Question/Photo of the Week: Holy Guacamole!!!!

Photo:

Question: How do you make your guacamole? Do you like it on anything special or just with chips?

In one of my classes this past semester, we were discussing what the best all round food is. The answer was, of course, pizza (See May 28th post). However, at first I said guacamole! Creamy, chunky, and buttery, all at the same time. Traditionally, it is filled with tomatoes, onion, a Serrano chile, cilantro, and lime juice. Of course, guacamole would be nothing without the main star, avocado! It is good by itself, sliced in half with kosher salt, cracked pepper, and lime juice. All you need is a spoon to eat with. Mayo is the bane of my existence. So when making a tuna sandwich, instead of adding mayo, I add avocado. I still get that creamy, buttery texture that mayo also has.

I love true, beautiful, and raw ingredients. I also love anything vegetarian that has so many varieties. Really, a true guacamole is all raw ingredients that when joined together, makes perfect harmony.

Guacamole is my weakness in this world. I am willing to pay an extra $1.80 for guacamole on my burrito at Chipotle, it is just that amazing.

I made guacamole tonight for dinner with Baja Shrimp Fajitas. In my guacamole, I like a lot of stuff. I put avocado, obviously, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, and my secret ingredient, yellow bell pepper. Start with three avocados and mush them a little before adding the other ingredients, and leave them a little chunky. Add two tomatoes, diced. Finely chop about a tablespoon of the red onion. Finely chop half a jalapeno. I like just using the cilantro leaves, so just get a little bunch, and roughly run your knife through it. For something a little extra special, zest your lime and juice it. Use about less then a quarter of the bell pepper and finely dice it. Salt and pepper TT and you have some great guacamole. With all the extra bell pepper, jalapeno, and onion, slice, and stir fry for some Baja Shrimp Fajitas.

If you don't feel like doing all that chopping, here is a great recipe I like to call "Holy Lazy Guacamole". You need 2 avocados, one lime, an 8 oz jar of medium Picante Salsa, and salt and pepper TT. Cut up the avocado and mush it lightly in a bowl. Add a about a quarter cup of salsa to the avocado. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper. Mix until combined, and there you have some "Lazy" guacamole.

Here are some other recipes for guacamole!!!

Spicy Papaya

Ingredients:
-1 papaya, diced
-Juice of 1 lime
-Half an habenero chile, use gloves if you, wash your hands thoroughly after use
-A little bunch of cilanatro, roughly chopped
-2 diced avocados, diced
-Half a red onion, finely diced
-Salt and Pepper TT

Directions:
-Stir ingredients until combined well.

Southwest Corn

Ingredients:
-1 ear of corn
-Pinch of chile powder
-Pinch of coriander
-Pinch of salt
-2 roma tomatoes
-1 bunch of scallions
-Juice of 1 lime
-3 avocados, diced
-2 jalapenos, minced, no seeds or vein
-1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:
-Turn on broiler to a medium high heat.
-Oil corn on the cob and sprinkle chili powder, coriander, and salt on. Broil the corn, tomatoes, and scallions, about 5-7 minutes.
-Chop the scallions and tomatoes and mash with the avocados.
-Add jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice.
-Cut the corn kernels of the cob and add to the mixture with more chili powder, coriander, and salt.

Creamy Tomatillo

Ingredients:
-4 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
-1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
-1/4 of an onion, diced
-1 jalapeno, diced
-2 avocados, diced
-Pinch of salt

Directions:
-Boil the tomatillos in water for about five minutes.
-Puree cilantro, onion, jalapeno, and a splash of the tomatillo water.
-Drain the tomatillos, add to the blender, and pulse.
-Add the avocados and salt and pulse.


"I can't tell you how much leftover guacamole I've ended up eating over the years. I don't even know why I am making such great quantities."
-Michael Scott (Steve Carell)

Withdrawal

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is ready for the weekend.

I'll tell you what, BBQ is in the air and it is making me a happy girl! I hope everyone is hitting the grill with those baby backs and wearing their "Kiss the Cook" aprons. On Monday, which was Memorial Day, I went to Matthew's house for dinner and his dad made us burgers and grilled corn on the cob! I have to say that it was a fun meal, and we need to grill more, Mr. Bartleson! Speaking of grilling, guess what's on my wish list! A grill. I found one on Craigslist, but if I am going to be spending money on one, I want a nice grill that will last, not the hunk of junk I found for $30.

So enough about grilling.

Time to talk about withdrawal. Withdrawal from what, you may ask. Cooking. It's been a couple weeks since I made a homemade meal for myself. Everything has been frozen food and takeout for me. It happens when you work, come home, and you are exhausted. I wish it wasn't so. I feel the most comfortable when I am cooking, it is the one thing that I feel confident about in my life. It's nice to turn to my kitchen and not only feed my body, but my mind and soul. Cooking for me is very therapeutic. It takes away all the stress and worries I may have in the world. Some people feel the complete opposite from this. They see their kitchen as battlefield, and all they have is a dull steak knife that they use for chopping their vegetables. I feel like over the past few months I have forgotten my favorite recipes and my very own. So I am going through all my cookbooks, Bon Appetit, Food Network, Everyday with Rachel Ray, and Food and Wine to find all my favorite and best recipes. I want to type it all up, organize it, and put it in a book. I feel like this will make me feel more organized, and it will be easier for me to find something NEW to cook. This is an exciting project for me, to some maybe boring, but I love making lists, reading recipes, and typing. It makes sense to me!
I am also working on a cookbook. It's still a work-in-progress. It's tough, but I am making it a goal to have it done by the end of summer, and I want to find a publisher for it, and sell it nationally, maybe Amazon or something. I want to make a chapter for my family's recipes and a chapter on friend's recipes, so if you have one you'd like to donate, let me know! All the credit will go to you.

Hmmm, all this talking about how much cooking makes me happy, makes me want to cook tomorrow night. I'm thinking Baja Shrimp and Guac. Maybe I'll post whatever recipe I come up with!

Also, tomorrow is Friday, so look out for the Question/Photo of the Week! Hmm, I wonder what will it be.

"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste."
-Laiko Bahrs

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

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

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

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

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