Friday, May 28, 2010

Question/Photo of the Week: Pizza!!!

I know, it has been forever since my last post, my apologies!
But it is Friday and today is the first for weekly posts of Question/Photo of the Week! I am way excited. So read, comment, look, get involved!


Question: What is your favorite kind of pizza, and where is your favorite place to get it?

Photo:
I chose this picture because lets face it, pizza is a revolutionary food. It is the only food you can have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, hot or cold. It is the only food that involves all the main food groups. There's your bread, dairy(cheese), vegetables, meat, and fruit(pineapples and tomatoes)! I am simple when it comes to pizza, just cheese, cheese, and more cheese! My two favorite places for pizza is Louie's and California Pizza Kitchen. Cheese from Louie's, and from CPK, either the Jamaican Jerk Chicken or the Thai Chicken. Thank the food gods for Italians, otherwise where would we be on a Saturday night with our movie rental and pint of Coca-Cola?
Did you know that Americans alone eat 75 acres of pizza a day!?
Pizza is so versatile. There's deep dish, thin crust, thick crust, square pizza, circle pizza, stuffed pizza, two layer pizza, and on and on and on. And then there's the classic battle between Chicago deep dish vs. a New York thin slice. Of course, I like em' thin! So New York all the way! However, having an authentic Chicago pizza is an experience worth having!
I could keep going on with how amazing pizza is. Like how it is paired with ranch, it is like how two people meet and it love at first sight, but in this case it is love at first BITE! I think that at least once a week, we should all cheat on eating healthy, and order take out from our favorite pizza place, curl up on the couch, and watch a good movie. Maybe I will do that tomorrow night.
Ciao Bella!

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.”
-Yogi Berra

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Need a quick meal?!

Everyone is always in a rush! Have to go to work, have to go to school, need groceries, need to go to the bank, blah blah blah.
When cooking, I think it is time for us to slow down, take our whole day in, and relax. Cooking shouldn't stress you out. If you drop the chicken on the floor, big deal (I'm not saying still use it) move on with life.
However, I like a quick fix meal, especially a cheap one! Here, I have two great, easy recipes for everyone! The first one, I made in my Catering class. The only thing missing was a hot bowl of white rice. Next, is my own original creation, BBQ Spaghetti and Meatballs. Remember, to have fun while cooking!!! Otherwise, it will become one more thing that stresses you out.

Spicy Brown Sugared Shrimp and Rice

Ingredients:
-1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 tbsp of butter
-1 cup of green onions, chopped
-1 cup of bean sprouts
-1 cup of brown sugar
-1 tbsp of curry powder
-1 tsp of onion powder
-1 tsp of paprika
-Less than a pinch of cayenne
-Salt and Pepper TT
-1/2 cup of medium grain rice
-1 cup of water
-1 tbsp of butter

Directions:
-Combine rice, water and 1 tbsp of butter in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low.
-While the rice is cooking, in a medium skillet over medium heat add the butter and garlic. Let that slowly cook, then add the green onions and bean sprouts.
-Combine the brown sugar and all the spices in a bowl. When the rice is almost done, add the shrimp and brown sugar mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. The brown sugar mixture will melt and turn into a sauce like consistency.
-When serving, place rice on the bottom of the bowl and add the shrimp and sauce over. All you need are some chopsticks to make it a meal to remember!

BBQ Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:
-1/2 lb of spaghetti
-20 oz of your favorite BBQ sauce
-1/2 can of evaporated milk
-1.5 lbs of ground beef, lean as you can find
-1 cup of quick cooking oats
-1 egg, slightly beaten
-1/2 an onion, finely diced
-A pinch of red pepper flakes
-Salt and Pepper TT

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put on a large pot of water for the pasta, add salt. And a small pot for the BBQ sauce to heat up in.
-In a large mixing bowl, add the evaporated milk, beef, oats, egg, onion, red pepper flaked, and salt and pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix!!
-Make the meatballs about a inch wide. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle about a teaspoon of BBQ sauce on each meatball. Place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes.
-Add the BBQ sauce to the small pot and turn the heat on medium low.
-When there is ten minutes left for the meatballs, and the water is boiling, add the pasta. Taste a noodle when they seem to be almost done. If it is to your liking, strain through a colander. Take the meatballs out after 30 minutes.
-Just like regular pasta and tomato sauce, place pasta in the bowl with the meatballs and BBQ sauce.
-Serve and enjoy!

These are both really easy dinners with cheap ingredients! I hope everyone tries them! I just made the BBQ Spaghetti the other night and it was delicious!!! Remember, right now in our lives are busy, but we need to make time for ourselves, always.


"It ain't a party until you drop the milk container on the floor."
-Rachael Ray

Friday, May 7, 2010

First Time Vlogger

Here is my first "vlog". It is kind of dorky, but I was too tired to type, but still wanted to blog, so enjoy! Remember comments are always pleasant! Oh and google "crogue en bouche" to see amazing pictures. I couldn't pick which ones to put up here, so you can look for yourself!!!


"Vlog."


Gorgeous, right?

From the top. See the strawberry cream in the middle?

The whole class. Yay!!!!

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love chocolate, and communists."
-Leslie Moak Murray

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Hola Amigos and Queso

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all.
Today was a very interesting eating day. Today, was my last day of yoga. That class was so amazing and I met so many incredible people. We decided to bring in food and eat after we did our "workout", which included headstands and shoulder stands. I'm proud to say I did both very well. I didn't want to get to fancy and extravagant with what I brought since it is so early in the morning, so I just stuck with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. I love fruit! Oh my goodness. I don't eat breakfast, but when I do, it is usually fruit. People brought doughnuts, carrots and hummus, nuts, dates, goat cheese, mango salsa, GUACAMOLE, more fruit, and danishes. It was such a light and wonderful meal. But what made it wonderful were the people who I was eating it with. Food can taste good, but it taste great when you eat it with other people, especially with love and charisma floating around. So I was full all day, and decided to have CHIPOTLE for dinner.

Ok, Chipotle is probably one of my favorite restaurants of all time, so it only made sense if I went there on Cinco de Mayo. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to go with, but the food was still good, as always. I always get a carnitas burrito with half pico de gallo and corn salsa, with a little sour cream, extra cheese, and guacamole. You always have to have the guacamole. It is worth the $1.80, trust me.


Sweet Bliss.

Mexican food is so grand. Again, Chef Rick Bayless is the king of sophisticated Mexican cuisine, and he knows and understands how Mexican food should taste and look. Man, I will meet him, and go to his restaurant one day. I swear it!

I hope everyone not only just drank tequila, but enjoyed the wonderful flavors and dishes of Mexico.
Adios mi amigos.

"I think the great Mexican cuisine is dying because there are fast foods now competing, because there are supermarkets, and supermarkets can't afford to keep in stock a lot of there very perishable products that are used for fine Mexican cooking. Women are working and real Mexican cooking requires enormous amounts of time."
-Alma Guillermoprieto

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Sushi

Tonight, I'm going out with one of my best friends, Kaylee. Guess where we are going! Well, the title is kind of a give away...It's sushi!!! We are off to get sushi!
Let me just tell you how excited I am. I'M EXCITED!
My all time favorite sushi is anything with unagi aka eel. It simply melts in your mouth.
We are going to my all time favorite place which is Kohnami Sushi. They are the cheapest and best quality in town, and they give away complimentary miso soup and salad AND ice cream. You know how to tell a good sushi place from a bad one? They give complimentary soup and salad. I am also friends with the family who owns the restaurant. They give me free rolls sometimes and we always end up talking forever! Such a cute family! Here's the location!

7673 North Union Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 599-8689

Do you like sushi? What kind? Where do you like to go? Comment comment comment!

Let your eyes feast upon that.

"I could eat my body weight in sushi."
-Mikey Way