Food canoodling
May. 11th, 2003 06:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidIt became more obvious to me this week that my brain doesn't quite work like other people's: it's much more food-wired than the average person (whoever the hell that is).
I was driving along, Queue was in the car, and he read part of a sign out loud, "Mandarin Chicken." And suddenly a recipe came to me: chicken with mandarin oranges, scallions, and water chestnuts, in a dressing mixing soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and orange juice. I haven't yet tried this, but I do have some leftover chicken, so I might. I mentioned this to another friend, and she suggested water cress might be needed, too. I don't have any cress right now, though, so if I experiment tonight, cress doesn't make the cut.
[update 2035: I made the chicken salad, and it came out ok. I think the dressing needs something a little thicker in it, too, and tahini seems the obvious choice. I'm hoping the flavors intensify overnight, though.]
One night last week, I was lying in bed, trying to get to sleep, the mind unable to slow down enough. I thought about an upcoming event, and the thought of bringing snacks drifted through. I remembered the big chocolate bar (5 lb, I think) that calls out to be used, and I thought of truffles. However, I'd like to make them vegan. I usually do this by adding thinned marzipan, but I don't have any right now, and don't feel like making almond truffles necessarily. What to use instead? Hrm. Ponder. And then I started thinking about vegan pudding, thinned a bit with soy milk. It might just work. Really, it might. It would require finding vegan pudding, however, and that I haven't managed yet, despite a trip to Bread & Circus. So if anyone has any suggestions on that front, I'd appreciate them.
Does anyone else tend to have recipes spring into mind, out of nowhere? Or does everyone else figure out what they're going to cook from cookbooks or tried-and-true favorites, get the appropriate groceries, and make the food they'd planned? (I also modify menus while shopping, depending on what looks appealing.)
I was driving along, Queue was in the car, and he read part of a sign out loud, "Mandarin Chicken." And suddenly a recipe came to me: chicken with mandarin oranges, scallions, and water chestnuts, in a dressing mixing soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and orange juice. I haven't yet tried this, but I do have some leftover chicken, so I might. I mentioned this to another friend, and she suggested water cress might be needed, too. I don't have any cress right now, though, so if I experiment tonight, cress doesn't make the cut.
[update 2035: I made the chicken salad, and it came out ok. I think the dressing needs something a little thicker in it, too, and tahini seems the obvious choice. I'm hoping the flavors intensify overnight, though.]
One night last week, I was lying in bed, trying to get to sleep, the mind unable to slow down enough. I thought about an upcoming event, and the thought of bringing snacks drifted through. I remembered the big chocolate bar (5 lb, I think) that calls out to be used, and I thought of truffles. However, I'd like to make them vegan. I usually do this by adding thinned marzipan, but I don't have any right now, and don't feel like making almond truffles necessarily. What to use instead? Hrm. Ponder. And then I started thinking about vegan pudding, thinned a bit with soy milk. It might just work. Really, it might. It would require finding vegan pudding, however, and that I haven't managed yet, despite a trip to Bread & Circus. So if anyone has any suggestions on that front, I'd appreciate them.
Does anyone else tend to have recipes spring into mind, out of nowhere? Or does everyone else figure out what they're going to cook from cookbooks or tried-and-true favorites, get the appropriate groceries, and make the food they'd planned? (I also modify menus while shopping, depending on what looks appealing.)
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no subject
Date: 2003-05-11 04:42 pm (UTC)(I just know that they make me as sick as dairy puddings, so didn't pay attention.)
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Date: 2003-05-11 04:49 pm (UTC)Would something made with the puddings likely make you sick, too, if there's lots of other stuff (well, chocolate) diluting it, d'you think?
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Date: 2003-05-11 05:03 pm (UTC)dunno if it'd make me sick. the idea of food at all right now is making me sick.
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Date: 2003-05-12 06:50 am (UTC)Sorry to hear you're feeling out of it, bitty
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Date: 2003-05-12 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 06:51 am (UTC)Right now, I'm looking for the easy way out, so buying something prepared would be good. Since I didn't find anything at B&C yesterday (everything in their prepared pudding section was dairy, which rather surprised me), I'm hoping that Harvest will have something, that's not only vegan but kosher certified too. However, having backup recipes would probably be a good idea.... I have to pick up a few things I left at your house anyway; perhaps a recipe transfer could happen then?
no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 09:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 09:31 am (UTC)I sometimes also use cookbooks and tried-and-true solutions, of course. I never bake by instinct; I don't have those clues. Cooking is different from baking.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 09:42 am (UTC)I like pantry cooking, using up things I have around the house. Usually that kind of cooking falls into variations on things I usually do, like using different vegetables with pasta, or in a frittata, or on flatbreads, all things I can make without much thought, rather than actually new recipes.