Stinky Bread

Dudes. Lets talk. One. Now that it’s almost February you are all just about bored of your “diets” also known as “resolutions” yes? As evidenced by my first post of 2012, I’m not so much big on depriving oneself just because its January. Two. It’s almost the Super Bowl which means a) the end of the best time of year b) I finally can accomplish things on Sundays and c) you’re looking for snack recipes. Boom. I gotcha covered. So. Stinky bread. It’s not for the faint of heart, I’m not gonna lie. Also, it’s not a recipe, it’s just a thing. It’s a thing that my family does, and I’m thinking your family should start to do it too because it’s a) awesomely delicious b) really dang easy and c) can feed a crowd for less than six bucks. Boom. Again. So let’s get right to it and stop faffing around, shall we? 

Stinky Bread(I’m pretty sure my aunt Carrie is the one who came up with this..but it could have been a different family member. who knows.)

Ingredients

• Butter, softened. I don’t know how much because I don’t know how many people you are feeding!
• Blue Cheese–twice as much of this as your butter. it’s all about the ratios.
• Garlic, minced. (1 clove per baguette) um, this is totally optional but also totally delicious. your call
• Baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces

Procedure.

1. Turn on your broiler. Get excited. In a small bowl, mix together butter, blue cheese and garlic (if using). Schmear this all over your baguette slices. Pop those suckers onto a baking sheet and under the broiler. Keep your eye on them! They only take a minute and you don’t want them to burn! Once they are brown on the edges and the cheese is gooey and bubbly, you should put them on a plate and offer them to your guests/family/friends/significant other/dog or whoever is around. They won’t last long, so you’ll have to head back into the kitchen to make some more, pronto.

Seriously the Best Granola Bars I’ve Ever Had..

I am a snacker. If I don’t eat every few hours, you probably don’t want to hang out with me because I transform into an angry, obnoxious, whiny little brat. Maybe I shouldn’t admit all that. But I just did. The point is, I know my snacks.

I also like to hike. Hiking is one of those activities that totally counts as a super-workout, but since you get to stop and take pictures and eat snacks in the middle, it’s a lot more fun. And when you’re hiking, good snacks are a must.

Zongzi: A Recipe in Pictures

So. I promised you some real Chinese food and here it is! This is a snacky-type-thing called zongzi (pronounced dzong-zuh..kind of..my pronunciation is horrible), and  they are basically sticky rice and some kind of filling wrapped up in reed leaves and boiled. They are tastier than that description might sound. Zongzi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival which just so happens to be occuring the weekend after next. So you can make these and have your own little celebration at home! You can make them salty (usually with some kind of pork inside) or sweet (with red beans, or corn or nuts or whatever you like, really).

They are not at all difficult, but there is a certain technique to it, and they are rather time consuming. But I say, grab some friends, a bottle of wine (or disgustingly strong rice wine in our case.. mixed with orange juice because we’re classy like that..) and you’ll be amazed how fast it goes! These are one of my favorite things I’ve eaten so far in China, and I can’t wait to try all kinds of different combinations when I get home. Whoo!

our resident zongzi experts..

Superbowl Snacks: Pizza Pockets

This Sunday marks the end of the great season we know as Football. Many of you might be awfully broken up about it. But this year I’m not for three reasons. 1. the Chargers failed so hard this year I want to pretend it never happened. 2. I just plain hate the Patriots and the NYGiants aren’t much better. Not-so-super-bowl in my book this year. and 3. UH baseball starts soon. Whoo!

   

   

But, regardless of how I wish both teams could just lose this year, I’m still going to watch and I’m still going to yell and shout and drink a bunch of beer and eat a bunch of food. We actually got invited to someone else’s house for the superbowl this year (which is kind of a big deal for us..), so I’m really excited to bring over some snacks. The first of which will be these pizza pockets.

I made cheez-its. seriously.

I mean, no joke. As in, this is not a joke. These things taste exactly like cheez-its. But don’t be like my mother. When I called her, literally bursting with joy at the cheezygoodness that was hommemade cheez-its in my mouth, she just laughed. She laughed and then said “what’s the point of that? can’t you just buy them?” Jeez, mother. I mean, cmon! I’m clearly so excited here!!

      

seriously though, before you say the same thing she did, check this out: they’re made with 100% whole wheat flour. chyeah!! that’s right!! whole-effing-wheat! (Didn’t I mention I’m having a little tryst with whole wheat at the moment? It’s awesome. I hope I never stop.) Also, I’m sure this is not the case in, uh, any other state in the US, but it is true in Hawaii: packaged foods are ding-dang expensive and coupons are few and far between. Seriously, a box of cheerio-s is like 7 bucks. ridic. I dunno if making these were really any cheaper, but man. They were delicious. Seriously. go try them. pronto.