-snack as a perfect lunchtime or quick bite option. Available in salt and pepper…
STOP RIGHT THERE. Am I on Candid Camera? Is this a conspiracy? I invented salt ‘n’ peppa (more fun that way) popcorn when I accidentally sprinkled my fluffy white kernels with the wrong shaker. Not wanting to waste and feeling extra adventurous, I added salt and voila – delish! The perfectly simple, healthy, tasty snack! (Goes well with white wine.)
What’s all this popcorn chatter about anyway? Are Pringles passe? Have Ruffles run their course? Are Cheetos too cheesy for today’s health conscious consumers?
Popcorn was all the rage when I was a kid. Air poppers were worthy of top-of-fridge storage. Moms experimented with the ultimate novelty item: microwave popcorn. What’s this tell us? Popcorn is to the pantry as belts are to the closet. Hang on to both long enough and popping corn feels just as good as wearing that 1970s skinny belt.
I’ve never liked movie popcorn. Warm butter makes me want to barf. Pre-packaged microwave popcorn is filled with toxic crap ingredients and requires a lobster bib. But you can enjoy the same convenience and speed with my trusty, non-greasy method.
- Put a handful of kernels in a plain brown paper bag.
- Add a splash of olive oil.
- Fold the top of the bag, lunch bag style.
- Shake it baby.
- Microwave for one minute.
- Take out, shake, cook another minute.
- Pour popcorn in bowl, douse with salt and pepper.
Try not to throwback too fast. You’ll get hiccups.
