The Merry Christmas

Dear Bloggers,
        The Christmas the was a lonely one this year. Christmas Eve was wonderful spending time with all of my family and getting to make this delicious fried chicken. However the following day I took my parents to the airport to leave for Italy on Christmas day and was very saddened. This blog is fixing to be short and sweet to get to the point. My family had waited all year to have this fried chicken and I finally made it for Christmas Eve and they said they loved it. It is quite a simple dish and I plated it with asparagus, salad and oven baked potatoes with a honey mustard dressing that I made. The evening went quickly after opening up presents and reminiscing on childhood memories. Although the Christmas tree was small and not close to a real one, it still made me feel like there was some Christmas presence in the air. This fried chicken I must say is unbeatable. Not even KFC can come close to it. It's so crispy and so perfectly seasoned that makes no other fried chicken quite as delicious. Well, I'm off to go sew, but until next time stay healthy and happy cooking!

Asparagus Spaghetti Squash Orzo Salad

Dear Bloggers,
      So, is there a rule that I can only blog once per day? I've got one more blog for today before I show y'all the awesome fried chicken tomorrow! I began by boiling some water with red lentils in a pan, I then added a touch of Louisiana Hot Sauce. In a separate pot I boiled the orzo with salt. In the oven I carved out my spaghetti squash to remove the seeds, added 1/2 onions, salt, pepper, and full parsley leaves. It roasted on 375 for 30 minutes. It was cooked slightly through but not to the soggy point. I then added chopped asparagus to the lentils, chopped parsley, 1 fresh onion, 4 cloves of garlic, and the forked spaghetti squash. I lastly added in the orzo and a touch more of the Louisiana Hot Sauce. The hot sauce added the most perfect flavor that packed some heat but did not take over the dish. I then added some diced green onion to the top of the dish. This meal was not only surprisingly delicious, but it always was nutritious packing at least 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber. So, tomorrow I'll see you again but happy cooking and stay healthy!

Fennel & Zucchini Pasta al Forno

Dear Bloggers,
         Let me give you the low-down. Recently, I have cooked 2 meals over the four days that I have been here. Tonight I believe I will be making another awesome fried chicken dish which I am pumped about. So, on Thursday night I decided to make some fennel zucchini pasta al forno. Quite easy and so delicious. I began by marinating some ground beef in some garlic, olive oil, 1 head of chopped fennel, thyme, and basil for 3 hours. I cut up 1 yellow and green zucchini into 1/8" rounds. I then let those marinate in olive oil, salt, and pepper for an equal amount of time. After I sauteed the ground beef/fennel mixture in a pan until fully cooked then I formed a roux with flour, cream, and a touch of butter. I then added some cooked bow tie pasta. Off of the heat, I added in the rounded zucchini and put it in an 8x12 dish, added some bread crumbs and butter to the top and cooked it on 350 for 30 minutes then broiled it for 3 minutes for a golden finish. Virtually, you could've added any vegetables to this dish and you also could've taken out the ground beef but the fennel is quite an added bonus of flavor. Hopefully you'll try this awesome dish. Until tomorrow, happy cooking and stay healthy!

2 Weeks of Freshly Cooked Love: Take 2

Dear Bloggers,
         As you may or may not know (since I have no followers), I started this blog for fun last year when I came home for Christmas to my family to cook 2 weeks of delicious food. This year I am back to do just that again. I will not be staying with my family the entire time because they will be flying to Italy. That's fine though, because I am still delighted to cook for myself and my dog. A few things have been flying in and out this year and one of them has been music. Whether or not I should pursue my true passion. If I do, do I go to school to do it or do I simply just go out there? It's been a struggle. I know that is best to do for my stability: get a job as a dietician and settle. Although I know that I will not be happy doing so because I do enjoy eating healthily, but not enough to dedicate my entire life to doing so. Anyways, I'll be home tomorrow which means that the blogs will begin shortly after that. Thank you for listening once again (if you really are reading this, thank you). Once more, happy cooking and stay healthy!

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead: An Analytical Approach

Dear Bloggers,
        I recently have acquired a great deal of knowledge from a particular food documentary titled, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. This movie was very inspiring and also very informative about a new solution to weight loss and cleansing the body. A man from Australia speaks of the hardships he experiences with serious health risks and how he overcomes losing more than 100 pounds just by juicing. It was a miraculous film to see and not only did it inspire me, it got me thinking what that would do for me and how it could help my body. I'm not sure if you all know about my digestive problems that I have been having for the past 8-10 months, but it has been a struggle trying to find what triggers these issues and what will bring improvements. Thus far, I am still learning about what I can and cannot eat.
    After further research upon juice fasting, I began comprehending more and more about it and what I commonly thought, just as everyone, that fasting is bad for the body. In no way is it harmful for the body. In fact, it does much good for the gastrointestinal track and helping the colon clean itself out. Every American in their life will have some colon problem and have some type of colon work done in their lifetime based off of the diets we have in America. After recognizing that, I came to a comprehension that juicing and fasting, is a way to let my body realign and help my colon clean all of backed up materials out.
     Also, I recently came to find today a man that is very inspiring and talks about taking initiative to becoming healthier and taking care of your body. If you would visit his youtube channel and see all of the lovely advice he has to offer, it will do you very well. I hope that you are having a wonderful day and look into juicing, as it has changed my perspective on health. http://www.youtube.com/user/2ultramax?feature=watch Stay healthy and happy cooking!

150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

Dear Bloggers,
      I am unsure if I have informed all of you readers about my recent change in education. I have decided to pursue dietetics in hopes that somehow I can incorporate food and health into educating and helping the general American public. Currently, I have been reading so much of a particular book, 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and the amount of unbiased information in this book is astounding. I have learned so much about vegetables, fruits, grains, fats, sugars, you name it. The main components that make up a human diet are omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, and the glycemic index (or primarily the glycemic load). I also learned from this book how nearly all foods work together to provide a well-ballanced nutrient rich diet. There is no miracle food out there that is going to provide everything you need in your diet. For example, when people are looking at weight loss, they approach it with the view that they must go on a diet until they lose the desired/recommended weight. However, the realistic approach that doesn't seem as painful is to simply make a permanent lifestyle change where they view it as adding more healthy foods, not taking away their preferred meal choices. Slowly, after incorporating more and more diverse foods with more nutrient density, the other foods with begin to dwindle down in their current diet.

If I may be honest, I of all people, do enjoy a good fried chicken (Chik Fil A) and french fries every once in a while. I have come to the point where I understand that by treating my body with respect and giving it the real fuel that it needs, it will perform better. From workouts, to studying in classes, to being in a better mood, to having more energy to do things that make me happy, eating healthy has allowed all of those things to happen. I would encourage all of you readers to purchase a copy of this book because it has honestly changed my entire perspective on healthy eating.

In fact, in one section of the book it quotes, "Let's put it this way: If you ate a great balance of foods from the 150 that make up the list of the healthiest foods on the planet, and you never touched a grain for the rest of your life, you wouldn't be missing anything nutritionally. The same cannot be said of the fruits, vegetables, eggs, oils, spics, meat, fish, and poultry" (Bowden 75). Who would've known that after all that talk of whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, all of it, simply has no use in our diet. Compare jicama, with 1 cup you receive 70 calories and 7 grams of fiber to once slice of whole wheat bread, 140 calories for 4 grams of fiber. It's hard to completely understand the best choices, but after reading this book, it has become a lot clearer for me. You can purchase this book anywhere online, I would suggest amazon where I found it for $12 including shipping. If you are interested in learning anymore about the author, Jonny Bowden, visit his website here: http://www.jonnybowden.com/. Until next time stay healthy and happy cooking!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Dear Bloggers,
       It has been quite some while since I blogged and wrote about my wonderful cooking adventures. Recently, this past Saturday, I cooked up some mean pita bread. It was delicious and much, much different than the dry, flavorless pita bread you buy at your local supermarket. This pita bread was hearty and full of fresh flavor. I began by combining the frothy yeast with 3 cups of flour in a mixer, I then added 1 1/4 cups of additional water, until the mixer form a beautiful dough. I rolled the dough in a little flour and put it in a bowl to rise for 2 hours. After two hours, I split the dough into 8-9 medium size balls. I rolled them again in flour, thoroughly. I set them aside to proof for 15 minutes. I preheated my oven to 500 degrees. Yes, that is not a mistake, 500 degrees. In order to cook a pita and create that pocket, you have to have your oven at an incredibly high temperature to zap the dough with a bunch of steam that forms in the middle of the pocket to instantly cook it in 5-6 minutes. In Greece, the originally cook pita bread in brick ovens with 800+ degrees and they take about 2 minutes to cook up. Quite delicious. Anyhow, once you let the dough balls proof, you can roll them out in your pita size about 6x6 inches. Then place them, well floured onto a baking pan and bake for 5-6 minutes. Do not open the oven during this process, as you will ruin the steaming process that occurs for pita to be cooked. Once the pitas have reached a full round peak, remove them immediately and let cool before cutting. You can add whatever spices you desire to your pita bread, i added parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. I also cut my pitas up into slices, added some coconut oil, and grape-seed oil to a bowl and brushed them over my pita slices. I then cooked them for 25-30 minutes on 250 degrees to make delicious, hearty pita chips. I most certainly enjoy eating my chips with some freshly made guacamole with lime. I hope you try making your own pita bread too, as it is easy, delicious, healthy, and fun! Until next time, stay healthy and happy cooking!