michellepanik.com -- new and improved!

I've revamped my personal site--come check it out:
http://michellepanik.com

Freelance Writing Website...with Blog!

I've started hanging out over here:

San Diego Freelance Writer & Editor

Reading Assignments

Head over to Significant Objects to read my friend Lakin's story about a paper fan that, like a pet-store puppy, she had to take home. (No, I don't condone pet stores selling animals. But I do condone artistic license and simile).

Then, head on over to my new website, MichellePanik.com, and check out my latest blog entry, which includes a link to an article I wrote for TCSD's Newsletter.

Veggie Month: The Month After

I made it.

Sure, I might not have blogged on February 27, but rest assured that, along with Veronika, I ate fried green tomatoes here, and loved them.

This month-long experiment had a bigger effect on me than I'd anticipated in late January.

I thought I'd improve my knife skills, patronize new sections of Vons' produce section, and have some tasty meals.

I already eat a lot of vegetables. But I eat the same ones. My worst offense is Costco's 5lb bag of broccoli, cauliflower, and two types of carrots. This is my staple. And while it's tasty, and cheap, it's only three vegetables. There are so many more out there.

After the first week of February, I was in a rhythm. I looked forward to cooking up heaps of leafy greens, or experimenting with a new stir fry sauce, or Googling a vegetable to see just what I had bought.

I think this will change the way I cook and eat. And I'm all the better for it.

Veggie Month: Opo Squash

Apparently opo squash is used in Asian cooking. I made an Italian-style dish that was a rif on this recipe. I used jar pasta sauce, and included carrots. It reminds me of the ratatouille my family used to get at Rosine's; the opo squash tastes a lot like eggplant. This would probably be good over pasta, or with ground turkey, but I ate it alone.

(Has a saute pan ever been so well documented in such a short amount of time? Or, for that matter, a dog over a blog's lifetime?)

Veggie Month: Spinach

(Shown minus the first of many pieces that would be eaten tonight.)

I made this recipe in December for my end-of-class party. The students ate the whole thing, so Bryan didn't get to try it.

Tonight, he had two servings. (Me, too.)

The only changes I made to this recipe were to use egg whites and skip the butter. It still had enough good stuff to make it tasty--cheese and a pie crust--but wasn't too dense like quiche can sometimes be.

Veggie Month: Tomatillos

(Make sure you rinse off all the stick stuff underneath the wrappers.)

You have got to try this.

Bryan and I made an approximation of this Tomatillo Salad--without the jalapeno or fresh ginger, but with artichoke hearts. Delish.

Next time, we'll add sliced almonds. Someone invite us to a barbecue so we can bring this salad.

(I like when I exceed my expectations.)