saturday january 30th

ok i made the same thai-ish soup from last monday. oh but i added oyster mushrooms to it because they looked so great at the g-store and i couldnt stop touching them. please go touch an oyster mushroom today. i am a perv.





i also threw in some bean sprouts this time. i kinda think they taste like hippies and grass and underarm hair but i guess i also kinda like the taste of those things. BECAUSE I LIKE BEAN SPROUTS GET IT? NOT CUZ I ACTUALLY EAT THOSE OTHER THINGS NEVERMIND BYYYYYE.





i got hungry while i was waiting for the soup stock to come to a boil so i made the most elementary 'amuse bouche' evaaaar. i think i would feel more comfortable calling it 'something to put in your mouth in one bite'.



a cucumber slice topped with old white cheddar, a pile of smoked turkey, a drop of cottage cheese (?! i had a craving for cottage cheese!), fresh dill and cracked pepper. oh and some mustard on the bottom.



always close your eyes when you eat. it's disrespectful not to.

oh! then I GOT MY DRANK ON AND MADE THIS:



happyweekendtime.

friday january 29th

i made a mediterraneanish chicken thing and it actually SUCKED. i know im not the best cook but it is rare that im unhappy with something i've made.



i seared an organicfreerunsuperhappychicken dusted with dried oregano, garlic powder and cracked pepper. it turned a beautiful colour. i was happy. we were happy. things were going great. then i decided to deglaze w/an entire half of a lemon. idiot. i added some chicken stock, onions, cremini mushrooms, green olives and capers to the pan. at the end i added broccoli and tarragon. WHAT THE FUCK, ERIN. whenever i have fresh herbs i get so stoked i use them in everything, regardless if it makes sense.

im one of those annoying ppl who try not to eat toooooooooooooooo many carbs, so i resisted the urge to do a pasta or rice or potato and made a bean thing for the chicken to sit on instead. a mixture of beans (kidney, chickpeas, navy, ???), oregano, garlic, onion, and tomato paste. it was good. but boring. i grated parmesan over the whole mess.



i wanted to broil it for a second in the oven but...didnt.

let's never discuss this again.

thursday january 28th

today i felt lazy (A THEME?!) and just made a salad. GARBAGE CAN SALAD.



basically everything that was in my fridge went onto that plate. lettuce duh, carrot, apple, fennel, fresh dill, cheddar, cucumber, celery, hmm maybe that's it. oh the dressing is lazy too...store bought!



i was going to add an egg to it, but got greedy and ate it separately with applewood smoked cheddar, fresh dill and pepper.



if you click to enlarge the egg p0rn pic you will probably orgasm. seriously, is there anything more perfect and delicious than a poached egg? sighsies.

wednesday january 27th

well, i had the noodle-y leftovers for lunch. and a sub for dinner. so i give up.

im also hiding something. i did a weird fat-girl thing and made a greasy sandwich late at night and ate it looking over my shoulder and then felt guilty afterwards. i almost didnt take a picture but fine, here, the truth:



double smoked cheddar w/honeycrisp apple on whole wheat! and fried in grapeseed oil! AHHHHHHH!

im listening to do make say think and feeling sorry for myself! attractive!

tuesday january 26th

ok so i couldnt get enough of lemongrass/lime leaves, as expected:




noodle-y thing! vvvery similar to the soup from the day before but plus shrimp, peas, green curry paste, fresh ginger, carrots...hmm that's about it.



good. tasting.

i think im getting sick. so i might be making soup for the next week. and complaining.

monday january 25th

fuck you sideways picture.

this soup garnered a marriage proposal (from my already-married boss) and comments like 'i've never tasted anything like it'...which is so exciting and i almost agree. my first attempt at a thai-ish soup. chicken broth, lemongrass (pounded and simmered in the broth, later removed...i should take more pictures), lime leaves, a bit of garlic, a bit of coconut milk, chicken, thinly sliced mushrooms and green onions. oh and vermicelli. i meant to add bean sprouts but had none! it was honestly really delicous, imo. so so simple, clean, fresh flavours...but again, i just had never really tried them before. it may replace my miso-ish soup in frequency of rotation. of getting made. of production? SHUT UP.

anyway, i didnt use all the canned coconut milk, so you can probably count on some other thai-ish thing in the next coupla days. ok the truth is i just want these flavours again and dont need to make a canned coconut excuse.

food memories

one and a half-ish years ago...watching sweeney todd while making chili w/ground beef. (movie re-cap: johnny depp slices ppls' throats while 'tim burton's wife' grinds them up and into meat pies).



the smells (paired w/the movie visuals) made me so sick. i could barely eat it. but i did anyway.

sunday january 24th

ugh still working through pmsing week....the first one w/out the help of effexor, i might add. i want to kill myself. JK GUISE!

ok look at the groceries i got....you can bet most/all of these things will show up here in the next few days...





ok maybe not the shampoo or st. john's wort.



the first thing i made (i definitely ate the double-smoked cheddar before anything made its' way to the fridge/cupboards) w/some of that crap was a 'coleslaw'. cabbage, fennel, carrot, apple, green onion, sultanas, fresh dill and tarragon, celery..i think that's it...lemon juice, apple cider vinegar...ca c'est tout.



someone recently told me they had grown up on pogo sticks and fries so i thought, "EAT MY POGO, BITCH". (w/a fork and knife though).




the 'fries' were a bit of a disaster....look at those burnt fuckers. i say it only happened because someone was really late. i would like to try something similar again though...(new trick=baked with chicken stock! what!)

the 'pogo' was 'oktoberfest sausage' (made by my dad)...last mention of dads' sausage for awhile, promise! but to take it further...i still remember the smell of the raw sausage...i used to help him when i was little......AHAHAHHAHAAAHA ok this is too much. even i have boundaries.


to get that wicked glare, always use a flash.

i caramelized some onions, cremini mushrooms and apple in the pan i had braised the sausages in...placed the sausage on a sheet of butter puff pastry (i brought it!), added the caramelized mixture along with the double smoked cheddar and rolled it all up! oh also, i baked them, duh. they were especially good with a sweet russian mustard!



ps please tell me what to cook this week....i currently have zero plans/ideas lined up!!

saturday january 23rd

my mom was still in town, so we went out to eat again..therefore another 'one thing they made today'..sorries! OR NOT PROBS! we went to asahi sushi in my favourite area of town, east of adelaide. or "EOA" for those in the know. now you know. i had never been to asahi (HOW DO YOU SAY THAT W/OUT SOUNDING MENTAL?!!) before, but would go back!!





my favourite was the salmon wrapped in cucumber because (secret!) I DONT LIKE NORI. SUCK IT.



hi mike. grow up, erin.

oh shit, i DID MAKE ONE THING....a drink. shocker.



pear absolut vodka, lemon san pellegrino and blueberry juice. it was delicious. cocaine woulda been better.

friday january 22nd

my mom came into town and we went to garlic's. therefore, another addition of ONE THING THEY MADE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ok, i must interrupt myself to mention that it is hard to be funny when you're pmsing. i'll write less-bitter posts in about a week, ok? tmi? fyi?).

ok, so garlic's has always been a fave of mine, but i hadnt been since the owner changed, blhablahblah. when i called to make the reservation i asked to be 'as close to the kitchen as possible' (knowing it was open-concept..inviting you to watch). the man asked if i had a particular reason for this, perhaps thinking i was a critic or something? well surprise, im not...but look, now you're on the internets!!

ok, so i ordered a caesar. it was fucking amazing. next, they brought us a complimentary amuse bouche:

it was goat cheese on a thin slice of apple w/a grape poached in something? oh wow i actually forget. I AM A PROFESSIONAL FOOD CRITIC. anyway, it was good!

we split the caesar salad and the 'sustainable seafood selection' ("B.C. cod and smoked bacon cakes, lobster mango fresh roll and Malpeque oyster fritters with chipotle mayo") to start.



um. wicked.

i had "SEARED MANITOULIN ISLAND ARCTIC CHAR" ("Local sour cream, garlic and chive potato puree, maple roasted root vegetables and shaved fennel orange salad"):

um. wicked.

drew had rabbit risotto and my mom had the roasted chicken w/hand-made pasta. they were all amazing. im not sure i thought so because i had, admittedly, a few drinks in me (introducing peeps to your mom is nerve-wracking...wrecking?), but previous experience here makes me think it was all consistently great. my only complaint was the waiter...we discussed it afterwards and realized the weirdest thing was he didnt smile once. very up-tight, almost stern. oh shit, except when i said something dumb over dessert...he saw us/me staring at it, not touching it, and i said we were praying. hilarious.


(bee-pollen ice cream and flour-less chocolate cake...each garnished with a gooseberry...bonus points for childhood memories. my oma and opa had a gooseberry bush and i would spend summers with them eating the fruit).


THANKS FOR VISITING, MOM. NO THANKS TO LEO FOR CHOOSING TO LOVE YOU MORE THAN ME.

thursday january 21st

trying a new thing...because, secret: sometimes I EAT OUT. (pervs). therefore, when that happens, we will call this 'one thing THEY made today'..it took me way longer than it should've to come up with that.

we went out to ben thanh, surprise. fresh bbq pork rolls are one of my favourite things to eat in this entire world. i also got 'sliced chicken breast with rice noodle soup' (creative name yes? leaves so much to the imagination). i would love to know what exactly is in that broth. i think i'll get kaffir lime leaves this weekend at the g-store if they have them...lemongrass...try and recreate that shit!

wednesday january 20th

shit dawg, what happens when you have leftovers from the night before? i just ate meatballs again. FUCK THIS IS CONFUSING.

here is a picture of braised 'oktoberfest' sausage and red lentils i made a while ago? peace offering? truce? sorries.



my dad made the sausage.



he is really into food and makes a lot of cured meats and pickled things (next project- cheese?!) and we always had a huge vegetable garden growing up...
when my parents got divorced he became even more food-obsessed and it's awesome to give someone a 40$ bottle of balsamic vinegar for christmas and have them be totally stoked. (and to share it right away, mixed with olive oil, and bread for dipping).

tuesday january 18th

my boss and i talked about meatballs all day so i went home at lunch, took pork and beeformoose out of the freezer, and mothereffing made them when i got home.


meatballs held by meathands

onion, fresh parsley, s&p, garam masala (secret weapon of the week), hmmm what else....shit i forget. they were pretty good though.

im listening to 'band a loop' on chrw...on my opa's german tube radio. it's pretty much my favourite time of the week. woops, gave away the real day im writing this.

monday january 18th

i made miso soup. it's one of the few things i make over and over and over again. i've actually never had it at a restaurant or tried it anywhere other than my own house.....so i realize my version is probably nothing like it's supposed to be? whatevs man. free love.



i always just CREAM THE PASTE into some water, bring it to a boil....add a bunch of crap....freshly grated ginger, garlic, green onion, whatever vegetables i have around..this time it was broccoli, peas and water chestnuts....think that's it...that 'red rooster' hot sauce stuff...oh and some rice noodz.

it's also the best cure-all...hangover, cold, whatever....i always crave it when im not feeling well...TOO BAD I HAVE TO MAKE IT FOR MYSELF.

sunday january 17th

today i made a venison roast with mashedpotatoesforaheartattack and squash.

venison is good. it is better than beef, imo. milder, no fat, etc etc.



when i was 3, my mom took me to see bambi...she has told me i cried the entire movie...so loud and persistent that she couldn't stop laughing at me? thanks mom!



i roasted the venison with garam masala for the first time...i was glad. that i did. yawn this is boring let's talk about potatoes instead! a bulb of roasted garlic, extra-old cheddar, sour cream, cream, butter....hmm maybs that's all that was in 'em. regardless, delicious. you are jealous.



roasted the squash w/maple syrup and butter and parsley. it was edible. i dont like acorn squash too much. it has been in the cupboard for at least two months. AHAHA!

ps i will shut up about this soon, but always please click to enlarge the F00D P0RN PIXX.

saturday january 16

i went out for a delicious brunch (eggs benedict duh) w/mike and wasnt too hungry...so honestly, i just had leftover soup and snack-y pickled things....my dad makes cured meats and things and look you can see some in this HAWT PIC:



i see why luke sometimes sounds like he's given up on life. this is exhausting.

friday january 15

im going to adopt luke's posting structure and post something for each day, regardless if it's on time on the internets or not get it? (not saying luke ever cheats in this way!! he does!). ...cuz i do make stuff daily, but often cant find the time to write a post because of work or because im cooking more stuff duh, or sometimes because im just passed out, drunk.

OK SO....TODAY I MADE TURNIP SOUP.



turnip, potato, parsnip, onion, chicken stock....very very simple because turnip is delicious and pungent. fresh parsley and parmesan on top. (can you tell im still working through the same groceries from last week??).

woops missed a day, suck it.

ok tonight my goal was SPEED because i was starving so look at the quickest pasta evaaar:


always remember to click to enlarge and watch it get SEXY!

onions, green onions, cremini and button mushrooms, broccoli, peas, garlic, BIG SQUEEZE of lemon juice, fresh parsley and shrimp! oh, and chicken stock. it took everything in me not to make a cream sauce...i grated some parmesan on the top. compromise!

ok time to go watch ghost world for the billionth time. grow up, erin! cali and i were going to be enid+whateverhername is for about a billion halloween's but we could never agree on who would be WHATEVERHERNAMEIS. the girl scarjo plays, you know!

ps:. i forgot about califone for a really long time. please listen to a chinese actor!

written in reverse

(new spoon=amazing. oh shit this is supposed to be about making things but i cannot calm down about the amazing upcoming!! shows!!!!!!!!!! ok im done. just wanted to thank you, god. seriously. SPOON+DEERHUNTER WTF STFU NSFW!!!!!! OK OK OK.).


i rarely make the same thing twice. this is pretty true. at the same time, i tend to never make 'normal' things...like a CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD. HOW HAD I NEVER MADE A FUCKING CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD BEFORE?!

so i did that. i will do it again. despite my claim to never repeat things. oh, which is totally not true.
eg: i make miso soup all the time. shit that's all i can think of right now.

tonight im going to see youth in revolt. debating taking a traveller or not. afraid i will make that traveller a caesar complete w/celery and maybe some cucumber.