Kitchen Kevin

Kevin gets way more air time in my blog than I do in his. That's probably because he talks about real things like politics and international affairs, whereas I just talk about what I like to cook and where I cook it.

Little known fact: Kevin's becoming a cooking wiz. Not only does he have the skills, but he's actually using them regularly. My favorite thing is calling on my way home from work (usually to start making a plan for dinner, since I'm usually starving,) and he'll give me some vague indication that he's cooking like, "I threw out all the food" or "I thought we could eat rice tonight."

So, at risk of terribly embarrassing Kevin, I have to brag about the things he's been cooking.

Tempeh Bacon

Doesn't it look pretty sitting on the Chambers?

Which is usually made into fakin' sammiches with my favorite purple-lidded condiment, Veganaise!

(don't you like my new dishes?)

During my long commute the other night, I had an intense craving for BBQ tofu. What do you think was waiting for me when I got home? Kevin not only cooks, he also reads minds.

BBQ Tofu and Succotash, on more of the new dishes.

How did he do it? Cubed tofu, sauteed in canola oil, then smothered in sauce and reduced over heat. 

OK, I actually made this. I just wanted to show off my new Anthropologie dishes. The yellow bowls were part of a huge set that I bought for a song at some antique store in Hampden.

Moving on... In a post Julie and Julia world, more and more "cook-through"-themed blogs are popping up. I've found a few cool vegan ones recently.

Vegan Dad is baking through Peter Reinhart's The Bread Bakers Apprentice.

Pink Vegan is bravely tackling both The Vegan Table and The Conscious Cook!

We Just Like Vegetables was cooking through Veganomicon! but appears to be on hiatus.

We'll soon be leaving for "OMG! Spring Break 2010 OMG!" And like every other schmuck on Spring Break, we'll be going to Florida. Highlights include staying at a winery, sleeping in treehouses in Georgia, eating Satchel's Pizza and riding bikes around Gainesville with my bro, seeing my mama in Fort Myers, then stopping to see Kev's grandparents in Myrtle Beach. Action packed! 

I'm off to fold laundry and continue packing...

Another pyrotechnics post

I wish I'd taken photos of the Chambers sitting in the dirty, dank, dark depths of the Second Chance warehouse. Kevin and I (...OK, mainly Kevin) disassembled it on a hot day. Kevin was covered in grime, grease, and fiberglass by the end. I bought him drinks at the Dog Bar in attempts to express gratitude. There were promises made of how awesome it would someday be.

I had to pay movers to bring the Beluga home. They thought I was nuts and pointed out that I had a fully functional stove already. My neighbors, old Baltimore machine workers, echoed the same sentiment. Didn't I have a perfectly good stove already? What did I want with that big, old thing?

Oh, Ye of little faith!

The new pilot light arrived from stove restoration pro, Don Mattera, and after a little liquid courage thanks to our friends over at Banners, it was time to make some spaghetti! No, not in that dungeon of a basement...in the real kitchen. On the real stove. With the fire extinguisher close at hand, no doubt.

And with the knowledge that there were four fire fighters hanging out across the street, we lit the stove.

Isn't that a beautiful sight?

After dreaming of Chambers stoves through the night, I'm now up and fiddling with my newly operational toy. There are still some kinks to work out, like figuring out why the griddle won't fire yet.

Besides geeking out about the Chambers, I'm also trying my hand at making soy yogurt. We've been on a smoothie kick lately, and that means out yogurt demand has spiked. I used to make dairy yogurt all the time, but soy just seemed too complicated. I'm trying out Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe, but subbing Ener-G for her tapioca starch. We shall see!

(Found my old cheater yogurt-making spoon.)

Incubating the inoculated in the trusty Crockpot

I'm curious for the results. If all goes well, a portion of this will be used to make Palak "Paneer" later tonight.