Food. And More Food.

Sometimes I just gush with my excitement over food. I'm chewing on mostly raw garlic right now (I baked broccoli with garlic, bread crumbs, freshly grated parm, olive oil and salt and pepper). I can't stop thinking about the smell of my house when blueberry scones are baking in the oven. Meat shredded to perfection gives me a bit of a high. These kind of posts are more for encouraging someone out of a cooking rut than to brag about what my family is eating. I really don't like bragging. So, here's my meal plan currently:

Spicy shredded pork - as as seen in my picture below, before it was shredded. I love the recipe. I didn't have the white wine vinegar, so I substituted Mirin, a sweet rice cooking wine. It added a wonderful depth of flavor. I pair this with brown rice, lime wedges and tortillas. Hands on time is minutes. P.S. I love my Le Crueset dutch oven. The world is a better place with these bad boys in it. We also tried a new meatloaf recipe from Real Simple - paired it with yellow potatoes (I actually purchase them at WinCo in the bag and love them - so buttery).

Pasta/parm/veggies. A good standby - no recipe needed and it's quick.

Bean chicken and sausage stew - known as "hot dog soup" around these parts. I purchase the chicken sausage at Trader Joe's and the soup involves kale, so I don't feel so bad.

This morning I made these blueberry scones. It's the perfect recipe and they remind me almost exactly of the ones I get at Starbucks when I'm starving (which is almost always).


I have a confession. Up until this point in my life, I wouldn't touch an entire raw chicken with a ten foot pole. Well, I briefly saw the Neeley's on the Food Network get all up in a chicken (including under the skin with butter and herbs). I realized I was missing out on this entire corner of the culinary world that involved beautiful golden birds filled with garlic and lemon slices and I could resist no longer. I put my bacteria neuroses on the back burner and cooked a bird. What a success! The meat was fragrant and moist (but no where near as salty as those delicious rotisserie chickens you get at Costco - what do they put in those?!) and I will definitely do it again.

My last recipe is one found in the Mother's cookbook. I am attempting the carrot cake recipe, although I don't really have the crowd to cook it for.