To Thine Own Self, Be Food

You know, this whole-working-full-time-thing really puts a crimp in my kitchen doings.  The armada of kitchen appliances on my counter serve as constant reminders of their disuse and neglect.  I dream of happier days when I can spend quality time with them again...and not just on days that begin with a 'S'. It's quite hard to determine which kitchen appliance is the most indispensable - I use them all often and they all seem equally important.  However, right now, the bread machine is edging out the competition ever-so-slightly.  Here's why: after about ten minutes of prep time, I am rewarded with a nice, warm, moisty-chewy loaf of bread...in a variety of flavors, colors, and textures.  Yes, I have to wait a couple of hours, but that is A-OK!  Also, I've had great luck with pretzel dough. And now, I can add pizza dough to the list. The recipe I used called for three cups of all-purpose flour.  However, in my excitement and haste, I'd already dum...

Here's a great example of irony for you: I spend about $70 on meat this past weekend in an effort to restock my deep freeze...then, I turn up my nose at said foodstuff for a Meatless Monday meal plan. Madness. Anyway, tonight was a late, late supper with kiddos arriving home from soccer about 7:30.  On the bill of fare: "Red Beans and Rice", recipe courtesy of my new It cookbook "Not Just Beans". While the brown rice cooked away in its rice cooker earlier, I threw together sauteed onions, two cans of kidney beans, two cans of diced tomatoes, garlic salt, basil, and oregano together in a skillet to simmer for about fifteen minutes.  Then, I mixed the rice in at the very end of cooking. Serving went a couple different ways: tortilla chips topped with the mixture, cheddar cheese, salsa, and sour cream made for an excellent, filling dinner for the kids and Brent.  A large bowl of salad, topped with the rice and beans, cheese, salsa, and sour cream made for...

I recently received a free cookbook titled "Not Just Beans" by Tawra Kellam.  And you know me, cuckoo for cookbooks! With any new cookbook I get, I like to spend about an hour just reading, looking, dreaming, and planning.  "Not Just Beans" was no different.  Then...action time. I discovered a recipe for Beef Stroganoff using round steak - which I just happened to have in my freezer.  That's what was for dinner last night - major raves from the male contingent of the family. But today, in homage to my husband, I lovingly prepared - Blue Cheese Dressing. The pungence of the dressing comes from this funky-looking dairy product here at left.  You'll notice how UNnatural this food looks, and since it's a product I don't care for, I don't ever stock the dressing in my house. This is much to my husband's chagrin, because he loves blue cheese dressing.  Along with my mom, they both order it with relish on their salads whenever we dine out....

The fog has cleared a little, but I still feel uncertain about my nutritional future.  For years, I've been brainwashed into thinking that fat is bad, grains are good.  Ancel Keys, a Minnesota cardiologist somehow got the AHA and the rest of America to buy into the premise that high-fat, meat-laden diets were causing heart disease rates to skyrocket.  At his insistence, we all soon believed that low-fat was the way to go.  We all stocked up on potatoes, pasta, rice and loaded them up with substances like margarine and fat-free sour cream.  Then guys like Atkins and Agatston come along and tell some kinds of fat are better than other, and maybe we should eat real butter, use real cream, and eat some meat.  In fact, lean cuts of meat as it turns out, maybe help fight fat better than anything else! These, and other revelations, crop up in the movie "Fat Head".  (For a Taoist's take on this movie, check out my friend's blog at A Taoist Journey to the Sta...

I'm always open to ideas and research that impel me to improve my life.  I've been very lucky, especially in the area of food, to have come across several books and films that have changed me for the better.  The short list includes: Print: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver Ominvore's Dilemma and Food Rules by Michael Pollan What to Eat by Marion Nestle Film: Super-Size Me Food Inc. King Corn And now, I suspect I'll be able to add the film "Fat Head" to the list.  This film essentially rebuts the premise of "Super-Size Me"; in this documentary, Tom Naughton sets out to demonstrate that eating fast-food for one month straight is not as detrimental as stated in "Super-Size Me".  At the end of the month (in which he'd had mostly McDonald's), Tom Naughton actually lost twelve pounds and had better cholesterol numbers than before the experiment.  Following on the tail of that shocker were some equally disturbi...

My favorite vegetable of the day is: Asparagus.  And I owe this all to Ina Garten.  You know Ina Garten, right?  The Barefoot Contessa lady? No?  Well, now you do. Here's the sad thing about asparagus.  It's number two on the "Most Hated Vegetable List".  Okay, I don't have hard data on that previous fact, but seriously, it suffers from serious reputation damage.  And why?  My guess is that, because asparagus preparation is SO key, many people foul it up, and wind up serving something that looks like a slimy green snake.  No wonder.  If this has happened to you (as in the case of my mom), then consider this: 1. Asparagus look cool.  I mean, anyone can eat a tomato, potato, or lettuce - round vegetables are a dime a dozen.  But a spear?  With little nubby thingies on it?  Boyohboy, sign me up! 2.  Asparagus is a bang-for-your-buck vegetable.  Low calorie, low sodium, and high in fiber and a whole host...

According to Wikipedia, the quickish, cafe-style eatery Panera Bread has 1362 stores in 40 states.  That means it's highly likely most of you have access...a word I use loosely; after all, I drive over an hour to the nearest one. Anyway, for me, Panera Bread is the consummate love-hate relationship.  It is the home of the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel - a baked good SO PERFECT that I might commit violent crimes just to possess it.  However, calorie- and nutrition-wise, it's the AntiChrist (4.5 oz, 430 calories, 8g fat, 2g fiber, 29g sugar...but so, so, so delish). You see my dilemma, no doubt.  If I lived closer to a Panera, I would purchase a CCB more often...but if I purchased a CCB more often, my waistline would hate me.  And I don't want that.  Thus, I am very grateful to live a significant distance from a PB, where a CCB is not such a devilish temptation.  I suppose I should just develop stronger willpower...ASAP. Acroynms aside, my husband and I ha...

My kids enjoy watching the Food Network.  They also like the Game Show Channel. I know, I know.  I have pretty awesome kids. Anyway, one show they like is "Chopped".  The premise is a process of elimination - with one chef "winning".  Four culinary neophytes are run through a food obstacle course of sorts. In Round One, the contestants are given three totally random and unrelated ingredients, with which they have to create a palatable and clever appetizers.  And by random, I mean random...we're talking yucca, watermelon, and tortillas (there is also a "pantry" stocked with other basics). Round Two is the entree.  Round Three is the dessert.  Each round, one contestant is eliminated or "chopped" from competition...and they go home feeling like a loser. And these newbs are then given twenty minutes to complete.  You can imagine the drama that ensues. So far, I'm okay with the show.  It's clever - seeing how inventive and cleve...

So, here I am. Newly arrived from another blog site. More illuminating thoughts to follow...