100th Post Celebration

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Herbivoracious. When I started this blog, back in nineteen-ought-seven, my pal Burnsie, looking natty as always in his sateen knickers, offered me advice that every writer would do well to remember: "Just give the great unwashed a pair of oversized breasts and a happy ending, and they'll 'oink' for more every time."

Mmm, sorry, Simpsons reverie. What I meant to say was, when I started this blog 99 posts ago, it was a real shot in the dark. I had no idea how to do it, how much time it would take, or what would make for a good or bad post. I just knew that I needed a way to share my obsession with more folks than my (incredibly patient) family and friends. I've been passionate about great vegetarian food for  20+ years, and I know that there are lots of people who feel the same way. So many of you have been kind enough to comment on the blog or email me privately with encouragment and feedback, and that really keeps me going.

Anyhow, for a 100th post I figured it would make sense to look back and highlight a few favorites. Especially since there are new visitors all the time, this list might make a good starting point. By all means comment if you think some of these are duds or other ones belong here.

And most of all, thanks for reading, cooking, eating, and sharing!

	This recipe for Mujadara has been consistently one of the most popular on the site. The simple pilaf of rice and lentils with lots of caramelized onions is easy and nutritious, uses ingredients that are available year round, and has such an earthy, satisfying flavor.
	Edamame in an Edible Tofu Bowl is one of my personal favorites because it looks dramatic but goes together in just a few minutes. Oh, and I'm crazy about using circle cutters to present food. Don't ask me why, it just makes me happy.
	If I could eat one thing right this minute, it would be a bowl of real Middle Eastern hummus. This was from our big trip to Israel and Italy earlier this fall.
	One of the things that restaurants do which most home cooks don't consider is simple reduced sauces. Almost any wine, juice, vinegar, broth, cream, or any flavorful liquid you can think of can be quickly boiled down to intensify flavor and a thicker consistency so it can be served as a sauce. The Ginger Beer reduction in this recipe is a good example of something a little out of the box but very tasty.
	My theory is that the only folks who don't love eggplant parmesan are the ones that haven't had a good one. Gooey cheese, crispy breadcrumbs, well roasted eggplant, and a lively tomato sauce, what is not to love?
	These Caramelized Pear Cupcakes with Blue Cheese Frosting probably raised more eyebrows than most posts.
	Without a doubt, making the leap to take six months off from my regular job to intern at Cafe Flora has been one of the best things I've ever done. I can't even begin to write down everything I've learned. It has been terrific to work with the amazing and talented people there, and see what it would take to open my own place farther down the road.
	Couscous is a favorite because it is a snap to make, and this simple trick makes it come out much more fluffy and delicious.
	That looks more like cornmeal pancakes than Spicy Angel Hair Pasta to me, but you'll have to read the post to see the connection.
	Otsu Noodles have the subtle flavor of buckwheat soba and sesame paste balanced with refreshing cukes and green onions.

How To Clean a Kitchen - Fast!

As you might have guessed, my home cooking tends to somewhat ambitious meals, even on "school nights", and that sometimes leads to pretty substantial messes. Working at Cafe Flora confirms what I've often thought, I tend to work more like a restaurant cook even though I'm at home. The only tiny little problem with that is that I don't have a professional staff of stewards manning the dish pit to wash everything, sweep the floor and hose down the mats. I can dream!

In the meantime, I've developed a lot of theories over the years about how to clean up as quickly as possible after dinner. I can handle a normal mess by myself in 20 minutes, stem to stern. Here's how I go about it. Please comment and add what works for you, I'd always like to learn more!

1. Have a general plan of attack that you use each time, so you don't have to waste time deciding what to do. For me, I like to:
   
   • put away leftovers
   • get everything off the table and counters, move it towards the sink
   • load the dishwasher
   • wash pots and anything else not going in the dishwasher
   • wipe and dry the table and counters
   • heat up my cast iron skillets and oil them
   • vacuum the floor
   • clean the sink
   • take a last look around for anything I missed
2. Whatever system you use, work top to bottom. Do your table and countertops, then any mess on vertical surfaces, and finally the floor. That way you don't end up cleaning the floor twice, and you don't have to worry if you push some crumbs off while wiping the counters.
3. Save cleaning out the sink for the very last so that if if you rinse out a towel and drop some stuff in there, no effort was wasted.
4. While working within your plan, don't waste any steps. For example if you go to drop a load off at the sink, maybe you can come back with something from the drainboard that you can put away. Likewise, if you are going to get a storage container, stop and notice how many and what size you need so you can grab them all at once.
5. Go ahead and use some towels. Especially if you have a washer and dryer and can do laundry regularly, don't be shy about using 3 or 4 rags or towels to get the job done. Always have a dry one over your shoulder or on your belt or apron string so you don't have to search for it to dry off a knife or a counter. 
6. Bring some intensity to the process. Not that cleaning can't be fun itself, but presumably you have other things you want to get to. So clean it like you mean it! Just be conscious to put a little vigor into each move you make and actively try to pick up the pace. That doesn't mean you have to be running around in a panic, just with some focus and intensity.
7. Use the rinse cycle of your dishwasher. Just shove all the large scraps in the garbage, load everything in there, and press rinse (assuming it isn't time to actually run it). You'll save time and actually use less water than if you rinse each dish by hand.
8. If you are working with a partner, lay out a clear division of labor so that you aren't bumping in to each other or wasting time. When my brother and I clean, he takes the sink area and I do the rest of the kitchen, bringing everything to him so that he can totally focus on loading the dishwasher and washing pots. We frickin' kill it and the place is spotless in no time.
9. Finally, just because you are working with intensity doesn't mean it can't be fun! Put on some high energy music and enjoy the process of trying to do the work both fast and well. Believe me, it sounds like a dance club at work when the customers are gone and we are cleaning up after a full day of serving a few hundred folks. We all want to go home but that doesn't mean we won't have a good time finishing the job.

So what works for you? How do you get your kitchen deeply clean and have time left for Threes Company reruns?

How To Find A Good Restaurant on Short Notice

I imagine many of us have intentions of doing lots of research before we visit a new place to find out the restaurants we really want to try. However, sometimes we don't do enough planning, or the place we want to visit is closed, or we're simply out and about when suddenly the need to eat strikes. How to quickly pick a restaurant that stands a good chance of being delicious? I've developed a few tricks over the years. None of them are perfectly reliable of course, but I think they do improve your odds.

1. Look where all the tourists are going - and then run the other way. Almost any restaurant that caters mainly to tourists just doesn't have the motivation to do a great job. They don't have many repeat customers, and most of the people they serve are only interested in having a fake "authentic" experience and getting out cheap.


2. Look where locals are eating. For example, I was strolling through Rome with my daughter, getting a bit desperate for lunch and despairing of all of the obvious tourist traps. I happened to spot a restaurant in an alley where there were obvious locals eating. The men were in nicely tailored suits and an older woman was having a panini and a glass of white wine, all speaking Italian. The meal was nothing spectacular but it was quiet and quite decent and the proprietress was personable and took great care of the bambina.


3. Ask a local, but be skeptical. Remember that a lot of people don't have great taste, and others, especially in tourist areas, will simply send you to their cousin's great uncle's place. That is especially true when asking at your hotel - they might even get a cut.


4. Grab a free paper. Especially in the US, one of the local "free papers" you find at a cafe or street stand can be an excellent source of independent reviews. You can also study the ads to figure out what the more promising areas of town are for your preferred type of venue.


5. Surf menus. Many restaurants put a menu outside, and you can learn a lot from them. Check out whether what is offered sounds good and whether the price is right. Of course as a vegetarian, I'm specifically looking to see if they have at least one entree that meets my needs. If the vegetarian options sound like an afterthought, I'll move on.


6. Also look at the seasonality. If they are offering asparagus in June or a fresh tomato salad in December, you are asking for trouble. Also, if the menu has a hundred different items, ask yourself whether they can possibly do that many things well.


7. If there is no menu posted, so much the better. Now you can walk in and ask to see one, and get a better look at the inside of the place. Don't be the least bit ashamed to walk away if it isn't what you want.


8. Try to get a look at the food. If you can peek in a window or see someone already eating on the patio, often a quick glance will tell you whether it looks good.


9. Take advantage of technology. If you have a laptop with you, find a place with wireless and spend 10 minutes doing some quick searches for recommendations. Try chowhound or citysearch, or just google the neighborhood plus the word "restaurant" and read a few reviews. If you are savvy with your mobile phone, you can do it that way too.


10. Trust your instincts. Take a second to just feel the overall vibe of the place. If you sense there might be some love of food here, trust your gut and wander in. If not... hey, is that another menu I see down at the end of the block?

If you have other tricks that have worked for you, please add them as a comment!