FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Flopping Flounder

by

You’re not imagining it; I’m partial to seafood these days.  Since the acquisition of my fish cooking skills during ‘Technique de la Hanz’, I just can’t stop.  The thought of cooking chicken has always caused an urge to snooze, there’s a limit to how many times you can pretend turkey tastes differently than chicken, and beef?  Beef lost its attraction after living steps from the Bern’s Bar.  So fish it is.

And if you thought spending a lifetime within eye shot of water would create a connoisseur of some sort, you’d be wrong.  Beyond salmon, tuna, and grouper…  I’m clueless.  If you can imagine someone spinning me in circles, blindfolded, and telling me to point – that would be a fairly accurate description of tonight’s seafood department experience.  And, that would be the only possible explanation for how I ended up with flounder.
Due to my lack of grill, I brushed the filet with olive oil, sprinkled it with Northwoods Seasoning, and broiled it for 5-7 minutes on each side.  I served it atop seasoned and sauteed baby bellas, asparagus, green beans, squash, and zucchini.  The veggie medley equaled “woah!” and distracted me from my new found dislike – flounder.

Chop Therapy

by

I want what you’re having.  Not the entire thing, just a bite.  If tonight didn’t happen, I would continue to think you’re dish earned extra tasty points for one reason only – it wasn’t prepared by me.  And I’m not saying that I won’t continue to ask for bites, I will, but at least after tonight I’ll understand why.

My impatience is not subtle and probably borders on extreme for prior roomies.  I alone can be too many cooks for one kitchen.  And to this “rule”, I can only think of one exception – everything salads with Lex.  Everything salads are never the same and always have too many ingredients to repeat in the same order twice.  And apparently one life changing light bulb moment is the limit for tonight, because I can’t for the life of me provide a logical explanation for why, in all of my 26 years, there is one scenario in which I prefer to share a kitchen.

Tonight I prepared an everything salad for the first time sans Lex.  It wasn’t the same.  I chopped finely, patiently, and with purpose.  And it was as I prepared my plate for its photo opp that my “Aha!” moment occurred – I want your dish because you took your time!

Finely chop the following until you “Aha!”, mix in a bowl, and set aside.
–  1/2 green pepper
–  1/2 red onion
–  1/2 cucumber
–  one can of hearts of palm
–  1/2 can of artichoke hearts
–  1/4 cup of green olives
–  1/2 – 1 cup of steamed asparagus
–  1/2 can of garbanzo beans
–  1 lb cubed chicken breast
–  gorgonzola cheese crumbles
–  balsamic vinaigrette

Place baby greens and baby spinach leaves on a large plate.  Spoon chopped veggie mix over greens.  Keeping the veggies separate will prevent soggy lettuce and ensure even distribution of goods.  Top greens with chicken, cheese crumbles, and dressing.  Enjoy!

Check-Ch-Check, Check it Out!

by


When asked by my doctor if I was getting enough calcium, I responded in a regretfully snooty tone “of course, I take a really good multi-vitamin”.  Oops!  Even my fancy, raw, high absorbency multi’s don’t contain near the recommended 1000 mg per day.

I browsed a few popular vitamin websites unsure of what I wanted to find.  Relieved that my multi isn’t alone, but disappointed in multi’s in general, none of the supplements I found met the suggested mg.  Although dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, I feel as though this route is a bit future farmers of America-esque.

Taking a calcium supplement and munching a few servings of calcium rich foods each day is your best shot for sufficient intake of this essential mineral.