I'm a terrible person.
A blog abandoner.
But... I have good reasons! They usually involve my 40-hour-work-week, my adventuring off to spend as much time with R. as I can on my two days off, getting injured at work, and eating simply.
I was going to have a post about R.'s birthday cake, but I forgot to take pictures, and a post about cake without pictures isn't a post at all.
Then I was going to post about the Muffins of Greatness I made for him, but... when I woke up in the hotel after the muffins had spent the night there with me (he only got ONE the evening before upon arrival)... they were covered in ants. Cue R. seeing me completely and utterly enraged for the first time. It included plunking the container of muffins down on the front desk and saying "I have a PROBLEM." I was so skeezed out by the ants (I mean, I paid more for that stinkin' hotel than I usually would BECAUSE it was clean and nice!) and their presence that I didn't even want the container (a nice plastic cake carrier) back. I told them to keep it, shove it, we were checking out anyway, and they can kiss my future reservations (which there would be plenty of, given I've stayed there 3 times in the past month and a half!) goodbye. They knocked my rate down for the night, but I'm still skeezed.
I mean, ants. In a hotel. Ew.
But I'll be posting soon, I promise. It's fall, so it means it's time for BAKED APPLES. They deserve the all-caps, I promise.
Eat well!
-A
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Not-your-fast-food-burrito.
Have you ever had a craving for something that you know is absolutely horrible for you?
That's me and mexican food. I have moments where all I want is a giant burrito, filled to bursting with deliciousness and a big serving of tortilla chips on the side. So good, but so, so bad for you.
While I could debate the merits of Moe's and Chipotle respectively, and probably get in an argument or two over which is better, I tend to appreciate the Chipotle style of burritos more than Moe's. From either restaurant, I do enjoy the "naked" versions, or the bowls that have everything you would put in a burrito, without the tortilla.
Except, there is not a Moe's in the town I'm living in now. Or a Chipotle. So today when the burrito-train hit me full force, I was lost. Until I regained my senses, and remembered that I can cook. A quick trip to the store, and I had embarked upon my mission to make a healthy, low fat version of a burrito from Chipotle. Given that my dad ate one in under 5 bites, and approvingly licked his fingers, I think I succeeded.
Here is the recipe (makes like, a million small burritos. And rice-beans-chicken-and-mushroom bowls. I made a lot of the filling to keep and use for quick lunches and such.):
- 4 cups rice, cooked (I added a splash of lemon juice and some cilantro, a la Chipotle)
- 1 can diced chicken, we get the big cans from Sam's Club, Member's Mark brand
- Salsa verde, amount to taste
-1 medium package of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- Whole wheat tortillas
- low fat shredded cheese, mexican blend
1. Heat the shredded chicken in a pan with seasonings to taste (I used some chili pepper, cilantro, even some creole seasoning) and a bit of salsa verde. When the chicken is warm, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are desired tenderness, and chicken is shredded and super tender.
2. Heat the pinto beans to desired temperature (I just nuked 'em.)
3. Layer the burritos!
- Rice
- beans
- Chicken and mushrooms
- cheese
- a little more salsa, if desired.
I left out sour cream and guacamole because I'm always tempted to put WAY too much on. These had a lot of flavor, but weren't too spicy, but easily adjustable if I want spicy later on. One small one (I used the 'soft taco' size tortillas, and it created a decent size burrito) was enough to fill me up, and I resisted making a second because really, I knew that I could eat it, but I would be uncomfortably full later on. I didn't even need chips with it, since there was all that fiber from the beans, mushrooms, and the tortilla, with the protein of the chicken. I'm tempted to put the chicken and mushrooms on eggs for a breakfast tortilla tomorrow.
It's versatile, it's tasty, and it's healthy. I'd say that one of these burritos clocks in at way under 500 calories, compared to the nearly/over 2,000 that one from Moe's or Chipotle does. I am content, and my tummy is happily full of good noms.
Now I'm back to enjoying my day off, watching my lettuce pot garden (more on that in another post!) grow, and reading my library books. I get to see R. tomorrow, so I'm very happy today.
-A
That's me and mexican food. I have moments where all I want is a giant burrito, filled to bursting with deliciousness and a big serving of tortilla chips on the side. So good, but so, so bad for you.
While I could debate the merits of Moe's and Chipotle respectively, and probably get in an argument or two over which is better, I tend to appreciate the Chipotle style of burritos more than Moe's. From either restaurant, I do enjoy the "naked" versions, or the bowls that have everything you would put in a burrito, without the tortilla.
Except, there is not a Moe's in the town I'm living in now. Or a Chipotle. So today when the burrito-train hit me full force, I was lost. Until I regained my senses, and remembered that I can cook. A quick trip to the store, and I had embarked upon my mission to make a healthy, low fat version of a burrito from Chipotle. Given that my dad ate one in under 5 bites, and approvingly licked his fingers, I think I succeeded.
Here is the recipe (makes like, a million small burritos. And rice-beans-chicken-and-mushroom bowls. I made a lot of the filling to keep and use for quick lunches and such.):
- 4 cups rice, cooked (I added a splash of lemon juice and some cilantro, a la Chipotle)
- 1 can diced chicken, we get the big cans from Sam's Club, Member's Mark brand
- Salsa verde, amount to taste
-1 medium package of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- Whole wheat tortillas
- low fat shredded cheese, mexican blend
1. Heat the shredded chicken in a pan with seasonings to taste (I used some chili pepper, cilantro, even some creole seasoning) and a bit of salsa verde. When the chicken is warm, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are desired tenderness, and chicken is shredded and super tender.
2. Heat the pinto beans to desired temperature (I just nuked 'em.)
3. Layer the burritos!
- Rice
- beans
- Chicken and mushrooms
- cheese
- a little more salsa, if desired.
I left out sour cream and guacamole because I'm always tempted to put WAY too much on. These had a lot of flavor, but weren't too spicy, but easily adjustable if I want spicy later on. One small one (I used the 'soft taco' size tortillas, and it created a decent size burrito) was enough to fill me up, and I resisted making a second because really, I knew that I could eat it, but I would be uncomfortably full later on. I didn't even need chips with it, since there was all that fiber from the beans, mushrooms, and the tortilla, with the protein of the chicken. I'm tempted to put the chicken and mushrooms on eggs for a breakfast tortilla tomorrow.
It's versatile, it's tasty, and it's healthy. I'd say that one of these burritos clocks in at way under 500 calories, compared to the nearly/over 2,000 that one from Moe's or Chipotle does. I am content, and my tummy is happily full of good noms.
Now I'm back to enjoying my day off, watching my lettuce pot garden (more on that in another post!) grow, and reading my library books. I get to see R. tomorrow, so I'm very happy today.
-A
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Family secrets.
So, there's this thing. Called "Grandma jelly."
My entire childhood can be summed up in this phrase. Grandma jelly.
In the backyard of my Grandma's house, there grows a gigantic fig tree. And every summer, the fig tree grows and grows, until it's so heavy with figs that we don't have to worry about fighting the squirrels, birds and bugs for the figs because we already have buckets and buckets of them. It is from this tree that Grandma Jelly begins.
I don't know how my Grandma decided to make Grandma jelly, but I'm glad she did. It's a mixture of fresh figs, mashed and mashed and mashed (we did it by hand, and she still does, because food processors are only good for certain things) and mixed with sugar and strawberry gelatin, cooked until perfect, then canned. The result is this figgy-berry-chunky-seedy-spreadable-wonderful-concoction that was christened "Grandma jelly."
The tree hasn't been producing as much as it has in the past, which means that Grandam Jelly production has slackened somewhat. Combined with the fact that she just doesn't have the demand that she used to, with the grandchildren almost all grown up and gone away, the stock of Grandma jelly has dwindled. But she still makes it, fresh batches that leave the house with a lingering sweet fruit smell for a week afterwards, from the end of June to middle of July when the figs are at their ripest.
I love Grandma jelly. There isn't a single thing on this earth that it isn't good on. Waffles, ice cream, PB&J sandwiches, hell, I've even used it as a sweet glaze on steak and chicken before. It's amazingly versatile. I don't know what she does, or how exactly she makes it, but it's seriously one of my favorite things in this entire world.
R. has never had Grandma jelly. But I managed to get a small jar from Grandma to give to him (how to tell she really likes him, yeah?). It may come to him opened with a few spoonfuls taken out, but it will make it. And he will enjoy Grandma jelly for the first time. I'm considering whether or not he likes it being a deciding factor in whether or not I can spend the rest of my life with him (I'm kidding! ... Maybe.).
My favorite story to tell of the power of Grandma jelly is this:
I had a supervisor at a store I worked at one summer who I really liked, J. She was a tough broad who had a sweet side when she wanted to show you, and I really enjoyed working with her. One day we were bored, the store was empty, so we started talking about our shared passion for cooking. Being summer, I shared that I was excited for the first batch of Grandma jelly to make it's appearance, and J. begged me, begged me to get her a jar. Grandma relented and gave me a small jar for her, only because J. had just found out that she was pregnant for the first time, and my Grandma is a sucker for babies and their pregnant mommas. J. rejoiced when I brought her the jar, and then two days later, she was on me like a drug addict begging for more -- she had used up the whole jar, on everything she could think of. Waffles, ice cream, pancakes, bologna sandwiches (Hey, she was pregnant!), and she wanted, no, needed more.
Are there any foods from your childhood that are family staples like Grandma jelly? What are they? How are they unique?
-A
My entire childhood can be summed up in this phrase. Grandma jelly.
In the backyard of my Grandma's house, there grows a gigantic fig tree. And every summer, the fig tree grows and grows, until it's so heavy with figs that we don't have to worry about fighting the squirrels, birds and bugs for the figs because we already have buckets and buckets of them. It is from this tree that Grandma Jelly begins.
I don't know how my Grandma decided to make Grandma jelly, but I'm glad she did. It's a mixture of fresh figs, mashed and mashed and mashed (we did it by hand, and she still does, because food processors are only good for certain things) and mixed with sugar and strawberry gelatin, cooked until perfect, then canned. The result is this figgy-berry-chunky-seedy-spreadable-wonderful-concoction that was christened "Grandma jelly."
The tree hasn't been producing as much as it has in the past, which means that Grandam Jelly production has slackened somewhat. Combined with the fact that she just doesn't have the demand that she used to, with the grandchildren almost all grown up and gone away, the stock of Grandma jelly has dwindled. But she still makes it, fresh batches that leave the house with a lingering sweet fruit smell for a week afterwards, from the end of June to middle of July when the figs are at their ripest.
I love Grandma jelly. There isn't a single thing on this earth that it isn't good on. Waffles, ice cream, PB&J sandwiches, hell, I've even used it as a sweet glaze on steak and chicken before. It's amazingly versatile. I don't know what she does, or how exactly she makes it, but it's seriously one of my favorite things in this entire world.
R. has never had Grandma jelly. But I managed to get a small jar from Grandma to give to him (how to tell she really likes him, yeah?). It may come to him opened with a few spoonfuls taken out, but it will make it. And he will enjoy Grandma jelly for the first time. I'm considering whether or not he likes it being a deciding factor in whether or not I can spend the rest of my life with him (I'm kidding! ... Maybe.).
My favorite story to tell of the power of Grandma jelly is this:
I had a supervisor at a store I worked at one summer who I really liked, J. She was a tough broad who had a sweet side when she wanted to show you, and I really enjoyed working with her. One day we were bored, the store was empty, so we started talking about our shared passion for cooking. Being summer, I shared that I was excited for the first batch of Grandma jelly to make it's appearance, and J. begged me, begged me to get her a jar. Grandma relented and gave me a small jar for her, only because J. had just found out that she was pregnant for the first time, and my Grandma is a sucker for babies and their pregnant mommas. J. rejoiced when I brought her the jar, and then two days later, she was on me like a drug addict begging for more -- she had used up the whole jar, on everything she could think of. Waffles, ice cream, pancakes, bologna sandwiches (Hey, she was pregnant!), and she wanted, no, needed more.
Are there any foods from your childhood that are family staples like Grandma jelly? What are they? How are they unique?
-A
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tea and poetry.
One of my greatest loves in life has been constant and true, never failing: Tea.
It may be pandering to a stereotype of Southerners by saying that I love sweet tea more than any other beverage, but it's true. At least when the tea is brewed, not made from syrup in a soda fountain. Good tea. Not bad tea.
Is there really a difference between good tea and bad tea? Isn't all tea packed with the antioxidants and flavanoids that make it such a health benefit? Well, possibly, and I'm not a scientist to make any kind of solid comment on that front, and I'm feeling too lazy to do any research on the subject at present (I will probably end up doing some, though, just because not knowing something is one of my greatest irritations in life). But I know that there is a definite taste difference that leads to the conclusion that a glass of sweet tea is Good tea, or Bad tea. Just ask the Brits. They'll tell you.
I started out my life drinking sweet tea and sweetened hot tea at my grandma's house (any surprise there, folks?). The hot tea was mainly because I could sneak a few extra scoops of sugar into the mug, and then be left with the grainy melty sweet stickiness at the bottom of the cup when I had finished the tea. Sweet iced tea has always been one of my favorite things about Grandma's house, though. Even though I know that she doesn't do anything special, doesn't buy anything other than the cheapest brand of tea and use regular sugar, somehow it just tastes better. Maybe because it's made with love? (*wink*)
As I got older, I began to experience new kinds of tea. Flavored black teas, herbal teas, and green tea. As a singer, I developed "magic tea" which is a herbal tea mixed with mint, honey, and a little bit of lemon that just plain made a sore throat feel better, and saved my voice on occasion. I like green tea when I'm drinking hot tea, mostly because I've managed to convince myself that it's better for me, and I do enjoy green tea with lemon iced. There is nothing that holds more meaning of cold weather happiness to me than a big mug of chai tea, inhaling the cinnamon and clove scent, luxuriating in the complex flavors of a good chai.
I'm trying to cut back the caffeine in the evenings, since I do have to get up at a regular time these days. I drink a lot of water at work (it's seriously hot outside in Florida, y'all. Seriously. And humid. Water is my best friend), and I like to have a good herbal tea at night just to break up the routine of water, and it's something other than soda to give it flavor.
And there is no other past time in my life I enjoy more than curling up with a book and a mug of tea, even in hot weather. Since I got two new books from the library today, I think that's what I'll do.
What are you favorite beverages? Do they hold any meaning to you?
-A
It may be pandering to a stereotype of Southerners by saying that I love sweet tea more than any other beverage, but it's true. At least when the tea is brewed, not made from syrup in a soda fountain. Good tea. Not bad tea.
Is there really a difference between good tea and bad tea? Isn't all tea packed with the antioxidants and flavanoids that make it such a health benefit? Well, possibly, and I'm not a scientist to make any kind of solid comment on that front, and I'm feeling too lazy to do any research on the subject at present (I will probably end up doing some, though, just because not knowing something is one of my greatest irritations in life). But I know that there is a definite taste difference that leads to the conclusion that a glass of sweet tea is Good tea, or Bad tea. Just ask the Brits. They'll tell you.
I started out my life drinking sweet tea and sweetened hot tea at my grandma's house (any surprise there, folks?). The hot tea was mainly because I could sneak a few extra scoops of sugar into the mug, and then be left with the grainy melty sweet stickiness at the bottom of the cup when I had finished the tea. Sweet iced tea has always been one of my favorite things about Grandma's house, though. Even though I know that she doesn't do anything special, doesn't buy anything other than the cheapest brand of tea and use regular sugar, somehow it just tastes better. Maybe because it's made with love? (*wink*)
As I got older, I began to experience new kinds of tea. Flavored black teas, herbal teas, and green tea. As a singer, I developed "magic tea" which is a herbal tea mixed with mint, honey, and a little bit of lemon that just plain made a sore throat feel better, and saved my voice on occasion. I like green tea when I'm drinking hot tea, mostly because I've managed to convince myself that it's better for me, and I do enjoy green tea with lemon iced. There is nothing that holds more meaning of cold weather happiness to me than a big mug of chai tea, inhaling the cinnamon and clove scent, luxuriating in the complex flavors of a good chai.
I'm trying to cut back the caffeine in the evenings, since I do have to get up at a regular time these days. I drink a lot of water at work (it's seriously hot outside in Florida, y'all. Seriously. And humid. Water is my best friend), and I like to have a good herbal tea at night just to break up the routine of water, and it's something other than soda to give it flavor.
And there is no other past time in my life I enjoy more than curling up with a book and a mug of tea, even in hot weather. Since I got two new books from the library today, I think that's what I'll do.
What are you favorite beverages? Do they hold any meaning to you?
-A
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Well, hi.
It's been a while. Over a month, actually.
I didn't mean to take that long of a hiatus, but my life has been kind of moving along at a pace faster than I can keep up with, so I let the non-essential activities slide by the wayside in order to continue to be able to handle the important things. You know, work, eating, paying bills, sleeping. That kind of thing.
The move back home as officially been completed, and R. is safely off to his internship. It's going to be a very long six months of only being able to see each other on occasion when our schedules line up (if it ever happens. I'm crossing my fingers!), if the two months where he was back in California were any indication. I miss him. He did, however, leave me the pancake mix and chocolate chips. He did this while knowing full well how terrible I am at making them. I'm going to take this as a sign that he'll be back for them.
Most days, I work. Which means breakfast in the morning, a packed lunch of whatever I can grab while rushing in the morning, and dinner of some kind. My job doesn't allow me the ability to snack at all, which means I've had to adjust my eating habits since snacking was one of the main ways I was able to keep hunger at bay, and continue to make smart eating choices. That is, when the snacks were smart to begin with. But now I've learned to adjust to three meals a day, not overloading one or the other, and keeping things healthy. A sandwich for lunch, or leftovers, possibly some rice with chicken and salsa verde and a few Babybel cheese wheels melted in. Breakfast is oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt for protein, and dinner is usually a protein and carb, and a vegetable if I can get my hands on it. All well and good.
I admit that there are downfalls. Like the fact that even though I know I get lunch, I never really know when I'm going to lunch -- so it could be earlier or later than I expected. If it's earlier, I'm starving by the time I get off work, and stopping by Chick-fil-A or Great Wraps is a much more appealing option for dinner than coming home and wasting time cooking. Take time to cook while hungry, or have instant gratification of waffle fries in mouth? It's a difficult conundrum. There are days when I eat late and I'm still starving. I have managed to keep the worst of those at bay with an emergency Luna protein bar in my lunch box for desperate times, but there are only so many protein bars you can eat in your life before you hate them. Even tasty ones like Luna bars.
I haven't been very creative with cooking lately, so I don't have any good recipes to share with you. But I promise that I will, very soon. I'm working on writing up some of my old standbys that I usually just make from memory. Some of them I don't think I ever wrote down, I just created. It's about time I wrote those down.
Life is good, even if the future seems lonely right now. I'll try not to get sappy on you guys, but I will say that I feel like Bonnie without her Clyde right now.
-A
P.S. R. managed to get my Grandma to allow him to cook in her kitchen. She refused to sit down or "not help" the entire time, but it's still a pretty amazing feat. It's things like this that make me love him!
I didn't mean to take that long of a hiatus, but my life has been kind of moving along at a pace faster than I can keep up with, so I let the non-essential activities slide by the wayside in order to continue to be able to handle the important things. You know, work, eating, paying bills, sleeping. That kind of thing.
The move back home as officially been completed, and R. is safely off to his internship. It's going to be a very long six months of only being able to see each other on occasion when our schedules line up (if it ever happens. I'm crossing my fingers!), if the two months where he was back in California were any indication. I miss him. He did, however, leave me the pancake mix and chocolate chips. He did this while knowing full well how terrible I am at making them. I'm going to take this as a sign that he'll be back for them.
Most days, I work. Which means breakfast in the morning, a packed lunch of whatever I can grab while rushing in the morning, and dinner of some kind. My job doesn't allow me the ability to snack at all, which means I've had to adjust my eating habits since snacking was one of the main ways I was able to keep hunger at bay, and continue to make smart eating choices. That is, when the snacks were smart to begin with. But now I've learned to adjust to three meals a day, not overloading one or the other, and keeping things healthy. A sandwich for lunch, or leftovers, possibly some rice with chicken and salsa verde and a few Babybel cheese wheels melted in. Breakfast is oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt for protein, and dinner is usually a protein and carb, and a vegetable if I can get my hands on it. All well and good.
I admit that there are downfalls. Like the fact that even though I know I get lunch, I never really know when I'm going to lunch -- so it could be earlier or later than I expected. If it's earlier, I'm starving by the time I get off work, and stopping by Chick-fil-A or Great Wraps is a much more appealing option for dinner than coming home and wasting time cooking. Take time to cook while hungry, or have instant gratification of waffle fries in mouth? It's a difficult conundrum. There are days when I eat late and I'm still starving. I have managed to keep the worst of those at bay with an emergency Luna protein bar in my lunch box for desperate times, but there are only so many protein bars you can eat in your life before you hate them. Even tasty ones like Luna bars.
I haven't been very creative with cooking lately, so I don't have any good recipes to share with you. But I promise that I will, very soon. I'm working on writing up some of my old standbys that I usually just make from memory. Some of them I don't think I ever wrote down, I just created. It's about time I wrote those down.
Life is good, even if the future seems lonely right now. I'll try not to get sappy on you guys, but I will say that I feel like Bonnie without her Clyde right now.
-A
P.S. R. managed to get my Grandma to allow him to cook in her kitchen. She refused to sit down or "not help" the entire time, but it's still a pretty amazing feat. It's things like this that make me love him!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Basics.
We all know that some skills in the kitchen take time to learn. No one (except maybe, say, Emeril. Or some other ridiculous chef) was born with the innate ability to julienne vegetables, perfectly sautee mushrooms, or anything else. I know I wasn't, at least. It's all a learning curve (something I've been struggling with, in and out of the kitchen. Learning my way around a new job is always frustrating).
One of the skills that seems so very basic but actually takes practice is making rice.
Yep, rice.
The white grains of cheap goodness. Requires skill.
I'm not talking Minute Rice, where it's not really rice at all, and easily microwaved, and magically perfect. I can do that.
What I'm talking about is making rice on the stovetop, the kind that comes in the bag and takes a good 20 minutes of simmering in order to get it right.
I've also failed at making rice more times than I can count. But unlike other culinary failures of mine (ahem, pancakes, I'm lookin' at you!) I have successfully managed to conquer rice.
... Most days.
I find that my way of making rice works best when I have a pot that is almost too big for the batch, with high walls so that it won't be able to boil over that easily. I also use a bit too much water, and if the rice seems really dry, I'll even rinse it before I throw it in. It's a process that becomes unique to everyone. I don't get it perfect every time, because different stoves, pots, etc. are all unique. Like today, I made a big batch of rice in order to have something I can just nuke and pair with a protein for an easy dinner when I get home from work, and while the majority of the large batch was perfectly fine (I love my rice kind of sticky), there was the fact that some of it was stuck to the bottom of the pan. Oh well. At least it wasn't burned on, per se. Just stuck. It wasn't a non-stick pan, either, so it's not a huge loss.
Everything in life takes practice. If I wasn't so dang frustrated with my previous failures at pancakes, I might practice more. But I practiced at rice because there were a few long stretches where rice made up the bulk of my food availability -- it was cheap, and easy to buy in bulk, and make ahead of time. A lot of meals have centered around "What goes with rice that I haven't eaten six times this week already?" It's a staple. Pancakes aren't so much of a staple. So at least I've conquered something important, right?
-A
One of the skills that seems so very basic but actually takes practice is making rice.
Yep, rice.
The white grains of cheap goodness. Requires skill.
I'm not talking Minute Rice, where it's not really rice at all, and easily microwaved, and magically perfect. I can do that.
What I'm talking about is making rice on the stovetop, the kind that comes in the bag and takes a good 20 minutes of simmering in order to get it right.
I've also failed at making rice more times than I can count. But unlike other culinary failures of mine (ahem, pancakes, I'm lookin' at you!) I have successfully managed to conquer rice.
... Most days.
I find that my way of making rice works best when I have a pot that is almost too big for the batch, with high walls so that it won't be able to boil over that easily. I also use a bit too much water, and if the rice seems really dry, I'll even rinse it before I throw it in. It's a process that becomes unique to everyone. I don't get it perfect every time, because different stoves, pots, etc. are all unique. Like today, I made a big batch of rice in order to have something I can just nuke and pair with a protein for an easy dinner when I get home from work, and while the majority of the large batch was perfectly fine (I love my rice kind of sticky), there was the fact that some of it was stuck to the bottom of the pan. Oh well. At least it wasn't burned on, per se. Just stuck. It wasn't a non-stick pan, either, so it's not a huge loss.
Everything in life takes practice. If I wasn't so dang frustrated with my previous failures at pancakes, I might practice more. But I practiced at rice because there were a few long stretches where rice made up the bulk of my food availability -- it was cheap, and easy to buy in bulk, and make ahead of time. A lot of meals have centered around "What goes with rice that I haven't eaten six times this week already?" It's a staple. Pancakes aren't so much of a staple. So at least I've conquered something important, right?
-A
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A debate on food culture.
Earlier today, I indulged in an awesome meal: Shrimp and grits from a small resteraunt in town. It was absolutely delicious. There is a certain art to the food culture of the south, based in strong flavors, large chunks of vegetables, meat, a good strong sauce, and a solid starch to pair it with. It's something that I've always loved about the way that Southern cooking is -- it's home. The best kind is when you can tell that a person actually prepared the meal instead of cutting open a package and putting it in a pan to warm.
But my love of grits sparked a moment between R. and I -- he being a good California boy who swears that the California border is covered with checks to keep people from bringing in contraband grits. Obviously, he's not a fan. I believe his words to describe grits is that they are "just like undercooked oatmeal sans any flavor, necessitating smothering with butter and cheese. The butter and cheese are what people like." (Personally, my favorite grits dish is simply cooked plain with a swirl of good maple syrup.)
Shrimp and grits vary from place to place in the south, with the versions as wide ranging as the land mass you cover seeking out the variations. I love seafood, but I admit to being a snob and not really willing to eat it unless I know it comes fresh. Having grown up watching seafood walk off the boats and into resteraunts, it's difficult for me to accept frozen seafood that has been trucked in. The shrimp I had tonight were HUGE, and being as I see shrimping boats heading out each morning as I go to work, I know they're fresh and local. The vegetables were chunky, and there was even a gratuitous chunk of andouille sausage floating in the sauce. Mixing the thick gravy with the cheesy grits made it perfect for eating with a spoon.
Someday, I'll get R. to understand. Grits are an acquired taste, and are only really good when they're made from scratch, not instant. It's the same thing with oatmeal -- if it comes out of a little paper package, it's not going to be good. My favorite breakfast these days is to make a half cup of oatmeal, then mix it with a cup of greek yogurt for protein. I love how creamy it makes the oatmeal, and I get a great dose of fiber and protein which keeps me full until my lunch break. The same thing works with grits -- I've been known to mix my grits with scrambled eggs in the mornings and eat them all together. I don't think cream of wheat really works the same way, since it tends to be a bit thinner, but I do love the creamier texture some days. It works really well with sweet toppings like strawberry jam, or Grandma Jelly.
That reminds me to do a post later this week on Grandma Jelly. I went over to my Grandma's house earlier today and found a big bucket of ripe juicy figs from the tree in her back yard ready to be made into jelly, and a few new jars already sitting on the counter.
I missed summers at home. I'm glad I get to spend some time here, with the food and family that I love.
-A
 |
| Ignore my foot, I was eating sitting down. |
But my love of grits sparked a moment between R. and I -- he being a good California boy who swears that the California border is covered with checks to keep people from bringing in contraband grits. Obviously, he's not a fan. I believe his words to describe grits is that they are "just like undercooked oatmeal sans any flavor, necessitating smothering with butter and cheese. The butter and cheese are what people like." (Personally, my favorite grits dish is simply cooked plain with a swirl of good maple syrup.)
Shrimp and grits vary from place to place in the south, with the versions as wide ranging as the land mass you cover seeking out the variations. I love seafood, but I admit to being a snob and not really willing to eat it unless I know it comes fresh. Having grown up watching seafood walk off the boats and into resteraunts, it's difficult for me to accept frozen seafood that has been trucked in. The shrimp I had tonight were HUGE, and being as I see shrimping boats heading out each morning as I go to work, I know they're fresh and local. The vegetables were chunky, and there was even a gratuitous chunk of andouille sausage floating in the sauce. Mixing the thick gravy with the cheesy grits made it perfect for eating with a spoon.
Someday, I'll get R. to understand. Grits are an acquired taste, and are only really good when they're made from scratch, not instant. It's the same thing with oatmeal -- if it comes out of a little paper package, it's not going to be good. My favorite breakfast these days is to make a half cup of oatmeal, then mix it with a cup of greek yogurt for protein. I love how creamy it makes the oatmeal, and I get a great dose of fiber and protein which keeps me full until my lunch break. The same thing works with grits -- I've been known to mix my grits with scrambled eggs in the mornings and eat them all together. I don't think cream of wheat really works the same way, since it tends to be a bit thinner, but I do love the creamier texture some days. It works really well with sweet toppings like strawberry jam, or Grandma Jelly.
That reminds me to do a post later this week on Grandma Jelly. I went over to my Grandma's house earlier today and found a big bucket of ripe juicy figs from the tree in her back yard ready to be made into jelly, and a few new jars already sitting on the counter.
I missed summers at home. I'm glad I get to spend some time here, with the food and family that I love.
-A
Monday, June 20, 2011
There is an art to eating well.
I know that I promised I wouldn't turn this blog into something that is all about my journey to eating well, and losing weight. But I think this post needs to be done -- and simply because it flies in the face of everything the weight loss advertising executives want you to think.
You don't need a fancy program in order to control your eating habits and lost weight.
There. I said it.
I have problems with eating. It's a battle for me, my relationship with food. I know that you have seen through pictures my large portion sizes (I promise, I didn't eat the whole half of the pizza that R. and I made, and I couldn't finish the salad since I had accidentally doused it with too much dressing. My portion sizes haven't become that skewed), and I admit that I grew up eating way too much food. If you didn't have a heaping plate at family functions, then there had to be something wrong with you. Was there something wrong with the food? Here, have something else to eat. Catch my drift?
I was on Weight Watchers for the better part of two years, and I lost nearly 70 pounds on it. One thing that I will say is that WW taught me how to take the food available to me and turn it into something I can lose weight with. I was living in the dorms, in my first apartment, and my food availability was rather limited, especially with the dining hall situation. I could eat what I wanted, learned to track what and how much I ate, and soon began making better choices food wise. But it didn't stick.
My vow from now on is to make it stick. But I'm not going to shell out money that could very well be spent elsewhere (as my grandma pointed out -- don't spend the money on a weight loss plan, because it takes away money you could be spending on healthy food options to replace the bad ones) on paying monthly fees to WW again. Especially since in this day and age, there are hundreds of free tools that allow you to do the same thing, just without the handy (and pain in the ass) Points system.
I track what I eat these days through My Fitness Pal, which comes in both an App form and the website. I use the App for tracking when I haven't planned ahead, following the calorie goal that's calculated for me healthily based on my weight, height and activity level, and the website when I have the ability to plan ahead. I like planning. I can set what I'm going to eat, so I'm not rushing around, or craving something and give in (I'm lookin' at you, bag of Toll House cookies...). When I plan, I know I have something easy to pick and make, so I'm obviously not going to starve. I usually give myself a couple hundred calories of leeway, in case I do feel the need to have something sweet.
There is no need for a miracle weight loss plan, or to pay all kinds of money for people to do the work for you, or for supplements that don't really do much of anything (or are horribly dangerous to your health!) in order to lose weight.
Burn more calories than you take in. It's that freaking simple. If it's not that simple for you, then consult your doctor. When I talked to mine, we ran a blood test and found out that I'm borderline hypothyroid, so yes, losing weight is a bit more difficult for me, but it's correctable. If I had continued to have trouble after following a strict diet, my doctor said we would look at medications, but she didn't think it was necessary. I started working out regularly (sometimes, I even made it to religiously!) and doing strength training - the extra lean muscle was just the boost my metabolism needed to balance out my thyroid.
Ask questions. People want to help you. Find a friend to keep you accountable, but don't find that friend who will nag you about every little thing you put in your mouth. My best friend and I went through WW together, only in the sense that we had our individual Points, we didn't nag about what we ate on a daily basis - and we cheated like hell together. We literally had a weekly trip to Marble Slab as our one indulgence. It kept the guilt at bay, and we lost all the more weight because of it.
Losing weight is hard. It's not SUPPOSED to be easy, because you're SUPPOSED to be changing your lifestyle FOREVER. Not until you hit your weightloss goal, spend two weeks in your skinny jeans as you revert to your old habits, and find yourself with all the weight back six months later. If you're going to lose it right, you're going to lose it forever. End of store.
I love the honesty of Fabulous Lorraine in her weight loss journey. She works her ass off, and she knows why she's stalled -- because she's not eating right. It's a balance. A sucky terrible balance. But one you have to fight your way through.
I fought my way through once, and I slipped. My lovable R. is supportive of my efforts to get myself back under control, but reminds me constantly that he loves me any way that I am, even if I stayed the same. I need that support, because it means that I'm not changing for what I see as the most important opinion outside of my own: his. He loves me. I am not my weight. But I need to lose my weight, because otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to be around for him to love, or that I will be limited in such.
I'm doing this for me. I'm fighting my urges, drowning my cravings in water, and taking long walks around my bad days.
And finding fabulous ways to cook through it all. Here we go, guys. Here we go.
-A
You don't need a fancy program in order to control your eating habits and lost weight.
There. I said it.
I have problems with eating. It's a battle for me, my relationship with food. I know that you have seen through pictures my large portion sizes (I promise, I didn't eat the whole half of the pizza that R. and I made, and I couldn't finish the salad since I had accidentally doused it with too much dressing. My portion sizes haven't become that skewed), and I admit that I grew up eating way too much food. If you didn't have a heaping plate at family functions, then there had to be something wrong with you. Was there something wrong with the food? Here, have something else to eat. Catch my drift?
I was on Weight Watchers for the better part of two years, and I lost nearly 70 pounds on it. One thing that I will say is that WW taught me how to take the food available to me and turn it into something I can lose weight with. I was living in the dorms, in my first apartment, and my food availability was rather limited, especially with the dining hall situation. I could eat what I wanted, learned to track what and how much I ate, and soon began making better choices food wise. But it didn't stick.
My vow from now on is to make it stick. But I'm not going to shell out money that could very well be spent elsewhere (as my grandma pointed out -- don't spend the money on a weight loss plan, because it takes away money you could be spending on healthy food options to replace the bad ones) on paying monthly fees to WW again. Especially since in this day and age, there are hundreds of free tools that allow you to do the same thing, just without the handy (and pain in the ass) Points system.
I track what I eat these days through My Fitness Pal, which comes in both an App form and the website. I use the App for tracking when I haven't planned ahead, following the calorie goal that's calculated for me healthily based on my weight, height and activity level, and the website when I have the ability to plan ahead. I like planning. I can set what I'm going to eat, so I'm not rushing around, or craving something and give in (I'm lookin' at you, bag of Toll House cookies...). When I plan, I know I have something easy to pick and make, so I'm obviously not going to starve. I usually give myself a couple hundred calories of leeway, in case I do feel the need to have something sweet.
There is no need for a miracle weight loss plan, or to pay all kinds of money for people to do the work for you, or for supplements that don't really do much of anything (or are horribly dangerous to your health!) in order to lose weight.
Burn more calories than you take in. It's that freaking simple. If it's not that simple for you, then consult your doctor. When I talked to mine, we ran a blood test and found out that I'm borderline hypothyroid, so yes, losing weight is a bit more difficult for me, but it's correctable. If I had continued to have trouble after following a strict diet, my doctor said we would look at medications, but she didn't think it was necessary. I started working out regularly (sometimes, I even made it to religiously!) and doing strength training - the extra lean muscle was just the boost my metabolism needed to balance out my thyroid.
Ask questions. People want to help you. Find a friend to keep you accountable, but don't find that friend who will nag you about every little thing you put in your mouth. My best friend and I went through WW together, only in the sense that we had our individual Points, we didn't nag about what we ate on a daily basis - and we cheated like hell together. We literally had a weekly trip to Marble Slab as our one indulgence. It kept the guilt at bay, and we lost all the more weight because of it.
Losing weight is hard. It's not SUPPOSED to be easy, because you're SUPPOSED to be changing your lifestyle FOREVER. Not until you hit your weightloss goal, spend two weeks in your skinny jeans as you revert to your old habits, and find yourself with all the weight back six months later. If you're going to lose it right, you're going to lose it forever. End of store.
I love the honesty of Fabulous Lorraine in her weight loss journey. She works her ass off, and she knows why she's stalled -- because she's not eating right. It's a balance. A sucky terrible balance. But one you have to fight your way through.
I fought my way through once, and I slipped. My lovable R. is supportive of my efforts to get myself back under control, but reminds me constantly that he loves me any way that I am, even if I stayed the same. I need that support, because it means that I'm not changing for what I see as the most important opinion outside of my own: his. He loves me. I am not my weight. But I need to lose my weight, because otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to be around for him to love, or that I will be limited in such.
I'm doing this for me. I'm fighting my urges, drowning my cravings in water, and taking long walks around my bad days.
And finding fabulous ways to cook through it all. Here we go, guys. Here we go.
-A
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The art of packing lunches.
I have these memories of packed lunches from being in school. Admittedly, the packed lunch phase only lasted about until middle school, and a few sporadic attempts in high school, but there's always that sense of going to school and having a packed lunch when I think of going to school.
While my school days are over (for now, at least. Here's hoping for good applications in the fall!), I am beginning a new job where the days are long, and my current finances don't allow for eating out every day. I also don't want to risk all of the calories that come with eating out - I am trying my best to get into the whole eating well groove again, and cutting excess calories out of my life.
Tomorrow is my first 9:15-6:15 shift, with an hour for lunch, so I decided I would pack a lunch to go with my big ol' bottle of water that I bring to work, since the store is inside of a fort and it gets really hot sometimes. I made a turkey sandwich on Arnold's Sandwich thins, with deli turkey, spinach leaves, a slice of pepperjack cheese, and some spicy brown mustard. Combined with a handful of tortilla chips, a banana and an apple, it should be more than enough to get me through the day, given that I plan on eating a good breakfast before I go to work.
It's going to be a long day spent on my feet, but a good lunch makes the prospect a little brighter.
Lunch is just as important as breakfast,
-A
While my school days are over (for now, at least. Here's hoping for good applications in the fall!), I am beginning a new job where the days are long, and my current finances don't allow for eating out every day. I also don't want to risk all of the calories that come with eating out - I am trying my best to get into the whole eating well groove again, and cutting excess calories out of my life.
Tomorrow is my first 9:15-6:15 shift, with an hour for lunch, so I decided I would pack a lunch to go with my big ol' bottle of water that I bring to work, since the store is inside of a fort and it gets really hot sometimes. I made a turkey sandwich on Arnold's Sandwich thins, with deli turkey, spinach leaves, a slice of pepperjack cheese, and some spicy brown mustard. Combined with a handful of tortilla chips, a banana and an apple, it should be more than enough to get me through the day, given that I plan on eating a good breakfast before I go to work.
It's going to be a long day spent on my feet, but a good lunch makes the prospect a little brighter.
Lunch is just as important as breakfast,
-A
Monday, June 13, 2011
Eating Out: Applebee's.
My family has always had the tradition that when it was your birthday, you got to choose where to go out for a special birthday dinner. My sister's birthday was last week, and we put off having the birthday dinner until tonight, and she chose Applebee's. Now, I had a rather jarring awakening this morning at the doctor's office when the scale told me that through the stresses and pains of the my last year of college, I managed to gain back a large chunk of the weight I lost when I spent two years on Weight Watchers. It hurt to see those numbers.
So I decided, for about five minutes, to return to WW. Then I realized that really, I didn't need it. I had spent long enough on the program that I knew quite well how to eat healthy, monitor my portions, and with technology today there are so many free websites and iPhone apps that can help me track everything I eat and keep me on the right path. I promise that this revelation isn't going to turn this blog into a diet-crazy-health-nut-food-blog, since I do love to eat. One of my favorite things that WW taught me is that I am allowed to eat whatever I want -- I just have to eat it in moderation. It's a good life rule, but I spent the past year seeking comfort in food, and I didn't bother to practice the portion control side of it. That begins anew now.
Back on topic, at Applebee's they recently debuted a new menu, with items that were all under 550 calories. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry (a side effect of the antibiotics I'm on. I have no appetite until I'm so hungry and weak with low blood sugar that my body has no choice but to tell me to eat, but I don't really want to even then.), so these options looked good. You can see the entire menu on the Applebee's Website.
Today I chose the Asiago Peppercorn Steak, which was really good. The peppercorn gave the smaller serving of steak a lot of flavor. The "seasonal vegetables" was rather sad, as it was just a giant clump of overly boiled broccoli, and some potatoes that had no real flavor. I found myself running the broccoli and potatoes around the bottom of the plate in hopes of picking up some of the leftover juices from the steak to help them out. Of course, that might just be a shortfall of our particular Applebee's, and not one that everyone would encounter.
I would recommend the menu for people who aren't looking to overindulge, and it takes the guesswork out of the portions, since we all know that restaurants over-serve with gusto. The main part of the meal, the steak, was pretty tasty, with a nice crunch and crust from the peppercorns, and the melted asiago cheese satisfied my indulgent side. I might opt for a different side next time, like a small salad, just to make it seem a little less sad on the plate with the vegetables.
Here's to good eats, and healthy futures,
-A
So I decided, for about five minutes, to return to WW. Then I realized that really, I didn't need it. I had spent long enough on the program that I knew quite well how to eat healthy, monitor my portions, and with technology today there are so many free websites and iPhone apps that can help me track everything I eat and keep me on the right path. I promise that this revelation isn't going to turn this blog into a diet-crazy-health-nut-food-blog, since I do love to eat. One of my favorite things that WW taught me is that I am allowed to eat whatever I want -- I just have to eat it in moderation. It's a good life rule, but I spent the past year seeking comfort in food, and I didn't bother to practice the portion control side of it. That begins anew now.
Back on topic, at Applebee's they recently debuted a new menu, with items that were all under 550 calories. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry (a side effect of the antibiotics I'm on. I have no appetite until I'm so hungry and weak with low blood sugar that my body has no choice but to tell me to eat, but I don't really want to even then.), so these options looked good. You can see the entire menu on the Applebee's Website.
Today I chose the Asiago Peppercorn Steak, which was really good. The peppercorn gave the smaller serving of steak a lot of flavor. The "seasonal vegetables" was rather sad, as it was just a giant clump of overly boiled broccoli, and some potatoes that had no real flavor. I found myself running the broccoli and potatoes around the bottom of the plate in hopes of picking up some of the leftover juices from the steak to help them out. Of course, that might just be a shortfall of our particular Applebee's, and not one that everyone would encounter.
I would recommend the menu for people who aren't looking to overindulge, and it takes the guesswork out of the portions, since we all know that restaurants over-serve with gusto. The main part of the meal, the steak, was pretty tasty, with a nice crunch and crust from the peppercorns, and the melted asiago cheese satisfied my indulgent side. I might opt for a different side next time, like a small salad, just to make it seem a little less sad on the plate with the vegetables.
Here's to good eats, and healthy futures,
-A
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
This isn't a full post.
I was supposed to have a job interview today, which I was very excited about, but instead I landed in the Emergency Room. I had my gallbladder taken out almost two years ago, and there was damage to the Common Bile Duct, and a stent placed. Now it seems the bile duct is malfunctioning and the stent is nowhere to be found, and it resulted in me having a sudden attack of sever pain this morning.
Honestly, I don't feel like writing about food tonight. I feel like curling up with ice cream and a good book and ignoring the world, because I'm still hurting, and worrying about my interview tomorrow (the lady was very understanding, and willing to let me interview even though I bailed moments before I was supposed to be there. With the amount of pain I was in, I would have made more of a fool of myself trying to get through it than I would by canceling).
But I will leave you with a few links, some favorites of mine:
The Hyppo Gourmet Popsicles : Created by Stephen Dimare, a family friend who I grew up with. His pops are truly amazing and wonderful. I highly recommend Peanut Butter Pie, Champagne Mango, Riesling Pear, and Strawberry Datil. They're so creative there!
Tiny Urban Kitchen: Che shares the same struggles that I do - small kitchen, limited cooking space, and the saddening lack of fresh ingredients available to most urbanites. I love the anecdotes! The restaurant stories are great, and give me loads of ideas of places I'd like to visit. I've been the bakery mentioned in the most recent post in NYC - I can vouch for the baked goodness!
80 Breakfasts: We've discussed my addiction to breakfast foods before. This should be rather self-explanatory. There are some amazing recipes here that have nothing to do with breakfast, though, and I love the writing style.
I'm going to go back to my book now, and hope that the freak incident today was a one-off... I really want this job, so I can start gathering my ingredients and cooking again. To share it all with you here, of course (and mail treats to the baked-goods-from-girlfriend-deprived-R. in California, of course).
I think there is some Peppermint Mocha Java Chip Frapp ice cream in the freezer calling my name...
-A
Honestly, I don't feel like writing about food tonight. I feel like curling up with ice cream and a good book and ignoring the world, because I'm still hurting, and worrying about my interview tomorrow (the lady was very understanding, and willing to let me interview even though I bailed moments before I was supposed to be there. With the amount of pain I was in, I would have made more of a fool of myself trying to get through it than I would by canceling).
But I will leave you with a few links, some favorites of mine:
The Hyppo Gourmet Popsicles : Created by Stephen Dimare, a family friend who I grew up with. His pops are truly amazing and wonderful. I highly recommend Peanut Butter Pie, Champagne Mango, Riesling Pear, and Strawberry Datil. They're so creative there!
Tiny Urban Kitchen: Che shares the same struggles that I do - small kitchen, limited cooking space, and the saddening lack of fresh ingredients available to most urbanites. I love the anecdotes! The restaurant stories are great, and give me loads of ideas of places I'd like to visit. I've been the bakery mentioned in the most recent post in NYC - I can vouch for the baked goodness!
80 Breakfasts: We've discussed my addiction to breakfast foods before. This should be rather self-explanatory. There are some amazing recipes here that have nothing to do with breakfast, though, and I love the writing style.
I'm going to go back to my book now, and hope that the freak incident today was a one-off... I really want this job, so I can start gathering my ingredients and cooking again. To share it all with you here, of course (and mail treats to the baked-goods-from-girlfriend-deprived-R. in California, of course).
I think there is some Peppermint Mocha Java Chip Frapp ice cream in the freezer calling my name...
-A
Monday, June 6, 2011
A busy week.
I feel bad for not posting anything last week, especially since it was a pretty busy and wonderful week food-wise for me. R. and I were packing up to leave and head back to my hometown for a few days before he left to go back to the golden coast of California to visit his family, and I'm preparing to move back home for the foreseeable future. It was busy, hectic, but we finally made it, and now I can sit and recount the meals we shared that were memorable.
The week started out with our monthaversary, and R. decided he wanted to do something "special" for dinner, and that "special" turned out to be something that fit our personalities and relationship really well -- homemade BLT sandwiches and a Star Trek movie marathon. The BLTs were made with Publix bakery italian bread (Thick, delicious, squishy slices of heaven), crispy oven baked bacon and nice in-season tomatoes sliced thick. I put a little spicy mustard on mine, and R. ate his plain. With a pasta salad, we had our meal that we enjoyed curled up on the couch, watching Picard and Kirk, debating the strengths and weaknesses of our favorite Captains.
A real challenge for us that week was eating everything we had in our fridge, and to cook without really making leftovers. Our solution was chicken sandwiches one night, with a side of the leftover pasta salad, and to make another pizza the next. Between that and omelets galore, some pancakes and biscuits with chili, we managed to pretty much clear out both of our freezers and the perishables from our pantries.
My favorite way of making chicken breasts is a pretty simple one. I hate, hate, hate, hate dry chicken breasts. Even grilled chicken breasts lose their appeal to me when they're dry and chewy. That's saying a lot, because chicken is one of my favorite proteins, serving as a lean source of protein that can be low in calories, and perfect served complexly or simply. I love chicken (remember the Never Fail Chicken Chili?) and I've gotten pretty good at cooking it.
Here's what you need to make great moist chicken breasts (or strips, or tenderloins. I haven't tried it with anything with the bone in, but consulting your handy-dandy cookbook like the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for cooking times, you can use this technique as well):
When the chicken is done, it's great for eating plain with a side of vegetables or starch, or using in sandwiches like R. and I did, or in chicken salads, on top of salads, etc. Whatever your favorite use for chicken, this gives you good moist chicken to use. R. and I topped the pizza we made with the leftover chicken, some mushrooms, and other vegetables and meats we had leftover, smothered it in cheese and called it good. It went through basically the same process as our previous pizza adventure.
Now I have to come to terms with the fact that R. is three thousand miles away, and relearn how to cook for one person, and adapt my parents' style of eating to one that will help me stay on the healthy eating train. Here's to steam pack vegetables and chicken breasts!
... putting that in writing just makes it seem worse, after all the culinary fun I've been having for the past few weeks. Sigh.
Still cookin',
-A
The week started out with our monthaversary, and R. decided he wanted to do something "special" for dinner, and that "special" turned out to be something that fit our personalities and relationship really well -- homemade BLT sandwiches and a Star Trek movie marathon. The BLTs were made with Publix bakery italian bread (Thick, delicious, squishy slices of heaven), crispy oven baked bacon and nice in-season tomatoes sliced thick. I put a little spicy mustard on mine, and R. ate his plain. With a pasta salad, we had our meal that we enjoyed curled up on the couch, watching Picard and Kirk, debating the strengths and weaknesses of our favorite Captains.
A real challenge for us that week was eating everything we had in our fridge, and to cook without really making leftovers. Our solution was chicken sandwiches one night, with a side of the leftover pasta salad, and to make another pizza the next. Between that and omelets galore, some pancakes and biscuits with chili, we managed to pretty much clear out both of our freezers and the perishables from our pantries.
My favorite way of making chicken breasts is a pretty simple one. I hate, hate, hate, hate dry chicken breasts. Even grilled chicken breasts lose their appeal to me when they're dry and chewy. That's saying a lot, because chicken is one of my favorite proteins, serving as a lean source of protein that can be low in calories, and perfect served complexly or simply. I love chicken (remember the Never Fail Chicken Chili?) and I've gotten pretty good at cooking it.
Here's what you need to make great moist chicken breasts (or strips, or tenderloins. I haven't tried it with anything with the bone in, but consulting your handy-dandy cookbook like the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for cooking times, you can use this technique as well):
- 1 deep baking dish, either metal or glass, line with aluminum foil for easier cleanup.
- 1 can (or more, depending on how much chicken you have) low sodium chicken broth
- Chicken!
- Spices such as salt, garlic, pepper, chili powder. Whatever floats your chicken flavoring boat.
When the chicken is done, it's great for eating plain with a side of vegetables or starch, or using in sandwiches like R. and I did, or in chicken salads, on top of salads, etc. Whatever your favorite use for chicken, this gives you good moist chicken to use. R. and I topped the pizza we made with the leftover chicken, some mushrooms, and other vegetables and meats we had leftover, smothered it in cheese and called it good. It went through basically the same process as our previous pizza adventure.
Now I have to come to terms with the fact that R. is three thousand miles away, and relearn how to cook for one person, and adapt my parents' style of eating to one that will help me stay on the healthy eating train. Here's to steam pack vegetables and chicken breasts!
... putting that in writing just makes it seem worse, after all the culinary fun I've been having for the past few weeks. Sigh.
Still cookin',
-A
Friday, May 27, 2011
Hot like an oven!
I used to think that I wasn't very good at cooking, per se, at least the kind that came from the top of the stove. I had experimented and had both successes and failures in my trial and error procedures, and done alright with a few tried and true recipes. One thing I knew I could do, kick ass and take names at, however, was bake.
Baking is one of my favorite things in this entire world to do. I love the science behind it -- you mix this amount of this, and that amount of this, add a certain degree of heat for a certain time, and you get an end product. Baking is exact, not like cooking which you can admittedly wing at times. I have gotten the hang of winging cooking (it frustrated R. to no end that it has become my main way of cooking, when he's a 'follow-the-recipe' kind of guy), and have improved on top of the stove. But the oven remains my true domain. I will always succeed when there is an oven involved.
My roommate jokes that whenever I get sincerely bored, or have a really terrible day, she can tell my the smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen. If it's something savory and healthy like whole wheat muffins, a quiche, or baked meats, then she would know I was bored. If it was chocolatey, or sugary, it was a very bad, terrible day.
Today, I'm bored. It's entering the summer rainy season, and R. doesn't get home until later this evening from his conference, and I'm procrastinating on packing (again. It's going to be a theme through next week, trust me). So I went to my pantry, realized I had some whole-wheat flour, the basics for say, muffins, and some frozen blueberries that needed to be used up. And what better time than the present, yeah?
I google a lot of baking things, and compare and contrast recipes in order to find ones that I can usually mash together and get a good result. www.cooks.com is one of the main sources for my searches, or www.allrecipes.com. I found a couple of recipes for whole-wheat blueberry muffins at their simplest, and decided on mainly this recipe as my basis for my muffin adventure.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of honey, and while I had honey on hand, I didn't have that much. So I took my winging skills from cooking and went to work. I've been baking long enough that I have been able to get a sense of what works and what doesn't, and finally feel confident enough to make substitutions. If I had apple sauce, for instance, I would have substituted that for the oil in the recipe (but I didn't).
Here is the final version of the recipe that I used:
Ingredients:
They came out absolutely gorgeous golden brown, slightly crunchy on top from the honey, and super juice from the blueberries which had burst into deliciousness during baking. I think I'm in love with a new recipe, and it works wonderfully. I'm happy. I have successfully staved off another boring afternoon by baking, and now, blogging. Now, I'm off to hunt up some more recipes to try in the coming weeks. I leave you with some pictures of the delicious muffins:
Happy Boredom-Baking!
-A
Baking is one of my favorite things in this entire world to do. I love the science behind it -- you mix this amount of this, and that amount of this, add a certain degree of heat for a certain time, and you get an end product. Baking is exact, not like cooking which you can admittedly wing at times. I have gotten the hang of winging cooking (it frustrated R. to no end that it has become my main way of cooking, when he's a 'follow-the-recipe' kind of guy), and have improved on top of the stove. But the oven remains my true domain. I will always succeed when there is an oven involved.
My roommate jokes that whenever I get sincerely bored, or have a really terrible day, she can tell my the smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen. If it's something savory and healthy like whole wheat muffins, a quiche, or baked meats, then she would know I was bored. If it was chocolatey, or sugary, it was a very bad, terrible day.
Today, I'm bored. It's entering the summer rainy season, and R. doesn't get home until later this evening from his conference, and I'm procrastinating on packing (again. It's going to be a theme through next week, trust me). So I went to my pantry, realized I had some whole-wheat flour, the basics for say, muffins, and some frozen blueberries that needed to be used up. And what better time than the present, yeah?
I google a lot of baking things, and compare and contrast recipes in order to find ones that I can usually mash together and get a good result. www.cooks.com is one of the main sources for my searches, or www.allrecipes.com. I found a couple of recipes for whole-wheat blueberry muffins at their simplest, and decided on mainly this recipe as my basis for my muffin adventure.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of honey, and while I had honey on hand, I didn't have that much. So I took my winging skills from cooking and went to work. I've been baking long enough that I have been able to get a sense of what works and what doesn't, and finally feel confident enough to make substitutions. If I had apple sauce, for instance, I would have substituted that for the oil in the recipe (but I didn't).
Here is the final version of the recipe that I used:
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of milk (I splashed a little vanilla extract in, for an extra delicious flavor)
- 1/4 cup of oil
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 brown sugar (in place of honey)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (really, I just threw a whole bunch in. I love them!) of frozen blueberries
They came out absolutely gorgeous golden brown, slightly crunchy on top from the honey, and super juice from the blueberries which had burst into deliciousness during baking. I think I'm in love with a new recipe, and it works wonderfully. I'm happy. I have successfully staved off another boring afternoon by baking, and now, blogging. Now, I'm off to hunt up some more recipes to try in the coming weeks. I leave you with some pictures of the delicious muffins:
Happy Boredom-Baking!
-A
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I have an addiction.
It's not a bad addiction (depending on how you look at it). In fact, it has proven to be really good at times.
Hi, my name is A., and I have an addiction to breakfast food.
My absolute favorite breakfast food is pancakes, but I'll be content with pretty much anything breakfast related. Sausage, eggs, toast, muffins, crepes, waffles, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast bowls, quiches: You name it, I'll probably love it. A post-concert ritual that my best friend and I started back in freshman year was to go to Village Inn or some other breakfast oriented (even the sleazy all-night Diner on campus) and have breakfast in celebration of a concert well (or sometimes, badly) done. At 11 at night. I love breakfast.
Now, I also have a problem with my addiction. Pancakes are the one thing which I honestly fail (95% of the time) at making successfully. I have no idea why, but pancakes never come out right for me. They're always burned, not cooked through, or some combination of Not Right that makes them Crappy Pancakes. Even though I always eat my Crappy Pancakes in shame, I will freely admit that it's probably not the best idea to have me at the stove to make them. R., however, makes them really well. He's surprised me with chocolate-chip pancakes on more than one occasion, and it always makes my week.
While we're admitting addictions and other negatively-connotated things, I have another admission. I have Appliance Envy. My childhood memories of having pancakes at my Grandma's house (those were Really Special Mornings) included her electric griddle, that she still uses today, even though it's probably a good 15-20 years old. It heated evenly and perfectly, and always produced perfect pancakes. I envy that griddle. In my dream kitchen, there would be a griddle surface built into the range, all because of that griddle at my Grandma's house from my childhood.
Obviously, I can't have pancakes and breakfast delights every morning, especially with my crippling failure at making them. I usually settle for cereal or a bagel, something to grab on the way out the door and easy to eat while driving (shh, I know it's a bad habit. But I don't do well in the mornings, and am perpetually rushed. It's one of the few things I can multi-task to save time).
I was playing around with egg recipes the other day, and found that baking scrambled eggs in a pie dish on a low temp (around 300 degrees) cooked them perfectly, and gave you an almost-quiche texture. So I mixed in some sweet-and-spicy prepackaged tuna, salt and pepper into about 6 eggs, and baked for about 25 minutes at the low heat, checking pretty regularly to avoid Burnt Eggs (one of the great sins of the universe). When it was pretty much done except for a little watery spot in the middle, I generously piled shredded cheese on top and turned on the broiler for about 3 minutes. Ta-da, Egg-Tuna-Casserole!
While the Egg-Tuna-Casserole was delicious, I couldn't finish it all in one sitting. R. is still out of town, and I haven't even bothered to try to readjust my cooking proportions, because he'll be back on Friday and I'll be back to making things for two people. Until then, I just cook half as much and eat the same thing, sometimes variated, twice.
This morning I got called into work, and mistakenly turned off my alarm after it went off -- and didn't wake up until about 20 minutes before I Had To Be Out The Door. I scrambled and got dressed and ready for work, but I needed something to eat for breakfast that could be a) eaten while driving, obviously, and b) a lasting meal that would keep me full for a while. I took the remaining Egg-Tuna-Casserole, nuked it really fast, put it between two pieces of whole-wheat-whole-grain toast with a little mustard and called it a sandwich. It was delicious! And, the combination of whole grains and super-protein from the eggs and tuna kept me full for a long time. Victory for leftovers!
I'm babysitting a friend of mine's 10-year-old daughter overnight tomorrow night, and being as she's one of the coolest kids I know on the face of the planet, I want to make something special for her. She's adamant that I'm not really babysitting her, I'm just a friend that is staying overnight so she doesn't get scared alone while her Mom is out of town. Exactly, kid, what I thought I was doing! I have basic baking ingredients around, and some delicious blueberries in the freezer that need to be used up.
I think this mission calls for muffins!
Here's to friends who keep you safe, and indulge your breakfast food addictions,
-A
Hi, my name is A., and I have an addiction to breakfast food.
My absolute favorite breakfast food is pancakes, but I'll be content with pretty much anything breakfast related. Sausage, eggs, toast, muffins, crepes, waffles, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast bowls, quiches: You name it, I'll probably love it. A post-concert ritual that my best friend and I started back in freshman year was to go to Village Inn or some other breakfast oriented (even the sleazy all-night Diner on campus) and have breakfast in celebration of a concert well (or sometimes, badly) done. At 11 at night. I love breakfast.
Now, I also have a problem with my addiction. Pancakes are the one thing which I honestly fail (95% of the time) at making successfully. I have no idea why, but pancakes never come out right for me. They're always burned, not cooked through, or some combination of Not Right that makes them Crappy Pancakes. Even though I always eat my Crappy Pancakes in shame, I will freely admit that it's probably not the best idea to have me at the stove to make them. R., however, makes them really well. He's surprised me with chocolate-chip pancakes on more than one occasion, and it always makes my week.
While we're admitting addictions and other negatively-connotated things, I have another admission. I have Appliance Envy. My childhood memories of having pancakes at my Grandma's house (those were Really Special Mornings) included her electric griddle, that she still uses today, even though it's probably a good 15-20 years old. It heated evenly and perfectly, and always produced perfect pancakes. I envy that griddle. In my dream kitchen, there would be a griddle surface built into the range, all because of that griddle at my Grandma's house from my childhood.
Obviously, I can't have pancakes and breakfast delights every morning, especially with my crippling failure at making them. I usually settle for cereal or a bagel, something to grab on the way out the door and easy to eat while driving (shh, I know it's a bad habit. But I don't do well in the mornings, and am perpetually rushed. It's one of the few things I can multi-task to save time).
I was playing around with egg recipes the other day, and found that baking scrambled eggs in a pie dish on a low temp (around 300 degrees) cooked them perfectly, and gave you an almost-quiche texture. So I mixed in some sweet-and-spicy prepackaged tuna, salt and pepper into about 6 eggs, and baked for about 25 minutes at the low heat, checking pretty regularly to avoid Burnt Eggs (one of the great sins of the universe). When it was pretty much done except for a little watery spot in the middle, I generously piled shredded cheese on top and turned on the broiler for about 3 minutes. Ta-da, Egg-Tuna-Casserole!
While the Egg-Tuna-Casserole was delicious, I couldn't finish it all in one sitting. R. is still out of town, and I haven't even bothered to try to readjust my cooking proportions, because he'll be back on Friday and I'll be back to making things for two people. Until then, I just cook half as much and eat the same thing, sometimes variated, twice.
This morning I got called into work, and mistakenly turned off my alarm after it went off -- and didn't wake up until about 20 minutes before I Had To Be Out The Door. I scrambled and got dressed and ready for work, but I needed something to eat for breakfast that could be a) eaten while driving, obviously, and b) a lasting meal that would keep me full for a while. I took the remaining Egg-Tuna-Casserole, nuked it really fast, put it between two pieces of whole-wheat-whole-grain toast with a little mustard and called it a sandwich. It was delicious! And, the combination of whole grains and super-protein from the eggs and tuna kept me full for a long time. Victory for leftovers!
I'm babysitting a friend of mine's 10-year-old daughter overnight tomorrow night, and being as she's one of the coolest kids I know on the face of the planet, I want to make something special for her. She's adamant that I'm not really babysitting her, I'm just a friend that is staying overnight so she doesn't get scared alone while her Mom is out of town. Exactly, kid, what I thought I was doing! I have basic baking ingredients around, and some delicious blueberries in the freezer that need to be used up.
I think this mission calls for muffins!
Here's to friends who keep you safe, and indulge your breakfast food addictions,
-A
Monday, May 23, 2011
Leftovers
I love leftovers. They're pretty great, and you can find ways to make what was the entirety of one meal into a completely different thing by using them in another. Leftovers are wonderful. Leftovers are creative. Leftovers are, most importantly, cheap.
R. left for a week for a conference that he's been working on for the past few months, and I found myself terribly bored, and lonely without him (and it's only the first day). I also found that the routine we have established of having dinner together, planning meals and grocery shopping, completely blown out of the water by his absence. However, I knew we had leftovers from last week - a little bit of chicken chili, some bacon, lettuce, etc., in his kitchen. Istole took the leftovers from his house (they needed to be used) and began to plot... I mean, plan, my leftovers adventure.
Occasionally I go on healthy eating kicks, powered by habits from having spent two years on Weight Watchers a while back. I like the feeling of eating healthy, and it is admittedly easier when I am only cooking for myself. A week without the loving bottomless pit of my boyfriend seems like the perfect opportunity to have one of those healthy kicks, and use up some leftovers while I was at it. (We'll see how it's going on Friday, shall we?)
That healthy kick starts tomorrow. Because today, I remembered that there was bacon. I love bacon in my tummy as much as my arteries hate it. I have learned how to cook it healthily (thanks, WW!) without having to substitute silly things like Turkey-Bacon or some faux-bacon for the good kind. Here's my favorite way:
Leftovers were common in my childhood. At my grandma's house, you could bet good money that if it wasn't eaten one night, it would show up again and again until it was all eaten, in various forms. My mom loves casseroles, and they make amazing leftovers as well. My dad has the knack for turning anything into a day-after sandwich, even my mom's casseroles (broccoli casserole and turkey sandwich? Win!), which I seem to have inherited. I don't think I ever met a well-thought-out sandwich that I didn't like (wait, no. One involved sauerkraut. That one I didn't like).
Now I have a mug of cinnamon tea with honey and a Netflix queue and some delightfully trashy novels to catch up with.
Leftovers are a way of prolonging a meal we didn't want to end. Or torturing us with ones we wished we never had.
-A
R. left for a week for a conference that he's been working on for the past few months, and I found myself terribly bored, and lonely without him (and it's only the first day). I also found that the routine we have established of having dinner together, planning meals and grocery shopping, completely blown out of the water by his absence. However, I knew we had leftovers from last week - a little bit of chicken chili, some bacon, lettuce, etc., in his kitchen. I
Occasionally I go on healthy eating kicks, powered by habits from having spent two years on Weight Watchers a while back. I like the feeling of eating healthy, and it is admittedly easier when I am only cooking for myself. A week without the loving bottomless pit of my boyfriend seems like the perfect opportunity to have one of those healthy kicks, and use up some leftovers while I was at it. (We'll see how it's going on Friday, shall we?)
That healthy kick starts tomorrow. Because today, I remembered that there was bacon. I love bacon in my tummy as much as my arteries hate it. I have learned how to cook it healthily (thanks, WW!) without having to substitute silly things like Turkey-Bacon or some faux-bacon for the good kind. Here's my favorite way:
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Fold another piece of foil in an accordion shape, and stretch out enough that there are ridges. This creates valleys for the grease of the bacon to accumulate so that it's not frying in it in the oven (kind of defeats the purpose of the whole baking thing, then.)
- Place bacon on the accordion foil. Put the baking sheet into a cold oven (I don't know why it works better this way, it just does.) and then turn the oven up to about 375-400 degrees. Depending on crispness, you want to take the bacon out at about 20-30 minutes. Watching it in the last few minutes is advisable, as it can go from slightly tender to charcoal very quickly (Trust me, I know).
Leftovers were common in my childhood. At my grandma's house, you could bet good money that if it wasn't eaten one night, it would show up again and again until it was all eaten, in various forms. My mom loves casseroles, and they make amazing leftovers as well. My dad has the knack for turning anything into a day-after sandwich, even my mom's casseroles (broccoli casserole and turkey sandwich? Win!), which I seem to have inherited. I don't think I ever met a well-thought-out sandwich that I didn't like (wait, no. One involved sauerkraut. That one I didn't like).
Now I have a mug of cinnamon tea with honey and a Netflix queue and some delightfully trashy novels to catch up with.
Leftovers are a way of prolonging a meal we didn't want to end. Or torturing us with ones we wished we never had.
-A
Friday, May 20, 2011
Small budget = simple meals.
If there is one trend that follows me through food, it's my love of simplicity. The simplest meals (prior examples: grilled cheese and soup, homemade pizza) are my favorite, and they make up my arsenal of comfort foods. On bad days I turn to good simple foods, such as a big bowl of sticky white rice mixed with cream of mushroom soup, or beef stew with a big doughy dumpling on top. I love food, and food loves me back (most times).
The best thing about simple meals is that they tend to be found on the cheap. Rice is cheap, cans of soup and beans are cheap, you know? Since I'm a recent college graduate and my work life has yet to really take off, my budget is still beyond tight. So there are days when I look around my pantry and kitchen and see what I can combine and have together. One of my favorite standbys are cans of Publix brand Spicy Chili beans, and mixing it with any kind of starch I can find.
I had a few small red potatoes left over (potatoes are cheap, too. Get a three pound bag for around $3? Done.) so I cut them into small pieces, coated them in a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and a sprinkle of chili powder, and baked them until cooked and slightly crispy. Pouring a can of spicy chili beans, back in the oven until warmed through and seasoned. Then I ate them. All. Tasty is tasty, you know?
Here's to simple meals that fill your stomach when you need it, without emptying your wallet.
-A
The best thing about simple meals is that they tend to be found on the cheap. Rice is cheap, cans of soup and beans are cheap, you know? Since I'm a recent college graduate and my work life has yet to really take off, my budget is still beyond tight. So there are days when I look around my pantry and kitchen and see what I can combine and have together. One of my favorite standbys are cans of Publix brand Spicy Chili beans, and mixing it with any kind of starch I can find.
I had a few small red potatoes left over (potatoes are cheap, too. Get a three pound bag for around $3? Done.) so I cut them into small pieces, coated them in a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and a sprinkle of chili powder, and baked them until cooked and slightly crispy. Pouring a can of spicy chili beans, back in the oven until warmed through and seasoned. Then I ate them. All. Tasty is tasty, you know?
Here's to simple meals that fill your stomach when you need it, without emptying your wallet.
-A
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
An adventure/experiment in pizza making
I feel the need to preface this post by saying one mushy thing: my boyfriend is pretty amazing. We have a habit of watching Food Network in the evenings when we're vegging out in front of the T.V. (mostly because its the channel that I miss during my lack of cable due to College poverty), and R. gets to listen to my rambling commentary on food inspiration that the shows provoke. Every time we go to Publix to grocery shop, I have a moment where I stand in front of the section in the bakery where they stock pizza dough and the makings of pizza and say something along the lines of "You know, we should really make our own pizza one night." To which R. realistically replies "But it takes forever, and there's no guarantee it will taste good."
The other night we were watching Iron Chef: America, Battle Tomato and I made a comment about how much I loved a good BLT and hadn't had one in a while. The next day, R. shows up at my house to pick me up to make dinner at his place as per our tradition since graduation, and he says we have two options: make BLTs, or homemade pizza. He had gotten the ingredients to do both from the store. Like I said, my boyfriend is pretty amazing.
So here follows our pizza adventure, which is ongoing as I'm writing this while the pizza bakes.
Ingredients used:
1 lb Pre-prepared pizza dough from Publix
1 package Boboli pizza sauce
1 tsp olive oil, mixed with dried basil and oregano to put on the crust
Canadian bacon slices
Bacon slices (I like regular bacon. My poor arteries)
Pineapple
Cheese (we hodge-podged the cheese, from mozerella, cheddar, and a mexican mix of shredded cheeses that we had available)
Black olives (only for R.'s part of the pizza. Ew.)
Procedure with commentary:
Post consumption judgement: Pretty darn good. The pizza turned out just doughy enough in the crust, and my worries about the bottom being thin were for naught. We weren't so crazy about the cheddar cheese taste, but we were improvising with the cheese. That didn't stop us both from devouring it, and declaring it good.
R. says that I should be sure to state that he did a knock-up job with the eggs for the salad (the salads were iceberg lettuce, apple dices, hard-boiled eggs, olives for R., Canadian bacon, and ranch dressing).
In the end, it was a wonderful dinner that we put together, and I love R. for listening and for getting the ingredients to surprise me with. Now, I'm going to curl up on the couch with him and watch the terrible movie that is Jurassic Park III (the original was on during the cooking process).
Here is a blurry picture of the final product, with R.'s loot on the right, mine on the left:
Here's to the memories you can make while making food with those you love,
-A
The other night we were watching Iron Chef: America, Battle Tomato and I made a comment about how much I loved a good BLT and hadn't had one in a while. The next day, R. shows up at my house to pick me up to make dinner at his place as per our tradition since graduation, and he says we have two options: make BLTs, or homemade pizza. He had gotten the ingredients to do both from the store. Like I said, my boyfriend is pretty amazing.
So here follows our pizza adventure, which is ongoing as I'm writing this while the pizza bakes.
Ingredients used:
1 lb Pre-prepared pizza dough from Publix
1 package Boboli pizza sauce
1 tsp olive oil, mixed with dried basil and oregano to put on the crust
Canadian bacon slices
Bacon slices (I like regular bacon. My poor arteries)
Pineapple
Cheese (we hodge-podged the cheese, from mozerella, cheddar, and a mexican mix of shredded cheeses that we had available)
Black olives (only for R.'s part of the pizza. Ew.)
Procedure with commentary:
- First we let the dough rest outside of the refrigerator for the required time of an hour, then I had an interesting experience getting it to stretch out to a decent size. I hope it worked, since it seemed like the bottom was extremely thin in places, while the crust looks overly thick.
- Then we piled the toppings on - a layer of cheese, then the Canadian bacon, the regular bacon, more cheese, then the pineapple and olives (only on R.'s half. Let me reiterate how much I dislike black olives.)
- We put the pizza in to bake for 20-30 minutes, and prayed.
Post consumption judgement: Pretty darn good. The pizza turned out just doughy enough in the crust, and my worries about the bottom being thin were for naught. We weren't so crazy about the cheddar cheese taste, but we were improvising with the cheese. That didn't stop us both from devouring it, and declaring it good.
R. says that I should be sure to state that he did a knock-up job with the eggs for the salad (the salads were iceberg lettuce, apple dices, hard-boiled eggs, olives for R., Canadian bacon, and ranch dressing).
In the end, it was a wonderful dinner that we put together, and I love R. for listening and for getting the ingredients to surprise me with. Now, I'm going to curl up on the couch with him and watch the terrible movie that is Jurassic Park III (the original was on during the cooking process).
Here is a blurry picture of the final product, with R.'s loot on the right, mine on the left:
Here's to the memories you can make while making food with those you love,
-A
Monday, May 16, 2011
Soup memories
This weekend brought several thunderstorms through the area, as is the usual for this time of year in Florida. With the storms came the memories of summers past, and my rainy-day food habits.
My summers as a child were not all that exciting, mainly centering around my grandma’s house. I created adventures there with my cousins, from the wilds of her back yard to the castles and fortresses we built and stormed in her living room.
The classic rainy day food for me is classic tomato soup and a million drowned Goldfish crackers, with a side of toast with cream cheese. I didn’t have the ingredients for such comfort this weekend, but I hope to have at least parts of it soon.
On my birthday, my best friend and I discovered a tiny restaurant in town and immediately wished that we had discovered it four years ago when we were freshmen, rather than two days before graduation. With a menu that changes from day to day as to what is fresh, a small staff that prepares the food in a kitchen you can see right into, generous portions and the ABSOLUTE BEST TOMATO SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD. A tiny restaurant, but a gargantuan amount of flavor held within.
My best friend is coming out this week to clean out her half of the apartment (this is my very, very sad face. But I will be doing the same thing soon enough.) and the plan is to revisit this restaurant, which makes my stomach rumble in anticipation.
My planned order? Tomato soup with grilled cheese – but not just any grilled cheese. The grilled cheese will be made with gouda cheese, apple slices, and bacon on Cuban bread. Perfect for dipping into the so-thick-it-coats-the-back-of-the-spoon tomato soup.
I need to stop before I drool on the keyboard.
-A
-A
Friday, May 13, 2011
There's nowhere like home.
Julia Child held the policy that she would never apologize for the quality of any of the food she made, even if it was terrible. My grandmother held much the same ideal. Never did I ever heard her apologize for quality, only possible lack of quantity.
My grandma’s kitchen table has been a grounding center for my life as long as I can remember. I have eaten innumerable meals, snacks, drunk hundreds if not thousands of cups of tea, at her table. While the table itself has changed a few times over the years, it has always been the most prominent feature in her home, a gathering place for family and friends. Her table acts as an anchor we all could hold onto in the storms of life.
No one uses the actual front door at my grandma’s house. Everyone uses the kitchen door, a sliding glass door (or the screen door in favorable weather) that allows my grandparents a panoramic view of their potted-plant garden and bird feeders. The door opens directly into the open kitchen, where my grandparents constantly sit at their wooden table. From the table, my grandpa can watch the TV that he can’t hear without his headphones, and still keep an eye on the goings-on of the neighborhood through the windows.
My grandma sits in the same chair, and has as long as I can ever remember. I have whole troves of memories of sitting across from her, learning lessons of life from her experience while her deft fingers worked a needle in her intricate cross stitches. It’s rare to find her stitching anymore, as she has trouble she won’t admit to with her arthritis and eyesight.
But she is always sitting there, as if she knew I was coming, even if I was trying to surprise her.
From years of homework, to huge cookie decorating fests at Christmas, making batches of Grandma Jelly in the summer, to crying over heartbreaks and disappoints, my life always comes back to her itchen table. On my worst days, when I feel completely sorry for myself, I want nothing more than to be sitting across from my grandma at her table, nursing a mug of tea, as she tells me to get over it – “This too shall pass. It’s not that bad, it could be worse. You could be dying.” Tough love, served with jelly and butter sandwiches, a mug of hot tea laced with enough sugar that it’s basically syrup, and a comforting pat on the hand to soften her words.
But she was always right. The bad things passed, and life went on, eventually improving. I dread the first time I have to miss a holiday dinner at her house, because I honestly don’t know how to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas without sitting at her table. Here’s hoping that day is a long way off.
Sometimes where you eat the food of your life is more important than what you eat.
-A
-A
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
There are many things in this world that people say they absolutely need to survive, and the largest of those is usually food. Following close behind water, food is one thing that all organisms on this planet simply cannot live without. Food is our fuel that keeps our physical bodies going from day to day. Take away food, and you are left with a very unhappy, hungry person, who will soon wilt and die. An angry, hungry death (at least, if I died of starvation, I would be angry.).
When you take away the fact that everyone needs food to live, you find that there are some people who truly, deeply, love food. I, myself, am one of those people. I love food, creating food, eating food, and most importantly, sharing food with others. I love the act of making a meal, from the planning, to the shopping, the creation, to the serving of it to others. I have been known to go through the whole intricate process just to serve myself a very prettily plated presentation and eat alone.
Good food, to me, is food that feeds the soul as well as the body. This food isn’t just created by the edible items on your plate, but by the company you consume it with. Good food comes with laughter, smiles, stories, clinking glasses and silverware, or simply messy fingers sticky with sauce. I see my life as a succession of these meals filled with good food, centered around the tables I have eaten them on. I use the term “table” loosely, as I have eaten many of these meals simply on the living room floor, in camp chairs, or standing up, with no physical table to place the food on. The table is the metaphor for the place I have shared these meals in. There are a few notable physical tables that I will share the tales with you of through the course of our blogging journey together, but they prove to be the exception, not the rule.
Now, here’s an obvious question: Who am I?
I am a twenty-two year old Floridian, a recent university graduate who is finding herself flummoxed at the possibility of the future. My plans to continue straight into graduate school to pursue my studies at a higher level fell through due to circumstances, so I find myself entering the work force without a plan, a degree that doesn’t help me much, and a slew of boxes from my college apartment. Who knew that you could accumulate so much stuff in four years?
You know how in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, Tula says that her family is a family of eaters, who really like to eat? That’s not just her family. My family is the same way, and we have great fun eating. My mom likes to tell the story of her first Thanksgiving with the family, where everyone showed her how to navigate the buffet line of dishes, helped her get her servings, etc. Then came the caveat: “We helped you the first time. The rule is, you get it the first time, because it likely won’t be there the second.” After that, she was on her own. She learned very quickly to get it on the first round, because they weren’t kidding.
I grew up in a relatively small town, with a large family. So really, I had no chance of ever getting away with anything while I still had my last name. Even now, when I return, people who haven’t seen me, or know my family recognize me by the features I share in common with the dozens of other kin I have. I can’t escape. But at the same time, this tradition gave me the first set of tables that I spent my life at. Church picnics, family dinners, celebratory cookouts, barbeques, these are my first memories of food that was good food, back when I wasn’t smart enough to realize that the food I had every day could be good food too.
But that’s enough about me for the moment. I’ve been working my way (with the help of R., my lovingly bottomless and patient significant other) through a pot of my chicken chili. A recipe I began tweaking from my grandmother’s simple chili of meat and beans, I’ve added a few things, and the beauty of the recipe is that you can add and take away whatever suits you, and the recipe will be just as good, if not better. I’m currently eating it over chili-dusted oven roasted potatoes (a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss, oven at 450 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Glass dishes work better than metal to keep them from sticking.) and the necessary sour cream and shredded cheese. It’s just as comforting and delicious with any other starch, or on its own.
Never Fail Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean chicken (breasts, tenderloins, stir fry… whatever is cheapest is what I usually get.) diced/cubed/generally cut smaller
1 mild chili (or spicy, if you don’t have R. grumbling about spicy foods..) spice pouch, I usually get Publix, because of availability
1 Large Can of Tomato Puree
1 Small can diced tomatoes, with onion and garlic
1 Small can plain diced tomatoes
1 Small can Great Northern White Beans
2 Small cans red kidney beans
1 Medium red bell pepper
1 Medium green bell pepper
1 Onion, small/medium/large according to your own taste
1 mild chili (or spicy, if you don’t have R. grumbling about spicy foods..) spice pouch, I usually get Publix, because of availability
1 Large Can of Tomato Puree
1 Small can diced tomatoes, with onion and garlic
1 Small can plain diced tomatoes
1 Small can Great Northern White Beans
2 Small cans red kidney beans
1 Medium red bell pepper
1 Medium green bell pepper
1 Onion, small/medium/large according to your own taste
Procedure:
- Cut peppers and onion into chunks, big or small depending on how chunky you like your chili. Place a little bit of oil or cooking spray in the bottom of the big (and I do mean big) pot for your chili, and cook peppers and onion until the onion is slightly clear.
- Add chicken, and cook until the chicken is about halfway done.
- Add all the cans of tomatoes, beans, and the spice packet. Stir, and keep over medium to low (you’ll want to reduce the heat once this gets cooking) and simmer until chicken is cooked through, or however long you want. The longer it simmers, the more tender the beans get, and the thicker the chili.
It’s a great recipe for throwing everything in a pot, and leaving it to simmer for the afternoon to be ready for dinner. It works well in a slow cooker as well. Just be sure to stir the chili every so often, and not to let the heat get to high as it can scorch the bottom of the pot. It’s great for cold winter nights and hot summer cookouts. You can easily substitute other meats, just account for the extra grease.
More recipes and stories to come!
-A.
-A.
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