Happy 4/20!

Happy holidays loyal readers! Hope your day is filled with much laughter, many friends, and tons of good things to eat. Can't figure out exactly what your munchies are calling out for? Here's a few easy ideas to feed the beast within:

-Toast with butter and cinnamon
-Nachos with Soy Chorizo
-Strawberries dipped in melted dark chocolate
-Ruffled potato chips with Helluva Good French Onion Dip
-Snickers
-Graham crackers with peanut butter
-Macaroni and cheese

Lastly, I would like to pay homage to what I consider to be the mother of all munchie food, the food which all other junk food tremble before, and that is:


In and Out Animal Style Fries. I cry a little inside every day that I no longer live in California and have access to this beacon of deliciousness. But if you ever in your life get a chance to eat this, The Stoned Soup Club HIGHLY recommends it.

Until next time...
SS Club

New Kitchens, New Lives

As the SS Club convened on New Years Eve to drink champagne on the streets on Northampton and watch the disappointing town glass ball RISE, we decide to make a club resolution: Blog posts every week! We're responsible adults, right? There are 2 of us, we should easily be able to assign ourselves the task of writing once every 2 weeks, right? Well, as you can see by the dates between this post and the last, we were shooting a bit too high. But don't you worry, we have excuses! One of them being the main topic of today's post: Moving.

As of mid January, 50% of The SS Club has picked up and moved East in search of better jobs and big city livin'. We refused to look at this as the club disbanding, but instead as us branching out and starting individual chapters; you are currently looking at the President of SS Club: Boston. Moving wasn't easy. Not being a stones throw away from my other SS President, and our band of loyal followers who would show up to an impromptu dinner at the drop of a hat, has been a hard adjustment. But another bump in the road I was not expecting was the concept of relocating to a brand new kitchen.

In my old house, my kitchen was MINE. No one else that lived there really cooked, so I pretty much ran the show. I bought and cooked the majority of the food, I controlled what items were found where, what times things happened, and operated under the overall assumption that the kitchen was my domain, and anyone else there was merely a visitor (other SS Presidents excluded). Then I arrived in Boston, and I had to learn how to, ::gasp::, share! I quickly noticed that I was living in a house where all the people cooked at least a little, and that this was now a shared space. Also, that this kitchen setup was established long before I arrived, and it was my job to find my place in it. Lastly, I was the only vegetarian, so if I wanted to keep my cookware animal free, I had to wash and put away everything immediately after eating, in a separate place that was established to be only mine.

Things weren't easy right away; it took a long while to feel comfortable. The new roommates didn't always eat what I made, so my normal habits of cooking for 4+ people had to be scaled down. My pride took a bit of a blow there too. (What's wrong with the dinner I'm making? Not good enough for ya?) They didn't always eat at the same time either, so dining with at least a few people on a regular basis changed as well; sometimes, it was just me. I didn't always know what was in the refrigerator, because I was not the only person putting food in or taking it out of there. It made me long for the days for a kitchen all to my very own.

It wasn't until the night that I made the lasagna that things all changed. It was my first serious dinner attempt in my new apartment, after living off frozen crap and Chipotle while I finished the daunting task of unpacking and generally getting used to life in a completely different location. I decided it was finally time to find my place in the kitchen that was partly mine, whether I was ready for it or not. I gathered my ingredients and made the 'Peace Offering Lasagna' and garlic bread.*

Lasagna is one of the easiest things I know how to make, and is often the most impressive. It was actually the first real dinner I ever cooked by myself, after I dragged an unopened cookbook off my bookshelf in college, went to my kitchen and said "I am going to do this". The good thing about lasagna is that once you get the basic idea of how to do it, you can put whatever the heck you want in it: for example some asparagus and summer squash in the warmer months, sweet potatoes and cauliflower in the colder ones (the recipe I include at the bottom is for a more Spring version).

The lasagna was a big hit and was enjoyed by all the new roommates, and even some visiting friends. I'd like to think that it was a big step in our relationship with each other, the experience leading us to a point where we realized that we were people who we in fact actually wanted to spend time with, and not just people who all happened to live in the same place. They've eaten a lot more of my food since, and we've spent a lot more time together. To that I ponder, maybe sharing is caring.

-Nikki


*Recipes featured in this meeting

Peace Offering Lasagna (Spring version) with Garlic Bread

You will need-

Box of lasagna noodles
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 large sweet onion
3 large carrots
1 green pepper
1 package Tofurkey Spicy Italian Sausage
Bunch of asparagus
1 Portobello mushroom cap
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese

1 loaf of french bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon parsley


1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil, and cook 10 lasagna noodles (3 for each of the 3 layers, plus 1 extra in case one breaks) for 2 minutes less than stated on the package. I suggest chopping vegetables while the whole boiling/cooking process is happening, so the noodles aren't sitting around for too long. When they are finished drain all the hot water and fill the pot with cold, so the noodles stop cooking and keep from sticking together.

2. In a large frying pan (biggest you got) heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add chopped garlic. Add chopped onions and carrots, cook for 3 minutes uncovered. Next add chopped green pepper, asparagus (about 6-10 shoots, depending on the size) and Tofurkey sausage (I suggest cutting each sausage lengthwise first, then into half moon shapes); cook 3 more minutes. Lastly add chopped mushroom and spinach, cooking for about 3 more minutes. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. It's ok if vegetables are still crunchy when they are done, as this is going in the oven.

3. In a 9x13 pan, cover the bottom in a thin layer of sauce to prevent sticking. Lay down 3 noodles side by side. In your frying pan, mix veggies and sauce together, leaving about 1/3 of the jar left for the top. Scoop half of veggie mixture and spread evenly over noodles. Cover in a layer of cheese. Lay down 3 more noodles and repeat. Lay down the last 3 noodles, cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, until edges are brown and cheese is fully melted.

4. For garlic bread, mix butter, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Cut 1 inch thick slices in the garlic bread, but stop before you cut through the bottom so that all pieces are connected. Spread butter mixture on each side of the slice. Wrap the loaf in tin foil, and heat in 350 oven for 10 minutes.

Friendsgiving is coming!

Hello Loyal Readers, Friendsgiving is almost here! We can't wait!

Grow Your Own summer

Last summer I had an ill-advised plot in the local community garden. I never got there often enough and every time I returned for a guilt-induced weeding fest it looked like the set of a Tim Burton movie. Long story short, you could call it the opposite of a victory garden. It in fact inspired my new year's resolution to take more advantage of the farmer's markets around here and pick-your-own places because my energy is apparently much better spent in harvesting and cooking than in cultivating.

But with the return of spring weather a craziness comes over me, and this year I decided that a more manageable idea would be to grow the basics: just tomatoes and some herbs in pots on my porch. It was also part of my mission to festoon and enjoy the porch for all the precious months that New England weather allows.

I started off with 6 tomato plants (one yellow, the rest "beef" acquired as starts from the farmer's market) and saddly got going a little late in the season, maybe the first week in june?

I also got some rosemary, basil, lavender, and mint.

My next tragic error was getting pots that were a size too small, but because of this I ended up making a friend.

One night my across the street neighbor, the sweetest older gentleman you ever met, called across and told me it looked like my pots were too small. When I went across to chat he revealed that pretty much he is a tomato-growing guru. There were dozens of plants all around the perimeter of his house and yard, camouflaged behind sunflowers, all grown in buckets and containers. He told me that his wife, who had passed away, used to call him a "pot farmer" because of how he grew them in pots! Ha, as if you weren't a Stoned Soup Club hero already!

As the summer went on he continued to give me pointers (and tomatoes, and sunflowers) and promised me seeds from his patch next summer-- he dries and saves his own, of course.

I spent a lot of time on the porch, the herbs did pretty well and adorned many a summer drink, and I added some mini zinnias and snapdragons in the too-small containers. We got about a dozen small tomatoes from the plants (all except the yellow ones, which tanked) and a lot of know-how for next year.

Further pictures and adventures in green thumbs to come!

The Surprising Appearance of Fall, or, "Where Have You Been All Summer?"

As I sit here at my computer with a glass of my favorite $5-a-bottle Pinot Noir, I feel a chill coming from my window. School is back in session, we've all busted out the sweaters for the nightly dip in temperatures, and I wonder to myself, "Where the hell did summer go?" And then I remember. It went to parties, sleeping late, weekend trips to New York, dancing, swimming, Cape Cod vacations, short shorts, and general heat-induced laziness. This is our first post since the start of summer, but who can blame us when there are so many other fun things to do? But now it's fall and we're back on track, dedicating ourselves to bringing you tasty recipes, crafty projects, and Stoned Secrets every week. Starting....NOW!

Personally, I love summer, and wish it would stick around forever. I mean seriously, what's not to love? But if there is one positive that I can find in cooler temperatures, it's that it makes me really want to cook again. When it's a bit chilly, I don't mind leaning over a hot frying pan, or increasing my house temperature 10 degrees by turning on the oven. So, I embraced the recent crisp breezes by whipping up my first real fall meal. The idea was inspired by one night in a local bar, where the dinner special happened to be Shepherds Pie. The guy next to me ordered it as we watched the first football game of the season, and after it was delivered to him, I could not take my eyes off it. Maybe it was the 3 Steel Rails I had before that, but I wanted to eat it, bad, and I cursed my vegetarian morals harder than ever for not allowing myself the satisfaction of ingesting the savory meaty goodness. But then I realized that this recipe would be a cinch to make veggie-friendly, and I vowed to appease my hunger the very next night.

If you already know how to make regular Shepherds Pie, then making Vegetarian Shepherds Pie* is quite simple. Take out the real meat, put in fake meat, and enjoy. But for all of those who have never tackled this entree, I'll list my full recipe at the bottom. My roommate and I ate the whole pan up REAL quick, even just between the two of us. It makes great leftovers, and keeps you full for quite some time.

As we sat in our living room, eating our piping hot meal in our nice and toasty house, I could not help but feel extremely satisfied. I got the meal that I wanted, the way that I wanted it, and was back in my apron once again. And then I realized, maybe fall aint so bad.

-Nikki


*Recipes featured in this meeting:

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

You will need-

4 large White, Red, or Yukon Gold potatoes (or any mixture therein)
1 large Sweet Potato
1/3 cup Soy milk (or regular, if not making vegan)
1/4 cup of margarine or butter
1 Tube of Gimme Lean Meat-Free Beef, or 1 package of Morning Star Vegetarian Burger Crumbles
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Several cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
1 small onion
1 large carrot
1 can of peas, drained
1 can of corn, drained
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce (Did you know that 1 packet of soy sauce leftover from the last time you ordered Chinese take-out equals 1 tablespoon? Really freaking convenient!)
1 cup vegetable stock
Spices (I suggest rosemary, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper)
1/4 cup flour


1. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Peel potatoes (take as much or as little as you want off, sometimes skin is good!) and cut into small cubes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Drain, mash the potatoes, mix in milk and butter, and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Dice garlic, and cook in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add diced onions, cook for 2 more minutes. Add carrots, cook for 2 more minutes. Add fake beef (if you're using Gimme Lean, my personal favorite, you are going to need to dice it up really well first. Once it starts coooking you can even crumble it further with your spatula) and cook for 5-7 minutes, until meat starts to brown. Add peas and corn, stir for 1 minute. Add vegetable stock and soy sauce, and let simmer for a few minutes on low. I like to add the liquids closer to the end, as it can make the beef a little mushy. As it simmers add spices to your preference; I used an equivalent of about a half a tablespoon of each. Lastly, sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. This will thicken up your mixture and make it much more hearty.

3. In a 9x12 baking pan, spread vegetable mixture into a flat layer. Spread potatoes on top, and then sprinkle with cayenne pepper (mostly for looks). Cook pie for 30 minutes, allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!



In case you've been living under a rock and don't know what Shepherd's Pie looks like, here it is:



And cut up:

Little Boxes

Not to get all gooey about it, but sometimes a person you like a lot does something you're really proud of, and hence you smoke a little and get carried away with a wrapping job. My talented fella is graduating from photography school this week. (Let me step right up and state he hasn't taken any pictures on this blog; they're rubbish, I know) I had some free time on my hands tonight and started doodling. One part of the gift is yet to arrive in the mail, so I'll try to take a picture of the finished masterpiece later.

Just a little something to keep this blog sweet. It's been a while since we posted but can anyone blame us? Summer weather is here! Stay tuned for adventures in gardening, new frontiers in punch recipe creation, legendary picnics and all aspects of The Good Life.

The Importance of Eating Brunch

I, like many other people I know, have a strong love/hate relationship with Sundays. It's lazy, it's the weekend, but soon, the dreaded Monday will rear it's ugly head, and the prospect of that can ruin any day off. Now obviously this only applies to people whose job forces them into The Daily Grind. If you have a job where Monday morning is of no real source of misery, well, fuck you, and consider yourself lucky. But for the majority of us, Sunday sometimes needs some saving. And that, my friends, is where Brunch comes in.

Sunday Brunch, in my opinion, is the best meal that can happen all week. I LOVE breakfast, but the problem with breakfast is that it happens in the morning. I do NOT like the morning, or anything contained within it. So for Sunday Brunch, I just have it at whatever time I wake up. Brunch doesn't necessarily need a set time, as long as it's in the afternoon and it's the first meal you eat. We've eaten Brunch as early as noon, and as late as 4. Brunch is flexible. I like that. Brunch also encourages drinking in the afternoon, another thing that I really like. Being tipsy while it's still daylight out is a MUCH different feeling than normal night drinking. Lastly, some really clutch foods are associated with Brunch, and they are all SO filling. So lets review- Breakfast foods served at a later time, drinking in the afternoon, being full for pretty much the rest of the day...all of these seem to add up to a very winning combination.

The Stoned Soup Club approaches Brunch from a different perspective every week. Maybe this week we want simple fried eggs and homefries with lots of crazy crap added in (think tempura, sweet onion, spinach, asparagus, and mozzarella cheese). Maybe next week we want simple roasted potatoes, and scrambled eggs with lots of crazy crap added in (think veggie sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and cheddar cheese). Maybe the week after that we watch French Toast! We tend to wake up, look in our respective fridges, and then shoot from the hip. This is a great time to experiment with different veggies, different cheeses, different spices. So many things taste so good in various combinations, it's fun to just use what's in season at the moment as inspiration, and get creative.

The recipe included at the end of this blog was our most daring feat yet, Asparagus and Tomato Eggs Benedict*. We long put off attempting the process of learning to poach an egg, as it seemed just too overwhelming a feat, but once we got over our fear and faced it head on, we realized it's not so scary at all, and actually a fascinating wonder of science. As my roommate so poetically put it, "I looked into the eye of the whirlpool and saw the egg within." Although, he might have just been making fun of us for being stoned and thinking that the centrifugal force at work in solidifying the eggs whites was just about the coolest thing we've ever seen. Either way, we had a good time, and that's all that matters. But we also now know that we have the ability to concoct an 1000 calorie breakfast item pretty easily, and that is dangerous information to have.

So the next time you wake up some Sunday hungover, hungry, and bummed about having to start yet another long and tedious work week, round up some friends, mix up a batch of Cape Cod Mimosas*, and let Brunch cure what ails you.

-Nikki


*Recipes featured in this meeting:


Asparagus and Tomato Eggs Benedict

You will need:

Hollandaise Sauce-

4 eggs yolks
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup of butter
A few dashes of Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly ground sea salt

1. In a blender, combine egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Blend on low for a few seconds.
2. In the microwave, melt the butter, but make sure not to burn it.
3. While blending on high, SLOWLY pour the butter into the mixture in a steady, thin stream. Mixture will eventually thicken.
4. Place the blender container in a bowl of hot tap water to keep it warm until use.


The Benedict-

(For the sake of simplicity, this will make a full Benedict for 1 person. If you're feeding more people than that, you do the math.)

2 eggs
1 English muffin, cut in half and toasted
Butter
2 slices of tomato
4 pieces of asparagus
2 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar

1. Cook asparagus on a baking sheet, coated with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil for egg poaching. Once it starts to boil, lower it to a simmer. This is really important. The water needs to be hot, but it shouldn't have bubbles breaking the surface.
3. Add vinegar to the water and stir. The vinegar helps keep the whites from breaking off in the water.
4. Break one egg into a tiny bowl or ramekin. Stir the water in a circle, and slide the egg into the middle of the pot. Try to bring the bowl as close to the water as possible. The egg should remain mostly in the center, and solidify before your eyes. Leave for 3-4 minutes. DO NOT touch it until it's done! I know it's tempting, but restrain yourself.
5. Toast the English Muffin, and spread liberally with butter.
6. Place a slice of tomato on each half, as well as 2 pieces of asparagus.
7. Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon, allow all water to drain out, and slowly slide over the English muffin.
8. Repeat for 2nd egg.
9. Pour hollandaise sauce over the top.


Cape Cod Mimosas-

Champagne
Orange Juice
Cranberry juice (100% juice is always encouraged. We once tried Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry/Pomegranate Juice, and it was AWESOME )

1. Fill wine glass half full with champagne.
2. Fill the remainder of the glass with orange juice, leaving a little space at the top.
3. Add splash of cranberry juice.
4. Get drunk.