Please Support the West Side Market’s Fire Renovations

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Anita!
I’m sure most Clevelanders and some Cleveland-ophiles have heard about the fire that took place early in the morning on January 30th inside the West Side Market, a Cleveland food landmark built out of an old train station.  When visitors ask me about Cleveland, the WSM is the first thing I talk about.  Not only did I work there–I forged friendships there.

The fire happened while the WSM was closed, so no one was hurt.  But there was significant damage to the building, which needs to be cleaned “brick by brick” and won’t be fully open for a while.  The good news is, apparently this is the first chance in years for the WSM to get deep cleaned — it may look even better when they’re done.  My friend Liza, who went to Case for undergrad, alerted me to a cool way to support the cleanup:Image of SUPPORT THE WESTSIDE MARKETClick on the T-shirt above to link to CLE Clothing, an online shop that is selling these shirts to help fund the renovations.  The Market, in its essence, is a bunch of people working hard to make food-seekers happy…help them to continue the tradition.
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Grilled Watermelon Salad

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Ari

Clearly I didn’t just make this dish. Not only is everything currently covered in a foot of snow, I’m way too cheap to buy a large watermelon during the off season. As much as I’d like to say that I try to buy “seasonally” because it’s better for the environment, it’s really just because I don’t feel like paying a lot for my food when I know it will cost significantly less in a couple months.

There’s a lot more I could say about my approach to grocery shopping, but instead I’ll further emphasize my love for reasonably priced items by leaving you with my new anthem (thanks to Anita for introducing me to my jam). In case you can’t tell, I’m more than just a little obsessed with thrift stores…

Ingredients:

  • Spinach or arugula
  • Watermelon
  • Olive oil
  • Feta or goat cheese (or both!)
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Garlic salt, to taste
  1. Slice you watermelon and coat lightly with olive oil.
  2. Heat on the grill for about 2 minutes per side (or until the grill marks appear).
  3. Serve on a of bed of greens and top with cheese, vinegar and garlic salt.
  4. If you’re feeling really adventurous you can also attempt a balsamic vinegar reduction instead of straight up vinegar. FYI, there’s no need to add extra oil to the salad. The juice from the watermelon balances the vinegar and together they form a fantastic salad dressing.

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Life-Altering Steamed Milk

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Anita!

As far as coffee goes, I’ve undergone a sort of de-evolution over the past few years:
  • December 2009: First started drinking coffee
  • January 2010: Spied classmate with “to go” French press thermos
  • February 2010: Purchased first Starbucks french-pressed coffee, with four servings.  Insomnia for days.
  • November 2011: Received first french press from Ari; promptly dropped and broke it in a caffeine fit
  • December 2011: Received mini drip coffee maker from Ari
  • January 2011: Observed my friend Will roast coffee beans and took home a batch…unopened to this day
  • November 2011: Became obsessed with the espresso at Phoenix coffee
  • December 2011: Became obsessed with the Americano (espresso in water) at Phoenix coffee
  • February 2012: Became obsessed with the Speedball (espresso in coffee) at Phoenix coffee
  • May 2012: Brief flirtation with Monster energy drinks; subsequent downward spiral of personal standards
  • September 2012: Regular coffee
  • November 2012: Regular coffee
  • January 2013: Instant coffee
However, now that I know how to make proper steamed milk I have the key ingredient to a luxurious cup of coffee.  All I need now is the Autobiography of Harry S. Truman   Sunday New York Times Crossword Puzzle   Monday New York Times Crossword Puzzle   latest vampire novel   back of a cereal box.


Ingredients (including hardware)

  • 1/2 – 1 cup milk (I used almond milk, but I bet you can make even better foam with 2% cow’s milk)
  • A glass jar for microwaving that is at least double the volume of your milk
  • A milk frother ($2.99 at IKEA in-store or World Market)
  • Coffee (stronger than usual, because the un-frothed milk will dilute it out)
Pour the milk into the large glass jar, and froth with the milk frother.  Not much to it, just make sure you get a good head of foam; I can get the volume to increase by almost 100%.  Put the jar in the microwave and microwave on high for up to 1.5 minutes; watch the jar carefully and turn off the microwave if the foam head threatens to overflow the jar.  Take the jar out and pour the milk over your coffee; use a spoon to hold back the foam first, then use the spoon to scoop out the foam over the coffee.  Magic.
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Knockoff Shot Bloks

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Anita!

There are two things I wanted to say about this recipe.  I couldn’t decide which to pick, so I decided to give you both at once.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (adapted from Hoosier Homemade)

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 3oz package flavored jell-o (I used strawberry flavor)
  • 1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin (available at most grocery stores)
  • 2/3 cup energy drink (I used some low-carb generic brand from Aldi)
  • cooking spray such as Pam
  • additional 1 cup sugar
  • 1-2 tsp salt (optional)
Spray a 8”x8” square baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together thoroughly in a small bowl, then add the energy drink.  Pour this into a pan and let sit for about a minute.  Bring to a boil, and let the mixture boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Turn off the heat, and transfer the mixture to the baking dish.  Store in the refrigerator (I did not cover it) for 3-4 hours or until firm.  You should be able to pick up one corner of the mixture and peel it from the pan to transfer it to a cutting board.  Cut the jelly into cubes.  Put the second cup of sugar into the bag (along with the salt if you want to make sour patch gummies) and dump about 1/3 of the cubes in at a time.  Close the bag and shake to coat, remove, and put un-coated gummies in the bag.  Store in an airtight container in a cool place.  It has been 3 days since I made them and they still seem in good shape.
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