Hot Weather Cooking and Dealing with Negativity

I got home last night around 8:30 and it was about 87 degrees inside my house. After a sweaty run on the treadmill and an hour in traffic, I was in no place to try and reconsider my dinner plans. I had some zucchini and cremini mushrooms that needed to be used because I will be in Orange County this weekend. I was craving eggs and wanted to give my little egg poaching pouch a try again. So, after a quick shower, I set to work chopping vegetables, sauteeing them, frying bread (yes, frying!), and boiling water. Let me just say that I will NEVER do that again (Cook in 90 degree heat, not fry bread. I will definitely fry bread again). I may as well have not showered because turning on my fashionable vintage stove rose the temperature in the kitchen to what felt like Death Valley levels and trying to enjoy hot food even though it made me sweat was pretty damn difficult; still tasty, but not the best feeling. I just know that trying to improvise when I am starving is never really a recipe for success (pun intended) and I would have ended up eating tortilla chips and salsa for dinner if I didn't stick with the plan.

I never really had to consider weather when I was cooking in San Francisco - soup is just as appropriate there in June as it is in December. My house was always around 65 degrees inside which created a whole host of other fun challenges (I  was hardly ever barefooted, two down comforters in the winter, the necessity for scalding hot showers, etc) but made cooking warm, healthy comfort foods easy. I think my style of cooking is going to have to change pretty dramatically now that I am living in 90 degree heat. I want to do some reading about/exploration of a more raw diet because I am telling you, standing in front of that stove last night was absolute misery. I recommend this dish for those living in colder climates or for a different season, because it was still very satisfying and yummy. I do not, however, recommend making this if a stick of butter would turn to liquid if left upon your counter for 5 minutes. You don't have to tell me twice!

Zucchini Mushroom Saute:

2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise in half and diced into half moons
2 cups cremini mushrooms (or whatever mushrooms you prefer/have on hand)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
s & p
squeeze of lemon

Heat up the oil over medium high in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes. It's okay if some of the shallots get browned and crispy - in fact, it's encouraged. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 7ish minutes or to desired "doneness." Add the garlic. I always add the garlic at the end for a few reasons: a.) I am paranoid about it burning and b.) I like a strong garlic flavor and find it mellows out too much if you put it in too early. So, I add the garlic at the end and allow it to cook for just a few minutes. Sprinkle liberally with s & p, squeeze of lemon. Stir it up and remove from heat.

Eggs and toast:

1-2 eggs, prepared however you prefer (I poached mine - but sunny side up or scrambled would work)
1-2 pieces your favorite sliced bread
Drizzle of olive oil or butter

I used this amazing tomato basil sourdough bread that I bought at the Hollywood Farmer's Market (more on that another time) drizzled with olive oil and seared (read: fried) at high heat in the same skillet I cooked the zucchini and mushrooms in. The idea for frying instead of toasting the bread came from a favorite quick breakfast of mine: bread eggies. I call them bread eggies as a result of my childhood but it's just where you cut a hole in toast, butter it up, fry it in a skillet, and crack an egg in the hole. I recently saw them called "eggs in jail," which I almost prefer, but old habits die hard. My dad also calls it "rocky mountain toast." The bread always tastes so AMAZING fried - so much better than toasted, so I figured, why not? Also, I have this thing about hot food being really hot and I always feel like a toaster dries out bread more than it makes it hot. I often find myself rushing to eat toast before it cools off. Frying makes the bread really hot through out and it maintains the heat for much longer than it does from toasting.

So my egg poaching pouch is more about function than form, but I was in no place to practice my egg poaching skills at 9pm on a Thursday night...Also you can see my arm shadows holding up the camera. Word.

This was really satisfying - anyone who knows anything about me knows that my  favorite food-related phrase is "eggs benedict" and this hit that spot, even without the gooey hollandaise. I do plan on learning how to actually poach eggs and also would love to attempt a hollandaise, but I will save that for a weekend.

I have been wanting to start a food blog for awhile but have been hesitant for many reasons. Do I really want to have a blog? Will anybody read it? Will blogging change the way people look at me? I have finally gotten to a point where the answer to the first question makes me not give a flying fig about the answer to the last two. If people are going to judge me because I like writing about cooking on the internet, I don't really care. I am a firm believer in the age old axiom "if you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all" but have only recently begun to apply it in my own life. My lifelong mantra was "I'm gonna say whatever I am thinking and not care about the repercussions because other people can just deal" (really flows off the tongue, doesn't it? ha). I actually prided myself on being brutally blunt. Ultimately, I realized this was detrimental to my relationships and that I really didn't want to hurt those I loved, who inevitably bore the brunt of my tactless honesty, or anyone else for that matter. Now, I try to think before I speak and try to give love and support unconditionally and even if others haven't noticed, it has made a world of difference for my peace of mind. Some people tell me I am still terrifying and unapproachable, but at least it is not conscious anymore - I am not TRYING to ice people out. I am still working on the ways I ostracize people unknowingly, but that is obviously more of a challenge. I can't tell anyone else how to live, I can only lead by example, and to use just one more cliche/idiom, treat others as I'd like to be treated. That's my two cents and because this is MY blog I can put in my two cents whenever I want (alright, one more idiom for good measure)!

I am really looking forward to this weekend. I'm heading down to the OC tonight to see my man. Tomorrow I am going to a yoga class taught by my amazing friend Tricia, who gave me the hardest work out of my life in the form of one of her boot camps. She is a personal trainer and the most in shape lady I have ever met. She is also a total sweetheart and makes the best exercise play lists :). Then we (boy and I) are heading down to Fallbrook for a bit of family time - my g parents, parents, aunts, etc will be there. THEN the lead singer for My Hero (great band!), Taylor, is singing the national anthem at the Angel's game. I am so looking forward to hearing her sing and to drinking beer outdoors - one of my favorite weekend activities, which will only be made better by the 80 degree weather (okay, drinking beer outdoors is one of my favorite activities any day of the week, I just don't think it would really fly in the courtyard of my office building). Hopefully I will have some time to cook some tasty food and to relax! I feel like I spend half my life in the car now...I am sure I will get used to it, but still. I hope you have a great weekend and will talk to you soon! Thanks for your love and support in the form of reading this post!