3/9/11

Menu: Chili Rubbed Tequila Shrimp & Sauteed Kale (Canyon Ranch, Nourish cookbook), Brown Rice
Music: Urban Cowboy (vinyl)


I had forgotten how much I loved this album! Upon listening as an adult, ok, maybe it's not a classic but it always will be in my mind because I have so many fond memories attached to it. I still know all the words to most of the songs, especially "Love the World Away", "Lookin' for Love (In all the Wrong Places), and of course "Lyin' Eyes" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." My (quite a bit younger) boyfriend looked at me like I was slightly insane and wasn't too thrilled about playing all four sides of the double-album, but we did anyway.

These two recipes from my new Canyon Ranch Nourish cookbook were easy and satisfying. Each one only takes about 10 minutes to prepare but it's a little hard to coordinate the two to finish around the same time. I'd suggest washing and tearing your kale, washing and deshelling/deveining your shrimp, and getting all the spices out and ready before you start any portion of the process. Sidenote: I also made Green Chile Scrambled Eggs from this cookbook this morning and they were also really easy, healthy and stupendously filling and tasty. I had all of the ingredients for these recipes already on hand and they're all in season.

I feel like I've come a long way from "I don't know whether I'm supposed to rinse poultry before cooking" and "Oops, I accidentally spent three hours making homemade soup and didn't notice the tiny bugs on the chard until they were floating in our bowls." I'm, frankly, shocked that I find cooking as soothing as I do- I didn't come from a household that did a lot of it. We always ate healthy meals and I grew up knowing that sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods weren't the best choices but my parents didn't spend a lot of time and energy cooking elaborate meals. I suppose that won't be something I'll continue to do if/when I have kiddos either... juggling life can sometimes be hard. Which is why I think it's even more important to take simple moments and make them sacred.

I'm not one bit religious but I find myself saying a silent prayer of thanks every time I sit down to food that nourishes my body and soul.

3/6/11

Menu: Bacon Parmesan crusted Tilapia (Coastal Living), Cabbage Bacon Mashers (Epicurious.com), Bibb Lettuce Salad (rachaelray.com)
Music: Adele Pandora station

I knew I had reached another level in my cooking when, after a stressful and busy weekend, I came home Sunday night and preferred cooking over going out and grabbing food. It's become therapeutic and, honestly, I usually enjoy what I cook much more than what I can get at a lot of restaurants here in San Antonio.

I've also figured out that the Adele station on Pandora is one of my faves - lots of singalong-friendly choices across the map, from Adele (duh) to John Legend to Regina Spektor. Singing while cooking is one of the best possible combinations. And this dinner was stellar.

Some notes on these: I used skin-on red potatoes for the mashers and let them simmer 20-30 minutes (as opposed to the 10 minutes they recommend) and added local cabbage and bacon. It's possible to use high-quality real bacon bits for the tilapia coating instead of cooking your own bacon, but you definitely want some natural, nitrate-free cooked bacon for the mashers. The tilapia is messy but delicious. The bibb lettuce salad is great with bibb lettuce but you can sub any other type of lettuce you like, preferably something local and organic. I toasted the pine nuts in the oven for 10 minutes on 300 degrees- this adds a nice touch of flavor. The homemade dressing with shallots is great but you could also use an oil/vinegar prepared dressing and/or red onion for the salad.

As with everything, this is best served with a little bit of wine and a lot of love! Bon apetit!

3/3/11

Menu: Collard Greens & Winter Roots Soup (The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern cookbook), buttered Ezekial Bread
Music: TV On the Radio, SNL re-run

I'm not sure where cookbook authors get their listed prep times - this one says 10 minutes, which was far from true for me. It took me more like thirty. It was worth it, though. I was admittedly and severely hungover today and this was a great hangover elixir. With local kale and turnips, as well as carrots, garlic, onion, cannellini beans and a little bit of nitrate-free, uncured bacon for flavoring, this turned out to be a healthy, light meal. The only thing that might have made it better would have been homemade vegetable broth but I didn't have the devotion or energy for that tonight; nor did I have much energy for music selection so I turned on an SNL re-run. I got lucky - TV On the Radio was performing.

Off to a weekend of letting someone else (a pro, in a restaurant) cook for me! Back to my kitchen on Sunday.

3/2/11

Menu: Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta, Fresh Mozzarella-Tomato-Basil Salad, The Ultimate Southern Living cookbook
Music: The Beach Boys, Endless Summer, vinyl

In celebration of this glorious weather, I threw The Beach Boys on the record player and whipped up this delish and easy lunch. This album makes me happy- classic Beach Boys with a couple of songs that sound like they could be new indie rock. For lunch, I used wild shrimp, fresh rosemary, and local mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. Greenling is the best! The result was a light, soupy pasta perfect for the spring-like weather.

I know what's for dinner tonight, the toughest decision will be what the soundtrack will be...