I’ve been busy busy, hence the lack of posts in the past month. I expect the year to get even busier as I try to get papers written and things get crazy at J’s work. This week is rather dull on the food front. I’ve planned easy meals (at least during the week) since I expect J to have to stay late at work.
In the fridge: Chicken broth, pasta sauce, celery, and parmesan cheese.
In the pantry: Barley, brown rice.
Saturday: Rapture potluck at a friend’s. The theme was to bring what you’d like to eat for your last meal (so cleaver!). I originally wanted to make a dessert (who doesn’t like sugar?), but when I noticed that there was not a single vegetable listed on the menu, I went for a simple salad instead. Arugula, peaches, walnuts, and feta. I love love love arugula salad, but this was not quite up to my standards. Also, peaches aren’t in season yet and the ones I got were both unripe and mushy. Bo!
Sunday: Marsala mushroom burgers with grilled asparagus. Nom nom nom nom. I can’t wait for dinner tonight.
Monday: Barley risotto. Gotta use up that chicken broth.
Tuesday: Pasta with turkey meatballs; salad. While not particularly creative, this meal will use up some celery, old bread, and parmesan.
Wednesday: Fried rice with chard.
Thursday: Ravioli with whatever vegetables are leftover in the fridge.
Friday: No dinner plans. I’m secretly hoping that J will take me out for dinner. If he’s busy, I’ll probably pick up some bread and cheese and have it with a basket of fresh strawberries. Simple food make me happiest.
Cost of groceries: $120. I would have been on budget, but I ended up buying toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, rice cakes, and a bottle of wine. While I needed most of those items, I could have done without the alcohol. J read somewhere that it was a requisite for summer to have a bottle chilling in the fridge just in case. I was feeling trendy, so we caved.
As for the picture on this post, I went to Portland for Mother’s Day. My mom and I went to a Japanese garden. She took the picture.
Origins of the Cook 
what does barley risotto entail? I’ve only made risotto with the standard abirio rice, but I’m sure barley would be much healthier. Does it take a super long time? Do you just slowly add the broth like you would with the rice?
i make my barley risotto much like i would with rice, adding 1/2 cup of warm broth every time it looks dry. (i use exact same portions as i do with rice…1 cup barley to 5 cup broth.) i got the idea from america’s test kitchen where they made farro risotto. since i didn’t have farro, i used barley. it takes about 40 minutes. it is also important to rinse the barley well.
Speaking of rice, I just de-commissioned my rice cooker, because the pan is aluminum. I figure with all the under-arm deodorant I’ve used in this lifetime, I’ve had my aluminum quoitiant by now. I’ll be on the lookout for a rice cooker made with something else. Problem is, I forget how to cook rice in a pan. Any suggestions?