Tuesday 8/30/11 - Citrus Salmon, Coconut Jasmine Rice, Bok Choy and Salad CONTINUED FROM PREV POST

So, survey says...  Salmon = Excellent  Bok Choy = FAIL! A big fat FAIL!  Salad was good, rice was good.

Okay, so, moral of the story?  Do not bake Bok Choy! Saute it, boil it, perhaps grill it (I'm not sure about that one) but the baking did it no favors.   Absolutely blech.


The salmon, though, was delicious.  I'm a big fan of Wild Coho Salmon, its environmentally sound and better for you and most importantly has a lot of flavor and it really works well if you're baking Salmon in a simple sauce/marinade.  Husband's request was more sauce on the side with dinner.  He's not a big fish fan though, its got to be slathered every which way for him to enjoy it.


The coconut rice was a perfect compliment to the citrus mustard sauce and the salad...well, at least everyone got SOME vegetables with their dinner and didn't have to *gulp* attempt to eat the bok choy.

Off to the Farmers' Market for my gazpacho vegetables, flowers and fun :).  Have a lovely Wednesday everyone.

Tuesday 8/30/11 - Citrus Salmon, Coconut Jasmine Rice, Bok Choy and Salad

So, the MIL (Mama in Law just in case you need some catching up) walked me through the salmon recipe I'll be making later this evening.  Just so we have it (for future reference), here it is:


Citrus Mustard Salmon


Ingredients:
1/2 Bottle of Waterfront Bistro Citrus Mustard  (You can find this sauce at Pavilions/Safeway grocery stores)
1 tablespoon Minced Ginger
2/3 cup chopped cilantro 


Recipe:
Mix the sauce and ginger and poor over the salmon then sprinkle on the cilantro.  Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the salmon is flaky.


And that's it!  I look forward to cooking it tonight. I'm looking here to figure out how to cook the bok choy. 


As usual, let me know if you have any questions!  

Monday 8/29/11 - Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu FIngers, Baked Sweet Potatoes

I planned, I shopped, I cooked.  So far, I've been keeping to "the plan".  I went shopping for this week's ingredients (sans what I will get tomorrow at Santa Monica Farmers' Market) and last night I made Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu Fingers and Roasted Sweet Potatoes threw together a little salad on the side (simply leafy greens, cucumber, celery, crispy onions and Craisins with pre-made dressing).  The chicken fingers recipe is from the chefs at Miraval Resort (they have a slew of their recipes online).  You can also see my post about Miraval here.  Their recipes, like the spa, are focused on healthy and sustainable living so mainly contain healthy ingredients and tend to stay under 400 calories.  The restaurant and chefs at the spa are really quite incredible so I love that they give you the opportunity to recreate the food at home (though it is not nearly as good as when you're on vacation ;) ).  


The Crispy Honey Chicken and Tofu are only about 250 calories and both tasted very light. I made about half the amount of chicken and sliced up the tofu to about the same size as the chicken and baked them both together. Of course I dipped the tofu in the honey/water and cornflakes before I did the chicken as to not spread any raw chicken guck to the tofu.   The recipe was actually perfect for a warm summer day like yesterday.  It could have used a dipping sauce though.   Maybe a mustard of some kind.  I know that Sweet Potatoes tend to be more of a fall food but I thought that they would compliment the chicken well and they did just that.  


I'm an idiot and I didn't have my memory card in when I took pictures of the meal, so, alas, no images. But next time! I promise!  

Meal Planning - Week of 8/29/2011

In an attempt to save money, time and trips to the grocery store I am going to attempt menu planning for the week.  As I attempted to write out my menus yesterday I quickly realized this was going to be no easy task.  The first thing I would need is a chart/planner of some sort to write out my menus and grocery list soooo, I designed one!  And I've decided to design a little meal planning diary, each page will have a space to write in each day's menu, a place for a grocery list and finally a list of all the fruits and veggies in season that month.  Each month is going to be a different color.  I'm also going to design a section for event menu planning.  As soon as its done I'll post pictures but here's the meal planner page prototype:

Once the planner's done, if you want one I'll send it to you!  


So, menu planning...there's a saying, "Man plans, g-d laughs"...I'm sure some situation or another will put a wrench in my plans and change up the whole week but for now we'll see how this goes and if I can save a little dough.  Also my Wed/Thurs/Fri and weekend menu may change depending on the Wednesday Farmer's Market (though I will make an effort to go to the Sunday FM from now on).  


One of these nights I completely intend to make a dessert as well but I have no idea what that will be yet (hey, I'm still getting used to this whole menu planning thing).  


Without further ado, Menu for the Week Of August 29th, 2011


Monday
Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu Fingers (Miraval Resort and Spa)
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Salad


Tuesday
Citrus Salmon (My MIL's Recipe, will post tomorrow)
Coconut Jasmine Rice
Bok Choy (Cooked with Salmon)
Salad


Wednesday
Gazpacho
Chicken Burgers with Garlic Rosemary Mayo
(Salmon Burger for me)


Thursday
Leftovers 


Friday
Date Night e.g. out on the town


Saturday
(TBD)

Best Pizza in Los Angeles (or anywhere for that matter)

I feel a little guilty...while the Eastern seaboard was baring down and stocking up for Irene I was enjoying the gorgeous Santa Monica weather.  Its been a very mild summer here and just starting to heat up to the low 80s.  I feel pretty darn blessed/grateful/lucky, whatever you want to call it, to live here.  One of the other perks of living in Los Angeles is Abbot's Pizza Co..  Now I know you will protest and tell me that the best pizza can only be found in NYC but I would have to disagree.  The best, bagel crust pizza is right here in sunny so-cal.  Abbot's Pizza Co.  has so many wonderful options, including a cheese-less veggie for me.  When you order pizza they supply a marvelous orange dipping sauce which can only be described as a "chipotle aioli" or something along those lines.  Anyway, if you are in LA and would like a delicious pie I highly recommend Abbot's Pizza Co. (and get the everything crust!).  

A Sweet for my Sweet

Sunday I bribed my husband with pie to go for a long walk with me.  I didn't make the pie, but I promised him that the goal of our walk was Sweet Lady Jane, a bakery 14 blocks away.  He had expressed a yen for pie earlier that day so he was an easy mark.  There were so many wonderful options: peach pie, cherry pie, strawberry-rhubarb pie, blueberry pie and more!  He went with the Strawberry Rhubarb.  A good call, rhubarb will be out of season soon.  I had a wee bite and boy do they make good pie.  A glass of milk and empty plate later we were on our way back home...it was a sweet way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Kung Pao Chicken/Tofu

Monday night I decided to try a recipe from my app, Cooking Light Quick & Healthy Menu Maker (for more information on the different cooking apps I have take a look at my last post, "iPad in the Kitchen").  I picked Kung Pao Chicken.  While the app will happily design a menu with other side dishes for you, I just decided to do the Kung Pao and make a side of brown rice as its accompaniment.  The recipe was decent and the flavors were light.   I sauteed tofu with the recipe for me along with the chicken for husband.  If I make it again I may use a little more soy sauce and ginger.  


Kung Pao Chicken:

• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

• 1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
• 2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

Serve over brown/white rice (my suggestion).  

iPad in the Kitchen (App recommendations)

The iPad has opened up windows and doors for me.  Not only can it entertain for hours but it also gives me easy access to all the blogs I follow (now probably over 250) and better yet, its cooking apps make it an unrivaled tool in the kitchen.  While I won't post a list of all the different cooking blogs I follow right here and now (though at a later date I will post some of my favorites), I do want to post the different cooking Apps I have.  


Epicurious: (Free)
It allows you access to their entire recipe data base.  You can star recipes as your favorite and if you pay $1.99 you can sync all your devices' Epicurious accounts.  


Cooking Light: ($3.99)
While you don't have access to all their great recipes, their app is more of a menu creator.  You pick your main course, then find recipes to pair it with.  They have great photos of every dish and best of all, nutrition information.


Food Network, In the Kitchen:  ($1.99)
I love this app.  I think its my favorite.  Not only does it give you access to all the Food Network recipes but it also allows you to watch Food Network videos.  Finally, it interface is really user friendly.  


Whole Foods: (Free)
A great app if you have dietary restrictions or you're looking for very healthy fare.  You can select Dairy Free or Vegan or many other options and it will select recipes with those guidelines.  Have you ever had any pre-made food from their stores? These are those recipes and some are quite good.  The app is also helpful if you need to find a store near you or look up their hours, etc.  


All Recipes: (Free)
They've got a ton of recipes, reviews etc.  This is sort of my fall back app/website, but if you can't find it anywhere else, you're almost certain to find it here. 


Substitutions: ($1.99)
This isn't a recipe app, but its a great cooking tool.  If you're in the middle of a cooking project and realize you're missing an ingredient, this app comes to the rescue.  


Finally there's Yummrs:  ($3.99)
Yummrs grabs recipes from the most popular food blogs on the internet and consolidates them into one easily accessible place.  You can also save the recipes into folders/categories so that you can reference them later.  While it doesn't have every blog I know and love, I do like taking a gander at this app everyday to see what it pulls up.  Not sure if its worth the price tag though.


As always, let me know if you have any questions!

San Diego Mini-Break 2011

This week my husband took a much needed vacation from work...my body isn't on his schedule, however, so we were unable to take the big "trip" we wanted to take to Hawaii or Connecticut.  Instead we had a lovely Staycation at home, chock full of relaxing, reading, cuddling and sleeping.  That said, we did venture a we bit from the nest and took a fun mini-break Thursday and Friday.   I thought that I would share some of the delectable delights we found on our adventure so that you might partake if you are ever fortunate enough to mini-break down the Southern Coast of California.

We left Thursday around 11am and drove down to San Diego (about a 2 hour drive down the 5 freeway-easy peasy).  Our first stop most definitely had to be lunch.  The Best Of app on my iPhone (a great, app, I highly recommend it) said that Point Loma Seafoods was the best seafood in San Diego.  So, my navigator (hubby extraordinaire) pointed the way.  It was indeed delish.  Not at all what I expected.  It is not a restaurant but more of a deli counter that sells seafood but also sells lunch items made from that seafood.  Once you order, you grab a table and when your number's called you pick up your food.  I loved how casual it was and that seating was outside so that there wasn't a fishy odor the entire time we ate.  The tables overlooked the marina so the view was quite nice as well. Husband ordered the Crab Cake Sandwich and some Clam Chowder, I got the Soup of the Day (tomato based  fish soup with celery, carrots, etc.) in a Bread Bowl and some Unagi (Eel sushi).  I have decided that unless the soup is really really thick, like Clam Chowder, you shouldn't get it in the bread bowl.  The bowl absorbed all of my broth and I was left with all the stuff in the soup without the soup!  But otherwise really really good seafood.  Will absolutely return to Point Loma Seafoods.  

Okay, my mistake.  The Yelp app on my iphone said that there was a Babycakes on our way to our hotel so I insisted we stop (husband did not put up a fight ;) ).  I was excited because the Babycakes in New York is a famous vegan cupcake shop and I am always super happy when there's something I can eat a bakery/cupcake shop.  Alas, when we arrived at San Diego's Babycakes there was not a single vegan flavor...it was a different shop all together.  Ugh!


We stayed at the Glorietta Bay Inn on Coronado Island.  What a little paradise this part of San Diego is!  This little island is famously home to the Hotel Del Coronado , it has beautiful beaches, lots of fun shops and restaurants to try.  We walked, literally from one side of the island to the other (a mere 1.5 miles) on Orange Ave (the main drag).  The Glorietta Bay Inn was a lovely hotel to stay at, not nearly as fancy as the Hotel Del Coronado but very affordable and comfortable.


We sat on the beach, walked in the water and watched the sunset until our tumblies rumbled again.  Dinner was at the Rhinoceros Cafe & Grille .  By dinner time our feet were tired and we decided to go as local as possible.  Just two blocks from our hotel this restaurant looked elegant and had the Italian slant we were looking for.  I don't know if I would recommend this restaurant.  It was fine...that's it, fine.  There were so many places on the island and I think, had we had more energy, we should have ventured out further.  I got the Cioppino (I must say, my soup at Point Loma Seafoods was ten times better and a quarter of the price) and hubster got the Penne A La Vodka, which he asked for without mushrooms and with meatballs.  He got the meatballs AND the mushrooms, so negative points for not following directions.  All in I'd say, MEH.


Husband redeemed his palette at Mootime Creamery with an Ice Cream Sundae.  I got candy at one of the many candy shops (not the one at the Hotel Del Coronado -- way pricier than the ones down Orange Ave. )  We ate our sweets and soaked our aching footsies in the jacuzzi at our hotel.


The next morning we got some juice from our hotel's continental breakfast buffet and then scurried off on our adventure.  We, of course, stopped at Starbucks which held us over until we got to Balboa Park.  What an amazing area!  I had never been to Balboa Park before and was blown away by the different things to do.   I will have to take a separate trip out there for art museum and little artist village.


We decided it was time to bid farewell to fare San Diego and head up the coast.  We stopped in Oceanside where we Yelped and found Felix's BBQ, an upscale joint 10 miles inland.  We didn't know what to expect as we journeyed East but were delighted with the results.  The staff at Felix's were beyond accommodating (I ordered their Fried Catfish Sandwich grilled instead of fried and they graciously obliged).  Hubby got his red meat fix with the beef ribs, potato salad and sweet potato fries.  My husband is the ultimate BBQ snob and Felix's beyond made the grade.  The BBQ sauce was so good we asked if we could buy some and they gave us a big ol' To Go container.   So delicious.  

Bellies full and rearin' to go we headed to our last stop on our mini-break, Laguna Beach.  We parked and walked up and down the main drag, taking in the art and shops.   Many of the art galleries have closed but the ones that are open seem to be doing just fine.  We got our 3pm caffeine fix at none other than Starbucks...now before you wag your finger or guffaw about skipping over the local joints lemme tell you what we got!  Starbucks is testing out a new drink in Southern CA (perhaps elsewhere) called a Refresher.  While it looks like another iced tea, its not, its clear coffee...clear coffee you say?  Why yes, its made from real fruit juice, B Vitamins Ginseng and the extract of green, unroasted coffee beans.  Its low calories (around 70 from what I've read) and tastes just like juice (we got the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor).  Its yummy and the Hubster wanted one...so there.


After two hours of sitting on the beach, reading and taking in the coast we got a light dinner at a vegetarian restaurant called the Zinc Cafe and Market.  It was beautiful fare and quite good.  The one draw back was that nearly everything had dairy in it.  I know that vegetarians use dairy as a main stay but it would have been nice to have been able to order more.  We shared the Gazpacho, my meated out sweety got a Pesto Pizzette and I got the Whole Artichoke with Basil Aioli minus the goat cheese.  


Our final adventure in Laguna was Pageant of the Masters.   I can't believe I have never been to such a remarkable show.  It is 90 minutes of "Living Pictures" called Tableaux Vivants. Essentially, paintings recreated with actual people posing like their counterparts.  This year's theme was Only Make Believe chock full of dragons and magic.  Truly exciting. 

We drove home from Pageant of the Masters, a 45 minute drive at 11 o'clock at night, so quite easy.  We figured, as lovely as an overnight in Laguna would be, we like our bed better than most anyway.  What a wonderful adventure and great way to feel like we got a real vacation for less time and money.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  My husband is back at work this week and I miss him, but that's life.  Maybe in a few weeks I'll kidnap him for another little mini-break.  Stay tuned. 

Summer Shindig - Peach Salsa, Fruit Salad, Salmon Burgers, Beef & Lamb Hamburgers, Grilled Balsamic Portobellos, S'More Cookies and then some...

Whew, that is one mouthful of a title.  But then again, yesterday's BBQ was its own mouthful and bellyful.  Summertime inspired my parents to throw a wee party and have several of their favorite people come over, swim and be merry.  My mom and I went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market yesterday to pick over their selection of gorgeous produce.  I love the Farmers Market, especially this time of year, there are so many beautiful fruits and vegetables (herbs too!) to choose from.   I came equipped with a couple of recipes and my mom wanted to get ingredients for her own dish picks.  When we arrived we discovered a meat purveyor that was selling ground lamb and mom's burgers instantly went from basic to brilliant.  We also picked up beautiful red burgundy heirloom tomatoes, awesome avocados and much much more.  We had to take a second trip the the grocery store for a few more accouterments but soon we were back to the kitchen cooking away.  We prepared food from 11 to 3, then everyone started arriving and jumped in the pool!  We grilled everything around 5 and ate at 5:30 picnic style in the yard.  It was so very sweet and fun. Our poor poor dog, Oscar, probably stole more food then he should have.  I also remembered to take shots of some of the dishes with my camera and phone camera this time (YAY!).  All in a fantastic feast of friends, family and fun...and a great way to get to be creative in the kitchen. 

The entire menu was as follows:


Guacamole (with chips for dipping)
Peach Salsa
Fruit Salad
Grilled Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms
Lamb/Beef Burgers, some stuffed with Blue Cheese 
Salmon Burgers
Grilled Hotdogs for the kiddies
Corn on the Cob
S'more Cookies


I made the Peach Salsa, Fruit Salad, Grilled Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms, Salmon Burgers, and S'more Cookies (well, my papa was the grill master, but I prepped the mushrooms).  


Peach Salsa

The peach salsa recipe was from TheKitchn.com.  I enjoyed the recipe immensely but my mom thought it needed more kick.  So if you are of the same opinion I would add more onion and jalapeno.  

3 ripe peaches, about 1 pound
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint (or more to taste)
Juice from 1/2 lime
Kosher salt, to taste

First you need to peel the peaches. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Cut a small X into the bottom of each peach. Drop the peaches into the boiling water for approximately 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches and immediately submerge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Gently peel the peaches using your hands or a paring knife (the riper the peach, the easier this will be). Dice the peaches into small cubes.

Combine the chopped peaches, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, mint, and lime juice. Season with a pinch of kosher salt. Chill for one hour to allow flavors to combine and serve immediately.

Fruit Salad

Okay, there's no recipe for the fruit salad I made.  I bought watermelon, Harry's Berry's Strawberries (I name the vendor because these are quite possibly the best strawberries you can buy in LA.  They are a dessert on their own, they are that good), cantaloupe, Galia melon (which is a melon-cantaloupe cross), and grapes.  I balled the melons and used a flower shaped cookie cutter for the watermelon.  Finally I squeezed lime juice all over the fruit and added some mint lives as a garnish.  

The interesting party came in the serving.  I saw an image once of fruit salad in ice cream cones.  I liked the idea but didn't think it was quite practical enough.  Then I found ice cream cone bowls at Whole Foods!  Now that would work.  So I made individual fruit salads using the little bowls.  I recommend waiting until you are about to serve the fruit salad before putting the fruit in the cone bowls or the bowls will get super soggy. 

Grilled Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms

Also a no recipe wonder.  I simply sliced the portobellos and brushed them with Bistro Blends' amazing aged Balsamic Vinegar (which I've written about in the past--it truly makes a recipe), spritzed them with olive oil and sprinkled on some salt and pepper.  We let them marinate in the fridge for an hour or two and the papa grilled them to perfection.    A really easy way to serve a delicious grilled vegetable. 

Lamb/Beef Burgers (and Hotdogs)

We followed the same recipe as from my previous post "Getting Grilling Sunday (Salmon Burgers, Blue Cheese Burgers, Potato Salad)" but we doubled the recipe using half ground lamb and half ground beef and only put the blue cheese in half the burgers.  They still were thick, juicy and divine.  

We also threw some hotdogs on the grill for the little ones. 

Salmon Burgers

Also the same salmon burgers from my post, "Getting Grilling Sunday (Salmon Burgers, Blue Cheese Burgers, Potato Salad)",  and a fine addition for those of us none-meat eaters.  

Corn on the Cob

What's that you say? Another without a recipe?  Sometimes you just gotta wing it.  We chucked the corn and rinsed it clean.  Boiled a bunch of water with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup suger and threw in the corn for around 8 minutes.  And voila!  Le Corn on ze Cob.  We broke it in half for more servings.  

S'more Cookies

Okay, these were the pièce de résistance if I do say so myself.  The recipe comes from The Girl Who Ate Everything and she is a genius.  I pretty much followed the recipe to the T but subbed margarine for butter and it turned out better then yummy.  I highly recommend it for your next party, or the next time you just want a cookie.   

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want.

Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 16 graham cracker squares on one pan and 10 squares on another. You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight (I did one batch right away and another after chilling overnight and found there was no difference.)

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

Photo courtesy of my friend Rita

Mini-Soft Pretzel Disaster

Chaos ensued.  The apartment was filled with smoke, the smoke detector was going off, the timer was beeping and all I could do was laugh to myself that I must look like something out of an I Love Lucy episode.  And all I wanted to do was make some soft pretzels!

Everything started out swimmingly.  I was excited to make a soft pretzel recipe I had seen on MarthaStewart.com.  What a great summer BBQ snack! Then even more exciting was the idea that I could use my absolutely fantastic bread maker to make the dough.  The bread machine did its job like a pro and I had warm, gooey pretzel dough ready to go.  I rolled out each strand of dough and shaped it accordingly. The diagram/picture Martha gives you is very helpful.

Now this is where things started to go a bit downhill.  The instructions say to place the pretzels, after poaching them on parchment paper and I, robotically, did so.  I should have used my Silpat, a much better alternative to parchment/wax paper in general.  Halfway through the pretzels baking I noticed a lot of steam, not exactly smoke, coming up through the stove top.  I quickly turned on the ventilator but then realized the apartment had also filled with smoke.  I ran around quickly opening every window, turning on every fan. But it was too late and alas the fire alarm went off and I had to unplug the battery until the smoke screen subsided.  Finally, I took the pretzels out.  They were beautiful to behold...until I tried to remove them from the wax paper.  It had sealed itself onto the bottom of every pretzel!  So, the pretzels were tasty, pretty on top and bare naked on the bottom (I cut off the wax paper).

I decided I did not think the pretzels were acceptable for public consumption.  That said, I did make a delicious soft pretzel-avocado and mayo sandwich for lunch yesterday.  If you don't fail you don't learn (as much), so next time I plan on making some kick-ass soft pretzels that have their bottoms fully intact.