The Pig and I

I think I might not be getting enough protein lately, so I decided to get into that bag of chicken to work on the problem. I also have some pesto left over from when Sarah and I made it at her house, and it seemed like a good idea to use the pesto as a sort of paste to marinate the chicken. I had this with rice, but I think it'd be equally good with pasta. Mainly I had it with rice so as to be able to use even more pesto. :) Once again, this is a pretty quick and easy meal. You could put the pesto on the chicken, then go to work and it'll be ready to cook when you come home. I just let it hang out in the fridge while I got some work done here at home. I had a lot of research to do in a pretty short period of time (because apparently I've turned into a massive procrastinator), so it was a good work day meal for me. As an aside, I cannot figure out if my neighbour's kid is taking singing lessons, or if they just listen to really bad music. A lot. Like, the same three s...

This is a nice, non-food post. Don't you love how I mostly put them all in a row, so you know exactly which days to ignore me on if you're only here for the recipes? Makes life easier for me too. ;) Anyway, the people at CSN Stores offered me the opportunity to review one the items from their billion online stores (okay, really it's more like 200 stores, but you know how I love the word "billion"). They have a lot of stores, including one that has a section of like, 800 headboards . Thankfully, I already have a bed because I don't know how I'd be able to choose after looking at so many (and sadly, despite already having one, I still looked at them all). After much debate and indecision, I finally selected a product to review. From the cookware site , of course. I'm a sucker for an awesome new kitchen item, especially when it's not costing me my life's savings. I selected a Le Creuset baking dish that seems perfect for stratas and the like. I do...

I won some canisters from OXO, and they arrived this week. They are freaking amazing. They're airtight, and neither a hassle to open nor to close. I'm using them to hold things which I don't use often but which are prone to staling (i.e., oats, cocoa powder, cereal, etc.). I just wanted to mention this to you guys in case you were on the lookout for new cabinet/pantry containers. I'm not being compensated in any way (other than the fact I got some free containers, but that wasn't contingent on a review), but I just thought you should know these things rock. I used their picture from the website (which I hope they don't get mad about), since I still have one container I haven't decided what to fill with yet. Plus, their picture is all styled and pretty and stuff.

I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving! Over here, we're having a great time. This year I declined to cook (!!!) and we ordered a lovely tenderloin package from Whole Foods. The food was great, and since it's just the two of us this year we have plenty to snack on through the weekend. However, not doing the spread doesn't mean I ignored the kitchen completely. Instead of making dinner, I've spent the day baking various types of cookies to send to my mother for her holiday gift (we're doing only handmade gifts this year). Which brings me to the mesquite. The people at Casa de Fruta (which is one of my favourite places in the world, primarily because of how wonderful their olives, dried apples and sheet apricots are! Plus they make some really delightful wines; I stop there anytime I'm in northern California) sent me a bag of their mesquite flour. It tastes kind of carob-like, and is flour made from the beans of the mesquite tree. Doesn't really get m...

I have to say, the people at POM are really winning me over. They sent me some of their new iced coffees. These things go beyond addictive. They're delightful, rich in flavour, creamy in texture and just amazingly, sickeningly delicious. You probably already knew I love coffee (and tea!), but these are just wonderful. They're pretty high in calories, averaging about 190 for 10.5 fluid ounces, but I'm guessing those high calories are what make them taste so good. They also pack a large caffeine wallop, at 175 mg of caffeine per serving (which is one bottle). That's just over twice the amount of caffeine in a red bull, but without all the chemical after-taste. It's also slightly more caffeine than in a grande latte from Starbucks, but without the burned flavour (or maybe that's just my thing against Starbucks?). Anyway, they're really delicious, and if you're going to go for an energy-type drink, I recommend this one.

As you all know, I've been dreading this one. Nothing in the Asian category of sweet and sour appeals to me, usually. Well, okay. I usually find them completely disgusting. So it was with much trepidation that I took out the chicken and made this (at P's request). Heart in my throat, I made the rice and cut the chicken into little bits. I fried the chicken in the cornstarch mixture (which smelled amazing, btw). Then I cut open the sauce packet. To my delighted surprise, it was not bright red or orange. This was the first sign of hope that I was not going to be icked out when I ate the food. P was excited, and played a video game while he waited to taste it. I mixed it all together and finished heating the sauce and pineapple/water chestnut mixture through. It actually started to smell... appetizing. My mouth watered a bit. When it was heated through, I put a huge portion (half) into P's bowl and brought it to him. For myself, I got out a plate, and a jar of rice seasoning. ...

After two hellish days of trying to get caught up with all the homework I missed while I was sick, the last thing on my mind tonight was cooking (and yesterday I was so slammed, we ordered pizza and sandwiches). Enter the Wanchai Ferry stuff. I had two left: Sweet and Sour, plus Cashew Chicken. Nothing really is more disgusting to me than sweet and sour anything , so I'm trying to avoid it. Whenever I make it, you guys will be hearing P's opinions, not mine. :) Anyway, so I decided to make the cashew chicken one. Except I defrosted steak. So we had cashew steak tonight. It was good. Very good. But it didn't taste like Chinese food. It smelled like Chinese food while it was cooking (lovely notes of ginger and garlic), but the flavour of the beef drastically overpowered the flavours of the sauce. When I tasted just sauce, it was very nice. Same texture as the previous sauces I reviewed. But I think if you guys get this, use a mild meat, like, uh... chicken. :) With steak, it...

Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway! The winners, via random integer generator are: Here are your random numbers: 10 10 5 11 3 Timestamp: 2009-02-07 15:22:36 UTC So, that's Tim, seticat, dakotawitch and Joe! And then of course there's the repeated number, so we'll do another integer: Here are your random numbers: 2 Timestamp: 2009-02-07 15:25:38 UTC Which is FlavoDave! Congratulations! Please email me your names and addresses, and these'll be out to you ASAP! I hope you enjoy the meal packages! And now, the Spicy Garlic Chicken review. Some of the things that applied in the last review still apply here, so I won't bore you with the repetition. I'll just go straight to the important stuff! Ease of preparation: This was almost the same as the last one, except I had two extra steps. The first step was cutting the chicken (oh noes!), and the second was tossing it in the cornstarch mixture. Nothing too complicated, so I stand by my previous determina...

I'm still having troubles with my camera (meaning that in reality, I can't figure out where I put the memory card), so still no pictures. Sad, right? I have some good news, however! Today will be my first product giveaway. The nice people at Wanchai Ferry have sent a product sample package to me, and have offered 5 product sample packages for winners. I received a package including one each: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Spicy Garlic Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken and Cashew Chicken. I believe these retail for $4.97 per package (so 20 dollar value, roughly). I'm going to randomly select 5 readers to receive a similar package. All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me how you make your favourite Asian dish (or just what it is, if you don't cook). The giveaway contest closes at 10 PM EST on Friday. Winners will be selected via random integer selector so it's fair for everyone. Good luck! Now, on the to review portion. Today I did the Kung Pao Chicken box, though I...

Azuma. It's a sushi and Robata bar. They have two locations. This is some of the most delightful sushi I have ever experienced. The nigiri itself was splendid. The flesh (we had bluefin tuna, sea bass and salmon) of all three fish were firm yet meltable. Their flavours were wonderful; a true indicator that it's not just talk when it's said they fly the fish in daily. Rolls? Oh, the rolls. There were two that tied for favourite to both P and I. 1) Azuma roll - Spicy, spicy, spicy. But all the heat is in the finish. This roll contains a blend of bluefin and yellowtail. Its wrapped in nori then rewrapped in a thin slab of daikon. There are black sesame seeds and a shake of some sort of chile spice on the top and a slight drizzle of their spicy sauce. Its flavour is delicate, initially - melty almost, and the heat is at the very, very end of the finish so you have the opportunity to melt into the roll before the heat shocks you. It's a gradual heat, sneaking up on y...