Why I am Employing my Foodie Friends

Because I need some help updating this blog! Since I am an administrator for two other blogs, and a contributor to another (not to mention my professional, company blogs) I feel like I need a sous chef or two.

Why I Have Fallen in Love With Quiches

Because it’s way easier to make than you think!

Searching through my grandma’s old recipes, I discovered a recipe for a simple veggie quiche. I thought this would be a great experiment to test my quiche skills since I have none. In recent years, I’ve stayed away from these greasy little French pies because they just seem too fatty and full of ham and other things that I don’t eat.

This recipe called for only veggies, and not a lot of cheese or butter so I gave it a whirl. And, while I was at it, I took some pictures on my camera:

Quiche

The recipe is easy. Just get a frozen pie crust, pick out your favorite veggies to sautée in butter, make your egg mixture with milk, cheese, and eggs (go figure) and bake at high heat (450 degrees) for about 20 min or until it’s brown on top. I think next time I might try spinach instead of broccoli and maybe even throw in some shrimp and sub out the jack cheese for brie.

Note: Under my recipes page, I realize that I’m lacking in content and I’m working to get more recipes on there ASAP. Thanks for your patience, and keep the comments coming.

Why Some Wheat Pastas Leave Little to be Desired

OK, I’ll admit it: I’m a noodle junkie. I love pasta. Always have, always will. From spaghetti in marinara sauce to baked macaroni and cheese, I can’t really imagine my life without some sort of pasta dish. But, within the last year or so, I started substituting whole wheat pastas for my normal, white, delicious noodles. And the result was, “meh”.

Here’s the problem with some whole wheat pastas: After you season your boiling water with sea salt, and maybe a splash of olive oil, you expect to nibble on some tasty, satisfying pasta and frankly, whole wheat pasta can taste like a rubber band. The consistency is often rough, rubbery, and grainy which I really don’t care for.

I stopped cooking with wheat noodles for a time because of this problem, and it wasn’t until I started sampling other brands did I start to really open up to the idea of introducing them back into my dishes. A general rule of thumb: Do not purchase the least expensive or the most expensive package of whole wheat pasta. Instead, look for ones within the $2.50-$3.50 range.

Also, I find that the darker the raw noodle is, the grainier it will be. Choose lighter noodles, or even opt for spinach noodles. Finally, follow the directions on the package for boiling. I never did until I realized that part of my problem might have been that I was accidentally overcooking the pasta. You don’t want to overcook any noodle because it just tastes sticky and odd.

Yes, whole wheat pastas are a healthier choice compared to regular noodles. Some pasta brands are even infusing their noodles with omega-3 oils, or flax seed for that “good fat” we’re supposed to eat. But, whether you buy regular noodles or whole wheat, one thing is for certain: You can always jazz up a boring noodle with some savory olive oils, fresh garlic, herbs, and juicy vegetables. Try the pastas with extra fiber for a more filling meal.

Why Breakfast is Perfectly OK for Dinner

Who doesn’t love breakfast? Soft, fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy hashbrowns, creamy, cheesy grits, warm, buttery biscuits….I could go on…

To be honest, I never liked eating breakfast food when I was growing up. Call it a throw back to my Grandma’s defiance over eating a well-balanced breakfast. She preferred her cups of coffee instead. But I never resorted to liquid breakfast, unless I was in high school and stopping by my local juice joint. Instead, if you can believe it, or even stomach it, I preferred eating lunch for breakfast. Or worse, sometimes left-over dinner for breakfast.

I think my rock bottom was eating sushi before 8 a.m. one morning. That was a wake-up call. I had to adjust my tastes in the morning because it was making me a little sick.

Breakfast is an important meal that no one should miss nor take advantage of. It gives you the proper energy boost one needs to start their day. Lately, I’ve been enjoying a cup of yogurt, or some granola with berries. Sometimes, I’ll make an egg with some toast. There’s no real time for me in the morning to make a huge breakfast (and frankly, I wouldn’t eat it unless it was Sunday brunch!).

So, here are some suggestions for making breakfast in the evening when you have time, and the stomach, to eat something a little more.

First off- I’ve never been a great fan of cereal or oatmeal. If you want a bowl of cereal for dinner, perhaps you should top it with fruit or drink soy milk with it. Just seems a little…um…unhealthy and juvenile to me. You can get creative with making eggs at night. Scramble up some eggs with a good cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, or even tomatoes. Not a fan of all those veggies? Try scrambling eggs with some smoke salmon, onions, and even capers.

Potatoes are my vice in the kitchen. I love finding new ways to cook and eat them. Dice them up, put them in a bowl of water, and microwave them for a fast boil. Then, you can either bake them in the oven at 400 until crispy, or pan fry them for a browned, soft, oh-so-yummy taste. You can add chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the pan with salt, pepper and olive oil. I personally love baking potatoes in a dijion dressing made with a little white vinegar, olive oil, and big dijion mustard seeds. Also, seasoning with a little Creole spices makes out-of-this world potatoes.

Grits. I love grits. I’m pretty sure it’s a genetic thing I inherited from my Cajun side of the family. Grits are easy to make in the microwave and they are super filling. The sticker, the better! Add some fresh black pepper, a pinch of salt and some butter to make them very creamy. I like adding cheese to min, personally.

I know I haven’t mentioned meat in this blog and since I don’t eat bacon, I don’t cook bacon. However, I would suggest buying those meat-free breakfast products like soy bacon and sausage because they don’t taste all that bad, and they have some protein in them. Otherwise, I usually advocate for a nice piece of smoked fish.

One more thing: One of my favorite side items is grilled tomatoes. Really yummy if you’re a fan of tomatoes. Just cut, plop into a hot, oiled pan and add some Italian seasonings. Grilled Campari tomatoes are the best I think because they are small, juicy, and very tasty.

Well, there you have it. Leave me some of your breakfast ideas for dinner in a comment. I’d love to read them!

Why Staying Home to Cook > Going Out to Eat

I know that it’s fairly common sense but some people insist on going out to eat instead of staying home and cooking a nice meal. Besides the obvious benefits, such as making a healthier, lighter meal and buying a week’s worth of groceries is generally less expensive than eating out, staying home to cook your meals is just easier- once you get the hang of it!

Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City said the only thing that she made in the kitchen was a mess. I don’t believe it. Even the most challenged of cooks can spend a few weekends reading recipes, cooking tips, and making basic meals. Is it really that hard to arrange a salad for yourself?

Don’t get me totally wrong: I love going out. Eating new, flavorful, seasonal foods with good company and a nice ambiance can be a fabulous experience. But lately, when I go to restaurants and peruse the menu, I have decided to never order something on the menu that I can make at home. I broke this rule last night and I was luke-warm about my meal. It was angel hair pasta, tossed with fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Sounds delicious, right? It’s so easy to make at home! (See my recipe for a summer pasta salad on the recipes page).

So, saving a little money, and making sure that your meal isn’t too fattening, staying at home is definitely the way to go. You can learn how to make fast, healthy meals and even learn how to repeat some of these dishes or jazz them up for company. Don’t resort to the frozen meals though! Boil some rice or pasta; chop some veggies; sautee some chicken or fish in a pan and you’re good to go!

If you’re too afraid to make big dishes like a pasta or meat dish, why not start simple with scrambled eggs with fresh, sliced mushrooms, cheese, spinach leaves, or some chopped ham? Maybe just boil some pasta and pour some “from-the-jar” sauce on! It’s totally OK in my book to start simple, with some canned or jarred veggies or sauces, and grow from there. You can always add your own spices, cheese, and veggies to a dish to make it your own.

So tonight, stay home. Make something yummy just for you, or your family and leave the Take-Out menus in the drawer. It’s much more satisfying this way, I promise!

Why I Consider Myself a Foodie and Why you Should Read my Blog.

I come from a long line of great cooks. These cooks were great women who were brave enough not to measure out ingredients from their Gumbo to their German Chocolate Cakes. These women, my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother, tried to teach me how to cook at a young age with patience, sincerity, and most of all, care. Thought I barely knew my great-grandmother, I grew up with stories about her amazing Cajun cuisine that she would make from almost nothing. My grandmother could bake cakes and pies like a professional pastry chef. My mother’s dinners are what brought all of our friends to our house every Sunday night. But, instead of learning how to cook from these three, talents women, what did I do? Nothing. I just ate the food, and washed the dishes. I took no interest in cooking at all.

By the time I graduated college, all I could make in the kitchen was a few sandwiches, pasta with melted cheese, and eggs. Pretty shameful since my Cajun great-grandmother could make dirty rice, a cake, and knit a sweater in the time it would take me to watch a Lifetime movie.

What’s worse: I spent my college years in New Orleans, a town known for it’s great food and drink. So, when I moved to Austin, TX and I was out on my own again, I figured I would try a thing or two in the kitchen to see what would happen. Sure I made messes, overcooked things, and maybe set my stove on fire once or twice, but the more I cooked and read about cooking, the more I wanted to create yummy, healthy meals in the kitchen.

Long gone are the days of melted cheese pasta bowls in the microwave. I’m happy to whip up a batch of baked macaroni and cheese, baked ziti with grilled eggplant and zucchini, fried green tomatoes, pan seared salmon with ginger and garlic, baked apples and pears in a red wine, honey reduction….ok you get the picture.

So, after spending some time in the kitchen pleasing my friends’ bellies with tasty, and often vegetarian treats (I’ve been a vegetarian for 7 years), I decided to combine my talents in the kitchen with my talents in writing and viola! I present to you my foodie blog. Here I will post good, fast and healthy recipes, family traditions, restaurant reviews from all over the country (I travel a lot), and beer and wine suggestions. I figure us twenty-somethings should learn a thing or two about food before hitting our thirties when picking out a nice bottle of wine is expected.

More to follow!