New Apartment

I've finally moved into my new apartment! We still have a few things left at our old one and a bit more unpacking but for the most part we are moved it. And last night I cooked on my new stove. It is definitely going to take some time to get used to. I mean, I used to cook on an electric stove and it would take so long for the pan to heat up, but now I'm cooking with gas and whoosh! the pan is heated before I can even grab a utensil from the jar next to my stove! I'm really going to have to practice mise en place much better than I did before!

So last night I made an easy stir-fry that was pretty much random ingredients thrown together that at first I was worried would taste terrible, but actually turned out to be quite delicious. The sauce is salty from the soy, but slightly sweet from the hoisin and rice wine. Unfortunately my salt and pepper shakers are still at my old place, so I couldn't add any pepper.

For the meat, I purchased a nice cut of flank steak, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then sliced thinly across the grain. The meat was tender and juicy and much better than those stir-fry precut packaged nonsense they sell at the store. The only place I've found that has actually good precut packaged stir fry meat is at Metropolitan Market, but they are only in Seattle. (Which reminds me, I need to send them a letter and tell them I demand they open one in Bellevue.. ok maybe not demand but ask nicely..)


As for the veggies, I chose bok choy and green onions for the main event. Any veggies will work, but I was just feelin those last night, ya know? If you do chose to change it up, add the harder veggies (carrots, bell peppers, onions, etc.) first, then add the softer ingredients (leafy greens, for example). This way the softer veggies don't turn to mush while the harder ones are still, well, hard.

Anyways, here is the recipe for a delicious stir-fry. Enjoy!

Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

1.5 lbs flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain

1 head bok choy, rinsed, trimmed and cut into 3/4 in. strips

2 green onions, sliced, reserving some for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

2/3 c. peanuts (roasted preferably)

peanut oil

1/2 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. rice wine

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch

For sauce, combine last 5 ingredients and whisk together. Set aside. Assemble all ingredients near stove, since this dish will come together very quickly. 

Heat 12 in skillet over almost high heat. Add 2 tbsp. peanut oil to pan and cook beef in batches, constantly stirring, until no more red is visible. Remove from skillet to a plate. Reserve juices. Once beef is cooked, add little more oil if needed, then add garlic and stir for 30 sec until beginning to turn golden. Add bok choy and green onions and stir fry until slightly wilted; remove from pan. Stir sauce to recombine cornstarch, then add to pan. Lightly scrape bottom of pan to remove browned bits, then let reduce for 1-2 minutes depending on desired thickness of sauce. Add beef and vegetables back to pan and stir to combine. Stir in peanuts, then serve immediately on top of rice.

Have a great day!

   

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Moving

Wow, it's been so long since I've written anything. Life got really crazy and busy. I graduated from college, found a job (well, more like it found me) and now I'm moving out of the big city to a slightly smaller city across the lake. I'm so excited to move there, since I will regain an hour back into my life that I have spent in my car, in traffic on I-5. No more hour and a half commute for me!!

I also bought a new camera. Ain't she pretty??

So since my kitchen stuff is all packed, I'm going to have to wait to start posting food pictures. I'm excited to cook more. Lately I've had stuff to do after work so I haven't been getting home until 7 or so and so I've been eating dinner on the run. Not so good, but soon I will have access to a pool and a shorter commute and lots of wonderful stuff. The only sad part is that I'm really going to miss my grocery store. They had so many amazing things there that I loved. Sigh.. The good news is that there is a farmers market literally right across the street from my apartment so I'll be going there every Tuesday! And the QFC isn't that bad so I'll probably shop there. If I really wanted to, I could go to Whole Foods, which is right down the street, but I'll have to check them out again. Last time I was there I was really impressed by their meat and seafood department but rather unimpressed by their prices. But it won't hurt to look again!

And if all else fails, there is a Metropolitan Market about 20 minutes away so I guess I could go there on occasion to get some yummy things they don't have at other stores. Like sopressata!! mmm.. delicious!

I should really get back to work. I don't have much to do today, but I definitely have more packing to do tonight. Yay for moving!

I'll try to post more pictures and recipes once I get moved in and settled. Lots of yummy things to come!

I will never..

Eat plain egg salad ever again! Tonight I made Ina Garten's Egg Salad and Smoked Salmon Tartines for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of egg salad but Tim sure is so I gave it a try.

And it was delicious! And it really wasn't that expensive compared to an average meal at a restaurant, but it was a little spendy compared to a home cooked meal. But it was so worth it! And it only took about 20 minutes to make. Unless you make your own smoked salmon, then it might take a little bit longer.

I definitely want to try it again. Soon. But for now, you should make it.

Here's how:

12 eggs
1/3 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
some chopped dill (I used chives since I didn't have fresh dill)
salt and pepper
slices of whole grain bread
smoked salmon

Place eggs in a saucepan in one layer and cover with cold water. Heat the saucepan until the water boils, then turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let eggs sit in hot water for another 5 minutes. Drain then fill saucepan with cold water. Let eggs cool to room temperature, then peel off shells. Put peeled eggs in a food processor and pulse 10 -12 times until chopped but not pureed. Empty into a bowl and add mayo, mustard and dill. Mix together gently. Toast bread, if desired. Spread egg salad onto bread, then top with smoked salmon. Enjoy!

*If you want, you can make only 6 or 4 eggs and also reduce mayo and mustard. 4 eggs was perfect for me and Tim.

Have a good evening!

   

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Partition Functions and BF3

Those are the highlights of my week. Learning about the Partition function and working with hazardous boron trifluoride. Oh and there was a bromine spill in the labs in the building next to the one I was in. Thank goodness no one spilled any BF3!!

Anyways, other than school, its been off and on raining and sunny here. The tulips outside our place are half wilting, half blooming. But they are pink and yellow and they make me feel so cheery when I get home.

This week I haven't done as much cooking as I hoped. Lab on Tuesday took longer than I expected so we just grabbed some Kidd Valley burgers (garlic fries included!).

I have a midterm tomorrow so I'm meeting with a few people to study later tonight so there was no point in going home so I'm gonna just have good ole' Subway.

Just curious, but what's your favorite Subway sandwich? 

Mine is the Cold Cut Combo with Pepperjack cheese and tons of veggies :)

But so far this week I've made a Halibut and Asparagus Stir-Fry and Tomato and Basil Soup. The stir fry was delicious, but I hate how it makes your places smell like fish for a few days after!

The Tomato and Basil soup really hit the spot last night. It was cold and dreary out and a nice hot soup felt good. We sopped up the soup with an herbed baguette that had flecks of salt on them. Mmmmm.... I love soup!

Anyways, Tim should be back from his meeting any minute now so I should go.

Have a great evening!

Long Time No Type

I've been so busy with school and work and the board and everything, I just haven't had the time or motivation to write. Or to really do anything. I'm so close to being done with school that my motivation is dissipating. So much that all I want to do in the morning is stay in bed and sleep. This morning I didn't get out of bed until 10! I'm usually up at 6 or 7, making breakfast and getting ready for the day. But now, I really don't want to do much.

The stress is really creeping up on me. My whole philosophy of threes is just not working right now. (My dad has this philosophy that he came up with that I kind adopted. Never try to take on more than three things in your life, otherwise you will be too stressed and pay for it later). So here's a list of things I have piled on right now:

1.Family. That always comes first. Included in that is making time for me and Tim to spend together, for me to call my mom and keep in touch with my other family members (my cousin is having her 3rd kid soon... ) and stay updated on how my cat Jack is doing (he has cancer and was only supposed to live for a month or so but now he's going on five and is going strong!).
2. Friends. Not that I have a whole lot that I see on a regular basis, but I sure do think about them on a regular basis. I really should get better at keeping in contact with friends. But it's hard!
3. School. Will be over soon, but not soon enough!
4. Work. Included in this is trying to find a job once I graduate since my manager basically told me I won't have a job at Boeing.
5. Board of Trustees and other committees. I'm helping plan for both of this years auctions and its getting really crazy after we voted in our Master Plan.
6. Cooking and cleaning. Not had much time for that either! And my bazillion projects that I would love to work on.
7. My health. It's really not doing good. Allergy season, not eating healthy or exercising. Ugh.

Well, that's my seven. It could be condensed into 5 things (family and friends into one, and health and cooking into one also), which is 2 more than 3! So therefore it's true, I'm stressed. But hopefully after school is done with, I will be less stressed.

Breathe, Rachel, breathe!

I need to write up my recipes that I've cooked lately so you can enjoy them too! Last night I made a Halibut "Stir-Fry" that was really delicious and quick to make. I'll have to post that tomorrow when I am not worrying about this lab report I have to finish. Chelate effect anyone??

Ok, well I should get back to writing my report. Grrrr.. I'm so ready to quit writing these things!

Have a good evening!