Shout Out

Well hello old friend. New friend? Haven't posted in a while because I wanted to dedicate most of the content of this blog to food, and not long after I created the blog, I fell pregnant and the thought of food made me ill. Now my son is here and food is back in favor!


Evan is now 15 months and starting to walk. We recently had our second photo session with my friend Jaime Windon, The Blonde Photographer. Our first session was back in April 2008. We showed off Jaime's fine work through our birth announcement, designed by the talented MetroBabyCards. Christine also designed our holiday card. Can't wait to work with her again.

Three is the Magic Number

If I could manage to fit three glasses on my cluttered desk, I would like to be drinking three different beverages at all times. Brunch usually offers one of my favorite combination of beverages: coffee, orange juice or mimosa, and ice water. Take a bite of banana pancake, take a sip of coffee, take a bite of bacon, take a sip of juice. mmmm so satisfying.

Speaking of coffee, I recently decided I prefer to take mine black. I stopped using sugar around '97, so it took me only 10 more years to figure out that good coffee really doesn't need any cream or milk. When Mr. RQ makes coffee, he insists on brewing up this horrible motor oil type conconction and there's nothing you can add or substract to make it drinkable. Blech. And he thinks it's ridiculous that I actually prefer decaf. He asks, "what's the point?" The point is, I want to enjoy my [three] beverages and not feel like a jumpy anxious kangaroo afterwards. Is that so wrong?

Today's recipe pairs wonderfully with coffee:

Blueberry Crisp
3/4 cup rolled old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
Optional ingredient for fiber lovers: 1 or 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. canola or grapeseed oil
1/2 bag or whole bag of frozen blueberries
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)
Procedure

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combine oats, flour, sugar, butter, and oil. Mix well. Set aside. Add cornstarch to berries and combine gently. Pour berries into an 8" x 8" glass baking dish (or a foil dish if you're giving this to a friend). Spread oat crisp mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Leftovers warmed up in the microwave are still tasty, but the oats lose their crispiness.

What is mise en place?

I first heard the saying mise en place -- French for "everything in its place" a few years ago. Although I have a horrendous memory, there are a few random days I do actually remember. You know, those days that existed in between the extremely sad/happy memories we all have? It was on one of those in between days that I heard mise en place. And it most likely stuck in my mind because I love all things French.

To celebrate her 55th birthday, my mom hired a local personal chef to come to my parents' home and give us a cooking lesson. The chef told us the first basic skill every chef learns on their first day at culinary school -- besides how to make a white sauce -- is to have everything ready to go before getting started. The saying stuck with me, however I am still working on the follow through. I still saute the onions a little too long, can't seem to wait for the pie crust dough to chill enough, and forget to preheat the oven properly.

I never said *I* went to culinary school ... not sure if I ever will. But I heart food. I think about it all the time. Food blogs are my new passion! Will I take pictures of gorgeous raspberry tarts and scrumptious looking slices of zucchini bread? Maybe? I hope? We shall see. For now, I'll be pleased if I can get three blog posts published this spring. Baby steps.


Today's recipe: Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut soup, from Real Simple magazine. I didn't have any fresh ginger and it's almost 80 degrees out, yet I HAD to make this soup for lunch. Sometimes you just need some curry, right? Speaking of, I used only 1 tsp of red curry and that was enough to make my nose run. The dash of sesame oil at the end is a must.