Tomato Chutney Recipe

Got this from the Copley Square Farmers' Market Facebook page. Can't wait to try it:

I just made a tomato chutney that's really easy to make, and you can use it instead of sugary ketchup. 

3 large tomatoes, skinned and smushed up.
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of allspice

Combine ingredients in saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the mixture reduces. Makes about a cup.

Shrunken Chicken

Breakfast:

I mindlessly stuck one of the leftover chicken piece in the microwave for 2 mins. This is what became of it -

- shrunken, hard, and hence inedible. :(

Lesson: Guys, never stick cold chicken into the microwave for two minutes straight...

So I microwaved the last piece for a considerably shorter time (forgot how long), and with a wet kitchen napkin over it (to provide moisture). I ate this on-the-go with some grape jelly. The grape jelly was kind of imperative given how tasteless the chicken was...

Grape Jelly on Baked Chicken

(Come on, it's not that weird... or is it?)

I also had a whole avocado prior to the on-the-go chicken. It was a bit too ripe so it became quite a task to peel and cut it without squishing all the flesh...

Overripe Squishy Avocado

Lesson: Guys, ripe avocado is tasty and soft, but peel it with a knife or slicer - not by scratching with your fingers...

Also I realized this: for a fruit, avocado is a ridiculously filling. It's packed with 300 calories each, which is a lot, but considering how it suppresses your appetite for the next... six hours or so... it can be a pretty helpful for dieters!

Dinner at Five Napkin Burger:

Thankfully my dinner was a normal affair :) Weird girl needs some normalcy in her diet once in a while!

5N Cheeseburger and Fries

Menu desription:

raw onion, lettuce & tomato,

5N sauce, sesame brioche roll - $13.95

I shared the burger with boyfriend, that's why the other half is gone. Fries were out of picture too because it was the boyfriend's domain. Boyfriend generally disapproves of food picture-taking :( calls the practice lame.

The "5N" sauce, to my untrained amateur tastebuds, is a lot like any regular thousand island dressing sauce. I loved the roll - it was toasted crunchy, and it felt like I was eating chips :p I had fun breaking them into bits and eating them with 5N sauce or ketchup!

I usually do not enjoy burgers because I like my meat seasoned and flavoured. However I got so distracted with the 5N sauce this time so I forgot to gauge if the patty on its own had good flavour...

Boyfriend did not finish the fries, so I had them packed in a box for...

Next Day's Breakfast:

Leftover Soggy Fries

Warmed in the microwave.

Boyfriend calls me weird for liking soggy fries but I think they're the best. Fresh-out-of-the-broiler fries feels like firecrackers in my mouth, and makes me feel like I'm going to get ulcer right there and then! Soggy fries on the other hand are soft and squishy and cool, just like the potatoes they used to be...

I also finally got round to eating the mango I bought last week -

Weirdly-Sliced Mango

Spot the core at the top left corner. (Minus 10 points for lazy presentation) Some mango pieces were out of the photo because I saved those in another box for boyfriend, who, in hardcore-New-Englander fashion, never tried mangoes in his life...

Baked Chicken & Alta Strada

Breakfast:

Baked Chicken coated with

Crushed Bits of Post Grape Nuts Cereal

Discounted chicken breast meat from Roche Bros; deboned, deskinned, frozen for a couple of days.

Melted some butter in the microwave. Didn't melt it enough (only 10 secs on the microwave) so I was just forcing hard butter bits on the chicken meat with my fingers haha.

Then I poured those tiny crushed cereal bits (that gets left at the bottom of the bag) on the chicken. Baked for about 35 mins.

Chicken was tasteless; had to use some Grape Jelly on it to make the experience more enjoyable.

At least it was a filling protein-rich meal! Didn't feel the need to snack for the next 5 hours :D

Also, I'm saving the other two pieces for the next couple of days. I'll be ready with Grape Jelly...

Dinner at Alta Strada, Wellesley:

Spicy Chitarra with Lobster, Shrimp, Tomato and Basil

Price on Menu: $ 23
(We used a voucher though)

I asked for no spice because I generally don't take spicy well.

Dish was really satisfying for me especially after the underwhelming breakfast and lack of proper lunch. The chitarra had a nice springy texture to it - like instant noodles cooked properly :p Also there was enough shrimp and lobster bits in it to pass. One complaint though - it tasted a bit too salty. I suspect it's because I asked to take the spice out; perhaps the saltiness would have gone well with some hotness.

Lesson: Guys, if it says "spicy" on the menu, know that it's probably there for a good reason... Instead of no-spicy, ask for light- or toned-down spicy.

Boyfriend had Fresh Cheese Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Sauce - he said it was good. Which is saying a lot because he's the pickiest, most high-maintenance eater I know.

He also ordered coke, which turned out to be 3 dollars. =.= He didn't finish the drink, because it wasn't real Coca-cola. "Probably some expensive, high-class variant of it. And it's also Diet."

While CVS, just right across the road, is selling full-litre bottles of Pepsi at 88 cents.

Commencement Catered Lunch

Starting off with a not-so-lousy lunch at Commencement back in May, catered by the campus food service company.

Basically, regular dining hall meal but done outdoors, in a tent.

Yep, I'm calling a dining hall meal decent :) My standards are easy.

Clockwise from top:

Some Sub with Squash and Raisins

Biscotti

Angel Biscuit
"Seven Layer" Nut Bar

Brace yourself guys, it's going downhill from here :)