A Strange Burst of Efficiency

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrl2-B6kEWbX8kWlM8n8fO8FmYnBMf0A7wRh_ZmP1h4TZRH_IWSihhBAwx5Ady0Jhw6_KwyNkaCAFEd9f1J0rKehL2CZTQDQR1rYiwiUltSgq13YEi2hbJZ9Rk6HikzElYJaQRv9hj1zf/s1600/meatballs7964.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673172330044784962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrl2-B6kEWbX8kWlM8n8fO8FmYnBMf0A7wRh_ZmP1h4TZRH_IWSihhBAwx5Ady0Jhw6_KwyNkaCAFEd9f1J0rKehL2CZTQDQR1rYiwiUltSgq13YEi2hbJZ9Rk6HikzElYJaQRv9hj1zf/s400/meatballs7964.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Sometimes I buy frozen packages of meatballs from Trader Joe's, but today I decided to make a whole lot of meatballs and freeze some. This is very unusual for me! My freezer is usually full of convenience food, bread, and ice packs of various sorts. (We threw out the 8 year old rolls of photo film when we installed our new refrigerator last month.)<div><br /></div><div>For my meatballs, I used 2 lb. of grass-fed ground beef (the leanest) and a pound of whatever ecologically green ground pork Whole Foods had to offer. As a result, I did not spend less per meatball than at TJ's. But that's not what was driving me, anyway. I wanted to have some home-made meatballs in the freezer. <div><br /></div><div>Above you can see one of the 2 trays of meat balls before I put them in the oven. And below, the still steaming meatballs just as they came out. This was the tray that went into 2 freezer boxes:<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30OLHDG25fbHaZzZuOiya9ajAXWm23xlARXYWiamEdp91KYSV5nE5GFoYX6joYUYx57c6RC6xZAffEdhvcyeYZv0zEBMHBD6bkCaKII8URuO8l_nmpgYvGp6CunhGHMNdIvHdPrWwVYR-/s1600/meatballs7966.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673172328652449042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30OLHDG25fbHaZzZuOiya9ajAXWm23xlARXYWiamEdp91KYSV5nE5GFoYX6joYUYx57c6RC6xZAffEdhvcyeYZv0zEBMHBD6bkCaKII8URuO8l_nmpgYvGp6CunhGHMNdIvHdPrWwVYR-/s400/meatballs7966.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />For dinner, I simmered the other tray of baked meatballs in some tomato sauce (this was from Trader Joe's but I added a dash of sugar and balsamic vinegar to it). We ate around half of it for dinner; I thought it was good:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkQV3Ank5feohcMLaGAC9XGhIC6EM85ooNKUOcr767H0vXXJkx-F1tB7eSGEuA5roXl8RQPzN-opf8_Z8cgnVws24V1sWK4_zI6jhjqzUjchyYWUgTiCV4yvZ9TPGqgkUIIwNR24mA4Dd/s1600/meatballs7967.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673172321814767426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkQV3Ank5feohcMLaGAC9XGhIC6EM85ooNKUOcr767H0vXXJkx-F1tB7eSGEuA5roXl8RQPzN-opf8_Z8cgnVws24V1sWK4_zI6jhjqzUjchyYWUgTiCV4yvZ9TPGqgkUIIwNR24mA4Dd/s400/meatballs7967.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>To make meatballs I use 1 egg and one-half to one small, finely chopped onion per pound of meat. Today I put in panko crumbs (I sometimes use other starchy stuff such as matzoh meal or oatmeal), parsley flakes, herbs de Provence, and a squeeze of tomato paste from my handy tomato paste tube. Sometimes I flavor them differently. Always salt and pepper, though. I don't measure all the seasonings, just eyeball it and feel it to see if it needs more crumbs. I mix it up thoroughly, gently form meat balls tucking the onion pieces inside the meat so they don't separate while cooking. I bake them at 475 for 12 minutes (less if they are to be simmered in sauce). Some of the frozen ones might end up in cardamom flavored white sauce or in some other arrangement.</div></div></div>

A Strange Burst of Efficiency

Sometimes I buy frozen packages of meatballs from Trader Joe's, but today I decided to make a whole lot of meatballs and freeze some. This is very unusual for me! My freezer is usually full of convenience food, bread, and ice packs of various sorts. (We threw out the 8 year old rolls of photo film w…

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Wrap up: Simple Cooking

During our 3 weeks in Aspen (we leave Sunday), I've been paying a lot of attention to the contrast between elaborate restaurant meals and simple, more healthful home cooking -- as I've mentioned. When we arrived, I set myself a challenge: to cook without many condiments, spices, and extra ingredients; that is, I've been trying to buy only plain, unprocessed foods that are intended to be eaten at one or two meals. I'm avoiding a lot of food that normally remains on the shelf or in the refrigerator and would go to waste when I leave. Even peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches or hot dogs with crisp rolls and mustard qualify for my simple fare. <br /> <br />Here are a few things I've done. One night, I flavored pan-fried lamb sirloin with strips of red pepper, and served it with mustard, a few tomato wedges and sprigs of cilantro, and a side of steamed broccoli.<div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FHnv_eivz11mvz-i9yz-w6QDqEh8yix02U2JhnjqiRoxU07lrTi3IWoO4pMopAhGmDq_ZZn43FpTTy3roRfYfps4xJhV4nqgmIKQRFa8MQ0M4oEvp7dMz4BhPhvMkg8uaU2a97Z17SZl/s1600/simple7134.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116918366239682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FHnv_eivz11mvz-i9yz-w6QDqEh8yix02U2JhnjqiRoxU07lrTi3IWoO4pMopAhGmDq_ZZn43FpTTy3roRfYfps4xJhV4nqgmIKQRFa8MQ0M4oEvp7dMz4BhPhvMkg8uaU2a97Z17SZl/s400/simple7134.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>For dessert we ate fruit: cut-up cantaloupe, and strawberries. The cantaloupe was unadorned, but I glazed the berries with a mixture of 1/3 cup apricot jam (initially destined for PB&J) and 2 tablespoons of my wonderful wine vinegar made from Italian Pinot Grigio. I heated the glaze in a pyrex cup in the microwave so that it would melt together and be able to coat the strawberries. Sugar would be easier -- but bulk items like sugar or flour weren't on my very short list of pantry staples.</div><div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-qjfqp8CYGgkItwifIlqU-h_vQ1Bf_BjDIzhlJe2R4xnn4dTZNxl1A9wgkl7xii85sySYKFaHOlWzynZbVa_n1YrHpDksWcY7uPWVvJWjW0w2S-Ui6P3sRleaRWLG8M8DPNlAYm6n0F/s1600/simple7136.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116923101834834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-qjfqp8CYGgkItwifIlqU-h_vQ1Bf_BjDIzhlJe2R4xnn4dTZNxl1A9wgkl7xii85sySYKFaHOlWzynZbVa_n1YrHpDksWcY7uPWVvJWjW0w2S-Ui6P3sRleaRWLG8M8DPNlAYm6n0F/s400/simple7136.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Another day, I made meatballs with sweet-sour sauce from some moderately low-fat ground beef. <div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM4vm_su7QMin22M82hl1JDYQB9nI2oFjlP1YX5uULtARd7A_shcqkv6E1EQp6mQvnqWvZ_Nm_w3maD4uy-rYszu5ssMdEDL8D-CNwr0tFeXTTLT7gLaeGcxQyki2YFnVa9RvC5KeqCAD/s1600/simple7218.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624120086113315490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM4vm_su7QMin22M82hl1JDYQB9nI2oFjlP1YX5uULtARd7A_shcqkv6E1EQp6mQvnqWvZ_Nm_w3maD4uy-rYszu5ssMdEDL8D-CNwr0tFeXTTLT7gLaeGcxQyki2YFnVa9RvC5KeqCAD/s400/simple7218.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><meta charset="utf-8">To make the meatball mixture, I had no flour or prepared bread crumbs, but I crushed a few AkMak sesame crackers to serve that purpose. Besides fixing the texture, this gave the meat balls a bit of sesame flavor. Other ingredients: an egg, some chopped onion, and of course my Spanish smoked paprika and Trader Joe's salt, the two trusty spices I brought with me. The meatball mixture also had a tablespoon or two of the sweet-sour sauce I made. In this: a can of prepared organic tomato sauce, a drizzle of my wonderful vinegar, a shake of salt and paprika, and 2 purloined packets of brown sugar from a cafe (yes, that's cheating, I know, but I did buy a cup of coffee). I sauteed the meatballs in a bit of olive oil and added the sauce, which I'd heated in the microwave. Garnish again: tomato and fresh cilantro. On the side: fresh pineapple chunks also from the supermarket.</div><div> <br />Not all restaurant cooking is that much different, though it frequently has considerably more added fat and salt. Here is an admittedly delicious restaurant salad at Mezzaluna restaurant that wasn't that much more complex than my concoctions:<div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCGo02w0A5Z9uNMc0mjFDv75y560cKjMEmKyBRGWn-ICiWU3H4HG75aZ9Abd2tsbJiliIkRcknbHvqhkVSDBOkH1ZYfaF7I6SpiYzD5jkkCEbRBeisw31gqjO0ScZBjOmJMSC399imfFs/s1600/simple7202.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116919414838130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCGo02w0A5Z9uNMc0mjFDv75y560cKjMEmKyBRGWn-ICiWU3H4HG75aZ9Abd2tsbJiliIkRcknbHvqhkVSDBOkH1ZYfaF7I6SpiYzD5jkkCEbRBeisw31gqjO0ScZBjOmJMSC399imfFs/s400/simple7202.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a></div></div><div> <br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8">The restaurant salad did contain quite a few more ingredients than most of my productions. The price was also a lot higher than cooking at home -- the overwhelming cost of restaurant meals is another motivating factor here in Aspen more than most places. </div></div>

Wrap up: Simple Cooking

During our 3 weeks in Aspen (we leave Sunday), I've been paying a lot of attention to the contrast between elaborate restaurant meals and simple, more healthful home cooking -- as I've mentioned. When we arrived, I set myself a challenge: to cook without many condiments, spices, and extra ingredient…

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A Beautiful Plate

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT0SEsMmHKKwfQMRv4hH1y9CBp9lASNxbhPoc8PoZSKeS7grg46xljqLUv8wlX1SaTTsxbrqiQ1SB3hJ5A7PCR5P3r1SleWqQcyHZrGDPUShNIUKzoZsYbqjrJ8cFD4UTP7SkbXIh19Jf/s1600/newplate5730.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587366154754604146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT0SEsMmHKKwfQMRv4hH1y9CBp9lASNxbhPoc8PoZSKeS7grg46xljqLUv8wlX1SaTTsxbrqiQ1SB3hJ5A7PCR5P3r1SleWqQcyHZrGDPUShNIUKzoZsYbqjrJ8cFD4UTP7SkbXIh19Jf/s400/newplate5730.png" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />Evelyn made me this beautiful ceramic plate, which I am using for the first time. The salad is apples, fennel, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette, inspired by an item on the menu where we ate tapas. (We didn't order this one, I was inspired by the description only.)<br /><br />Another view of the plate, this time with cheese-filled (though leaking) meatballs:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazvFVrKBbeOmOEMM3eQtnXeByOfm3dQIiDqAuvjsCEDzwE8xev_3WW2jHQjuqm0WzWY-Yd_Wf67nZk1lK4CmnlJ8Agmp6dRoZPREj-fbo5HIUGcFLmXH0wztKEX3_P7N2kEDjicpN0K7-/s1600/plate5739.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589941885764813890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazvFVrKBbeOmOEMM3eQtnXeByOfm3dQIiDqAuvjsCEDzwE8xev_3WW2jHQjuqm0WzWY-Yd_Wf67nZk1lK4CmnlJ8Agmp6dRoZPREj-fbo5HIUGcFLmXH0wztKEX3_P7N2kEDjicpN0K7-/s400/plate5739.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>

A Beautiful Plate

Evelyn made me this beautiful ceramic plate, which I am using for the first time. The salad is apples, fennel, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette, inspired by an item on the menu where we ate tapas. (We didn't order this one, I was inspired by the description only.)Another view of the plate, this time w…

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What is good at Trader Joe's?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/4753219046/" title="TraderJoe3209 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="TraderJoe3209" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4753219046_84a21ff147.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Sometimes I think Trader Joe's is an emporium of pseudo-healthy junk food. Organic high calorie snacks. Appetizer pastries that you see at parties and pot-lucks all the time. And they are effusively friendly as illustrated by this welcoming sign and all the employees in Hawaiian shirts. Our TJs is pretty small compared to the ones where I shopped in LaJolla and Santa Barbara, too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/4753218638/" title="TraderJoe3214 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="TraderJoe3214" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4753218638_eb5201d14a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> Irresistible candy and other sweets are the most appealing thing at TJs. Bargain prices for Belgian chocolate. Cocoa almonds, candy-coated dried fruit, great lemon curd in a jar...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/4753218752/" title="TraderJoe3211 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="TraderJoe3211" height="122" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4753218752_d2c10cd59d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> Sometimes I find bargains. These veggie burgers are cheaper than the same brand at Whole Foods. But mostly, Trader Joe's has its house brands.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/4753218942/" title="TraderJoe3210 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="TraderJoe3210" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4753218942_97dbe5592f.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />And sometimes I think Trader Joe's is a wonderful place to get a meal when I don't really feel like cooking. Gyozas (a.k.a. potstickers). Ready-to-microwave meatballs with a jar of ready-to-serve sauce. Chicken breasts and sausages to put on skewers and cook outdoors on the grill. Pita bread, hummus, torillas, little bite-sized cheeses, tasty crackers. Not expensive.<br /><br />Even at the huge TJs in California, one couldn't make it the sole source of groceries. There just isn't enough variety or basic materials. Olive oil, ok. Spices, almost none at all. If you want to make Asian food, just buy the ready-made version. This is not ok all day every day. And the produce is very disappointing -- cheap, but not local and not always as fresh as I would like. I also prefer the wine selection elsewhere.<br /><br />The store is around 6 blocks from my house, so I'll probably keep picking up one or two things and a bunch of candy there from time to time. Yup.

What is good at Trader Joe's?

Sometimes I think Trader Joe's is an emporium of pseudo-healthy junk food. Organic high calorie snacks. Appetizer pastries that you see at parties and pot-lucks all the time. And they are effusively friendly as illustrated by this welcoming sign and all the employees in Hawaiian shirts. Our TJs is p…

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