Jerk Chicken, Slow-Cooker Style.

I work nights as a nurse, mostly as a necessity.  That being said, when the "chore wheel" came out, and after a bit of logical deducing, I became the person responsible for making food at the house (the boyfriend, J, does the dishes, and I cook.  It's a good system).

My solution? Slow-cooking, and lots of it.  I'm always on the hunt for interesting and non-stew type dishes to make.  You'd be surprised how many variations there are on the same three slow cooker recipes. 

Food Truck of the Month: Good Dog Hot Dogs

Yes, I have jumped on the Food Truck bandwagon, and No, I don't care what people think--I for one welcome our food truck overlords.

That being said, I'd like this to be a recurring spot here at R.Abandon, and what better way to start us off than with Hot Dogs, non?

New Hotness

Well, another year, another failed blog. My sushi challenge stopped somewhere in between "wow sushi is expensive" and "neato, I have a boyfriend!" I decided to leave old postings around for my own rememberance of things past (especially failures), and to show you where I've been.

I woke up last week and realized, finally, that I loved food. Really, it was more of final acceptance. I realized that I loved not just sushi, but all things edible. Combine that with the fact that I recently moved in with my boyfriend about two months ago, I have had a need to cook. Money, time, etc.

Yes, me. Cooking.

Let me explain: I've always baked, and felt comfortable in that world. You name it, I've either tried to bake it or been wise enough not to try (I'm looking your way, patachou).

But Cooking?! What strange new world, with such ingredients in it!
I've no real experience cooking. I've never been a server (lest you count that brief stint with catering in college), and I've only ever darkend the doorstep of one or two cooking classes in my brief lifetime.

The only thing I have under my belt (har har) thus far is necessity. And as they say, necessity is the mother of digestion.

Or was that convection?

No. Conviction. That's it. Time to serve up some big heeping bowls of the stuff--No longer is it about "cute" challenges or "money spent" anymore, but rather the love, and necessity, of the food itself. Flavors mingling as the ingredients form together and the science behind it all. Join me, won't you?

California Eatin': A quick word about sushi from another coast

During the month of April, I took a much-needed vacation to visit some good friends in Southern California.

Much fun was had--Disneyland, the beach, and most of all, Sushi.
My good friend, over at , J*, had heard about my blog and said, "Let's try Sushi here in Cali!"

And so we did:



We visited the much-talked about Matsu.

I give the experience an overall good rating. The food was fresh, the decor neon (what is it with Neon lights and Sushi bars? Topic for another post, I suppose), and the beer tasty in my stomach.

We got a pretty decent sampler platter:


and what I *thought* was a tigers-eye roll. Apparently, Sushi is different from region to region. I expected: Salmon, jalapeno, and cream cheese all wrapped in nuri and rice, but instead, I got:


When popped into the mouth, the white ring was super chewy, and the salmon was over-done/cooked, with a little bit of avocado. Not the most pleasant thing I've ever eaten, but perhaps the most adventurous.

When I got back to Texas, I looked it up. Apparently, the "white ring" was squid. Who knew? It seemed so incongruous--what would possess someone to mess with the beloved jalapeno-cream cheese-rice blessed and holy union? How did it go from squid ring in Cali to delicious rice roll in Houston?

A good friend and Sushi lover, P*, stated it like this: "Sushi is like the blues. The same song can sound completely different in two different cities."

I learned that day that there really is about a million different ways to make and prepare sushi. Thinking on it now, of course there would be regional differences, just like any other food. I was reminded in a very...interesting way.

It was a fun trip and I can't wait to go back. Looks like I may have a "sushi in Cali #2" as I think I will be back in September for a wedding. Woo!

Happy Eating, Chopstickheads!

The Long and Winding Hiatus, etc

Welcome back, Chopstick followers. Or, "Chopstickheads" as I have been thinking of dubbing you wonderful folks (all two of you, but hey, gotta show love!).

Gosh, it's been awhile, huh? First let me apologize for the long time away. My last post warned of such an occasion. For instance, when I got back into town from California, my computer died.

Yep, d-e-d, dead. After a quick resurrection, I still wasn't able to go out to any sushi joints as money would not allow.

Fear not, however, as I have a few posts coming up...including:

-My recap on my visit to Matsu's during my california adventure! (Please don't sue me, Disney)
-Raku, a wonderful Japanese restaurant in Midtown.

It feels good to be back. On to the sushi!