Week 1, part 3 - Oyster Sauce and Honey.

As if I didn't have enough random food in my house, I also had a Costco-sourced four-pork-tenderloin pack, frozen into a solid log. Inspired by Top Chef, I decided to make each one using a different recipe, using different Shannon supplies. I was then going to style and photograph each one, write reviews, and choose a winner.

Fortunately, sensible thinking prevailed and I revised the plan. I decided to double up, and make only two versions. The first recipe was perfect - not only did it use two of my ingredients, oyster sauce and honey, but it also won the "Let's Cook Healthy! Iowa Pork" award at the Iowa State Fair in 1994. The exclamation point really sold me, honestly. I found it on Epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/15277

I made a few changes, leaving out onion powder and parsley because I didn't have them on hand and the last thing I need is more random food. I also baked it instead of grilling - about 30 minutes at 450.

This was wonderful, and super-easy for after work if you've done the marinating. In fact, I marinated it in the same dish I baked it in, and pulled it straight out of the fridge and put it in the oven. I probably should have served it with some rice and maybe a vegetable, but in my house it was served with leftover hummus and pita.

I thought about photographing it but it looked exactly like a brown cooked pork tenderloin. The leftovers were good too!

Let's Cook Healthy!

Week 1, part 2 - Cookies and Fancy Cranberries.

I left one more thing off the list - Shannon baked cookies the day before she left and put some in my goodie bag. That Shannon baked cookies instead of packing would surprise nobody who knows her. However, there's no point in even putting them on the list as they were chocolate chip - with big chunks of Valrhona chocolate - and didn't even last the day.

It was a wonderful clear weekend - finally - and I took a hike with my friends Jay and Laura. Jay made turkey sandwiches and fruit/veggie snacks and I contributed cookies and granola with some of my fancy cranberries. Served buffet-style on a fallen tree, it was a feast!

By the way, I wondered what "fancy" means as regards cranberries. The USDA has an 11-page document about frozen cranberries from which we learn that "fancy" indicates the highest quality free from defects. I'm summarizing; this took the USDA a whole page to define.

Week 1.

I'm not off to a great start - I'm already behind on my goal as I found three things that should have been on the list: a tube of pesto, a Cooking Light cookbook, and a set of twelve wine glasses for parties.

Then Shannon came by for one last hug and left me one more bag of stuff. I should mention that this has been happening all week - every time I see her there are more good leftovers that get folded into my kitchen. It's not unlike a charity fundraiser, where you get a bag of random goodies for coming, except Shannon's stuff all smells or tastes really great.

So there are more additons to the list: one bottle Sancerre, one chef's knife, Reynolds Wrap, quince preserve, two cheeses, and banana jam.

That brings me up to 67 items. Wish me luck...

Grocery List

Many people would face a mess of this proportion with a positive attitude. They would make a plan and attack the problem methodically, and have it solved in a few hours.

I am not one of those people. Instead, I am sitting in my apartment surrounded by piles of spices, cooking equipment, oils, vinegars, and other detritus that I somehow have to shoehorn into my very small kitchen. So unlike the vast organized, I have decided to write a blog about what I do with my new possessions (see sample, left).

As background, my friends Shannon and Jim are leaving Sunday to fulfill a long-standing dream to travel around the world. They quit their jobs, threw a great party, packed up their apartment and have spent the past week sloughing off their possessions into various corners of San Francisco. Most of it, including the kitchen that took Shannon four days to pack, has gone into storage for their return in 2007. Some of it went to Goodwill, some was thrown away, and an assortment of things has made its way into my apartment.

Shannon is famous for her dinner parties - she's a fantastic cook, a thoughtful hostess, and generous with her extensive wine collection. She took the opportunity while packing to edit her existing spices, cookware, cookbooks, serving pieces, etc - and offered me a choice of the spoils.

So I am now the owner of the following:

One bag pretzels
Williams Sonoma Risotto Cookbook
One jar capers
One jar green peppercorns
One-half jar caperberries
White pitcher
Bamboo steamer
a set of two mini pizza stones
One can hearts of palm
A bottle of D'anjou pear vinegar
Some sage meat seasoning
Half a jar of tamarind paste (plus recipie)
W/S au poivre marinade
W/S Meyer lemon/rosemary marinade
"Better than Bullion", mushroom flavor
One jar dijon mustard
One bottle oyster sauce
Two bottles margarita mixer
One bottle rosemary balsamic vinegar
One bottle Zinfandel
One bottle Fume Blanc
Two cake plates (these are only on loan, but have to fit into the kitchen somehow)
Seven wine glasses with leopard theme
Williams Sonoma Mango Peach Salsa
One-half jar roasted red chili paste
Canyon Ranch cookbook
Four red and white tea towels
One bag cranberries (fancy)
High-end olive oil
One jar honey
One bag poppy seeds
One jar peach balsamic fruit condiment
two wooden spoons
two spatulas
One olive oil container
Two containers sea salt
One box christmas cookie decoration sugars
One bag truffles
Four mini cake pans
A salad shooter
One container veggie demi glace
A wok
One box chai tea
One box "calm" tea
One-half box decaf earl grey tea
One bottle turmeric
One-quarter bottle saffron
A bottle of vanilla
One vanilla bean
One box birthday candles
One spray bottle of Wine Away
Various wrappings and papers
Kirsch
Baileys
W/S Vegetarian for All Seasons cookbook
Canyon Ranch's Great Tastes cookbook
The Authentic Cafe cookbook
One canvas bag

So that's 58 things, and I have at least 52 weeks until they return. I figure it's just about one new thing to try per week, both to remember my friends and also to salute the spirit of adventure that takes them all over the globe.

I'm actually ahead of the game, as I polished off the bag of pretzels while writing. Maybe I will start in on the wine?