It looks like early 2008 was the last time I posted anything. There are quite a few reasons as to why I stopped posting, and I won't bore you with them all. Basically, I got really sick (but am all better now), lost my job (but have a great one now), and took on more courses so I could finish my MBA faster (all done now!). With everything that was going on, cooking & baking pretty much fell to the wayside. In all honesty, the majority of my "home cooked meals" were pasta with garlic and maybe a vegetable. Seriously. It was a pretty rough time!
But now that things are looking up again, I've started cooking and baking a lot more. I've also made a vague commitment to start eating more vegetables. I can now say that I will eat spinach and zucchini. I really didn't know what I was missing out on by being so stubborn and refusing to eat these two pretty awesome vegetables. I've also been more willing to vary recipes depending on what I have in my cupboards and not being so afraid of the outcome. Usually what I come up with turns out pretty well, and it's definitely an incentive for coming up with my own things, rather than strictly following a recipe, which I tend to be pretty bad at.
Earlier this week I found a recipe for zucchini and couscous in The Joy of Cooking. I had one zucchini, but not enough couscous, so I substituted in some quinoa. I sliced the zucchini in half, drizzled it with a little olive oil and put some pepper and salt on, and then baked it in a glass baking dish for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, I sauteed an onion and some garlic in olive oil. After the zucchini was lightly browned on the cut side, I scraped out the pulp and put it in the pan with the onion & garlic, added in the quinoa, and then stirred to coat everything with oil. Then I added in a little chicken broth (I made some with a bouillon cube, because the recipe only called for a little and I didn't want to open up a can and not use the whole thing) and simmered everything until the quinoa had absorbed most of the chicken broth. That took maybe 5 minutes.
After that part was done, I toasted some pine nuts, put the zucchini/quinoa/onion mash back in to the hulled out zucchini shell, and then put the toasted pine nuts on top. I liberally sprinkled everything with nutmeg, because I love nutmeg and cannot get enough of it. Then I popped it back in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Voila, done, time to eat.
It tasted good, but I have a feeling it would have been better with couscous, and also with dried currants, which the recipe called for but I did not have any. All in all, not a bad recipe modification.
More later!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Update
I now have approximately 1 and a 1/2 pages of my paper typed. This stuff really interests me (macroeconomic issues always do - though I must admit that I am much more partial to micro issues) but for some reason my brain just does not want to type. I made myself a cup of earl grey and finally got to use my tea ball. Tea ball. Ha. What a terrible way to describe it. It was yummy. But I figured something else might do me better, so I am now having a glass of wine. Red wine to be exact. Georges DeBeouf to be even more exact. It's fruity yet spicy, which is good since I prefer spicy and earthy to fruity. But this fruitiness is just spicy enough to be good. It's also dryer than I expected (though not to dry). Also good considering I love love love dry red wine.
Also, my husband picked me up a Mars Bar. The great thing about living in Boston is that it's relatively easily to get food from other countries, and we are fortunate to have an Irish grocer down the street that sells food from Ireland and Great Britain (not surprising, considering we live in Brighton, which is the new Southie).
But I digress, and must return to my paper.
Also, my husband picked me up a Mars Bar. The great thing about living in Boston is that it's relatively easily to get food from other countries, and we are fortunate to have an Irish grocer down the street that sells food from Ireland and Great Britain (not surprising, considering we live in Brighton, which is the new Southie).
But I digress, and must return to my paper.
For the most part, still HFCS free
Why is it that when I actually sit down to do my homework, I can't actually do it? I'll be thinking about it all day (for instance, I have an article analysis due tomorrow, so I thought about what type of article to analyze and how to go about analyzing it - also, note that I am a procrastinator when it comes to homework) but when I start to do my work, my brain just shuts off and I can't think of anything. So why don't I get to work when I am thinking about what I need to do? Well, usually because I am doing something else. Today was loads of laundry plus cleaning and a bit of cooking. I guess it's safe to assume that by the time everything else is done, I am just way too tired to study. Which is pretty much the case now. It's 6.15 and I am zonked!
So to get my mind working, I will think about all of the yummy cooking and baking and eating I have done over the past week. I am still quite serious about cutting down on high fructose corn syrup - this isn't just a "thing" that will fizzle out soon. I haven't been perfect this week (my husband and I had yet another funeral to attend this week so there were times when corners needed to be cut) but I am trying to be very conscious of what I eat and I have been doing a pretty good job.
I bought some snacks (trail mix, walnuts) that don't have HFCS in them to munch on while I am at work. I made a loaf of bread and actually used it for peanut butter sandwiches (mmm mmm good) and toast. **Note - I have a tendency to make things and then not eat all of it; I guess that is what happens with just two people in the house **. On the days that I didn't bring my lunch to work, I stuck to sandwiches and soup. I'm glad that the cafeteria at my new job is small. It means there are fewer tempting items to eat.
Now, as for what I actually cooked. On Friday I was planning to make lasagna. There was a snowstorm so I was stuck shopping at the little stores in my neighborhood rather than going all the way to the big grocery store (actually, my husband was stuck with this. Just giving credit where credit is due). Not a single place had cottage cheese or ricotta. Cottage cheese in a lasagna, you ask? I am skeptical too, but I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks and the reviews are fantastic, so I decided to give it a shot. Well, too bad, I'll have to wait until next time, since I was SOL on the cheese. Instead I whipped up a meat sauce (following the directions for the meat part of the lasagna on the aforementioned website) and mixed spaghetti in to it. The meat sauce came out quite well. The last time I made a meat sauce (I don't even remember when that was, in all honesty) came out not-so-good, but this was a million times better. It could have used an additional spice, which I can't quite put my finger on. Something to give it more oomph. I totally forgot to add veggies to our plate. Oops. I really need to work harder on eating more vegetables!
After dinner I had an urge to bake, so I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe for the best chocolate sheet cake ever. Holy moley. It is so freaking good. I made it in to a round cake and it was awesome. By far though, the frosting is the best part. I am thinking about it now and how yummy it is. I already had two pieces today though! It's that good.
Saturday night was also a spur of the moment dinner. I took some chicken breasts and threw them in a baking dish with rosemary, bay leaves, garlic cloves, and shallots. Olive oil too. Popped it in the oven at 350 for about 35 mins and we were good to go. I also made a basic parmesan risotto which was decent. It's such an easy dish, and I had just a bit or arborio left, so I decided, what the hell. I followed the basic Joy of Cooking recipe and sauteed some onions in olive oil, added the rice and sauteed for about 3 mins, added about 1/3 cup of white cooking wine and let the liquid burn off. Then I started in on the chicken broth. I added probably 2 and 1/2 cups total (I was winging the whole time, so I really have no idea how much chicken broth I added) and once the rice was tender enough, I grated some parmesan cheese in. Frozen peas were heated up for the veggie part of the meal. At least frozen peas are better than no veggies!
This morning I decided to make Baked Brown Sugar Pancakes using the recipe I found on the Serious Eats website. It was a little buttery but it tasted pretty good. I have a feeling I did something wrong (maybe putting it in many small dishes to bake instead of a large dutch oven would have been better) but all in all, it wasn't bad. It rose nicely like a Dutch baby. The side was definitely the best part. I heated up some maple syrup to drizzle on top and that was awesome. I definitely want to improve upon this recipe, so I will make it again.
So what is the moral of the story here? By making more of my own food I am cutting down on the HFCS food that I eat. I already feel better (less tired and I have lost some weight) which might or might not be because of eating less HFCS. That being said, so far I don't miss anything with HFCS in it. And that's a wonderful thing.
So to get my mind working, I will think about all of the yummy cooking and baking and eating I have done over the past week. I am still quite serious about cutting down on high fructose corn syrup - this isn't just a "thing" that will fizzle out soon. I haven't been perfect this week (my husband and I had yet another funeral to attend this week so there were times when corners needed to be cut) but I am trying to be very conscious of what I eat and I have been doing a pretty good job.
I bought some snacks (trail mix, walnuts) that don't have HFCS in them to munch on while I am at work. I made a loaf of bread and actually used it for peanut butter sandwiches (mmm mmm good) and toast. **Note - I have a tendency to make things and then not eat all of it; I guess that is what happens with just two people in the house **. On the days that I didn't bring my lunch to work, I stuck to sandwiches and soup. I'm glad that the cafeteria at my new job is small. It means there are fewer tempting items to eat.
Now, as for what I actually cooked. On Friday I was planning to make lasagna. There was a snowstorm so I was stuck shopping at the little stores in my neighborhood rather than going all the way to the big grocery store (actually, my husband was stuck with this. Just giving credit where credit is due). Not a single place had cottage cheese or ricotta. Cottage cheese in a lasagna, you ask? I am skeptical too, but I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks and the reviews are fantastic, so I decided to give it a shot. Well, too bad, I'll have to wait until next time, since I was SOL on the cheese. Instead I whipped up a meat sauce (following the directions for the meat part of the lasagna on the aforementioned website) and mixed spaghetti in to it. The meat sauce came out quite well. The last time I made a meat sauce (I don't even remember when that was, in all honesty) came out not-so-good, but this was a million times better. It could have used an additional spice, which I can't quite put my finger on. Something to give it more oomph. I totally forgot to add veggies to our plate. Oops. I really need to work harder on eating more vegetables!
After dinner I had an urge to bake, so I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe for the best chocolate sheet cake ever. Holy moley. It is so freaking good. I made it in to a round cake and it was awesome. By far though, the frosting is the best part. I am thinking about it now and how yummy it is. I already had two pieces today though! It's that good.
Saturday night was also a spur of the moment dinner. I took some chicken breasts and threw them in a baking dish with rosemary, bay leaves, garlic cloves, and shallots. Olive oil too. Popped it in the oven at 350 for about 35 mins and we were good to go. I also made a basic parmesan risotto which was decent. It's such an easy dish, and I had just a bit or arborio left, so I decided, what the hell. I followed the basic Joy of Cooking recipe and sauteed some onions in olive oil, added the rice and sauteed for about 3 mins, added about 1/3 cup of white cooking wine and let the liquid burn off. Then I started in on the chicken broth. I added probably 2 and 1/2 cups total (I was winging the whole time, so I really have no idea how much chicken broth I added) and once the rice was tender enough, I grated some parmesan cheese in. Frozen peas were heated up for the veggie part of the meal. At least frozen peas are better than no veggies!
This morning I decided to make Baked Brown Sugar Pancakes using the recipe I found on the Serious Eats website. It was a little buttery but it tasted pretty good. I have a feeling I did something wrong (maybe putting it in many small dishes to bake instead of a large dutch oven would have been better) but all in all, it wasn't bad. It rose nicely like a Dutch baby. The side was definitely the best part. I heated up some maple syrup to drizzle on top and that was awesome. I definitely want to improve upon this recipe, so I will make it again.
So what is the moral of the story here? By making more of my own food I am cutting down on the HFCS food that I eat. I already feel better (less tired and I have lost some weight) which might or might not be because of eating less HFCS. That being said, so far I don't miss anything with HFCS in it. And that's a wonderful thing.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
High Fructose Corn Syrup
I have decided to remove high fructose corn syrup from my diet. It's a nasty thing that is not good for the body, plus it makes things taste "different". Yeah sure things have a longer shelf life, but they don't always taste that great. In short, processed food pretty much sucks. That being said, there are some things I like. The occasional coca cola. Kraft Mac & Cheese (total weakness of mine!). But I want those things to be few and far between.
The unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your perspective), is that HFCS is in EVERYTHING. This means that most things will have to be home-made. I lack the time to make lots of stuff all the time. But I am determined to try to remove HFCS as much as possible.
So, day 1 of no HFCS. So far I have had scrambled eggs for breakfast and coffee that I made myself (so I know no HFCS went in there). I skipped lunch (ack!) but made muffins - two types. I used a basic muffin batter with 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour (so at least it's somewhat healthy). Half of the muffins I added molasses and flax meal to. The other half I turned in to coffee cake muffins. For dinner I plan on doing something with the eggplant I have.
I'll report back soon with my progress!
The unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your perspective), is that HFCS is in EVERYTHING. This means that most things will have to be home-made. I lack the time to make lots of stuff all the time. But I am determined to try to remove HFCS as much as possible.
So, day 1 of no HFCS. So far I have had scrambled eggs for breakfast and coffee that I made myself (so I know no HFCS went in there). I skipped lunch (ack!) but made muffins - two types. I used a basic muffin batter with 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour (so at least it's somewhat healthy). Half of the muffins I added molasses and flax meal to. The other half I turned in to coffee cake muffins. For dinner I plan on doing something with the eggplant I have.
I'll report back soon with my progress!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Long Time No Post!
I just realized that it has seriously been forever and a day since my last post. Whoops. Life has been crazy, so that's what I'll attribute my lack of posting to.
The other day a friend thought up a recipe for me on the spot. It is one of those fantastic recipes that just keeps on giving and giving (because I made too much so I have leftovers). Basically, satuee onions and garlic till the onions are soft, add about a can of chicken stock (or any stock and of course you can vary th amount) and then throw in about 1/2 a cup to 3/4 cup of daal. I used channa daal - the insides of chickpeas. Let that simmer. While that's simmering make some basmati rice. I added a little lemon zest to the basmati. After the daal has soaked up all the stock, add any spices you want. I did some curry powder (store bought, not homemade) and a little cinammon, then I served the daal over the rice. Voila, instant protein loaded dinner. When I put it in the fridge I put it all in one container, so when I reheated I had to reheat it all together. The rice turned yellow but everything still tasted great. I didn't put it in the microwave, I sauteed with some water and added in a little more curry powder. I still have more left which I'll have for dinner tomorrow. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water!
My husband and I ventured out to Russo's yesterday. Going on a Saturday afternoon, especially the day before the Super Bowl, wasn't the best idea. The place was PACKED. I was impressed to see the vast array of produce, especially the hard to find stuff like sugar cane and lemongrass stalk. The cheese selection was decent, but it didn't seem too much different from the one at Whole Foods. I also felt that the charcuterie and bakery were a bit lacking. I will go again, but will aim for a Wednesday night or something!
I'm really lucky that Johnny D's is right across the street. It has some of the best produce around, and Johnny, the owner, is so nice and helpful. He'll gladly let you sample something and he'll bring stuff out of the back for you.
The other day a friend thought up a recipe for me on the spot. It is one of those fantastic recipes that just keeps on giving and giving (because I made too much so I have leftovers). Basically, satuee onions and garlic till the onions are soft, add about a can of chicken stock (or any stock and of course you can vary th amount) and then throw in about 1/2 a cup to 3/4 cup of daal. I used channa daal - the insides of chickpeas. Let that simmer. While that's simmering make some basmati rice. I added a little lemon zest to the basmati. After the daal has soaked up all the stock, add any spices you want. I did some curry powder (store bought, not homemade) and a little cinammon, then I served the daal over the rice. Voila, instant protein loaded dinner. When I put it in the fridge I put it all in one container, so when I reheated I had to reheat it all together. The rice turned yellow but everything still tasted great. I didn't put it in the microwave, I sauteed with some water and added in a little more curry powder. I still have more left which I'll have for dinner tomorrow. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water!
My husband and I ventured out to Russo's yesterday. Going on a Saturday afternoon, especially the day before the Super Bowl, wasn't the best idea. The place was PACKED. I was impressed to see the vast array of produce, especially the hard to find stuff like sugar cane and lemongrass stalk. The cheese selection was decent, but it didn't seem too much different from the one at Whole Foods. I also felt that the charcuterie and bakery were a bit lacking. I will go again, but will aim for a Wednesday night or something!
I'm really lucky that Johnny D's is right across the street. It has some of the best produce around, and Johnny, the owner, is so nice and helpful. He'll gladly let you sample something and he'll bring stuff out of the back for you.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ghost Hunting!
The cable is finally fixed, just in time for tonight's episodes of Ghost Hunters! As soon as the new season started, last fall, the cable broke, and it took this long to get fixed. Needless to say, I am in heaven!
On the downside, I have had absolutely no time to cook lately. I've just been making pasta pretty much every night. I did make chocolate cupcakes and dark chocolate ganache using a recipe I found on BakeSpace. They came out quite well, especially considering I had to use milk-from-a-box since what was in the fridge had soured. Other than that, it's been pretty boring in the kitchen.
In other news, I started my Russian class. So far it is fun, and very complicated. I definitely have to make flash cards though. Funny since I don't think I have ever really made flash cards. My Bentley classes start next week. Everything is going to get very busy soon.
Back to Ghost Hunters!
On the downside, I have had absolutely no time to cook lately. I've just been making pasta pretty much every night. I did make chocolate cupcakes and dark chocolate ganache using a recipe I found on BakeSpace. They came out quite well, especially considering I had to use milk-from-a-box since what was in the fridge had soured. Other than that, it's been pretty boring in the kitchen.
In other news, I started my Russian class. So far it is fun, and very complicated. I definitely have to make flash cards though. Funny since I don't think I have ever really made flash cards. My Bentley classes start next week. Everything is going to get very busy soon.
Back to Ghost Hunters!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Comfort Foods
Nothing like tuna noodle casserole and Pillsbury crescent rolls to warm the heart. And my tummy. I can't stand mushrooms, so when my mom made tuna noodle for me when I was younger, she made her own cream sauce, and I copy the same recipe (butter, milk, flour, 2 slices of american cheese, some celery seed, tuna, noodles, bread crumbs on top). It's simple and easy and yummy. Combine that with crescent rolls and I'm good to go. Oh....my mom used to put hard boiled eggs in the tuna noodle, but my husband doesn't really like eggs, so I omit it. Back to the crescent rolls....they now have mini things of them - only 4 instead of 8. Means I eat a LOT less crescent rolls, which is good. Too many carbs does not make for a happy Mrs. P. As you can plainly see, there were no veggies for dinner tonight. Oh well. Can't all be perfect. I got anxious and way too hungry, so I only baked it in the oven for like 5 minutes, meaning it did not have a chance to thicken. I think we were both so hungry that we didn't care.
So comfort foods....they are a wonderful thing. I think my all-time comfort food is applesauce. I can eat it all the time. I love it. I also like cottage cheese. A Lot. I can also eat that all of the time. Though I can't remember the last time I had either. I wonder what it is about comfort foods that brings us such comfort. Is it the memories of childhood? Is it knowing that it will taste good, no matter what? I know that applesauce and cottage cheese are going to taste the same no matter the day. I guess that's comforting. As for the childhood part....sure it's possible. Though I think tomato soup is a comfort food, and I hated that as a kid. I don't really know what makes comfort foods comforting, but we all have them. And even though mine aren't the healthiest or the most exotic, I'll keep eating them for the rest of my life.
So comfort foods....they are a wonderful thing. I think my all-time comfort food is applesauce. I can eat it all the time. I love it. I also like cottage cheese. A Lot. I can also eat that all of the time. Though I can't remember the last time I had either. I wonder what it is about comfort foods that brings us such comfort. Is it the memories of childhood? Is it knowing that it will taste good, no matter what? I know that applesauce and cottage cheese are going to taste the same no matter the day. I guess that's comforting. As for the childhood part....sure it's possible. Though I think tomato soup is a comfort food, and I hated that as a kid. I don't really know what makes comfort foods comforting, but we all have them. And even though mine aren't the healthiest or the most exotic, I'll keep eating them for the rest of my life.
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