Past Picky Habits

I just have to say, it really sucks realizing just how amazing food is, so late in the game. All I can say is that I'm glad I figured it out now and not even farther down the road. I used to be SUCH a picky eater...I would hardly touch ANYthing that looked even remotely out of the ordinary (and even some foods that were 'ordinary'...I mean, I didn't eat pizza until I was in 8th grade and that's pretty much the most ordinary food there is...Looking back, I missed out on A LOT of amazing foods and tastes.

I used to go camping with a friend and her family. Her step-mom made the meals and used to have to force me to clean my plate, and even then, I tip-toed my way around eating everything...She didn't cook anything irregular, it was all food that most people should like and enjoy, foods full of flavor and all things that I've eaten recently and loved. It was just all in my head. I would think to myself, "this is going to be gross" and then I'd have the worse time trying to get it down.

If I could go back in time, I'd definitely go back and slap past me and force pizza, sushi, zucchini, omelets, lobster, etc down my throat and maybe I would've learned to appreciate what I eat a bit more.

Thankfully I'm pretty much over those habits of the past. I enjoy trying new things and the best is when trying something I wouldn't have even touched in the past and find that I absolutely LOVE it and can't wait to eat more of it.

Just remember, go out and try everything, don't pass up something that could be completely amazing.

Tis the Season

December has been proving to be quite the crazy month (when isn't it?) But I've found time to work magic in the kitchen. Some friends and I prepared a Holiday dinner last week complete with veggies, cheesy potatoes, and holiday ham. I brought dessert and am thanking God that I didn't have to work the night before or they might not have gotten done! I've always had a soft spot for Red Velvet and chances are, if I'm making cupcakes, I'm making Red Velvet. It's been a while since I've done any baking and it felt good to be back into the swing of things.

I made everything from scratch with the exception of the garnish of Andes Mints. I did my signature Cream Cheese frosting and then went as far as to heat up the blade of a knife and cut diagonally through each Andes Mint to stick on top. It's always my favorite part to put each cupcake together and even though hours of work goes into them, they're gone in under a minute--again, totally worth it.

It was so funny, we were all so stuffed from eating so much for dinner, but somehow, everyone always finds room for dessert. I think its just a bit more fun when each

dessert looks like a work of art. I've always have had an artistic background, heck, its what I went to school for...I love being able to apply my artistic abilities not only on a computer or sketch pad, but in the kitchen as well.

Now on Friday we have our Company Christmas lunch and everyone gets to bring something. I'd rather put in the extra work on Thursday night and make something awesome than not bring anything. So far I haven't signed up to bring anything, and part of the reason being -I don't want to ruin the surprise, but mostly because I'm stumped as to what to bring! There's so many different things I could bring and I'm narrowing it down to desserts, what I decide, that'll just have to wait (better be fast as I have to run for supplies tomorrow during lunch.....)

I don't know what it is, but December roles around and I just snap into the Christmas mood. I love this time of the year and being able to give is truly an amazing feeling. I love doing secret santa, giving tree, and picking everything out for the people I care about. Last year I started the tradition of giving cupcakes as gifts (seemed appropriate for the poor college student who loved to bake) Little (or big) bites of pure bliss to make the Holidays Merry :)

~*~Tis the Season~*~

Food Rules

As Michael Pollan covers in his book, 'Food Rules' (which it does!) "Eating doesn't have to be so complicated"

Eat Food: What even constitutes as food anymore? Think about it, I know when I go to the grocery store, I definitely look at 3 things:

1. Taste

2. Price

3. Components -How many calories, grams of fat, carbs, grams of sugar, vitamins, etc

'Food' today is so crammed full of artificial sweeteners and unnecessary calories, even food coloring! "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food"...Pollan hits it right on the head. I mean, not knocking it, but Mountain Dew? Nothing that color should ever be consumed...Or what about gummy worms? First off, they're in the shape of a worm, second, what is it other than sugar, corn, artificial coloring and calories?...

When I go to the store, sure, I buy the quick snacks and the makings for easy recipes for when I just want to come home from work and eat. But I do like to treat myself while I am out. I buy more natural foods, not always organic, but fresh. I usually buy frozen, but very much prefer fresh chicken or fish. These are the two main proteins I cook with and then buy the extra ingredients that go into multiple recipes so I can have variety. I find that when the ingredients are fresh, the food tastes better (whether that's all in my head is yet to be determined)...

I try to stay away from canned foods such as vegetables. (Canned Corn is the exception) I mean, if I had the choice between frozen beans and beans in a can, I'd definitely take frozen. During the winter it's so hard to come across cheap fresh produce so you have to take the next best thing. Canned food just doesn't sound appealing: Cut beans that have been preserved in juice and God knows what else for how long, sitting in a metal can on the shelf of a grocery store that has a shelf life of 4 years...

Same thing goes for when I bake...I'm not a fan of using box recipes. Part of the fun of baking is knowing what goes into making the batter, not just adding an egg and some oil to some powdery mix (what's in there anyways?!)...I feel like I get better results when I make everything from scratch. Sure you have a higher chance of messing something up or not getting the same results in a second batch, but that's what baking is all about. I recently made a Coconut Lemon Cake (Lets see you find that in a box!) and was very pleased with the results. I definitely think that when you make a cake from scratch, the cake itself is more moist, more unique, and worth it.

As Christmas grows near, it becomes a time when I start going crazy in the kitchen and Cupcakes are to be made. I can't WAIT to start making my Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes again and can already picture them in my mind. Give the gift that makes everyone happy, bake something from your heart. When you cook with passion, that's all that counts. (that and taste definitely helps too! Pictures of cupcakes soon to come!

Holiday Traditions

This Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend has always been a weekend of family, friends, and tradition. For me, it's early to bed on Thursday night so I can go to work at the wee hours of the morning. While I'm at work, dad goes up north for the weekend and mom & my brother and sister go to get our tree, and the evening is spent decorating and setting everything up.

Although things went a little differently this year, not actually being on 'Thanksgiving Break' and house-sitting, a lot of our traditions found a way to happen. Our tree is up and full of light, I was at the mall by 3:00am for work, and though it's not Friday night, I'm still making my holiday Chex Mix. It's my favorite thing to make around the holidays. Double the recipe and of course, I add about 4 times the amount of Worcester Sauce (The best part!) So as I wait for it in the oven, stirring once every 15 minutes, I can't help but remember all those times before I've made this very same mix exactly a year before. -How much has changed since then, graduation, my new job, the people around me...and how blessed I am to have all that I do.

Food has a funny way of bringing back memories. Think about it. When you take a bite of that gooey chocolate chip cookie or that piece of cinnamon toast, or maybe it's a type of fruit or drink, immediately, you're brought back to your childhood, when that one bite was the greatest bite of all. I think that's what makes the holidays so great, each year a tradition is met and memories from past years are remembered. I can only await the coming month with more traditions and memories.

Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's the most revered food holiday and is done every year by my grandmother. She does the turkey, the rolls and the pies each year (We were all thankful that there was sugar in the pumpkin pie rather than salt...pumpkin pie '06 was a prime example of what would happen if you put salt instead of sugar in...yuck!) The Turkey was amazing, the rolls were perfect, the kitchen smelled amazing.

Today is a day to be thankful. I'm thankful that I have amazing friends and family, a job and the ability to cook. I can definitely tell that even though I'm only house sitting for the week, I will be looking forward to January when I'm here more long-term.

Now as I prepare for an early night (working at 3am has its ups and downs...) I have the aroma of sweet pumpkin bars in the oven compliments of Paula Deen. Every Black Friday, each of us brings something to share while on break...I decided on pumpkin bars -Easy to make, amazing, and fitting for this time of the year.

So as you enjoy the rest of Turkey day, whether it be with family, watching the football game, or preparing for the chaos that is Black Friday, remember to taste, not just eat today.

Until next time,

Welcome to my Kitchen

Welcome all...

As it seems the popular thing to do, I've broken down and started a blog to document the food I make, what works, what doesn't, you know, the basics.

I absolutely LOVE food. Eating it, making it, and watching others cook. I basically live on the Food Network and will have The Cooking Channel soon. I grew up as probably the pickiest eater you'd ever meet. I didn't even eat PIZZA until I was in 8th grade...I ate many a peanut butter sandwich at the dinner table when mom had made something I 'didn't like'...Then, roughly about 2 years ago, I realized how much food can actually be appreciated. Each and every bit of food has a different flavor and taste. And when combined together, magic happens. I believe that there are only 2 types of food (Forget that whole Food Pyramid thing): That which is eaten to satisfy hunger and that which satisfies your sense of taste and your soul.

I've been wanting to do this forever...and I finally decided that it was time to start. I'm no longer that picky eater. I have made it a habit now to try anything that is put in front of me. While on my trip to New York last January, I found myself eating Sushi, Foie Gras, Bread Pudding and Pink Steak (God forbid!--anyone who knows me knows that this is almost unheard of!) I've decided to use my new found passion for food and while I'm house sitting for the week as well as next January, my goal, while having my own kitchen, is to see what tastes amazing, and what maybe shouldn't ever be made again...

You can ask those I work with, I'll stop in the middle of the day and go 'How good does this sound??' and go off on some combination of food and flavors that have pictured themselves in my head. The latest, baked mozzarella sticks. I tried them out myself tonight, using egg roll wraps and fresh mozzarella cheese. I coated the roll in vegetable oil and then baked them for about 8 minutes on each side, until the cheese started to melt out.

All in all, I like the idea, I'd try it again...BUT it needs something...I'm not sure if baking is the correct way to go, or if maybe it needs more seasoning...but my goal is to try them again (and not just because I have leftover cheese and egg roll wraps...) What I really want to be able to do is make them for the tailgate party before I go to the Packer/Giants game in December. That would be amazing.

I'll keep you posted on how batch 2 goes!