Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I am going to make this an open-ended blog today. By that I mean I invite anyone and everyone to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipe, story, tradition, etc. Whatever you like, we want to hear about it.

This year I assisted my mother in making our family's Thanksgiving meal. While she took the helm when it came to sides and desserts, I took over the turkey task.

Get your snack back on track!

To sum things up, we all get tied down with so many things going on, especially as we gear up for the holiday season. This chaotic running around can often lead to mindless eating and rifling through the fridge to throw together a mish mash of food that would make a Billy Goat sick. I speak from experience as this past weekend was so busy that we didn’t have anything to eat almost all day on Sunday. Of course, this led me to bust open the fridge and eat just about everything that wasn’t stuck to the shelves. With a small measure of prep ahead of time, you can whip together a snack bar that is not only tasty and supper easy, but actually healthy in a pinch! No more Snickers Marathon Bars to get you through a tough spot.


For the past few years I have been working on a nutritional bar that would give me the quality protein, slow digesting carbohydrates for extended energy, health fats, and not some astronomical calorie count. Remember, it is not necessarily fats that make you fat, but excess carbohydrates, especially the fast digesting type (Ex. White bread, white rice, candy, etc.). These carbohydrates cause a spike in insulin levels, which is an enzyme created in our bodies to combat sugar levels. Insulin is also a fat storing enzyme. When too much insulin is created, that food energy begins to be stored as fat. Another interesting bit about insulin is this: when you consume a ton of sugar, your blood sugar levels spike and you get that sugar rush. Insulin is then put into production and this fast acting enzyme is what brings the sugar levels down, thus causing the crash. So keep in mind carbohydrate choose. They are not all created equal, but the only fuel our brain uses to work is carbohydrates. So this other factor is important. I know what you are thinking: There is just no winning. IF I have said it once I have said it a million times, portion control and moderation are king.

Ok, enough of that. Let’s get to cooking!

Come on by for Sheppard's Pie.

There is nothing like a hearty meal to warm the heart and warm the stomach, especially when you have a large crowd to feed. Lately I have been frequenting this little Irish pub in Bellevue called Paddy Coyne’s for after work drinks and snacks. The place has great atmosphere and the food is pretty good too. I tell ya, sometimes there is just nothing like the first sip of a Guinness with all that creamy foam and body to it. Something that has always intrigued me on menus at many restaurants has been “Sheppard’s Pie”. Of course the instant turn off was usually the fact that it has peas in it (which I have always been very anxious to avoid). However, as I grow older and wiser, I hope, peas no longer hold that same “Yuck” factor for me. In the days of my childhood, my mother would often make a meal called “Peas and Corn Dish”. This was one thing I always hated. I just could not get used to creamed corn, mashed potatoes, beef and peas mixed together. It all took a further departure from my liking when we started eating more lean ground turkey that became the substitute for the beef. Once again, I have gained a new appreciation for this dish.


This weekend as I was sitting around recuperating from Saturdays “Mud Fest” as known as the annual “Turkey Bowl” football game in Shoreline WA, I decided to try my hand at Sheppard’s Pie.

I had a flank steak in my fridge marinating that I intend to cook, but I also had an extra ¼ of it that I cut off before marinating to do something else with, so that is what I used since I didn’t have lamb at my disposal. I also made a quick switch for the mashed potato covering that is traditionally used. I opted for mashed acorn squash since I had a large squash I needed to use up. Here is what I did:

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A Marvelous One Pot Wonder.

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention.  Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I was in great need of more food to fill my refrigerator, but with my off the wall work schedule, it doesn't hurt to have something tasty and hearty waiting in the wings.
This was merely another one of my attempts to use various ingredients at my disposal and free up a little room in the pantry.  What it turned into was a keeper recipe that was great to have on those late work nights this week.

Snacking With Some Authority

A while back I was into my typical daily routine of surfing all the food and cooking websites I like that are updated with new recipes each morning.  I came across a recipe for a fig and goat cheese pizza that caught my eye.  Finally this morning I had a little time before work and some pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's.  This unique and exciting taste makes the same old dull pizza look like bore.  It is great as an addition to a bread basket, by the slice with a salad, or as an simple appetizer.
So let's start this thing:

DIY Debone And Stuff That Bird!

Let’s face it folks, it is so nice and easy (though not always affordable) to go pick out some already prepared chicken fillets or boneless and skinless frozen chicken pieces. But were the heck is the fun in that? I have always been one for convenience because of a chaotic work schedule, so I can’t bash the rummaging through the frozen food isle for some flash frozen meats. I did however discover that it is actually a lot easier and less expensive to debone your own chicken. I had the brilliant idea one night to attempt this as I was watching “Jacques Pepin’s Complete Technique” series. He seemed to whip right through and made a fantastic looking Galantine (galantine is a deboned chicken stuffed usually with ground meats like veal, pork, etc. so it comes out looking like pimento or pickle loaf). So here we go I thought. How much trouble can I get into anyway? This is also perfect for weekday meals, not only holidays.
I purchased a small chicken the next day at Safeway and set to the task. It really isn’t as bad as you my think. Check out what ensued. -->

Gearing Up For Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all the readers of my page.  May I just begin by saying thank you again for reading my blog and wishing you all best eating.  I am excited because this blog will give me an opportunity to talk a little bit about what we all adore during the holiday season.  This all equates to sharing time with friends and family, the exciting chill in the air, but mainly the food!  I will continue to talk about my culinary adventures and creations, as well as throwing in some neat tips and tricks I have been picking up for food prep and holiday cooking/baking.  So, stick around and see what goods we pull together as the days grow a little darker outside, but warmer with the love of good friends, family, gifts, and of course... great food!

Dinning With Elegance.

Last night I finally had the opportunity to start on a menu from the "Le Cordon Bleu at Home" book I spoke about in an earlier blog.  I wanted to begin utilizing this book to develop my culinary prep skills, but alas, life, and work, gets in the way.  Since I had all day yesterday (when I wasn't cleaning my apartment), I picked up what I needed from the store to start lesson one in the book.

Lesson One from "Le Cordon Bleu At Home"
Concombre a la Menthe- Cucumber Salad with Mint
Poulet Roti- Roast Chicken (I made a tapenade stuffed chicken breast instead)
Petits Pois a la Francaise- Spring Peas with Lettuce, Chervil, and Onions
Salade des Fruits- Fresh Fruit Salad with Cointreau (I chose to make Jacques Pepin's Apricot Popover instead)
Follow the "Read More" link to see what transpired!