October 5, 2009...4:02 pm

Weekend Discoveries v. 3

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A wonderful weekend came and went;

As always, I ate to my heart’s content

These edible discoveries I now shall vent

During this perfectly tempered NYC weekend, I discovered…

-When you whine about NYC weather, it refutes your bad mouthing with a beautiful 70 degree weekend—necessitating you to, once more, revert back to iced coffee.

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No complaints.

-When an Egg McMuffin craving cannot be kicked because (a) it is past 11 a.m. or (b) you don’t want your tombstone to read “Death By Golden Arches,” a homemade version works nicely.IMG_1150

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. WW english muffin toasted; 2 egg whites microwaved (never did this before! they were good!); ketchup & an American deli slice. 99.9% less likely to be your cause of death than McD’s version.

-Another homemade sandwich of sorts: Graham cracker ice cream sandwiches > those incredible little stick-to-your-fingers chocolate ones from your childhood.

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This is saying a lot because those were great.

-Roasted figs with roquefort and maple syrup: !!!!!!!!

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I followed this recipe but substituted maple syrup for the honey. This flavor combo was muy bueno and gave me a new appreciation for figs.

-Another figgie foray: Frozen figs.

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I discovered this unique approach to fig consumption from Lynn. Me gusta. Frozen figs are the new frozen grapes.

-Zucchini cheetahs + sun-dried tomato tapenade=happy together.  IMG_1161

-SAVORY OATS!

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I know I’m really behind on this one, but I’d never made savory oats until this weekend. However, I can say with fair certainty that I’m addicted.

I followed Bittman’s approach to savory oats for my premiere bowl. I used 1/2 cup Irish oats cooked in 1 cup water, seasoned with 2 tbsp. soy sauce & salt. On top went spinach sauteed in garlic & soy sauce, grilled mushrooms and roasted red peppers.

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I kid you not, I have never enjoyed a bowl of oats so much. I don’t know why it took me so long to test the savory oats waters because I’m a steadfast salty over sweet girl. I do fear that I will now—with dual loves for sweet oat breakfasts and savory oat dinners—OD on oats. Sort of looking forward to it.

-My first homemade veggie burgers!

Again, a little behind the pack on this one. But I’ve always had such love for Dr. P that I’ve foregone making my own.

I followed this recipe—only because it called for instant oatmeal. (I’m trying to work my way through a never-ending stash that I haven’t touched since discovering oat bran and irish oats.)

I used black beans instead of garbanzos, and brown rice instead of barley.

This was the mix before adding the veggies. I won’t lie; I had several uncooked bites, and they were delicious.

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I baked half, and pan-fried half.

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The baked took the cake.

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SO GOOD. I LOVED the soy sauce & brown rice combo. I’m proud of these because they were my firsts—but I definitely think I’ll outdo them once I experiment a bit. I really want to try this recipe using Soy Vay instead of soy sauce. Mmmm.

-Starbucks was incorrecto. I could definitely taste the difference between VIA and regular.

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I intensely dislike Starbucks brewed coffee, so I thought they both tasted nasty. But, if you are a Starbucks lover, VIA’s taste isn’t that different from the brewed garbage goods.

The rest of the weekend’s discoveries were made at yesterday’s Third Avenue Festival—a street fair in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

I was accompanied by Miss Gigi and spent the day discovering that…

-She really does look like Dora.

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-Five-year-olds come up with hysterical reasons why you can’t do/eat things that aren’t of interest to them.

For example…

When I showed interest in giving these lonely masseurs something to do…

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Gigi said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. They might break you.”

When I was looking at some ceramic, I was suddenly less delicate…

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Gigi warned me, “We should go now. You might break something. And then you’ll go to jail.”

And lastly, when I suggested that we get some roasted sweet corn,

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Gigi—whose attention was more grabbed by the funnel cake & ice cream stands—explained that “since our parents let us have corn at home, we should eat other stuff while they’re not here.” (She doesn’t understand that I’m an adult; she frequently refers to me as a teenager. I don’t ever correct her.)

Oh, she also kindly advised me, “If you get corn stuck in your teeth, you’ll never find a husbamd.” Punk.

-I also learned that when you promise a kid a cupcake, you have to deliver.

So, if you forget about said promise and accidently get ice cream…

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…and are dealing with a sneaky 5-year-old who will down that ice cream

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…and THEN remind you of your cupcake promise, you have to get clever.

And find the world’s tiniest cupcake.

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As payback for her sneakiness (and that husband comment), I now present to you a highly entertaining Gigi Eats Cupcake montage:

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Proud to call her family.

Hope that helped move your Monday along—or at least made you laugh.

As Dora would say,  Buenos dias!

-Sarah

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