pesto pasta salad

Its christmas and I decided to make a pasta salad to bring to chistmas lunch. Wheat pasta,asparagus,red bell pepper, baby heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives, pesto and goat cheese. Then a whole bunch of fresh basil on top. Amazing!

soup tonight?

So, it has been a while since posting, and I guess I can only blame finals and craziness for that, and the fact my camera broke and I can't upload any pictures, and half the fun of sharing food is how good it looks.  And, unlike a lot of people, I still have a REALLY basic phone, so the pictures I take with it are actually quite horrible, but if I get around to making soup tonight, instead of studying through all meal times as I have been doing,  I will use my phone camera, because it is all I have.  I am planning on making bean with bacon soup, which is one of my all time favorites.  Homemade is definitely better than canned (as with everything) but when I was little Campbell's made a pretty descent one, as far as I can remember (at least it was really salty/smoky flavored and I'm a salt addict).  So, hopefully this soup will come about, as I rather be cooking than studying any day.  Check back for details and some really great grainy pics!

pasta night

Today Haley and I visited the North Park farmers market, the first time in a while.  We used to go weekly, as we had a share in a CSA with our old roommate Lauren and would pick up our produce box there and in addition would leisurely browse the booths that had amazing food and crafts. 

Going today was a delight as always and we stopped at my favorite booth, the one that sells homemade pastas, pesto and hummus.  Although I have a pretty well stocked fridge and pantry at the moment, I wasn't able to pass up the fresh pasta (lemon basil fettuccine), and one sample of the walnut basil pesto had me ripping money out of my wallet.  Remembering that I had a plethora of veggies at home, I got out of the market relatively cheaply, but still had a great time looking, and sampling. 

At home I cut up zucchini and yellow squash and put them in a wok with a bit of olive oil and sea salt and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I cooked these until browned and a bit caramelized. 

I also found a portabella mushroom in the far reaches of the veggie drawer and cut it up in thick slices, mixed together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and let it sit in the mixture for several minutes before cooking it on medium high heat until both sides were browned.

Because I was using fresh pasta, it only takes a minute or two to cook, so once everything else was done, I put the pasta in the boiling water, pulled it out soon after, and liberally spooned the pesto over it to finish.  Delicious. 

julie and julia

Last night I watched Julie & Julia for the first time, and besides loving the movie, found it quite inspirational and am seriously contemplating replicating Julie Powell's experiment of cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Although, if I did partake in this adventure, it would have to be after I move, but it might serve me quite well in Portland in the winter months, as eating all the extra butter might help keep me warm if some pounds were added to my frame.  It is just a thought, but one that gives me tingles and makes me think that one day it would be amazing to just cook for a living.  Until then...I will cook, and write about it, and most of all, eat and enjoy :)

thanksgiving!

Normally for Thanksgiving i go home and my sisters and i cook most of the food at my Gramma's house.  this year i didn't visit my family and just had a potluck with friends and only contributed a few dishes.  this made it a little less fun, as i LOVE cooking all the yummy dishes of this feast day, but cut down drastically on the stress.  next year i am hoping to host and make most everything myself, with some new recipes as well. 

for the potluck i made deviled eggs (thanks so much Haley for helping peel those eggs!), green bean almondine, and pumpkin pie.  i also brought cranberry macadamia nut stuffing, but my friend Haley put that together mostly, and it was delicious.   deviled eggs are like candy to me.  every Thanksgiving and Christmas either i or one of my sisters make these and they go fast once they are on the table.  i don't even like mustard or mayonnaise, but for some reason, when it is mixed in with the egg yolks and maybe some vinegar for some extra tang and a bit of paprika on top, i cant stop myself, they are quite addicting. 

green bean almondine is one of my favorite sides and it is so simple, yet has really complex and unexpected flavors.  i sautee fresh green beans in olive oil, salt and pepper (fresh ground is best) and cook for maybe five minutes before adding the almonds.  i always buy raw whole almonds and chop them roughly for this dish, it always seems to taste better.  i add those and cook until they are browned and roasted, and have a slight meaty flavor.  all the components in the dish really compliment each other. 

pumpkin pie is one of my favorites, and i make it quite a few times between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  i normally just use the recipe on the back of the pumpkin puree can, but to really pull the flavors out, use fresh ground spices.  you will be amazed at how much difference this makes.  every time i make pumpkin pie i always want to make homemade whipped cream as well, but i don't own a mixer. that is next on my list to buy once i have a few extra dollars. 

hamburger patty with sauteed asparagus

i bought some hamburger patties at the store the other day, and now it seems like I've been eating beef non stop, as it is not something i regularly eat in my diet.  but i did make something quite delicious for lunch, and for some reason, eating beef seems to go well with colder weather in my mind, so this works out well. 

as they were already in patties, i just threw them in a skillet on the stove with a bit of salt and pepper and let them cook on medium.  meanwhile, i sauteed the asparagus with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  i cook mostly with basic ingredients and that way you can actually taste the food you are eating, not just what you put on to it.  after everything was cooked i served the patty with a bit of goat cheese and avocado and asparagus on the side.  SO good. 

egg breakfast sandwich

this is what i normally eat for breakfast if i have everything on hand.  it is also easy and fast so i can make it while i am getting ready for school in the morning.  i use Ezekiel 4:9 bread, toast it while i am cooking the egg (over medium), spread hummus on the toast when it pops, then put slices of avocado on top of the hummus, and then the egg right on top when it is cooked.  this time i had it with a side of blackberries to round it out and of course some coffee :) 

i used to hate runny eggs of any sort, and would cook the life out of mine any time i would eat them.  but a couple of summers ago i was in New York with my dad and had eggs Benedict for the first time at a great little restaurant and it was amazing.  since then, i love having the yolks run.  it is amazing to me how food preferences can change over time, even if a certain one has been ingrained since childhood. this just reinforces the idea that i should always try new things, food and otherwise.

stir fry with black beans

i make this all the time.  it is really easy, amazingly good and good for you.  i normally just use whatever veggies i have on hand. tonight i had some onion, zucchini, yellow squash, portabella mushroom, red and yellow sweet bell pepper, carrots and broccoli. 

i use a wok to cook it because it's huge and can fit all the veggies and it also cooks it in a way i like (browns lots of pieces on high heat).  put some oil in the wok and throw it all in!  i don't normally season it at all, as at the end i add soyaki to the entire mix, but also because the veggies taste great stir fried by themselves (also, i think because I've used this wok so many times there is flavor build in...haha). sometimes i will take some out before adding everything else and put it in some Tupperware to use for the rest of the week in other dishes. 

when the veggies are cooked and browned a bit i add a can of whole black beans and some soyaki.  then i cook it a bit more to let all the flavors meld, just a few minutes.  by this time i am impatient and my mouth is watering and I'm picking pieces out to "test."  spoon some into a bowl and top with avocado slices, in my opinion, the avocado really finishes the dish, makes it go from "good" to "amazing," but i am quite fond of avocados and could be giving them more credit than they deserve :) 

i made this once a long time ago when i had lots of veggies going bad in my fridge that i had to eat, and now i find i make it almost once a week.  LOVE this one!

cold lunch

i didn't have time to cook anything between classes today, but put together a tasty meal anyway.  cut up some cucumber, sweet yellow pepper, and carrot, then some leftover balsamic chicken.  put all that, plus half an avocado (love them), and a handful of black grapes on a plate, and ate with hummus and some black corn chips. yum. easy-peasy and delicious.  then i ran out the door to class.

midnight munchies

had a few of the gingerbread thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam i made a couple days ago for a bit of a snack before bed with a cup of peppermint tea. delicious!  will definitely make for sweet dreams <3

got a bit hungry...

so i was a bit hungry but didn't want to cook dinner quite yet, so i decided to make a yummy snack. this one is easy and quite tasty.  i guess you could just call it a goat cheese and beet open faced sandwich? but even that is going a bit far.

all you need it some bread, i normally use french baguette, but i happened to buy this amazing kalamata olive bread at Trader Joe's the other day so i used that, then some goat cheese and beets.  normally i roast my own beets, or at the very least you can microwave them with some balsamic and olive oil, using fresh is always better, but again when i was at Trader Joe's i grabbed their packaged roasted and ALREADY PEELED (makes life so much easier!!!) beets.  i had this sandwich in mind when i bought them, so i knew i could whip it up in minutes if i was hungry. 

so it's simple: toast the bread in a toaster, or oven, when hot and browned, spread a generous amount of goat cheese on, then top with sliced beets. Enjoy!!!  the saltiness of the cheese really compliments the sweet/earthiness of the beets.  it really is an amazing little snack, or  hors d'oeuvre (thanksgiving is soon!). 

i know a lot of people are a bit adverse to beets, but you shouldn't be!  they are really delicious if prepared the right way.  i know i didn't like them the first time i had them (at gramma's on thanksgiving from a can, quite disturbing), it took me a while to like them, but once i did i really cant get enough. 

also, i have to point out, as a nutrition major, that beets are wonderful powerhouses of nutrients.  beets contain vitamin C, Potassium, Niacin (vit B-3), Pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), Pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and carotenoids, and minerals such as iron, manganese and magnesium.

ENJOY:)

First Post!

I've never had a blog before, but since so many people have told me i should start one, and I've definitely considered it before, here it is.  i have a blog.  so, for all of those food lovers out there, i will try to be consistent on my food adventures and post regularly, and keep my camera nearby.  this actually seems quite exciting, as i love food and cooking, and love sharing it with others, and in this way i can share it with quite a few more people than just my friends and family.  so, first post down. not so hard. now, to cooking :)