Delay on the move, and Mise en place

So I know I said I was going to be moving the challenge blog over to a new site.  It turns out, someone is using an almost Identical domain name to what I thought of, and I am going to take another week to really figure out what direction I want to take it.  But that does not mean I have slacked this week.

Yesterday I started with oatmeal, went to the gym, had ham and then cheese and a bunch of veggies for lunch.  I spent another good portion of the day using my new airbrush on a car model that has been sitting around for a while and had leftover rice and sauteed veggies for dinner.  It was a light day on food, but that is good after all the crap I ate over the weekend.

Today was of course back to work after a three day weekend, which is never easy, and always involves less sleep than I should be getting, but it went well.   Again started with some oatmeal, made it until about 9:45 before the coffee needed to be had, and actually did my extended lunch gym session with my roommate which we intend to keep up on every Tuesday and Thursday.  Lunch again boring, ham and cheese, carrots and trail mix.

Trying to eat all your meals at home, or prepared at home, takes a lot of effort.  Even for those like me who enjoy to cook, when I get home, I just want to do nothing.  There are many resources out there that have meal ideas to fit every budget, taste, and skill level, but two of my favorites so far are Shine,(which is a Yahoo affiliate) and Saveur,(which is a print magazine and website dedicated to food.)  Shine has meals for every day of the week if you like, and has many tips and trick especially for those slightly intimidated by the kitchen.  Saveur is a site I like a lot, as its recipes are very sophisticated, though not necessarily complicated, and the overall variety of techniques and types of cuisine is astounding.  Tonight I planned on making Quinoa Stuffed Pork Loin because I had some pork in the fridge and wanted to use it up. So I went out and bought the quinoa and the rest of the ingredients I was lacking and started cooking as soon as I got home.  Unfortunately the pork had gone bad, and I was at a loss for a minute.  I improvised and took some frozen trout filets and baked them with the beans and radishes and just served the quinoa on the side.  It still turned out pretty well, and at least I did it all at home right?

A quick technique lesson while I am at it with cooking.  This picture shows my mise en place, a french term in the kitchen referring to having all your ingredients and utensils ready to go before cooking.  What many of us try to do is complete a recipe step by step.  It says sautee onions, so you cut the onions and cook them.  Then it says add mushrooms so you scramble to cut the mushrooms and add it to the pan.  You fall behind, you rush, you miss something, something gets overcooked, and your meal does not come together like it should.  Next time you have a recipe, try preparing and measuring all of your ingredients before you start anything, and then just add at the appropriate times.  It may add a little to the overall prep time, but it will make it a less stressful experience.







That is enough of my blabbering on about something that I pretend to know a little about.  If anyone has any witty suggestions on a domain name pertaining to our weekly challenges go ahead and shoot them, could use a little help and encouragement on that myself.  Have a great week!

I'm just sayin...