Food

I like food. I like shopping for food. I like feeding my family and friends. I'd do it all the time if I didn't have to worry about making a living or any nonsense like that.

We hosted Easter this past weekend and experimented with a few new recipes. Success! I think I have a couple new "regular" dishes.

It's not hard. Cooking, I mean. It's the one thing in life that is very easy NOT to fall into a rut for me. And with more of a focus on organic and ingredients and evolving what we eat to even healthier than what we do now.

We have one rule about eating in this house. You have to try it. My kids are good about it. I'm not sure if that's because they are wired that way, or whether it's because both Chris and I are good examples, or whether my food is actually tasty. But for the most part, they comply. Okay, O does, regularly.

I wonder. I wonder if there is a place for someone who is NOT a trained cook or chef to have a point of view on how kids eat. How families eat. Would people care? Will I be talking to myself? Hmmm.

Chopped Inspiration

C and I do not watch a lot of "quality television" or even "hits". We make totally questionable choices that we're often embarrassed to admit. I will say we both enjoy "Life" quite a bit, as well as "Paranormal State". I know, I know. Honestly not worth discussing most of the rest of it.

However, one other theme that carries throughout our TV-watching is FOOD. Food Network (almost anything but Emeril), anything on public access...anything food. Recently, there has been a new show introduced (at least to us), "Chopped." Stars Ted Allen as the host; you know, the food guy from "Queer Eye".

Premise is this: four competitors, three courses. A competitor's dish is on the "chopping block" each round. Trick is, they hand you a basket of random - and I mean random - ingredients that you must use.


Many times people get booted for not using all the ingredients, not cooking their food properly (there's a time limit for each round), lack of creativity, etc. Best ousting? Messed up and used salt instead of sugar in his dessert.

Well, this has been a long lead-in...my copywriter friends would likely scold me for that. Long story short, Chopped is a bit of an inspiration of late.

If you are one of the very few dear regular readers of this blog, you'll know that on occasion I post up a "Dinner Surprise" post. Tonight I really did a dinner surprise. But I forgot to take a photo of it. Ditto with yesterday.

Dinner surprise means...no recipe, no plan, seat of my pants.

Yesterday: Seared shrimp with fresh parsley and mint, butter and orange zest, served over Israeli couscous; side dish: sauteed cauliflower.

Today: Boneless pork chops, lightly grilled then baked with coconut milk, black beans, green onions, cumin, lime juice...and banana. Side dish: my homemade guacamole.

Verdict from C and O: thumbs up on both! Woo-hoo. G ate well too. I am so proud.

I don't really know what the point of this post is except to show that I can cook creatively. Yep, that's it.

Summer Has Finally, Officially, Arrived

And by that I mean the entertaining vibe is on.

There is nothing we like better than having friends over for food, drinks, and just getting silly and talking for way too long. We were blessed with being able to do it twice this weekend.

One thing I've done for years is clip recipes from anywhere I find them. Most of the time they get filed away until I am ready to dig in and need inspiration (I am very much one of those "what is on sale/fresh this week or what is in the fridge, they are coming in a 1/2 hour" folks). You can imagine how delighted I was to stumble upon the following in the ol' recipe box.

I found a recipe from Jacques Pepin from Food & Wine for fromage fort. Simple and fast, it is about the greatest appetizer I can imagine. Because I hate wasting food. Especially good snacking food, like good cheese. It went over very well on Saturday and will be in my recurring repertoire.

Side story on Jacques Pepin (who I love to watch)...he rented a beach cottage next to my friend's place in CT years ago when we were young. I wish I had the appreciation for this man at that age, and for food, as I would have been knocking on his door asking him to teach me to cook.

Now this weekend didn't really serve up the best weather for taking advantage of the patio. But we'll get out there soon, I'm sure.

Hope you all had a happy 4th!
Happy Birthday, USA.

Photo credit: Marc Nilsson, Food & Wine, 2004

Olive oil, salt and pepper

We were eating dinner tonight and it struck me how many things we cook simply with olive oil, salt and pepper. Tonight it was sauteed cauliflower (thanks to my mother-in-law for this one).

We use it for everything...proteins as well as veggies. Great on steaks and swordfish on the grill. Ditto for this week's grilled pork chops. O eats all of it.

Eggplant. Asparagus.

I guess anything that has good substance to it can take it. Simple is good.
Yum.