Days Fly By

Amidst the recuperating from my foot surgery, BBQs on hot summer nights, weekends away, and Groupons that are going to expire, I haven't done much cooking in the past few weeks. For this, I apologize, because when I don't cook, I don't really think to write - unless I visit a new and exciting place, but I haven't done that. I've been frequenting the many favorites (ones I've already written about) or hanging out with friends at home, grilling up simple steak tips, and trying to beat the humidity by not rushing around my kitchen in a frenzy.

As the days begin to get shorter, and the weather starts to get cooler, I definitely start to "nest," doing larger food shopping trips, and stocking the shelves for the comfort foods of cold weather. In preparation for this "nesting," I've been trying to organize my kitchen (as well as the rest of our apartment), and the first task on the list was the pantry. I have TOO MANY spices, oils, vinegars and other assorted ingredients. I realized that I have duplicate bottles of many things, as well as items in containers that aren't labeled and difficult to find in the back of these deep shelves.

So, I got out the label maker, I bought some little bottles for consolidating duplicates, and even got some adorable polka-dotted contact paper to pull it all together! I'm almost done with the first shelf! Yes, I've only done one shelf. It's a lot of work - it was the spice shelf! Once it's finished, I'll have an accurate account of the things I need to use up before going on anymore ingredient binges. I've got plenty to last me awhile, and all I need to supplement are fresh fruits and veggies, and proteins. I probably won't be making a set menu for a few weeks as I make my best effort to clear some things that need to be used up. I think I'll use farmers' markets and local stores to supplement what I've got in small amounts, since we still have a bunch of Groupon vouchers that expire at the end of the month, as well as lots of plans to take advantage of outdoor dining before the summer's up.

Thankfully, I'm getting around better now, and can take advantage of all that Boston has to offer in the summertime, while the weather's nice and the college kids are still on vacation! Once September hits, it's a mad house up in here! :)

Mexican "Bistros"

Recently, I've noticed that there are new Mexican restaurants popping up all over the place. These little "bistros" are really exciting for me, because it seems that REAL Mexican food is making its presence known in the New England area. I used to travel to Arizona for work and got the pleasure of frequenting many Southwestern restaurants in the area. Real Mexican food is very different than what you might find at Taco Bell, thank goodness.

from Flickr - by D'Contreras

What I find most enjoyable about good Mexican food is that it doesn't weigh you down the way the greasy, Americanized fast-food varieties usually do. In the past, I wrote a review for a new place down the street from my office, Papagayo. That's a great example of fresh, delicious Mexican cuisine.

Tonight, we stopped by another new bistro in the Arlington area, an adorable little storefront called La Posada. We found the menu on the iPhone Safari browser and called in an order. The menu was quite extensive, and it was difficult to pick just one thing. I didn't get pictures of the things we ordered, but I'll assure you that everything looked, smelled and tasted delicious!

from Flickr - by planetoftheweb

The point of this post, however, is not that we found another delicious little Mexican restaurant to frequent. I wanted to touch on my excitement at a cuisine that hasn't yet made its presence fully known in this area. There's a sushi place on every corner, a Chinese restaurant at each turn, and Thai food abounds, but what about the tableside guacamole carts, and the make your own fajitas? It's about time they make an appearance in our neighborhoods, and our menu drawers. I'm happy to see more quality Mexican food in personable, family-run bistros, with the option of takeout! Gone are the days of giant combo platters of tacos, enchiladas, beans, rice, etc...Goodbye greasy dishes with too much cheese! Welcome to the real Mexican cuisine, and a whole new set of spices and flavors.

Eyeball it!

First, let me apologize for not writing yesterday! I didn't get home until really late last night because I spent my evening listening to Bon Jovi croon his greatest hits! There are few things that could keep me from writing, but Bon Jovi...he's one of them! :)

And now, on to the culinary wanderings for today!

There's something to be said for following a recipe to the letter, especially if you are still getting your "kitchen-legs." Measuring spices and oils to the exact amount can prove helpful if you don't have a lot of experience, but once you get a slight grasp of the concepts, try branching out, and put that 1/2 teaspoon measurement spoon away. You can usually see, as you pour, when you've used the correct amount.

From Flickr - by chef@isimmer

A lot of people get scared that they are going to over-season, or mess up the balance of flavors in a dish by eyeballing the measurements. If you have that concern, start off with a timid pour. You can ALWAYS add more, but it's a lot more difficult to take away, so pour a little of all the spices necessary for a dish, and then taste it. Add some more and taste it again! The key is to always taste your food, at every step of the way. If you taste the flavors as they are melding, you can certainly tell when you need to add more.

If you watch any of those cooking competition shows, you know that people are always getting burned for not tasting their food, and that's not just on tv! I wouldn't want to eat a meal in a restaurant, knowing that no one tasted it along the way. And the same goes for your kitchen - don't send anything out of it without tasting it, and adjusting the flavors to your liking. The more you use certain spices and herbs, you'll learn the specific tastes and will be able to recognize when your dish is missing one thing, or has too much of another.

From Flickr - by TiGeRwInGs

If you still feel hesitant to try the eyeballing method, try this. Take a recipe you want to try and make it to the letter. Measure every single ingredient. Enjoy your meal but concentrate on remembering the tastes. In the coming weeks, try making the recipe again, using the eyeball method. Can you recreate the dish, or even, make it better!?

Add a Little Spice to Your Life

Yesterday, I decided to try a new method for purchasing the spices that my recipes ask for as ingredients. When I looked at my grocery list, I realized that a few things on the list in that section would not be found easily in my local stores...so I turned to the Google! I searched "epazote," which is a common mexican herb, used in a lot of common dishes. The first search result was a website called Spice It Up Online.

I decided to give them a shot, so I found epazote and added it to my cart. I turned back to my list on the Shopper app, and saw that I was also looking for Mexican oregano, as well as anise seeds. (I know, this all sounds extremely complicated, but sometimes good recipes call for strange spices and you just have to do a little googling to get to the bottom of it!) For instance, I was under the impression that anise seeds would be the same as fennel seeds...since fennel is sometimes called anise. I was wrong however, and Yahoo taught me a few things. Apparently, anise seeds actually come from another spice, Star Anise. So, I went back to my cart on Spice It Up, and added both Mexican oregano and anise seeds to my cart as well. Each of these three spices were about $2 each, for about an ounce...whereas, at the grocery store, you have to buy a big bottle, that will spend a lifetime sitting on your pantry shelf.

For the three spices I needed this week, I spent $6...plus a $2 flat shipping rate. I am still awaiting my delivery but I think I've found my new method for spice purchase. I saved myself some money, and some space in my pantry, but still get to try working with a spice I've never heard of before (more on epazote when I get to it on my menu this time around).

There are other places similar to Spice It Up but I chose to use them because they were at the top of my Google search. If you live in the Boston area, there's a store called Penzey's Spices (also with a website) and you can go there to browse their selection as well. I find it overwhelming to look through their catalog without some sort of plan, since I want to try them all!

Today, I'll be going grocery shopping too...and that means (drumroll please)...A BRAND NEW MENU! It starts tomorrow so there'll be plenty of fun things to talk about ... a new bunch of recipes I've never tried!

Leave me comments if there's something specific you'd like me to address, or just want to let me know that you're reading! I'm extremely excited to see over 200 viewers here, and I wonder ... do I know you all? Have I gotten some random viewers? Am I helping you? What do you want to see more of? Talk to me, because I'd love for this to be an interactive experience! XOXO