FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Filet With Broccoli

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Filet with Broccoli

When my friend Alana returned from three weeks in Asia, she brought back a set of chopsticks for FoodFash.  And since I seemed to have thrown away any set of sticks I had accumulated over the years, it was a gift I received with much excitement.  A gift I couldn’t wait to use {and photograph}.

Peppercorn Crusted Steak Filet

So I decided to make a dish that I typically enjoy, but always wish was better: beef with broccoli.  And I bettered it up by buttering up a 6 ounce filet, using this steak recipe that’s so amazing there’s never a need to deviate.

Broccoli Stir Fry

When the steak was finished, I cooked the broccoli using this recipe as my guide.  I used similar quantities, but replaced soy sauce with liquid aminos, peanut oil with sunflower oil, sesame oil with coconut oil, and added 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.  I loved that the broccoli was seasoned but not drowning in an overpowering syrup.  And naturally, subbing whatever cut of beef that is typically used with a filet was an A++ choice.

Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

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Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

There’s something about organizing kitchen cabinets at home and presenting in front of a first-time crowd at work that put an extra pep in my step today.  I borderline skipped to Whole Foods this evening, enjoying the slightly crisp air and an even more crisp mind.

Shrimp

The last thing I wanted to do was fog everything up with a heavy dinner.  I wanted light and flavorful.  Seafood, fresh veggies, and herbs would do the trick.  Seafood, fresh veggies, and herbs… always do the trick.

Shrimp Scampi

Add music, breeze-filled windows, and quality time in the kitchen – it was the best weeknight I’ve had in quite some time.  I got to cooking to the tune of this album.

Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi 2

And when it was all said and done, I was left with the exact dinner I had in mind sitting front of me, ready to photograph.  It was lovely.

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Hummus Deviled Eggs

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Hummus Deviled Eggs

After reading one of the many things you’re doing wrong lists out there, I had to try peeling boiled eggs the right way.  I started with Martha Stewart’s instructions on how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. And then finished by placing the boiled eggs in a large bowl filled with ice water and one teaspoon of baking soda.

Baking Soda for Boiled Eggs

Let me just tell ya, this was the least stressful egg peeling that’s ever gone on in my kitchen.  From this point forward, I’m a baking soda believer.

Hard Boiled Eggs

And then I went on to experiment with the ever so classic deviled egg.  Truth be told, I had some 365 light mayo in my fridge that tasted like poison and I needed an alternative.  Hummus seemed like the logical route.  This recipe needs some tweaking, but I’ll give you the ingredients and measurement starting points to get going.

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Polenta Pizza

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What a Monday!  It’s week three at the new job and I couldn’t be happier.  I’ve been getting these bursts of adrenaline and excitement that I don’t remember feeling consistently since 2007 when I worked as a project engineer on this building.  Let me just tell ya, it’s exciting to be excited about {real} work again!

Sliced Polenta

And this excitement, rather than taking away from, is flowing directly into FoodFash.  I drove home with atypical energy for 6-ish o’clock and a huge grin {one of those ear to ear kind}.  I knew from the moment I walked in the front door that I was going to own the polenta pizza I had been dreaming about for days.

Grilled Polenta

I made my own sauce, acknowledging that I prefer my marinara over most.  And then I whipped out the new cast iron skillet that ordered through Gilt a few weeks back.  I stacked and baked and topped and ate.  I was satisfied, completely.

Polenta Pizza

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