Remember last week, I was going to change my eating habits. After revealing my weight frustration to my doctor, he explained cutting out carbohydrates was more beneficial than exercising. Cutting Out Carbs Better Than Exercise? So, I have really been working hard, avoiding potatoes and pasta; which has not been a problem. I have discovered a few things… I HATE steamed cauliflower which has been put through the food processor to replicate mashed potatoes. I have felt more tired this week than normal. There are only so many salads you can eat. But, more urgently…MY BIGGEST BATTLE HAS BEEN… MY BREAD ADDICTION I love sandwiches for lunch. They are relativity…
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Reducing Carbs Better Than Exercise
Visited my internal medicine doctor last week, for my six month check-up. Because I have high blood pressure, I like to keep it monitored. I was actually looking forward to the visit because it would be the first time I weighed, since staring my new power walking regime. Unfortunately, I GAINED 3 pounds! I was devastated! My doctor assured me, walking the 2.6 miles at least 3 times a week was great, but perhaps I had boosted my appetite with my new routine. He said eating carbohydrates would trump any exercise I had endured. Time for a CARBOHYDRATE CUT BACK. What are carbohydrates? Any food containing refined sugars, starches, fibers…
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Taking Steak and Potatoes Up a Notch
Steak de Burgo was created in Des Moines, Iowa around 1939 and can take a steak and potatoes dinner up a notch. Just another name for steak and potatoes, this rich dish is traditionally made with a good cut of beef tenderloin, covered in a creamy mushroom sauce. Because it is so easy and quick to make, I thought it would be a perfect recipe for just two people, but ingredient portions could be increased to serve more. As an accompaniment, my mashed potatoes were made using russets. Yukon Gold would produce a more creamy, buttery textured dish; however, Russets was what I had on hand. Regardless if you use…
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Crazy for Crispy Celery
Earlier this year, Chef Curtis Stone developed a 9-course tasting menu centered around celery, for his restaurant Maude in California. He created a celery salad; reduced celery juice for an apple sorbet and braised some stalks for a celeri barigoule. Celeri Barigoule – a traditional Provencal dish of artichokes braised with onions, garlic and carrots in a seasoned broth of wine and water. Early culinary cooking, the artichokes were stuffed with mushrooms, however, modern cuisine no longer uses mushrooms. Some preparations are stuffed with spinach, carrots and cheese. Celery has a crunchy texture, slightly bitter, earthy flavor which has long been served as a cooling accompaniment to hot wings. …
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Cocktail Spirits Elevated by Bitters
What are “bitters?” Historically, bitters were derived from herbs, roots, fruits, infused with wine and used medicinally during Egyptian times. During the Middle Ages, distilled alcohol was included but bitters were still used as a preventative medicine. In the 19th Century, the British incorporated Canary Wine (white fortified wine imported from mainland Spain or the Canary Islands). Sherry and Port are fortified wines, which are wines augmented with a dose of brandy or other spirit. By the early 1800’s, Americans had developed what we now know as the “cocktail,” a mixture of liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters. Today, they are used to flavor…
