The Many Adventures of Tavolini

Ahh February--Rain, Beach and Curry Tofu with Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:02:00 +0000

Although I've made curries before, I don't think I've ever written out one for tofu. This is one of my dishes that is in regular rotation. I just use the basic recipe on the back of the Blue Mountain Curry bottle.

For the tofu itself, I blot and cut cubes, baking them at 425 for approximately 30-35 minutes. I season them with just soy sauce, to give the tofu a little bit of a salty flavor. Of course, you could do a much more advanced marinade--this is just simple and quick. I use one of the million little packs of soy sauce that always seem to be in the fridge from Chinese take out.

Otherwise...its been raining.

Often. That doesn't stop me from getting frozen yogurt, though...

I went to the beach, as well. Just to get a break from all this rain and cold. So nice to live in the South, where one can get to a beach in 5 hours. Have a great week, everyone!

Veggie burgers...a post from a former hater

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:43:00 +0000

So, admittedly, I am a vegetarian who has always hated veggie burgers. Sure, I'll choke one down on the rare occasion when nothing else is available or when I hear "rave reviews" from others...but 99% of the time, they just are yucky. Soggy, soft and mushy are common issues, regardless of their base (bean, tvp, quinoa, etc..) So, when I came across a fellow blogger's recipe...and read that she, too, could not stand mushy, nasty veggie burgers, I had to give it a try. Wow. Thank you so much to Angela of Oh She Glows

Angela's recipe is vegan, but I went ahead and just used regular eggs because I have some organic cage free ones on hand. I do want to give a quick shout out to Little's Market in Cabbagetown, for being a great place to pick up everything from organic eggs to Spanish wine, to macaroni and cheese. A very useful bodega in a neighborhood with no grocery stores for miles. I've made these a couple times, and really enjoy using sunflower seeds. I tried with pepitas and sesame seeds, and those were great, too. If you are using almonds, I'd make sure to rough chop them. I ground them a little too fine, and missed the texture that a rough chop provided.

Additionally, I decided to make some honey wheat rolls for my burgers. This is a recipe I have used before--the only difference is that I allowed them to rise an additional 45 minutes or so, after shaping the buns. (wow!! that post I linked to is ANCIENT)

...and here we have the end product! A very decent veggie burger on honey wheat. Whew. No better way to spend a saturday afternoon :)

Finally, because the papers have come in the mail, I will let you guys know that the original TavoLini is no more. Its just me now. I am going to keep the name, though. Gustavo and I had a great seven years, and I don't regret a minute of it. We have just slowly grown apart. Cheers to a happy future for each of us.

Starting new...

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:57:00 +0000

Well, lots of things have changed, but some stay the same. I am not sure if I'm going to restart this blog or just let it fade. Maybe I'll change the name.

Greek style green beans

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Oh my goodness. Stop everything you are doing and make this. Serve with a loaf of bread straight from the oven. Its sooooo good!

I have a surplus of green beans from my autumn CSA and was looking for a new recipe. As a lover of all things tomato, this was so up my alley.

Recipe is from http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/08/greek-green-beans-in-tomato-sauce.html

I am new to Closet Cooking, but he has some fantastic recipes! I served my green beans with some cheese and smoked salmon, but I mostly just ate the beans. I used goat cheese instead of feta, and it melted into the tomato sauce. Awesome.

Election night!

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:10:00 +0000

Sights around campus on election day.

Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:48:00 +0000

What's up, Doc?

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:16:00 +0000

CSA carrots :-)

Roasted shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Is the way to go. 400 degrees for about ten minutes. A little oil, salt and pepper is all!

Dinners, bikes, and a turtle

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:11:00 +0000

I am so disappointed that my phone uploads lousy photos.

My job is sweet, though, and i'm just too busy to spend an hour uploading and editing. This makes me a crappy blogger. But in the long run, its better to have a sweet job, right?

West coast

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 06:48:00 +0000

Went on a little trip before school started (teaching a class this semester!!) It was a week of awesome. Yosemite, Portland, and San Francisco. West coast, I love thee!

Kabobbin'

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:43:00 +0000

We did a bit of grilling this weekend :-)

..and it was our anniversary. Love you, my favorite bad boy!

Ahh, summer

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 03:06:00 +0000

Nothing says summer like stopping at a random roadside vegetable stand and purchasing the sweetest ripe tomatoes, ever. And grilling :-)

Dear Cassi

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 04:21:00 +0000

There will be pickles...

Small goings on..

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:45:00 +0000

Bugs, breaking a hole in my step (accidentally!), new fave snack, pizza picnic and just summertime in general. Happy June!

The recent foods

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:52:00 +0000

We grilled out again, and I date say we're getting better!

Also tried bibimbap-it was a bit lacking, but I liked the spicy sauce. There is also a random picture of me with the largest margarita I have ever accidentally ordered....

That time of year again...

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Bring on the picnics, swimming, and lazy days in the sun!

Tomato zucchini soup

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Lunch in fifteen minutes...and i'm sorry these pictures are, as always, in some obscure order that only Blogspot understands.

Grilling with Gustavo

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:55:00 +0000

Steak, halibut, and baked potato make an easy Friday. Throw in some cheese and baguette for fun ;-)

Yep. Just one cookie.

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:48:00 +0000

Sometimes, after a long day or a hard day or just a pain old monotonous day, you want a cookie. Just one.

1.5 T Flour
Pinch baking soda
1 T. Butter
mayonnaise (I know!! Its for the egg)
2 T. Sugar (brown, white or mix)
Few drops of vanilla extract
Large square of chocolate, chopped

mix as you would a normal cookie. You don't need to add salt because of the mayonnaise. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes

Beach weekend

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Went to Florida-it was pretty much fantastic.

Spinach Pesto Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:43:00 +0000

Holy cow! Why haven't I tried this before?

Gustavo loves pesto, but our basil plant is not very robust...and it kills me to spend $4 on a tiny amount of fresh basil at the store. Spinach, though, well we always have a bag of that on hand.

So this is a few handfuls of spinach, two large garlic cloves, sea salt, pine nuts, parmesan and a healthy glug or two of olive oil. Yum. It does have that spinach taste, and would probably be better with basil mixed in, but in a pinch, its a nice inexpensive pesto.

Georgia bonfires

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:06:00 +0000

Wanted to see if posting from instagram via phone also results in pixelated photos. These are from last Saturday. As well as a gratuitous fruit plate photo.

Okay, I really am confused. Order of pics is haphazard. Going to look into this.

Sangria days

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:06:00 +0000

...the hardest part is letting it set up for twenty four hours before drinking ;-)

Springtime

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:28:00 +0000

That same insomnia hits every spring, and now I find myself looking forward to it. A stolen hour or two in the middle of the night, just to listen to the birds.

Love all the flowers blooming, as well.

Spanish lemon roast potatoes, chicken and garlic

noreply@blogger.com (tavolini) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Used local potatoes, local onions and organic chicken. Was still a pretty inexpensive dish.

Gustavo loved it. Toss a good pound or so of potatoes, couple chopped cloves of garlic, one medium onion (I used vidalia) with olive oil, salt, pepper and put them in a 500 degree preheated oven. I used a cast iron skillet. Roast for approximately twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, marinade 4-5 chicken pieces in olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Our store sells organic chicken legs and thighs pretty inexpensively, so I use these often. I remove skin, but that's a personal choice.

Add chicken and marinade to potato onion mixture and continue cooking at 500 for twenty minutes or so, depending on thickness of your chicken. Use thermometer to ensure its cooked through. The potatoes will get a little char.