snarkysteff

snarkysteff, 8 months ago to cooking

If you’re not using your air fryer to batch-cook mushrooms for pizza and omelets and such, you’re missing a trick. 15 minutes or less, 400°. #cooking #food

Fantastic for getting flavourful but fairly dry mushrooms for pizza, but you want pan-cook them for pasta sauce and stuff, because that evaporating juice is flavour, but it doesn’t matter for pizza or omelets.

Keeps great in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cook ‘em for random use.

Golden brown starting-to-crisp cooked mushroom slices in a white bowl with specks of thyme

snarkysteff, 9 months ago to pizza

Sausage and eggs for dinner, but make it #pizza.

Calabrian chili sausage, tomato sauce, cheese, eggs, basil, and #sourdough crust.

#food

Two slices of sausage and egg pizza with a slightly runny yolk in the middle
A whole pizza uncut with 1/2” sausage balls every 1.5-2” and two eggs cooked on top

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

HELLO, DID YOU ORDER SOME FUCK-YOU-UP? BECAUSE SOMEONE DID.

Here's the anticipated snowfall for the south coast of BC from Tuesday to Friday, and the models are getting increasingly inclined to heavy snowfall.

This is about 45 centimetres for VICTORIA by Friday. This is the most recent map model.

Take precautions and if you can work from home, you should! #bcstorm #yyj #bcwx

snarkysteff, 2 months ago to random

Man, this is a crazy rain system. It’s stalled right on top of us. My whole body is full of “fuck you.” Wow. The back, the knees, all the things.

I am lowering my expectations for accomplishments today!

But I pulled some pork tenderloin from the freezer and I’m making schnitzel soon, have roasted potatoes already, and braised some cabbage.

Figure German food makes good use of all my stuff I gotta use, and tastes good in a spring rain.

I’ll post a pic later.

snarkysteff, 4 months ago to random

Some dude on Bluesky is telling me that the movie Rocky, in 1976, was:

“…a purely formulaic underdog story for the masses portrayed by the simplest of antagonists - boxers. Lower and middle classes could relate to the theme, were inspired and moved by it.“

Buddy, it wasn’t formulaic •50 years ago•.

It took the underdog story to a place it had never really gone to. It CREATED the genre.

It’s like calling 48 Hrs just another buddy cop movie WHEN IT WAS THE FIRST ONE to be a success.

snarkysteff, 4 months ago to random

•glares at the universe•

I forgot to preheat my waffle maker and now the verdict is out on whether I can remove it. So far, not looking optimistic!

Trying to ignore it for five minutes in hopes a crust forms and I can open the darn thing to remove it.

I’ve never done this before and as much as I like to try new things, I can see why this is on zero people’s bucket list.

snarkysteff, 7 months ago to cooking

That freezer burned bread you think is terrible?

Perfect for French toast.

This bread was freezer burned then sat in the open air getting stale for the last two days before I made my French toast.

With no moisture left in the bread, it soaks up the cream and egg mix for French toast. (I add generous salt, a bit of maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla.)

In fact, my bread soaked in the egg mix for over 4 hours. These two slices absorbed 3 eggs and a half-cup of cream. #cooking #food

snarkysteff, 4 months ago to random

Hot (coffee) take: I loathe pour-over coffee. It tastes weak to me. I hate light roasts. If I wanted to drink tea, I would.

Dark coffee is a flavour profile. One I like. Profoundly.

People spend hundreds on whiskey that tastes like smoky burnt peat.

Mezcal tastes like drinking a campfire sometimes.

But a dark coffee is a problem?

I toast my toast so it’s dark. I like caramelized crust on pie. It doesn’t mean I have inferior tastes.

Luckily there’s a flavour profile for everyone.

snarkysteff, 2 months ago to food

It’s time, or will soon be time for you colder regions, for planting food gardens.

I’m motivating myself for some patio cleaning, so I dug up this photo from June last year.

My balcony is south-facing in Victoria Canada, just 5x15 feet long.

On it, I grow 15+ herbs, 3-dozen leafy greens (and share with my building), tomatoes, strawberries, sometimes cukes & peppers. I’ve grown carrots & peas too.

You can do a LOT on an apartment balcony!

Grow #food, eat better, save money. :)

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

Neat storm ledge-y cloud-y thingie here. (Obviously the correct term escapes me, but I know a rain front when I see one!)

The worst of the storm is over now. This was its last hurrah.

snarkysteff, 1 month ago to food

Amazing Persian-style stuffed peppers. (Do not do 2 teaspoons of saffron! Just a pinch will do.)

I used Baharat spice blend instead of the combo they list — it’s essentially the same. Either will work.

I also used Michael Solomonov’s method of washing and soaking the rice, rather than cooking it beforehand.

I chose to soak the rice in 2L boiling water and I let it sit for 4 hours. With thicker bell pepper walls, I baked it for 75 minutes & it was perfect. #food https://jmoreliving.com/2019/02/13/persian-inspired-stuffed-peppers/

snarkysteff, 2 months ago to random

April 5th and I already had to harvest 6” of oregano last night. Gave it to a foodie neighbour. I expect to do 5-6 harvests by November.

I still have a jar of dried oregano I’m using from last year.

It was 5 harvests last year, but it is the healthiest it has been since I planted it in 2021. I think my new habit of misting it each evening is going well. Water in the morning, a light mist at night.

Not bad for a plant I paid $4 for in 2021.

Buying established herbs usually goes well.

From above, my grow bag of oregano shows a dense new growth coming in, and a quarter of it is still big and floofy

snarkysteff, 9 months ago to food

When I made the sausage-&-egg pizza/“pizza al uovo” last night, I had to make tomato sauce. I didn’t do much to it — just olive oil, onion & garlic powder, dried homegrown oregano, & a spoon of sugar — but I let it simmer an hour.

It’s the best pizza sauce I’ve ever made, weirdly.

So I wanted to save it so I actually USE it all. I used my silicone muffin tins & froze ‘em in single-pizza portions. Problem solved!

I already use this method with beans. It’s great! #food #foodwaste #cooking

snarkysteff, 4 months ago to random

This is slavery. This is not rehabilitation.

It is slavery. It is inhumane. It is despicable.

You need to read this.

https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

My next door neighbours are from Brazil and only moved to Canada in early 2023 and have never seen snow. I can’t wait to see them enjoying it. 🇨🇦❤️

snarkysteff, 9 months ago to food

If you’re a food blogger who has ever said “Spanish rice” and “Mexican rice” are the same, you should be ashamed of yourself.

I can’t believe how many Mexican rice recipes are described as Spanish rice.

Spanish rice uses saffron.

Mexican rice is spicy.

Spain was a colonial oppressor of Mexico for hundreds of years and murdered millions.

Stop sounding ignorant. If you don’t KNOW if there is a difference, look it up. #food #cooking #history #intelligence

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

Really serious storm cell as about to hit Vancouver in the next hour, and will take blizzards to the Valley right after.

If you’re out, you should head home. It’s going to be terrible. #bcstorm

Same map at 10pm shows the intense storm cell transitioning into a blizzard cell

snarkysteff, 9 months ago to food

I have an actual weekend off. I get to have recreational time like normal human beings.

But I’ll be spray painting my 2 stools. They’re “gunmetal grey” metal stools, retro, & somehow the paint has failed & I have several growing rust

Totally forgot that WINDY season is upon us. Tomorrow, under 15km breeze, so I’ll paint ‘em before autumn storms roll in.

So it’s delightful to have a couple balls of pizza doughs for easy dinners. Tonight’s: pistachio, red onion, rosemary. #food #cooking

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

People go through so much hassle to plan incredible adventures, but sometimes all you gotta do is put yourself in a place & let it unfold.

One of the best moments in my life was when I cycled to a bamboo shack on stilts over the Mekong River.

Ordered curry. Sun was setting. CCR began to play. It was sticky hot but starting to cool. Beer was amazing.

Every time I hear CCR's Run Through the Jungle, I remember eating curry on the river that cut through that war.

What a day. Curry, y’know?

snarkysteff, 5 months ago to random

Pond hockey! We don’t get this a lot in Victoria. #sunset #yyj

snarkysteff, 7 months ago to food

Putting this bad girl in the oven now. Been marinating it in rose harissa, Greek yogurt, a head of garlic, cumin, hot pepper pickle brine, salt, etc, for about 30 hours.

Made a flavour base of onions and carrots and I’ve put 1/4 cup vermouth in. The soaked clay pot lid goes on and for the last 45 min or so it comes off.

The whole thing is just another chapter of fuck around/find out kitchen where I’m just using up what I got. Total experiment. Let’s see how it goes! #food #cooking

The onion half-moon medallions and whole peeled carrots lining the clay pot

snarkysteff, 7 months ago to random

I was literally pouring butter on popcorn when my fitness band buzzed and displayed “GREAT! STILL ACTIVE!”

Thank you for endorsing my buttered-popcorn exercises, Samsung.

I feel very secure in my life choices now.

snarkysteff, 3 months ago to random

So, I’m taking a break from writing for a living because I’m & burnt out & I want to focus on me.

But I was asked by an editor to write this.

I’m not a fan of this title. “Small changes” makes it sound easy but it is an entire lifestyle change that I kept expanding on over the course of 4 years. Year 1, I lost 35 pounds, next year was 30 pounds. Then 25, & last year was 20 pounds.

So, clearly staying consistent pays off, with mindful changes.

Anyhoo. Words for you!
https://www.eatingwell.com/how-i-lost-110-pounds-8606674

snarkysteff, 7 months ago to cooking

So you had a long day and forgot to take the pizza dough out to come to room temperature. THE HORROR!

It makes a big difference for shaping it and getting nice crust.

But have no fear! Shortcut:

With dough in a covered metal bowl, you can float it in a pot of warm (NOT HOT) water to just take the fridge chill off. Let it sit for 30-45 minutes, then dump it onto your floured parchment for shaping as usual.

I did that with my pizza tonight and had it baking within the hour. Meatza! #cooking

snarkysteff, 2 months ago to random

Beginning to think that, if I haven’t used it after four years, the “Essential Instant Pot Cookbook” is not, in fact, essential.