Lunch? It's in the bag!

Or, "Bag your frozen dinner and make lunch!" or "Brown bag is the new black!". So many cheesy titles, so little time.
Our Mom used to cut an apple in half, core it and put peanut butter where the core used to be, then stick it back together- that's always good. She also used to make the sandwiches on frozen bread so it would stay fresh and defrost by lunch, or freeze a juice box and use that as an ice pack.
Illustrator Kathleen makes homemade soup, then freezes it in small batches when she has a rehearsal after work. She then goes to any convenience store and uses their microwave to heat it up. The added benefits of the 7-11? "Free spoons and salt and pepper!" I guess you buy a slim jim if you're feeling guilty....

Art of the Bag

...lunch, that is. In an attempt to eat healther and stop dropping $10 on stuff that's often not worth it, I've been in search of the perfect combinations...something that will hold up without extreme refrigeration, fit in my laptop bag, and not be all that much work to prepare.

I've been emulating one of my favorite items on the Starbucks 'menu': a few pieces of cheese, apple wedges, grapes, and some toasted nuts (Note: this is monkey-easy. Put a nonstick pan on the stove, turn the heat to medium low, and warm up those nuts, shaking occasionally, for a few minutes. No need to oil the pan since they have plenty of oils all by their nut-ness.) Another winner seems to be a variety of fruit, vegetable and leftovers wrapped in rice paper, Thai/Vietnamese style. And, today I brought some celery sticks and the now famous "I'm Telling You, I'm Not Chicken" drumettes with a little dressing. But I get so bored. Don't know how I managed to eat the same lunch for 8 years in grade school (peanut butter and fluff, may explain why I am shorter than everyone else in the family.)

Any current favorites out there? What rocks your lunchbox? Do you have a really cool lunchbox that motivates you to pack your own?

Homespun Urban Travel Rule #2

Eat what the locals eat. I will be going on a length about this when I get some time (and more bandwidth), but in Frankfurt (where I am now), during intermission at the opera you can eat huge soft pretzels and beer. At the opera. Now that's a good time.

Homespun Travel Commandment #1

bb
Originally uploaded by kaytwhy.

It has been a far-flung week for the Homespun Girls, who are thousands of miles apart and having all kinds of adventures. Someone was just asking me why I always have a really good time on every trip I take, even though most of those are for business. There are a lot of reasons, but I'd say the top of the list is: Thou Shalt Not Ever Eat in the Hotel Unless Too Sick To Move. Seriously, the food is pretty much always awful to mediocre, it costs way too much, and you deprive yourself of the many pleasures that are waiting right outside the front desk. If you get out and actually see where you are, you'll feel like you've been somewhere.

OK, that's perhaps a little too Zen. Here's an example: in Chicago, after hot-dogging it for lunch, I walked around the block and ran right into BackStage Bistro. It's operated by students at the Culinary Arts Program of the Illinois Institue of Art, and they are all apparently superstars. You sit in a chic space where you can view the theatrics of food preparation behind giant glass walls, and your servers know so much about the different choices, you feel you've been schooled in the tastiest possible way. Even better, you'd be hard pressed to spend more than $20, even if you order one of everything. There aren't a million things to choose from (I know many people find this especially refreshing) since they cook what's good and seasonal and on the syllabus. Wow, it was good, and I'm so glad I ignored the picture of Rachael Ray on the door and went in.

But, do they char in Iceland?

Gold Coast Char Dog
Originally uploaded by kaytwhy.

Now that sounds like a good dog (especially the lamb part,) but I have to ask if they employ the genius innovation of the Char, which I just noticed on this Chicago trip...

You cook the hot dog, then cut it up lengthwise and cook the strips on the sizzling grill, giving more of the meat that grilled tastiness. Also makes it easier to mix in the many condiments pictured here. The colleague I was eating with looked at this and said "What the hell is that? Hot dog salad?" Yes, my friend...good and good for you.

A new entry in the World Cup of Hotdogs

I'm travelling this week, and we're in Iceland on the way to Germany. You'd guess that Germany would be the strongest contender against the afore posted Chicago Dog, but wait! A last minute entry from the top of the world- the Iceland Dog.

I had one yesterday after swimming in a geothermal lagoon (really!), and this is a doozy. First, the hotdog is made with lamb, and then it's topped with ketchup, mustard, remoulade sauce (a mayonnaise/relish type thing), but before the dog is lovely snuggled in it's bun, they throw in chopped onions AND fried onions. MMmmmmm. Apparently the best place for this concoction is in Reykjavik, so we'll do research today and report back. Take that, New York hot dog vendors.

Chicago is Homespun - Even Without Hooters

I'm in Chi-Town for a day and a half on a business trip. The last time I was here, almost 10 years ago, I was amazed at how friendly and open every single person was going out of their way to help, smiling on the street, even politely asking for change. Now, I believe there are nice people everywhere (yes, they are even in Paris!) but these folks were way high on the happy meter.

However, I thought that my impression might not be entirely accurate since, last time, I was wearing ginormous fake breasts.

Last time, I was visiting a friend who hadn't seen me in a year. The Homespun Urban sisters LOVE a good prank (it was often all we had to entertain us besides books and weird French shows on Canadian TV), so I got some of those 'cutlets' that you put in your bra, the enhancers that were just coming out on the market at that time. I got some huge ones and wore them for three days, while my extremely refined and polite pal Kelly keep looking and obviously wanting to ask what had happened to take me to a DD but not daring to. Everywhere we went, people opened the doors, bought me drinks, helped me with my coat...it was like being a celebrity but also somewhat lonely without eye contact. Finally, I said "I guess you've noticed something different." "Well, yeah...I'm a little surprised." "I know," I told her, "but I've always wanted really big boobs, and now that I live in a place where nobody knows me from before, I decided to get them done." "Oh, that's nice." "I know it's a little odd..." I said. "You know, why don't I get rid of them right now!" I reached into my shirt and flung the cutlets at the fridge, where they stuck sweatily for a second before hitting the floor to Kelly' s horrified screams. Ah, good times.

The point is, I am not "loaded up" today, and the people are still so amazingly nice! I raise a char cheese dog to you, Chicagoans.

86ing the Fridge

"86", for those who never had the fun of working a job that required peeling 50 pounds of shrimp or making vats of salad dressing, is a restaurant term for when you're out of something. I'm trying to 86 my fridge before a long trip, and it's getting more and more challenging. Last night I had some chicken stock, so I cut up any slightly-shrivelled veggies I could find and threw them in. I also did a little research and found a recipe for an Italian soup that's thickened with cream of wheat, and since I had less than a serving of that left, I threw it in. A couple beaten eggs, some Parmesan cheese, and now you have a fancy dinner! I must admit, I thought at the outset that this one might require a trip down to the local Vietnamese place for take out, but it was actually really good.
Now if I can only figure out what to do with a potato, adobe chilies and applesauce.

The Most Fun You Can Have for $2.00 (plus batteries)

Cool Tool
Originally uploaded by kaytwhy.

I realize this may be a bit insensitive at a time when my sister is considering abstaining from coffee for the Lenten season. But I couldn't wait any longer to share it with those of us who are not Catholic, upper or lower case.

I got this little frother at IKEA for $1.99 because I'd seen a similar one at one of the fancy marketing agencies where I work. All you do is get milk for your coffee really, really hot, then flip the switch of this little devil. It gets coffee-shop frothy if you do it right, and you can happily top your homemade brew with barista style. Whip it, whip it real good...and don't forget the cinnamon. It's more stylish and it's very healthy.

Bunny Williams, Design Doyenne, is Homespun

I just heard her say this, which is so true to the Homespun Urban philosophy:

"We entertain often and easily, because we always have a few simple things on hand."

If you pair a party pantry (look for this foolproof list in our upcoming book) with a nonchalant attitude, you can throw down as often as you'd like and people will love to join you. Oh, to make the house look clean, try one of our Nana's tips: spray and wipe down the faucets so they're shiny and put fresh flowers in the bathroom. People will think you've cleaned all afternoon.