Jbeatty's Journal

12/07/2009 21:00 #50494

Going Vegetarian
Category: food

Just kidding, I could eat bacon with a side of bacon for breakfast. I did however make another vegetarian dish tonight. Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Quiche. This was my first quiche and I'm reasonably pleased with the results. I cheated a little bit with the dough and didn't let it rest before I baked it. It did shrink a tiny bit, but it still turned out flaky and delicious.

I used to hate quiche as a child, come to think of it I hated mushrooms as well. This dinner would not have been well received by me at age 8. I have a strange memory of quiche from 7th grade. In my English class there was some sort of contest. I don't recall the the contest but the prize was either a pizza party or a quiche party. I do like quiche but the pizza would probably still win out today.

jenks - 12/08/09 16:12
I love quiche. yum yum yum. that looks delish.

theecarey - 12/07/09 22:23
woah..a 7th grade prize "quiche party"?!

I'm with you. I like quiche enough, but good pizza would still win out.

and in the 7th grade, I don't think I would have eaten something called, "quiche".

Mmmm mushrooms! That picture looks yummy. It is quiche, but now you have me thinking about pizza. Pizza porn pics next, please. :D

tinypliny - 12/07/09 21:22
New rule! If you post a picture, you gotta post the recipÃ©!

Super new rule! If you post a DELICIOUS looking picture, you need to cut that delectable thing into pieces and go around (e:strip) giving peeps a sample.

Don't worry. If you feel awkward, you can always pretend that you are a caroler giving out goodies instead of assailing people's ears.

12/01/2009 18:15 #50426

What is vegetarian?

So every now and then I've been known to cook something vegetarian for dinner. Last night I made Shakshuka

And Nan-e barbari

Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast of eggs and tomatoes with some feta and few other things. According to Saveur (where I stole the recipe from) it is a Libyan dish. The Nan e-barbari is Iranian but it was originally an Afghan recipe.

Anyway as I was chopping vegetables it dawned on me that it was vegetarian but not vegan. Then I started thinking about all the different types of vegetarianism. I work with a girl that claims to be a pescetarian. Which means she won't consume flesh unless its that of a fish. And then there is the flexitarian which is such a stupid concept to me. Basically it means you are vegetarian until you are in the mood for a bacon cheeseburger. I also know someone who states emphatically when referring to his wife and his eating habits that "she will eat it if it swims, but I will eat it if it clucks". I suppose that should be another category. Is there any other types of vegetarianism out there?

Vegetarian food does not bother me, given that it doesn't suck. I wonder how many people out there are vegetarians because they like it, and how many crave a rack of ribs with a side of bacon on a daily basis. With that said Shakshuka is pretty damn delicious.

james - 12/08/09 08:18
I was vegetarian in high/middle school. My mother is very Catholic and couldn't understand that fish is meat. To this day we have arguments about it, though we have them over very rare steaks.

tinypliny - 12/06/09 22:36
But that bread looks AMAZING! I love how the lavash-like flatbreads look - seems you followed that recipÃ© to the dot.

tinypliny - 12/06/09 22:22
Thanks! I went to the kitchen fully intending to make a whole wheat naan using your recipÃ©. But then I got derailed and soaked urad dal :::link:::(bean) and moong dal :::link::: instead to make an altered version of Ragi Idlis :::link::: . If they turn out remotely presentable tomorrow, I will post. Right now, I am waiting for some teeny-weenies to atleast start the fermentation before I resort to mixing in the yeast.

jbeatty - 12/03/09 20:12
Apparently my grammar is shit as well.

jbeatty - 12/03/09 20:11
(e:tinypliny) This is the recipe I use :::link::: . It's not very exactly clear and the grammar and punctuation are horrible but the bread turns out well.

leetee - 12/02/09 11:14
As someone who calls herself a vegetarian, i define my diet as "ovo lacto" vegetarian. I won't eat animal flesh of any kind, or additives to food that involve killing the animal (ie jello --- eeewww). But, i do eat dairy and eggs.

I think everyone chooses to be a vegetarian for different reasons, and often as life evolves, so does our diet. At work, meals can be very difficult for me, since the state of new york does not care that i won't eat that cheap nasty cut of meat that we serve, but so far, i am enduring.

I will say, however, because my reasons for choosing to be vegetarian are ethical or moral and not health, i do find myself craving meat, particularly holiday meals with turkey and ham. Or maybe i miss being a part of that....?

tinypliny - 12/01/09 21:29
RecipÃ© for the Nan please? :)

tinypliny - 12/01/09 21:22
Vegetarian is a label. For some, it's not a choice and for some, it is. Sometimes, it's a fad, yet other times, it's a decision. For some, it's following one's heart, yet for others, it's following a blind culture. For some, it's a weight-watching diet (that inevitably fails) and yet for others, it's a necessity to health. For some, it's melding in, and for some others, it's rebellion.

And so...

I chose to be called a comfortarian. :D

joshua - 12/01/09 21:03
This looks delicious JB. This is almost like the huevos rancheros of northern Africa!

joshua - 12/01/09 21:01
What the fuck? What happened to the whole "labels are just words" movement? =D

theecarey - 12/01/09 20:47
my minor in nutrition is failing me at the moment, but there are several nutritional classifications for different types of vegetarianism. Personally, in terms of labeling, I think someone is vegetarian or they're not, with vegan being more restrictive.

Easy enough, pretty much all food appeals to me.

Shakshuka and Nan-e barbari looks and sounds delicious. I enjoy reading your adventures in various cuisine.

janelle - 12/01/09 20:34
Lol@the flexitarian comment. When I first heard that term, I embraced it for Drew and I. Drew was a vegetarian (using uncutsaniflush's definition) when we met. Then, he started to eat seafood when we went out on dates. Around the same time, he started the ministry thing, he didn't want to make an issue out of the vegetarian thing. So he would eat meat when served to him at a church event or a church member's house. He dropped the label of vegetarian

When we were first married, we ate vegetarian meals for dinner and Drew generally didn't buy meat or eat meat at home. Only I did. Now, Drew will eat meat when I make it around the house.

For me, Flexitarian is what I use to try to explain my diet to people who don't understand the gray between black and white. It's a binary between eating lots of meat and no meat. I think Americans eat way too much meat. I think our eating habits are way too meat centered. I have some concerns over the ethics of the meat industry, but I don't necessarily have an issue with slaughtering an animal to eat meat.

Over the years, I've put thought into how much meat I eat. On average, I eat about two lbs of meat a month at the most, which I think is far less than the average american. Now I'm moving into thinking about where I get my meat. Soon, I should be getting organic beef from Native Offerings. And I'm really excited about that.

heidi - 12/01/09 20:29
(e:uncutsaniflush) is totally right about it all being the Pope's fault! I'm from a heavily Catholic area and most folks don't get the "fish is meat!" thing. "Heidi, do you want fish fry?" ew.

"I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat anything with a face." -Princess Daisy, 'Super Mario Bros.'

I've heard that Jerry Garcia said a similar thing, "I don't eat anything with an asshole." but I can't get confirmation from Google. It seems a more technically accurate statement.

uncutsaniflush - 12/01/09 20:10
Personally, I think that the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for many Western people's idea of vegetarianism. Consider this, on "meatless" Fridays, one could eat fish. The Pope sez fish ain't meat. Vegetarians don't eat meat. Therefore, vegetarians eat fish.

I've known "vegetarians" who ate seafood and poultry but no beef, pork and lamb.

To my mind, a vegetarian is someone who does not eat animals - no matter if the critters are in the air, in the water or in the ground.

Vegans are the fundamentalists of the vegetarian world - they don't eat animals or anything that comes from an animal. So no cheese or eggs for vegans.

And, of course, there are some religions that do not allow their members to eat animals.

metalpeter - 12/01/09 19:56
most Vegatarians don't count fish and say it isn't meat. But it is meat. I have an uncle who would not eat meat but would make an exception for Beef on Weck when he would visit Buffalo, I don't blame him for that at all.

zobar - 12/01/09 19:50
My sister had a friend who wasn't anything tarian but she wouldn't eat meat if it had 'jiggly wigglies' in it - ie, anything that looked like the inside of an animal. Chicken wings, for instance, were a non-starter. And yet, they went out for crawfish once and she tore that shit up - antennae, eyeballs, and gelatinous brain goo notwithstanding.

- Z

jason - 12/01/09 19:10
Hate to use this again but you can't be a lil veggie any more than you can be a lil preggo!! Your dinner looks so good. I'm excited to learn more and get better. Btw let's talk about beer sometime like we did at the wedding.

11/29/2009 18:24 #50407

Politcs Politics

I'm not really into talking about politics, I do however love laughing at people who are. I also enjoy when politicians and talking head pundits slip up and say crazy things.

For example: apparently Senator Buttars doesn't particularly like it when "the gays", "stuff it down his throat all the time"

Or this young lad who prefers to be the teabagger instead of the tea-baggee.

08/23/2009 19:07 #49617

Food Stuffs
Category: food

I'm pretty sure this is a rip off of fruit loops

So I ended up making the stuffed french toast last Sunday. I stuffed it with this

Blueberries with lime sugar and Brie.
Also I did another batch with Nutella and Red bananas. (thanks everyone for the suggestions), ((e:jenks) how does the hollowed out bread thing work?)
It turned out pretty decent. When it comes to breakfast food though I really like Eggs Benedict. I love syrup on my bacon, but pancakes really suck. But the masses were satisfied, I think the Lambrusco helped.

So two weeks ago Elizabeth and I went to Cleveland just for the hell of it. Neither of us had ever been there and mostly we wanted to just take a quick trip out of Buffalo.

Cleveland reminds me of Buffalo

We went to two restaurants there. Plus a winery on the way. These are some of my favorite things we ate there. It's from the restaurant Greenhouse Tavern.

Top: House Made Fromage Blanc
Bottom: French Breakfast Radishes

We also went to this really awesome restaurant the night before ( sorry no pics) called Crop

They have such a cool Sunday night deal. 3 course prix fixe for $25. You get your choice of entree, but everything else everyone gets. We ended up talking to the owner for a while. He a was a cool guy, from NY. Anyway, if you find yourself in Cleveland these are really fun places to check out. Great food, service and atmosphere.

Today we slept in and are making Vichyssoise and a Tomato Tart for dinner. I can't wait Im starving.

leetee - 08/24/09 12:40
Funny, after i read your first post about stuffed french toast, i saw a food network show on breakfast food and they did some. They just did a sandwich with bananas, dipped it and fried it...

Yours looks like it would be very good.

Speaking of food... i assume you saw the No Reservations Rust Belt episode???

janelle - 08/24/09 12:17
Yes, stuffed french toast is awesome. (e:jbeatty), you should teach (e:drew) how to make it for me!

drew - 08/24/09 10:14
Three things I disapprove of:

1. You went to Cleveland, not Pittsburgh.

2. You said, "Pancakes suck."

3. Syrup on Bacon.

But stuffed French toast is AWESOME.

jbeatty - 08/23/09 21:29
(e:jenks) I never order eggs benedict either. Making it really isn't that tough and tastes a lot better at home. Homemade corned beef hash is awesome! and simple too. I haven't made it in about a year but it really doesn't take much and the texture is superior compared to the canned dog food.

(e:paul) the green stuff is mint chiffonade and lime zest.

paul - 08/23/09 20:38
What is the green stuff in the blueberry stuffing?

jenks - 08/23/09 20:22
I love eggs benedict- but I rarely order it b/c I am so often disappointed. I hate bad hollandaise.

But last week I had something new- FRESH corned beef hash. i.e. not from a can. sliced in the kichen right there. It was a whole different animal- and delicious.

The stuffed french toast was great. she cut of the ends and scooped a 'tunnel' through the whole thing, which was then stuffed with filling. then sliced the whole loaf and battered/cooked it.

08/16/2009 07:27 #49547

Question about french toast

So I have never made stuffed french toast. I've actually never even had it before. So I'm wondering am I supposed to cut a pocket into the bread and actually stuff it? Or is it acceptable to make a sandwich? I have seen mostly sandwich looking concoctions online which seems to be easier to spread stuff out evenly. But I'm not sure what most people here have seen or had.

james - 08/16/09 11:48
The way I make it is sort of like a casserole. You spread the cream cheese mixture onto the bread, put a layer of it into the pan, pour some of the batter on, and layer it up.

zobar - 08/16/09 09:05
Holy crap that's elaborate. I'd never heard of stuffed French toast, but I would expect something a bit more like a Monte Cristo.

- Z

jenks - 08/16/09 08:21
ooh, if you go back in my journal (april I think) I think I posted some pix of my friend making stuffed french toast... Wow it was great. She made a filling out of (I think) cream cheese, raspberry jam, and some vanilla-
And stuffed it into a big french baguette. She hollowed out the middle and then stuffed the whole loaf with a spoon. THEN sliced it and cooked the slices.
WOW it was good. And didn't seem all that difficult.