My food experiment for the day was to stuff a pancake with a scrambled egg. I call this experiment the "pancegg". It is easy and passed my wife's taste test. Here is what I did.
I mixed up a normal batch of pancake batter using Bisquick Lowfat mix (2 cups), 1 1/4 cups skim milk, and about 4 tablespoons of egg white.
Then I put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small, non-stick saute pan and heated it to medium heat. Then I put 3 pieces of extra thinly sliced ham in the pan, cooked it for about 15 seconds and then added about 1 1/2 egg's worth of Egg Beaters and put 2 tablespoons of part skim cheddar cheese on the egg. I cooked the egg-ham-cheese mixture until it was almost set and then placed it aside while I started the pancakes.
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sized non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium high.
Spoon enough batter in the pan to make a thin pancake about 5 inches across. Let the batter cook for 15 to 20 seconds and then place the almost-cooked egg-ham-cheese on the top of the pancake. Press lightly to embed the egg into the pancake batter. Take a few spoonfulls of batter and pour on top of the pancake. Let the pancake cook for a minute or so until the base is set and then flip the pancake over. Press very lighly to flatten the pancegg out and cook until it is golden brown.
Put some butter (or healthy substitute) on top of the pancegg and enjoy a tasty meal.
There is a restaurant in Ontario that offers a Pancegg breakfast, but the egg is not inside the pancake.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
PolentEggs for Breakfast
You can make a tasty and colorful breakfast using pre-cooked polenta (the type that comes in cylinders), Egg Beaters (R), thinly sliced ham, cheese, and bits of sweet peppers. I call this recipe, polenteggs. Here is what you do.
Assemble the ingredients. You need:
1. Egg Beaters(R). About two egg's worth per PolentEgg.
2. Finely chopped red/green pepper (about 1/4 cup for each PolentEgg).
3. Some olive oil for the saute pans.
4. Pre-cooked polenta in those cylindrical containers.
5. Very thinly sliced ham.
6. Low-fat (part skim) cheese (I like cheddar).
7. Salt/pepper
8. Miniature slices of rye bread (4 per PolentEgg).
9. Strawberries (4 per serving).
10. Butter or healthy equivalent for the rye toast.
What you need to do:
1. Heat two small saute pans to medium heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into each pan.
2. Finely chop about 1/4 cup of fresh green or red pepper (I like to use both red and green for color). Place the finely chopped pepper into one of the small saute pans and cook for a few minutes until the pepper is tender, but not mushy.
3. Cut three 1/4 inch slices of the prepared polenta and put it into the middle of the second hot saute pan. Saute for about a minute and then flip the polenta. It should be slightly browned.
4. Place 2-3 slices of the thinly sliced ham over the polenta and then spread about 2 tablespoons of shredded low-fat cheese on top of the ham and polenta. I like cheddar, but you can use any cheese that you would put in a cheese omelet.
5. Pour about 2 egg's worth of Egg Beaters over the polenta-ham-cheese pile. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Let the eggs cook for about 30 seconds and then lift and tilt the pan to spread the uncooked egg to the edges. Place a bit more cheese over the entire egg and add the cooked pepper. Cover the saute pan and cook for a few more minutes.
6. Slide the eggs onto a plate. For an aesthetic and healthful touch, I add 4 fresh strawberries around the PolentEgg and also toast 4 slices of the miniature rye bed that is used for hors d'oeuvres dorves, add a little butter or healthy equivalent, and place the small rye toast between the strawberries.
The different textures of sauteed polenta, ham, cheese, pepper, and egg mingle exquisitely and make this breakfast recipe one that is likely to generate serious compliments for the chef.
Assemble the ingredients. You need:
1. Egg Beaters(R). About two egg's worth per PolentEgg.
2. Finely chopped red/green pepper (about 1/4 cup for each PolentEgg).
3. Some olive oil for the saute pans.
4. Pre-cooked polenta in those cylindrical containers.
5. Very thinly sliced ham.
6. Low-fat (part skim) cheese (I like cheddar).
7. Salt/pepper
8. Miniature slices of rye bread (4 per PolentEgg).
9. Strawberries (4 per serving).
10. Butter or healthy equivalent for the rye toast.
What you need to do:
1. Heat two small saute pans to medium heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into each pan.
2. Finely chop about 1/4 cup of fresh green or red pepper (I like to use both red and green for color). Place the finely chopped pepper into one of the small saute pans and cook for a few minutes until the pepper is tender, but not mushy.
3. Cut three 1/4 inch slices of the prepared polenta and put it into the middle of the second hot saute pan. Saute for about a minute and then flip the polenta. It should be slightly browned.
4. Place 2-3 slices of the thinly sliced ham over the polenta and then spread about 2 tablespoons of shredded low-fat cheese on top of the ham and polenta. I like cheddar, but you can use any cheese that you would put in a cheese omelet.
5. Pour about 2 egg's worth of Egg Beaters over the polenta-ham-cheese pile. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Let the eggs cook for about 30 seconds and then lift and tilt the pan to spread the uncooked egg to the edges. Place a bit more cheese over the entire egg and add the cooked pepper. Cover the saute pan and cook for a few more minutes.
6. Slide the eggs onto a plate. For an aesthetic and healthful touch, I add 4 fresh strawberries around the PolentEgg and also toast 4 slices of the miniature rye bed that is used for hors d'oeuvres dorves, add a little butter or healthy equivalent, and place the small rye toast between the strawberries.
The different textures of sauteed polenta, ham, cheese, pepper, and egg mingle exquisitely and make this breakfast recipe one that is likely to generate serious compliments for the chef.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Portabello Breakfast Recipe
I like to experiment with food. I had some large portabello mushrooms and decided to combine scrambled eggs with the mushroom. The result was was great. Here is the recipe.
1. Clean two large portabello mushroom caps by wiping with a damp cloth.
2. Coat the mushroom caps lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.
3. Roast the mushrooms until they are warm and juicy. I did this in a toaster oven set at 400 for about 10 minutes. I took the mushrooms out and placed them on a paper towel to drain a bit of the moisture away.
4. Cut several thin slices of your favorite cheese and place on the warm mushrooms. Place back in the toaster oven to soften the cheese and keep the caps warm.
5. Heat a small saute pan with some olive oil using medium heat.
6. Saute some chopped scallions and tiny bits of thin, lean ham in a small saute pan for just a minute or two and then add Egg Beaters (or real eggs that you have scrambled). As the egg starts to harden, shape it to fit on top of the mushroom cap. Just before the egg is done to your taste, add some grated cheese to the top of the egg.
7. Place the egg on top of the warm portabello mushroom and enjoy the "portableggo".
1. Clean two large portabello mushroom caps by wiping with a damp cloth.
2. Coat the mushroom caps lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.
3. Roast the mushrooms until they are warm and juicy. I did this in a toaster oven set at 400 for about 10 minutes. I took the mushrooms out and placed them on a paper towel to drain a bit of the moisture away.
4. Cut several thin slices of your favorite cheese and place on the warm mushrooms. Place back in the toaster oven to soften the cheese and keep the caps warm.
5. Heat a small saute pan with some olive oil using medium heat.
6. Saute some chopped scallions and tiny bits of thin, lean ham in a small saute pan for just a minute or two and then add Egg Beaters (or real eggs that you have scrambled). As the egg starts to harden, shape it to fit on top of the mushroom cap. Just before the egg is done to your taste, add some grated cheese to the top of the egg.
7. Place the egg on top of the warm portabello mushroom and enjoy the "portableggo".
Friday, January 21, 2005
First Impressions: Netflix
About a week ago, I signed up for the Netflix, unlimited monthly DVD movie service. For $17.95, I can watch as many DVD movies as I want, with the limitation that only 3 movies can be in my possession at any time. I was prompted to try Netflix when I discovered that the "no late fee" policy of Blockbuster was quite complex and not a friendly as the signs on the stores or on the Web made it out to be. I think that I read any article in the NY Times or Wall Street Journal about the Blockbuster policy of converting a rental to a sale after you have the rental for 8 days and an undefined "stocking fee" if you brought it back after the 8th day. You can read about the details of the blockbuster policy at
http://www.blockbuster.com/corporate/displayFAQDetails.action?faqId=1090566
Netflix states in their terms of use that they will not charge the user for an occasional lost DVD, though they will charge the account if too many DVDs get lost (or eaten by a 100 pound Airedale Terrier). I've lost a video every now and then over the years and I recall Blockbuster charging me around $75 once for a tape that was probably 2-3 years old. I like the Netflix policy which assumes that people occasionally lose small, thin silver things.
Sign up for a 30 day trial period was simple. The first screen was simple with 4 tabs: Welcome, How It Works, Browse Selection, and Start Your FREE TRIAL. The fields for email address (which serves as a username) and for creating a password occupied center stage and there was a phone number with the support hours available if you had questions. There were also a prominent "secure server" icon. The password field had a hint that passwords were case sensitive and could be from 4-10 characters long. After entering your email and password you fill out an address form. Required fields were bold with an asterisk. The system validates addresses according to US Postal Service standards. If you forget to enter a required field the label and border of the field is highlighted in red.
The main page for choosing movies after you sign-in is on the Browse tab. You can browse movies by clicking on links to 18 genres of movies and then choosing from subgenres or you can use a search feature in the upper right. I tried searching for movies with robots and was surprised when I got only 3 hits (that didn't include the Invisible Boy, Forbidden Planet, or Colossus: The Forbin Project) but then I noticed that the search also displayed "genre matches", in this case, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Cyborgs, & Robots (I will call this subgenre, Cyborgs & Robots). I started browsing through the Cyborgs & Robots results, but had no idea how many movies were there. It would help to provide feedback on how many items there were. I clicked about 7 times to look at all the robot movies and still no Invisible Boy or Forbidden Planet where the robot is a key figure, but not the whole thrust of the movie. So if you want movies with robots in them, you might struggle a bit to find the movie you wanted. I typed "Fobin Project" into the search field to find the movie "Colossus: The Forbin Project". The movie appeared in the results list even though I misspelled it, a good thing.
After experimenting a bit, I decided to order three movies so I added them to my queue. The way Netflix works is that you create a list of movies that you want to see and Netflix sends you three at a time. When you return moves, they send you the next available items in your queue. Netflix reminds members to keep their queue filled. You can even set up separate queues for family members (I haven't done that yet). Netflix shows you the items that are "At Home" and those that are "In Your Queue". You can delete items by just clicking on a check box and then clicking and Update Your Queue button. You can also change the priority of movies for shipping if you decide that the 10 movie in your queue is the one that you really want now.
I ordered my first three movies and got an email that my order had been received and then an email when they had shipped with the expected arrival date. The movies appeared in red envelopes about 3 days later, right on schedule. I live near Boston and noticed that the movies were shipped from Worcester, about 30 miles away. Netflix has distribution points (29 I believe) around the country and they try to ship from the site nearest your address.
The envelopes with the movies are also used to return the movies (there are postpaid with return labels already pasted on). The first time assembling the return envelope was just a little tricky and you should know that you have to remove an adhesive strip to seal the envelope -- I licked the edge and realized that was not the correct procedure. There is a picture and instructions on the envelope that describe how to insert the disk and send it back. You get an email for each movie when it is returned so you know if there is a problem. The email feedback engenders trust in the system.
So far, I would give Netflix 4 stars.
http://www.blockbuster.com/corporate/displayFAQDetails.action?faqId=1090566
Netflix states in their terms of use that they will not charge the user for an occasional lost DVD, though they will charge the account if too many DVDs get lost (or eaten by a 100 pound Airedale Terrier). I've lost a video every now and then over the years and I recall Blockbuster charging me around $75 once for a tape that was probably 2-3 years old. I like the Netflix policy which assumes that people occasionally lose small, thin silver things.
Sign up for a 30 day trial period was simple. The first screen was simple with 4 tabs: Welcome, How It Works, Browse Selection, and Start Your FREE TRIAL. The fields for email address (which serves as a username) and for creating a password occupied center stage and there was a phone number with the support hours available if you had questions. There were also a prominent "secure server" icon. The password field had a hint that passwords were case sensitive and could be from 4-10 characters long. After entering your email and password you fill out an address form. Required fields were bold with an asterisk. The system validates addresses according to US Postal Service standards. If you forget to enter a required field the label and border of the field is highlighted in red.
The main page for choosing movies after you sign-in is on the Browse tab. You can browse movies by clicking on links to 18 genres of movies and then choosing from subgenres or you can use a search feature in the upper right. I tried searching for movies with robots and was surprised when I got only 3 hits (that didn't include the Invisible Boy, Forbidden Planet, or Colossus: The Forbin Project) but then I noticed that the search also displayed "genre matches", in this case, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Cyborgs, & Robots (I will call this subgenre, Cyborgs & Robots). I started browsing through the Cyborgs & Robots results, but had no idea how many movies were there. It would help to provide feedback on how many items there were. I clicked about 7 times to look at all the robot movies and still no Invisible Boy or Forbidden Planet where the robot is a key figure, but not the whole thrust of the movie. So if you want movies with robots in them, you might struggle a bit to find the movie you wanted. I typed "Fobin Project" into the search field to find the movie "Colossus: The Forbin Project". The movie appeared in the results list even though I misspelled it, a good thing.
After experimenting a bit, I decided to order three movies so I added them to my queue. The way Netflix works is that you create a list of movies that you want to see and Netflix sends you three at a time. When you return moves, they send you the next available items in your queue. Netflix reminds members to keep their queue filled. You can even set up separate queues for family members (I haven't done that yet). Netflix shows you the items that are "At Home" and those that are "In Your Queue". You can delete items by just clicking on a check box and then clicking and Update Your Queue button. You can also change the priority of movies for shipping if you decide that the 10 movie in your queue is the one that you really want now.
I ordered my first three movies and got an email that my order had been received and then an email when they had shipped with the expected arrival date. The movies appeared in red envelopes about 3 days later, right on schedule. I live near Boston and noticed that the movies were shipped from Worcester, about 30 miles away. Netflix has distribution points (29 I believe) around the country and they try to ship from the site nearest your address.
The envelopes with the movies are also used to return the movies (there are postpaid with return labels already pasted on). The first time assembling the return envelope was just a little tricky and you should know that you have to remove an adhesive strip to seal the envelope -- I licked the edge and realized that was not the correct procedure. There is a picture and instructions on the envelope that describe how to insert the disk and send it back. You get an email for each movie when it is returned so you know if there is a problem. The email feedback engenders trust in the system.
So far, I would give Netflix 4 stars.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Useful Tools: Google's Picasa 2
Google offers a free tool called Picasa2 for organizing, modifying, and presenting digital photographs. The tool organizes all the images on your disk (this may take some time if you have thousands of images). I take many pictures of interesting designs, usable and unusable products, and odd instructional signs, but am often in a rush and don't organize my photos for easy access when I am getting ready to do a presentation or put together notes for a class. I installed Picasa2 yesterday after reading a review in the Wall Street Journal (Technology Section, January 18, 2005). The features for "fixing" problems with digital photos seem to work as well as higher end photo and graphics products and there is a cool feature called "collage" that allows you to select a set of photos and create several types of collages. When I started to work with the Picasa, there were times when I had to search for a way to exit from a particular mode. The various "Back" buttons were in different places and sometimes there was no clear exit.
Some interesting features in Picasa are:
1. Batch edit where you can modify a bunch of selected pictures. For Example, if you have a bunch of pictures that are all too dark, you can modify them simultaneously.
2. Timeline which allows you to view all or some of your pictures in sequential order.
3. Movie which allows you to create an AVI file of selected pictures
4. Easy captioning and keywording of pictures and the ability to search on captions
5. The ability to search on: Filenames, captions, keywords, picture color, camera maker and settings, and dates.
I've run into a few bugs that require restarting the product and there are lags during some operations, even on a fast PC.
The product is free and quite useful for anyone with large numbers of digital photos. You can download the product from Google at:
http://www.google.com/downloads/
Some interesting features in Picasa are:
1. Batch edit where you can modify a bunch of selected pictures. For Example, if you have a bunch of pictures that are all too dark, you can modify them simultaneously.
2. Timeline which allows you to view all or some of your pictures in sequential order.
3. Movie which allows you to create an AVI file of selected pictures
4. Easy captioning and keywording of pictures and the ability to search on captions
5. The ability to search on: Filenames, captions, keywords, picture color, camera maker and settings, and dates.
I've run into a few bugs that require restarting the product and there are lags during some operations, even on a fast PC.
The product is free and quite useful for anyone with large numbers of digital photos. You can download the product from Google at:
http://www.google.com/downloads/
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