Today I was struck again by how often some terms are used casually by many people who don't realize the damaging power those terms have. I am reminded of how many lovely, well-meaning people in my life enjoying throwing around gang terms and street slang without really thinking about what they say.
Take, for example, a lovely woman and mother whom I once considered a very close friend. I've seen her use certain "street terms" many times over the years and yet I don't really think she takes the time to think about the damage it may cause. She has a son and daughter of her own and is a God-fearing woman who strives to live her life without reproach every day. Yet in her writing and blogs I see these words (and other out-of-place slang terms most often found on the street) repeated time and again. It's not that she's insensitive; I believe she's just clueless and/or isn't thinking, really, about what she says.
As I learn more about the reality of prostitution, trafficking, and the "underground world" I increasingly become aware of the use of one particular word as a compliment or positive description. That word is "pimp." Now, I think we all know what a pimp is. It is a despicable, evil person who profits off the pain and suffering of others, to say the very least. Yet people love to throw it around. You're a pimp if you have status, power, money, jewelry, notoriety, or a variety of other characteristics.
When I hear that word used casually by a person who doesn't think about what they say before they say it I cringe. I know too much about the reality of human trafficking not to be sickened when people use that word.
Please, for the sake of the people in slavery to pimps all over the world, do not use this term as slang or in jest. I unwittingly hurts those around us who have experienced the dark world these monsters are a part of.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year!
Two nights ago marked the ringing in of the new year! It was a quiet night for us here at the Stephens' home--we stayed in, shared some wine, and sat out on the porch gazing at the elusive "Blue Moon." It's typical of us to stay in on big nights. We're homebodies at heart and, while we do love to go out and spend time with friends, staying in is our "go to" choice on big nights.
It's been another year of marriage for us and things are looking up! We started out the year in South Carolina with Chad's family for a week of southern barbecue, time with family, and seeing old friends (though I didn't get to see one friend, you know who you are!! Hint, KV....)
Returning from South Carolina we said goodbye to my brother Ben who's battalion was deployed to Afghanistan in April. His wife, Renee, had been expecting their first child since early November and so I determined to be there for her as much as possible over the next few months. The day Ben left she was handed the keys to their very first home and moved in with the help of other Marines and my brother and cousins. At that point in time I was still working and wasn't able to go down to help.
Mid-May brought bad news for me at my job with Village Roadshow Pictures. I was informed that in two weeks' time I would be laid off from my job with six weeks of severance pay and a bleak job market to look forward to. I was taken by surprise with the news, but in the back of my mind I knew that there was a chance something like this could happen. The only regret I have about losing that job is that I needed that position to gain more experience for my future career; getting laid off completely ruined that plan and pretty much caused the ensuing months of job-hunting to be nearly impossible.
I looked for work for about seven weeks after losing my job with not a single call back for an interview. I finally received word from a good friend of mine that a temporary position was coming available on a TV show and if I wanted it for two to three months I could have it. I gladly jumped at the chance! I probably would never go back to working on a television production again, but I thoroughly enjoyed my job with Open 4 Business Productions. I was what is called the department coordinator if you're part of the union and what is merely a production assistant if you aren't. I had a wonderful, fun time working on the show and am really glad that I got the opportunity to experience that kind of work! It's the kind of thing where you don't get paid much, you work long hours (minimum 10 hours a day) but you don't care because it's such fun. All in all a great experience!
October marked the end of my temporary television career and I was back on unemployment insurance and crossing my fingers that our bills would get paid every month. I spent my days searching for jobs on the internet and submitting an unfathomable amount of resumes. During the second week of November I received two interviews in the same week! I was on cloud nine! One came as a result of a good relationship I had with a recruiter and the other a result of my decision to begin to look for jobs that are a step down from my experience level. I didn't make the first one, but I was hired almost on the spot with the second!
I have been working at a fast-growing escrow company in Beverly Hills called Escrow Of The West as one of two busy receptionists. It was extremely stressful at first, but I have quickly gotten into a rhythm of sorts and am really enjoying the job. My coworkers are all great and it's very similar in atmosphere to the job I had a Village--it's a smaller office (only 25 or so people) and everyone is very serious about their work but at the same time laid-back and kind. I am really enjoying myself.
We spend Thanksgiving down at my brother's house in Temecula where we were greeted with a surprise visit from my Mamaw and Papaw! It was a big crowd complete with cousins and friends and we tested the capacity of my brother and Renee's house to the limit! But it was a great time and we really enjoyed having fun with everyone.
This December we hosted a small Christmas party for a few friends at our little apartment. I'll tell you, it was a LOT of fun but I'll think twice before having nine people over to this tiny place! I enjoyed exercising my culinary capabilities by making homemade stuffed mushrooms and the most delicious whole wheat pizza dough from scratch. Yum!
We left LA at about 3:30 PM on Christmas eve (after I got off work early) to drive up to Redding with my brother Jesse. It was a long 550 miles but we made it before midnight. Christmas was a wonderful time at my parents' house with the whole family there including all my brothers, Renee, Joanna (Renee's sister) and the newest member of our growing family--Noah Wesley Dekker. It was a wonderful time together.
On the 27th we trekked up to Mount Shasta just 45 minutes north of Redding to find some of the best snowboarding conditions with lots and lots of powder and falling snow! I was able to try out my Christmas present which was a new snowboard! It was very exciting. Joanna and Dave sped ahead of me and I struggled a bit due to being a little out of shape, but all-in-all it was a great experience! I am very excited to continue with this amazing new sport. Thanks to my wonderful husband for the great Christmas gift!
I think it's been quite a great year for us and we are excited for the years to come. Life is good and we have great health, wonderful family and friends, and a warm place to sleep at night!
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our lives this past year. We are truly blessed.
It's been another year of marriage for us and things are looking up! We started out the year in South Carolina with Chad's family for a week of southern barbecue, time with family, and seeing old friends (though I didn't get to see one friend, you know who you are!! Hint, KV....)
Returning from South Carolina we said goodbye to my brother Ben who's battalion was deployed to Afghanistan in April. His wife, Renee, had been expecting their first child since early November and so I determined to be there for her as much as possible over the next few months. The day Ben left she was handed the keys to their very first home and moved in with the help of other Marines and my brother and cousins. At that point in time I was still working and wasn't able to go down to help.
Mid-May brought bad news for me at my job with Village Roadshow Pictures. I was informed that in two weeks' time I would be laid off from my job with six weeks of severance pay and a bleak job market to look forward to. I was taken by surprise with the news, but in the back of my mind I knew that there was a chance something like this could happen. The only regret I have about losing that job is that I needed that position to gain more experience for my future career; getting laid off completely ruined that plan and pretty much caused the ensuing months of job-hunting to be nearly impossible.
I looked for work for about seven weeks after losing my job with not a single call back for an interview. I finally received word from a good friend of mine that a temporary position was coming available on a TV show and if I wanted it for two to three months I could have it. I gladly jumped at the chance! I probably would never go back to working on a television production again, but I thoroughly enjoyed my job with Open 4 Business Productions. I was what is called the department coordinator if you're part of the union and what is merely a production assistant if you aren't. I had a wonderful, fun time working on the show and am really glad that I got the opportunity to experience that kind of work! It's the kind of thing where you don't get paid much, you work long hours (minimum 10 hours a day) but you don't care because it's such fun. All in all a great experience!
October marked the end of my temporary television career and I was back on unemployment insurance and crossing my fingers that our bills would get paid every month. I spent my days searching for jobs on the internet and submitting an unfathomable amount of resumes. During the second week of November I received two interviews in the same week! I was on cloud nine! One came as a result of a good relationship I had with a recruiter and the other a result of my decision to begin to look for jobs that are a step down from my experience level. I didn't make the first one, but I was hired almost on the spot with the second!
I have been working at a fast-growing escrow company in Beverly Hills called Escrow Of The West as one of two busy receptionists. It was extremely stressful at first, but I have quickly gotten into a rhythm of sorts and am really enjoying the job. My coworkers are all great and it's very similar in atmosphere to the job I had a Village--it's a smaller office (only 25 or so people) and everyone is very serious about their work but at the same time laid-back and kind. I am really enjoying myself.
We spend Thanksgiving down at my brother's house in Temecula where we were greeted with a surprise visit from my Mamaw and Papaw! It was a big crowd complete with cousins and friends and we tested the capacity of my brother and Renee's house to the limit! But it was a great time and we really enjoyed having fun with everyone.
This December we hosted a small Christmas party for a few friends at our little apartment. I'll tell you, it was a LOT of fun but I'll think twice before having nine people over to this tiny place! I enjoyed exercising my culinary capabilities by making homemade stuffed mushrooms and the most delicious whole wheat pizza dough from scratch. Yum!
We left LA at about 3:30 PM on Christmas eve (after I got off work early) to drive up to Redding with my brother Jesse. It was a long 550 miles but we made it before midnight. Christmas was a wonderful time at my parents' house with the whole family there including all my brothers, Renee, Joanna (Renee's sister) and the newest member of our growing family--Noah Wesley Dekker. It was a wonderful time together.
On the 27th we trekked up to Mount Shasta just 45 minutes north of Redding to find some of the best snowboarding conditions with lots and lots of powder and falling snow! I was able to try out my Christmas present which was a new snowboard! It was very exciting. Joanna and Dave sped ahead of me and I struggled a bit due to being a little out of shape, but all-in-all it was a great experience! I am very excited to continue with this amazing new sport. Thanks to my wonderful husband for the great Christmas gift!
I think it's been quite a great year for us and we are excited for the years to come. Life is good and we have great health, wonderful family and friends, and a warm place to sleep at night!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
So Much for More Cooking Posts While Unemployed
Yes, I have been unemployed for almost three weeks and haven't yet posted a cooking blog! That is mostly because I no longer have the funds to go to the grocery store a few times a week to shop for extra ingredients not on our regular shopping list just so I can "try" new things for the blog.
You'd be surprised how $15 here and $20 there to make fancy new dishes I've always wanted to try can add up over a few weeks or a month. So we've been sticking to our regular shopping habits and I have found out that you don't need to go out and find fancy ingredients in order to try new recipes! Here are a couple things I've tried over that past couple weeks. I apologize for not having pictures for every one.
Spinach Lasagna Rolls (personal recipe taken from my memory of other recipes)
I was bored my first week unemployed. I'd already cleaned the whole house (I mean, DEEP-cleaned) and had spent hours online looking for work and sending out resumes. So that afternoon I wanted to cook something. I knew I wasn't going to waste my time and money buying all new ingredients so I found a box of lasagna noodles in the pantry. I also happened to have a can of tomato sauce, a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, a bag of frozen spinach, and a container of low-fat ricotta! Oh joy. :) Here are the lasagna rolls I made (which we thoroughly enjoyed!).
I normally make spaghetti/tomato sauce by sprucing up the $1.50 jars of sauce I get at Ralphs. I was out this time so I made my own out of the following:
EVOO
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced no salt added tomatoes
dried basil, oregano to taste
I cooked the lazagna noodles while I was making the sauce. Then I made the filling for the lasagna rolls:
1 pound ricotta (I just used about half of the large packages you get at the store)
1 large bag frozen spinach, defrosted
1 handful mozzarella cheese
I put a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of my baking dish to start. Then I mixed all the cheese and spinach together and put about 1/4 of a cup on one end of each lasagna noodle and rolled it up, setting it in a row in a large glass baking dish. I did this until the dish was full and all the cheese and spinach mixture was used up. I poured the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls using the spoon to make sure it got into all the cracks and crannies and there was still a good amount on top. Then I topped it all off with a generous handful of shredded cheese and into the oven it went. 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. DELISH!
Our neighbors below us are two single young guys and our other neighbor on the other side of our wall is a single guy so I gave some to both guys. Lasagna isn't the healthiest of dishes (even though I used low-fat, it's loaded with carbs and how about all that mozzarella on top??), so I wanted to make sure to share a lot of it so we wouldn't be eating it for two weeks. :) They concurred it was a success and I really loved it. One of my favorites--but I won't be making it too often. Gotta watch our waistlines! :)
(No picture, sorry. I can't find it).
You'd be surprised how $15 here and $20 there to make fancy new dishes I've always wanted to try can add up over a few weeks or a month. So we've been sticking to our regular shopping habits and I have found out that you don't need to go out and find fancy ingredients in order to try new recipes! Here are a couple things I've tried over that past couple weeks. I apologize for not having pictures for every one.
Spinach Lasagna Rolls (personal recipe taken from my memory of other recipes)
I was bored my first week unemployed. I'd already cleaned the whole house (I mean, DEEP-cleaned) and had spent hours online looking for work and sending out resumes. So that afternoon I wanted to cook something. I knew I wasn't going to waste my time and money buying all new ingredients so I found a box of lasagna noodles in the pantry. I also happened to have a can of tomato sauce, a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, a bag of frozen spinach, and a container of low-fat ricotta! Oh joy. :) Here are the lasagna rolls I made (which we thoroughly enjoyed!).
I normally make spaghetti/tomato sauce by sprucing up the $1.50 jars of sauce I get at Ralphs. I was out this time so I made my own out of the following:
EVOO
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced no salt added tomatoes
dried basil, oregano to taste
I cooked the lazagna noodles while I was making the sauce. Then I made the filling for the lasagna rolls:
1 pound ricotta (I just used about half of the large packages you get at the store)
1 large bag frozen spinach, defrosted
1 handful mozzarella cheese
I put a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of my baking dish to start. Then I mixed all the cheese and spinach together and put about 1/4 of a cup on one end of each lasagna noodle and rolled it up, setting it in a row in a large glass baking dish. I did this until the dish was full and all the cheese and spinach mixture was used up. I poured the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls using the spoon to make sure it got into all the cracks and crannies and there was still a good amount on top. Then I topped it all off with a generous handful of shredded cheese and into the oven it went. 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. DELISH!
Our neighbors below us are two single young guys and our other neighbor on the other side of our wall is a single guy so I gave some to both guys. Lasagna isn't the healthiest of dishes (even though I used low-fat, it's loaded with carbs and how about all that mozzarella on top??), so I wanted to make sure to share a lot of it so we wouldn't be eating it for two weeks. :) They concurred it was a success and I really loved it. One of my favorites--but I won't be making it too often. Gotta watch our waistlines! :)
(No picture, sorry. I can't find it).
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Unemployment: a New Opportunity for Cooking Adventures?
On Friday at approximately 6:30 PM I will officially be unemployed again. It's a lot less scary this time, that's for sure. But nonetheless, I am a little apprehensive. I think the main reasons for my apprehension are random articles I stumble upon that proclaim "Unemployment Insurance Funding Dried Up!" and things like that.
I now know that life can indeed be lived just fine on unemployment insurance. But still--I do not like having a lot of time to myself, at home, alone, with nothing to do. Can't pick up any of the hobbies I'm really interested in because they cost money--sewing (I don't own a machine, fabrics cost money), and other such hobbies.
This time around, I will cook. Not gratuitously or wastefully; no, I will cook for my husband. It will be nice to be awake when he gets home. Maybe we will eat dinner together at 10:30 PM when he gets off work every night. It will be nice to go to the gym with him in the mornings instead of racing out the door for work before he's even awake. Yes, I am seeing the positive side of this next period of unemployment.
I really have learned a lot about jobs, interviewing, resumes, and relationships with people during this whole experience. I remember the two closest people to me at the time telling me "You are going to look back at this scary time of being unemployed and see it as a good thing." They were right, and I have. I have learned a lot, actually. It's been a good experience.
Starting Monday, I will be (obviously) looking for jobs. But in my down time I hope to cook more and to try out new things and maybe introduce you all to some of our family staples. I am also hoping to spend some time with my sister-in-law and nephew, and try and visit some of my cousins at college. We shall see!
I now know that life can indeed be lived just fine on unemployment insurance. But still--I do not like having a lot of time to myself, at home, alone, with nothing to do. Can't pick up any of the hobbies I'm really interested in because they cost money--sewing (I don't own a machine, fabrics cost money), and other such hobbies.
This time around, I will cook. Not gratuitously or wastefully; no, I will cook for my husband. It will be nice to be awake when he gets home. Maybe we will eat dinner together at 10:30 PM when he gets off work every night. It will be nice to go to the gym with him in the mornings instead of racing out the door for work before he's even awake. Yes, I am seeing the positive side of this next period of unemployment.
I really have learned a lot about jobs, interviewing, resumes, and relationships with people during this whole experience. I remember the two closest people to me at the time telling me "You are going to look back at this scary time of being unemployed and see it as a good thing." They were right, and I have. I have learned a lot, actually. It's been a good experience.
Starting Monday, I will be (obviously) looking for jobs. But in my down time I hope to cook more and to try out new things and maybe introduce you all to some of our family staples. I am also hoping to spend some time with my sister-in-law and nephew, and try and visit some of my cousins at college. We shall see!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Why I'm a Vegetarian--and Why I'm not Strict About it.
There are a lot of reasons why I became a vegetarian (mostly) last year. I don't view my lifestyle as "better" or "higher" than those of you who do eat meat. After all, what kind of true vegetarian am I anyway if I still eat eggs regularly (as well as cheese and dairy products)? Here are the main reasons for my food choices:
I view the treatment of chickens, pigs, cows, and other factory-farmed animals as morally reprehensible, cruel, and disgusting. I am not a person who believes "no living things should be killed" in order for us to eat. In fact, I understand that death needs to occur for life to happen. The big fish eat the little fish, the soil around us becomes rich with nutrients from dead animals. I am not so disillusioned as to think that every human being must live a life wherein they don't directly cause the death of any animals.
The thing is, I can't look at a perfect, juicy, delicious, healthy chicken breast without picturing in my head that broiler hen who spent the few short months of her life pumped full of hormones so as to grow faster while sitting in a pile of chicken poop and urine. That hen lives in a cage where she can barely move. Her skin is covered in burns from the ammonia in her coup.
I can't eat a lovely pork chop without picturing the gestation crates where sows can't even move, or the lagoons of pig waste that seep into the ground and even get sprayed into the air sometimes.
I don't eat steak for two reasons: I don't like the taste of it (and never have), and for the treatment of cows (most specifically veal cows) on factory farms.
It probably seems hypocritical of me to admit I eat dairy products (that come from dairy farms where cows are pumped full of hormones to produce their milk and then stuck in cages...you get the picture). I can tell you that I try as often as I can to eat cage-free eggs, and that California passed a proposition last year that gives farm-raised animals the ability to turn around, stand up, and spread their wings/legs. This is a small step in the right direction, but it's not nearly enough for me. I simply do not like to eat highly-processed soy products (unless it's simply soybean curd or whole soybeans), and eating dairy is what helps satisfy me at a lot of meals. I am inconsistent, I know.
A lot of people have asked me why I don't eat fish. And I do--from time to time I eat shellfish (maybe 2 or 3 times a year) and I've been known to accept a tuna sandwich when there's nothing else available. But for the most part, we all know pretty well that the oceans are being over-fished and our waste is replacing the fish we catch.
One of my favorite things in the whole world to eat is wild Pacific salmon. It is so delicious, so rich, and I look forward to salmon season every year. I was really able to appreciate it for the first time when I started working at McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in 2006. And the thing about this fish that I love is that it is regulated by the US government. During seasons when there aren't enough salmon, no one can fish them. I grew up watching the salmon swim up the "fish ladders" on the Sacramento river and going to the hatcheries. But I'm getting off topic here.
I try to focus on eating things that are as sustainable and cruelty-free as much as possible. I'm not a "hippy" as my husband likes to tease me, nor am I a vegan who believes nothing should EVER die. But I do feel a huge burden on my heart that we need to take care of our planet to the best of our ability; and not to take advantage of creatures that we eat by torturing them every minute of their short lives.
This is not a very well-written post, I know. I don't have a clear structure to my thoughts and I could have backed up my research a little bit better for you. There is some very basic information in the links I have splattered throughout the post and you can look at it or not--it doesn't matter to me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my choices in food are mostly based upon a desire to refrain from causing torture to the animals we do eat, and to remember that they are a valuable part of the planet. There is something to be said for raising our meat in a way that they don't experience torture and stress every moment of their waking lives. We have been given this earth as a gift, and it's wrong to think that we can simply trash it and use and abuse the creatures that share it with us just because we can.
Yes, if we overhauled factory farms all over our country we might have to pay more for our food. Yes, we might need to pass on the chilean sea bass (that is STILL served at many high-end restaurants!) and other endangered fish populations. We might need to check the labels and do more reasearch, and go to our local Farmer's Market more often.
I also wanted to note that I am very close to deciding to add poultry (maybe a lean chicken breast or turkey cutlets) into my diet at least once a month. I recently have been listening to a podcast posted by an old dormmate and high school friend from the Philippines. I believe that she works on a sustainable farm and has her own cooking blog.
The podcast is a discussion about a book called The Vegetarian Myth which talks about the reasons vegetarianism (more specifically veganism) is unhealthy and will not "save the world," per se. I have yet to read the book and have not yet finished listening to the interview with the author, but so far it has been very interesting and I am eager to listen to more and read the book. Hopefully there isn't a long wait for it at the library!
I just want to end by saying that my reasons for being vegetarian (mostly) are not "trendy" or necessarily health-related (meat eaters can be very healthy). It's mostly my concern that I don't have a lot of ways to physically DO something to help our planet stay lovely and beautiful and one of those ways is in the choices I make about food. Because the person next to me will ask "why are you a vegetarian?" and I will kindly explain to them my reasons. This just helps a few more people each week understand the impact that our factory farms and fishing habits have on the earth.
I welcome ANY and ALL input and look forward to more cooking adventures with my new blog!
-Erin
I view the treatment of chickens, pigs, cows, and other factory-farmed animals as morally reprehensible, cruel, and disgusting. I am not a person who believes "no living things should be killed" in order for us to eat. In fact, I understand that death needs to occur for life to happen. The big fish eat the little fish, the soil around us becomes rich with nutrients from dead animals. I am not so disillusioned as to think that every human being must live a life wherein they don't directly cause the death of any animals.
The thing is, I can't look at a perfect, juicy, delicious, healthy chicken breast without picturing in my head that broiler hen who spent the few short months of her life pumped full of hormones so as to grow faster while sitting in a pile of chicken poop and urine. That hen lives in a cage where she can barely move. Her skin is covered in burns from the ammonia in her coup.
I can't eat a lovely pork chop without picturing the gestation crates where sows can't even move, or the lagoons of pig waste that seep into the ground and even get sprayed into the air sometimes.
I don't eat steak for two reasons: I don't like the taste of it (and never have), and for the treatment of cows (most specifically veal cows) on factory farms.
It probably seems hypocritical of me to admit I eat dairy products (that come from dairy farms where cows are pumped full of hormones to produce their milk and then stuck in cages...you get the picture). I can tell you that I try as often as I can to eat cage-free eggs, and that California passed a proposition last year that gives farm-raised animals the ability to turn around, stand up, and spread their wings/legs. This is a small step in the right direction, but it's not nearly enough for me. I simply do not like to eat highly-processed soy products (unless it's simply soybean curd or whole soybeans), and eating dairy is what helps satisfy me at a lot of meals. I am inconsistent, I know.
A lot of people have asked me why I don't eat fish. And I do--from time to time I eat shellfish (maybe 2 or 3 times a year) and I've been known to accept a tuna sandwich when there's nothing else available. But for the most part, we all know pretty well that the oceans are being over-fished and our waste is replacing the fish we catch.
One of my favorite things in the whole world to eat is wild Pacific salmon. It is so delicious, so rich, and I look forward to salmon season every year. I was really able to appreciate it for the first time when I started working at McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in 2006. And the thing about this fish that I love is that it is regulated by the US government. During seasons when there aren't enough salmon, no one can fish them. I grew up watching the salmon swim up the "fish ladders" on the Sacramento river and going to the hatcheries. But I'm getting off topic here.
I try to focus on eating things that are as sustainable and cruelty-free as much as possible. I'm not a "hippy" as my husband likes to tease me, nor am I a vegan who believes nothing should EVER die. But I do feel a huge burden on my heart that we need to take care of our planet to the best of our ability; and not to take advantage of creatures that we eat by torturing them every minute of their short lives.
This is not a very well-written post, I know. I don't have a clear structure to my thoughts and I could have backed up my research a little bit better for you. There is some very basic information in the links I have splattered throughout the post and you can look at it or not--it doesn't matter to me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my choices in food are mostly based upon a desire to refrain from causing torture to the animals we do eat, and to remember that they are a valuable part of the planet. There is something to be said for raising our meat in a way that they don't experience torture and stress every moment of their waking lives. We have been given this earth as a gift, and it's wrong to think that we can simply trash it and use and abuse the creatures that share it with us just because we can.
Yes, if we overhauled factory farms all over our country we might have to pay more for our food. Yes, we might need to pass on the chilean sea bass (that is STILL served at many high-end restaurants!) and other endangered fish populations. We might need to check the labels and do more reasearch, and go to our local Farmer's Market more often.
I also wanted to note that I am very close to deciding to add poultry (maybe a lean chicken breast or turkey cutlets) into my diet at least once a month. I recently have been listening to a podcast posted by an old dormmate and high school friend from the Philippines. I believe that she works on a sustainable farm and has her own cooking blog.
The podcast is a discussion about a book called The Vegetarian Myth which talks about the reasons vegetarianism (more specifically veganism) is unhealthy and will not "save the world," per se. I have yet to read the book and have not yet finished listening to the interview with the author, but so far it has been very interesting and I am eager to listen to more and read the book. Hopefully there isn't a long wait for it at the library!
I just want to end by saying that my reasons for being vegetarian (mostly) are not "trendy" or necessarily health-related (meat eaters can be very healthy). It's mostly my concern that I don't have a lot of ways to physically DO something to help our planet stay lovely and beautiful and one of those ways is in the choices I make about food. Because the person next to me will ask "why are you a vegetarian?" and I will kindly explain to them my reasons. This just helps a few more people each week understand the impact that our factory farms and fishing habits have on the earth.
I welcome ANY and ALL input and look forward to more cooking adventures with my new blog!
-Erin
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Provencal Stuffed Peppers and Minestrone Soup with Pesto
On Sunday I decided to make two dishes: Provencal Stuffed Peppers and Minestrone Soup. This is how it turned out!
Provencal Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces mushrooms, slived
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 4-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
scant 1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 large yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup red Leicester or Cheddar cheese, finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil leaves, to garnish
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, succhini, mushrooms and garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Stire in he tomatoes and tomato paste, then bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. REmove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts, basil, and seasoning. Set aside.
3) Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and seed them. Blanch in a pan of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and dry.
4) Place the peppers in a shallow ovenproof dish and fill them with the vegetable mixture.
5) Cover the dish with foil and ake for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle each pepper with grated cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubling. Garnish with basil leaves and serve. This dish is delicious served with crunchy garlic bread.
Provencal Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 zucchini, diced4 ounces mushrooms, slived
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 4-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
scant 1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 large yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup red Leicester or Cheddar cheese, finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil leaves, to garnish
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, succhini, mushrooms and garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Stire in he tomatoes and tomato paste, then bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. REmove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts, basil, and seasoning. Set aside.
3) Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and seed them. Blanch in a pan of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and dry.
4) Place the peppers in a shallow ovenproof dish and fill them with the vegetable mixture.
5) Cover the dish with foil and ake for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle each pepper with grated cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubling. Garnish with basil leaves and serve. This dish is delicious served with crunchy garlic bread.
This dish was a lot of fun to make. I love bell peppers and the mixture of onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes was just delicious! The only problem was that I think the pine nuts were a big too overpowering. I would have cut the amount of pine nuts in quarter or even just lightly sprinkled them because their flavor was so nutty and strong that they completely overpowered the rest of the lighter flavors. But, all in all, it was a success.
I'm no expert meal planner nor do I have the talents of planning courses and dishes that compliment each other. The reason I chose this next recipe to go with the stuffed peppers is that they both had the common ingredient of basil, and I thought a nice soup would go well with the lighter stuffed pepper dish. So, I made minestrone with pesto.
Minestrone Soup with Pesto
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
6 1/4 cups hot vegetable stock or water, or a combination of both
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme, or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
2-3 zucchini, finely chopped
1) Heat the oil in the saucepan. Stir in he onion and leek, and cook for 5-6 minutes. (I forgot to get a leek when I went shopping, so I had to leave that ingredient out...). Add the carrots, celery and garlic, and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
2) Pour in the hot stock or water and stir well (I used all stock). Add the hers and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 10-12 minutes.
3) Stir in the peas, if fresh, and the zucchini. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas, if using, and the tomatoes. Cover the pan ans summer for 5-8 minutes.
4) About 10 minutes before serving, uncover the pan and stir in the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the pesto sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with the grated Parmesan cheese.
The soup was, might I say, amazing. The pesto was just absolutely phenomenal! Even with the pesto, the soup just blended so well and all the flavors were really nice! Definitely one of my favorites so far. I ended up not using potatoes (I had a bag that I thought were good, but turned out to be growing into plants already!) so it was actually a healthier, lower-carb version. To make up for the potatoes I simply double the amount of zucchini I used.
You may notice that I have a hard time following a recipe exactly as it is written--that's because when I don't have an ingredient (even though I went shopping, haha) I just make do with what I have around and it usually turns out fine.
Stay tuned for my next cooking adventure--I was forced to take three days off work this week (without pay, we're on shooting hiatus) and so I will probably use part of that time to try something new.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
First Posting.
I have been inspired. For a long time I have been wanting to CREATE and lately that has taken form in some cooking adventures. I absolutely love cooking. And I'm a vegetarian. So, I wanted to create this blog in order to chronicle my adventures in cooking (and possibly other mediums of creativity).
My new job is mostly why I have reawakened the creative bug. For a long time I worked in the food service industry and then I moved to the corporate world. Restaurants and coffee shops were so stressful and a source of constant dissatisfaction for me. Then the corporate world...well, if you've ever worked in a high-rise in an office for a top executive, you know. It's great at first because everything's so professional and clean and perfect, but it gets old. Trust me.
Anyway, rambling about my past professions doesn't get to why I am creating this blog. I want to be creative! I want to teach myself and learn better cooking techniques and discover new foods. So, here I go.
-----------------
My first cooking adventure of the summer (back in July) was homemade mozzarella cheese. I have always wanted to try it, and when I stumbled upon an article on the internet about how easy it really is to make, I just had to try. It was mostly a success. I never did figure out how to get the salt to actually stay in the cheese because the whey just kept washing it away, and the cheese was very squeaky like curds you would buy in a dairy. But all-in-all it was a great success and a fun project.
I started out with the three things you need to make mozzarella: vegetable rennet (vegetarian enzyme that causes the milk to curdle), citric acid, and raw milk. I found the raw milk at Whole Foods and the only store that carried the rennet was out so I ended up ordering it from the New England Cheese Making Supply Company--it was inexpensive.
The first step was to slowly bring the milk to a temperature of 95 degrees. Warm, but not hot. Then I had to dissolve the rennet (only 1/4 of a tablet for a gallon of milk) and wait until the milk was perfectly still. Once it had sat for 3 or 4 minutes, I can't remember exactly how long, the next step was to cut the curds.
I just cut it into one-inch cubes so it would be easy to spoon out of the pot. It was not hot enough to burn my hands, but just hot enough to be really uncomfortable. Anyway, the next step was to separate the curds from the whey.
This involved simply kneading the curds like bread--or however I could knead them. Then draining the whey into the sink, nuking the curds in the microwave for 2 minutes, and continuing to knead and drain until it began to form into a ball of cheese. I burned my fingers a little bit but I survived. :) It was crazy because the cheese ball would look like it was all curds and then after 2 minutes of sitting there all of a sudden all this whey would appear all around it! It never stopped. Haha. I guess that's why when you buy fresh mozzarella in the grocery store it usually has extra liquid around it.
And here is the end result! My mozzarella ball was a little rough looking because it was my first time, but it tasted just fine! A little bland because of my salting problem, and a little squeaky on the teeth, but all in all a success.
I had so much fun trying something new and am thinking I'd like to try feta or goat cheese sometime.
----------------
That was my first cooking adventure of the summer, and it won't be my last (though technically summer's almost over...it lasts until about October here in LA) :D
I will blog late about why I'm a vegetarian, so that all my readers (if I have any) can understand and better enjoy my vegetarian cooking posts. I am very excited because tonight is Provencal Stuffed Bell Peppers and Minestrone Soup with Pesto--straight out of my brand-new veg. cookbook. Stay tuned!
My new job is mostly why I have reawakened the creative bug. For a long time I worked in the food service industry and then I moved to the corporate world. Restaurants and coffee shops were so stressful and a source of constant dissatisfaction for me. Then the corporate world...well, if you've ever worked in a high-rise in an office for a top executive, you know. It's great at first because everything's so professional and clean and perfect, but it gets old. Trust me.
Anyway, rambling about my past professions doesn't get to why I am creating this blog. I want to be creative! I want to teach myself and learn better cooking techniques and discover new foods. So, here I go.
-----------------
My first cooking adventure of the summer (back in July) was homemade mozzarella cheese. I have always wanted to try it, and when I stumbled upon an article on the internet about how easy it really is to make, I just had to try. It was mostly a success. I never did figure out how to get the salt to actually stay in the cheese because the whey just kept washing it away, and the cheese was very squeaky like curds you would buy in a dairy. But all-in-all it was a great success and a fun project.
I started out with the three things you need to make mozzarella: vegetable rennet (vegetarian enzyme that causes the milk to curdle), citric acid, and raw milk. I found the raw milk at Whole Foods and the only store that carried the rennet was out so I ended up ordering it from the New England Cheese Making Supply Company--it was inexpensive.
The first step was to slowly bring the milk to a temperature of 95 degrees. Warm, but not hot. Then I had to dissolve the rennet (only 1/4 of a tablet for a gallon of milk) and wait until the milk was perfectly still. Once it had sat for 3 or 4 minutes, I can't remember exactly how long, the next step was to cut the curds.
I just cut it into one-inch cubes so it would be easy to spoon out of the pot. It was not hot enough to burn my hands, but just hot enough to be really uncomfortable. Anyway, the next step was to separate the curds from the whey.
This involved simply kneading the curds like bread--or however I could knead them. Then draining the whey into the sink, nuking the curds in the microwave for 2 minutes, and continuing to knead and drain until it began to form into a ball of cheese. I burned my fingers a little bit but I survived. :) It was crazy because the cheese ball would look like it was all curds and then after 2 minutes of sitting there all of a sudden all this whey would appear all around it! It never stopped. Haha. I guess that's why when you buy fresh mozzarella in the grocery store it usually has extra liquid around it.
And here is the end result! My mozzarella ball was a little rough looking because it was my first time, but it tasted just fine! A little bland because of my salting problem, and a little squeaky on the teeth, but all in all a success. I had so much fun trying something new and am thinking I'd like to try feta or goat cheese sometime.
----------------
That was my first cooking adventure of the summer, and it won't be my last (though technically summer's almost over...it lasts until about October here in LA) :D
I will blog late about why I'm a vegetarian, so that all my readers (if I have any) can understand and better enjoy my vegetarian cooking posts. I am very excited because tonight is Provencal Stuffed Bell Peppers and Minestrone Soup with Pesto--straight out of my brand-new veg. cookbook. Stay tuned!
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