Saturday, July 28, 2012

Day 19: All in a felafel
So, back from NYC, completely knackered, and feeling a bit weird.  I think sometimes i underestimate the impact that travel has on you, especially the quick trips and 3hr time zone difference.  You get up at 6.30am to get into the office by 8am - but your body is still completely set on Pacific Coast Time.  Its no wonder you feel like a complete zombie for the first half of the day until the caffeine kicks in.  Its probably amazing we manage to get any work done at all.

The preps for the pitch i'm currently working on are coming along, but I'm pretty much stuck working all day, on a Saturday, before I have to turn round and go straight back to NYC tomorrow.  Next week is going to be absolutely brutal.  However, no matter how busy I get, there is ALWAYS time for Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge.  So, to today's culinary cliffhanger.   After the success of Loopy's Luscious Lentil Burgers, I thought i'd try another bean-y pulse-y thingy and have a crack at making felafel.  Loopy had given me another recipe to try and - amazingly - it was completely KSCC-compliant, as well as being super quick and easy to make.  I couldnt be arsed to go shopping and buy the fresh stuff I'd need for the accompanying carrot salad she'd described, so instead I'd be having felafel salad to accompany the felafel.   Anyway, I finally got to use that tin of chickpeas that have accompanied me on 4 house moves (it was a bit sad, actually, saying goodbye as i dumped them into the food processor and flipped the switch to mince them into a million pieces - i think i may have heard a small apple core-like squeal of distress as I did so...) and chucked in a load of other stuff, including cumin, coriander, parsely, breadcrumbs, and garlic.  I think it turned out a bit soggier than it should but i managed to still form them into patties and fry them up OK.  They were less felafel ball-like and more splat-like, but for my first time making these little suckers, an admirable effort, I think.  Here are the stores on the (slowly emptying) store cupboard doors:

Day 19: Felafel Splat Patties
Ingredients: as above
DoD: 2 (whizz it up in the processor but skillful splattage formation and frying required)
II: 1 (Loopy told me to make these, so i was simply following orders, guv'nor)
PfBF: 3  (not necessarily barf-worthy, but curiously bland and didnt really taste of much)

Overall assessment: I dont know whether it was because i forgot to add seasoning but - despite looking the part - unfortunately, they were rather underwhelming in the tastiness index. But, they were quick, free and gave me a well-needed break from work, so it was worth the effort.  

And its back to NYC again tomorrow. *sigh*

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Bee Facts #102:  Why Do Bees Buzz?  And Aren't Stripes So Last Bee-Season??
In my never-ending search for truth and apiological knowledge, I posed some additional bee-rain teasers to our resident expert and favorite recent Berkeley grad, Xander.  Here's our exchange bee-low.   As an aside, I wonder if he ever gets fed up with people making bee jokes the whole time?  Its completely irresistible (you try to stop yourself the next time all things buzzy come up in conversation) but must be entirely unoriginal and I'm sure he's heard them all! (probably the same as when I worked with the Viagra team back in my old Pfizer days - erection joke?  Heard it.  Yep, heard that one too.  And, yes - ha, ha, stiff neck.  Very good.  *yawn*   Oh, and premature ejaculation jokes? (or PE, to those of us in the know).  Heard all of them too.  Though those ones didn't take quite so long to tell....


Anyway, perhaps on my frequent long flights bee-tween SFO and NYC, I could start a list of bee-related puns (buns?) and see just how creative i can get.  Probably still marginally more fun than watching any in-flight movie with Eddie Murphy in it.  (I saw the really stoopid one with the leaves the other day on a flight to NYC - i didnt bother to plug the headphones in and could still follow the entire story.  Dont think that one will be up for any Oscar's this year...)


Enough pre-bee-amble.  Here are all the answers you've been bee-side yourself waiting for.....


On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 1:28 PM, sazzinthecity wrote:
Hey Xander
Thanks for your reply - that’s fascinating!  Knowing that bees do actually sleep (of a fashion) makes them even more adorable.

So, to pester you with even more questions (and tell me to *ahem* buzz off if you don’t have time to answer these) - why do bees buzz and why are they stripey?  Neither can be for camouflage purposes so what's the evolutionary benefit?  


On Tue, July 24, 2012 7:11 PM, xander wrote:
Hey Sarah!
No worries about the extra questions! Though some bees buzz when they're flying, honey bees generally don't make any noise unless they're at the hive, creating that distinctive sound that lets you know when there's a colony nearby. The noise doesn't serve any purpose of it's own that we know of, but is mostly just an unintended result of the duties that workers tend to carry out in the hive. Hive ventilation and honey dehydration requires workers to move their wings at a frequency that gets the job done without giving the bees any lift, which happens to be at a frequency that resonates through the bee's body. I wouldn't be surprised if there are benefits that we don't know about yet, though!

My understanding is that the stripes are actually to call attention to bees rather than to camouflage them. You know how lots of poisonous snakes and spiders have bold-colored pattern (especially red, yellow, and orange) against deep black? In biology, this is called aposematism; it's a visual language recognized by a wide variety of would-be predators all over the world. Poisonous or venomous insects like honeybees (or yellowjackets, or black widows, or coral snakes, etc) use what is called Mullerian Mimicry that allows folks like us to immediately recognize them as dangerous (we use that same instinctual alert response to certain color patterns when designing everything from caution tape to road signs to fire engines). There are, of course, cheaters, or 'Batesian' Mimics, that use similar color patterns despite being entirely harmless. There's a fun writeup on bee mimics on the U of Illinois website if you're interested. Keep an eye out next time you're in a healthy organic garden with lots of insect life; you're bound to see a few. 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Day 18: Super Speedy Freezy Smoothie
Super quick blog and super quick supper tonight, as I've got a presentation to write and a red-eye flight to NYC at 11.30pm to catch.  *sigh*  From non-elite status on United to Premier 1K in 7 months.  100,000 miles traveled.  That's quite a lot in anyone's books.

Anyway, enough of that.  Today's supper was some toast (yey, home-made bread!) followed by a semi-solid smoothie.  Guess my ratio of frozen fruits to liquids was not quite right.  Nonetheless, you cant really go wrong with whizzing up a smoothie, so here are the scores on the (still frozen) doors:

Day 18: Peachy Strawberry Smoothieliscious
Ingredients: almond milk, frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, banana, PB2 peanut butter & cocoa powder.
DoD: 1 (stuff it all in, whizz it up, scoop it out, spoon-assisted consumption)
II: 1 (none required, dish comes ready assembled in your head)
PfBF: 1 (yummy, no weird ingredients this time)

Overall assessment: delish, if a little on the frosty side.  Note to self to maybe thaw out at least some of the fruit a bit first.  Otherwise my Vitamix is going to have a hissy fit and go on strike - and that would be bad.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Days 16 - 17: Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge Has Now Formally Entered its Dried Bean and Pulses Phase.....
Buoyed by the success of The Lentil Experiment, i felt confident enough to step it up a notch and finally tackle the mountains of other dried legumes that have been loitering in the very depths of my kitchen cupboards for years.  The star of today's culinary endeavor was to be the humble mung bean.  Its been so long i don't remember my thought processes, but at some point in the way distant past, I think i must have been preparing for zombie armageddon or some other apocalyptic event because i bought pounds and pounds of the stuff!  I think maybe i had vague notions of sprouting them but soon realized that that would require constant care and attention (watering! rinsing! turning! draining! all too draining!) so that idea went out the window.

Anyway, so here we are and its time to tackle the Mung Bean Mountain.  Knowing the answer would lie within, i faithfully consulted Gillian McKeith's You are What You Eat cookbook and, Bob's your uncle, there it was - Gillian's famous Mung Bean Casserole.  The blurb described it as "the best dish for ridding the body of toxins and bacteria" - crikey. Hopefully it won't rid me of ALL my bacteria - that would probably result in a very long trip to the loo.   Perhaps Gillian is just taking a bit of creative license to whip up some enthusiasm for her favorite recipe.  It was all pretty straight forward, if a bit labor-intensive but in the end I think it turned out pretty well.  Paired with some brown rice, it certainly checked all the boxes in terms of complete nutrition, even if it didn't send my taste buds into paroxysms of ecstasy.  Here are the scores on the (glass mason jar) doors:

Days 16 - 17: Mung bean medley madness
Ingredients: dried mung beans, beef stock (no veggie stock), turmeric, cumin, coriander, onion, carrots, endives, radishes, clover sprouts, brown rice.

DoD = 3 (pre-soaking! cooking not just one but two - two! - dried ingredients!  artistic arranging and layering!)
II = 3 (i think anything that voluntarily includes the use of mung beans deserves credit for imagination)
PfBF = 2 (it tasted very brown - not bad, but the culinary equivalent of Birkenstocks)

Overall assessment: it wasn't bad but it wasn't a patch on the Lentil Burger lusciousness of the last couple of days.  It was so ridiculously healthful, it almost generated a new Assessment Index, the How Healthy? score (1= no nutritional value whatsoever (CheezWhiz or Big Mac) to 5 = so damned virtuous, a free halo is included with every serving).

Monday, July 23, 2012

Bee in the Know.  Bee Facts #1
So, hot off the buzzy press!!  Following my induction into the wonderful world of bees on Saturday, I followed up with our resident bee expert, Xander, with a few questions of burning importance.  Do bees sleep and do they have knees?   Here is his adorable reply:


"In the meantime, to answer your question, yes! I double-checked one of my favorite bee FAQ reference books ("Why do Bees Buzz?") and confirmed that bees do sleep! It's not exactly like our sleep, but it's similar: their muscles relax, they stop moving, their antennae become immobile, they become less reactive, and their body temperature drops. Unlike mammals, they sleep deepest at the end of their sleep cycle, whereas humans, for example, do not. The youngest bees sleep less often and less regularly, probably because younger bees tend to focus on 24-hour tasks like brood care, whereas older bees that tend to be foragers are more likely to sleep during the evening when there is less nectar available.
And yes, bees do have knees, depending on how you define a knee (they have a tibial/femurial joint, but no kneecap) -- more than we do, actually! The best information I've read on where the phrase comes from is online here..."



http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-bees-knees.html

There are many things i love about this answer.  One, that cutie-pie Xander has so many bee FAQ reference books, he's able to have a favorite amongst them.  Secondly, the sheer enthusiasm and bee love that comes shining through in the message.   And lastly, the fact that bees do actually sleep makes them even more adorably cute.  Do they get bee sleepy dust in their eyes?  Do bees get bed hair and wake up even fluffier and fuzzier in the morning?  The list of questions on all things buzzy just keeps getting longer and longer.   Stay tuned....

Sunday, July 22, 2012



Day 15: Toast-tastic!  Crumbs and cricket on a glorious Sunday morning
It was no good.  I just couldn't hold out any longer.  I had to have some bread.  More specifically, hot, buttery toast.  I blame the jar of honey I'd bought yesterday at Bee Class for seeding the idea into my head - and now i'd woken up with a full-on craving for the good stuff.  However, being now precisely half way through (*cheers from the crowd*) Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge, if i wanted bread, I was going to have to make it myself.

And so I did.  I managed to find a recipe for a basic white loaf that didnt require any eggs - just flour, dried yeast, butter, sugar, water and salt, dug out the old mixer from the pantry and went for it!  Well, I mean i mixed everything together how I was told and then let the dough hook do all the heavy lifting, but even still.  Pretty damned adventurous for 10.30am on a Sunday morning.  Not sure what it was about the act of bread-making, but i then felt compelled to turn on Radio 4 for a British accented conversational backdrop.  I got somewhat more Britishness than I'd bargained for, however, as there is obviously a Test Match on between England and South Africa and i was greeted by the unmistakable blend of exquisite dullness and complete unfathomability that only cricketing commentary can provide.  I challenge any of my American readers to listen to the cricket for 10 minutes and have a clue what they are talking about.  Or even to make it through 10 mins without running screaming from the room in abject terror.  But, I simply made another cup of tea, stiffened my upper lip a little more, kept calm and carried on.

In the end, my bread turned out right champion (uh-oh, blogging in a Yorkshire accent - damned cricket!) and I proceeded to demolish several slices of it, still warm from the oven, and slathered in the finest organic, raw honey from Ariadne's hives.  It was absolutely delicious.  So much so that I ended up having to slice it all up and stick it in the freezer, otherwise I could very well have seen myself chomping my way through at least one of the golden brown hunks from heaven.  So, huzzah - just in the nick of time, as my stores of Kashi Puffed Wheat are getting dangerously depleted, we now have another breakfast option!!   Nigella Lawson, eat yer heart out - there's a new Domestic Goddess in town!!




Saturday, July 21, 2012

Bees make honey.  Do earwigs make chutney?

So today was finally going to be the day where I got to pay homage to my Comedy Idol, Eddie Izzard, and update my Facebook status with a picture and a post to say "I'm covered in Bees!".  Yep, this morning, i took my life into my own hands and headed into the sketchy depths of the Tenderloin to take a 2.5hr Introduction to Bee Keeping class!  (ahhh....the joys of Groupons for random things to do).

Look!  A bee! (or 50,000!)
As it happened, events didn't quite unfold as expected so i still have yet to post that historic missive, however, the day was still a lot of fun and bloody fascinating.

The bee school was run by an outfit called Round Rock Honey, which is actually originally based out of Texas.  They've since expanded to lots of different locations and this one in San Francisco is one of their more recent additions.

 Round Rock Honey Beekeeping school

The location for the school is on the rooftop of the Glide Methodist Memorial Church in the (in)famous Tenderloin district of the city.  As you may or may not know, the Tenderloin is one of the geniunely dodgy areas of town that you really don't want to be in at night, and also feel somewhat nervous being in during the day.  Lots of drug problems, homeless folk, decrepit buildings, liquor shops and dollar stores.  All in all, dodge-fest central - despite literally being a block away from all the shiny, expensive stores in Union Square.  Its fascinating.  Anyway, obviously i knew i was going into a dodgy part of town, but i didnt know anything about the Glide Memorial Church, all i knew was that it was a 330 Ellis Street, a couple blocks behind the Westin St.Francis and near my favorite sushi place in the city, Ryoko.

Beez Squeeze
So i wasn't really prepared when i reached my destination - to find a lot of scary-looking people hanging around with at least 6 passed out (or asleep) on the sidewalk in front of the entrance.   That's when it became apparent that the church serves as a soup-kitchen, as well as a medical clinic, offering HIV testing and drug counseling to the area's homeless and dispossessed.  Very very admirable work and made you very grateful for everything you have, but it was really quite intimidating to walk past and scuttle inside - and then you felt a little embarrassed to say that you were here for Bee School.  In the moment, it felt a little odd to ask the guy at the front desk who, I'm sure, deals with all manner of craziness and human drama on a daily basis where I had to go for Bee Class.   You half expected him to reply "Bee School?  BEE SCHOOL??  You see the crap i'm dealing with here, lady, and you want to know where the fricking BEE SCHOOL IS??".  Of course, he didn't though and simply replied - on the 6th floor, take the stairs and that was that.

Mail your bees here
So, off I went, up 6 flights of grimy, dirty stairs to finally reach the top, go through the roof exit door - and emerge into another world.  Half of the roof had been turned into a beautiful roof garden, with a multitude of various pots and plants, flowers and shrubs, bushes and tubs - bursting with life and vitality.  It was incredibly impressive.  The garden also serves as a valuable teaching tool for the church (a non-profit organization) and supports a number of social and community initiatives.

http://grazetheroof.blogspot.com/

All this I found out later, when I googled where I'd been - what I did know at the time, however, was that I saw my very first ever hummingbird there!!  There were actually two of them, and they seemed to be particularly interested in a very tall lupin and they were beautiful, all green and iridescently shimmery.  Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a picture cos I had the wrong lens on my camera (bloody typical) but they were just wonderful to see.

Inside the Hive....
Anyway, on to the bees.  This was where the day started to deviate from the anticipated agenda!  We met our two beekeeping experts, a lady called Ariadne (surely she should be into spiders, not bees?) with kick-ass tattoos and very Californian hippy-dippy purple dyed hair and an adorable 22-yr fresh faced grad from Berkeley called Xander (I wonder if his parents were fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?).  He was an absolute cutie-pie, very smart and incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about bees, so he was a great teacher.  Unfortunately, he wasnt going to be able to teach us much, hands-on, because the caretaker of Glide who had the keys to let everyone into the room where all the necessary bee-keeping equipment is stored (particularly bee suits) had disappeared!  So, they couldnt get out any of the stuff they needed to run the class fully.  Obviously this was pretty disappointing (and hence the lack of the "covered in bees" post) as everyone had been looking forward to dressing up in the bee suits and getting stuck in.  One girl got really stroppy about it (they'd driven for an hour to take the class so were really pissed off) but what can you do?  It wasn't their fault and its just one of those things (especially given the location!).   And - besides - it just meant that I get to come back on another day to do the full lesson, so today was a bonus and more of an Introduction to Introductory Bee-Keeping.

Gently does it....
But that wasn't all the drama for the day.  About a half hour in, when Miss Stroppy Pants had left, and the rest of us were happy to still hang out, listen and come back another day for the Full Bee Suit Experience, the fire alarms went off.  Yep, the fire alarm is sounding and we're on the roof with 50,000 bees.  As everyone always does in situations like this, we all continued to just sit there, looking at each other for a few minutes, and wondering whether it was a false alarm and whether we could be arsed to go find out.  I was down for staying put (as was pretty much everyone else) but one of our group was obviously far more sensible than we were and said he'd be more comfortable leaving the roof and exiting the building.  OK, OK.  Fine.  So, down we trooped and, the closer we got to the ground floor, the stronger the smell of burning became.  Oops.  Good call there, strangely pale chap dressed like someone out of the Blues Brothers.  We exited the building, crossed the road and - after about 5 mins, SFFB rocked on up.  And stayed for about 5 mins before leaving.   The burning smell was coming from the kitchen (cue lots of pissed-off homeless people complaining about their lunch being burnt) and i'm not sure if there was really a fire or not, or if someone set fire to their dreads in the toaster oven.  Anyway, we were quickly let back in, so back up the stairs to resume our lesson!
The awesome fashion of bee-keeping

You had to feel a little bit for Xander by this stage - no equipment, pissy clients plus a fire alarm to boot - not the best start to a class!  But, that was all the drama for the day, so he continued to tell us all sorts of things about bees (there was a LOT of information, so I'm struggling to remember it all - but it was all fascinating) before we all took our lives into our own hands and finally went and had a look at the little furry blighters.  Obviously without bee suits, we were very limited in what we could do and had to be VERY careful not to piss the bees off by swatting at any that flew near us, or appearing too anxious or stressed out (they can tell).  We weren't really supposed to be near the hives without the suits on but we all said we were happy to take the risk and proceed at our own peril.   I'm glad we did - even though we didnt get to get hands-on, it was very exciting to watch Xander carefully easing off the roof of the hive, and slowly slowly levering up a frame, completely - wait for it - covered in bees!  The frame was quite a new one, so it was still under construction by the worker bees and not yet full of honey.  But it was fascinating to watch the bees and marvel at how bonkers it is that they make honey!   They started to get a little peed off with being poked around a bit, but i managed to stay calm even with them all flying around, so was pretty proud of myself.  In the end, no-one got stung, so alls well that ends well.  It was a great experience and one which I'm really looking forward to repeating.  Its probably just as well my condo building doesn't allow you to keep bees because they are so damned interesting, i'd probably have got online straight after class and ordered up a hive and bee starter kit (apparently you can get bees through the mail - how bee-zarre (groan) is that?).  Whilst I learnt a lot, i still have many many questions for Xander and Ariadne the next time we meet, namely:
  1. Do bees sleep?
  2. Do bees have knees?
  3. Are bees aliens?*
  4. What is a bumble?
I'm sure you have many other burning bee questions - let me know what they are and I will do my best to find out on your bee-half.  One thing i do remember - if you are attacked by a shit load of bees (no killer bees in SF, thank goodness), then i) don't swat at them in the air - it'll piss them off more  ii) don't bother going underwater - you'll need to come up for air sooner than they will need to fly away and iii) if you are wearing a shirt or t shirt, then lift that up, above and over your face and head.  While exposing your belly to the bees, it will protect your nose and throat from getting stung and swelling up. Unless you are allergic (in which case, all bets are off and you're toast), then people don't generally die from the venom of bee stings, but from the swelling in the respiratory passages which then causes them to suffocate.  Not a nice way to go.  So now you know how to avoid a buzzy painful death.  

More bee blogposts to follow......

"Covered in bees!"
* Doctor Who thought so - "the bees are disappearing"
Day 12 - 14: Nom, nom, nom..... Lent-acular!
I'm very pleased to report that Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge has undergone a renaissance in the last few days, courtesy of a kick-ass lentil burger recipe from Loopy!  Halle-bloody-lujah!!

I figured it was time to start to make a dent in the Dried Pulses Section of the cupboard, so I dug out the big glass jars full of pink and red lentils, still complete with the little yellow information label from when i bought them at Kalustyan's in NYC a couple years ago!!   As far as i could tell, they hadn't gone off (obviously cut from the same culinary cloth as the sunflower seed bread), so into the fridge they went, to soak overnight.  The next day, i just gave them a good rinse, boiled them for 30mins until they were just al dente, and then mashed them up.  Mixed with some oats, some fried onions, pepper, cumin and garlic, shaped into burger patties and then fried - O.M. G.  Bloody lovely!!!  Just the ticket after the sucky last few meals cos of Chia Seed Chuck-up.  There was enough lentil mix to make 10 good size burgers and, at only 160 cals each, they're also fully Slacker Tracker compliant!!  So, nice job there Loops - i think this one will become a kitchen staple, long after KSCC has ended!!  I even had enough to freeze a couple of portions too, so they may well make a reappearance in the next couple of weeks.....

Here's the recipe should you want to make these yourself - i highly recommend them.
1.5 cups lentils, soaked
1 cup porridge oats, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp cumin
chopped garlic
seasoning


Day 12-14: Loopy's Luscious Lentil Burgers
Ingredients: as above
DoD: 2 (credit for the successful usage of a dried ingredient)
II: 2 (had to decide on what color pepper to use - a tricky decision)
PfBF: 1+++  (bloody marvelous and probably the best dish so far in KSCC)

Overall assessment: now this was one dish i didnt mind eating 3 days in a row!!  Served up with a mixed herb salad, some fresh organic sliced tomatoes, dressed with olive oil and champagne vinegar, and i was a happy bunny. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Day 11: IHopped
Today's culinary excursion was into Pancake Land!!  I think i can probably count on one hand the number of times i've ever made pancakes -even fewer times when i've made them without charring them into extinction!!  But, I figured what the heck - breakfast options are starting to get a little constrained now, given the lack of bread products and dwindling supply of cereals, so they should be easy enough to do while listening to a market research interview at 6am.  I dug out the packet of Buttermilk Pancake mix thats been in my cupboard since the dawn of time, mixed it up with some precious almond milk and then studded the batter with bananas and walnuts or mixed red berries sweetened with agave syrup.  Slapped it into the double-sided little egg frying pan Mum had bought me for Christmas (bloody marvelous invention - you cook it on one side, then flip the whole pan onto the other side so it cooks perfectly) and job's a good 'un!!  I still burnt them a little bit (Rome wasn't built in a day, right?) but they were actually pretty darn tasty.  As they should be for the calorie count!!  When you take notice and have to write everything down for the benefit of my slacker tracker, those 3 little pancakes you see in the picture added up to over 1,000 calories!!!   Ay carumba!  So, though they were yummy, i dont think its a breakfast i shall be having very often!

Day 11: Pancake of Champions
Ingredients: Buttermilk pancake mix, almond milk, vegetable oil, walnuts, banana, thawed out red berries mix, agave syrup, butter for greasing(ish) the frying pan.
DoD: 2 (i had to remember to take the fruit out of the freezer the night before, heavy duty forward thinking)
II: 3 (banana and walnut - genius!)
PfBF: theoretical score =3 (given past history of paradoxically burnt, yet still raw, pancakes), actual score = 2

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Day 10: Bubbliciously squeaky
Thank God.  The reign of the terrible cauliflower cheese and chia seed pasta bake is finally over.   I'd made an annoyingly large batch of it and so for the last couple days have been trying to come up with novel ways to disguise the fact it didn't taste all that great.  Added into the mix for tonight's delectation was some left-over cabbage (yes - it was really that exciting this evening), so the only thing to do was to fashion a pseudo-bubble and squeak out of the whole sorry mess.  I slapped a few fresh tomatoes on the top, fried it up in the pan and stuffed it under the grill to crispen up the top.  I think i panicked a bit and added a big squirt of horseradish dijon mustard.  Not recommended.  

Roll on Day 11.  I'm gonna try and make pancakes tomorrow.....

Day 10: Hubble, Bubble and Pasta Bake Trouble
Ingredients: Left-over dodgefest cauliflower cheese pasta bake, cabbage, tomatoes, seasoning, horseradish mustard (say wha??) and olive oil.
DoD: 2 (i get a 2 for turning the grill on)
II: 2 (got to get some credit for the mustard debacle)
PfBF: 3 (getting worse...)

Monday, July 16, 2012

Day 9: A Vision in Green
I know, I know.  Today's effort in the Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge is not one of my most visually appealing efforts.  But its a Monday, I was late home from the office and I already ate one of the two remaining portions of Cauliflower Cheese and Pasta Weirdness for lunch, so i couldn't face it again for supper.  So, time for my standby staple - broccoli mash and tilapia, accented with sunflower seeds and a big fat helping of cabbage.  Looks like something the cat threw up but actually mildly tasty.  I have to say I am starting to miss milk for my tea (I just can't face soy milk in my Tetley's) so instead I tried the box of Rooibos tea that Mum bought last time she was here, that's been sitting at the back of my cupboard completely neglected.  I'm not sure exactly what its supposed to do for you (I think I vaguely remember her telling me a cup a day is the secret to everlasting youth and vitality) but it certainly has a very distinctive, almost medicinal taste.  Its a little hard to describe (think gargling with TCP and you're close) so i added a sachet of Stevia (another cupboard find) which made it somewhat more tolerable.

God only knows what i'll be drinking by Day 27.
Here's the scores on the doors for tonight:

Day 9: Cat Splat Cabbage and Tilapia
Ingredients: Tilapia, mashed up broccoli, cabbage, sunflower seeds.

DoD = 2 (use of electric blender added to potential danger factor)
II = 1 (zzzz-fest)
PfBF = 1 (too dull to taste of anything than what it was)

Overall assessment: functional, but dull supper.  

Sunday, July 15, 2012


Day 8: It's starting to get interesting....
So then, Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge watchers, here's the skinny.  Since my last post on Day 5, i've now run out of the following: fresh milk, any type of bread and a box of Puffins oat cereal.  On the critical list, nearing extinction, is the remaining almond milk and soy milk (only got a couple cartons of each left) as well as my last box of Kashi Puffed Wheat cereal.  Also demolished over the course of the last couple of days since I got back from NYC were the remaining Stacy's Naked Pita chips and the final chocolate digestive biscuits from back home.  All the easy stuff is slowly being whittled away and i'm finally being driven to explore the furthermost reaches of my cupboards....

To preserve my last box of cereal for when i'm really in need, I decided to use up some of my watermelon this morning and opt for a healthy breakfast smoothie.  First improvisation was the use of the watermelon and mint juice i'd made yesterday in my Omega juicer instead of milk, followed by handfuls of watermelon chunks, frozen strawberries, a banana and some almonds.  It wasn't that bad although i cant say i really recommend mint and banana as a winning flavor combination.   But it did the job, was Cupboard Challenge Compliant and didn't send me straight to the pot, so that was a result i suppose.  Yet again, i was up earlier that i wanted to be, courtesy of my feline alarm clock (just what the eff is his problem??) and, after finishing Fifty Shades (actually, the whole *ahem* trilogy), it was time to get my lazy arse off the sofa and do some serious housework and tidying.

After that was finished, my thoughts turned (with some trepidation) to supper and what to make.  I figured it was time to start getting a bit creative so, rather than the grilled salmon (from the freezer) and broccoli and cauliflower mash I'd planned to have, i decided the time had finally come to start making a dent in the sufficient-to-withstand-a-nuclear-winter number of jars of creamy alfredo sauce that i'd bought during one particularly enthusiastic trip to Costco.  God knows why i bought so much (other than it being Costco, obviously) or why i bought it at all (its not very healthy and chockful of fat) but i think its evident of that special place in your mind you go to when shopping in these places.  And a good part of the reason i'm undertaking this crazy-assed challenge now.

Anyway, here's what i ended up with:
Day 8: Cauliflower cheese and chia seed pasta bake
Ingredients: cauliflower, fusilli pasta, chia seeds, jar of Alfredo sauce, oyster mushrooms, garlic, onion, some cubed havarti with herb cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, crushed-up whole wheat crackers.

DoD = 2 (lots of crazy assed ingredients)
II = 3 (lots of crazy assed ingredients)
PfBF = 3 (lots of crazy assed ingredients)

Overall assessment: OK, so there were a number of wild cards to this "dish".  While you cant really go wrong with either cauliflower cheese or a pasta bake, the two together?  With just a jar of alfredo sauce to bind the whole lot together?  Hmmm..... In the end, it was OK - edible but just shy of tasty.  I think i was intimidated by the chia seeds (still not quite even sure what they are and what they are doing in my cupboard) so overcompensated by throwing a whole lot of other flavors into the dish.  I felt terribly proud of my inventiveness by crushing the crackers for a topping but - unfortunately - the taste of wheat crackers is pretty pervasive, so it was much more wheaty and crackerry than i was expecting.  So, dear readers, perhaps my first (probably of many) slightly odd dish of the experiment.

And one which i'll get to enjoy again tomorrow.  *sigh*

ps given the aforementioned dairy shortfall, i can now confirm that i am drinking my Tetley's with soy milk.  SOY MILK!!  And it is bloody disgusting.....

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Chutneylicious!!
Ahh....it feels good to be home.  Got back from my super-speedy trip to NYC yesterday evening and enjoyed a nice chilled out evening at home, catching up on The Glee Project (tragic, I know) and de-furring my couch.  And who says single life is dull??


Chutney heaven
Today's adventure was a chutney and whisky tasting at The Whisky Shop in SF, near Chinatown, and hosted by my brilliant Scottish friend, Alison, whose company makes the chutneys.  It wasn't until the afternoon, so - for once - i didn't set the alarm on the Blackberry and planned to have a bit of a lie-in instead.  Right.  That was the plan.  Obviously Izzie didn't get the memo because, come 6am, the little furry bugger was yowling his head off. As much as i love my Siamese boys, sometimes they can be incredibly annoying - especially first thing in the morning, as you're trying to sleep!  I lobbed a couple of cushions at the little sod, but it didn't work (and he'd also woken Dylan up who was now proceeding to trample all over my head), so in the end i just gave up and got up.  I took the opportunity of being up far early than anticipated to read a bit more of the Fifty Shades trilogy.  Yes - i cracked and bought it, just to see what all the fuss is about.  Now - for reasons i can't quite fathom - i'm completely hooked.  The juicy bits aren't even all that juicy but I'm just very curious as to how it will all end.  Probably Not Well, I think.

Why, hello there...  Do you like my sword?
Anyway, 1.30pm rolls around and its time to hop on the MUNI to Montgomery Street and head over to the Whisky Shop to catch up with Alison, scarf down some very tasty chutney and pretend to like whisky (is it with an "e" or without an "e"?, btw?).  I only got mildly side-tracked by a charity fashion shop on the way, where i managed to pick up a bargain - a brand new, cream Michael Kors top, reduced from $89 to $29.  Sweet.

Stand on the box, Alison!!


Then on to the tasting.  The store was absolutely hopping and my wee Scottish mate was right in the middle of all the fun!  I met Alison completely randomly one night, as i was out and about in town one evening, treating myself to a tasting flight of Champagne at The Barrel Room after a bad coffee date.  We've kept in touch through Facebook since and have met up a few times, usually for Champagne at inappropriately early times in the morning at the Ferry Building.  My kinda mate.

Anyway, there were 4 whiskeys to taste, paired with 4 of Alison's chutneys.  I'm really not a whisky fan at all, but i gave them all a try, in the spirit (no pun intended) of discovery.  I actually didn't mind the first one too much (can't remember what it was called, but it came in a very pretty black box with a gold embossed stag on the front) but the other three i really didn't care for all that much.  The chutneys, however, were uniformly delicious - the fig and apple chutney tasted like Christmas!  The habenero one was delicious and the mandarin and apricot was bright, citrusy and clean.

http://www.mcquadechutneys.com/

What was also very tasty was the cheeky chappy in the kilt and sporran who served us - a rather handsome man called Aaron.  He was all twinkly and smiley and not one bit Scottish.  And no - i didn't ask what he was wearing under his kilt!

Note the slightly worried expression on Aaron's face
After all the chutney was scoffed and the whisky tasted, Alison, her friend Lynne (a hilarious Brit from Newcastle) and I all headed off to a nearby bar to catch up over a glass or two of wine.  We ended up in this French restaurant (owned by a Chinese guy and staffed by Americans) and today just happened to be Bastille day, so it was all decked out in red, white and blue balloons in celebration.  All the staff were wearing black berets, perched at a jaunty angle and i couldnt tell if it was standard uniform or in deference to the occasion.  What was hilariously more heinous and spectacular to behold was the meeting of the San Francisco Hat Society that was happening on a big table just behind us.  I sh*t thee not.   There were about 15 or so folk (none younger than mid-60s, i reckon) all in variations of pseudo French garb, and all wearing hats of some type or another.  My personal favorite was the lady dressed in a stripey navy shirt, black skirt and white tights with a black seam up the back - all topped with this explosion of red netting and pom poms on her head.  It was really quite a statement.  Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie would have been proud.

After all that excitement (and a glass or two of white wine interacting in a very weird way with the whisky), there was only one thing that could be done - go to the cinema and watch a bunch of A-list Hollywood actors playing strippers.  Yep, I confess that I actually paid to go and see Magic Mike.   And - yes - it was as bad as you could imagine although, i gotta admit, Channing Tatum is one hell of a dancer!!  As that is the closest i will ever come to going to one of those revues (I absolutely loathe strippers and, if i ever do have a hen night, all my friends are under strict instructions to Not Even Go There), it was mildly interesting, even though the leading lady (who i believe is the daughter of the guy who runs the movie studio) seemed like she was on heavy duty tranquilizers the whole film.  Either that or she's already had so much Botox that she's been rendered incapable of either any facial movement and expression or the ability to convey any emotion whatsoever.  Dreadful.

And with that, it was time to hop back on the MUNI, head home and snuggle up for the rest of the evening with Fifty again.  All in all, a very fun Saturday!


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Back to the Big Apple - again!
So, another week at work, another trip back to NYC.  On the plane as I write, trapped in a window seat this time, and trying to ignore the increasingly insistent nagging from my pea-size bladder that i need the loo.  Which, in order to get to, i will need to disturb some old and frail looking people.  I did give them fair warning about my limited capacity, however, so i will try not to feel too British and guilty about it.   Fortunately, they both seem to be chugging back the Chardonnay, so hopefully their bladders will give out before mine and I can escape.    The flight attendants have just passed through the cabin on the drinks service and the guy giving all the service announcements seemed just waaaay too excited about the in-flight snackboxes for purchase.  Perhaps he owns shares in Nabisco.  So for the moment, i'm trapped in by tray tables and mountain of crap food detritus on them - plus the captain has just turned on the fasten seat belt sign.

And, of course, a Class A douchebag has just gotten up to go to the restroom.  Again?  Is the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign not working in your seat row?    I happen to be risking urinary retention right now, but i'm still respecting the rules!!  Sheesh.  I think one of the things that annoys me about that is that - by insisting on having to get up, you make everyone else in your row get up too to let you out - so you're putting other people at risk too.  Its simply selfish and ignorant.  I have noticed, though, that the flight attendants don't seem to be as vigilant in sending people back to their seats anymore - i wonder why that is?   Perhaps they are in favour of natural selection - so if DoucheBag wants to go to the restroom during some Expected Turbelence, and then gets his cranium cracked on the ceiling if we hit a massive patch of rough air, then let him.  Edit out the pool of Annoying Travelers.  At least Irritatingly Chirpy Whistling Dude isn't on my flight.  Who whistles (loudly) as they go through the Security Checkpoint? I just read a book recently which went into how you identify psychopaths (you have to score greater than 30 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist) and i dont recall whistling to be on there, but maybe i missed it.  I wouldn't have minded so much if his whistling had either a) a point (i.e. summoning a bloodhound or ordering me a drink) or b) a tune, but sadly his pointless pursing lacked either.

Anyhoo.  Enough rambling for now - back to work.  And - btw - Kitchen Store Cupboard challenge resumes on Friday night, when i'm back from NYC.


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Day 5: Quick fix
So work is bonkers at the moment, so a quick post and a quick supper needed tonight.  Reached into the depths of the slowly-emptying freezer and pulled out a couple of herbed tilapia filets.  Supplemented with a nice, fresh corn and tomatillo salad and voila!!  Slap a few slices of watermelon on this side, and you've got supper in no time.  Scoff, blog and back to work.  And back to NYC tomorrow too *sigh*.   And - just in case you are wondering - last night I hosted my regular monthly face to face meeting of the Programs Committee for the SF Chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association at my place, so had to go and buy pizza and nibbles for everyone.  So, no Store Cupboard challenge last night.  Here's the scores on tonight's doors:

Day 5: Quick Fix Tilapia and Corn Salad
Ingredients: Tilapia filets (from the freezer), fresh sweetcorn, fresh basil, tomatoes, tomatillos, salt, pepper, olive oil, watermelon.
DoD = 1
II = 2 (first time ever using tomatillos, so kudos for that!)
BfBF = 2 (tomatillos were a leap of faith - as it happened, they were very tasty)

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Day 4: Meaty Balls and Floppy Noodles
Today was spent immersing myself in the MRSA market, cramming as much into my brain as possible, trying to catch up from my couple days off during the week last week.  That's the only bugger with going away - it just stacks on up, waiting for you when you get back.   This week is going to be a hellacious week - lots of stuff due, lots of strategery to be done plus i have to go back to New York.  Again.  Flying visit - out on Weds, back Friday afternoon.  Great for the airmiles, not so great for not getting knackered.  Ah well.  Its a good job i love to travel.

Anyway, enough whinging and moaning - what's the latest with Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge, i hear you cry?  Well, as today was going to be pretty much a working day, i got up nice and early and hit Safeway by 8am, to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies.  Got a full shopping trolley worth of the good stuff - total cost $41.00.  Not bad at all - and that was including an expensive watermelon splurge of $8.  It also seemed like the perfect day to break out the slow cooker again, and let that do the heavy lifting, cooking wise, today.   So, today's lunch (and supper) was an Asian-inspired meatball and udon noodle soup.  I've cooked it before, so i was on pretty safe territory - and you cant go wrong with meatballs and noodles, can you?  Here's the scores on the doors (for those of you keeping tab):

Day 4: Asian-inspired meatball, bok choi and noodle soup:
Ingredients: chicken meatballs (from the freezer, just don't think about what's in them too much), bok choi, oyster mushrooms, udon noodles, beef stock, fresh cilantro, ginger, tamari.
DoD = 2 (there was some cooking involved)
II = 2
PfBF = 1 (slam dunk)

Overall assessment: pretty good, the beef stock (I'dve usually used turkey or chicken stock) added an interesting tang to the dish.  Note to self, though - udon noodles really dont need a full hour in the slow cooker, even if you are feeling very lazy and/or overworked.  Mush-city.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Day 3 of the Kitchen Cupboard Challenge:  Imagination Shortfall
Don't give me a hard time.  I've just come back from camping, am knackered and simply couldn't be arsed to do any more than get the box of Alpen out of the cupboard and splash on some of my dwindling supply of almond milk.  Supplemented with a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits and several cups of tea, it was a completely unimaginative, but suitably satisfying supper.
DoD: 0 (bowl of cereal?  really, Sarah??  you dont even get a 1 for that)
II: 1 (scored for Alpen, rather than the standard Puffin cereal)
PfBF: 1 (milk still in date, so all good...)

Summary: Alpen was good - but is now all gone.  The number of days worth of easy, cereal-based suppers still remaining in my store cupboard can now probably be counted on two hands....Eek.
Bears, Bubbles and Good Times!  Independence Day camping fiesta at Lake Tahoe!
 *happy sigh*
Just got back home from a simply spectacular camping trip to Lake Tahoe, for the Independence Day holiday.  Am completely knackered, very sunburnt and have yet to get all the dirt out from underneath my fingernails, but I had a blast!!  Independence Day this year fell on a Wednesday, so I took the Thurs and Friday off of work to make it into a proper little mini-vacation (I know, I know - its been so long since i was last away).

Lori, me and Karen on the hike up to Cascade Falls
The camping trip had been organized by Karen, who runs a camping Meet-Up group, so Lori and I traveled up together bright and early Weds morning to try and avoid the traffic and bag a good camping spot at the campsite.  We were staying at the historic Camp Richardson campground in South Lake Tahoe - only a couple miles away from my ski-share cabin (and the phenomenal Irish Pub of High Jinks - but enough of that).  The ride up was very smooth sailing - so little traffic we began to wonder where everyone was, and whether they all knew something we didn't....  We got past the infamous Sacremento Traffic by 10am, and then stopped at a very quaint and cutesie place for a late breakfast (I'd passed on the fermented banana and fossilized strawberry smoothie earlier in the morning).  We made it to Lake Tahoe by midday and, as we weren't able to check-in to the campsite before 3pm, promptly decided to check out the beach and the Beacon Bar and Grill and the (in)famous Rum Runner cocktails!

Holy crap.  This was where all the people were!  It was absolutely HEAVING!!  The people watching was out of control (particularly the guy in the Star Spangled banner waist-high swimming trunks with braces - sadly, not pictured) and Lori and I happily dissected everyone who passed before us, while sipping on our very tasty (if not terribly cold) Rum Runners.  After a couple of hours of enjoying the sunshine, the music and pretending we had a child somewhere on the beach so we could blag a child's menu portion of chicken tenders and fries, it was time to head back to the campsite to meet the rest of the gang (we were 20 in total!) and set up our tents.

Although it was only 3.11pm (and we'd been told strictly NOT to arrive at the campsite before 3pm), there were already 9 people there!  Fortunately, though, we managed to bag one of the kosher site parking spots (2 per site), so we didn't have to worry about moving the car later.  We started to meet the rest of the group - a very eclectic bunch, including Miserable Anne and The Humorless Germans - a wall of negativity, already set up on the other side of our shared campsite and, apparently, incapable of either conversation or cracking a smile.  Needless to say, after a few rebuffed attempts at being friendly, we gave it up as a bad lot and just ended up chatting to people in possession of a personality instead.

It didnt take all that long to set up camp, and after a while of chatting to folk, cooking some sausages on Lori's new stove and eating more Trader Joe's mini chocolate chip cookies than is probably healthy in a 24hr period, i decided to call it a night, and head off to bed early.  I'd had the presence of mind to bring earplugs, so neither bears rummaging in the trash cans nor kids running around nor grown men in the tent next door to me farting would keep me awake.  The holy trinity of red wine, earplugs and Ambien worked their divine magic and I was out for the count.

First hike of the trip - Cascade Falls
Day 2: Cascading Falls and Thunder on the Lake
The next morning, we were up bright and early, as we were going to get a hike in before the main event of the day, a ride on the Tahoe Thunder - a kick-ass speedboat that would propel us at 60 mph across Lake Tahoe!

We decided to hike Cascade Falls - a pretty easy hike, only a couple miles long but disproportionate in terms its of effort to reward ratio.  We managed to get going early enough to find a spot to park - driving along the same terrifying stretch of road I remembered from my drive from the South Shore to the North Shore cabin the previous December.  10 mph hairpin bends and sheer drops on BOTH sides of the road!  It gets so treacherous in winter, they actually close the road after a certain amount of snow has fallen - but the view is absolutely magnificent, with vast panoramic vistas stretching out across Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay.  Apparently.  All i saw were the whites of my knuckles gripping the steering wheel and the road directly ahead of me.

Anyway, we survived the drive, parked up and headed for the hills.  The hike was beautiful - just the right length and with incredible views.  Karen had joined us too, so it was a very companionable morning.  The trail was very busy and, as we were making our way back down around 11.30am, it was getting busier and busier and hotter and hotter, so we were glad we'd gone early.  We were on a bit of a time crunch, as we had to get back to the campsite, park up and be at the Marina by 1pm, to catch the Water Ferry to Timber Cove where the Tahoe Thunder was waiting for us.  It was a bit of a rush, but we made it back down in good time, and so got back to the campsite by 12.15pm, and headed straight out again for the Marina.

We made it with about 10 minutes to spare and, as it happened, we were the only people on the Water Ferry, other than Handsome Captain Greg and his trusty assistant Brian.  They were both a lot of fun, and it was a very pleasant 20 min cruise into Timber Cove.  Then, it was time to entrust our selves and our lives into the hands of Dustin, a dude-y looking guy (bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sacha Baren Cohen) for our trip on the Tahoe Thunder.

O.M.G.

It was Absolutely Awesome.   The picture below says it all.
Laughing uncontrollably and rocking a Morrissey quiff on the Tahoe Thunder with Lori
 The whole trip was about an hour long - we pootled out of the marina first, then opened up and bounced along at full throttle for about 20 mins to Emerald Bay, pootled round the Bay to look at the Vikingsholm house and the osprey nests.  We then pounded it back round the bay for another 20mins before arriving back at the Marina, just after 3pm, laughing our heads off and high on the adrenaline rush!  There were only 2 other people in the boat, a guy and his son (who didnt seem to be enjoying it as much as we were), so again, we'd managed to avoid the crowds.  After docking and saying a very heartfelt thank you to Dustin, we headed off to Safeway to buy supplies for that evening's supper, as well as get some cash out for Dustin's tip.  On our return, we chilled out in the marina bar for a hour, enjoying a well-deserved G&T and some spectacular pork sliders, before Captain Neil took us back to the Camp Richardson marina at around 5pm.  We lucked out again - as we were the last 2 for the ferry, instead of the ferry, we got a private ride back in another speedboat - a long, white fancy-pants vessel that wouldn't have looked out of place in Miami Beach.  All terribly VIP - and probably helped along by the fact that we had actually gone back and left Dustin his tip after visiting the ATM.

After all that excitement, we headed back to camp and cooked up a storm - we had some fantastic tri-tip that Lori had bought, so cooked that up on the campfire as well as some grilled veg, some fried onions cooked in the tea kettle (needs must) and lots of salady-bits.  We had plenty of food to share, so it was a fun communal dinner - other than the omnipresent Germanic Heart of Darkness, of course.  They still sat in their chairs and simply stared at everyone else.  Whatever floats your U-boat, i suppose.

Looking like a Hallmark card at Eagle Lake
Day 3: Run, Rummer, Run!

Over here!
After the adrenaline rush of the previous day, today's plans involved more hiking and fun on the water. We were up again bright and early and headed out of camp by 9am, bound this time for Eagle Lake and another easy-moderate hike of a couple miles.  We'd brought along the cooler and, as we were less time constrained, had plenty of time to enjoy a picnic after our hike.  Again, the gods were smiling on us today, as we managed to bag The Last Parking Spot at the trailhead - an absolute result.   It was just me and Lori on the hike today, so we ambled along, again marveling at the views and enjoying the wildlife of Mountain Jays, abundant chipmonks, huge yellow butterflies and ethereal electric blue dragonflies, flitting about.  Again, the trail was very busy but that didn't detract too much from the beautiful views - the hike up to Eagle Lake itself (which did get the old heart rate up a bit!) was well worth it.  The lake was very crowded, but it was fun to watch the people and their dogs playing in the water.  I particularly enjoyed the moment where a guy threw a ball for his dog (a German Shepherd) into the lake - and the dog just looked at him, with utter disdain.  After much cajoling, i was delighted to see said Human finally give up and go and retrieve the ball, while the dog stood there laughing.  Brilliant.


Then it was time to wend our way back down the mountain, and set up lunch and introduce Lori to the singular delights of Champagne Camping.  I'd brought along one of my bottles from my Champagne Club, to toast both my 40th birthday and Lori getting a new job.  We managed to find a picnic spot far enough away and upwind of the loos in the carpark, which were so unbelievably stinky, it made you gag walking past them.   I'd brought along my bucket, some proper flutes and my fancy Veuve-Cliquot picnic blanket from the Polo Match on Governor's Island, so it was all very swish!  After a morning's hiking in the hot sun, a perfectly chilled glass of bubbles absolutely hit the spot.  Lunch was whatever combination of foodstuffs was rummaged from the cooler - i rustled up a very tasty turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich.  Though i'd also come prepared with a stack of trashy magazines to relax with over lunchtime, the entertainment was provided to us, courtesy of Mother Nature, who sent a troupe of adorable chipmunks to keep us company and in stitches.  We absolutely didn't give them any food whatsoever.  Any resemblance to popcorn being held by their little paws and jammed into their chipmunky faces, is entirely co-incidental.  It wasn't me, guv'nor.  As time progressed, they got bolder and bolder, until they were practically running over us - although one got a little too close to the good stuff for my liking.  Step away from the bubbles, Fluffy.



Finally, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends and head back to Camp, ready for our afternoon's adventure, a cruise on the famous Rum Runner.   We'd already sampled the delights of the Rum Runner the previous day, and it was just the ticket for a hot afternoon, lounging on the deck of this great little boat.  Karen re-joined us, so we had a great time enjoying the sunshine and maybe a cocktail (or two).  The route pretty much followed the same one as the Tahoe Thunder yesterday, but obviously at a much more sedate, less bouncy pace this time.   Funnily enough,  Captain Neil was at the  helm again (its a very small community of Captains, obviously - again, very glad we tipped Dustin and hadn't acquired a reputation as cheapskates!) and - as it was his birthday (according to his crew, J.P.), we suitably embarrassed him by singing him Happy Birthday.

Drinking, Officer?  Who, me??

After the cruise, Karen left to rejoin camp for the Potluck Party that she'd arranged for everyone.  Maybe the Germans would get lucky and someone would bring a pot brimming full of charisma.    Fortunately, we'd cooked up all our food the night before, so didn't feel in the least inclined, obliged or stocked up to join in.  (bitchy sidenote: I'd overheard Miserable Anne commenting to The Humorless Germans the day before that she wanted to learn conversational French. I thought to myself, "well, I think you probably need to learn conversation first").  Instead, Lori and I stayed at the Beacon Bar and Grill, getting our party on, and generally goofing about.  We ate a heroic amount of food, washed down with an equally herioc (if probably ill-advised) number of Rum Runners, before waddling along the beach after dinner and running into a bunch of Brits on the pier who seemed to enjoy taking lots of pics of us being stupid.  Bless the Brits abroad - love ya!
Finally, it was time to wend our way back to camp, sit round the camp fire with the rest of the gang, chat, use lighter fluid inadvisedly to light a struggling camp fire to impress four 10-year olds, eat cookies and fend off the advances of the lone male in the group.  He'd joined the group the day before, was a bit of an odd-fish and - obviously incredulous about my not falling for his charms instantly and jumping into his fart-sodden sleeping bag for a night of unforgettable passion - privately asked Karen whether this was actually the Lesbian Camping Group!  Absolutely true.   Obviously Karen then passed on this little gem to us, so he was in for a treat when he reappeared and rejoined the group later that evening.  I think he probably wished in the end he'd stayed at home.

All that was then left to do was take a picture of the infamous Carb Tray and call it a night.  The Carb Tray had become legendary in just a couple of short days due to the sheer volume and variety of different carbohydrate-based food that were crammed on it. It belonged to one of our fellow campers, a lovely lady whose ample girth was a testament to the power and effectiveness of The Carb Tray.  

Day 4: Farewell Lake Tahoe!  Roll on, Yosemite!!
So we were up and away super-early this morning, packed up and ready to go by 8am.  It felt good to get on the road and underway early - again, we had a very smooth ride back, and i dropped Lori off in Walnut Creek by 11.45am.  I made it home by 12.30pm, which was great - giving me the rest of the day to relax and recover from the last couple of days!  It was a fantastic trip - we packed in a LOT and had a lot of fun!  Roll on the next camping trip - Yosemite in late August!! 

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Its all about the Long Game...
As you might expect, at this stage of the game, not too much drama today.  Lunch was Random Cupboard Chicken Stew which was still jolly tasty, supplemented with some Jelly Babies and a granola bar.  So far, so non-freaky.

For supper, I decided to go safe and - seeing as i've already had one digestible meal today - to freeze the remaining stew for future suppers, when i'm utterly desperate for something that tastes half decent and doesnt take the weekend to make.  So tonight's edible adventure is somewhat tame, culled from the already almost empty shelves of my fridge (umm...WHY did i not go stock up before i started this ridiculous challenge??  Call yourself a Strategic Planner??!!).  The only sense of adventure tonight comes from the vague curly-ness of the sunflower seed bread (perhaps its searching for sunlight?) and the dubious timestamp of the mayonnaise.

The fermented bananas in the fruit bowl i'm saving for tomorrow's breakfast smoothie.

Day 2 supper Open Eggy Faced Fiesta
Ingredients: 2 hard boiled eggs (in date - yey!), 2 slices of sunflower seed bread (indeterminate age), a schmear of cream cheese, Heinz Salad Cream mixed with a little Dijon mustard, fresh heirloom tomatoes, bibb lettuce, finished with a couple drops of olive oil and seasoning.  Here are the scores on the (fridge) doors:
DoD = 1
II = 1
PrBF (taste) = 1 
Overall assessment: Pretty damn tasty.  Salad cream and Dijon work well together.  And - in a shock to precisely no-one - stale sunflower seed bread completely indistinguishable from fresh sunflower seed bread.
The Start.

So, Day 2 starting off in a reasonable manner - puffed cereal with blueberries and almond milk.  All very normal and tasty.  To give you, dear reader, an insight into my task over the next month and - as our dear AC would say  - to keep me honest, here's a rundown of what i have to play with over the next 30 days.  I'm somewhat nervous about Exhibit Six, to be honest.  The far left hand corner of that little puppy has dust on it.... Plus i'm sure i heard tiny metallic noises from Exhibit Three, late one night.....And no bitchin', btw, about how craply organized my cupboards are, thank you very much - they will become magically transformed into exhibits of efficiency and neatness over the course of this ridiculous experiment.

And yes, I was sober when i set myself this task yesterday.  Still not entirely sure why but i guess i'm committed to it now....


Exhibit One.
Should be good for tea for the month.  And cheese crackers.

Exhibit Two.
Hidden Box of Treasures waiting to be discovered

Exhibit Three.
Where the good stuff is.

Exhibit Four.
 Essential unctions.

Exhibit Five.
The Dead Zone.

Exhibit Six.
The Mother Lode and future genesis of Ambrosia custard and Spam fritters

Exhibit Seven.
An inadequately stocked freezer, full of severe intolerant salmon and peaches