Half-Assed Homemaker

Mmm purple foam.

I talked to someone last night about Juice-Fasting, subsisting on juice. Supposedly it gives you energy like none other. I wonder if I could juice fast for a given amount of time and chronicle it here a la Super Size Me.

I was going to post my best recollection of the pickle recipe I used last year but apparently, there are health concerns.

I don't use a specific canning bath thing which I'm not sure is necessary but I've eaten from nearly a dozen jars of my own pickles and here I am boring you to this day.

Since i don't want to endanger anyone, I'll just link this recipe from a land grant university.

I probably will get some friends together for a pickling party but they will need to sign a waver.

The first flowers in my vegetable garden are bursting forth from my zuccini plants. I am so excited to see such great results from my first wide deployment of seeds. Almost all of my summer vegetable are from seed this year. With the exceptions of two pepper plants.

I went to two garden shows to browse, I had all the plants I needed but I wanted to help out the Master Gardeners. I bought a Cherrapeño which is a new hybrid from Hayward and a Russioan Yellow Aji which is new to them this year.

The early adopter in me won. And now, Zuccini Flowers.

Husk and quarter Tomatillos. Quarter a Jalapeño. Crush and peel some garlic cloves. Toss everything in some oil in a bakeable pan. Broil for 5 minutes and bake for 10 minutes.

Tomatillos should be nice and soft now. Pulse in a blender just until smooth. Simmer (possibly not necessary).

Serve hot or chilled.

I planted some barley grass. Some say it is more potent than wheat grass, some say it is less potent. That's hippie medicine for you.

I also planted som Cilantro. I used corriander seeds that I bought from Whole Foods. Is it considered buying in bulk when you buy 9¢ worth? I know I got more than I would from a seed packet, and they are organic. Let's just see if they grow.

My neighbor has some vegetable plants growing along the side of her house and she sheilds them with cardboard boxes when the sun get's too hot. Does this photo make the box look sad?

It was good but I got a little queezy afterwards. I'm hoping that is because it is so incredibly good for me, I can't handle it. Maybe it's ubervegetableness is just beating the crap out of the toxins with which the man has laced my food for years and years. if you think about it that way, with all that shock and awe going on inside, a little oddness after breakfast isn't so bad. Hooray Juice. Boo toxins.

I made fresh pasta last night. They had a workshop last night at the Cafe here at work. I made a bunch of Fettucini. I took it home and boiled it up with some garlicy marinara with San Jose Tofu Company tofu in it. Holy crap, that was a meal!

After much deliberation and anticipation. I ordered a juicer. It arrived on Thursday so I'm officially a juice guy.

The juicer is like a little robot child. I feed it carrots, wheatgrass, apples, spinach and other treats and it's threaded auger makes an endearing biting sound. I snaps off a piece at a time and chews it thoroughly like a good little robot. It dispenses out the pulp in a pooping manner into my compost container. Like a thoughtful little robot child is that it saves the best part for me. Fresh juice trickles into my cup, dazzling me with its vibrant colors and fluffy froth.

Oh robot boy, you're the best.

When you mail in your income tax, put extra stamps on it because it is going all the way to Iraq.

That one's by Garrison Keillor.

This article talks about a design firm and mentions NeXT Computer.

NeXT computer, which boasted an operating system seen by many as an equal to Apple's latest OS.

Not entirely wrong but entirely journalism either.

The flavor of toasted, and roasted foods has recently come to the forefront of my attention lately. The burnt flavor that made me shun the house coffee at work is now an intriguing roasty depth that graces my mug more often.

Toasted almonds are a treat. If anything releases a rich mellow sweetness under dry heat, it is the mighty almond. Berkeley Bowl is my only known source of bulk unsalted toasted almonds.

The toastiness of the malted grain is the first thing I taste in beer these days. I really like the balance of toastiness and bitter in amber and the more toasty I want, the darker I go.

Some of it may be a particular salt, sea salt perhaps that adds a body that resembles a very subtle smokiness present in a new cheese at Trader Joe's as well as the hummus at Kabob House in Santa Clara.

I guess it started with Espresso Di Roma coffee beans from Trader Joe's. While excellent for espresso it is also amazing in a french press. The smooth flavor leaves the roasted goodness free to meander through your senses.

With the help of the Half-Assed Homemaker and a rented jackhammer, nature has reclaimed aproximately 50 square feet of sweet sweet garden.

Bring dried black beans and a few inches of water to a boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and let soak for two to four hours. Remove water from the beans (water your plants with it or add it to your compost) and replace it with enough fresh water so the surface of the water is one inch from the top of the beans.

Boil beans moderately. Ignore it until the layer of beans touching the bottom of the pot are burnt. Pour out beans that are not burnt. Enjoy.

Dig that smokey flavor.