“50 shades of grey” cooking

4 / 3 / 14

food is fun Cooking is one of those things that seems, at first, to be pretty black and white. You either love to cook, or you don’t. However… After much deep thought, I have come to the conclusion that most of us are actually quite grey on this matter. On one extreme we have the “food network” gurus, restaurant chefs, food bloggers… At the other end we have the folks who still have the factory tape sealing their oven door, as well as telephone numbers for every local take out on their speed dial. Where does that leave the rest of us? Some shade of grey. So – where do you fall?

Personally – I really enjoy cooking; provided I am not rushed. Cooking, for me, is an act of love. I am focused on the person, or persons, for whom I am cooking. I want to be in the moment and enjoy the entire process. A little music, a little wine… (RELAX! I’m talking about dinner! Mimosas are for making breakfast, silly!!)

OK – CONFESSION: I do not clean up as I go. Yep. It’s true. I make a MESS!! None of this cooking show stuff where everything is premeasured in little bowls and things get cleaned up during the commercial break. When I am done cooking, there isn’t an inch of (clean) counter space anywhere!! The good news? I have acquired quite a collection of happy little aprons. (They keep the food from getting stuck in my sequin dress while I’m cooking – wink, wink) Hey. What can I say. Creativity is messy!

I love to read cookbooks and try new recipes that intrigue me. I recently purged ~~rather unsuccessfully~~, however – so I’m down from “a lot” to…say… something less than “a lot”? OK – Lies. I still have a lot.

Some are stacked decoratively, some are stashed inconspicuously… but they are all scattered about. Here and there. To and fro. They are a part of me; they illicit memories and provide inspiration. One of the ~~weird~~ things that I really enjoy is the challenge of creating a meal with what I have on hand. Lucky for me, my family LOVES (most) food, and they support my creative culinary experimentation. They accept the fact that some dishes are going to be amazing, and others… well… not so much.

So if you are feeling a little “light grey”… perhaps it’s time to just throw caution to the wind and experiment a bit. You DO have an inner creative self. Everyone does. Don’t be afraid to go there. Baby steps. Fall in love with a beautiful new cookbook. Take a “hands on” cooking class. Watch (my fav show) “The Chew”. Peruse Pinterest boards for inspiration. There are NO RULES… Just. Have. Fun.

farm fresh eggs

3 / 31 / 14

There is something so magical about a farm fresh egg.

Years ago I saw a documentary on the egg industry and chicken farms. I am not here to do a post on PETA, but the cruelty and inhumane conditions were absolutely deplorable. From that moment on, I vowed to spend the extra little bit of cash on cage free eggs; not perfect, but better than doing nothing… and, more importantly, to buy farm fresh whenever possible!!

OK – That being said (whew!), back to the “magic“. We are so blessed to know someone who actually raises chickens AND fresh eggs… unfortunately over 100 miles away, however! I have been the recipient of these amazing eggs from time to time; most recently was about a week ago when I was gifted with about 2 ½ dozen! (Thanks, Kathy!) Look at that pic (above) – Aren’t they just beautiful??? The little brown speckled one is my favorite… The real beauty of these eggs, however, cannot be seen until you crack them open. Oh my – The yolks are the most BEAUTIFUL golden yellow that you have ever seen in an egg! To see this is to know how healthy and happy these lucky little chickies are!! “Our chickens are truly free range. They cross the road and climb on hay bails and eat bugs all day. They’re very happy chickens!” (Quote from the family) And that, my friends, is what I meant by “magic“!!!

Upon receiving this delicious gift, we started incorporating eggs into breakfast, lunch AND dinner!! One of our favorite (new) recipes was one that I found online at “Food and Wine” called “Shrimp, Asparagus & Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce”. One word: DELISH!

We had it for dinner one night with a simple salad (the hubbie loved it too!) and then I poached more eggs separately for the leftover shrimp & sauce and we enjoyed it for breakfast the next day. Not exactly sure how to poach an egg? No worries. Click on this link – How to poach an egg – and Clinton Kelly from “The Chew” (my fav show!) will walk you through it. Super duper simple! (NOTE: When watching the video, make note of what he says about the eggs!!)

So whether it’s farm fresh eggs, a roadside stand selling strawberries and corn, your local farmers market with fresh honey and homemade bread or your local retail small business shops…. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL whenever possible – It’s definitely a win-win-win!!!

“the chew”

5 / 16 / 13

Is it possible to actually GAIN weight while working out on the treadmill…?

Many of you already know that I love to watch “The Chew” on ABC. I tape it and watch it religiously while I am on the treadmill. This, my friends, is right up there (on the intelligence scale) with going grocery shopping after an excruciating week-long fast…. Watching them cook all of this delicious, mouth-watering food while exercising…? Pure torture! Sometimes, if I have an extra episode “in the bank”, I will treat myself to watching while I am cooking dinner. With a glass of wine. Much, much better…!

Now the hubbie and I have a list of TV show favs; including Downton Abbey, Modern Family, The Middle, Shark Tanks; but “The Chew“…? Well that’s MY show!! Needless to say; going to a taping of “The Chew” is DEFINITELY on my bucket list. But I’m not stoppin’ there! No, No, NO!! I want to be on the tasting panel, as well!! Yes maam. I wanna be right up there where I can be a part of the action!! Smell the garlic, maybe answer a question, get a close up of Carla & Clinton dancing… and, of course, SAMPLE THE FOOD!!!

Until that time comes, however; I have “The Chew” book that I love. It really is a great cookbook that is packed with lots of ‘extras”… Each recipe is coded (ie “light & healthy”, “5-in-5″…) plus an indication of skill level and price range. Also included – Q&A with each individual host. Great book! So you’re probably wondering to yourself at this point… “Hmmm… Does she have a fav”? Nope. Love ’em all. But each one for a different reason. Michael Symon is just as sweet and sincere as can be and makes me laugh. I love the way he talks so lovingly about his wife, Liz. Mario Batali makes me want to open up a bottle of wine, buy a pair of orange crocs and book a flight to Italy. OK… actually that’s a “no” on the orange crocs. Daphne Oz cooks the way I try to cook (most of the time, anyway) and she fills my brain with so much good healthy (practical) advice. Love her attitude towards food. Carla Hall pumps up my ENERGY level and fills my head with “sweet” thoughts. Great dancer, too!! Just watching her is a real workout! And Clinton Kelly…? Have been a fan since “What Not to Wear”. Love. All I can say about Clinton Kelly is… Make me a cocktail, baby, and “LET’S CRAFT”!!

So you say you don’t cook? Well watch it anyway. The tagline on their book is “Food. Life. Fun.” They are fun and you will have fun. As different and unique as they are individually, there is so much chemistry between them which makes it all come together. For a little taste of a “non-cooking” segment (no pun intended… ha!), I have a couple of cute video clips for you to watch. For the “Pie throwdown”; click HERE . For the “Pie throwdown, explained…”; click HERE .

Oh ya… And as for my original statement/question… “Is it possible to actually GAIN weight while working out on the treadmill…?” Well I’m gonna say “yes” after watching a taped show from Monday, May 13. I give you exhibit 1: “Wendy Bradley’s Tasty Trashy Taters”. Two words: tater tots and bacon. Ok; I know. That’s three words. You get my point, however. If I made these for my (college) son and his buddies… Wowza! “And the mother of the year award goes to…”. (The crowd goes wild.) Ya. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. But I’m telling you, I seriously think that I gained weight just watching. Everyone was going on and on and on… (please stop talking!) about how super-duper YUM they were. And I was SO, SO hungry at this point. What to do??? Lucky for me, there were no tater tots OR bacon in my freezer. But, lucky for me, I did have all the ingredients for a super healthy breakfast smoothie. Yes; I know. Daphne would be so proud of me…