Bulgogi

Yesterday, we had one of my Childhood Favorites.

1/4 cup Japanese or Korean dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and grated
3 scallions, root and dark green ends trimmed, and 6-inch stalks minced
2 pounds marbled sirloin or rib steak, sliced paper thin against the grain (Other cuts of thinly slice Beef will do well, you don't want something super tough too)

Whisk together the soy sauce and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vegetable and sesame oils, sesame seeds, garlic, and scallions until well combined. Add the beef, tossing it with your hands to make sure it is evenly coated on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, allowing the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

YOu can stick on Skewers or grill flat. Serve with Rice.

Dominicks / Safeway - Digital Coupons.

Dominicks (Safeway) has started a new partnership with a company called Cellfire digital coupons. The coupons can be used at more than 1,500 Safeway stores nationwide, including Dominick's.

The full story in the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue-dominicks-cellfire-jun23,0,5682503.story

OMG it's hot in Chicago!

I know, I know. I've been saying I wish it'd warm up for months now. This summer had gotten of to a very cool start, but the last week or so we've gone from Cool to sweltering hot.

Things to consider in the hot summer Days.

When Cooking if you have a door to your Kitchen, keep the door closed. Prepare all the items you will need for cooking before you turn on the stove or oven. Group things together in your fridge, so you don't have to open the door as much to get items. Try doing heat intensive tasks early in the day or late at night when it's cooler. Also limit the time ovens and other high-heat appliances are open You may even want to save baking and other major culinary undertakings for cooler times, such as mornings and evenings. Don't open the doors on them unless you have to. Cook multiple things at once.

Crock Pots, Toaster Ovens, and Bread Machines can be your best friends in the summer as well as changing your menu to a more summer menu. Lots of salads and other items that can be served cold/room temperature are great.

http://www.alice.com/

TechCrunch (who also has a twitter account for those that follow @techcrunch ) had a wonderful link today!

It's a site that is currently in Beta, but will hopefully be open to the public soon. It's a site that allows you to buy items like toilet paper, and laundry soap, and other things without having to go to the store. Delivery is free. They carry green products, and there isn't the retail markup! TechCrunch did a comparison of a bottle of Tide liquid laundry detergent on Alice.com and Drugstore.com. On Alice.com, the price was $7.71 with discounts, nearly $6 cheaper than the price on Drugstore.com, which was $13.99. (I looked up which bottle it was on drugstore.com and will be comparing with the in store prices at Walgreens tomorrow and will post an edit to this post.)

They will also allow you to get free samples of some products.

EDIT: (6/23/09) The site is now open from Beta. Anyone Can sign up. I wasn't as impressed with the prices as I had thought I would be. The same bottle of Laundry soap is currently on sale at Walgreens for $7.99. I think where this site will be useful is on helping to cut down on "Impulse Buys" and being able to just get what you need. Alternatively I was at CostCo this week, and they had Generic Powdered Laundry Soap, that was 200 loads, for around 11 dollars.

Homemade Skin Toner

Homemade Skin Toner

7 uncoated aspirin tablets
2 T. witch hazel (Great Cleaner)
1 T. aloe vera gel (great for cuts, burns and rashes as well)
10 drops tea tree oil (optional, but recommended)

any 2-3 oz. bottle (like the size you'd take on an airplane)


Combine ingredients. Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water. Let sit 24 hours. Pour through a paper towel to remove sediment (if you care to ... really doesn't matter). Keeps for up to 14 days (no preservatives, ya know).



WHY THIS WORKS

Salicylic Acid, the chemical exfoliant found in many acne treatments, facial masks, toners and wart/corn removers, is also a great headache medicine. However, it’s a little rough on the tummy so it’s ‘buffered’ with another molecule and we call it aspirin.

So, yes, the same stuff that fixes your face, cures your aches…and is derived from plants like willow. Which is why our ancestors from Indians to Hippocrates chewed on willow bark for a pain reliever.

NOTE: If you are allergic to aspirin (i.e. break out, itch, can't breath, or any other adverse reaction) …DO NOT USE.