I have net at work

[cjsmith]

I probably won't catch up on LJ, though. The number of posts since midafternoon Friday... nope.

Because I didn't have net over the weekend, I probably got a lot more done than I otherwise might have. I cleaned a bit and I took advantage of Rob's absence to cook up a storm. I kept filling up the bottom rack of the dishwasher, so I took the opportunity to fill up the top rack with all the mugs we have hanging on decorative racks on the wall. We never use them, and I don't think they'd been washed since we bought the house.

Cooking list:
- Hardboiled eggs, scrambled eggs, a lot of sausage for breakfasts
- Another big pot of bean soup, omitting the potato
- Two one-pound batches of my version of larb
- A weird concoction of meatballs, herbs, onion, bell pepper, and cheese
- Ground turkey seasoned up for Sloppy Joes -- I'm happy to eat this without bread
- Ground turkey seasoned up for tacos -- I'm happy to eat "tacos" without shells

I also bought copious salad fixings. I'd have made green beans in mushroom sauce, too, because unlike most vegetable things it reheats really well, but I'm out of fridge space. The only reason all this stuff fits in there in the first place is Rob's not home yet to claim his share. :-) A major reorg is going to occur this evening, packing stuff down so he has space to buy the stuff he wants. Ziploc bags are my FRIENDS. After that reorg, if I have any room I'll make the green beans.

All in all, not a bad weekend despite the lack of connectivity. :)

Comments

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

Mm, green beans.

I have a great Szechuan green bean recipe, if you are in need of green bean variety. Good reheated; also good cold. I have some for lunch today, and I haven't decided which way I'm going to go on that yet. It calls for a bit of sugar, but I bet it'd work okay without that. (It also calls for cornstarch, but I've never once made it with cornstarch.)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

my freezer is stuffed, so it's time to stop cooking and start eating. the fridge, however, is quite bare.

i posted a link to a chicken vindaloo recipe, and it was delish! it's yeast-diet approved, so i highly recommend you give it a whirl, when your fridge allows.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I bookmarked that recipe. :-) I'm surprised you get to have rice!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Mmm, sounds yummy! I love Szechuan green beans, at least if they're the same dish that is often called "dry cooked string beans".

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

no, i don't get to have rice, but in a moment of weakness i let myself have some. it was that or eat the fridge. :-/ i figured the cup or so of rice was definitely the lesser of the two evils.

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

Hm, no, mine are not dry. They are oily and yummy.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I wish I could just get the stuff I'm not supposed to have out of the house so I can't do the same... but Rob eats almost nothing but starch. I'd have to move.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

So are "dry cooked string beans": oily, spicy, probably a bit garlicky, and scrumptious. I don't know why some places seem to call it "dry".

In Which I Am Bad at Actually Remembering to Pass On the Recipe

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

Szechuan Green Beans:

Trim the ends off of 6 cups fresh green beans (about a pound). Slice a red bell pepper into about 1 cup of pieces more or less the same size as the green beans. Heat 2 Tbs or so of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok (over high heat), then add 1 Tbs chopped garlic, 1 Tbs chopped ginger, and about 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Cook that for about 30 seconds, then add the green beans and bell pepper. Cook until tender-crisp (about 4 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 3 Tbs mirin (rice wine) or sherry, 2 Tbs soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp sugar if you can eat sugar. (The recipe also calls for 1 tsp cornstarch, which I have never used.) Add the sauce to the beans; cook until they look done to you (recipe suggests about 1 minute; I like more like 5 minutes). Turn off heat; stir in 1 tsp of sesame oil (not optional! really improved flavor!).

Possibly even better cold the next day when it's had a chance to marinate for a while. Mmmmmmmm.

Re: In Which I Am Bad at Actually Remembering to Pass On the Recipe

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That sounds SCRUMPTIOUS. I'm due for a grocery run soon... :-)

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

I probably won't catch up on LJ, though. The number of posts since midafternoon Friday... nope.

If it helps you feel caught up on my specific journal, I haven't posted. :)