16 April 2011

Pâtisserie, Mais Oui!

I have told you previously about my love of pie crusts. It’s kind of like eating fried food–it’s always good, no matter what it is. Think about it. Fried pickles, yes. Fried oysters, yes. Fried chicken, hell yes. Now, try it with pie crust. Irish boxty, yum. Pie of pretty much any flavor under the sun, yum. Chicken pot pie, yum yum.

Pâtisserie is just a fancy French way of saying pastry, and so much fun to say! Say it with me, “Pâtisserie…” Yeah, it even sounds delicious. Unlike their fruit-filled sugar-glazed counterparts, these pâtisseries are savory and work well as an hors d’oeuvre or as part of a tasty meal. Read More »
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11 April 2011

Quitting A Chicken Marsala Habit

First, allow me to confess that I love chicken marsala. If I see it on a menu at a restaurant I feel compelled to order it, even if there are other and seemingly better options. Worse, it often occurs in the kinds of places where one should never order chicken marsala, like that airport where the dish definitely came from a vacuum packed NASA or Army-type ration meal… Second confession, I’ve never attempted to make chicken marsala at home. It would be too devastating if I failed miserably as my taste buds have long ago decided exactly what a chicken marsala should taste like.

Also, chicken marsala is a heavy dish, especially restaurant style, and is laden with butter, oil, flour, wine, and probably sherry. So this dish is like chicken marsala-light. It has the essence of the dish–mushrooms, chicken, wine–but is a lighter, different dish all on its own. It doesn’t quite taste exactly like a chicken marsala, but it’s close enough to fool me into thinking that I’ve quelled that craving for the time being. Read More »
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06 April 2011

Tempeh Time!

Tempeh. The word itself even sounds a little weird, I realize. But it actually tastes good, and that is what’s important. And is full of protein. And easy to cook. And I needed tasty, protein-packed, simplicity after my workout. I was beat. This getting in shape business is hard.

Stir fry is an easy way to pack in a lot of veggies in a short amount of time. Cook times are relatively short (in fact the most time you spend is the prep time to chop all those veggies) but the payoff is big. If you’re tired of chicken or pork or tofu, tempeh does provide you with a different flavor and texture and works well in stir fry. Don’t be scared, tempeh won’t hurt you. And especially after kicking your own ass at the gym, you need lean proteins and veggies to feed those battered and bruised muscles! Read More »
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01 April 2011

Breakfast of Champions

Do you ever have days where you feel like your get-up-n’-go just got up and went? Today’s recipe is a perfect cure for that! Packed with a lot of protein, and aided by sugars, this is sure to add a spring in your step. In fact, I’ve heard some say it’s a good hangover cure. I’ve not tried it myself, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

The key to a perfect balance of flavors is to carefully choose your bacon–also known as meat candy–wisely. I prefer to use a thick slab that is Applewood-smoked or a nice center-cut style. Read More »
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27 March 2011

Calorie Friendly Comfort Food

There’s something truly comforting about a bowl of soup and something even more comforting when that soup is covered with cheese. My mom has been making this easy French onion soup since I can remember. After my parents contentious divorce my dad would still get cravings for it–it’s that good. And while it’s neither complicated nor pretentious, this recipe still tastes fancy and makes you feel with each and every bite like everything is right in the world. And considering how rich it tastes and the fact that it’s made with butter and cheese, this soup is still pretty low in calories (though those calories do come from fat). Read More »
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21 March 2011

The 3 C’s of Stew: Coconut, Chickpea, Curry

Hey look! Again I’m trying to use the Flip-Cam; again I’ve failed to post a video, but instead I have stills from the botched shoot for you. You still win. You are a winner! You are full of as much winning as Charlie Sheen! (Is that joke old yet? The answer–yes. Am I deleting it? The answer–no.) Bonus prize? This recipe is not only vegetarian, it’s vegan too. So the weekday vegetarian and animal-free among you can rejoice and we can all nom-nom together.

I’ve been a very busy girl–working, eating out, working out, rinse, repeat. I notice that my default go-to style of meal is the soup/stew. Why? Because throwing a bunch of things in a pot is fast, easy, super-forgiving, and almost always awesome (there are rare bad batches but everyone has a bad day now and again). Because my go-to on the go dish is a soup/stew, I steal ideas and grab inspiration from all over the place and all over the world. Today’s dish combines Asian favorites coconut milk and curry powder with Middle East treats chickpeas, Oceana’s sweet potatoes, and broccoli of the Roman Empire. Read More »
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18 March 2011

Wine’s The Way To Go

I drink enough wine, it’s about time I spent more time cooking with it! So recently I have begun experimenting with making various wine sauces. Wine sauces are an easy way to add a nice rich flavor to dishes. I made dinner for family last weekend and decided a pork tenderloin with a white wine sauce was the way to go, adding some dried cherries that friends from Michigan sent us to give the dish a sweet little pop.

Cooking for groups can be tricky, especially as kids tend to be pickier, many people have allergies or dietary restrictions, and some of us are more adventurous with our food than others. This meal was a filling, healthy, tasty combination we all could agree on. Success! Read More »
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11 March 2011

Charlie Sheen’s Cooking Show is Made of Even More Winning Than He Is

I guess Charlie Sheen is even more awesome at life than he purports to be. I mean, he has a cauldron of awesomeness, so there’s that.

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08 March 2011

Soup To Satisfy A Pho-natic!

So the BF got me a Flip video camera for Christmas and I’ve been experimenting with it [Read: Figuring out how it works]. Thus far I haven’t made a video that could be posted without editing (shockingly, not many meals can be cooked and filmed in under 5 minutes to fit the YouTube standard) and my poor little laptop doesn’t have the memory to edit video. But soon there will be Bacon & Other Bad Habits videos! I’ll let you just take a moment to imagine all the potential kitchen catastrophe and debauchery…Yes, there will be wine involved, that much is certain. Yes, potentially even before noon.

One of our favorite meals is the Vietnamese beef and broth soup known as Phò and it is our go-to “I don’t want to cook, let’s go eat out somewhere” meal. While the Asian markets do carry the spice mixture that purports to make this delicious broth I’m nervous to try to make it at home. (This is truly a case of why mess up a good thing?). However, that doesn’t mean I can’t take my inspiration from phò and the Vietnamese and make a rice noodle brothy soup with beef. Not in the least!
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06 March 2011

Inspiration for Aspiring Chefs

PB&J from Alinea Restaurant. Photo by Lara Kastner

I have worked in restaurants but never ever in the back of the house. I don’t know that I have the necessary skills it takes to survive working the line, so I have the utmost respect for chefs and restaurateurs. Which is not to say hero-worship–not in the least–but I always find these folks to be full of fascinating stories and interesting conversation fodder. Not to mention the way many feel about food and speak about it with the awe of a child and the passion of an addict.
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