My Weekend

Mango, Onion and Apple Salad with Lime Dressing, oh my!

Did you all have a lovely long memorial day weekend…wait let me revise…did everyone in the US have a nice long weekend? We had a bit of a super sized weekend with my guy actually taking Friday off as well, four days off in a row, together- unheard of.


It was also my guys post birthday weekend. And because he loves nothing more than cooking things over open fire we had several BBQs, in fact there were 3 in total, although one was at his mother’s house so we didn’t actually cook.

For one of the many events I made a mango/apple/onion salad with a lovely lime sauce. It was simple and almost like eating summer. I thought you might like to try it so here is what I did:

1 medium sized red onion sliced thin

3 mangos cut into match in long strips (this is a bit tricky and a little easier if the mango isn’t super ripe)

1 grannysmith apple cut in long strips

For the lime dressing whisk together the juice of 2 limes, ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 tbsp white vinegar, a pinch of salt- and because my limes were a bit on the very tart side 1tsp sugar (you could use maple syrup or agave or even apple juice)

Toss everything together and chill in the fridge until you are ready to eat- the lime juice will keep the apples from browning. I think I might try it again adding nuts, just a thought.

Dumplings

Hello long lost blog world. I am just rejoining the world post stomach flu. Even though it was only last week that I was healthy it feels like an eternity. I am trying to focus on the good things post illness, like how soft your hair is after you wash it for the first time, or the fact that all my pants are looser. Of course I am still pretty uneasy about the food thing but I am sure that will right itself soon enough.

 Before succumbing to illness we made dumplings, I promise the two things have nothing to do with each other. We went on a bit of a dumpling kick making meat and two different types of veggie dumplings- steamed and fried. Basically for a week all my guy and I did was think, make, eat dumplings. They are surprisingly easy to make. You buy the wanton wrappers, in the city you can get them at most Asian markets, I am sure you can mail order them too. There are a ton of recipes on-line. My guy (of course) marinated the meat for the meat dumplings for 24 hours first. All recipes seem to call for napa cabbage, but I am pretty sure you could use regular cabbage too. We made a standard veggie option and then a mushroom dumpling, sautéing the mushrooms first and then sticking them into the food processor with some cabbage and carrots.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I have always thought it somewhat amusing that most craft blogs turn to food at some point but I guess it makes sense. Most crafters like to create and make things and food fits into that.
I have been thinking a lot about childhood comfort food. Probably because I just read angry chicken's blog front to back and she talks a lot about feeding her kids right. And maybe some of it is because my mom has been having a hard time lately and that make me think of those old favorites dishes she use to make us when we were having a hard time.
I have no idea where she got the recipe for cottage cheese pancakes but I do know that I am glad that I know it and can share it with all of you.
Cottage cheese pancakes are light and fluffy and you don't really notice the curd of the cottage cheese once they are cooked. What you get is a pancake that isn't doughy. You can eat them with syrup but I eat them plain.


1 egg
1tbsp of cottage cheese
a smidgen of flour (maybe a tsp if you have to know the exact amount)
a pinch of salt
**One egg makes about 3 pancakes

Separate the egg so you have the white in one bowl and the yoke in another. Beat the egg white till it peaks. We aren't making a meringue here just a soft peak. (As a kid this was always my job. And somehow I managed to inherit the best kids whisk of all time which I still use, and I am now hoping my sister won't be jealous I have)


Combined the yoke, cottage cheese, flour and salt. I use whole wheat flour because it is what I always have on hand but as kids it was white flour and I am sure gluten free stuff would work too. As my mother tells it the flour is just there to help things stick together. Having accidentally left it out once I can say she wasn't lying- it still works but things get a bit messy and less pancake shaped.
Fold the whites into the cottage cheese mixture. This isn't supper fussy folding just make sure you don't mix it to well and undo all that egg white beating.
Cook on a greased skillet until golden brown. They can be a bit hard to flip but rest assured they are still yummy even if they break apart.

Cookies for Sale

The great cookie experiment has failed. My coworkers did not eat a single cookie. In fact they barely grunted when I offered them around and than they gave them to a guy down the hall who was already nice to me and does not even work in my department.
So much for cookies equaling love.

How to Win Friends and Influence People with Cookies?

I usually separate my real world life from my happy crafting world but I am going to divulge a little today. I work in the crazy world of medical research (no not on animals so please don't start sending me hate mail you might just push me over the edge). I started my new job this week at a prestigious hospital in the city with over 10,000 employees on the "main campus". It is overwhelming to say the least.
The biggest change is that I now work with lab folk and not psychologist although my job is very similar to the last my work environment is very different. For one thing I have a window, which is really cool. For another thing I have to wear a lab coat because my desk is in a lab. The coat is odd and kinda smells and is made of some very strange not identifiable material.
The biggest change in working in a lab environment vs a clinical psyc area is the people. They don't talk; I mean really ever. Now I know I complained bitterly that people at my previous job talked way too much but..they don't say good morning or good night and if you ask them a question they look at you like you are some sort of alien. Mind you most of these people choose to work in a lab to avoid human contact but still...I haven't even been able to tell if all of them speak English as a first langue becasue I haven't heard their voices.
But I digress. I make hands down the best Chocholate Chip/Coconut/Walnut cookies ever. This is not bragging just the truth and if you need references I am sure I can provide a more than a few. I am making a batch now as a thank you for one of my old bosses who helped get me this new job and I am wondering if cookies can bring me love in the lab? Any thoughts? My guy thinks it might be too quick for socially phobic lab folks but I think cookies bring love, right? Or at least someone appreciateion so that they tell you how to find the bathroom.