Howdy!
It’s Sunday! Earlier this morning I ran 2 miles and then made pancakes. Only 2 miles because I made the mistake of closing my blackout curtain, which completely threw off my circadian rhythm. When I turned off my alarm at 6:30, I fell back to sleep and didn’t wake up until 7:50. In addition to the fact that I felt like I had wasted the whole day, it was too hot to run too far. I was huffing and buffing (and panting) too much.
So I made amaranth, oatmeal, wheat, and blueberry pancakes. At first I didn’t think I liked the amaranth flour, but it is definitely growing on me. I used it to make a banana slow cooker cake last week (pre-exam stress reliever baking) and it added a nutty, soft texture to the cake. I think it would make a great flour for pie crust, especially for an apple pie. The blueberries for the blueberry pancakes came from the Farm Patch again. Ninety-nine cents for a pint of Texas blueberries is insane! I have three pints frozen right now and I have two in the refrigerator. I had three pints in the refrigerator last night… They were really yummy.
Yesterday on my Saturday shopping day, I also bought eggplants from the Farm Patch. There where five eggplants in a basket on the “Dollar Wall” and I bought them because they still looked pretty good. The “Dollar Wall” is a wall in the store where everything in each basket is $1. Usually this produce needs to be eaten or used that day or it will rot. These eggplants did not look like they were going to rot at all. Now I have to figure out what to do with that much eggplant. I ate one eggplant last night with a smoked salmon, queso fresco, spinach, and onion sandwich. I’m thinking eggplant lasagna but my slow cooker has a big crack in it! I’m not sure if I just wan to give in and bake the lasagna or come up with something else. Maybe I will grill the eggplant, make and boil homemade noodles, and make a pasta salad out of it. We’ll see what I make.
For lunch this week I think I’ll make a quinoa and egg salad with a greek yogurt dressing. I’ll chop up a some fresh cilantro and other veggies to go with it.
Well, time to go.
Have a great day of rest!
Hammie
July 25th, 2010
Cannolis made with blueberries…? Oh yes.
Hammie
July 18th, 2010
I know, I know. It’s been awhile. I’ve been wanting to blog for several weeks but couldn’t get myself to sign in and write. So this is my attempt to get back into blogging, at least until school starts in August.
What have I been up to?
I’ve been attending a pre-vet school anatomy workshop, running, eating, and just enjoying the heat. I don’t know why but just being in a state that is sunny most of the time has made be feel really great. It’s like living in the tropics. My favorite thing is just to stop when outside and take a deep breath in the sunshine. Ahhhh. Nice.
Yesterday was the best day of the week. Saturdays are my favorite days, not because there is no work or school for me, but because it is grocery shopping day! My routine is to weave in and out of Texas Avenue going from store to store and ending at HEB for the last ingredients that I need for lunches and dinners throughout the week. One day of shopping, two hours total, and I’m set for the week. It really saves time to not have to run to the store after work and school. I always spend at least a half hour in a grocery store no matter how hard I try so why spend extra time buying food when I don’t have to? Plus, buying it all on one day makes me say, “Are you sure you need this to get through the week?” I save money because I only get what I need and not what I’m craving at the time.
Lists also help. Friday night is food list night. I check the “in-store” circulars online to see what’s on special and where. Then, I make sure that I have all the essentials. This ensures I won’t miss anything important.
The fruits and veggies I buy really depend on what’s in season, what looks good, and what’s on special. For example, blueberries are on sale for 99 cents/pint at the Farm Patch. I couldn’t help it and bought 3 pints last week. I frozen all three pints because I had peaches and strawberries to eat as well. This week they were on sale, again. I bought another 3 pints. This time I’m eating them. I’ve already finished one pint. I guess I love Texas blueberries. Maine can brag about its blueberries all it wants. No one can touch the medium, sweet, and blue berries from Texas that are ripened in the heat. They are so good they make you want to cry… but I digress.
Ok, so you get the idea. From the things I buy at the farmer’s market, Farm Patch, and Readfield Meats, (besides the essentials) I figure out what I want to eat all week. It all comes down to what’s good that week.
Yesterday, I was really excited about shopping. I was in a great mood too. But my favorite farmer wasn’t at the farmer’s market! I didn’t know what to do for a second but I regrouped, bought $5 worth of Texas peaches, and continued on to Readfield Meats!
Readfield Meats-Bryan, TX. Home of the BEST bacon and sausage in Texas.
This is where the story gets good. I must be lacking B vitamins or something because I can’t believe what I did next. My plan is to have BLTs in the form of BOPS (Bacon, Onion, Peppers, and Spinach) for lunch next week. Readfield has the BEST applewood smoked bacon. Well, at least the best I’ve ever had that wasn’t from the Penn State Meats Lab. If you’ve ever had great bacon somewhere else, let me know. That was an easy choice but I wanted something else for dinner too. Another guy was in there and was buying stuff to grill for a family cookout. He bought some amazing-looking sirloins, ribeyes, and sausage. At first he didn’t know what he wanted and the guys at Readfield said… “sausages, you need to just grill some sausages.” Perfect. In a crusty, homemade roll with a small smear of grainy mustard. That’s all their store-made smoked sausages need. Best smoked sausages in the state of Texas. I had them last week and, while I would have loved eating them this week too, I need to watch because they are more fat-filled than I need. Maybe next week. That’s not the unbelievable part.
I didn’t know what to get. The first suggestion from the guy behind the counter was, “Chicken. How about chicken breasts?” My answer was, “Eh, my parents and I raised chickens when I was at home and that spoiled me on chicken.” What I interpreted that to mean (and I’m sure the guy behind the counter did too) once it left my mouth was, “I don’t like chicken.” Gasp! I think I almost passed out. I hope he didn’t think I didn’t like chicken. I do. I just like chicken from PERC and home. It just isn’t the same form the store. I’m sure it’s good, just… gah. Ok, I’m just digging myself in deeper now. Don’t get me wrong. I love chicken and I don’t mind store-bought chicken. Just not this week. There.
What did I get? The guys were really helpful, and I ended up getting a USDA choice beef round roast. I’ll slow cook it with coriander seed, paprika, chili powder, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Then I can just eat it for dinner during the week. I’m thinking homemade spelt and wheat flatbread, beef quesadillas with queso fresco cheese, egg plant, onions, and peppers. I did have my eye on a USDA choice ribeye, but maybe next week. They were beautiful.
Last night I used homemade dough to make a “stromboli” in a panini press with some kale, onions, peppers, panela cheese, garlic, and tomatoes. Everything cooked down and became the perfect Saturday night treat.
The homemade flatbread will make a great post later. Well, have a great day!
Hammie
July 18th, 2010
So tomorrow is the Texas Reds Festival!
I’m so exited. I’m not sure if I can sleep. No, I can. It was a long day.
Mom is here! It’s great to see her. I’m really happy that she could come down for the Reds Festival. I guess tomorrow we will get groceries, then pick up two of my co-workers from Puerto Rico and hit the festival until 3:3o or so.
I’m mainly excited for the chef demonstrations. Free food and live cooking demonstrations. The free beef samples are pretty exciting too.
Well, I better get to bed. Have a great Saturday!
Hammie
P.S. Sam and family, she’s doing wonderful! Thanks again!
June 18th, 2010
Good evening!
What a long day! I had a tough time getting up this morning but I did and was able to finish a 5 mile run before work. I was still able to get in the shower, out the door, and to work before 9:00.
I had a lunch meeting today. We went to Casa Rodriguez–a little Mexican restaurant in downtown Bryan.
It was a great lunch! I had a chicken fajita salad and an unsweetened ice tea (I only drink sweet tea at McAlister’s Deli). The salad was in a fried tortilla shell, which I’m not thrilled about, but it was still really good. I even ate part of the shell. At the restaurant they serve chips and red salsa as an appetizer. There was a green chili (?) salsa too. The green salsa was hotter and I liked that. Casa Rodriguez has a great atmosphere. The food was pretty plentiful for the price. I’d give it a (\/) (\/) (\/) three hooves. José’s is still my favorite Mexican place in town, but Casa Rodriguez was good.
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly! Unfortunately, my phone has died. I’m not having very good luck. First the car and then the phone. Verizon has ordered me another phone and it should be here on Thursday. That’s not too bad. The next two days will go by fast!
Say “hi” to Bo-Bo…
HAPPY Birthday June and Jane! They are 3 years old today… such old farts.
Have a great Wednesday! Three days ’til Texas Reds.
Hammie
June 15th, 2010
… BBQ always hits the spot. Could it be the B vitamins? Maybe the iron? I think it was time to eat some iron-I’ve been a bit sluggish when running.
The BBQ’d beef ribs I made yesterday were excellent! As I said yesterday, I slow cooked my ribs for about 7 hours. Then I added the BBQ sauce and slow cooked it another hour. The meat may have been a litter over-cooked because it fell apart too fast when I took it out of the cooker. However, that didn’t stop me. I made a beef rib, arugula, and goat cheese sandwich for lunch today. It kept me full all day. I had a deconstructed beef rib sandwich for dinner. It was still good. I’ll make another rib sandwich tomorrow for dinner… and I’ll love it.
I also had the best wine tonight. It was called Clone 7 and was a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. It went perfectly with hot salsa, chips, and a small chunk of BBQ. It handled the heat and spice really well. It would be great with pizza too. At less then $10, I’d recommend it! I wish I would have added a half cup or so to the ribs. They wouldn’t have needed BBQ sauce. Sometimes wine is a score and this was one of those times.
Have a great Tuesday!
Hammie
June 14th, 2010
with Hammie.
That’s what the run this morning felt like. I ran a little over 6 miles this morning and it was so humid. The sun was out and the run was relatively peaceful until I hit the little trail through the woods that I blogged about on June, 10. Then it was Wild Texas with Hammie Atkins. First I saw another snake. I think it was a some sort of rat or corn snake but I’ve been looking at so many snakes on the internet that I can’t remember what the snake I saw looked like. I think it was brown with distinct blackish spots on a pattern on its back. It didn’t have a rattle but was only two feet in length. I wish there was a way I could carry my camera with me on runs. It may also be helpful to tell which poisonous snake bit me should I need anti-venom. Eeep. You can see the whole list of Texas snakes here. I’m not scared of snakes but they make the hair stand up on my neck. I don’t enjoy them. Maybe it is just because I’m not used to working with them or maybe it is because I don’t know how. I’m more bothered by centipedes. Nothing should have that many legs.
Farther down the path after the snake crawled out of site I saw a turtle. It may have been a River cooter. I think I need to work on my snakes and turtles. The turtle was digging in the mud and I didn’t want to disrupt it.
After my run I got in the shower, ate a banana and granola bar and ran off to church. I’m closer to church now than I was at my sis’s apartment. I over estimated the amount of time it would take to get to church so I had to wait before going in. I was happy that some people remembered me. 
I’m glad I went and I really enjoyed the service.
I got home, made sun tea (in like half an hour), and put my beef ribs in the slow cooker.
I added some of the sun tea to the ribs as liquid. The tea tastes like Texas sunshine, so I figured it couldn’t hurt the ribs.
We’ll see how they turn out.
Hammie
June 13th, 2010
Who loves ya baby?
She’s back!
I had I really slow morning. I didn’t get out of bed until 10:30. I think I was a bit scared. But today was fine! In fact, it was a beautiful day with a happy ending. I hung around the house, cut my bangs, and watched TV most of the day. I had no place to go. As expected, I figured out how to make a meal out of the remaining food I had. I had buckled down and prepared to ride out the weekend with no transportation. What did I make? Stuffed zucchini in the slow cooker. I made a corn, zucchini, onion, and spelt bread stuffing and put it into hollowed-out zucchini and peppers. I filled the bottom of the slow cooker with whole canned tomatoes. Of course, the whole thing was seasoned well with freshly cracked green pepper and sea salt. I let the whole dish cook for 6 hours on low.
It would have been done in four hours but…
…at 3:30 I got the call. Baby only had a completely dead battery and she needed a new one. By 4:30 pm she was completely done and ready for me to pick up. Jennifer (my roommate) drove me to the dealership (thanks Jennifer!!!). There she was–they even washed and shined her tires. I was so happy. She drove better and even seemed to shift better. The battery and installation was expensive but worth it. The towing was cheap. Who ever hear of towing a car for $12? Even the guy at the dealership said I made off like a bandit.
I immediately went to HEB after picking up the bug. It felt so good! I bought beef ribs (which were on sale), Cabernet Sauvignon, and BBQ sauce for the ribs. That will be Monday night’s project. BBQ ribs and red wine.
At HEB I tried a really great wine/chocolate drink. You can read more about it HERE. It tasted like Bailey’s but a bit sweeter and more like red wine. The guy at HEB suggested it would be good on ice cream. Yes, it would. It would be good with just about any type of ice cream, especially homemade ice cream. I also think it would be good to soak chocolate cake for a chocolate-based tiramisu. Or in brownies. Or on ice as an after dinner drink. Or on a brick. Oh yeah, it’s that good.
I bought some cherries at HEB. They were from CA and so juicy and refreshing. Eaten for dessert after stuffed zucchini.
Right now, I’m watching Animal Planet. I figured out that I should get a Glen of Imaal Terrier–they were bred to turn spits of meat. That’d be perfect for me. I would buy a smoker with a spit and make BBQ all the time. Oh yeah.
Well, have a great Sunday!
Hammie
June 12th, 2010
It’s true. Negative thinking is harmful. In fact, it is downright dangerous especially to your Friday.
Here’s the story:
Around 6:15 my alarm went off. My brain refused to wake up so I hit the snooze button until 6:30. Finally, adrenaline and fear that I may oversleep and not get in my morning run over took my mind and I was up. That was my first mistake. My body knew it should have stayed in bed.
My run went wonderful. The morning was cloudy, humid, and felt a bit like running through water. However, I ran through my park, around two different neighbor hoods, and back home. I was running late (quite literally) because I was distracted and enjoying the run too much (all 5.75 miles of it). When I did make it back I knew I wouldn’t have time for breakfast so I showered, packed a slice of bread and some dried fruit for breakfast, grabbed my lunch and was out the door. I wasn’t going to be late. It was 8:45 and I could get to work by 9:00. Perfect. I packed my stuff in the bug (who’s name is Baby), and dropped into the driver’s seat.
Then, my first mistake. I thought, “I bet the car won’t start.”
It didn’t.
In fact, it didn’t even try. Then after a few more tried a window started to go up and down on its own. Well that was a start (but Baby didn’t). I called AAA to have someone come and jump the car. It was a dead battery because I had been having increasing amounts of trouble getting my car to start the past couple of days. I waited for the AAA service guy to show. In the meantime I called my mom and talked to her about what I should do. By this time the sun was starting to try to come out. I told my mom that, “at least it isn’t raining.” It started to rain. I started to laugh. This was too funny. In fact, I was giggling through the whole ordeal. There was nothing I could do about it. Why get stressed out?
Since I didn’t eat breakfast I decided to nibble on a piece of the bread I packed. At least I had breakfast. Then I looked at my bread. It was moldy. How much mold had I eaten? Oooof. Laugh.
The man came and helped. No, it wasn’t going to start. I had to get it towed. So… it had to go to the dealership. No one wants to touch bugs. Everything is too compact under the hood.
By this time one of my roommates came out of the house to this:
I said, “Good morning!” He said, “Um… what happened.” David gave me a ride to the Volkswagen dealership, and I talked to the service department. They were booked until Monday and I didn’t get a loaner car until they looked at my car. Laugh. Of course. David drove me to work.
I walked in the door to a fire drill. So I walked back out. It was a fire drill that no one else claims they heard. By this time I was still laughing but ready to go hide at home, where it was safe.
Luckily, the rest of the day went smoothly and one of my friends at the lab gave me a ride home. And I WAS safe.
The bad part is tomorrow is Saturday, which means food shopping day. Food shopping day means I’m pretty close to being out of food. And I am. It will be tough to scrounge out meal until Monday night. Well, hopefully Monday night. And I’m pretty sure the bill at the dealership will be really big. Maybe it is good I’m not getting food. Maybe I need to save my money. Laugh. It just so happens that this is when my favorite type of cooking comes out. The food where you make what you want with what you have. And I have a lot of ideas, which means I have a lot. Just wait.
I made dinner and I enjoyed it. It was corn, peas, onions, and pepper sauté with two pieces of homemade spelt bread (the non-moldy piece) French toast. I also had a pile of arugula, the last of the canned salmon, and a small bit of scrambled egg left from the French toast. Very filling and very comforting.
I borrowed one of my other roommate’s videos for a time to give my brain a break. It, along with some doggie scratching time, helped. I’m still convinced the safest place is in bed. So, that’s where I’m headed. I hope you had a great Friday. I hope it was as entertaining as mine.
Tomorrow is Saturday. Maybe I will stay in bed and think positive. (The car will be in the driveway when I look outside… the car will be in the driveway when I look outside…)
Good night and have a great Saturday!!!
Hammie
June 11th, 2010
Or is it wine? Yup. it’s wine. It’s that time again… it’s time for the Texas Reds Festival. Last year it was so much fun. Nothing beat heat, wine, and the smell of steak. I got a little taste of it tonight. I went for a walk on my running trail in the warm, steamy evening air and when I did one final lap around the neighborhood, I smelled it… steak.
The stars were starting to peak out, there was a warm breeze, there was a band, and there was steak. I felt like I was on the beach in Puerto Rico. Yes, I did say there was a band. A band practices in a garage near the development. It was perfect. All I needed was an easy chair and a nice glass of Goats Do Roam. Ahhhh… summer. Ahhhh… Texas.
Lunch today was the second-to-last serving of the veggie soup I made on Sunday. It is even better than it was on Sunday. I also had a piece of my slow cooker bread. It was better too… nice and moist.
Dinner was rejuvenating. I made an arugula chopped salad with canned salmon, mango, onion, cucumber, corn, peppers, and goat cheese. I dressed it with lime, pepper, sea salt, and olive oil. Yum.
Well, I’m off to bed. Tomorrow is Friday! Whoop!
Hammie
June 10th, 2010
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