Glazed Salmon

I was afforded the opportunity this evening to have someone cook for me. My boyfriend had built up his salmon (a family recipe), so I finally decided it was time for him to make it!

We actually decided to get the salmon yesterday, and have it marinate overnight in a pretty simple glaze of soy sauce, Puritan oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, and rum.

From there it was just a simple broil, and we paired it with some mashed potatoes and salad.

Well let me tell you, he can cook for me any time!! I love cooking and the sense of accomplishment from preparing something delicious, but getting cooked for wins. Especially when it’s made with love!

So two thumbs up for this quick, healthy, and delicious meal!

Mexican Pot Pie

Last night, I decided to make a recipe I stumbled upon from a weekly Betty Crocker e-mail I get. I was a little skeptical, but with a leap of faith I dove into the recipe.

I had always assumed pot pie was extremely tedious. I guess it all just depends on the recipe, because this only took me about 15 minutes to prepare, and another 25 for it to bake in the oven; which just involved me sitting at the kitchen table sipping some Yellow Tail chardonnay.

The great thing about this recipe is it’s easily modified. I consider myself a halfetarian (one that usually eats a more vegetarian diet, but sometimes needs a good burger or piece of chicken). So, this time I made it with chicken. If in an all veggie mood, though, it could easily work with a bunch of different vegetables.

I definitely give this recipe two thumbs up. I brought leftovers for lunch today, and it was just as good reheated in the microwave. It made the office kitchen smell delicious too!

You’ll find both the recipe and pictures of the finished product below.

Happy nomz!

Ingredients:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium bell pepper (cut into strips)
2 cups cooked chicken
1 3/4 cups thick & chunky salsa
1/4 cup of water
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/3 cup Montery Jack cheese
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400F
2. Heat oil in 10 inch skillet
3. Cook bell pepper. Stir in chicken, salsa, & water (cook 1-2 minutes), until bubbly
4. Pour into un-greased 1 1/2 inch casserole dish
5. In small bowl, stir Bisquick, cheese, milk
6. Pour over chicken mixture, spread almost to edge
7. Bake uncovered 30 minutes (until golden brown)
8. Enjoy!

Chicago Food Round-up!

So this post has taken quite some time for me to finish. The reasons are two-fold; one, there is just SO much for me to talk about in regards to food in Chicago, and two, I got sick with a nasty cold almost as soon as I pulled into my driveway.

I can honestly say I’ve never been somewhere that had such a plethora of [delicious] food in such a small radius. You name the type of food, it’s available. They even have late night places open from 9p to 5a, for the sole purpose of feeding your midnight munchies!

That being said, I’ll do this the most economical way; day by day, meal by meal. So prepare yourself!

We arrived Friday evening after a grueling 12 hour drive. Not to waste any time, we checked into the super nice Belden Stratford Hotel (thanks, Orbitz!) and set out on our first culinary adventure. We weren’t sure what type of food we wanted, or even where to go, so we settled on our tried and true favorite, Mexican. The place was called El Nuevo Mexicano, and it was awesome! The place was small and loud with lots of talking, and great music. We each ordered a Mojito; mine regular and my boyfriend splurged for the pomegranate. The tortilla chips were nicely seasoned, and the salsa was spiced just right. I got the Combonation Vegetariana, which had a guacamole burrito, rice and bean chimichanga, and chile relleno, all served with rice and beans. I’ve had all of the aforementioned foods, but never in the specific combinations. A burrito solely stuffed with guacamole is satisfying in itself. Throw in some deep-friend rice and beans, almost like a Mexican eggroll, and a deep fried, stuffed with cheese chile smothered in sauce = heaven. I left full, with a smile on my face!

On the way home, we happened upon Molly’s Cupcakes, which was actually recommended by a friend (Serial Baker). Ecstatic over our first cupcake experience in Chicago, we ran into the store, forgetting our stuffed bellies. I’ve never seen a cupcake joint so crowded in my life! It was overflowing with people sipping huge cups of coffee, and chatting over delicious looking cupcakes. I ran up to the counter, and immediately started deliberating. Being in an extreme chocolate mood, I went for the Chocolate Decadence, while my boyfriend got the Pumpkin Spice. BEST. CUPCAKES. EVER. Mine was filled with chocolate mousse, and topped with two different types of chocolate ganache. As a chocolate lover, I couldn’t have asked for anything more! The pumpkin was also awesome; the spice and pumpkin ratio was perfect, with an almost cheesecake –like filling and icing. I really don’t think I could have asked for two better cupcakes!

Saturday morning we got up early, and trekked through the rain to the all famous Orange. A breakfast place known for its juices and frushi, I had only heard great things. Though, some of Yelp’s reviews left me a little wary. At any rate, we sat down and immediately got a water with a cucumber slice (nice and refreshing), and some orange infused coffee. The coffee was okay; it tasted more like a tea, and reminded me a bit of a mixed drink. We then ordered some frushi, which was absolutely delicious. It was coconut rice wrapped around either kiwi or watermelon… yum! I went for the #11.5 omlette that had bacon, leeks, and brie cheese, along with toast and delicious breakfast potatoes. My boyfriend went for the chai tea French toast. Both were decent, but nothing to write home about. The French toast was a little soggy, and the eggs were good, but could have used more cheese. Overall I enjoyed the experience, but wasn’t floored.

We continued our mediocre eating day by stumbling upon Phoebe’s Cupcakes, a place I had found from the Cupcakes Take The Cake blog. I went for the red velvet, and my boyfriend got a red licorice cupcake. I couldn’t have been more disappointed! It feels blasphemous to even write about a subpar cupcake, but someone’s gotta do it. The cake itself was really good. The icing, however, not so much. It was WAY too cheesy, to the point where I couldn’t even finish it. My boyfriend’s, however, was good. I’m going to chalk it up to a bad batch of icing, but it’s definitely ruined red velvet for me for awhile. Such a shame. On a brighter note, though, they did have cupcake flavored coffee that was amazing! I couldn’t put my finger on the flavor combination, but it was just right without any milk or sugar.

We spent the rest of our Saturday at The Lawrence Arms 10 year anniversary show which was awesome, despite me feeling sick from the aforementioned cupcake. Afterwards, we stopped at The Weiner’s Circle to get ourselves a Chicago dog. I was skeptical about liking a hot dog with pickles, hot peppers, and relish, but I really liked it! It’s definitely something I would get again. The place itself was also quite an experience; the help talked back to every drunk person looking for a late night snack, and didn’t take anyone’s crap. I was actually afraid to place my order, in case I messed up. Thankfully, since I was sober, they treated me with respect. Others weren’t so lucky.

Since Sunday was our last full day, we decided to spend most of it doing touristy things like visiting Millennium Park and the Willis (Sears) Tower. We decided to start the day off with breakfast at The Bongo Room. Now let me tell you, I’m actually not much of a breakfast person; I tend to shy away from it when given the option. But Chicago has definitely showed me how delicious it can be! We decided to share plates this time, as every thing on the menu sounded amazing, and we couldn’t decide on one thing each. Being a lover of Mexican food, I tend to judge places on their burritos. Naturally, we got the breakfast burrito, and one of their daily specials; French toast smothered in cream, caramel and caramelized apples, along with a side of Thai chicken sausage. Every single thing I tried there was phenomenal. Everyone around us had something equally delicious looking on their plates. If I had the stomach for it, I would have tried everything. It seemed like most tables each got their own dishes, and then shared one of their yummy sounding pancake options. I would go back there in a heartbeat; the 45 minute wait was more than worth it!

We ended our trip with some Chicago style pizza. I had searched on Yelp while waiting in line at the Willis Tower, and decided on Giordano’s, which was around the corner. After tweeting about it, some locals gave me a hard time, telling me I should have gone to a few other places. Unfortunately, they were too late. I’m not sure what the huff and puff was about, though, because I really enjoyed Giordano’s! We decided to get the pie stuffed with onions, peppers, and broccoli. I was never really interested in the concept of a stuffed pizza with the sauce on top. After having it, though, I’m a fan. We only got a 10 inch pie to share, and wound up bringing more than half of it home which was convenient for snacking on the 12 hour drive back!

All in all, I think I gained anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds (I was too afraid to actually weigh myself), but it was totally worth it. While we were there, we walked everywhere, and I couldn’t help but take note of all the people out for jogs. Now I understand. If you live in that city and aren’t afraid to eat, you need to work it off some how! Needless to say Chicago is vying for the top spot on my list for best cities. And when it comes to food, it’s definitely number one.

So here are the pictures of everything mentioned above. Let the salivating commence!

Anticipation

It’s the eve of true deliciousness. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Chicago to experience some serious nomz. Since planning the trip, I’ve compiled enough places to stop and try along the way, that I don’t even think I’ll get through a quarter of them.

Granted, this trip is really to go see one of my boyfriend’s favorite bands, The Lawrence Arms, at their 10 year anniversary show. For me, however, it’s much more than that. It’s about food. I never realized how many truly delicious and different types of food Chicago has to offer. I’m actually somewhat embarrassed I was left in the dark. Though, I am salivating at the mere thought!

So, expect some serious posts upon my return, and keep up via Twitter, by following me – FoodosaurusRex !

A Simply Delicious Monday

Today was a somewhat hectic day. So, to calm the nerves, instead of going to the gym like a good girl, I spent it in the kitchen, cooking and baking.

I subscribe to a lot of food/recipe sites on my Google Reader and Twitter, so I’m taunted with deliciousness all day long. I’m constantly sharing and e-mailing recipes that are just filed away and rarely used. In the mood to bake AND cook, I decided to whip out my growing stack of recipes.

I suppose we should start with dinner. Late last week, while browsing Twitter, I happened upon Every Day Food, which is actually a division of Martha Stewart Living. Laugh all you want, but they offer up some seriously simple and delicious recipes! This recipe was the epitome of simple; it required mini-shell pasta, smoked bacon, frozen peas, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.Can it get any easier than that? Aside from EasyMac, I don’t think so. Take a look at the final product, and judge for yourself.

It was surprisingly light, despite having heavy cream and a ton of cheese (6 oz of Parmesan!). Mix in with one of the most underrated veggies out there (peas), and some bacon – quite the mix. The recipe makes 4-6 servings, and since there’s only two of us, my boyfriend has a nice re-heatable meal for later in the week when I’ll be away for work.

Now onto the good stuff!!

Being that I’ve made multiple pumpkin recipes in the past few weeks, I decided to continue on the trend (really just because I had 1/2 a can of pumpkin puree sitting in the fridge). I found the recipe for the chocolate chip pumpkin brownies on Betty Crocker’s website. I don’t think I’d call them brownies, though. They’re more like super-moist cookies, or bars.

At any rate, they were absolutely delicious. Again, my kitchen started to smell like fall almost immediately after putting them in the oven. Taking a lick of the leftover batter, it tasted a lot like pumpkin pie. I knew I had success! I decided to pair mine with some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and it was pretty heavenly. I think I could have gone for some more chocolate chips, though. It’s definitely a repeat.

I’m starting to worry that my pumpkin days are numbered. Being that I don’t enjoy mint flavored things aside from toothpaste, gum, and mouthwash, I’m going to need to find another “winter flavor.” Suggestions are more than welcome!

I think my next feat will be either Cherry Pie (for you, MerMer) or a sweet snickerdoodle cupcake recipe I found on Bakerella. They look phenomenal. I’m not sure when I’ll have time, though; the next few weeks are extremely busy.

It’s now time for me to nurse the not-so-pretty burn I have on my wrist, courtesy of pulling the brownies out of the oven a little too hastily.

Food Blogging – Why the hate?!

Recently, one of my favorite food blogs that really offers a little bit of everything, SeriousEats, posted not one, but TWO articles relating to the serious distain of other food blogs out there, dedicated to us novice foodies, known better as “Foodiots.”

It all started with an article entitled The Foodiots, posted by The Observer. It simply stated that the New Yorker’s culture has changed; instead of talking sex and politics, people talk food. What’s so wrong with that?

A response to the aforementioned article by ChowHound founder Jim Leff, certainly left a sour taste in my mouth. And not the kind you get from a good Sour Patch Kid. In his response, he noted that Foodiots are “giddily obsessive food crazies who’ve made chewing the very center of their existences,” and like a Trekkie, should “get a life.”

A mere two days later, Eater.com’s Editors posted that they would pay any novice Food blogger a meager $25 to stop writing about food. Really? They honestly thought that $25 would get someone to stop doing something they enjoy? A hobby, if you will? That’s just a little insulting.

So here’s my question – why the hate?!

I can only surmise one thing here; we’re doing a good job. We’ve got our friends interested in what WE’RE cooking, because it seems realistic and tangible as something they too can delve into in the kitchen. And, being our close friends, they take stock in what we have to say in reviews and opinions on different types of foods, restaurants, etc. Are the more general blogs getting nervous? Do they fear their loosing readers to “foodiots”?!

If this is the case, I think they’re worrying prematurely. Yes, I blog about food. I tweet about food. And I have friends that blog about it as well. This doesn’t mean I even consider myself a “Foodie.” I’m just someone that loves reading, writing, eating, and all things food. More importantly, though, guess what? My Google Reader is still chock full of “big name” food blogs that I don’t ever plan on removing from my list.

I think for those that have been in the blogging game for awhile, feel threatened that it’s becoming much more common-place. It’s how most trends and things of that nature start out. But it seems quite juvenile. It reminds me of high school, when someone would start listening to a band, and months later everyone else would be into them as well. You were torn between being proud for knowing about them first, but also a bit jealous that now they were popular in a more mainstream sense. In the end, I think the proud feeling overwhelmed the jealousy. Veteran food bloggers should feel that way too.

So, I guess that still leaves the floor open for those veteran food bloggers. Why such distain for the newbies? What have we done wrong? We’re humans – we’re conditioned to love and embrace food. Some of us love it more than others, and shouldn’t we unite as a collective group, to share that love with others?

Let’s just remember one thing here – life is far too short to be serious.

More pumpkin!

Last night, I had the fine opportunity to make Pumpkin Bread.

Never having made bread of any sort before, I was definitely nervous. I was somewhat comforted when I found a recipe from Simply Recipes, since simple was at least in the name. And let me tell you, the name of the site couldn’t have been more accurate – it was SO simple, and absolutely delicious!

While mixing all of the ingredients, the kitchen really started to smell like fall; I think it was a combination of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. I also, however, was faced yet again (for the third time in the past two weeks) with the not-so-pleasant smell of puree pumpkin. It really reminds me of baby food; and not in the “oh, babies are so cute I love them and want my own one day” kind of way.

I’ve started to wonder if anyone can have too much pumpkin in their diet. I sure hope not, because I’ve ingested enormous amounts of it since the beginning of September. I even managed to work in some Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee that I found at Target over the weekend, on top of mixing it into fudge.

The bread definitely has a ginger-bread taste to it, but it also embraces the pumpkin flavor. This is definitely lower on the pumpkin intensity, which I happen to enjoy a lot. I find that pumpkin is a delicate flavor that needs to be measured meticulously, as too much can be extremely overpowering and unpleasant, while too little bodes the question of “what was the point?”.

pumpkinbread

I’m definitely going to make my co-workers jealous when I whip this bad boy out for my morning snack. Cue the salivating!

At any rate, here’s the recipe for the Pumpkin Bread. I definitely suggest giving it a try!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

Ooey Gooey Goodness – The Pop Shop!

This past weekend, I had the luxury of stuffing myself to the gills.

It all started Friday evening with a trip into Philly with my boyfriend to see a newly formed Blake Schwarzenbach (Jawbreaker) band, forgetters. On the way down, we stopped at a Sonic. Now, after being taunted and teased by their commercials for YEARS without one nearby, they are slowly but surely starting to sprout up in surrounding areas. This particular Sonic is located in Bensalem, PA. Both my boyfriend and I went for the bacon cheeseburger on Texas toast, of course with a side of tots, and I washed it all down with a cherry slush. Sonic is delish, don’t get me wrong; this has now been my third trip. This was, however, the most painful trip. I had heartburn like you wouldn’t believe later that night. I definitely attribute it to the burger. But boy was it good!!

Now on to what this post is really about – The Pop Shop!

I first learned of this cheesy heaven from watching “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” on The Food Network. I’m used to watching those types of shows and not have any of the locations be nearby. This time, however, when I heard it was in Collingswood, a mere hour and a half from me, I knew visiting needed to happen. This past weekend was actually my second trip. My first trip was quite the experience on it’s own, but that’s a separate story in itself :o)

One of the greatest parts of this classic American diner-like restaurant is it’s set-up. It has the feel of an old 50’s diner, but re-vamped and up to date. You’re menu will come to you on a newspaper, which makes you really feel at home. They serve everything from super-stuffed omelettes and French toast sandwiches to regular sandwiches, salads, soups, and of course the whole reason for my trip – grilled cheese.

Now, this isn’t your every day grilled cheese. Sure, you can get it on multiple types of bread, and even different type of cheese. But that’s just the beginning. They have everything from chicken or turkey or roast beef to sliced apples or jalapeños. Serve it up with one of their many different French fry choices and wash it down with a milkshake… heaven.

As I do before all food trips, I began perusing the menu online mid-week. By Saturday morning, I had narrowed it down to two options; the “Frazer” or the “Calvert.” The “Frazer” was a gigantour of a sandwich stuffed with jack cheese, chicken breast, chipotle mayo, and a spicy jalapeño and onion mix on sourdough. andyssandwich The second, named “Calvert” was equally intimidating and included jack cheese, bacon, roasted turkey, avocado, and house dressing on a foccacia. Just to note, they named all of their grilled cheese sandwiches after streets in Collingswood, NJ. After much debate, I decided to go with the Frazer, as the mention of jalapeños sucked me in (as they always do).

Next on my to-do list was my French fry selection. I opted for the “Collingswood fries” cheesefries which were seasoned with Old Bay and topped with melted cheddar cheese and bacon. There really aren’t even words for them. Just take a gander at this picture, and I think you’ll understand.

I washed my delicious lunch down with a fountain soda; diet coke mixed with cherry and vanilla syrup. My boyfriend, on the other hand, got that milkshake – oreo cheesecake!

Needless to say, I was full for the rest of the day. Grilled cheese is a truly phenomenal meal – you can keep it simple, or turn it into something gourmet and even truly eccentric. I am definitely looking forward to spicing up my own grilled cheese concoctions in the kitchen in the near future. More importantly, however, I’m anxiously anticipating my next trip to The Pop Shop!

Pumpkin Part 2: French Toast Style

The promise for this post is two-fold: on my first Pumpkin post, I promised to document each of my experiences with all things involving pumpkin throughout the fall. In my most recent post, I vowed to share my own kitchen cooking experiences with you, the lucky reader.

That being said, I tackled both this fine Sunday morning.

The recipe for the Pumpkin French Toast fell deliciously in my lap. Well, it was shared by one of my boyfriend’s friends on Google Reader, which he immediately forwarded to me, in which I quickly replied that would be our Sunday morning. The recipe comes from Recipe Girl, who actually has quite a few other tasty looking recipes I’ll probably sample at one point or another.

But back to the task at hand, my Pumpkin French Toast.

ingredients

It was a pretty simple recipe, just time consuming in terms of preparing all of the ingredients and then cooking them; as my pan only fit about 3 pieces of the bread at a time. I forgot to grab some cinnamon, so that was missing from the recipe, but the Cinnamon Toast Crunch coating easily made up for it.

My only qualms with the recipe were it’s bread size suggestion, and amount of pumpkin. It calls for 3/4 to 1 inch thick slices of French bread. I have to say, that was a little too thick for my liking – the pumpkin coating didn’t really soak through, and made it a little more difficult to cook quickly. Surprisingly for both my boyfriend and I, we thought the pumpkin flavor could have been a little more subtle. I was surprised that only 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin puree could be so strong. But it was!!

After all of the pieces were made, we threw it together with some turkey bacon and smothered it in maple syrup. I can honestly say that for someone who up until recently despised pumpkin, never really liked breakfast food, and never would have chosen French toast when given the option, I was impressed with myself. I quickly noted during the whole process that one of the best parts of cooking with pumpkin is the color. It’s such a rich combination of yellow and orange, an when mixed with different ingredients (such as eggs and whipping cream), it is truly a beautiful color. Now that I come to think if it, it’s shade is quite close to that of my living room. No wonder I enjoy that room so much…

This is definitely a recipe I’ll be revisiting in the future. I think it would also be delicious as a dessert with some ice cream and maybe whipped cream as well.

Cooking

Every so often, I find myself on a recipe rampage, looking for anything quick, healthy, and most importantly, delicious to cook. A lot of the time I wind up printing out and collecting recipes from a plethora of online and print sources, and never get around to cooking them. That’s the problem with this whole full-time job thing; it cuts into all the fun!

I frequently complain about not having enough time to do what I want – work out, cook more elaborate meals, and just spend time relaxing.

That being said, I think I have perfected the art of creating weekly staples that can be modified, and made within about 20 minutes from start to finish. Yes, they aren’t always the healthiest of choices, but they get the job done, and you can always pair it with a quick salad or frozen veggie.

I’ve made everything from a South-Western style stir-fry, a regular stir-fry, different variations of burritos (of course), chicken parmigana, huevos rancheros, apple streusel pancakes, chili dogs, and more tame things like veggie burgers or grilled cheese with four cheeses.

I have had a lot of luck on the internet alone. I subscribe to Vegetarian Times, Fitness Magazine, and check-in with HungryGirl and Kitchen Monki often for suggestions. I even somehow found myself getting mailings from TheKnot.com and TheNest.com, which sometimes provide great meal suggestions. Though I don’t really appreciate all of the wedding and baby information shoved in my face. But that’s neither here nor there.

At any rate, I think we as a society spend too much time running around, and when it comes to eating, we really don’t take the time to enjoy not only the eating process, but also the cooking process. I’ve started to embrace food, cooking, and eating as much more of an art-form recently. It truly is a creative outlet that allows someone to bring happiness to not only themselves, but others. Can you honestly say that when someone brings you a cupcake when you’re feeling down, or makes you some soup when you’re sick, it doesn’t make you feel just a bit better? Even if it has no true “healing powers,” it speaks volumes to someone’s mental well-being.

In theory, on the outside, I’d much rather have my meals prepared for me. By the end of a long work-day and trip to the gym, the last thing I want to do is begin cooking. I’d much rather just have my meal ready and waiting. I often joke that I now understand why the men of the 1950’s expected dinner on the table for them after a long day.

Since I recently bit the bullet and moved out, I find myself cooking more often. Granted, weekends are usually left to more quick and casual fare, I make sure to cook at least two to three times a week, depending on the week’s activities. When you know someone else will be eating and enjoying your food, I really think it adds something special. Seeing the look on the other person’s face when they bite into your first accomplished Chicken Parm, or re-invented a Crunch Wrap Supreme brings a sense of pride to your work. It really is like an artist showing off their piece at a gallery.

It sounds ridiculous, but you really need to have a relationship with your food. There can’t be anything left in the dark. It needs to know what you’re capable of, and it also needs to let you know what it’s willing to do. For example, a Vidalia onion works well when it’s sautéed, but a red onion doesn’t. These are the types of things you and your food need to work with. Granted that sounds just as ridiculous, but it’s true. If food is something you love, and are passionate about, I don’t think it should be treated too differently from a pet, for example. It needs to be taken care of properly; whether it be refrigerating it, using it by the proper date, preparing it in a specific manner, etc. Your food will be able to give to you only as much as you give to it.

That being said, I’m thinking about beginning at least a once-a-week entry about my adventures in the kitchen. I’ve found so far I really have just written about things and deliciousness I’ve experienced outside my kitchen. I think it’s time for my own personal bragging rights, and more likely than not, entertainment at my expense. If I follow a specific recipe, (like HungryGirl’s re-do of Taco Bell’s Crunch Wrap Supreme) I’ll post it along with a re-cap of my adventures and a picture. I can’t promise everything will come out as expected, or I’ll even like it. But that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it?