Local In Season

Just completed my first post for Local In Season.  Surf over there and check it out!  There is a recipe to boot!  When you're done reading my post, check out some of their other features...They have a great site with tons of info!

Food RULES!!!

For the most part on this blog, I try to keep it fun and light.  Cooking and food are passions of mine - and a big part of my life, my family, and my relationships.  It makes me happy to create food, and share it with the people I care about...and build relationships with readers, other bloggers, and meet like-minded foodies and home cooks.

But now I'm going to get up on the soapbox for a minute.  I promise I won't do this often.  (This makes me think of those times in middle school when someone in one of those performance troupes would say "hey, let's rap about this for a minute" then turn a chair around and sit on it backwards - and then you would talk about saying no to drugs or something....which reminds me of a episode of Family Guy....but I digress....)

I recently read a post on Kate in the Kitchen that started a discussion of Michael Pollan's  Food Rules, and also detailed her own 'food rules' .  It just got me thinking.  I think it is remarkable how much she does to ensure that she is giving her family the best possible food in terms of nutrition and low processing....and its just the tip of the iceberg of what she would like to do!! I think she delved very well into a very interesting part of the food dialogue. And I think - as a lover of food (food RULES!) it's my responsibility to use my forum to talk about it too.

 

I invite you to browse over to her site and read a little bit more about her 'food rules'.  Then come back and leave me a comment!  I want to know more about your 'food rules'.  What are some things that you do to control the food that you bring into your home, your body, and the food that you feed to your family and friends.  This is a no-judgement zone because there is no 'right' answer.  It's whatever you deem important and what works for you...and if you don't have rules, that's fine too!  I just want to hear your thoughts.

I'll start...

• I *try* to eat as little processed food as possible.  Since I do cook a lot of rich meals and side dishes, I prefer for that to be my indulgence...I like to know exactly what is in my food because I put it there.  
• I avoid processed foods with high fructose corn syrup and trans fat.  
• I avoid the HFHC's primarily because I have a really low tolerance to sugar and even a little bit makes me go on a chocolate chip cookie BINGE...I don't even add sugar to coffee or tea.  
• I try and take a lunch to work every day - both for health reasons and money saving reasons; but I do slip sometimes during busy times, and just try to make the best choice from what is available.  
• I strive to have a few meatless meals a week; and I encourage those around me to do the same
• I like to eat all my veggies and fruits for the day....and then I don't feel so bad about all the butter :)
• I want to eat less mass-produced meats (this is new after watching Food Inc)
• I don't drink soda - maybe 1 cup every couple months.  Just never was a fan - more of a water/milk type of gal

I realize that there are a lot of qualifiers in there, but its life.  You can't be perfect all of the time.  The best any of us can be is aware of our choices, how they effect our bodies, how they effect the environment.  And make the best choices we can for ourselves in most circumstances

Ricotta Gnocchi

Sometimes I am blessed with the perfect combination of inspiration and necessity.  Saturday I went to visit my coworker - no longer pregnant, but also blessed with a beautiful baby girl. 

Being the good Portuguese girl that I am, I had to bring food.  I wanted to make something that she could just heat up a serving at a time - or warm it up for a quick meal for her and her fiance.  I made a quick and simple lasagna with turkey sausage and spinach.

Shaw's had ricotta on sale, and the biggest one was cheaper than the small one!! JACKPOT - Also being a good Portuguese girl meant that I had to buy the cheapest one.  Of course, that left me with more ricotta than I knew what to do with.

Once the lasagna was delivered I did a quick search for 'ricotta' on Epicurious.com:  hmm...ricotta tart, ricotta gelati, ricotta cheesecake.  I had already mixed it with some spinach for the lasagna, so a sweet application was out of the question.  Then - poof - the light bulb of inspiration!  Gnocchi!  I perused a few recipes for basic technique, then I winged it.

I had to start a day early and drain the ricotta....so I also made the sauce a day early so I could just finish up everything for a quick-ish weeknight meal.  I've seen this particular sauce making the blog rounds.  Once Deb on Smitten Kitchen (she has no idea how much I idolize her) gave it her kudos I worked up the courage.  It just sounded so simple.  Can of tomatoes, 5 tablespoons of butter, and an onion - sliced in half.  Let it simmer for 45 minutes, crush up tomatoes against the pot with a spoon, and voila - a beautiful, simple tomato sauce.

After a post-work gym trip, I started on my gnocchi:

To the ricotta spinach mixture I added salt, cayenne, nutmeg, an egg, and about a half cup of flour...

mix and chill

Next, I rolled the mix into balls, and then tossed them in some flour....

cover and chill again...this time for about 15 minutes

Then I dropped them in some boiling water

Once they floated to the top they were done...but I figured it was too good to be true.  So I tasted one.  It was a perfect, light, little cheese ball. 

In a skillet on another burner I had been warming some of the tomato sauce.  I quickly drained my little cheese clouds, and dropped them in the sauce. 

 

Not only were these ABSOLUTELY delicious...I had everything on hand to make them -- I didn't buy a single ingredient!  I can't tell you how many times an unfortunate container of ricotta has gone past its 'use by' date in the back of my fridge while I try to figure out what to do with it.  Never again.

What is your favorite dish to make with leftover ingredients?

Pan Seared Scallops

One semester in law school down! Five more to go....

Rafe did great in his first semester!  I was so proud of how hard he worked to keep up with reading and assignments, and during finals he was ALL business.  He didn't know all of his grades until after he started classes for second semester....

After learning how well he had done, I thought it was only fitting that we celebrate with a special meal.  I asked Rafe what he was craving, since it was his special dinner.  I thought he would ask for a brisket or a pork roast - but he had eaten so much rich food over the holidays, he just wanted a simple broiled piece of fish.  Well, of course I was going to do what he wanted -- it was his treat....but BORING!

While I was at the grocery store picking up his fish I saw some gorgeous sea scallops.  I couldn't pass them up - so I got a half pound to cook up as an appetizer to our broiled fish entree.  I love sea scallops (they're the big guys - not to be confused with bay scallops) - they're tender, sweet, and they cook up in a matter of minutes...unfortunately they're usually a bit pricey - but for a special occasion, and an appetizer portion, they are definitely good for a splurge.

I like my sea scallops pretty simply prepared - just a simple pan sear and some fresh herbs.  I don't like to use much sauce or anything too overpowering...I would hate to cover up the perfect briny sweetness of a fresh scallop!

These guys were really quick to make.  While I melted a pat of butter in a frying pan over medium high, I patted the scallops dry with a paper towel.  If they aren't dry they won't get a good sear.  Then I sprinkled them with salt, garlic powder, and a little dusting of cayenne pepper.  Once the butter was just starting to bubble I gently placed the scallops in the pan one by one - leaving a little space between each one to make sure they didn't steam.

My biggest issue with scallops is that they are often overcooked.  They don't need very much time in the pan.  In fact, I wouldn't walk away once they're in the pan.  If you look closely you can see the the scallop meat turning opaque as it cooks - the opaque coloring will start to work its way up from the bottom of the scallop through toward the top.  One it is just before the halfway point - flip them over. 

They'll cook even quicker on the other side.  They won't need any more than 2 minutes on this side.  Take them off just before they are entirely opaque (they will finish cooking through as they sit). 

I put them on a simple paper plate, chopped some chives and parsley over them....and Rafe and I dug in.

The seasonings on the surface created a toothsome crust which gave way to the sweet, tender meat of the scallop.  The herbs and light squeeze of lemon gave a fresh POP to the outside.

Scallops are pretty expensive for a whole entree - but sometimes you can catch a sale...better yet - make a little appetizer portion as a treat.  Scallops are fairly healthy (until you sear them in butter I suppose) so there are definitely worse things to blow your money on!