Pho-llen Angel

I did it. I admit it fully and freely, I fell off my self-imposed wagon, and got the Pho soup here at work.  The reason this soup has such an interesting history is both because of its taste, and its effect. Our workplace began making and serving the infamous Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) in the Fall of 2009. After I left a certain position in December (see evil boss post), I was no longer susceptible to the siren song magnet-like pull of the soup. I was relieved. Then, I returned to a new role - but at the same place....and danger was lurking right down the hall...

You see, this is no ordinary soup. This soup is a large (16 ounces!), made-to-order conglomeration of thin noodles, beef, seafood, or vegetarian with tofu, and crammed full of goodness so astounding, you cannot stop eating it. At all. You wish it came in a half size portion, but you know you'd be licking the inside of the container to get at the rest of the goodness. Here is beauty shot number one of the perpetrator...

Just LOADED with sprouts, tofu, shrimp, carrots, noodles, jalapenos (put there by me, of course) cilantro, scallions, mint and so many goodies I cannot remember them all! And yes, it was piping hot and outrageously delicious.  The problem is, you see, that it has a sodium content of over 800 mg!  Thus, my comment about the effects of consuming said goodness. Let's just say that bloat has never been a problem for me - well, that is until I tried the Pho here. You could tie a string to me, and I'd be your balloon, ok? What is funny/strange about this pho-nomenon, is (without giving it away exactly) I work at A MEDICAL FACILITY! You know, one of those places that stresses, um health? Final shot of the soup as I'm beginning to devour...

Did I mention that each vegetable retained it's crunch and texture, the jalapenos were fresh, and that the soup was every bit worth the impending balloon-age? Yep, sure was.

What do you eat, knowing the consequences are less-than-favorable?

The verdict? Well, I'm so glad I fell off the Pho-wagon, in a way. There are sometimes sacrifices we have to make to enjoy the flavors we love. Next stop? Making it myself! Eat well, my friends, and happy Friday tomorrow!

Ole'

Sometimes, a gem is right under your nose, and you don't know it. For instance, Dear Husband and I are always on the prowl for decent Mexican food, after living in California, and enjoying a higher standard when it comes to that particular cuisine.

So, one day we are just driving along, minding our own beeswax, when the urge for Mexican food for lunch struck us.  We had literally just left the house, and were driving the Pixie-mobile around the corner when I noticed in a nearby strip mall right on Tudor Road a small sign saying; TACO KING! Go here for some reviews.

Being the queen of condiments, while Dear Husband was ordering, I helped myself to their generous toppings bar by getting some jalapenos,  hot salsa and pico de gallo.

Well yes, yes I know that there are not a lot of jalapeno peppers in that little tub.  Come on, I have to go to work, ya know. I can't be all a-flatulent at work now, can I?

How do you avoid the dreaded "tooting at work" issue? Don't tell me about that product that ryhmes with mean-o, it does not work for me!

Clearly I'm getting off topic. When we first discovered the lovely Taco King, I always had gringo chicken or gringo beef tacos. Oh, my...you should see the GIANT, beautiful steaming bowls of menudo, and chicken tortilla soup coming by!  I swear by all that is tasty, as soon as there is snow on the ground, I'm going to nail one of those bowls. Of course, I will not be able to finish, their portions are amazing. So, if my evil plan works correctly, I will then have enough to take back to work, and sip on all the live-long day. YAY! and...OLE! 

Ok, on to the actual lunch. Dear Husband convinced me that his single chicken enchilada dish, smothered with lovely sauce, with the addition of a little salad on top (I know, right?) was the way to go. I finally caved like the cheap deck of cards that I am when it comes to persuasion, and had him order it for me as well.

Yes, the enchilada covered the entire plate, yes, Dear Husband was right, it was delicious! I rightly added some very hot hot sauce, some pico de gallo, and showing remarkable restraint, only one jalapeno. Perfect, cheap, filling and ....delicioso!  I must have been born under a lucky star, because afterward, the dish did not attack and destroy my intestinal fortitude.

Eat well, and adios for now me amigos!

Classical Jazz

BACK! Back to classical French cooking, I say! Last night, to celebrate my return to classical French cooking, I decided to return to one of my favorites...coq au vin (chicken in red wine). I rely on a recipe from that old standby,  Joy of Cooking.  The recipe has pretty much been the go-to one I have used for nearly thirty years, and quite frankly, I've tried others and they don't stand up.  First, the gathering of ingredients, and prep that makes it all go smoothly.

At the risk of sounding redundant, the lessons learned over a lifetime of cooking dictate that preparation is the key factor that can make the difference between success and failure...on to the actual cooking. First, a little saute of bacon/onion/garlic fun.

Although the recipe calls for shallots, I usually substitute red onions...I find they have the sweetness required...ooops, forgot to add the carrots for the browning step!

Ahhh...that's better. Now time to brown the chicken..

The chicken is nicely browned, so now it's time to put the veggies back in the pan, and add the flour and seasonings, and tons of red wine, of course.

What I love about coq au vin is it's beautiful mix of textures and colors....in go the mushrooms, chicken and red wine!

Now, an hour-long simmer to mellow the wine, and get the other ingredients to absorb the flavors....and this is what it looks like after an hour. You'll notice the reddish-winey color has changed to a deep, mellow brown.

And this is how it looked on my very happy dinner plate...

If anyone ever asks me about re-creating French classic cooking, I let them know to relax, pour a glass of wine, make your kitchen the soul of your home, and it will be well.  Eat well my friends, au revoir!

A Golden Moment

As you know, I have an ever-lovin' quest for healthy work lunches going on.  Sometimes, I fail miserably. Sometimes though, I am SUPER WOMAN again, and make a dish that I consider healthy, beautiful, and praise-worthy.  Ok, praise from my three favorite people...me, myself and I.  This was just such a night.  As you know, I am an omnivore, but I am totally fascinated by what those inventive and talented vegan and vegetarian bloggers are up to.  I recently saw the lovely Gena's post about building a meal-sized salad. I was so totally impressed by the variety, beauty and tasteful-looking salads, that I set about to create my own!  First, I set about a-roasting a lovely acorn squash.

After an hour at 400 degrees, and a slight cool-down, time to cut it up and break into all that golden sweet delicious-ness.

On to the salad. Into my incredibly large suitable for work lunchbox went arugula, spinach, grape tomatoes grated sweet Matanuska Valley carrots, scallions, the squash, and a sprinkle of heathly nuts, seeds and raisins over the top. It's starting to look like lunch up in here!

But then I thought...OH NO!  What to dress this finery with? Well, I rationalized, the arugula is rather bitter, the squash rather sweet, I'm going to need a really assertive dressing for this puppy.  Then, I remembered Caroline over at  The Broccoli Hut and her love of cottage cheese.  Wait a minute, I love cottage cheese! Oh, AND I happen to have a tiny jar of minced basil perfect for turning into dressings and such!  Ha!

So in the processer a few tablespoons of each went, along with salt, garlic powder, pepper and a handful of spinach for additional goodness and color, and there you go! A green goddess-y type herbalicious dressing for my meal-sized salad.

Am I tired? Why yes, yes I am. Was it worth creating this all from scratch on a weeknight, just to have a decently healthy and filling lunch at work tomorrow? You betcha, as my Minnesota friends might say. 

What did you push yourself to do that you knew was going to be worth it? What was your payoff/reward/feeling of goodness?

Eat well, my friends, and I will tell you how the whole thing tasted once combined. I have a feeling it's gonna be good!

Crunch & Munch

It's not hard to find healthy lunches, even in meat-centric Anchorage! for instance, Dear Husband and I went to a local pizza joint, Uncle Joes for lunch today, and I got to crunch my way through this!

I just realized that the arrangement of the salad dressings on the plate, make it look like a funny face.... OK...back from being six years old again!  What I enjoy about this salad, is the fact that it's all romaine lettuce, that lovely purple cabbage is added for the crunch I must have, and that the house dressing is tangy and spicy, and an unusual tomato-y goodness.

So you see, even if you are not ambitious enough to pack yourself a healthy lunch, there ARE some options out there. By the way, I did make the California tri-tip supper I spoke of a few posts back, it just went so fast that I could not photograph and post about it! Ah the hazards of being a good cook....

What do you pack for work lunches? Do you get lazy and have to buy lunch out?

Eat well my friends...ta ta for now

All the Comforts

I am a true Cancerian. Although I love to travel, it is home that I love to be. I view working for a living as that horrible monster that keeps me from being Suzy Homemaker, and trading my time for paper that enables us to pay bills and buy food is a poor substitute for real life. What is real life? Well, in Pixie-land, real life would be getting up on my 40-plus acres, feeding the horses, and picking whichever vegetables I would be preparing for supper that night. I would spend the day planting or cultivating my incredibly large garden, picking flowers for the house, hanging out with Dear Husband, and LIVING!  This, my friends, is just EXISTING. All your time, just-a workin' for da man.....sigh.

Anyhoo, that entire pity party was my way of saying that when I leave for work, I am consumed by a panic that makes no sense. I am filled with fear that somehow, some way, I will not be able to find FOOD!  Keep in mind, that Alaska, and the place I work are known for making sure that A: there will always be food around, and B: there will be a workplace potluck almost every single day.  I'm also right down the hall from a cafeteria that has so much food, soup, sashimi, sandwiches, breakfast, salad bar, hot lunch, etc., that people here have a tendancy to gain weight, and fast! There is no lack of food around...but still, when I left for work today, here is what I felt I must bring in case I felt faint from hunger, of course....

The grapefruit slices are going to be the first to go, there's no doubt there. The dry-roasted almonds will almost certainly be next in line, and the yogurt and breakfast bar? Well, they may just end up riding the insulated lunch box along with the rest of the goodies I brought.....which include;

Home made Portuguese chicken soup (Canja), jujy fruits candy, beef jerky, sno-caps candy, apple cider mix in an envelope, hot chocolate mix, cup-a-soup, hot tea and snickers bars. Ummmm yeah, let's face it, not only will I not starve, but in a survival situation, I could potentially feed my entire department for a couple of days.

What secret snack do you smuggle into work? Do your co-workers know you are sitting there eating pickled herring, or enough Halloween candy for the neighborhood?

Eat well my friends, and when you go home tonight, look around at your warm and comfortable home, and be grateful.

The Evil Snack Fairy

Back to the soon-to-be-famous; "Borderline Pointless Letters to No One in Particular"

Dear Evil Snack Fairy,

I realize that I am a vulnerable person. I live in the new-to-me frigid and gnarly state of Alaska, and must immediately prepare and eat whatever strikes my fancy, especially if said item looks awesome and tasty. I am vulnerable because I cannot mow a lawn, garden to my hearts' content, or otherwise keep as active as I like to.


You, evil fairy do not care that it is four pm on a Sunday afternoon, I must have supper on the table oooohhh, within the next three hours or so, and will be too full, and guilty \highly satisfied, to consume the meal I prepared. No, you just abuse me with your tantalizing thoughts of perfectly cooked pasta, finely chopped onion, chili (with beans, thank you for the combustion later, too), and a mound of shredded cheddar that would make Rushmore blush!

Oh thank you evil Snack Fairy.....

Ok, rant over. Truth be told, that Cincinatti-style chili was freakin AWESOME! And, althought I do not remember exactly what it is I made for the "household" supper that night, I do remember serving it with a smile.

What do you make and consume with unbridled passion, without a care for the consequences?


Eat well, and indulge the Evil Snack Fairy...if you don't she will come at Midnight, anyway.