Recipe a Day challenge part 2

So it turns out...doing a new recipe every day is tough because LEFTOVERS happen and eating new foods when there are old foods that no one else will eat is kind of tough. That vegan cheezy stuff was AMAZING though, especially with the red wine I got (of course mac n ch*z go with red wine, what u talking about?)

So the second recipe I made..once again I fail at following recipes.

FRIED TOFU (original silly recipe here: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipesstepbystep/ss/deepfriedtofu_5.htm)

So I KIND of followed the recipe.

• 5one happy box of firm tofu (u kno, firm like u like....er...firm things ;P)
  
• Tbsp. sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds)
  
• 4 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, OR substitute rice flour for gluten-free diets
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• optional: 1/4 tsp. white sugar (this helps eliminate any bitterness)

....except I didn't use salt and I didn't use sugar. Instead I used garlic salt and cayenne pepper because that shit is amazing. and I don't actually know how much cayenne pepper I used.

The recipe says Drain tofu, press tofu. I drained it. I always get impatient and don't press it though. I DID chop it into little mini-pieces tho (approx 1/2 inch cubes each.)

So then one is supposed to coat chopped up tofu pieces in the mixture then fry them up.

The reicpe calls for about a cup of canola oil to deep fry the pieces in. That was when I realized I didn't have canola oil, and had no fucking clue how to deep fry anything, so I decided to just ....pour little pieces of olive oil, see if it fried well.

It ...um,..didn't turn out exactly how I wanted.

I fried the stuff for about 10-15 min...it kind of got crispy, but as I was tasting it I realized it tasted WAAY too much like olive oil.

So I dumped pre-made COSTCO pico de gallo salsa + mango salsa in the mix to a: give it color and b: make it taste better.

IT WORKED. That shit tasted good :D

Plus my step-dad couldn't eat it because it was "too spicy", which really means it had a good amoutnt of spice in it :D

Imma start taking pictures soon i swear :D

Recipe-A-Day Challenge

Halloo!

For a long time I've wanted to become much more of a person that cooks regularly, and so I'm introducing for myself a Recipe-a-Day challenge. Don't know how long it will last...but I'm trying it anyway.

Today's recipe is half made up, half using someone else's recipe (Like most of what I end up making)

MAC AND IMAGINARY CHEEZ
The original recipe is here: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/The-Best-Vegan-Macaroni-and-Cheese-Ever-180878

Why imaginary cheez? Cuz I'm vegan.
Here's the recipe I made:

• 1 1/2 cups plain non-fat soymilk
• 1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon paprika (I didn't actually use this but I really wanted to)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 ounces firm tofu
• 1 1/2 lbs macaroni noodles (or whatever the fuck noodles float your boat)
• jar sundried tomatoes
• jar kalamata olives
• half a container of fake ground beef.
  

The original recipe called for a cup of oil, but since the sundried tomatoes (something I added) already had shittons of oil in them, the extra oil seemed unnecessary

STEPS
1. preheat oven 350 degrees F
2. Boil water, dump macaroni noodles in water
3. mix up the yeast + pretend milk + salt + garlic powder + tofu in a blender = pretend cheez!
4. when noodles are done, put them in an oiled pan, dump pretend cheez on them, dump all other things on them.
5. bake 15-20-25 min until crispiness may be seen from the barely visible noodles.

optional stuff:
1. add breadcrumbs for even more texture?
2. Mix up everything before dumping it in the baking pan so its all evenly mixed?

Multiple Choice Question

What is the source of Kat's present headache? Chose one of the following responses. (Note: Kat's back is also going haywire, which could affect the right answer)
a: Not enough Caffeine
b: Too much caffeine
c: PMS
d: Too much studying
e: too much stress
f: a bizzare combination of the above.

Its a good thing this is my last quarter because I don't think I could stay sane dealing with much more of this.

sigh

XKCD did it again.

http://xkcd.com/

Midterms

I have three midterms next week.

*thinks about studying. wretches.*
I'm so not cut out for school anymore. Aggravated senioritis.

(March 20th, graduation, here I come.)

Foward

Someone sent this to my inbox and its been the highlight of my day so far. (of course, currently my day consists of sleeping in, failing on getting rid of my caffeine addiction, fearing someone had stolen my keys which I would be needing to get to campus before 11am so I could meet up with my boyfriend and get my cell phone charger back, only to find my keys hidden in my pasta--after it would be possible to get to campus before 11am. So its not too hard to be the highlight of my day....)

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American
company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products.
She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC
Magazine's 2007
editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20
years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard
Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or
salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the
beach in
tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your
revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to
realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you
how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my
pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you
haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can
already feel hormonal forces violently s urging through my body. Just a few
minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my
husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the
human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt
seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's
monthly visits from 'Aunt Flow'. Therefore, you must know about the
bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood
swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a
tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is
just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to
the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so
painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an
Always
maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these
words:
'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your
tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing
happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned
above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless
you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy'
about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and
lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local
Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in
a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a
moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something
that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular
Manslaughter is
Wrong'.

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective
immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen
to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss
your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending
bullshit.

And that's a promise I will keep.
Always. . .

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX


The funny thing is I actually have no problem with my period. It actually usually is quite happy. Whatev.

addiction

Attempting to diminish/eliminate caffeine dependency.

Had a tablespoon.5 of insta-coffee this morning (considering a few weeks ago, I was using 3 and saying, "look, I'm cutting back!" this is still an accomplishment.)

Withdrawal headache. temptation looms. Course, I would have to get up to find coffee, and head drooping sleepily. Library is comfy.

May have to resort to getting coffee before work, don't want to be a zombie for the kiddies....(muahaha excuse...)

*zonk sleeeeep...*