Archive for the ‘What’s for Dinner?’ Category
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Cappuccino and salad days
April 11, 2013 Amy

Hello, again, Dear Readers:

Here at HeatCageKitchen, we strive to bring you the hip new trends in cooking and kitchen stuff. Up-to-date tricks and of-the-moment trends that you just can’t live without whether you’re just starting to cook or have been in your kitchen for a long time. The goal is to bring you these new trends that you just need to know before your friends know.

“Try” being the operative word.

I’ve got an update on my cappuccino machine and a new idea that crossed my Facebook path that I’ve got to tell you about. If you haven’t heard about this already. Your friends will be amazed. Keep reading. . .

So, I was thinking that although it would be lovely to go out and buy a brand, spanking new cappuccino machine, the thrifty side of me says, no, it’s just the frothing part that doesn’t wanna work anymore. I have on occasion seen hand-held milk frothers in different places. This evening, for the project I’m about to tell you about, I headed to Cost Plus World Market and discovered that they have these little babies at $2.99 each. They run on 2 AA batteries (like nearly everything else I own, right?) and they froth up milk. They don’t HEAT milk, they only froth it up. Online, they sell them in a set of 3 for $8.97, but in the store they sell them individually. I bought the green one, the first one the clerk handed me. I headed to Target to get a big 20-pack of AA batteries.

You never know when the milk frother is going to go out. Or the TV remote. Or the flameless candles on my altar. Or some other little thing that uses batteries. I used to carry a Sony Walkman–yes, a cassette player, and later, one with a radio–in the pre-iPod days. And I can tell you that the batteries that lasted the longest were coppered, so that’s what I buy. And nobody paid me to say that. Anyway. . .

So I put some milk in a measuring cup and warmed it in the microwave, then used the handheld milk frother to froth up the milk. It worked perfectly, and for $2.99, I now have perfectly frothy milk again when I make cappuccino. Woo hoo!

Wal-Mart also had an electric milk frothing pitcher, but that one was $35. Very nice, of course, but that’s OK. I’ll continue to steam the milk and then use the little battery powered frothers. That’s perfectly OK with me!

OK. . .now. . .this is a most momentus thing I’ve discovered, and it’s cheap. I LOVE salad, and yes, iceberg lettuce as well as Romaine, butter and red-leaf lettuce, but it tends to go bad on me, even when I keep on it. I hate that, so as a result, I don’t buy it too often.

A solution has been found. I am testing this as I type this.

Lettuce stored in Mason jars, or “Salad In A Jar.”

Let me say first that this is NOT my own idea, but the brilliant idea of one Paula Rhodes, who has a website. . .Salad-In-A-Jar.com. No kidding. I came across the idea, as many, on Facebook. Such a simple idea, but you absolutely MUST seal the jar and get all the air out to prevent browning of the lettuce.

Naturally, this wonderful lady is in Arlington, in the great state of Texas. (I’m in Houston, I can say that.)

Another idea where I wish I’d thought of it, but. . .well, you know I’m not smart enough for that. (I went to college at night.) Well, I did figure out that Scrubbing Bubbles will clean your kitchen cabinets and other surfaces by melting off the dirt. That’s another blog post.

On my trek out I went first to Cost Plus World Market for the jars, which are $2.49 there. I also have a couple of jars that I kept after the Classico Tomato and Basil is gone. The process is the same for both types of jars, but there is an essential step that you must do. You MUST vacuum seal the jars and get all the air out.

I am not suggesting you get one of those expensive Food Saver sealing thingies, although if you have one, you have an advantage, there is an attachment for wide-mouth jars and a tube for this purpose. Maybe one day I’ll get me one, but for now, I just want cheap.

That’s the real secret of HeatCageKitchen. Livin’ on the edge (of the kitchen). Cheap.

So if you’ve ever seen those Ziploc vacuum seal bags, well, there’s a vacuum pump tool that comes in the starter kit, runs about $4 or $5. Well. . .the directions are to wash and spin-dry your lettuce, chop it, put it in the glass jar, put the lid(s) on it, put a small hole in the top with a pushpin, put a small piece of electrical tape over the hole (don’t seal it), and use the vacuum tube to pull the air out.

VOILA! Sealed up lettuce! (I think I messed up a total of four pushpins, but that’s what Staples is for.)

Best part–you can make salad for a whole week like this! Put the dressing in the bottom, and the lettuce on top, with heavier ingredients like hard boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, etc, in the bottom. The picture is from Mayra Cavazos, and this what she posted on Facebook:

Utterly brilliant, people. Not only does SALAD IN A JAR save space in your fridge, it also reduces food waste and gets non-salad eaters (me) to mow down daily.
THE ARRANGEMENT
From BOTTOM to TOP:
Dressing
Shredded carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Sunflower seeds
Hard boiled eggs
Baby spinach
DIRECTIONS
1) Arrange ingredients in a large mason jar
2) Store in fridge for up to a week
3) When ready to eat: shake jar, place on a plate, and eat!

You can make any arrangement you want… you can add red onion, cucumbers, radishes or peppers. Always remember to put the dressing at the bottom and the lettuce at the top—a MUST.

****NOTE**** If your making a few salads at a time for the week, you MUST remember to vacuum seal the Mason Jars. (Mason jars can be bought at Wal-mart, and various grocery stores) They must be vacuum sealed to remain fresh and crisp 🙂 Here are two different ways to vacuum seal a mason jar 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhb1gfVSB9Y
Non Foodsaver vacuum seal 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/

If you’re having trouble wrapping your brain around this idea, take a look at Mayra’s picture she posted on Facebook and see if it makes sense:

Salad In A Jar

Is that not the coolest idea ever? And it’s SO SIMPLE.

So in the HeatCage Test Kitchen (ha, ha) I have purchased said Ziploc vacuum tool at Wal-Mart, as well as jars and the milk frother at Cost Plus World Market, and lettuce (and a few other things) at Target. (I went to Target first, they didn’t have it, darnit.)  I have three sealed jars of lettuce in the fridge, right now, and am thoroughly excited about this.

Simple, using readily available modern conveniences. I love it, and am hoping for the best on my end, too. I’ll let you know what happens next.

Since I my life will be soon become very busy, this will be a great help for my weekly food prep. You see, since I was a full-time working student at Tulane University (1991-1996), I do all my weekly cooking and wardrobe prep on Sunday, so that I don’t have to do as much during the week. (The crock pot cooking helps a lot, too, especially if I didn’t get it all done in time.) When I was getting home late at night, that Sunday ritual was a lifesaver. If I missed one thing, my whole week was messed up. Bad.

Salad, much as I love it, hasn’t been a staple for me, since I don’t buy it as much, it turns brown so fast on me. I’m hoping this experiment will work. I do love salad, and hate throwing anything out.

You can read all about it at Paula Rhodes’ Salad In A Jar website, plus lots of other of her recipes and ideas. (You can bet I’m subscribing now!) You can also see her video on YouTube doing exactly what I described.

Cross your fingers. This is the best thing to cross my path in a long time. (OK, this week.)

If you try this, let me know how your experiment turned out.

Happy Dining!

Fast & Easy,Health & Wellness,Ingredients,New Trends,What's for Dinner?
Comfort food, anyone?
February 23, 2013 Amy

Good evening, Dear Readers:

I’m kind of tired tonight, but last night I hit the bed early and actually got some sleep. Not all night, woke up a couple of times, and I really appreciated Jezebel the step-kitty’s insistence that I do some laundry today. Especially the duvet. Especially after her early-morning retching.

So I’m a bit tired. But I thought I’d offer some comfort to you this evening.

Today on The Food Network was quite a bit of what’s called “comfort foods.” The Barefoot Contessa had things like “Midnight Spaghetti” and “Sunday Morning Oatmeal,” as well as from another chef, “Kimchi Fried Rice,” which included the Korean delicacy, rice, and a fried egg on top. Trisha Yearwood brought husband Garth Brooks into the kitchen, making very sophisticated and un-countrified food. The Pioneer Woman had a great looking beef stew and some creamy, cheesey grits. I haven’t had grits in years because of the high carb content, but that was enough to make me think about some. And, bless her heart, Giada de Laurentiis did some ravioli with pesto and a combo meatloaf/eggplant thingy that made me yell at the TV–because that stupid eggplant ruins the meatloaf, Dawlin’.

What else did Giada make? Let’s put it this way–if someone brought this cake to an activity, and Giada was there, I’d move her (and anyone else) out of the way to get to it. Anything with chocolate and raspberry in the same place risks that outcome. Chocolate and raspberry together is just my absolute favorite thing. Except maybe in chili. Nigella Lawson also has a Chocolate-Raspberry Heart cake in her book Feast. Fortunately, I haven’t had either one, and I likely won’t, because I won’t be able to resist making it way too often. (I get chocolate-raspberry decaf coffee beans, though.)

So to offer some of my less dangerous comfort foods, let’s start with Bacon Tomato Hash from the lovely Nigella Lawson. Simple to make, and satisfies, even without the bread (which is how I eat it, naturally.) When she did this recipe on her show, she’s coming in from a night out, pads up the stairs in heels, and tosses her purse and very long pearlesque clip earrings on the kitchen counter before starting. I’d made this many times before, but a few years ago, I had a long Friday night and did the same thing, except I didn’t take off my very high-heeled shoes in the kitchen.

It was my birthday, and although I’d gone out to dinner with friends, it was nearly 1 am, it was chilly, and I was hungry. I thought, what’s open at 1 am? Whataburger and Wal-Mart, right in the same spot. Didn’t want a burger, because, after all, I’d had tortellini, my birthday indulgence. So I went into Wal-Mart and got bacon, tomatoes and fresh parsley, Unfortunately, I was dressed in a little black dress, high heels, and a fabulous evening poncho, so I garnered some very odd looks from a big, burly dude on a Harley. He never said a word, just watched me walk in, and watched me walk out to my car. I made it home safely, and had some of that hash and read the paper until about 3 am.

Three summers ago, I contracted some kind of funky flu bug that, I’m told, came back from Russia with some of the Shuttle people. Ugh. Two weeks I was sidelined, and *tried* to work from home. Thankfully, my boss was on travel and mostly gone, and I took care of stuff by phone. But I mean it, I had the whole bit–fever, fatigue, coughing, congestion. I had a boyfriend at the time, and wouldn’t let him come around because I didn’t want him getting sick, either. I’d just started growing basil, and kept telling myself I’d make pesto with it one day soon. Lucky me, Nigella came to the rescue again with this Pea Pesto Soup.. Now, I had a reason to make that pesto, and I’ve been making it ever since–just to make this soup all winter long. The picky boyfriend thought I was nuts, and then he got a taste of it and started asking for it. Naturally, I use the home made pesto, but if you want to buy it, get the stuff in the refrigerated case. It freezes well, and you can make four batches of soup with it.

That was also the week I also fell in love with Def Leppard all over again. Hey–if you were flat on your back with fever, to weak to move much and 45 pounds of cat sleeping on top of you in the middle of summer watching VH-1 Classic, you would too. But that’s another story.

I actually gave a jar of pesto as a last-minute birthday gift for a coworker when I got caught short one day. She loved it, and the soup recipe, too.

Yet another easy Nigella recipe (sorry, these are my favorites) is Pollo alla Cacciatora, which is a quick-and-dirty version of Chicken Cacciatore. I fell in love with Cannellini beans making this and a few other recipes, too. Speaking of which. . .yet another Nigella recipe–Steak with White Bean Mash! Had it just last night, and it too is from Nigella Express.

Ok, so what if you’re not a Food Network junkie? Well, this Yeast-Free Cupcake is good enough to satisfy anyone who likes cake, without the usual white-sugar-and-flour rush. I have a preference for Suzanne Somers’ Somersweet, but if you mess with the sweetener, you’ll have to try it and see how it works. I don’t know if agave syrup will work. This Yeast Free CoffeeCake is also good, but you’ll have to have garbanzo bean flour around. (Which, of course, I have–I think.) Haven’t made it in a while because I keep going to the cupcake recipe. Needless to  say, it’s good. And I’ve told you about the yummy, rich Yeast Free Brownies, which I have yet to get around to making again.

Lately I’ve taken to using my mandolin to thinly slice sweet potatoes, put them in a dish in the fridge and let them dry out, then put them in the small oven with some olive oil and salt and let them cook til they’re drier and crispy. That’s good, too. Since I have the convection setting on it, I like to speed things up a bit.

Now if you like salad, when I was working, my favorite Single Girl Payday Meal was a big steak salad. By that I mean I would get some salad things (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sugar snap peas and whatever else looked good in produce that day) and a flat-iron steak. Kroger sells them in big long steaks, so that’s what I would get. Of course I wouldn’t eat the entire steak in one sitting, but I would cook the whole thing. So I get one of my big Tupperware eatin’ trays, arrange my salad, then make the dressing from one of Suzanne Somers’ books:

6 T extra virgin olive oil

3 T lemon or lime juice

2 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Put that in a blender (I like the immersion type) and emulsify it. Just that easy.

Now deal with the steak: I also use one of those hand-held mechanical tenderizers to go over it on both sides, then salt/pepper the beast. (If it doesn’t fit in your pan, cut it to size, or just cut it into your favorite size, pack and freeze the rest.) Get that pan screaming hot and throw some olive oil in it. Once it’s hot, put the steak in  and IMMEDIATELY turn down the heat to about medium, and let it cook, long as you like. When it’s no longer adhered to the pan, turn it. When it’s cooked where you want it, take it out and let it rest for five minutes or so. Then slice it up against the grain and top your salad with it. Salad dressing completes this masterpiece.

No, I do NOT use bottled dressing. Yuck. Make your own. You have a blender, don’t you? Just wash it really good when you’re done with it. Start with that recipe.

I have to say that flat iron steaks are my favorite, but I like other cuts, too. Yes, NY Strip steak, but also sirloin and chuck. I don’t know that I have a “least favorite cut of beef.”

Wait–yes I do. Beef tongue.

On that note, I’m going to bed.

Happy Dining!

Considered opinions,Fast & Easy,What's for Dinner?
Dinner tonight, kale and cannellini beans
January 16, 2013 Amy

Hi, again:

OK, I found something else to pass along–dinner. I had another “light” dish from the Everyday Food Light cookbook. This one is on page 329, Sausages with Kale and White Beans. (You can find the recipe online here.) I’ve never had kale before, but I have to say, cooked as long as it did, it’s not bad. I’ll try using kale again one day. At 99 cents for a large bunch, it’s certainly affordable.

I decided to pull two packets of sausages out of the freezer (the stuff I bought on sale recently), but they weren’t the same thing. One was turkey brats, the other was some chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and asiago, I think–the Market Pantry brand from Target. So when I finished, I split them up–each serving had one of each in it.

And, this is what it looks like when it’s done:

Sausages kale white beans

Pretty simple, just broiling the sausages in the countertop oven (you do have one, right?) and then cooking the kale on top the stove with garlic and a half cup of water until it’s wilted all the way down. Then toss in two tablespoons of white wine vinegar and a can of rinsed cannellini beans. It’s not haute cuisine, but it’s a pretty good dinner done in a half hour or so. Not bad.

I should also mention that I just LOVE cannellini beans. If you’re not familiar with them–and I wasn’t until a few years ago–they’re white kidney beans, frequently imported from Italy. One of my favorite ways to use them is in this amazingly delicious white bean mash. I’ve also used Great Northern or White Navy beans, but that’s only because I grabbed them by mistake. Those beans are OK, and they’ll work in this recipe, but. . .just not as good as cannellini.

A few years ago when I evacuated to New Orleans for Hurricane Ike, I brought two or three cans of cannellini beans with me so I could make another Everyday Food recipe for my friends. Why? Because you can’t *get* cannellini beans in New Orleans, at least, not that I could find. Then again, I didn’t do lots of grocery shopping, and didn’t feel like explaining myself to a demo lady who got mad at me because I know how to properly pronounce “gelato.”

This too, is an Everyday Food recipe that appeared in the Houston Chronicle on April 16, 2008. How do I know this? I kept the paper–because it’s never been in the magazine or on their website, darnit. But it’s SOOOOO good. This is the *salad* of enlightenment:

White-Bean and Olive Salad

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (Creole mustard is also really good in this)

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Add beans, onion and olives; toss to combine.

Happy Dining!

Cookbooks,Fast & Easy,What's for Dinner? ,,,
Spare-time cooking
December 31, 2012 Amy

Evening, Dear Readers:

Finally, I have a little something to write about! I cooked something new this evening! Let me tell you about it. . . .

But first, the back story: while I was in college (1991 to 1996) I was, out of necessity, forced to cook on Sunday for an entire week. You see, after working a 40 hour week, I went to Tulane University at night. For five years. No kidding. One semester I took a Saturday class, too. If I didn’t get some sleep during the week, I had to wait until Friday night to get some. Hardest thing I’ve ever done, and likely is why I’m frequently tired to this day. But hey–wasn’t it worth it? I graduated from Tulane! I still do this weekly, even though I have been unemployed since June. I do cook at night, but try to get as much done on Sunday as I can, even if it’s boiling a dozen eggs for a week of breakfast.

Yesterday I had to go down to someone’s house and pick up mail, and stopped at the Target in League City for a couple of things (one of which was bathroom tissue, OK?)  I decided to buzz through their meat department and see what might be on sale.

Sacre bleu! Red tags everywhere! Sausages! Grass-fed beef! Chicken Thighs! All with $2 and $3 off tickets! Let’s just say my freezer is REALLY full right now. My favorite Bare Chicken was $3 off each packet–I couldn’t resist, I bought four flat-packs of chicken thighs, the best part. I am happy.

Today I had a couple of stops to make, one of which was Kroger. I saw some Crimini, aka “Baby Bella” (Portobello) mushrooms on sale. Immediately I thought of this recipe that has been sitting on my cookbook stand for months. I just ignored it while I made other things (like the acorn squash dish. Again.)  I looked at it and realized I needed mushrooms, for one thing. So I took out one packet of chicken thighs and proceeded to thaw them in repeated courses of hot water in a baking dish. Took a while, but it worked. Mostly. Hey–the dish is fine.

So here’s the recipe from last year’s Everyday Food Light book for EFChickenCacciatore.

For many years, I have been partial to Nigella Lawson’s Pollo alla Cacciatore, because a) I saw her make it on TV and b) it’s darn good. But when I got this book when it published last year, I wanted to try it when I got to the winter dishes. Then, life happened.

Truth to tell, there are lots of great recipes in this book, separated by seasons. During the summer, I made both the Grilled Tilapia with Cherry Salsa and a pork chop recipe with a peach/onion relish. Both are AMAZING and absolutely delicious. “Diet?” Forget it!

I gave my elderly neighbor one serving of each, because her gourmet-cook sister was out of town for a while, and I didn’t want her to starve while her sister was gone. (I always say that to her when I bring over something to try–and she loves it.) Actually, she can cook, she’s just not the kind I am, or her sister. I bring her delish food occasionally, although she fussed at me the last two times because I wasn’t working. But she enjoyed them just the same.

Anyway. . .

This dish really was as easy as they say it is, and it was pretty tasty, too.

Four servings in about fifteen minutes.

Four servings in about fifteen minutes.

Now, I have to say that although this dish is easy, you MUST read the directions before proceeding. Why? Well. . .I put the chicken in with the mushrooms and garlic, and realized it just before I microwaved it for 2 minutes. I was picking the chicken bits out by hand, which made it longer than 15 minutes. DUH.

I’m not really a fan of microwave cooking, but I have to say for a quick dinner, this definitely hits the spot (even though I got Crimini mushrooms instead of Shittake.)

Confession: back in the 80’s, I attempted to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in a microwave. Well. . .I was a military wife in far-flung North Carolina in 1984, where you still had to talk to an operator to make a long-distance call. Heck, any call when I first got there. The results were not bad, just not something to be proud of. I had a bigger microwave than I have now. Obviously I learned how to correctly roast a turkey later.  My spouse and his buddy ate it and were nice about it, since we were all far from home. That part of my life is long over, although I do have an affection for Marines because of it.

Do not try to cook a turkey in a microwave, OK? Maybe little turkey parts, but not a WHOLE turkey. At least give me points for ingenuity.

I’ll be able to have this again three times this week, as well as something else I literally tossed in the pot while the Chicken Cacciatore was cooking in the microwave:

Beef stir fry

About a pound of stew meat, cut into smaller pieces. Sliced up the stems from the mushrooms and used a bag of organic frozen mixed veggies bought on sale at Target. A little olive oil, a little sesame oil, a little soy sauce and a splash of Chinese cooking wine, dump it in a big chefs’ pan on high heat, don’t forget to stir it, and I’ve got more ready-to-eat meals this week. I actually ate one serving of the chicken, but the beef stir-fry only made three servings. That’s OK, I can make something else, or have a breakfast (which is a whole different story.)

Easy meals this week!

Easy meals this week!

All us foodies will miss Everyday Food magazine in the new year, but the website and the books will live on. If you’re planning to cut calories this year, Everyday Food Light is a good place to start. The recipes generally have less than 10 ingredients that are readily available, and all of them are under 500 calories per serving. (That means if you eat the entire recipe, it’s 2,000 calories, and you shouldn’t eat anything else today.) Check it out and see what you like. Me, I’m leaving alone anything with tofu or edamame in it, since I’m allergic to soy. But there are plenty of recipes to chose from, plus you can always go to the website to find something else.

I hope to eventually get the other two Everyday Food books; but who knows, there could be one or even two more published under that moniker.

Next up is going to be a sausage and kale recipe with Cannellini beans–my favorite! I don’t have any kale, but that’s OK, I’m not in a hurry. I’ll let you know how that one works out too. I love sausage.

Happy Dining!

Cookbooks,Fast & Easy,What's for Dinner? ,
Meeting an old friend again
December 23, 2012 Amy

Hello, Dear Readers:

Well, it’s the holiday season and, honestly, I haven’t had much foodie adventure since The Tuscan Turkey got turned into soup a few weeks ago. But it’s OK, everyone loved it, and I just have some cut up Tuscan turkey meat left in the freezer. Well, OK, enough to keep me happy for a while, and make The Soup of Enlightenment if I really want to, but I don’t, since I had it at Thanksgiving, skipping over the big meal to that part.

I will tell you that I was just in Cost Plus World Market, using a $10 coupon to get stocked up on the fantastic Typhoo Decaf Tea from the UK and got me some microwavable steamed puddings–the real British stuff, produced in New Zealand. Really. I guess the Brits like it, but I never asked–but I’m having steamed pudding for Christmas!! (I’ll let you know.) Convenient, and just a little bit, enough to try it once. If I wanted to, I could use Nigella Lawson’s recipes out of her Christmas book, but really, I’m giving myself the gift of peace and quiet this year, and lots of sewing. Not to mention the Doctor Who Christmas Special on Tuesday thanks to a very nice neighbor who is out of town. I did offer to do a carpet cleaning for her while she was out, but she declined. Maybe I’ll just clean her windows before she gets home.

BTW, if you join their World Market Explorer program, you get those $10 off $30 purchase coupons regularly, including one for your birthday.

Oh, and while I was there, nibbling on the sample cookies, I talked to a lady who was going to get ingredients for a cranberry sauce. One of Paula Deen’s recipes from FoodNetwork.com. I love you, Paula, but fifteen ingredients, including Grand Marnier! I was shocked when I read that. She didn’t know what Grand Marnier was, either. I told her that she would have to get it at a liquor store, which are closed on Sunday in Texas, and that it would probably run $35 or $40 a bottle. She had no idea. . .so I told her to forget this one and go look up the recipe for my favorite Cranberry Ginger Relish and make that. Four ingredients, fifteen minutes, and make it three days in advance. Easy, and it’s sweet and warm at the same time.  “Can I get all the ingredients at Kroger?” she asked. Absolutely, including sherry vinegar. It sidles up to you all nice and sweet, then POW! Hits you right in the kisser. Everybody loves it, including me, and I always get requests for the recipe when I make it.

Now I want some, too.

Rest assured that some kind of diet will commence after January 1, and I will ease my way into it over the next week. Might go to a potluck next Saturday, we’ll see, and I’ll bring something good, if I go. Exercise too, Pilates is my preference, with some yoga thrown in for good measure, since walking will be impossible soon. More on that later.

So anyway. . . .

Last week I had my third interview in a different department at a major medical center here in Houston. I’m not going to say which one, but it’s big, well known, and they have great benefits. The interview started about 3:20 pm, and I left the facility at 5:30 pm, escorted by a Texas Medical Center (TMC) police officer. (I rode in the FRONT seat, OK?)  I was lost, and he offered. . .hey, I can trust a guy with a pistol on his hip!  Especially since I had on my suit and a crisp white collared shirt, not to mention sky-high heels. No t-shirt and jeans on this day–I needed to look sharp, and I did.

I believe I will be hired on soon, which means bus rides and walking around a lot. No way I’m driving to work every day.

My TMC copper got me back to the building where my vehicle was, and I checked out–at nearly 6:00 pm! I was very HUNGRY at this point, and decided to get a bite in town since it was high traffic and driving home was a bit of a nightmare. It was also the Friday before Christmas, and everyone is not only getting off work but heading to shop. (Bay Area Boulevard was a parking lot at 1:30 pm.)

As I drove up Holcombe towards Buffalo Speedway, I was trying to remember where I could find a good dinner around there. Hmmm. . .Burger King. No. Some kind of wing shop–no. Taco Bell (which required a left U-turn in heavy traffic)–bookmark for later. Spec’s Liquor Warehouse–no. Some little sushi place–absolutely not. I knew I could get to Rice Village if I turned right on Kirby, but having been there a week before and had much trouble parking, I kept driving.

Then I remembered a little place that used to be there when I worked for Baylor all those years ago. Would it still be there? I started thinking. . .it was by a grocery store, but which one? I knew it was on the left. . .I saw Rice Epicurean Market, but no little place. I kept going, and saw the Randall’s Flagship about a mile or so up the road, along with a Barnes & Noble in the same strip mall. Then my eyes saw what I was seeking–their name on the marquee. It was still there, after all these years, in a city where permanence is fleeting. It was a sight for sore eyes that day.

Prayers get answered one at a time. Gifts do not always come in a box wrapped in paper and ribbon. Trust me on that.

This little place is called Yapa Kitchen-Fresh Take Away. When I worked at Baylor, we used Yapa’s catering for our activities, and everyone loved the sandwiches and lunch boxes they brought us. There was one occasion that for some reason, we had to use a different catering company. (I think someone higher up told us to.) We were very disappointed and made sure we called Yapa after that.

Once in a while I’d go get a sandwich over there if I was driving around or running office errands. Their sandwiches were delicious, unbelievable cookies, and great chef-prepared food in the case. The store is actually quite small, and hasn’t changed since the last time I was there–maybe 2001?  I held the wheel tightly and kept thinking about what I could vagely remember from my days working in the VA Hospital (as a Baylor employee.)

It came flooding back when I walked in the front door. It was pretty much the same as I remember it. Some of the cookbooks look old now.

I gazed in the case and saw all kinds of delicious things. I was thinking about a crab cake, since it wasn’t too expensive (not ready for $25 a pound pepper crusted tenderloin yet, but will celebrate when I get my new job.) I asked if there was anything else to look at. “Well,” the young bloke said, “we have a few sandwiches over here.”  There were four. I saw two chicken salad sandwiches, one turkey with cranberry, and a roast beef.

THAT’S WHAT I WANT.

I grabbed the last roast beef, and asked about dessert. They still had that little case on the side, and I remembered having their delicious creme brulee once. But their cookies were in big jars on the counter, and I got a chocolate chip and a white chocolate/macadamia nut cookie. He asked me if I’d like some horseradish sauce; I declined. There was some already on the sandwich, and it was just enough and just perfect.

That, dear readers, is what hit the spot and scratched the itch on Friday, December 21st at about 6:15 in the evening.

The sandwich, on a really great whole-grain bread, was just as good as I remembered it. Ditto the cookies. Next time I get two of those slightly soft and chunky white chocolate/macadamia nut cookies. Both were good, but I liked that one better.

To the observer (or the guys working the counter that night), it was just a sandwich and cookies to have while I sat at a table and flipped through my magazine. To me, it was like finding an old friend again. No, I didn’t go in all the time when I was there, just once in a while, and it was a nice little refuge, even though they were quite busy during the day. The food was good, the people were nice, and it was just up the street. You can get a delicious lunch or dinner to eat in or take home with you.  I once bought three of their cookies and brought them to someone in the hospital, because I knew they were the best to be had that day, plus they were on the way to the hospital.

And it’s still like that. For this, I was, and am, very grateful.

Yapa is quite a distance for me to go now, since I’ve been in the suburbs since 2002, I’m in town about once or twice a month, and to be honest, I don’t go into TMC unless I have to, as I have for the past 3 Fridays. Should I find myself working back at TMC, I might have the opportunity to visit more often; we’ll see.

If you’re in Houston and find yourself in the Medical Center area for whatever reason, consider having lunch at Yapa; their menus are online, so see what they have and find what you like before you get there. They are located at the corner of Holcombe and Buffalo Speedway in the little building close to the corner. The address is 3173 W Holcombe Boulevard (77025) and you can call them at 713-664-9272.

Warning: While Yapa is a little place worth visiting, it’s not in the big building with Randall’s. Yapa is in the small one-off building in the parking lot. You know the type of building I mean, an auxiliary building. You can see it here–Yapa is in that building on the right, close to the big building.

Thanks for still being there, and feeding this hungry feline when she really needed it.

Happy dining!

Considered opinions,Fast & Easy,Restaurant Review,Special Occasions,What's for Dinner? ,,

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