FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Val In The Kitch

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Val and I frequent Bern’s when I’m at home.  It’s the known hottest deal in town for a bomb steak dinner (under 30 bucks for soup, salad, potato, carrots, onion straws, veggies, and steak!).  And we know where find bottles of red that they overstocked in the early 80s that are on the menu for $18-$24.  When Val offered to make her favorite salad dressing from one of our favorite places at home, I couldn’t refuse.

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Val’s Cesar Dressing

3 cloves of garlic

1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil

juice of 1-1/2 lemons

3 anchovies

1 egg

1/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

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Cut one of the garlic cloves in have and smear it around the bottom and sides of a medium sized bowl like you’re greasing a pan.  Crush the remaining garlic and add it to the bowl.  Add the olive oil and lemon juice and whisk until blended.  Add the anchovies and use the whisk to mash and stir until the anchovies are mostly broken down.  Whisk in the egg until blended.  Fold in the cheese.  Taste and add more lemon juice or cheese if needed.

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Val and I used this dressing to top a simple salad of baby spinach, cucumbers, carrots, and sliced almonds and then we scarfed it down like there was no tomorrow.  A weekend of vacationing and, for me, acting like a vacationer can sure build up an appetite for fresh veggies!

I Know What Boys Like

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I know what boys like.  I know what guys want.  Roasted chicken.  Seriously, the boys loved this roasted chicken.

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My roommate and I invited a slew of friends over to celebrate the birthdays of Billy, Tyler Dean, and Molly.  And when we thought about what we’d make, a ‘Merican family dinner came to mind.  I made a roasted chicken (using Jenna’s recipe) and chocolate cake.  Kara made parmesan mashed red potatoes and soy glazed brussels sprouts.  Perhaps I have a different level of trust when it comes to Jenna’s recipes because she went to culinary school, but I’ve had such huge successes with her recipes that I have a hard time veering from her site for the basics.

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So back to the dinner.  Who knew roasted chicken would be such an easy crowd pleaser.  An easy, crispy, juicy, flavorful crowd pleaser.  One of the boys even said this was one of the best meals he’s had in Austin…  Austin!

Bulk Madness

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The bulk section at Central Market is one of my favorite places on earth.  Not only does it have everything you could ever want, but you can get the exact quantity that you need for cheap, cheap, cheap.  And today, it also served as my inspiration for some portable, protein-filled snacks for work this week.

Almonds, macadamia nuts, golden flax seeds, chocolate chunks, rascherries (dried raspberries+cherries=rascherries), oh my!

FoodFash Protein Balls (Take #1) yields 20ish balls

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup golden flax seeds

1 cup rascherries (or another dried fruit)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse chop almonds and macadamia nuts until they are finely chopped.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together nuts, flax seeds and cooled quinoa.  Place dried fruit in the food processor and process until smooth.  Add the fruit to the other ingredients and use a fork to stir and mash until everything is evenly mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Use a 1 tablespoon measure to scoop mixture, form into balls, and place on a cookie sheet.  Chill for 1 to 2 hours and store in an air-tight container.

Tons of protein, a good dose of fiber, and a pop of sweetness are what these balls are all about.  All of this makes me super excited to bring them to work tomorrow because I just know they’ll save my life around 3 PM when I start to get that sleepy feeling.

Read So Good

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“Instagram is Twitter for people who can’t read” is, embarrassingly, a primetime comedy quote that, taken out of context, totally applies to my life right now.  Lately, I haven’t had much time for blog reading, Twitter reading, email reading, Pinterest posting.  Fortunately/unfortunately, what  I do have time for is an occasional scroll through my Instagram feed.

If I see something delish on Instagram, I’m 100 times more likely to make it.  Like this slow cooker cranberry sauce recipe from Liz of The Lemon Bowl.  I saw it, liked it, obsessed about it, found it on her site, made it, and then Instagrammed it.  It was food blogging social media at its finest.

I took heed to her warning that this recipe catered to a lemon-loving, tart-tolerant girl, so I used brown sugar in place of white sugar.  And then took it a step further by doubling the brown sugar, using a total of 4 tablespoons.

Not only do I think this sauce should be a staple at my family’s holiday table from this point forward, but I also think this sauce should be used to garnish meals all fall long.  It could be used in place of jelly, on top of salads, in sandwiches, on desserts.  The possibilities for this mellow, tart, sweet goodness are infinite.