How is it April already?

Well, I am back!!!! And crazier then ever!!!! Or maybe it is just my food is crazier then ever!!!

Last night, my lovely boyfriend brought me a basil plant. That is right spring is here and it is time for herbs. So, pray for Maria 2! She has survived the first 24 hours in my care. The lovely plant shows no signs of wilting or dying....YET! Please pray and send positive vibes to a Maria 2 Segal in Georgia.

In the meantime, I am already plotting all the wonderful things I could make. For example, the basil would perfectly compliment a nice green salad with strawberries and walnuts tossed in an orange vinaigrette. Or maybe, I will throw some basil and fresh mozzarella in cous cous.

Damn it! Now, I am hungry. Well, off to the kitchen, because dinner is not going to make itself. That would involve my crockpot and prep work which I did not do.

Vegetarian without trying

Last night, I had this wonderful gourmet menu planned of lamb with truffle crème frauche paired with a champagne vinaigrette arugula salad.  However, when I got home, I was greeted by an exhausted boyfriend half asleep on MY couch!!  So I decided to postpone my decadent dinner, in order to make something quick and easy.

I placed a sauté pan on a burn and turned the heat to medium.  As the burn warmed up I rummaged through my overcrowded frig.  I found the Irish butter I love despite the fact it is in NO universe low fat or low calorie.   I decide to put a tablespoon of this yummy creaminess in the warmed pan.  Then I spotted leeks and a bell pepper.  And to tell the truth, this leek was bought pre- wash, so no hasal was involved.  I simple did a rough chop on the bell peppers and leeks then threw them in the pan with the melted butter.  I squeeze a quarter of a lime I had left over from the night before.  When the peppers and leeks were nice and wilty I tossed them with arugula.  Then I pour the warmish salad on to two plates.  I garnished with one Roma tomato each plate.  To top it all off,  I crumbed feta cheese.  Ta da…dinner was serve in less then thirty minutes….So there Rachel Ray!!!!!

After, eating and tucking my boyfriend into bed, I realized my dinner was vegetarian.  Go figure???   The reason I bring this up is, when I actually am trying to make dinner for a vegetarian friend, I go BLANK.  I can come up with a million elaborate time consuming recipes but nothing funky and filling.  Afterall, most vegetarian I know are bored of the typical house salad.  But arugula with sautéed leeks and peppers topped with tomatoes and feta in a simple vinaigrette… That is unusual and so easy!!!  The perfect  throw together at the last minute because I forgot I invited you dish….What I am forget?

WOW has it been a while or what???

Hello again, friends and  the wide world of cyber space.  I am sorry I have not been contributing to you lately.

However, life, the real world I mean has taken me in some strange directions.  I lost my job,  found a new job and decided to go back to school.  All with the  "help" of my Jewish family!!!!! That and comfort food!!!!  Yes, I have gone through tons of cheezits and vodka...maybe a few dozen bottles of wine...don't judge

One thing I have learned through this whole thing, is cooking for me is about emotions.  I dont cook well when I am stressed or upset!  I just dont listen to my senses and make CRAP!!!!  Something, it my head that creates good and interesting food turns off when i am upset.  I guess it is like how my eyes get red when i cry!!!!     When I am upset, my cooking brain turns off!!!

I guess that is why I wouldn't make a good professional chef.....  Though, I notice, my food gets spicer when I am angry.  My food gets adventurous when I am feeling flirty and quirky.  I guess the artist in me comes out in my kitchen.  All those flute lessons and art classes have now manifested themselves in my kitchen somewhere behind the two kichenaids and chef knives.   I use food as a way to express myself!!!Food is an escape to Morroco or the Greek isles.....Or a way to feel pain through heat!!!

  I think my boyfriend should be concerned when dinner is spicy!!!  Run boyfriend.....run

Maria

Maria update……


My lovely basil plant, Maria has sub come to my black thumb. Unfortunately, this is not the first time plants have not faired well in my care. This is my third try at herbs!! I feel like that little kid we all knew growing up whose pets always died. After saying that, I will admit I am NOT giving up!!!!

So, I am in the market for a new basil plant. I figure if I keep trying, maybe one day I will be able to have a full herb garden that or a maid to care for an herb garden. (just kidding…kind of!!!) I would love to have a fresh garden with thyme, basil, dill, chives, rosemary, and lavender. This would enhance all my cooking and plating. Presentation can be improved by simply adding a sprig of herbs on a plate.

Right now I am still impressed that Maria 1 lasted over 3 months of my care/torture. However, it is winter time, even in Atlanta we do get freezing temperatures, so I am a little concerned. But I guess time will tell. First, I need to find a basil plant. I had no lucky at trader joes or my local grocery store.

Please keep your fingers crossed for the future Maria 2, she needs all the help she can get!!!!

Home made Pizza????

One of my favorite things to make is PIZZA!!! I know I could just order Papa John’s or Pizza Hut, but there is some thing nice about making a pizza truly my way!!! Maybe this goes back to childhood memories. My mom would buy pre-made pizza dough from the store. My brother and I would fight over dough space. I always wanted extra extra cheese while he obsessed over black olives. I have fond memories of sleepovers where my friends and I were so excited at our accomplishment of making pizza. Everyone got the topping they wanted without argue. It was almost as much fun as making ice cream sundaes. It would be more fun, but pizza doesn’t give a very good sugar high.




Even today, I always keep pre-made dough in my fridge or instant pizza dough in my pantry. This is just a staple for me. Sometimes, I go all gourmet and make a Florentine pizza with chevre (goat cheese) and fresh tomatoes topped with a sun side up egg. Other times, like tonight, I make a simple pepperoni pizza with salad. Tonight, I made a super easy salad that was full of flavor. It seemed quite decadent despite the fact that there were only 6 ingredients.



Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad with a Truffle Champagne Vinaigrette



1 tsp of Champagne Vinegar

¼ cup of olive oil

1 clove of zested garlic

Truffle salt to taste (I love SALTY so my measurement is not the most accurate)

2 cups of arugula

Goat cheese..... crumbled



Whisk the champagne vinegar, oil, garlic, and truffle salt to taste. When the vinaigrette is created, toss the argula in the dressing. Top the dressed argula with goat cheese.



The great thing about this salad is argula. When dressed, it does not wilt as fast as most salads. This is a great salad to consider when entertaining BECAUSE you can make the salad well in advance. If you would like another element, then add some crunch. I recommend adding walnuts

The holidays!!!!

The holidays..... from Thanksgiving to Hanukah to Christmas to the up coming New Years....I find myself falling prey to those fattening traditional. I just can't say no foods.



Especially when it comes to special foods there are only made for holidays.






My boyfriends mother, whom I love very much, makes this cauliflower dish that is so simple, but rich and delicious. Cauliflower is drowned in a cheddar béchamel sauce then topped with bread crumbs. I love this holiday favorite but my butt grows at the smell of it!






My mom normally makes latkes for Hanukah. Tons and tons of grated potatoes made into little cakes then fried in oil. I know this sounds similar to hash browns, but the end result is quite different. The center of a latke is much more moist and creamy.






This year I decided to make latkes for my friends. Now when I say myself, I mean I fried them, but my friends HELPED. I had my bff peeling potatoes. My other friend “volunteered” to grate the peeled potatoes. Her husband and my boyfriend then squeezed the water out of the grated potatoes. I then took the potatoes that were peeled, grated, and waterless and magically turned them into latkes.






It was humorous to me, when my turn came in this production line. I was a little lost. I have made latkes almost EVERY year for the jewish holidays. I am not big on measuring and I don’t remember the women in my family measuring when making these potato pancakes. I remember dice onions and crying!!! I have fond memories of peeling potatoes until my hand hurt and all my nails broke. However, without my mom and grandmother present, I lacked guidance. I had to call my mom. Yes, I who have altered all my moms family recipes to adjust to my taste, called her. After a pep talk, I was no longer lost. I just followed my gut. Now the first batch turned out a little “blackened.” However, the second batch was AMAZING!!!!!!!






I think I may have to do this every year. Or that is what my friends requested…. There is nothing like food to bring people together…










Happy holidays everyone!!!!

Leftover rice!!

I love leftover rice. Whether it is from a restaurant or leftovers from the nigh before, I love it. What do I do with all this leftover rice????
I enjoy making fried rice.
To me, this is perfect hangover food, it is good for a relaxing sunday afternoon, or a quick dinner for expected guests. I know you could easily order fried rice at a restaurant, but I find it dry and bland at most restaurants. Plus, if you are a vegitarian, most fried rice recipes have pork in them. Crazy...I know!

So, I like to use veggies I have in my fridge already. This makes the perfect meal when you are feeling lazy and do not feel like going to the grocery store. If you don't have fresh veggies, toss in canned water chestnuts, little corn cobbs, and canned straw mushrooms. Whether you use fresh or canned veggies, it doesn't matter, this recipe will turn out GREAT!!!

Tonight, I had peppers and mushrooms laying around, but please feel free to add whatever is in your fridge. Anything from asparagus to spinach, carrotts to onions will be delcious.



1 package of sliced and washed mushrooms..(You can buy whole mushrooms then slice and wash them yourself.)
10 small sweet peppers or 2 bell peppers diced
2 cups of cooked rice
5 eggs
1 garlic clove
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Melt 2 tablespoons of ghee or clarified butter in a LARGE sautee pan (or wok) on medium! Please do not try to use a small or medium size pan. Things will not cook through all the way through. If you don't have ghee, do a fifty fifty mix of butter and oil to make sure the butter does not burn!!!!

Add mushrooms and peppers to melted butter. Cook for 3-5 minutes until browned. Zest in 1 clove of garlic. Mix in 2 cups of cooked rice. Stir until mushrooms, peppers, and garlic are well intregrated into the rice.
Once mixed, stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and the rest of the ghee. Let cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While rice is cooking, crack the eggs into a seperate bowl and whisk until the yolks are blended with the whites.

Make a hole in the middle of sautte pan by pushing all the rice to the edges. Then pour 1/3 of the whisked eggs into the center hole of the pan. Let the eggs cook through. When the eggs go from bright taxi cab yellow to a pale pastel yellow, stir the eggs into the rice. When complete, make another hole and pour another 1/3 of the eggs in. Repeat this process untill the eggs are all used. Once the eggs are mixed in let the rice cook for another 5 minutes. Stir when needs. After the fried rice is ready!!!!

Salt to taste!!! I recommend serving with soy sauce!! This dish is great on it's own or with any protein from tofu to steak!!!!!