23 August 2010
As I’ve mentioned before, I haven’t felt like cooking much lately. It’s a combination of things, but primarily the weather (who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when it’s nice outside?) and my busy schedule have made cooking seem pretty unappealing. Plus, I have a few strategies for keeping it healthy and avoiding takeout even when I don’t feel like cooking.
But this weekend, for whatever reason, my cooking mojo came back in a BIG way. I mean, I seriously got the sudden urge to cook something complicated. Or, not complicated, just… time-consuming. And nothing says real COOKING to me like soup. Soup starts with such basic elements — meat, veggies, spices, water — and turns into something that completely transcends those things. I know, I know, who wants to cook soup in the summer? Well, it was a glum, slightly cooler day, so it felt right.
I have plenty of go-to soup recipes (that exist in my head), but I was in the mood to cook something new. Something with a lot of ingredients. Something over-the-top.
Who better to turn to for that than Paula Deen? Now, I’m not a Paula Deen apologist, but I do love that she embraces ingredients that other chefs would gasp in horror at the sight of. She’s not afraid of butter. Neither am I!
Some quick Googling on the way to Whole Foods yielded this recipe for The Lady and Sons Beef and Vegetable Soup. With a novel of an ingredient list and a total cooking time of 2-3 hours, I knew I had a winner.
I spent a small fortune on ingredients, but it was worth it to reclaim my mojo!
I did all the cooking at casa del boyfriend, so I had to buy even more spices that he didn’t have on hand. Like I said, a small fortune, but worth it.
The best part about this soup? The massive amount of meat involved!
I had to brown this nearly three-pound slab of boneless chuck roast (local, my friends!). In an unusual twist, I followed Paula’s recipe nearly to a tee. And I also used a gigantic pot to fit everything!
Thank goodness the boy has this enormous pot. I definitely don’t own one this big. After a fair amount of chopping, the soup began to resemble something pretty heart-warming.
For those of you who will never venture to Deen territory, this soup had: carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, green beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, okra, and corn. After nearly three hours simmering, it was ready to eat. Pure bliss… in a bowl!
And that, my friends, is how I got my cooking mojo back. And now I have enough soup to feed a small army. Who wants to come over for leftovers??
18 August 2010
This week, meet Katie. Katie is wary of Vitaminwater (as she should be!) and would carb it up Italian-style for her last meal. Read on for more of her foodie personality!
Katie, another healthy eater!
- What’s your foodie style? Whole foods-based. I absolutely love eating whole grains, lots and lots of ruits and vegetables, and beans too. I am a recently converted vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and I love finding new ways to get protein, whether it be nuts, greek yogurt or tofu! My background is Middle-Eastern, so I guess that’s where I get my love of fresh foods. I also make all baked goods in my house from scratch - people think I’m crazy, but that’s how I was raised. I don’t think people realize how easy it is to bake treats from scratch, but it really is quite easy!
- Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Diet drinks for sure! People drink SO much of that stuff, and think it’s great because it has zero calories. What they don’t realize is how many chemicals there are in it! It’s absolutely crazy, the amount of artificial junk they’re putting into their bodies. As well, I think Vitaminwater and other brands of vitamin-enhanced water are overhyped. Sure, you’re getting lots of nutrients, but you’re also getting lots of sugar and 120+ calories per cup. I would rather take a vitamin supplement if I lack a specific nutrient.
- Favorite food/health blog? I really enjoy the Sparkpeople blog, and well as fANNEtastic food and Sarah Dussault’s nutrition and fitness blog, SarahFit. Of course, I also love the spunky flair of Your Nutritionista. :)
- Your go-to five-minute meal? I love making quesadillas, especially since I just got a panini press. I chop up loads of veggies, like carrots, broccoli, green and red peppers, and onions, and saute them for a bit. Then I put them in a whole wheat tortilla with a mozzarella/cheddar blend, and some salsa, and cook it. It’s dee-lish!
- Perfect last meal? Probably an Italian feast, with everything from vegetable lasagna to garlic bread to Caesar salad to spaghetti. It would definitely be carb-heavy, with lots of chocolate ice cream at the end!
- Favorite method of cooking and why? I love to saute vegetables. I use sauted vegetables for my quesadillas, omelettes, pasta dishes, and stir-frys. It is such a versatile way to cook, and when you add broth or some sauce, it adds a whole new dimension.
- Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? I tried going carb-less once. I lasted probably about a day and a half? I love carbs, they’re my biggest weakness, but I absolutely could not live without them.
- Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? Villa Gallace in Clearwater, Florida. It has extremely original and amazing Italian food, it was the best meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant.
- Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? I have wanted to make eggplant parmesan, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Also, I have wanted to learn to make really good pies, like my grandma made.
- Dream dining companion? Any Food Network star would be awesome! I would love to just sit and chat with them, and ask them all of my questions!
30 June 2010
What do macaroons, Stephen Colbert, and protein bars have in common? Read Masha’s awesome profile to find out!
1. What’s your foodie style? Emphasis on vegetables, meat, beans, rice and eggs. I go for simple preparations of high quality, fresh ingredients. Lots of diversity and novelty. I like to cook, and I am constantly trying something new. And Mexican food is definitely home-base for me.
2. Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Protein bars. Chock full of calories, utterly un-fulfilling. And have you noticed that people rarely actually eat them after a workout?
3. Favorite food/health blog? So many! I get a lot of good food ideas from The Kitchn.
4. Your go-to five-minute meal? Beans and rice. These are usually in my fridge and just need to be nuked. I am likely to add a smidge of cheese, salsa and cut up a tomato. If I have the greens, I might skip the rice and make a salad of it — but then that is more like 7 mins.
5. Perfect last meal? An 8-course gourmet french prix fix menu with wine pairings. Do not f**k around, put yourself in the hands of the experts.
6. Favorite method of cooking and why? Grilling. I like how it amplifies the essential character of the food. Also, easy.
7. Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? Never really tried any crazy diets. I once did a Ramadan fast (no food/drink sunrise to sunset for 14 days) because I had a crush on a boy. That was definitely crazy — but not so much for dietary reasons.
8. Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? Palace Kitchen in Seattle.
9. Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? Macaroons. What are you going to do with a whole batch of macaroons? In fact, there is a whole class of fancy-pants pastries that I would love to learn to make, but don’t because I’d just end up eating them.
10. Dream dining companion? Stephen Colbert. Doesn’t he seem like someone who knows how to enjoy a good thing?
14 June 2010
I just tweeted about coming down with a case of the Itis. The Itis is a phrase from one of my favorite episodes of The Boondocks in which Granddad opens a restaurant serving heavy but delicious food (including The Luther: “A full pound burger patty covered in cheese. Grilled onions, five strips of bacon, all sandwiched between…two Krispy Kreme donuts.” The Itis comes after the meal, when you literally feel incapable of doing ANYTHING. As Urban Dictionary puts it:
[The Itis] is the general feeling of lethargy and well-being experienced after eating a satisfying meal. This phenomena is particularly triggered by foods high in carbohydrates and meats containing the amino acid tryptophan.
Though I do love all kinds of food, I’m a Nutritionista at heart. That means too much good, but non-nutritious, food can definitely do me in. This weekend was one of those times. Totally worth it, but I’m paying for it now. Tune in later this week to find out good ways of dealing with the Itis!
So which foods led me down the Itis path? It all started at dinner on Friday with an impromptu trip to my favorite BBQ joint in Detroit, Slows. Even though in my mind, I can’t get enough of this place, it would probably be a bad idea to go more than once every couple months. It’s a fast trip to Itis-ville! But I still feel good about indulging in their fare: All their meats come from Niman Ranch and everything they make is very high-quality and delish.
I chose The Big Three: a tasting of Slows’ pulled pork, pulled chicken, and sliced brisket. For my sides, I chose their rightfully infamous mac & cheese and green beans (which they cook with onions and coat in a spicy mustard sauce).
They make their own BBQ sauces — all FIVE! There’s North Carolina, Spicy, Sweet, Apple, and Mustard. I usually try a little of each. I topped off the perfect meal with a Celis White beer, which is definitely my new summer go-to brew. So light and fruity!
To continue with the weekend Itis, I headed to Rachel’s on Saturday to see her compete in a stand-up competition (she took home second place, but she was funnier than all of her competition!).
I can always count on a good meal at Rachel’s. She asked me to bring some fun beer, and I couldn’t resist this guy I spied at Whole Foods.
Banana bread beer?? Don’t mind if I do! I loved the subtle banana flavor of this — definitely not too overpowering.
For our meal, Rachel cooked chicken thighs with a ranch rub from Wiliams-Sonoma that I’m sure she’ll write about soon. (Stay tuned dressing lovers! I have another ranch-related post coming up later this week.)
Along with the chicken we had greens with pine nuts and dates, along with some polenta. The feast:
Perfect light summer dinner!
I completed my Itis-inducing weekend with a trip to Beans & Cornbread on Sunday. I didn’t take any pics, but just assume that fried chicken, catfish, and sweet potato muffins were consumed in large quantities. My gluten-hating stomach is none too pleased. Oh well.
Once in a while, the Itis is 100% worth it. Did anything give YOU the Itis this weekend? Leave a comment here or on Facebook!
