Food, Glorious Food

Hits and misses all around the ITP Estate in the food category.

I’d Probably Would Have Packed My Knives
After a long perusal through Emoroid Kroger, and fighting traffic through Emory’s campus, I returned home to start preparation for my Top Chef dinner. I was planning on roasting a chicken (with some sage and garlic slipped under the skin) while it sat atop some vegetables — carrots, potatoes, onion, celery — that I’d picked up at the grocery store. In addition I also planned on making cheesy mashed cauliflower with the head of cauliflower that I also bought at the store.

Side note: Last night’s dinner, today’s lunch, two bottles of cheap wine, and some various other staples at Kroger cost me (with tax) $71. Yikes!

The chicken and vegetables roasted for about ninety minutes at varying temperatures. I started the bird at 425º F and dropped the oven’s temperature down to 350º F during the cooking process. When I pulled the platter I realized that I should have smeared oil on the vegetables (I made the semi-incorrect assumption that the chicken’s fat would render into the bottom of the casserole dish in which all was being roasted) and that the entire shebang could have used at least ten more minutes in order to take the chicken to another level and soften the vegetables some more.

After disassembling the cauliflower I steamed the florets until they were tender. I added some butter, cheese, and milk (perhaps too much of the last) to the cauliflower and mashed the concoction. The cauliflower mixture turned out a bit loose, so I decided to cover it and toss it into the oven with the chicken.

It was probably because we ate so late, but ITP-Reader Betsy said that she liked dinner. I think she was being polite. I was more critical of my effort and think that I need to hone my chicken cooking skill, or stick to roasts.

ITP Flickr Pic
I tried to upload a photo today, but I couldn’t find anything I wanted to show.

Seeking Food Redemption
Another thing I did last night was prepare and start cooking a beef stew for lunch today. I finished the final preparation and started the cooking at midnight. This morning I carefully drove the crockpot into work and thankfully didn’t spill any of the contents.

I’m hoping that the near-twelve hours of slow cooking will make for a fantastic beef stew. I’m planning on sharing this with coworkers, who will most likely not be as kind as Betsy with their assessment of my cooking.

I’m Going To Show My Fashion Ignorance
Even though I’m in a larger state of waistline than I want to be I’m considering buying new pants. Recently I thought back to some dark-green (olive, perhaps) “khaki,” but not cargo, pants I used to own. Do stores currently sell these sort of casual (read “Dockers”) pants in a dark-green/olive these days, or is it all tan (real “khaki”?) and black “Dockers”? Where would be the best store for me to go and look?

Still Contemplating A New Water Heater
The ITP Estate’s hot water heater is still banging away. I’m getting to the point where I think I should just have the hot water heater replaced (who knows, this could be the starting point for making all necessary repairs!) since I’m coming to the conclusion that I’ll never get around to trying to drain and flush it in order to see if the banging stops.

What says you? Do you think it’s worth it for my to try to flush the hot water heater? Do you know of a good plumber who I could ask? I have so much to do over the next few months I just need to start chipping away at the things which are nagging me.

I Might Not Have To Cook Tonight
It’s lavanderia night and if I want I can eat at Las Tortas Locas or get myself a bánh mì sandwich. Or, I could head home without eating tonight and see what I can do to salvage my leftovers. Choices, I have choices.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – frustrated
Current Music – listening to this week’s “The Talk Show” podcast
Website Of The Day – When the proprietor of Leftover Chef notices that his/her site is still SOPA/PIPA disabled I’ll be going back to see if the site has a good suggestion for my leftover chicken.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – next week

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 2.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~6.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)

Vegetarian Days – 0
Carnivorous Days – 18
Pancakes Eaten – 0

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

January Goals
– Lose at least one pound (net weight loss)
– “Completely” recover from the bike crash (though I’m beginning to think that this will never happen)
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
– Not get fired from my job, nor quit my job
– Follow up with doctors, lawyer, women in whom I have interest
– Participate in a least one dinner party (perhaps held at my house when plumbing issues are addressed?)
– Go out on a least one date with a woman in whom I have interest
– Submit 2012 paperwork for Sharpened Stone, LLC
– Gather all tax paperwork for 2011 income taxes
– Request free credit report
– Successfully arrange for automatic payments for my mortgage
– Watch all of the classes in the 2011 Winter semester of Stanford’s CS193P (iOS Development) course

2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5?), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue, to make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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6 Responses to Food, Glorious Food

  1. Barb says:

    Kohls has lots of Docker type of pants, not sure about that color, but they have lots of choices (yes, I do buy the majority of Allan’s clothes, if I left it up to him, well, I don’t even want to think about it)

    We have used left over chicken for home made pizza – I usually have lots of toppings around, some sun dried tomatoes, some artichoke hearts, maybe sue a pesto for the sauce, bacon bits can NEVER hurt a pizza, etc. Whatever I have around gets added to the pizza. (or, my favorite pizza from Baby Tommy’s – jsut chcken, bacon & ranch with some cheese too of course)

    Or – make some soup…..

  2. John G. says:

    (Mmmm…roast chicken.)

    Draining a water heater is really simply. All you need is the knowledge of how to turn it off/on (if it’s electric) or turn off the gas and light the pilot light if it’s the NG variety. After the heating is turning off, turn off the cold water supply and connect a garden hose to the tank’s hose bibb connection and drain the water (and sediment) to the outside somewhere. Turn on the cold water supply (without heating) to flush.

    My guess is if your WH is making hot water (and not leaking) it’s working fine (and does not need replacing). But will one day, they all do (knock wood).

    Your banging sound is most likely air in the pipes. (Or expansion/contraction of the hot water lines). Easy enough to correct. You can eliminate any “air in pipes” at the same time you drain your water heater. Allowing for expansion/contraction will require the installation of a “surge tank”, if you don’t already have one. It’s a tank with an internal rubber bladder you fill partially with air. Think of it as a water shock absorber. It’s easy enough to install, but probably best for a plumber to handle. Parts 1 hour labor.

    Say, we can drain your WH Saturday, after we meet/shoot, if you want. Or not.

    Regarding “no photograph to post”, I though your shot from the Monastery of the Holy Spirit was good enough to post for two days! Encore! Encore!

    In any event, you’re no different than most “great artists”. Talented, broody, hot/cold.

    In the words of the great Chinese philosopher Ni Ke, “Just Do it!”.

    JG/HamWithCam

  3. Interesting suggestions Barb, I like them both.

    The water heater is making hot water and not leaking (yet). It’s twelve, almost thirteen, years old (first thing I replaced when I moved in) so I’ll be keeping an eye on it. It’s gas and I confess not having a good knowledge on how to turn it off and reignite the pilot. When it was installed the plumber put in cut off valves — which should work to stop the cold water supply. Back then he also installed an expansion tank (I think that’s what he called it). The knocking sounds as if it’s coming from inside the main tank. Years of sediment kicking around? I can buy a good hose from Home Depot / Lowes, and given the water heater’s placement in the house it’s an easy run to the backyard.

  4. Steve says:

    Barb- you mean Allan actually owns “long pants”? Wow.

    If you’re still looking into the replacement HWH, see if there is still a tax benefit of switching to a tankless one. I think ours works really well.

    -FP

  5. Barb says:

    yes Steve, yes he does, though he RARELY wears them, every once in a while, there is an occasion, that I feel he must.

    and -random thought that I know none of you care about – I bought some shoes that make my size 10 feet look smaller, I really like them. I’m wearing them today.

  6. Jenka says:

    I bought David a couple pair of slacks in that olive color as well as another olive/brown color (in other words, two pair of pants that WEREN’T khaki or black) at Dillard’s. Good prices, too. Macy’s would also have them, but would also be correspondingly more expensive.

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