Animal Style

It is no secret that I love me some In 'N' Out. I always order the cheeseburger animal style, with animal fries on the side. On our drive back from Las Vegas this weekend, Kho and I stopped at the In 'N' Out in Barstow, just in time for the Sunday dinner rush. Loads of road-bound families and a few locals.

Somehow I am never satisfied with just the regular amount of animal style. For the un-initiated, animal style means adding fried onions, extra spread and pickles. And I simply cannot get ENOUGH! So I tried asking for it Double Animal Style this time. Here's what I got:



Quite frankly, I could still add even more! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't get enough. I wonder if they'll let me have Triple Animal Style next time...

P.S. If you'd like to feel informed next time you step into the In 'N' Out go here.

Cilantro Experiment Update!

I am very pleased to report that not only did I hear back from the friendly people of the cilantro debacle/experiment, but I heard good news about the deliciousness of the meal and even received photos! Hurray! Christian, who appears to be the ringleader of a wily group of brothers, has approved my posting an excerpt of his email regarding the meal in question (and the photos).

"Jennifer, thought you would enjoy some pics of the cilantro experiment. In all honestly, it turned out really well, the meat was extremely moist and flavorful, and I think it may be a permanent addition to my repitoire. If you want the recipe, let me know and I will forward it along. Bob, by the way, is somewhat of a cooking disaster, but we love him nonetheless. He is only job that night (after giving an obligatory "what can I do to help" while swigging a coors light from the couch and noticing that many of us were sweating it out in the kitchen) was to finely dice the parsley. He was given specific instructions to not dice the cilantro (which, as you know, is much more potent) several times and he even orally confirmed to me that he was not dicing the cilantro whilst, in fact, he was dicing the cilantro. After applying the crust for the mandated time period (about 4 hours), it wasn't until I was making the guac that I noticed the herb mishap, and that point, it was too late to make another crust (well, that, and I was out of kosher salt).

Bob's punishment was to call you for advice, so, many thanks for your timely reply and for sound advice to move forward rather than abort.

All the best,

Christian"









Thanks guys!

Loquat Chutney

I just made my first ever chutney! I can't believe I've been missing out on this for so long, it was so simple and enjoyable. Pretty much like making preserves.



The inspiration to start this little project came from the Loquat tree in my backyard, which is currently dropping its fruit all over the place. I'd never had one or heard of one until I moved here, and now I'm hooked. They taste like a cross between an extremely mild peach or nectarine, and maybe a pear? I don't know how to better describe it at the moment.

The skin peels off easily, but isn't distasteful to eat, so why bother. The flesh is extremely soft, and the center has between 1 and 3 smooth stones in it. I'd been trying to think about what to make with them for a while, and putting it off, and then I looked at some ingredients in the cupboard that were about to go bad, and realized they could come together nicely in a chutney.

I found a recipe online, but modified to suit my tastes. Here's where I found the original. Mine goes like this.

Ingredients:
6-7 ripe loquats, chopped or julienned, stones removed
2 apples, chopped into small, 1/4" chunks
a handful or two of dried apricots, chopped thinly
1/5 finely diced onion
1/8 c julienned fresh ginger
one finely diced chile, seeds removed
2 T mustard seed
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/8 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c water

Get all of your ingredients prepped, toss them into a saucepan and bring to a boil.



Turn heat to a simmer and let go until chutney is cooked down to your liking.



It took me a little over an hour. Basically, you want the apples to be nearly mush, everything to be congealing into one mass, but still have a bit of form and definition. Here's how it looked when almost ready:





Then eat it with EVERYTHING. I tried with some roasted root vegetables, indian style yogurt, baba ganouj, eggplant caviar and crackers. Would have been great with naan or samosas, pita or basmati rice, but that's what I could do the quickest for my hunger.



I plan to make a bigger batch next time and properly seal several jars for future enjoyment!

recent food recollections

I have been eating pretty well the past few weeks. Accompanied by an out-of-town visitor, I made many a scramble, roasted many a beet, enjoyed homemade hummus, birthday cupcakes, and some very fancy chocolate chip cookies.

I also revisited some of my new favorite LA eatin' spots: Mashti Malone's (incredible Iranian ice cream with flavors like Sour Cherry Faludeh and Ginger Rosewater), Kogi BBQ Taco Truck (best idea and execution of fusion cooking ever), The Nickel Diner (best burger I've eaten in my life and possibly best cupcake too), and fresh mango in a bag with chile and lime from the side of the road, which was a favorite of mine in Chicago days too.

The best thing about those fave spots is that they are all totally reasonably priced and excellent for sharing. Thank you, LA. Next week I hope to find the restaurant/diner in Griffith Park that I keep hearing about...I think it's near the golf course area. Supposed to be delicious.

Here's a recent frittata meal. Made with miscellaneous starchy leftovers, fresh carrots, onion, garlic, potatoes and broccoli...and chipotle with adobo sauce.



And a great tapenade plate from Le Pain Quotidien (where the ricotta and radishes were the real stars):



Oh, and the Food Hotline also had some nice calls recently! Thanks for calls about artichokes (don't boil!), sugar cookies (be sure to chill the dough), and especially the comment from Erin about the Cilantro Experiment (so glad it turned out!).

excerpt of things I've eaten

Cilantro Experiment

I had an interesting phone call this afternoon, from Bob S., who from the area code, seems to live in Massachusetts. He (and some cohorts that I could hear in the background), were cooking up what sounded like a delicious feast:

Salt and herb encrusted Beef tenderloin
Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta
Small red potatoes
Squash
Rolls
Guacamole for snacking

Delicious, right? The only problem was that, even though he was reminded more than once to be sure he chose parsley instead of cilantro, he got the whole herb/salt mixture applied to the tenderloin before realizing he was using cilantro! Goodness.

Here's where the Emergency Food Hotline comes in. Somehow he found the blog, and made a quick call about his food emergency. We discussed the options. Either he could remove the crust from the tenderloin immediately and redo the whole thing, hoping the herbs had not already embedded their confused flavor into the meat....OR...he could go the experimental route (always my favorite) and follow through with his accidental flavor combination.

Bob decided that experimental was the way to go, and I thought perhaps he could use a sauce to tie the flavors together, and make one that would go with another of the dishes too. So I asked if he had any types of peppers, and they had bell peppers and a jabanero. I recommended broiling the peppers til the skins were good and roasted, then pureeing together with some oil, salt and pepper and maybe a few spices if the mood struck them. Then the sauce could be a side for both the tenderloin and the squash, hopefully bringing a splendid complement to the cilantro mixup.

Oh, and we decided they could use a bit of cumin with the tomatoes and onion in the guacamole since there was no cilantro left to brighten it up.

Bob & co., I cannot wait to hear how it turned out!

Sleep tight...

Today's post is not about food or recipes, it's about an emergency of a different and more disgusting kind: bed bugs. They are AWFUL, and they have infested the home of a dear friend. So I feel compelled to do a little research and figure out if there are really ways to get an infested home bug-free again. There are a lot of sites out there that espouse all kinds of advice on how to rid your home of bed bugs, and wading through it fully could take hours and hours, but instead I'm trying to list as many things I can that seem practical, cheap, natural and DIY.

First, a few things about your rights. Depending on the state, you may not have to pay for extermination if you rent (if you choose that route). Your landlord may be liable for that one. But you may have to prove that they were there when you moved in, which could be tough. It's worth checking into though. While your landlord might be required to get rid of the bugs, you're required to make the landlord aware of the situation to begin with. So be sure you tell them right away if you discover an infestation--the faster you take action, the less time they have to really take over your space.

Now, what if you aren't sure if your problem is bed bugs? Here is a great inspection check list I found here:

Inspection Check List:

-Cracks and crevices in head and foot boards, attached side railings and supports
-Inspect mattresses top, sides and bottom. Check all buttons, seams and rips.
-Inspect electrical switch plates, pictures on walls, wall posters
-Inspect cracks in plaster or seams in wall paper.
-Inspect electrical appliances-radios, phones, televisions, ect., looking in hiding places.
-Inspect tack strips under wall-to-wall carpeting and behind baseboards
-Inspect secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture. The newer better-built mattresses do not offer as much shelter and protection for the bed bugs to hide.

Okay, so you've determined that the little parasites are indeed taking over your home. Do not lose hope! There are many ways to take action. But every way that I've read about requires vigilance and repetition to have success. Here are few things that may help you along the way.

Attacking from many sides:
-For killing bed bugs try contact killers such as Kleen Free; Steri-Fab; and mechanical killers like DE - these are not organic or natural, so I would be sure you feel comfortable with that and take precaution to keep any residue away from children and pets and your sleeping area.
-Be sure to wash all linens in HOT water and replace or clean and encase your mattress.
-Vacuums and steamers can help, as the bugs cannot take extreme heat or freezing temps (you can find PCO-recommended dry vapor steamers for around $50)
-Use storage for cloth and paper items and for disposal of exposed items (L, XL, XXL ziploc bags, contractor bags, mattress bags, cable ties, etc.)
-Isolate and protect the bed, using encasements may help
-Boric Acid powder is often spread around areas where bed bugs are suspected to find refuge. It should not be applied directly to the mattress, but in the immediate area to help control migrating bed bugs.
-Placing double-stick tape around the bed has been suggested on many sites, as the bugs can't crawl past it to get up the legs of the bed.
-Spraying diluted Tea Tree oil is an option, though some people believe it's too expensive and does not do enough good (I'd look into it further before using it)

And here's one more natural solution that I found on wikipedia:

"Another method that might be useful in controlling bedbugs is the use of neem oil. It can be sprayed on carpets, curtains and mattresses. Neem oil is made from the leaves and bark of the neem tree native to India. It has been used safely for thousands of years in India both as a natural, effective insect repellent and it is antibacterial. It has recently received US Food and Drug Administration approval for external use. It is also possible to incorporate neem oil into certain types of mattress. Such mattresses are currently being manufactured by a German company. Some may find the aroma of neem oil objectionable."

Now, what about your poor itching skin? For relief from bites, try the following:

-DON'T SCRATCH! That only exacerbates the problem, like a mosquito bite.
-Wash the area with warm, soapy water.
-Corticol lotion, Benadryl, Calomine, Hydrocortisone and other salves seem to help.
-Some people have recommended heating the affected area with hot water or a blow-dryer (at least 120 degrees), though there is debate as to why this helps.

The last thing I will say is: if they don't go away right away, don't be discouraged! Get your friends involved if you need reinforcement, and don't feel alone! Get out and eradicate those buggers.

Further reading:
http://bedbugger.com/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedbugs/DS00663
http://www.pestmall.com/bed-bugs.html
http://www.badbedbugs.com/bed-bug-treatment/