caesar salad

Having suffered the disappointment of iceberg, bottled dressing, and boxed croutons one too many times, I rarely order Caesar salad at restaurants or cafés.

At home, I make several versions of Caesar dressing (some are healthier than others); this is the one I make most often. I love its perfect balance of sharpness, tartness, and garlic.

1 egg (at your own risk)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
1 t worchestershire (I use vegetarian)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
scant 1/2 cup olive oil

Add everything except the olive oil to the jar of a blender and blend to combine. Set the blender to low and add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Continue blending until the oil emulsifies and the dressing is thick and creamy.

Transfer it to a tightly sealed container (I like Mason Jars) and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving. Let it stand at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes before tossing with romaine and croutons, and sprinkling with more parmesan.

By the time I departed Copenhagen yesterday, I could not wait to have this salad! It's the first thing made when I got home :)

the final stretch

OK, so it's not really the final stretch when there are still 4 days, plus 9 or so hours in the air and a 3 hour car ride before I'm home, but it feels good tell myself it's the final stretch ;)

For whatever reason, I can't sleep more than 3 hours at a clip this trip. I feel like I'm sleepwalking, which is interesting since I've got meetings where people are expecting me to be awake, sharp, and full of insightful thoughts. Hopefully I don't look as awful as I feel, or sound as incoherent as I fear.

Here's a little piece of my week, it's a page from inside the menu at one of the pizza places in the town where I'm currently imprisioned:

OK, I get that "sharing your food is not allowed," but why would hoarding of menus be a concern, and if it is a concern, why would children be excluded in the first place? And are we not supposed to eat the pizza?

Anyway, this made me smile. Unfortunately, the 3 hour sleep cycle has cut into my photography motivation, so this best I can do right now :(

back to denmark

This morning is a flurry of packing, cappuccino quaffing, email answering, and tying up of loose ends. The car is picking me up 12:30 and it's "company policy" for them to arrive 15 minutes early, which stresses me out because I don't like people waiting on me.

This is a long trip, 12 days, so packing has me a bit stressed out (so does spending 8 hours incarcerated in a metal tube, but I've got Xanax for that). I'm also not looking forward to being away for so long. When I come back, it will practically be fall, and it's strange to leave in one season and return in another, especially one as dramatic as fall where the air suddenly turns cool and crisp.

My home for the next couple weeks will be a room like this:

It's not bad, but it doesn't come with Egyptian cotton sheets, a husband, or 3 silly cats that make me smile no matter what's going on in my life.

Still, I'm grateful to have an amazing career with an amazing company. I'm bringing my camera gear and have made plans for dinner with friends, some sort of all night street festival, and hopefully some sightseeing. It'll be a good trip, but I can't help but feel that I change a little on each trip, none more dramatic that the one that transformed me into a vegetarian.

If something interesting comes up, I'll post from DK. If not, I'll be back on August 29 with more recipes and simple pleasures.

Wishing you a great couple of weeks in these last days of summer :)

saturday thrifting

I was inspired this morning to skip my workout in favor of a leisurely treasure hunt at Salvation Army and Goodwill.

I had a very successful day, finding all of this for less than $30...

This adorable and practically brand new cotton blouse was only $2 at Goodwill!

This vintage dress was only $4.99. I have no idea when I'll wear it, but it's so light and fluttery that I had to have it. If it hangs around too long, I'll repurpose the fabric into something retro-fabulous!

This fully lined wool skirt from the Gap was only $4.99, it'll look awesome with textured hose and my $450 Kate Spade leopard print pumps. It's no secret where my fashion priorities lie ;)

I love leopard print because it tiptoes along that fine line between tacky and acceptable. I love the contrast of an overall conservative look (think twin set and pumps) with one questionable element like this leopard print skirt (and maybe some fishnets). Fully lined and 100% silk for $7.99 at Goodwill!

I fell in love with this Ann Taylor top as soon as I saw it! I thought $6.99 was a bit steep for a cotton top at Goodwill, but in the grand scheme of things it was still a bargain!

I've been thrift shopping since high school and prices have gone up quite a bit, but I still think it's worthwhile. I like saving money, reusing things, and supporting charities instead of mall lords and shareholders. Plus, buying my clothing secondhand frees up more money for shoes; I'm forever a contradiction ;)

lemon pasta with late summer veggies

Here's another delicious way I use up the zucchini and summer squash that's trying to take over my kitchen and garden :)

It was inspired by the creamy lemon pasta with chicken and sundried tomatoes that I used to order at a restaurant near my office.

1/4 cup minced onion
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 T butter
1 1/2 cups greek style yogurt (or sour cream)
2 T grated parmesan
2 T milk (or cream)
2 t lemon pepper
2 T lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 t salt
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
3 dozen grape or cherry tomatoes
8 oz pasta, cooked

Quarter the squashes lengthwise, then slice 1/4" thick. Halve the tomatoes. Cook and drain the pasta.

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the onions and squash, sauté until the squash begins to soften. Add the garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add the yogurt (or sour cream) and lower the heat. Add the parmesan, milk (or cream), lemon pepper, salt, lemon juice, zest, and tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

Pour it over the pasta. Toss gently to mix it, serve with freshly grated parmesan.

My original intent was to create a light pasta dish using my August harvest, but I've discovered that substituting sour cream (for yogurt) and cream (for milk) makes it a dish fit for company... or a Friday night ;)

This is just one version of the dish. I like to improvise, using whatever vegetables and pasta I've got on hand.

a week in denmark

After much sorting and editing, here's a peek into my latest adventure abroad...

Corporate travel consistently books me on a connecting flight that leaves out of a different terminal 35 minutes after my overnight flight lands. If, by some miracle, I clear customs and security and make the flight, my luggage doesn't.

This time, we were delayed out of Newark due to storms, so I missed my connection and had to wait 4 hours for the next flight. I spent those hours camped out here with my laptop and Eat, Pray, Love, a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

My connecting flight usually leaves out of the gate that's located at the end of this terminal. It's a small terminal mostly for propeller planes, and it's always empty. Early in the morning with only the sound of my footsteps, it's something out of Clockwork Orange, yet striking and completely Scandinavian in design.

This is a sign in the Copenhagen airport. More like "land of false promises"! Not that I was looking for seduction or sin, but if I were, I think I'd be hard pressed to find it there, in an airport tax-free shop...

I've said before that I find these trips desolate, but how can they feel any other way when I'm traveling alone to someplace so empty?

Ah, Mamas Pizzaria! This tiny town has a least 3 pizza places, and not much else. I've never tried Mamas because I was warned early on in my Denmark travels that eating at Mama's Pizza would ensure that I'd be crying for my Mama a few hours later. It would take a lot to make me cry for such a horrible woman, but I'm not one to take these sorts of chances, so I'll take my coworker's word for it and avoid Mamas at all costs ;)

As a vegetarian in pork country, with Mamas off the table, I've got limited options, but a couple trips ago, someone told me about Restaurant Bobby, aka the Falafel Emporium. If there's falafel in town, I don't really need much else, especially it if comes with a side of fries! With the exception of airplane food, two salads, a Pepsi from the mini bar, and an untold number of espresso shots at the office, Restaurant Bobby provided all sustenance during my stay.

The 114, pommes frites... falafel wrapped in a soft, warm tortilla with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and tzatziki with a side of fries, all for the bargain (not!) price of about $16.

Across from Restaurant Bobby is Billund Bageri, which appears to have the most delightful baked goods. Someday, I will sample them, but I generally don't make it downtown until after work and having not eaten all day, I'm not to be trusted in a European pastry shop!

The Highlander is an English Pub and aside from the hotel bars, it has been the only in-town option for a night out. Apparently there is also a new brew house. I was invited to join my colleagues there after work, but somehow, I managed to get lost in the quarter mile between the office and this rumored brew house, so next time they will assign me an escort :)

One of the things I find odd about driving in Denmark is that I often feel like I'm driving places I shouldn't. Take this town center for instance, it took me at least 3 trips to work up the nerve to drive over the cobblestones, and around the fountain to where the falafel is! In the US, those little barriers would be meant to keep cars out, not in!

Speaking of driving places I shouldn't, I somehow managed to drive the rental car over a boulder (don't ask!). Yes, I scraped the car, but I had full coverage and I haven't heard from the car rental place; let's hope it stays that way. For the record, a Peugeot 308 is most definitely more than "10 centimeters" longer than a Toyota Yaris. The guy at the car rental place has no one to blame but himself for this.

This sticker was in the back window of the rental car. I'm not sure what they try harder at, but it's nice that they do :)

This goofy little vehicle was parked outside a building where I had a meeting one morning. It's some sort of food delivery service. The image made me smile.

In my fantasyland of European refinement, there are no monster trucks, only great wine, unrivaled pastries, and perfectly brewed coffee. That's completely untrue, because the Bossle Hell Drivers are coming, and apparently have been coming since 1969...go figure!

I'm not sure what to say about this. It was in the Copenhagen airport. I'll leave it at that.
Maybe it's because I'm usually coming up on 24 hours without sleep, or because I'm giddy about being on my way home, but this image never fails to amuse me. And these hotdogs smell so good, like make a vegetarian question her commitment to the animals good!

So there you have it, a week in the life of a globetrotting Web Diva :)

picnic basket

Once a week or so, I'll stop by Target on my way to work to stock up on cat supplies and soy milk. If I'm not quite ready to face a day of dealing with project issues and passive-aggressive stakeholders, I'll wander around the store in search of bargains. You really can't beat Target's clearance!

On one such recent trip, I scored this picnic basket at the bargain price of $7.49!

I couldn't believe my luck! I've been wanting a picnic basket, but the one I've had my eye on is $136, so needless to say, I hadn't quite gotten around to ordering it.

So this one isn't quite as nice, but at $7.94 vs. $136, I think it'll do just fine :)

I've been playing around with picnic menus, even though I'm not sure when I'll actually have time to go on a picnic... it'll have to be a fall picnic.

tomato - zucchini casserole

My garden is throwing zucchini at me faster than I can eat it! It was working triple time while I was in Denmark, and it hasn't slowed down since.

Here's one of the delicious ways I'm dealing with this issue...

1 green pepper, cut into small chunks

1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
2 medium zucchini, cubed
28 oz. whole tomatoes, chopped
(a sore spot since my garden hasn't produced a single ripe tomato)
4 slices toast, cubed
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic salt
1 t oregano
1 t basil
shredded mozzarella
grated parmesan

Saute the peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and saute another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 more minutes, then stir in the bread cubes, salt, pepper, garlic salt, oregano and basil. Stir in as much mozzarella and parmesan as makes you happy, then transfer the mixture to a greased casserole.

Sprinkle with additional shredded mozzarella and bake at 350, uncovered for 40 minutes.

I served this as an entree with caeser salad. It would also make a lovely side dish, or a frugal vegetarian potluck offering :)

grilled portobello burgers

Even as a vegetarian, I love a good BBQ! I adapted this recipe from the July/August issue of Vegetarian Times. It looks a bit greasy, but that's actually just the juices from the mushroom.

2 portobello mushroom caps (stems removed)
olive oil
3 T barbeque rub (see below)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t basil
1/4 t sage
1/4 t marjoram
barbeque sauce (I use homemade)
2 cheese slices, optional (I like smoked cheddar)
2 buns

Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil, then sprinkle on both sides with the barbeque rub and set aside.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onions, oregano, basil, sage, and marjoram. Cook until golden ,stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Place mushroom caps stem side down on the grill, brush tops with bbq sauce and grill for 3-4 minutes, or until soft and charred around the edges. Flip and grill another 3 minutes or so.

Place a cheese slice on the gill side of each mushroom cap and grill until it melts.

Warm the buns on the grill and spread with barbecue sauce. Top each with a mushroom cap, half of the onions, and the top bun.

BBQ Rub

Combine these ingredients in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
3 T ground black pepper
3 T coarse sea salt
2 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t celery seed
1/2 t cayenne pepper

I often just go with a "pinch of this, a pinch of that" in amounts suitable for 2 mushroom caps, but if you do decide to follow the recipe, this makes enough for several batches of burgers and is also delicious sprinkled over cooked veggies.

Jet lag owns me at the moment, so I haven't finished going through all of my Denmark photos, but I hope to post some over the weekend.

Two weeks from today, I cross the Atlantic again, this time for 10 days :(

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a quiet day off alone on Friday.