Guest Blogger!!

So you may be tired of hearing me talk about recipes, and my mom, and things that I like so I thought it would be cool for my friend Jen to talk to you guys! Although we eat pretty much the same things Jen decided to try to go vegan for a little bit, and I most certainly did not. I thought she was crazy for doing it and I asked her many times if she was serious. Well she was. And here she is now to talk about her experiences as a vegan.

Hi Everyone!

My name is Jen, I go to school with Alana at the Savannah College of Art and Design and I am here to talk about my vegan lifestyle, that lasted 9 days. While I was a vegan i missed bread, all too much. The only bread products you can have are made from honey, and nuts, seeds, basically things that you shouldn't be able to make bread out of. The bread products were hard as a brick. I also missed cheesed a lot, even though I am lactose intolerant. One of the problems I had is that, I wanted to be not just a vegan eater, but a vegan in every way. It is very hard to just change your lifestyle so suddenly, which is what I did. What got the whole vegan thing started was my friend and I having a contest to see who could last on a vegan lifestyle the longest. Thankfully I won. That's how hard it is. I lasted 9 long days. While I was on the vegan diet I ate a lot of lentil. I made a lentil soup which was really tasty. I went through a lot of apples. And most importantly I made sure to eat vitamins catered to vegans. I do wish that I could live a vegan lifestyle but quite frankly I do not have the strength. I think it's really admirable that people could give up all those tasty food. I thought it would be as easy as giving up meat but it was not. Not to mention I lost 6lbs during those 9 days. If you want to try living a vegan lifestyle I wish you all the luck in the world because you will need it.

Best Wishes,

Jen

An Interview With Mom

If it wasn't for my mom and my dad I wouldn't know how to even make a grilled cheese sandwich. My parents always cook meals, except for the few occasions when we eat out. Which is why I would much rather stay in and cook then go out to eat. My parents have given my brothers and I some great meals, and I am very thankful for that. Some of my favorite memories are from when my mom was a Pampered Chef lady. I loved going to the Pampered Chef parties with her and watching her demonstrations and then quickly eating them. So who better to talk to food about, then my lovely mother. Here is an interview I had with her on quick and easy meals.

What are some tasty quick meals to make?

Stir-fry and grilling are always quick, easy and tasty. I love our George Foreman grill, I grill anything from chicken to shrimp, and they have such great flavor. Stir-frying is also a quick way to make a meal especially if you have a good wok. Chicken and broccoli is always a hit, especially when you add some soy sauce and snow peas.

What are your thoughts on quick and easy meals?

They are great for working parents or anyone on the go. Some quick and easy go to meals are usually dishes like salad and pasta. You can easily add a zest to a salad by adding nuts and a raspberry vinaigrette, and for pasta you can add sautéed peppers.

Here is a quick and tasty meal:

Grilled Chicken Sub

What you will need:

Italian sub

Chicken filleted

Jack Daniels BBQ sauce

Turkey bacon

Monterey jack cheese

How to make it:

 First grill the chicken and prepare the bacon.

While the chicken and bacon are cooking slice the sub and coat with the Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce on both sides. If you want to you can toast the sub.

After the chicken and bacon are cooked, layer the chicken on the sub and place a slice of cheese on top.

Put the bacon on top of the cheese and then another piece of cheese on top of the bacon. 

Stick the sandwich in a broiler to melt the cheese, watching carefully and then remove. 

A good sub for the bacon or cheese is sautéed pepper and onions, and you can also opt out the BBQ sauce for honey mustard.

Who Doesn't Love Bread?

I can understand if you are on the whole no carbs diet why you won't eat bread. But if that does not apply to you I hope you love bread as much as I do. My bread obsession started sometime when I was in elementary school. I'm not exactly sure when but sometime around then I started eating all the bread in site. If my parents asked me what I wanted to eat, my response was usually bread and water. My bread obsession still lives. In fact it may have become worse. I probably go through a loaf of bread in about a week. Just me, alone. So when I found out my boyfriend's family owns a bakery in Germany I went nuts. I told him he had to make me some bread. When he did get around to making me some of the bread I nearly died. He didn't know what he was getting himself into. The bread was so good I got him to make some for my family and my friends (who all loved it). I know you guys may be thinking, well it's just bread how amazing can it be, but trust me. It is not just any kind of bread. Its authentic german sweet bread. It's not just a generic kind of bread that can be found in a chain supermarket. It is special. And Daniel has allowed me to share it on here for all of you. I know you will all enjoy it. Here it is:

What You Will Need:

1.48 oz yeast
8.45 oz milk
2.64 oz sugar
21.1 oz flour
5.29 butter
1 egg
Pinch of salt

How to make it:

First put all the ingredients together in a bowl, except for the egg, and mix well. Let the mix rest for 40 minutes and cover it. While you let the mix rest pre-heat your oven to 420 degrees. After the 40 minutes are up knead the dough thoroughly. Once you have completed the kneading process cut it into three long pieces. Braid the pieces together. After the bread has been braided take a brush and coat the bread with 1 egg. Let the bread bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Here is a picture of what he made for my 20th birthday!!

It was finished in a matter of days.

Dying for Salmon Burgers

It's almost time for summer vacation. For some students that means going back home to their families, and for others that means livin' it up all on their own. During this summer vacation you can most definitely find me at home. I love going home for summer vacation. I love seeing my friends and family. And I just recently have had a new addition to my family. My mom just bought a Shih-Poo named Coda that I can not wait to meet. See, I have a lot to look forward to.

Most importantly I look forward to sitting on my deck enjoying the summer breeze and homemade meals. One of my favorite homemade meals is my mom's salmon burgers. I know most people think why a salmon burger instead of a real meat burger. The reason is I don't eat beef, pork, or chicken, only seafood (i'll have the occasional Chick-Fil-A Premium Chicken Sandwich with Pepperjack when I'm feeling realllyy hungary, but I don't tell anyone.) So while the rest of my family is chowing down on steak, I am thoroughly enjoying my salmon burger. Honestly what is not to love about a salmon burger, unless of course you don't like seafood, they are so salmony and juicy. Usually I top off my salmon burger with a side of homemade fries too. As in chop up a potatoes into strips and fry them. Yummy. While I dream about my moms salmon burgers here is a recipe so you can try one too, courtesy of Rachel Ray and the Food Network.

What You Will Need:

• 1 (14-ounce) can Alaskan salmon, drained and flaked
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• Handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 3 generous handfuls
• Salt and pepper
• 4 anchovies, finely chopped, optional
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Couple handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano
• 2 hearts romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 head radicchio, shredded

How To Make:

To flaked salmon, add egg whites, parsley, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2/3 of the total amount of chopped garlic, the bread crumbs and lots of black pepper and a little salt. Mix together and form 4 large patties or 8 mini patties.

To a salad bowl add the remaining zest and lemon juice, remaining garlic, chopped anchovies, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire. Whisk in about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and cheese. Add lots of black pepper, no salt. Add shredded lettuces to the bowl and toss to coat evenly. Now, season the slaw with salt to taste, if necessary.


Preheat 2 tablespoons, of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Cook salmon patties 2 to 3 minutes on each side for mini patties, 4 minutes on each side for large patties.


Serve salmon patties atop Caesar Slaw.

The Cupcake Craze

After seeing this photo searching the web I started thinking about cupcakes and started to get realllyyy hungary.

I also realized that cupcakes have become one of the biggest trends in the food industry recently and I have a feeling they are not going anywhere. It seems like everyone is on the quest to perfect the cupcake. The perfect moist cake, and icing that does not dry up. If you can find perfect harmony between the cake base and icing you are golden. And if you happen to open up shop in a cute little neighborhood I'm sure you will have a booming cupcake business. Everyone loves cupcakes. They also seem to be the subject of a lot of my recent conversations. Just the other day in class I was discussing cupcake shops in atlanta, and d.c. which was completely off topic but everyone joined in anyway. And yesterday I was talking to my cousin about making Roger Hargreaves themed cupcakes. If you do not know who Roger Hargreaves is, he is the author who created books likes this:

I thought it was a cute idea and she agreed. Out of all the cupcakes I've had red velvet is always my favorite. Besides the Halloween themed cupcake I had in elementary school which I still remember, it was moist chocolate cake, with vanilla icing and gummy worms on top. I still dream of that cupcake. But when I am not dreaming of my elementary Halloween cupcake I am hunting down the perfect red velvet cupcake. So far I have fallen head over heals for the Red Velvet Cupcake at YoCake in my local mall back home. Although it is just a mall food court stand, their cupcakes are absolutely delicious. As I was talking about before, there is a perfect balance between the cake and the icing. Here is a Red Velvet cupcake recipe from Paula Deen that I'm sure will be just as delightful.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html

Summa Smoothie

Summer time is right around the corner. In some places it has already come, i.e. Atlanta. All this hot weather is really starting to get to me. It is making me lethargic in the midst of piles of homework. It is making me not want to leave my bed. It really is doing more bad then good for me. Although the shade does actually feel pretty good. All I need is a nice cool drink and a porch. In comes the perfect summer time smoothie. We could all use one at some point. What is not to love about smoothies? They are healthy, filling, and tasty. I have had a lot of smoothies in my life time, whether they were from Smoothie King, or whether it was one I concocted in my kitchen, none compare to a good old fashioned fruit smoothie. Here is a smoothie that sounds very very delicious, on behalf of CIA Culinary Intelligence. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.

Tropical Fruit Smoothies

Makes 2 servings

For a truly tropical treat, serve these fruit drinks in a tall hurricane glass and garnish each of them with a pineapple spear and a sprinkle of toasted coconut.

• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1/4 cup diced mango
• 1/4 cup diced papaya
• 1/4 cup peeled and diced kiwi
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, divided use
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt, optional
• 1/3 cup ice
• 1 Tbsp sugar, or as needed
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2 pineapple slices for garnish
• Toasted shredded unsweetened coconut for garnish, optional

1. In a blender, combine pineapple, mango, papaya, kiwi, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Purée until smooth. With the machine running, add the remaining orange juice, coconut milk, yogurt (if using), ice, sugar, and vanilla extract. Blend the fruit mixture until smooth and thick.
2. Serve the smoothies at once in chilled tall glasses garnished with a pineapple slice and a sprinkled of toasted coconut.
3. To Toast Coconut: Swirl the grated coconut in a dry sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately pour the toasted coconut into a cool bowl or plate to prevent scorching.

Nutritional information, per serving: 220 calories, 4g protein, 8g fat, 39g carbohydrates, 25mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 4g fiber.

http://www.ciaculinaryintelligence.com/2009/06/summertime-smoothies-popsicles.html

Mmm Paella

As we all know Cinco De Mayo was this past Thursday. In celebration of the holiday I opted not to go out and drink until I passed out on a couch, but instead I wanted to have some good Spanish food. I know Paella's technically come from Spain and not Mexico, which is the real country to be celebrated but all the Mexican restaurants were crowded, so I figured Spanish food would do. I ended up going to La Fonda on Peachtree for the first time and I loved it. I had the Paella Del Mar for two, which has yellow rice cooked with shrimp, calamari, salmon, sea scallops, mussels, green peppers, onions, pimentos and clam juice. I truly enjoyed it. Here is a recipe that is similar to the one I had, courtesy of http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/18/food/fo-sos18.

What you will need:

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped garlic

1 cup grated tomatoes or tomato pulp

1/4 pound cod fillet, or other firm white-fleshed fish, cut in cubes

4 whole squid bodies, cleaned and cut into rings

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 3/4 cups fish or vegetable broth, more as needed

1 pinch saffron

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups Bomba, Valenciano or Vialone Nano rice

8 mussels, cleaned

8 large shrimp, peeled

How to make it:

1. Make the sofrito. Heat a 12-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil, then the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have lost most of their moisture and the sofrito is reduced to about one-fourth cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and place the sofrito in a small bowl. Wipe the pan.

2. Return the pan to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining oil, then the cod and squid. Sear the fish, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sofrito back to the pan. Cook, stirring the sofrito with the fish to blend the flavors, for 3 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to remove any bits of flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.