Thursday, July 12, 2007

Question of the Week

There's something about not being able to cook that makes me think of food constantly. Jeff and I love to cook so it's tough eating out for every meal. And it's tough on the waistline. But soon enough, we'll have a beautiful new kitchen. Big fridge, gas stove, convection ovens... *Sigh*

Where was I? Oh yeah, back to my food obsession. I was eating something yesterday (I don't even remember what it was) and I thought, "hmmm, this doesn't taste that good." It wasn't bad, it was just okay. And it wasn't healthy food, it was something junky. So I started wondering just why I was eating it.

It's like the stupid grilled cheese sandwiches at OHSU. I ate a ton of those awful things. Don't get me wrong, I love a good grilled cheese. These were not good. These pathetic-excuses-for-a-sandwich consisted of a piece of processed American cheese between two pieces of stale white bread. Far from healthy. Far from tasty. So why not just get a salad then?

I'm sure you smarties are saying "stress causes your brain to release endorphins...blah, blah, blah." Trust me, I know about stress eating. And I can see splurging on an amazing meal or decadent dessert. But why blow the calories on a crappy grilled cheese? Well, I guess it's one of those mysteries of life. Right up there with Donald Trump's hair and Tammy Faye's mascara choices.

Sorry that you have once again been forced to wade through the randomness that is my cognitive function. I'll try to find a point somewhere in here...

Since I'm missing home cooking, I might as well add insult to injury and ask:

What is your favorite dish?
You know, the one that makes you feel good. Or the one that reminds you of something wonderful. Or the one that you have on special occasions. Oh, and for you non-cookers, it doesn't have to be a dish that you make. And I definitely want the recipes. No holding out on me now. C'mon people, feed the obsession! Cause if I'm going to drool over food, it might as well be GOOD food.

12 comments:

Lori July 12, 2007 at 1:20 PM  

My problem is, I can't pick just one favorite! So I'll do this categorically:

Fav snack: CHIPS of any kind. Mmmmmm, salty goodness.

Fav dessert: Apple crisp (the fruit makes it seem healthy even though it's loaded with butter and sugar) OR chocolate rasperry cake from The Dessert Tray in Beaverton (HEAVEN!!!) OR my own newly created Heaven in a Pan (alternating stripes of chocolate chip cookie and brownie on a butter cookie crust)

Huh, is there anything to life other than dessert and snacks?

Fav "company's comin' go-to meal": Enchilada casserole (I made up the recipe which makes me feel very chef-like.) Here's the general recipe-

Dip corn tortillas in warmed enchilada sauce and layer in a baking dish. Top with mixture of cooked brown rice, black beans, corn and enchilada sauce. Add another layer of dipped tortillas. Top with cheese, black olives & canned green chilis. Repeat.

Okay, now it's your turn. Paula, where's your famous pickled green bean recipe? Michelle, cough up the top secret potato salad recipe.

Anonymous July 12, 2007 at 5:24 PM  

Well, hmmm. I don't cook (at least not well), but I do love to eat.

Can we say DEAD COW (still slightly mooing), no really almost any steak medium rare (favorites are prime rib, rib eye & filet). UMMM. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Since I am also a huge dessert fan I do have to include that also. Almost anything with chocolate I love, but favorite would be a good chocolate moose or rum balls from Pappa Hydens.

Beth

PS -- Huge congrats to being #1! WIsh I could be there this weekend.

Jennifer July 12, 2007 at 10:49 PM  

Okay,

For fav snack...I'd have to say fruit or anything healthy. JUST KIDDING. I love chips and salsa from Chevy's (and you gotta sprinkle extra salt onto each chip before you eat it)

Fav dessert: Chocolate is really the only thing that should be considered dessert. I love the chocolate molten lava thing from Hall Street (although I have to admit that I also REALLY like the banana cream cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory)

Fav dinner meal: My hubbie's teriyaki chicken, of course. Okay, I'll leave the recipe here, but those of you who write this down better promise that you'll swear yourselves to secrecy. First you buy a tray of chicken thighs from Costco. For the teri sauce you use 1 Cup shoyu (also known as soy sauce-we use the Aloha brand, low sodium...it can be found at Uwajimaya), then 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar, 3-4 Tbl honey, 2 heaping tbl of minced garlic (the kind from the container), 1/4 Cup Mirin (rice wine), a splash of sesame oil, fresh ginger, cut into chunks that you'll remove before cooking and some slice green onions. Mix that all together and pour over the chicken...let it marinate for 8-24 hours. Serve with steaming rice and a crisp green salad...heaven...seriously.

Anonymous July 13, 2007 at 8:11 AM  

Picking favorites is hard!!!

Dessert: Apple Crisp (for all the same reasons!!!), berry pie, ice cream cake (I totally have the Betty Crocker Ice Cream Cake set to make them at home), and oatmeal carmel dessert bars.

Fav Snack: I love chips and salsa too! Also anything with berries and cheese and bread (not necessarily together).

My new favorite meal is homemade taquitos. So easy and so delicious!!!

Lori, you cannot ever tell Jeff that I am posting the potato salad on the internet. I cannot even imagine the wrath that would come my way....

I also love potato salad, and most other picnic food. I make it with russet potatoes, mayonnaise, hard boiled egg, loads of sweet pickles and green onions, salt/pepper/sugar. The secret is to pour a few tbs of sweet pickle juice on the potatoes while they are cooling in the fridge. You didn't hear it from me :)

Lori July 13, 2007 at 11:55 AM  

This is going to be the blog to read. Look at all the top secret recipes being coaxed out of hiding!

Jenn, Jeff is super excited about the famous teriyaki recipe.

Michelle, this will definitely be our secret. But as I said to Jeff last night, your Mom would have shared the recipe, right? Just because he is protective of his recipes doesn't mean everyone has to be.

Beth, DEAD COW?! I'm a vegetarian for crying out loud. Oh well, to each his own. :)

Anonymous July 13, 2007 at 5:54 PM  

Well, like everyone else, I love desserts. My favorite would have to be bananas foster. As for real food, I just figured out how to make chicken parmesian. And of corse that goes with spaghetti. Anything that has to do with spaghetti is my favorite, and I LOVE to cook it!
Joey

Anonymous July 13, 2007 at 6:40 PM  

Okay, so maybe I should have worded it a little nicer :) But it is true. I love it whatever you want to call it. By the way what is up with changing the order of your cancer community links :) Just keeping me on my toes? I have an order I look at them in and that just threw me off. But thanks for adding the new one. Gotta love any kid that likes soccer :) Good luck this weekend. I will be thinking of you all while you are racing. Hopefully you are feeling better. Beth

Anonymous July 15, 2007 at 6:05 PM  

I like the quiche my mom taught me to make. Any time I used to make it, my mom would shout directions for me from her chair (when she was sick) and she'd grate the cheese for me! I've made several different varieties of quiche over the years... I like to make up my own recipes. But, my top two quiches are quiche lorraine and seafood quiche.

For the Lorraine, first you cook bacon (Lori, you could probably use vegg bacon). Then, you cook a package of spinach with a little of the bacon grease, minced garlic, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Add around a cup of sliced mushrooms. Line a deep dished pie pan (or quiche pan) with pie crust. Put spinach mixture in the bottom. Then, mix about 6-10 eggs (depending on how big your quiche dish is) with an equal amount of half and half, salt and pepper, set aside. Grate monteray jack, cheddar, and swiss cheeses over the spinach mixture in the quiche pan. Then pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for about an hour. You can tell it's done when you stick a knife in the middle and it comes out clean.

For the seafood quiche, everything's the same, except the seafood mixture. For the mixture, sautee minced garlic and a little butter in a skillet. Add shrimp, clam, and whatever other seafood you like to the skillet. Add beaumond seasoning (maybe like 2 tablespoons... enough to taste). Then do everything else the same as above, you can do different kinds of cheeses too if you want.

For dessert, I like ANYTHING!! Cheesecake, Jamba Juice, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Blizzards, Donuts, Cereal... I'm not a huge chocolate fan... only during "that" time of the month.

For a snack, I love my caramel corn. I'm a huge fan of the 100 calorie packs. I love sunchips, cheetos, and sour cream and cheddar ruffles (thank goodness they make those in the light variety now!)

There Lori... are you happy? I commented!!! :)

Becci

Anonymous July 15, 2007 at 6:06 PM  

not CLAM... CRAB (not enough sleep last night) -Becci

Anonymous July 16, 2007 at 2:04 PM  

Ok, so I can relate with Lori about not being able to cook. Chip and I were on the road the majority of the last three and a half years and eating out only sounds good when you don’t have to do it for every meal. We thought we had hit the mother load when we would get a hotel room with a mini fridge. I am talking so small you can’t keep more than two or three things inside it at once. If we were really lucky, we would get a microwave to boot. We hit the mother load if we got a place with a kitchen. Now we have the luxury of a small NY Studio apartment, where you can’t really use the oven, as you can’t get the door all the way open while you are in the kitchen! But I have become the Queen of Stovetop cooking and I love anything you can make on the stovetop.

Ok, so down to the real question…. I would have to say my favorite food is 99% lean ground turkey meat with Old El Paso Taco Seasoning…. you can put it on anything, add to lettuce, carrots and tomato for a yummy salad. Or add it to Nacho fixings to have Nacho’s. Our new favorite is to have a Mexican Pizza with whole-wheat tortillas. Mmmm. I am hungry just thinking about it.

My new favorite thing for breakfast a Belgian Waffle from my Pro Waffle Baker that I got for my birthday! Just like the hotels we used to stay at where they had the help yourself waffle baker! I guess you can get the Girl out of the tour but you can’t get the tour out of the girl.

And of course, anything chocolate! Can’t go wrong with that one, unless of course you add nuts, I prefer just plain chocolate.

I am just thankful these days to be able to bring my home made lunch to work.

Cooking Rocks.

Abra

LCM July 17, 2007 at 4:25 PM  

I put off leaving a comment because I like to eat all sorts of stuff but dinner making hasn't been the best lately. I have a very picky husband, lettuce, corn and potatoes are all of the veggies he eats. Maddy is iffy because something sounds good one day, but not the next. Thank heavens for Livvy, she'll at least try anything.
I am the queen of desserts. Church potlucks people always ask what I brought so they can get to it first before it's gone. Did I ever bring you dessert or give you anything in the hospital? Anyway, a good fudgy chewie brownie is my idea of a good time!

Lori July 18, 2007 at 5:23 PM  

Andrea, you made us a wonderful meal of soup and brownies when we were in the PICU. And you're right, they were amazing!

For Abra, my aunt just sent me this recipe. It was perfectly timed because it doesn't require an oven. I thought you might appreciate homemade chocolatey goodness with no baking!!! Imagine coming home after a hard day with the smell of warm chocolate filling the apartment. Heaven.

"Triple Chocolate Mess" Crock-pot Recipe!!

1 pkg chocolate cake mix (any brand)
1 pint sour cream
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding(small box)
1 - 6 oz pkg chocolate chips
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1 cup water

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients. Pour into crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. If you are going to
let it stay in crock pot after cooking put paper towel under the lid so moisture that collects on lid will not fall on cake. Serve in bowl with ice cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate after cooking.

Good warm or cold.

  © Blogger template 'Fly Away' by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP