What?!

This What?! art post is a shameless plug for the HSU photo club. If you by any chance live in Eureka or are visiting the area this Sat. during Arts Alive, You should come by and check out the 2 shows we are having. One is going to be at Bon Boniere Ice Cream and the other is a portraiture show at Swanlund’s Camera. Check ’em out. The portraiture show will be up until the end of May and the Bon Boniere show will be up until the end of April.

Spicy Tuna Remix!

I like a good tuna sandwich. I don’t want it dripping with mayonnaise and have the only ingredients be crappy non albacore tuna and mayo with a ton of salt. Usually my tuna sandwiches consist of solid white albacore, a little mayo, a bloop of dijon, some pepperoncinis, thawed frozen peas, and slivered almonds. It’s amazing. Try it sometime.

Every once in a while I like to veer off the trail/road of my go to tuna, and slam right into something even more different. This might include basil and Parmesan or old bay and onions. This time I decided to remix my tuna sandwich into a spicy Asian tuna sandwich. It was fantastic, and it’s actually healthy.

I had bought some chili garlic paste and sesame oil, both of which are kind of pricey and rarely called for, but they have no substitutes, and were needed for a stir fry dish. I arrived home from school and decided I would have tuna for dinner, because it’s fast and easy, and since I had just used these “special” ingredients the day before, I would incorporate them into the tuna.

Also included in the sandwich; alfalfa sprouts. They’re an incredible addition to sandwiches and salads, and they seem to never end. Does anyone else have other uses for these?

And lastly, I had Sun Chips to accompany my sandwich, only because they’re probably one of the best kind of chips, ever. But I believe Sun Chips have some splainin’ to do. They have new compostable bags. And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the earth and recycling as much as the next person in Humboldt, but these bags are awful. They have the worst sound. Seriously, next time you’re in the store, roll by and just poke the bag. I have witnessed someone loading their groceries actually stop and poke the bag to make sure they heard correctly. Sun Chips knows this is a problem because they have a spot on the back that says these bags are loud because they are compostable. I kid you not. So, just throwing it out there. The chips are awesome but the bags are obnoxious. Catch 22.

Spicy Asian Tuna Sandwich

2 6oz cans Solid, or chunk, white albacore tuna
3 T mayo
1 T Soy Sauce
1/2 t chili garlic paste*
1/2 t sesame oil*
1 carrot grated
1 t toasted sesame seeds
a little s&p
Combine all ingredients and serve on  toasted sesame buns or some good wheat bread with sprouts. And don’t forget the great Sun Chips with the gross new bags.

*both of the ingredients pack a punch in either flavor or spice, so use sparingly

Rotisserie Chicken Meal: Curried Chicken Salad

Rotisserie Chicken is amazing. It’s fairly inexpensive, especially if you buy it at Costco or Sam’s Club for $5, and you can do so much with it. I buy one every week and usually make it stretch between 2 meals, so I thought I’d start some postings here showing all the variations you can do with this help from the deli. It is just cooked chicken, but it tastes so frickin’ good.

First item up? Curried Chicken Salad. I love chicken salad, especially in the summer when I can buy all kinds of fresh vegetables and herbs at the farmers market to use in the salad or on a sandwich. The base recipe is pretty simple, just 2 c chicken from the 4 c you get off of a rotisserie chicken, and a few Tbs. each sour cream and mayo. Add some Dijon and whatever add-ins you want. This time I decided to do something I’ve seen a few times and run with the curry. It’s really good, especially in a wrap with some spring mix.
If you decide not to use rotisserie and cook your chicken, stay away from the poaching method. Roast it in the oven or gently grill it up.
I use the half sour cream, half mayo mixture to help cut back on the fat and calories, using low fat sour cream with some Dijon helps spice up the mixture and adds some flavor.

Chicken Salad

2 c cooked chicken, half a rotisserie chicken, shredded
3 T mayo
3 T low fat sour cream
1 t Dijon
Optional curried salad add-ins:
1 t curry powder
1/4ish c dried cranberries
1/4ish c toasted slivered almonds

1/4ish green onions

Spring Break with a side of Potato Salad

Back from a “vacation”. School starts back up again tomorrow and I am not a happy camper. I don’t think anything on my list was completed. I went home to Fort Bragg, CA for the week and enjoyed the amazing weather that happened to show up the entire week. I celebrated St Patrick’s with hot dogs and the option of homemade sauerkraut, avocado and tomato. No corned beef and cabbage. I don’t know why, I guess hot dogs just happened. Doesn’t matter though because the weather was great and few things are better on a warm day than hot dogs and potato salad. I was in charge of the potato salad and kind of hit a home run. I’ve made it before and never really remembered what I had done then next time I attempted it, so its only been really good a few times before, but now it’s recorded, in all it’s glory. Good old fashioned potato salad. Nothing too special, and the amount it makes is perfect for a potluck or BBQ.


If you ever have a chance to go to Fort Bragg for a weekend, or anywhere on the Mendocino coast for that matter, just go. There’s not a whole lot to do, hence the time period of the weekend,  but the beaches are gorgeous (insert corny sunset picture) when the weather is nice and there are some neat campgrounds. My grandparents have lived up there forever and my mom just moved back into the area last year, so this last semester I went down once a month and have been going as much as I can this semester. There is not a lot in the way of amazing food, but if you go, you have to go to Thanksgiving Coffee in Mendocino. They have the most amazing fresh blackberry or blueberry cream cheese pastries ever. I’m not crazy about their coffee, which is served all over Mendocino county, so I’ve planned to go picnic style next time and bring my own coffee, save some money, and park on the bluffs to eat and enjoy the view of the pacific. My mom always gets the onion bialy, a flat bagel “pizza” sort of dish with poppy seeds and crazy nice onions, along with some of their really nice boysenberry iced tea. So, if you ever go to the Mendocino coast, go there. Get a danish or a bialy and go enjoy the view. And a little fun fact, the slightly interesting movie, overboard, was filmed on the Mendocino coast and the restaurant they film in is Capt’n Flints down in the Noyo Harbor. Just throwing that out there for all of those Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russel fans.

Now, back to the potato salad. This is classic with one secret ingredient: pepperoncini juice, or the pickling liquid they sit in, it adds a perfect amount of zing and a slight spice that’s not overwhelming by any means. If you don’t have any, then you should go out and get some, pepperoncinis have to be in your fridge at all times, and if this in not an option then use a little less of a rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar, possibly even the juice of a lemon. For best results, make it a day ahead.

And whatever you do, in the name of all that is holy, Never Ever Ever buy potato salad that comes in a milk carton or a bucket. You’re better than that.

Potato Salad
 Makes: almost a full ton
5 lbs russet potatoes
6 eggs
1/2 – 1 small red onion, diced
5 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 14 oz can black olives, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 c mayo
1 T yellow mustard
3 T sweet relish
1/4 c pepperoncini juice, or 3 T or so vinegar/lemon juice.
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Peel and chop the potatoes into potato salad size, add to a large pot, and cover with water, season with salt. Heat up the water to boiling and check the potatoes after 10 min. While these are going, Hard-boil the eggs by placing them into a small pot just covered with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let them sit for 20 min. When they’re done rinse under cold water to help with the peeling.
Prepare the dressing by mixing the mayo, mustard, relish, juice, salt and pepper. Prepare the rest of the ingredients and set aside in a very large bowl. When the potatoes are done cooking, run them under cold water to stop the cooking and to cool them down. There are some that say warm potatoes are the best because they soak up the dressing. That to me is a problem because it turns out dry and sometimes the potatoes are oily and I’m not a fan of mayo logged potatoes. The flavor “problem” can be solved by making the salad a day in advance.
Peel the eggs and chop them up, add them, along with the potatoes, to the dressing and vegetables, mix and add more mayo if necessary. I’m not a mayo nut, so I like a little less than some others might. Some may even need more than 3/4 c, it’s all preferential. Always taste for seasonings, and add more s&p if necessary. Chill and enjoy.

Lazy Wednesday

I love dinners that allow me to be a lazy. Yesterday was my last day of class before spring break and I could feel it. I bolted as soon as my last class was over and when I got home I wanted to sit around and do nothing. I do that often, but there’s no school for a week and a half, and I have work planned for the break. It’s pretty serious, I’ve started a list:

Get some artwork up in my empty Etsy shop

Refinish a piece of furniture
Clean my room
Take lots of pictures, for a project, and for the shows the HSU Photo Club is having in April.
Try and post to the blog as much as I can
So because of all this I needed a lazy day, after the classes and before the “break”, and comfort food is the best way to end it. 
And since Giada is such a sly fox, she got my attention to make her dish, made up of cauliflower, a cheese sauce , and pancetta. I don’t have a pancetta source, so I used bacon, and tweaked the recipe ever so slightly so I could cheat and use frozen cauliflower florets. It takes almost no time at all, and it’s amazing, and the perfect meal with a salad, which I did not opt to eat, although I have a bag of spring mix that needs to be used.
Anyways, make this. It’s fast and it tastes great and it’s actually not that bad for you. 

Cauliflower Gratin
2-1 lb bags frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
4 slices thick cut pepper bacon, usually available in the deli
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 c milk, I use 1%
1/2 t garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes
1 c parmesan cheese
1/4-1/3 c regular breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 350
Blanch the florets for 3-4 min in boiling water, drain, and place into greased casserole dish. I used a 9x13ish pan.
Cut up bacon and cook in pan until nice and crispy, set aside on a paper towel lined plate, drain the grease in a grease cup.
Add butter to the pan and melt, add flour and cook for a minute, add milk in 1 c increments, along with the garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Once sauce has thickened, take off the heat, stir in the cheese and bacon. Pour over the cauliflower and top with breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25-30 min until top is bubbly and slightly browned.

What?!

While reading apartment therapy this morning, I ran across an article that had some sculptures made from old kitchen utensils. The horses are crazy. The artist is Sayaka Kajita Ganz. She was born in Japan and now works in Indiana making all kinds of sculpture work. A plus is the reuse of the kitchen items.

While we’re on the subject of animals that are not animals, check out this winner. Shauna Richardson makes crochetdermy. Crocheted Taxidermy and it is hot stuff.

I really want to start giving an equal amount of effort to artists as well as food, so amazing artists will be found and showcased in a What?! article, a slight homage to my dawg, Randy Jackson.