taking the out out of "take out" (the take, too)... okay fine we ate in on a friday night.

well, it was a friday night, and we were hungry.  we were going out for drinks to bid farewell to a friend who has made the logical (read: inevitable) decision to move out of the city to be closer to family and pay rent that equals the cost of my phone bill in brooklyn (WHAT.) so we weren't going to go out for an elaborate dinner.

options, options... and it always lands on... take out?

reasons why take out is optimal for a friday night:

-  it's easy
-  you've been at work all day and you're tired
-  clean up is minimal
-  it's delicious

other things to consider, though:

-  it costs at least $20-$30
-  it always takes longer than they say it's going to
-  you've been at work all day and you're tired and hungry
-  it's usually not that delicious

trader joe's cous cous, trader joe's
indian fare, hummus, pita,
shish kabobs from fresh direct

okay, okay - it's not always as doom and gloom as i'm painting it.  i'm sort of like grandpa joe and charlie convincing themselves that the golden ticket would've made the chocolate taste weird anyway -- i'm trying to stick to a budget and take out, while a valid option, didn't feel like a necessary way to spend $30 last night.

but i was truthfully tired, hungry, and didn't want to spend hours (or to be honest even minutes) cooking.

i opened the cabinets and refrigerator and found three separate - very easy - items that combined to make quite a meal.  you might have even chosen the same items were you perusing a take out menu!

trader joe's, fresh direct, and prepared hummus to the rescue!  using stuff we already had, we made chicken shish kabobs served with punjab choley and couscous with a side of hummus and pita.

it's hard to say what the total cost of this meal was in the end, because i pieced together things i already had.  but it was definitely a lot cheaper than going out, cheaper than take out, and rather tasty.

i'd really recommend trying to cook something easy and a little different on a friday night rather than getting take out before you go out to meet friends for a drink -- at least once and a while.  it was really more satisfying than take out would have been, and $30 more stayed in the piggy bank than would have had some pad thai gotten here on its own.

am i becoming too dependent on you? an open letter to pizza.

pizza,

last week we went to a concert on a wednesday night.  a friend played in manhattan, a new band, a new set up.  we ordered a beer, and then another.  socializing,  and then standing in the music air sipping, sipping.

as we walked to the train (earlier than others)  going out to eat didn't seem fair to the dog, who had been alone all day.  cooking didn't seem fair to us, who had been out and about all day.

steam escaped through your box as we carried it home, through snow,  and your cheese was still hot (delicious, delicious) as i bit into it. satisfying...

tonight we have a meeting after work.  "pizza, our friend - you'll be there for us, right?"

i wonder if i rely on you too easily these days,
and if "but we're busy and tired" will ever go away, at least until your invitation becomes "but we're old and tired"

i suspect this will be long term,

sincerely,
me

hummus breakfast

i took the dog on a "long" walk to the park today, by which i mean it took forever because she stopped to smell every rose, dirt patch, tissue, and chicken bone along the way.

(side note:  you would not believe how many people throw chicken bones on the street!  i had no reason to notice until i had a dog but GOOD GOD! why are chicken bones unlike other garbage? throw them away in a reciprocal, people!)

once home, i'm tidying up the apartment when my spice rack falls again.  (it falls frequently because it's a heavy antique drawer that i have haphazardly attached to my wall and displayed spices on. you'd think i'd get the hint, but i really like the way it looks...) and i start to feel the kind of anger i feel when i haven't had enough coffee and/or protein.

there was enough coffee left in the french press to have another cup, but this protein thing was a problem.  after burning bacon AND eggs yesterday, i just wasn't into that... so i opened the fridge and perused for new ideas.

that's when i invented Hummus Breakfast Wrap, which is the easiest thing i've cooked in a while and is also letting me feel good about the fact that i finally used that tortilla that's been sitting around in the fridge for over a week, i used up the hummus that would have gone bad soon and i don't have any pita for, and i used a piece of the lettuce i bought at the farmer's market the other day.

here it is.

Hummus Breakfast Wrap (could also easily be consumed for Dinner or Lunch.)

Ingredients:

1 tortilla
3 teaspoons of hummus
Olives (if you like them)
Lettuce

You'll need a frying pan and a plate.

Throw your tortilla, which you've hopefully been storing in the fridge, into a frying pan on low heat to warm it up.  This way when you go to wrap it it won't crack and become a horrible mess.


Once your tortilla is warmed up, throw it on a plate.  Place your lettuce on top of it.  Put your hummus and olives on top of that.

Wrap it up!

Delicious and healthy.  Excellent.

green(s), eggs, and ham. [nerdy title alert!]

sat down with my laptop and a deliciously new cup of honey flavored greek yogurt this morning.  i ate about two spoonfuls before getting up to putter around.  when i came back my all white dog had more white that usual around her mouth -- apparently she too thought the cup was delicious.

[note to self: stop blogging/tweeting about the dog so much! you're becoming one of those crazy people who thinks everyone cares!]

in any case, i wasn't about to open another cup of yogurt (i paid like $5 for a three pack! two in one day is not appropriate.) so i opened the fridge and pulled out some eggs.

just an egg on a plate, thought i? boring.  back to the fridge.  hmmm... that little bit of herb salad that's left would go good on a plate with an egg.

as the egg was cooking i dumped the salad on the plate and noticed some pumpkin seeds my mother had given me.  delicious addition.  but it was still missing something...

did you know that if you throw a slice of deli ham in a frying pan with an egg and let it brown a little on either side, it's just as good as a fine slice of canadian bacon?

hello, delicious breakfast.  thank you murgy for stealing the yogurt and forcing me down this path of good.