Singapore Lemon Pepper Chickpea Dinner + Ratatouille OST = the glamourless epicurean charmer

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(Now let's kick off)

Without being aggressive about it, I challenge you not to take some delight in the Ratatouille Soundtrack.
I didn't intend for this mash up, but one of the little girls that I nanny for was watching this, and I couldn't escape it. nor did I want to. I'm the one that made us watch "Remytouie n Guine" again.

While this song is sung by the swimmingly merry Camille Dalmais, OST cred goes to Michael Giacchino.

"who?" you ask...
A composer that has the potential to rise quite quickly in just about anyone's musical taste, once you're aware of what he's been responsible for
to name a few:
THE INCREDIBLES
LOST (for TV)
STAR TREK
ALIAS (for TV)
UNDERCOVERS (for TV)
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
(...yes, he and J.J. Abrams are attached at the hip, and it's for no man to put asunder.)

aaaaaand GARGOYLES!!!
I grew up with this man and didn't even realize it.

and why him?
because he's appropriately versatile for what he does. As soon as he signs his name to it, it disappears.
Right behind the arrangement that's already steadily yet inconspicuously serving the story that's depending on it.

 Giacchino is playful and crafty at getting your senses kicking in no time with a buoyantly robust OST. So naturally, this meal -by equal definition- will be his mate for the evening.

                      Singapore Lemon Pepper Chickpea Dinner
                       (trial and error, till it tasted delicious)

1/2 can of chickpeas (rinsed of its juice)
 3 dashes pepper
 3 dashes lemon pepper seasoning
3 dashes Penzey's Singapore seasoning (thank you Sonja- ol roomie of mine!)
2 dashes oregano
handful of fresh green beans
quinoa (cook according to directions)
1 tsp olive oil
one lemon, for juice.
Frank's red hot hot sauce (get used to seeing this in...a lot. but it is optional.)


-Start cooking quinoa first and plate when ready.
**everything else takes literally 3 minutes**

-In pan add oil, then put spices into it.
**maybe its just me, but the flavors of the spices pop when they hit heat and not food first. who knows**
-as soon as oil is warm, add chickpeas.
-let them brown and pop a bit while lightly stirring then around.
-pour onto plated quinoa.
-quickly flash fry green beanies in same pan.
**you may need to add a bit more olive oil**
-pour beans onto everything else.
- squeeze the juice from a lemon slice onto everything. do. not. skip. this. step.  :)
-add non puss amount of hot sauce


voila!

you have a meal! It's aromatic. It took you 10 minutes to make, and it goes with a stellar Soundtrack.



I like to eat mine in a bowl. my poor quinoa is buried.
Enjoy!

I take back "non puss" comment. I had to make sure my lips weren't burning off.  Be careful...

Banana Bread + Fried Green Tomatoes OST = a slice of southern goo

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                                     (now let's kick off)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the work of Thomas Newman yet, I hope this song from the Fried Green Tomatoes OST can be a gateway for you to find and enjoy more of him.  He has been one of my favorite composers for as long as I can remember, and I'm sure you'll be hearing more of him from me soon enough.

--and I can't talk about fried green tomatoes without thinking of this scene. truly the joy of cooking.


Newman's music much like this recipe, is delicate and full at the same time.
Go with me here, but its very reminiscent to waking up to a pressureless morning. The "soft kind of sunny" shining in all over the place, that it makes the whole place luminous. all while you're walking barefoot down the hall because you're following the light smell of something baking.
and oh yes, in this case, its banana bread.

Through college especially, banana bread always had this effect on me-- you know. makes you slow down a bit to enjoy it. Which is why I love packing a piece or two with me during a hectic day.
I used to think that it would be the perfect respite from a long day before diving into homework, but that was just torture.  I'm not the biggest fan of the reward system. if I want to enjoy something now, I generally just do.

Banana Bread

(adapted from Elise's Simply Recipes ...my first favorite food blogger)

3 to 4 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted earth balance
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg OR 1 helping egg replacer
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp cloves (suggested)
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- in a bowl, mash bananas with fork. pre heat over to 350.
- mix in butter, sugar, egg or egg replacer, vanilla, cinnamon, and other spices.
- mix in baking soda, salt and add flour last.

- with a small slice of butter, lightly butter loaf pan with fingers. then pour mixture in.

- bake for 40-45 minutes if you like it with a deliciously moist banana-y center. cool just enough to serve warm and sliced.

I occasionally like adding chocolate chips or walnuts in the mixture. but I always like eating mine with a soft smear of peanut butter on top.

Homemade Tortilla Chips and Guacamole + City of God OST = a brazillian transport from winter

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                                      (now let's kick off)

Avocados were 5 for $5 in Whole Foods (@ Columbus Circle location) yesterday, and in the dead of winter, I couldn't help myself. sooo I got in line behind everyone else who realized it, and loaded a bag full of the green stuff.

While this can be classified as superbowl food, it was more the sale, and a want for Chipotle that put me in the mood to make chips and guacamole.

And with Seu Jorge from the City of God OST in the background, scent of lime and cilantro in the air, its a pleasant little something to keep me excited about spring/sunny weather  right around the corner...ish..not..well, its pretty warm in my apartment. 1 outta 2 ain't bad.

Homemade Tortilla Chips and Guacamole

(adapted from savory sweet life.)

and my roommate for the chips :)

(I bought all ingredients for recipe, but since I'm not having a party or anything, I cut down the amount by about half for now because I like fresh made guac.)

2 tomatoes                              pack of corn tortillas
1/2 jalepeno                            non stick veg. oil spray
1/3 of an onion
1/4 cup cilantro
pinch salt
1 ripe avocado
1/2 lime for its juice

- chop first 4 ingredients. leave on cutting board or plate. preheat oven to 400.

- mash avocado in bowl with fork. then gently fold in chopped ingredients with spoon. add lime juice last. it can mask all of the other flavors if you add to much. squeeze a bit. fold. taste. add to your liking.

- take about 5 or 6 tortilla, and cut into fours on a plate.

- lightly sprinkle cookie sheet with fine layer of salt. then place the soon to be chips on top of it. spray lightly with non stick spray. if you've got a thing for salty chip, add light sprinkle of salt before baking.
bake for 7- 10 minutes, pop em out, and you have homemade chips that you could bag and sell to your friends its so easy.

dump chips on plate and serve to guac lover. I like to eat mine..yup.

Pretzel Dogs + NFL theme song = Super Bowl Sunday!!

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(now let's kick off)

If this song doesn't make you at least want to give a good glare off to the corner, ready to tackle anything that comes at you, then I don't know what will. for some reason, I can't glare without my eyes looking crossed, but I can have a mean ol' game face.

In honor of superbowl sunday (a day which many men(..and women) consider a holiday), I'll be putting together a staple of tailgate happiness. Pretzels and dogs. well, I'll be using sausages. hotdogs are too wimpy for this song and occasion. kapeesh.

Now I have to admit. I don't really know much about football, and I'll never try to pretend that I know or can define any complicated rules or scoring besides an interception... If I went to UGA, I'm sure I'd get beat up for admitting this. Uga's too sweet, but Hairy Dawg.. who can tell with that one.

.. oh- and I know who's where in an offensive line (which if you ask me, is enough to follow a good amount of anything, thank you), cause god knows defense is all over the place anyway.

I can't even say I'd know that much if I didn't go to school in Pittsburgh, experience TWO superbowl wins by the Steelers, and then walk the streets to witness the demolition that occurred because of it.
cars were flipped, frat couches burned, and people were hit in the head by flying shoes. and apparently, this happened too:

So here's to you, you Steelers. you're great. and you kept me mildly informed and constantly amazed.

Pretzel Dogs

(adapted from A Dash of Sass)

(whoops-there's no egg replacer in this recipe. meant to pull out vegetable oil. go ahead some of you, breathe your sigh of relief)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package dry active yeast

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda*

kosher (or regular) salt for topping

4 tofurkey sausages, cut in half (once lengthwise and once widthwise)

vegetable oil

foil

- in bowl,  combine first three ingredients. then sprinkle yeast on top. leave alone for 5 minutes.

- pour in butter and flour.

- with hand mixer or standing mixer, pulse bowl contents to combine, till dough pulls away from bowl and sticks like crazy to mixer. about 4-5 minutes.

-lightly coat large bowl with vegetable oil, or non stick spray. put dough inside. cover with foil. put bowl on top on stove to rise for 1 whole hour (if you can stand it). my pretty baby did its double in size in 40 min.

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line two cookie sheets with foil that has been lightly coated in veg. oil or non stick spray. leave nearby.

-In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a roiling boil.

-in small pan, brown sausages in tsp olive oil.

- lightly coat counter/table top in vegetable oil. dump dough. cut equal pieces dough balls to sausages. then roll out baby balls into 12 in long ropes. 

-wrap half sausage bits in rope dough. pinch ends to seal. place on foil.

- Boil pretzel dogs, one by one, in the baking soda water for 30 seconds each. 

-remove each pretzel dog from the water and place it on a drying rack to allow any extra baking soda mixture to drip off.

- Place the boiled pretzel dogs back on foil. sprinkle with salt.

- Bake until golden brown. about 12-14 min. 
and behold...serve warm, dipping and dunking, to superbowler.

Dash of Sass said this was "dangerously easy"..and I can tell you that was  not quite the case.
I know that kind of goes against the 'simple' part of scoredandsimple, but I had to try them. and it is really worth it!! 


so long as you know:
there's a good bit of waiting. 
a good bit of watching.
you sort of need the right kitchen supplies to make this.
my little hand mixer met her death after five faithful years when I plugged her in- before even meeting the dough mixture! so thank god my roommate has a standing mixer. 
I didnt have the parchment paper 'required', but  greased foil worked perfectly.
so I highly recommend you make these with a good kitchen mate and tunes to keep this the fun little project it should be.

I like to eat mine with dijon, honey and spicy mustards, while quietly humming steelers superbowl song. 
These babies are FIL.LING. its in your best interest to make sure there's a beverage nearby when eating them.

Outside Eat of the Week: TAIM

Oh if only I lived in the West Village/ NOHO area... I think I might quit the variety on this blog altogether and eat at TAIM for weeks. Thanks to my friend Paz for introducing me to this place, I now take a ritual like train ride to eat there every month.

STATS ON THE JOINT:
self description: "we're a small place with great falafel and smoothies"
my description: I second theirs. truly, its delicious and satisfying. fresh, raw (minus fried falafel) ingredients, and all on display.                    

size: its literally a joint. think "dorm room". but its set up so efficiently and earnestly, that you don't mind it at all. five seats inside, bench on the outside, and a coffee shop on the corner that doesn't care if you bring it on over. 

price: $5.25 for a falafel sandwich that's as big as your whole hand with fingers splayed.
service: I went twice in one day recently (don't judge me) after a lecture at NYU, and the girl at the register, one: remembered my name. and two: when she asked me if I was back for the same thing, she remembered my order with specialties involved. you've won me over double Taim, and don't you ever fire her! I should really learn her name.

--and apparently, I'm not the only one who loves em, here are some favorite bloggers of mine who agree.
GOOP
Pocket Change
AlwaysHungryNY
(this site is awesome, but good god- there's so much to look at, and imagine eating, that I just get overwhelmed)

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Pancakes + Little Miss Sunshine OST = childlike anticipation manifested through jerk dancing

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                                              (now let's kick off)

Woke up this morning, to have the usual "breakfast of champions"--

- its similar to something my Dad would always eat, so naturally its named for the champ.

 and right after I finished...I realized, its the weekend!

bring out the weekend meals!

Q:what's a weekend meal you say? 

A: view picture to your left (yes, I know, how can you miss it). its like that. it looks like a happy heart attack.... caused by anything super delicious- generally cake like and doughy- that you have a little more time to make than in your usual work week.  its devoured before lounging in the pjs with the paper on your laptop...or winding down for a nap.

Meals like this always got me so excited as a kid that I would dance, wiggle and make silly smiley faces in my chair. waiting for the smell around me, to be put right in front me. probably because its cake for breakfast. Jim Gaffigan says it best.
...and because mimosas and meeting good friends over brunch is involved.
generally here, to the awesome service of Jack (request his section if you go).

-and not to forget, my old job has some kickass brunch and servers too.

aaaaand maybe one day, when I can bring myself to get over to the East Side (and spend that much), I'll try their brunch.

So long as eating east side looks nothing like this:

Had to make a run for the bananas and butter, but Danna and Devotchka keep the elation going in the Little Miss Sunshine OST. 

flipping flapjacks, sun peering in and red wool socks. can't wait to have these tomorrow. happy weekend.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 c. flour

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch nutmeg 

1 pinch cloves (optional, but totally worth adding)

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP cinnamon (add extra tsp if you love the stuff)

1 c. soy milk

1 sweet potato boiled and mashed

1 tsp vanilla

earth balance butter (or whatever butter you have and like)

- cut skin off potato, and chop into blocks.

boil in pot on med. high heat till soft enough to puncture through with fork.

about 8 minutes.

- while potatoes are boiling..mix first seven ingredients ('the dry stuff')

in a large bowl...or a measuring cup if you forget altogether that you have a bowl.

- drain potatoes and mash. then pour in potatoes and remaining 'wet' ingredients into dry ingredients. mix well.

you'll notice clumps of sweet potato. they'll add texture if you don't pulverize them.

**pancakes with any added fruit or root will be dense but if the batter seems thicker than usual, add milk by the TBSP. I had to add some to mine.**

-in skillet (non stick hopefully), warm butter (size of pinky fingernail) on med. heat, and dollop batter in about the size of palm.

-fry till edges of pancake bottom become golden. peek for flipping. then of course, flip when ready.

TA- DA!

-serve hot, on plate, to giddy weekend lounger.

I like to eat mine with a side of banana, amazing vermont maple syrup (compliments to Jo&Co.) in my CMU sweatshirt.

Try the pancakes without syrup first. though dense, the sweet potato is a gentle addition that can be overpowered by too much syrup..  more importantly, enjoy it how you like.

Thick and Hearty Split Pea Soup + Eternal Sunshine OST = putting back that something you missed

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(now let's kick off)

Its wintery cold in NYC and we had a bout of snow that made me want a piece of home. whatever that means.
for some its a place. for me its a memory- memories of comfort and peace of mind. old and new.

Jon Brion hits it on the head for me in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. wandering but not lost. lingering but not sad. some chunks are saturated  and others are fading till you catch them again. repetitive but never really gets old..and even when it does, you still wanna have the memory there to dust off, and sigh a smile about later....
you know..like when its lip chapped cold out, and the wind makes you curse all kinds of wrong, and want nothing more than to pour in what you feel like the elements have stripped from you. I give you, 'comfort' via soup.

Thick and Hearty Split Pea Soup
(compliments to Susan V.)

my version after making it 10 times the way my friends,
roommate and I like it:

1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped 
2 large carrots washed and chopped

2 stalks celery washed and chopped (optional)

1 potato peeled and chopped

1 1/2 c. green split peas, rinsed

4 c. water

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

*oregano or thyme if you like. perhaps I can steer you away.

don't over add to a good thing. cheapens it..or, just ruins the taste.

-In a pot, warm oil then add garlic and onions.

-stir on med heat till translucent. about 5 min.

-add carrots, potatoes, split peas and 4 c. of water.

-stir to mix. add salt and pepper before the blending takes place.

- bring it to boil, cover and cook on low heat till split peas disintegrate. about 45 min.

(I'd suggest getting up from whatever you'll be doing to stir it halfway through. I know, a little less involvement would be nice but a minute to stir will be worth it.)
- after peas disintegrate, test consistency to your liking. stir uncovered on higher heat to thicken or stir and add water to thin.

- serve hot, in bowl, with spoon, to soup lover.

I like to eat a big ol' bowl of this with asiago cheese on top, while dipping pita chips in it.

but it really does hold up on its own too. rustic, warming, deliciousness.