Jan 2007

Peanut Brittle

Time: About 20 minutes, plus cooling

  • Butter for greasing pan
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted, or other nuts
  • Salt, if using unsalted peanuts (optional).

1. Use a bit of butter to grease a baking sheet, preferably one with a low rim. Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a heavy skillet and turn heat to medium. Stir until smooth, then cook, adjusting heat so that mixture bubbles steadily. Stir occasionally until mixture turns golden brown (which it may do rather suddenly).

2. Stir in the peanuts and a large pinch of salt, if desired. Pour mixture onto greased baking sheet and spread out. Cool for about a half-hour, then break into pieces. (You can score brittle with a knife when it has solidified slightly but not yet turned hard; that way, it will break into even squares.) Store in a covered container for up to two weeks.

Yield: About 1 pound.

Substitutions: I made a special version of the peanut brittle using peanuts, sesame seeds, and shredded coconut at my Grampa’s request.

 

 

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Jan 2007

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant – San Diego

December 21, 2006
Cuisine: Chinese, Dim Sum

4609 Convoy St, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92111

Phone: (858) 268-0888
Website: http://www.jasmineseafoodrestaurant.com/

I came to Jasmine Seafood Restaurant straight from the airport on my recent holiday in San Diego. I’m generally not a fan of dim sum because eating greasy meat in the morning feels so wrong. Thankfully on this occasion I was still on East Coast time (12 PM PST/3 PM EST), so I was totally game.

Jasmine was packed at lunch time even though it was a Thursday. Ladies pushing carts circled the noisy banquet room. Oh, how I love chaotic dim sum experiences!

I was dining with ten or so family members so we ordered a lot of food (see above). Our first order was the fried octopus, which was SO tasty. The fruits of the sea have such great texture! The rest of the ordering was a bit of a blur. I especially enjoyed the beef rice rolls, which is my all-time favorite dim sum dish. I also thought the pot stickers and stuffed tofu skins were exceptional.

I think I need to get over my “meat in the morning” complex because dim sum at Jasmine was delicious!

Dec 2006

The Great American Detox Diet – Alex Jamieson

About: Here, in response to all the requests, is the detox program that undid the damage Morgan Spurlock-director and star of Super Size Me-did to his body in a month of gorging on nothing but McDonald’s What would happen if you ate nothing but fast food for an entire month? That’s what filmmaker Morgan Spurlock attempted to find out by making his scathing tongue-in-cheek documentary Super Size Me. A 33-year-old New Yorker in excellent health, he would eat nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days, to gauge the effects on his body. The results were shocking: He gained almost 30 pounds, saw his cholesterol skyrocket, and developed chest pains and dangerously high blood pressure.

My thoughts: If it weren’t for Morgan Spurlock’s coattails, I probably would not have picked up this book. Although a lot of the information wasn’t new to me, I really enjoyed it overall. The book is divided into three sections. The first deals with the author’s own experience as a junk food fiend. Eating junk food caused the author to suffer from fatigue, migraines, and candidiasis. After feeling so crappy, she converted to a whole foods diet. The second chapter talks about the actual detoxing process. Besides addressing the nutritional aspects of detoxing (i.e. no refined flours or sugars, no caffeine, healthful fats, whole grain carbs, and lean protein), the author also emphasizes the importance of ambiant factors such as stress, relationships, sleep, and mental stability. I really liked this well-rounded approach. The last section lists book and website resources, as well as a collection of vegan recipes.

I took a couple of fun facts away from reading this book. Firstly, fats serve as lubricants for our bones. Yay! I like to think of this fact as I’m running. Secondly, fibrous foods serve as wonderful “scrubbers” for our digestive system. Fascinating! Lastly, Stevia might be a great natural and calorie-free alternative to sugar. I’m excited about experimenting with Stevia in my future baking endeavors.