i heart foodies

fried green toms?

2009-07-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

finally, my tomatos are starting to turn red...unfortunately, it would appear that all of them are going to turn red at the same time, except of course for the one lone red little guy. i was thinking that i would try making fried green tomatos with some of them now, so i dont have 20 ripe tomatos in 2 weeks. i remember when that movie came out, people started serving fried green tomatos in restaurants in sacramento and my mom made them a few times. realistically, you could probably bread & fry almost anything and it would taste good...i said almost anything. this is the recipe i'm going to use...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fried-Green-Tomatoes-242647
i'll keep you posted on the results!

fruits & veggies?

2009-07-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

so i officially gave up on the idea of "fasting" and decided to do a fruits & veggies sort of cleanse. i wanted to do a raw food thing but decided that i would add back in pasteurized yogurt & milk, kashi cereal & sometimes eggs. what that means is that basically for breakfast i have cereal with milk & berries, lunch is raw veggies (sometimes with fresh cooked beets) & for dinner I either have more veggies or a fruit & yogurt smoothie. before lunch i will have an apple or orange and mid afternoon with have some raw almonds. i also ended up giving up coffee & diet soda. at first i started having "lack of coffee" headaches and was hungry all day long but it's been a couple weeks now and i feel fan-tas-tic! i think i've even lost a few lbs...now seriously, who doesn't like that?! luckily, san mateo has a great farmers market and eating healthy ends up saving me money. although i'm still getting used to the amount of fruits & veggies i need to purchase for a week vs. how fast they will go bad...so far its only been some strawberries, a couple nectarines & a few blackberries sacrificed. i also give myself a couple "freebie" meals a week since we have a lot of industry events and i'm not really one to punish myself or feel bad about eating something that's not on the "designated menu". i'm not sure how long this will last but i'm just super excited about not having to drink lemonaid with cayanne pepper... woo!

a fasting foodie?

2009-07-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

so yesterday i decided that i was going to do a cleanse. as horrible as it sounds, ive been thinking about doing one for awhile now and after camping last weekend, i figured now would be good time. i did a little bit of research online and decided i wanted to do something natural instead of taking pills, so i went with "the master cleanse" http://www.detox.net.au/articles/cayenne-maple-lemon-cleanse.htm. just before going to work, i went to the grocery store & bought lemons, pure maple syrup and cheyenne pepper and mixed up a couple batches to take with me. surprizingly, this little wierd mixture doesnt taste too bad but just a warning....never ever EVER over do it on the cayenne, yikes! as soon as i decided this was what i was going to do, no joke, all i could think about was food. im not going to lie, i officially lasted like 4 hours before i ate some trail mix and i might have had some popcorn and a couple sips or a rockstar (which has tons of caffeine)...oops. i realize now that this must be what it feels like for people that addicted to cigarettes, a foodie trying to quit food...cold turkey. i totally understand that this is a mind over matter issue and im going to work on it, but with a couple adjustments to the plan. ill keep you posted!

ice cream frosty beverage?

2009-06-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

so, today i decided to crack the starbuck coffe liquer that i've had in my freezer for about 6 years now. it's been through a few break ups & a few moves and still resides in my freezer. tonight i decided to have a white russian....minus the ice...*sigh*(im sure my bff would appreciate this since we used fudgesicles for our white russians once before when we ran out of ice). hmm, so that kind of creates a problem. fortunately, i'm crafty (and have done this before) and decided i could use dryers cookies & cream frozen yogurt! so I added a scoop of the frozen yogurt, a splash of vodka, my forever loving coffee liquer & vanilla soy milk and shook well. yum!

more lemons?

2009-06-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

so i had a couple lemons left over from when i made the lemon berry pie and couldn't stand the idea of them going to waste. i know that my coworkers enjoyed the pie and it was pretty safe to assume they would love it if i brought cookies too. i mean, come on...who doesn't like cookies?! i did a little research on my favorite website and found this recipe for old fashioned lemon almond cookies. luckily, there are few ingredients and i happend to have all of them! i ended up using almond flour and added a splash of vanilla & almond extract and a pinch of salt. while they cooled, i drizzled them with a lemon glaze (lemon juice & powdered sugar). they turned out so soft & fluffy with a great almond & tart lemon flavor...mmmm! you'll be sorry if you miss out on these!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Lemon-Almond-Cookies-Bruber-10284

got milk?

2009-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

im not sure if it has been the overcast crappy sf weather or me trying to re-live my younger years but i have been craving a pb&j sandwich for a few weeks now and the craving has not subsided. soooo, i felt it was time to give in to the craving but in a different way. i decided that i was going to make peanut butter and jelly cookies. i ended up going back to my favorite (and super easy) peanut butter cookie recipe (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mom-Mom-Fritchs-Peanut-Butter-Cookies-100848). just before putting them in the oven, i made a thumb print and filled it with low sugar, organic raspberry jam. i also ended up using trader joes organic peanut butter and added a splash of vanilla and pinch of salt to the original pb cookie recipe. bake them in the oven for 10 minutes and its like a toasted pb&j! so simple & easy!

is it possible to be in love with a pie?

2009-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

my vote is yes...because i am. hello, my name is lindsay and i am a lemon berry pie lover. my love for this lemon pie all started a few months ago when a co-worker brought in some lemons from her tree & i knew that i needed to do something really great with them. so, i did some research and found this recipe from epicurious.com http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Tart-231349 Tart-231349. so far, i've only made the sabayon from the recipe but someday i hope to have time to make the crust. i typically just buy the standard frozen crust from the grocery store and go from there. the last few times i have made this pie has been just with blueberries but this time, i had some strawberries from my garden, raspberries, blueberries & black berries that i added before i poured in the lemon filling. the combination of the tart lemon & sweet berries is awesome, i cant think of a more perfect summertime desert.

poisonous blackberries?

2009-06-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

as some of you may know, i'm not really much of a "wilderness" type of girl. typically, i am much more comfortable in the city than out in the wild or semi-wild for that matter, for those of you who have heard the deer story, i'm sure you'd agree. that's not to say that i don't like doing outdoorsy types of things (i have camping gear & like to go hiking, moderation is key!), it's just not my strongest point. so, yesterday some friends and i we're out on a (dog friendly) 7.2 mile hike in the portola valley at windy hill open space preserve and came across a wild berry bush. Of course my first instinct was to pick one and eat it but my roommate asked,"is it poisonous?" i really had no idea, i remember eating wild berries as a kid but i wasn't sure i wanted to take the chance. so, i did a little research and it sounds like there aren't any poisonous berries that look similar to raspberries, blackberries or boysenberries. now, i'm kind of kicking myself for not eating any....ill bet they were delicious!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windy_Hill_Open_Space_Preserve

nacho cheese? really?

2009-06-06T18:27:00.001-07:00

don't get me wrong, i love good food. i love the way it smells, i love the way it is presented on the plate, i love the way it tastes but sometimes ya gotta get a little old school...not like old school french, but like old school when your mom didn't know how to cook very well (sorry mom!) and you had nachos for dinner. to this day there are still certain foods i crave that take me back to my younger years...for example, hot dogs with mashed potatoes, beef and gravy on toast (otherwise known as "shit on a shingle") and nachos. so, i'm not going to lie, lately I've been craving nachos, well no, that's a lie...ive been craving the nacho cheese (aka salsa con queso) on the nachos. i cant think of anything more disgusting food wise than oil & orange coloring but yet i have already purchased a second jar...no joke! it also might have something to do with my college years but id rather blame it on my mom :)...so tonights dinner was a nacho bowl, i don't like my chips to get soggy so i layer all the ingredients into a bowl and just scoop with my chip. it really helps to have some seasoning & green salsa in the beef, along with some garlic & 1 jalapeno. other than that, i just added what i like...avocado, sour cream, green onion, black olives, hot sauce & my ever loving nacho cheese. dont judge me...you know you like it too!
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE-
margarita (of course) with fresh strawberry

have you dined about town?

2009-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

san francisco has this really great program that happens once a year, called dine about town. basically, you can go to one of the nicer restaurants in the city and get a 3 course meal for a measly $35, thats like 2 days of lunch! i was lucky enough to go to the big 4 restaurant (thanks chelsie!)in the huntington hotel for d.a.t. just the other night. what a great deal! i ended up having a salad with stone fruit & gorgonzola, halibut on a bed of saffron fettuccine and this fantastic bread pudding. the server was really great and actually ended up giving us a print out on the history of the restaurant and apparently the chef, gloria ciccarone-nehls, has been there for 20-something years, now thats impressive! good times my friends...goodtimes!

DRINK OF CHOICE-

cakebread chardonnay

check it out!http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/taste/dineabouttown/enhanced_listings.asp?id=268&Submit2=Select

mustard fried chicken...say what?

2009-06-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

tonight i was planning on making a chicken caesar salad for dinner but (fortunately) didnt have any caesar dressing. after weighing my options, bleu cheese for buffalo chicken salad or honey mustard, i decided to go with the honey mustard. i ended up marinating the chicken in yellow mustard & breaded it in plain bread crumbs and s&p and fried it in a skillet. i tossed it all together and topped it with green onions.

DRINK OF CHOICE-
strawberry champagne

yum!

2009-06-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

because of my obsession with my garden, of course i had to use my freshly grown strawberries when i saw that they were ripe...and it just so happened that i had some pink champagne handy, so it only made sense that i made strawberry champagne cocktails. I would have added some mint but the plant is still just a lil guy and i needed it for the lettuce cups. either way, its a tasty treat!

obsessed much?

2009-06-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

so this was my little apartment garden when i first planted it a couple months back and since then, i have become totally obsessed with my silly little garden (i know i should really get a life but i heart these plants!). i have since moved most of the plants over to the stairs because it is sunnier and most of them are producing fruit or veggies already. i seriously want to talk about my cute little plants like they are my children, im so proud of them....at least they dont talk back, right?

craving chinese food?

2009-06-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

yesterday around lunch time i was craving chinese food, well actually i think i was just craving the soy sauce...its slightly wierd but i totally heart soy sauce. typically i dont ever allow myself to eat chinese food (unless its an occasional potsticker along with my salad from Lee's salad buffet) but this time i decided i could have it, if i made it myself. it would be a lot cheaper & healthier. i used soybeans, portabellos, green onion & ham in mine but any veggie or meat would be tasty.
EGG FRIED RICE -
cook brown rice according to directions on package, set aside
saute soybeans, pre-cooked ham (cubed), garlic, green onions, s&p and red pepper flakes
mix in rice
scramble a few eggs in a different pan & add to rice mixture
add soy sauce, to taste...enjoy!
DRINK OF CHOICE-
same unfiltered sake (cause it was already open)

what to do with a bunch of lettuce?

2009-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

ive always heard how great fresh homegrown lettuce is and decided to plant some in my balcony garden this year. once it started to get a little bit out of control, i decided id better make something really really good with it. sure i could use it in a salad but after eating salads almost every day for lunch, it just didnt seem special enough for my precious little plants. this is what i came up with...

SPICY LETTUCE CUPS-
brown 1lb ground turkey with garlic, 1/2 jalepeno, s&p and red pepper flakes
add spicy ginger soy marinade/sauce (usually found in the sauces aisle)
toss in some chopped peanuts
chop up some mint & put inside lettuce leaf with the turkey mixture...
DRINK OF CHOICE-
unfiltered sake