Alethea in real life...

So dear friends, I feel sadly inadequate when it comes to contributing to this blog, but nevertheless, I will do my best!

Let's be honest - I'm a lazy person. Especially when I'm tired after working all day. Hence, I get home and feel largely unmotivated to make myself dinner. Yes, I know, you gals work/study all day and still have the energy and commitment to cook for yourselves. For that I applaud you. This is not to say that I go out to eat every night or heat up Lean Pockets in the micro either. Yuck. Most of the time, I reheat leftovers from lunch or from going out to eat some other time, or I make a salad or a sandwich, or I heat up some Trader Joe's Indian food (surprisingly very tasty and a very good price). I'll chronicle my few attempts with cooking down below... but first, a few thoughts on why I haven't made a huge effort to cook since "growing up":

1. The point stated above - I'm tired when I get home and don't want to have to go through a ton of prep to have dinner ready. I'm also lazy and would rather eat right away.
2. Food (and everything) in NYC is SO expensive. Because of that, I usually only buy the essentials when I go grocery shopping - stuff for sandwiches, salad, breakfast food, snacks, etc. I don't tend to buy stuff in the off chance I'll be cooking since it's pricey. This includes everything from onions to sugar (two things which I finally bought today so I could try to cook more). When there are times I want to cook, I don't have the stuff I need... My roommates don't either, so then I just fall back on the same old, same old.
3. Sometimes it's also a lack of forethought. If I get out of work early enough and I realize that I can make X for dinner, but need Y, then I can at least go get that from the grocery store on my way home. But I often don't think of that until I'm home.

So that's some of my ramblings. With regards to the price of food here, it also requires a lot of time and energy to figure out which store has what for the cheapest and to then plan ahead so that I can get everything I need from the various places for the cheapest. Sigh, the cost of living in NYC!! What I wouldn't give to go back to Vt....

For dinner tonight I did cook. I baked a sweet potato - unfortunately not for long enough since it was slightly undercooked, but that's ok. Broiled a chicken sausage and had some salad too. Nice, balanced, didn't take too long or require too much preparation.

For my next post, I'll give you the recipe for a rice salad thing I made when I was fed up with all the random food I had and wanted to make something with it...

In Defense of Tofu

I'll admit, tofu used to really weird me out. However, tofu and I have come to terms. So here are some ideas:

"Natural tofu"- not bad in wraps with some veggies and hummus, or any other sauce. Or, with rice or couscous. I really like making a ton of couscous and then adding in some tofu to give it a little protein.

Stir-fried- if you have any curry paste, that works great. otherwise, just add a little oil and whatever spices/veggies you want until the tofu get a little color. Make sure you press the tofu first (with paper towels or a dish towel or something) because they'll cook better if they're dried out. Also, try coconut milk with tofu and some spices over rice...Sometimes I coat the tofu in cornstarch (some people dip it in egg and then cornstarch) so it'll get a little bit crunchier.

Baked- haven't tried this, but I saw a recipe for it on allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Tofu-Bites/Detail.aspx) Coat the tofu in sauce (this one looks like it basically uses barbecue sauce) and then bake in the oven until crispy.

p.s. I was very impressed with your tofu burger until I saw that it wasn't actually your burger in the picture...but interesting idea!

What Do I Do With the Tofu?

Friends. I bought a block of tofu last week. Which is great for putting on my salad, but now I have run out of vegetation and there will be no more salads until I make it to the market in a few days. Tonight I tried to make a "tofu burger" with eggs and rice and bread and other wonderful things, but it tasted more like an omelet than anything else. Ideas?

(My tofu burger did not look this good.)

Apple Season!

I just wanted to let you all know that apple season has officially begun! I got apples and cider from the farmer's market on Saturday. The apples are great and the cider was a little on the tart side, but I think I like it that way! I tried a new apple (for me) called the Pristine. It's GREAT! Especially if you like really sweet, crunchy apples.

Do you guys have any good apple recommendations? I'm always overwhelmed with the number of choices...

In other news, I think corn season is ending... (tear)

Answer.

I believe that animal crackers are officially considered vegetarian (although it couldn't hurt to check, you crazy midwesterners will put meat in anything!), but now I might feel too guilty to enjoy them.

However, I am happy to report that vegetarians and, in fact, carnivores can always enjoy cinnamon rolls. This is a great recipe for those of us who may or may not be a little afraid of yeast, rising dough, kneading, etc. A little messy, but delicious. And not as hard as it sounds.

Cinnamon Buns (makes 8)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (did you know you can add vinegar to regular milk and it makes buttermilk?!?)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush a round 9-inch nonstick cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Spray a wire cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine the brown sugar, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons melted butter and stir with a fork or fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand; set the filling mixture aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons butter in a measuring cup. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed (the dough will look shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy about 30 seconds.

4. Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and cut it evenly into 8 pieces. Turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and with your hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place. Place 1 roll in the center of the prepared pan and then place the remaining 7 rolls around the perimeter of the pan. Brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

5. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Use an offset metal spatula to loosen the buns from the pan. Cool about 5 minutes before glazing.

Optional Glaze

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar

Whisk together.

(I just used powdered sugar and a little cinnamon)

A Question.

I've been wondering -
Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Emily?

I love baking with honey.

I bought this 5 lb jar of honey at the farmer's market in Waukesha for $25. With the way honey prices are right now, I was pretty psyched. The first jar I bought was $23, but I gave it to my parents because my dad loves honey and was totally eyeing it up. When they went home, they left me some cash and a note that said, "Honey Money, Honey." Haha.