omg 2019
Let’s talk about food, baby, let’s talk about you and me (mostly me) eating everything in sight.
I’ll start with tea tonight – I’m vegging up a Paula Deen crab cake recipe, subbing firm tofu for the crab. I’m interested to see how it will turn out, but if all fails there’s still fries on the side (they smell amazing in the oven right now) and some salad. Maybe some bread if we get desperate.
It will be hard to starve though, given our breakfast was southern buttermilk biscuits (these ones) with sausage gravy (like this one but also with homemade tempeh sausage crumbles) and a couple of fried eggs. It’s the second time this week we’ve had biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but when we weren’t, we were having menemen.
We had a fun Sunday lunch for our Auntie Lisa who was visiting, which ballooned out to 16 people at one point, so I made a double batch of mexican lasagne (forever a crowd favourite), Mexican rice, fresh corn and salad, cheesy vegan quesadillas, jalapeno popper dip with corn chips, and a pavlova with brown sugar and stone fruit we picked a few days prior from Rayner’s Orchard – highly recommend a trip there if you’re in the area!
The girls also made lemonade with the millions of lemons we picked, and one of them pronounced it “better than chocolate”. Ummmm ok, I’ll take it!
Speaking of shopping (was I not? Well I am now!) I took a trip out to Moorabbin to USA Foods and stocked up on chiles and hot sauces and seasonings and paid $10 for a packet of Birthday Cake Oreos. I’m not crazy, you’re crazy. They’ve got some great stuff but it can be very pricey so I’ve often just looked and walked back out again. This time though, I stocked up and hopefully that will do me for a while! I got some Old Bay and Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning, some adobo seasoning so I can add that flavour to everything even when I’m out of chipotles, some proper cornmeal (boy does that make a difference) and some masa for making corn tortillas. I also bought the kids some half-price Donettes – like mini donuts that could survive nuclear fallout, but to no-one’s surprise we couldn’t eat any of them. They are… not delicious.
Ok I can report from the frontline of the crab cakes as we’ve just finished eating… the texture wasn’t quite right (too sloppy) and I way overseasoned with the concern the tofu would be bland. A few more tweaks should do it… I hope.
Speed Round
We are (by we I mean I and only I ) still eating christmas pudding, the Magimix Cook Expert makes an incredibly light meringue, I made my best pizza yet after three years trying every Friday night, I’m waiting for it to cool down enough to make bagels, I found myself closer to the most epic vegan cupcake yet, and this Turkish semolina syrup cake had everyone I know absolutely raving. I ate enough to sink a ship and I don’t even like cake.
Now I need a nap.
I am always so impressed by your unbridled passion for American food. I’ve just ordered Molly Yeh’s cookbook after watching her show & falling in love with her food. This is the year I’m going to try more new things! Also trying to eat less meat….family not on board.
And come talk to me when Smalls is almost 19 & still living on food that should not sustain her. I’ll still be feeling your pain because I doubt my eldest would have changed by then either 😒
Fairly sure my arteries are not so pleased! I love Molly’s blog and always wonder what mine would look like if it was my full-time job too. I would also like a farm.
I am under no illusions that the child will eat any real food at any point. Sometimes they just do not grow out of it. and then what do you do?
I have been baking today, banana muffins and fruity anzac biscuits, I brought some raspberries the other day which are in the freezer to make jam with tomorrow, and I forgot to cancel the food box so we have been having that this week, I like the recipies and the ease and the not having to think what to make but it doesn’t really fit into our budget to back to meal planning and supermarket shopping I go
How good is a little brain break from time to time! I hope you get reinspired in the kitchen. Meanwhile its way too hot to cook here today.