Fall inspired cooking

While on vacation in North Carolina, I saw a road side stand with a huge sign out front that said "Our own Sweet Potatoes!" I was intrigued at the idea of using fresh, locally grown sweet potatoes so I snapped up a pound or two and took them back to the house not having a clue what I was going to do with them.

One night for dinner, my sister in law, Dari, was making some fried pork chops, and we decided that roasted sweet potatoes would go well with them. I cubed them and added a little oil, butter, brown sugar, fresh chopped garlic and black pepper. Roasted them in the oven on 450 for about an hour, and they turned out ridiculously delicious. The edges caramelized and were a bit chewy. Everyone loved them, and now my affair with sweet potato has followed me home.

At our local Amish market, Schmuckers, I saw some freshly picked sweet potatoes and couldn't resist. But instead of making the same dish as I had in NC, I decided to look up cheesecake recipes using sweet potatoes. Sure enough...I found one.

So on Friday, I had nothing to do, well actually I had a crap load to do, but nothing that actually had a deadline. I took that as a sign to just bake the day away.

The cheesecake called for graham cracker crust, a sweet potato filled middle layer and a praline topping. The crust went smoothly, but I had some issues with the sweet potatoes. Mostly my issues were that I apparently can't read.

I had already peeled and cubed the potatoes and baked them for about an hour before I realized I was supposed to bake them before peeling them. This meant that my potatoes were tough and hard to puree. The cheesecake ended up tasting good, just a little more texturey than desired. The praline topping made the dessert and hid any cracks that popped up despite my best intentions. I attempted a mousse for the top, similar to what I do on my White Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake. I used a vanilla instant pudding and added nutmeg, but the flavors didn't go well with the more mild tasting cheesecake. It was almost like an eggnog flavor, maybe better for a pumpkin pie flavored cheesecake. Next time I think I'll just do a cheesecake flavored mousse with a bit of vanilla bean.

This recipe is a keeper though, and I think I'll make it for a thanksgiving event.

In addition to making the Sweet Potato Cheesecake, I made my Butternut Squash Soup. This soup calls for Butternut Squash, but I've always used it in combination with Acorn as well. It is a delightful, but rich soup that always hits the spot on a cool autumn day.

All that was missing from the day was making something with pumpkin....hmmm. Muffins sound pretty good about now. With a nice praline crunch to go on top, maybe even a shortbread crust layer...I may have to get back in the kitchen.

A different kind of pie

Last night I attended my fourth cooking class at Williams Sonoma, or is it fifth? I have blissfully lost track.


This time the focus was on homemade pizzas. We learned a basic, thin crust pizza dough, and a tomato sauce made from scratch. With those two foundation ingredients in place, we created three different pizza style dishes.


The first one was Pizza Quattro Formaggi. With four kinds of cheese, I was in heaven. Fresh Mozzarella, Smoked Mozzarella, Fontina and a fresh Parmigiano Reggiano that I think the Chef wanted to makeout with right there in front of us. No seriously. The dude was really into that cheese.


With prosciutto and basil sprinkled on top, our pizza was complete. Although, even after eating two slices and never getting a single piece of prosciutto, it was a very tasty, light pizza. Our pizza sauce was chunky and seasoned with just the right amount of oregano, thyme and basil, and mingled perfectly with the rest of the toppings. The crust was chewy and crisp, with a nice buttery taste.


Next up on our Italian journey were Pizzettes with Garlic, Mushrooms & Goat Cheese. And when I say garlic, I mean 32 cloves of garlic. Thankfully I didn't have a hot date last night...but wow was I prepared for a major vampire attack.


Actually, the garlic cloves were caramelized in a pan of hot olive oil first, and each pizzette got two cloves, so it wasn't like I ate 32 fresh garlic cloves. In fact, when you bit into one of the cloves, it was surprisingly sweet and mild. But you'd have to ask my husband if my breath was also sweet and mild...


With the addition of caramelized shallots, wild mushrooms and fresh basil, these mini pizzas were a unique taste bud tantalizer, but maybe not my favorite item of the evening. The chef got off track a bit from the recipe, and didn't brush the dough and sprinkle it with salt and pepper, which would've have made it a bit more flavorful. And, he didn't cook the mushrooms first, which would've brought out the flavor more. It didn't help matters for me either that each piece I had barely had any toppings. I didn't hold a grudge that I was given two pieces of pizza with NO prosciutto, and two pieces of pizzette with four times more crust to topping ratio. Nope, not upset at all. Not one bit.


The final dish of the evening, and the one that helped the class to run an hour over scheduled time, was the Sausage and Artichoke Calzone. Using the same exact dough and sauce, the chef added a jar of grilled marinated artichoke hearts, more of that temptress Parmigiano Reggiano, fontina and basil. Technically he wasn't supposed to put the sauce inside the calzone, and so he did one with and two without. I had a piece of each, and preferred the one without the sauce inside. I'm not sure if it's because I was overloaded on the sauce already, or if it was just better without it. While I was initially excited about the grilled artichoke hearts, they actually tasted just like regular old marinated artichoke hearts.


Overall, this class was fun, but honestly I expected a bit more. I had really hoped we'd play around with the crust, maybe do more than one kind, or add herbs, cheese, or anything at all to the dough to make it creative. I'm sure as a time saver, the chef opted to do just the one, but still.


And, the sauce was good, but a bit overpowering to have on each item. It wasn't a smooth sauce, because, yet again, the chef went off track and used fresh tomatoes and onions. This resulted in a nice chunky sauce, but if it would've been pureed, or had he used the called for canned tomatoes, it would've blended in better without adding so much texture.

I'm very glad to have taken this class. I did learn a lot about pizza dough, and how to form it, and even why it's good to toss the dough in the air. Something technical about the centrifugal force...only Alton Brown knows for sure, but whatever the reason, I'm tossing that baby when I make my own.

Individual Lemon Meringue Pies

You all saw this coming....

Of course I had to make my Lemon Meringue Pie this weekend. How could I not after all that pie discussion at my class the other night. Instead of making one big pie, however, I decided to make 4 individual ones using my mini cheesecake spring form pans.

I started with my basic pie crust recipe and pressed the dough up the sides of the pans, baked them until golden, and then once they cooled, I removed the cheesecake pan. I highly recommend removing it at this step, because once the meringue is baked on and you remove the pans, it is disastrous. Take my word for it.

Since the chef at Williams Sonoma recommended I use a double boiler for the custard, I started out using one, but quickly realized that my recipe really needed to boil, and I wasn't able to achieve that with the double boiler. Kind of ironic. So, after stirring the ingredients for a few minutes, I made a last minute decision to transfer everything to another heavy pot. I boiled this mixture as usual, added my eggs, stirred for 4 more minutes, then finally turned off the heat and added butter and lemon juice. This time, for some reason, my custard didn't stick to the bottom of the pan. I am not sure if it's because I started the process in the double boiler, or if it's because I have new pans and they worked better than the ones I've used before. But either way, my custard turned out way better this time than any time before. No lumps. Smooth as silk.

This time, I added half fresh squeezed lemon juice and half bottled lemon because I chickened out. On my recipe I have in bold, underlined words. "REAL LEMON!!" And, by real lemon I did not mean actual real lemons from the tree, I meant the fake bottled kind called Real Lemon. So, I was a bit scared to do 100% fresh juice, even though I knew better.

It turned out great, but next time I will without a doubt use a full amount of the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

My meringue always turns out, in fact I'm not quite sure why people are so afraid of it. I like my meringue high, and I love the little toasted brown tips the best.

I love watching how the egg whites start as nothing, and just because you whip some air into them, they start to take form. With the addition of some sugar and cream of tartar, Viola! you've got meringue beautiness. Yes that's a word.

And, the final product tasted as great as it looked.

The only unfortunate part is that no one in my family, except my dad of course, likes Lemon Meringue Pie, which means I end up eating a lot of it, or in this case, giving it away to anyone who will take it.

In this mini form, it is much easier to share anyway.

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

mix the above well, and then add

1/2 cup oil

2 T. milk

Form into a ball and press into pie pan. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes, or until edges are just turning brown. Be sure to press sides of dough up the edge of pie pan.

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 T. cornstarch

3 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 cup hot water

3 slightly beaten egg yolks, save the 3 remaining egg whites for the meringue

2 T butter, cut into squares

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in the water. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper. Return this to remaining hot mixture. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add butter. Gradually add the lemon juice. Cover entire mixture with plastic wrap, being sure to press the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour into cooled pie shell, and allow to come to room temperature.

Meringue

Beat the remaining 3 egg whites with 1 t. lemon juice until soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 T sugar and 1/4 t. cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue over pie, being sure to seal the edges to the pastry. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool thoroughly before serving.

Dear Dairy

I have no idea how long I've been doing this. Do you? I think it's been a month or so.

I can successfully report that I have been doing very well on the candida diet this time. And, I am nearly 100% sure that I am on this way of eating for life. I have found so many great recipes and fun foods that I don't even miss the other stuff.

My weight loss has been fairly steady, especially since I added exercise in on a regular basis. I've lost about ten pounds and am feeling much healthier and more energetic.

Cheat days don't come as often as they use to, and I have found candida safe foods to replace some of the things I craved anyway. A nice millet and flax pizza crust with organic spaghetti sauce and ground turkey, with rice cheese is surprising delicious...to the point that my husband has even said it's the best pizza he's had. I'm not sure if he was serious, or just making sure I don't throw tomatoes at him, but either way...I'll take it.

A new favorite meal I've been eating is a spinach millet and flax lavash wrap with my mayo, fresh local tomato, avocado and lettuce, with a generous dash of freshly grated sea salt. That's better than a BLT if you ask me. And very filling considering how light it is.

I made a chai tea from scratch too, using hemp seed milk and stevia as sweetener, and it is better than what you can get at a coffee shop. Blend it with ice, and it makes the perfect summer beverage.

If anyone wants any info or additional recipes, I love answering questions, or motivating...good luck and happy eating!

Gluten Free Girl

I've been reading a book called "Gluten Free Girl" by Shauna James Ahern, and it is like food porn. I am not joking.

If you like food as much as I do, then reading this book is highly recommended. Even if you aren't trying to go gluten free...and maybe especially if you're not trying to be gluten free. She goes into such wonderful descriptions of everything from her surroundings to the food to the people she's enjoying it with, that you actually feel like you're with her.

At one point I was dipping my toes in a lake in Seattle and peach juice was dripping from my chin. It's all I could do not to run right out and get me a bag of peaches...but I knew for certain, that they would not taste like the one she was eating. Hers came straight from a local tree in the peak of season. Mine would have been straight from some storage bin that traveled long distances to get here. Ahhh...glad that I have my imagination.

Her descriptions of vegetables and the recipes that she created out of her sheer need for something good that didn't contain gluten, sounded slightly strange, but even more compelling.

The first two I wanted to try were Shaved Fennel with Lemon Juice, and a Cauilflower dish containing some very interesting seasonings. I bought the fennel and the cauliflower, but decided on the cauliflower dish for last night's fish meal.

At first this sounded very exotic with huge potential for failure, and even more potential to taste bad, but what the heck, I'm a bit crazy.

If you enjoy rich, tasty food without all the fat and calories, then please, please try this despite your initial reaction. You will amaze yourself...and quite possibly your family too.

Photo from Gluten Free Girl Blog

Roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika and Cocoa Powder

2 T Kosher salt

juice of 1 lemon

1 head cauliflower

3 T high quality olive oil

1/2 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 t. smoked paprika (do NOT use regular paprika...trust me on this. All stores carry the smoked version, and it has a smell similar to barbecue chips, delish!)

1 t. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. sea salt

1 t. cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Blanching the cauliflower. Bring a pot of 2 quarts of water plus the kosher salt and the juice of half the lemon to boil. Cut the florets off the stalk of the cauliflower. Put the cauliflower in the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and pour the cauliflower into a bowl full of ice water. Let it rest there for 3 minutes or until it is chilled. Remove the cauliflower and pat dry.

Cooking the cauliflower. Bring a skillet to heat on high, then add the olive oil. When the oil runs easily around the pan, add the thinly sliced onion. Cook and stir until translucent and soft, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the smoked paprika. Add the cauliflower to this mixture and coat them well. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is coated and the fragrance of the paprika is strong. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Roasting the cauliflower. Add the cocoa powder to the cauliflower. Add the salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower to coat. Transfer this mixture to a roasting pan. Put in the oven and cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Drizzle the remaining lemon juice over the cooked cauliflower.

Feeds 4 Enjoy!

Note: Chocolate and Chili are traditional Mole flavors, similar to mexican hot chocolate which contains chocolate and cinnamon.

Provence est savoureux!

Ahhh....Provence. If only I could meet you. We would have so much fun, strolling in the park, hand in hand, enjoying the night music and the exquisite food. Breathing the intoxicating air, while sipping on a glass of locally crafted wine.

Yeah, I'm dreaming, I know. But, hey I did get to try a minuscule sampling of Provencal food last night at my second Williams Sonoma class, so I'm allowed.

I have to say a few things first. I was in a super bad mood when I left for the class. My children have set out to destroy me, piece by piece, and yesterday proved they are masters at that skill. Other issues with different things throughout the day added to my mood, plus it was darn hot.

So, I left in a huff, and walked into the WS store, signed in, and sat down. Within minutes my mood was lifted. The first sampling of Provence was a tasty little bread stick, dipped in pesto. These were not the doughy, gigantic kind you find at a pizza joint, but thin, crispy sticks that had been coated in pepper, salt, or herbs. The pesto was made with basil and pine nuts, as usual, but also with an added dimension provided by unexpected cashews. I could have just scooped the pesto out and ate it with a spoon.

Next up was a traditional French Tart, made with Maytag Blue cheese, tomatoes, and fresh thyme. The crust was light and flaky, and the blue cheese was by far the best I have ever had. I can't wait to make this for our next dinner party. Very impressive looking, but easy to prepare.

A Chicken Salad Provencal was our third selection. And this was no ordinary salad. Seriously. This was a taste bud tantalizer from beginning to end. Lots of roasted chicken was partnered with cooked red potatoes and blanched skinny green beans, raw red onions, tomatoes, fresh basil and Nicoise olives, all on a bed of butter lettuce, and tossed in a lovely light and tangy mustard vinaigrette. The heat from the cooked vegetables combined with the crunch of the fresh ones, was surprising and the saltiness from the olives, with the tang of the vinegar and mustard just sent your taste buds on overload. And I wasn't complainin'.

To cap things off, we had a nice, dark chocolate mousse with white chocolate shavings. The mousse was light, yet had some texture to it and a hint of cinnamon, and the Guittard bittersweet chocolate used as the base was just the perfect, not too sweet end to the meal.

I will be signing up for a Summer Pie class, and hopefully others, because after all was said and done, I left that class on cloud 9 and it cured all the bluey blues I left the house with. I should take a class every night...might save some lives around here.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend these classes. You learn a lot about tools that help in the kitchen, but you also get to hear what the chefs prefer and other tips that come in handy. And listening to people who enjoy food as much as I do...now that is the cherry on top. There's nothing like a foodie conversation. The oohs and aahs that came from a small jar of pink sea salt and the moans at just the mention of a ricer used for smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes indicate you're in good company.

I didn't get the gastric side effects like last time either, which makes me think it was the liquid smoke that was in several dishes in the last class. Or, maybe it's just my body's way of saying, "Alimentaire français est bon pour moi." (French food is good for me.)

I heart Quinoa.

I purchased a cookbook the other day, called Gluten Free, Sugar Free cooking. I rented it from the library first, and made a few dishes to make sure I liked it before buying it.

Two of the first recipes I made involved Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA), which is a type of grain (actually it's a seed, but that discussion is for a different kind of blog.) It is a gluten free grain, and I was anxious to try something new, in addition to the organic basmati brown rice, millet and teff I've been eating.

Quinoa is as high in protein as dairy (almost 11 grams per cup), and is high in calcium, iron, B vitamins, zinc and potassium. It cooks quite a lot like rice, by boiling in water, or my preferred method, a veggie or chicken broth. It's apparently very versatile as you can see by the following recipes I tried.

The first recipe, Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa


We had already eaten most of our meal when I decided to take a picture of these, so the remaining dish looks a bit mangled. These are red bell peppers with a quinoa, ground chicken and pine nut "stuffing". Very easy to make, and so delicious. I wish I grew peppers in my own yard, so that I could make this more often without the expense or pesticide worry.

The second recipe, Black Bean and Quinoa Salad


This salad had a bit of a mexican feel, due to the added cumin and cilantro. But I think you could leave those out and add basil, or other seasonings to change it up. We served it with some ground chicken burgers that I added some cumin, garlic, red onion and cilantro to as well. Topped off with a big slice of avocado, and some homemade garlic pepper mayo, this was a nice dish for a hot night.

These little grains are interesting in that they start out as tiny little balls, but as they cook, the outer ring breaks away a bit, and leaves this cute little pearl looking grain. The center is translucent and soft, while the tiny rim is a bit crunchy and white.

If you're interested in the recipes, please email me or post a comment and I'll send them to you. Quinoa is a fun and wholesome grain to enliven any summer dish...and hey, you can even impress your friends and family by being able to pronounce it!

Cooking class $40, High Quality chocolate and vanilla $40, Free gas...priceless!

So, I had my Williams Sonoma class the other night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I ate every morsel of food placed in front of me, as a sign of respect (yeah that's it!) and didn't bat an eyelash.

Knowing full well that at least half of what I was eating was a big Candida no-no, I ate it anyway.

Like a magic trick that only Criss Angel could perform, my abdomen bloated to at least 3 times its normal size within minutes of leaving class. And hand to God, that bloating did not end until about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.

It was painful and frustrating and I still don't know what caused it. Was it the white flour in the mini buns, or the vanilla cake that was served as an afterthought? Was it the flour tortillas or maybe the pound of cheese on the portobello mushroom? There could also have been a preservative in the "natural" liquid smoke that was in several of the items. Maybe it was the Golden Skirt Margarita and ginger ale drink they served, non alcoholic of course.

All I know is I greatly appreciate that experience and am documenting every detail. I know that if I can find the foods that trigger these occurrences, I am that much closer to gaining the health that I deserve.

Of course that won't stop me from eating every morsel at the next cooking class...it's about Provence, are you kidding me! I'd endure 5 days of pain for that. But only for Provence...not for, say, Luxembourg. I'm not that crazy.

Delayed

I had hoped to have the new web design up, but that is not the case. We ended up going to the lake this weekend for a few hours, and I'm afraid the site design was re-prioritized.

I am very close, and will soon post just the front page for you to see. I'm happy with it for the most part, but my skills are limited and so until I can have it done professionally, with flash and java and all the bells and whistles, I'll probably wish it looked better, but it will do for now.

On the fun side of things, however, I attended my first ever cooking class at Williams Sonoma, and let me tell you. It was fun. We observed a chef make 4 different meals, all of which were very tasty.

They started with a chicken kabob that was rubbed in a curry-ish style seasoning with turmeric, cinnamon, cumin etc, and served with veggies. Next was an Italian burger with a great pesto and onions. The pesto was unique in that it also had cashews in addition to the more traditional pine nuts. Very tasty, and served mini style on tiny buns. Thirdly, and my very favorite was a shrimp taco with lime slaw. Good lord where do I start? The slaw was the best, and very fresh and zingy. But what made the whole thing was the way the chef did the taco shells. He very simply and lightly deep fried flour tortillas and placed them over a rolling pin until they set up and created the shell. The difference between these and the more typical corn tortillas was brilliant. The flour tortillas were much lighter and had a nice crisp without breaking into shreds on your plate. I can't wait to try these myself. I will definitely post the full recipe then.

Finally, we had a baby stuffed portobello mushroom with egg plant, sun dried tomatoes, black olives and smoked mozzarella/sharp provolone on top. These were tasty, except for the liquid smoke that I don't really care for. I prefer my smoke taste to come in smoke form, not so much the liquid variety. But, if that's your thing, you would love these.

Oddly enough, I ended up walking out with ingredients that had nothing to do with what was made. I purchased some Scharffen Berger cocoa for some ridiculous cupcakes I'm going to make someday for my cheat day, and a set of 3 different kinds of vanilla from Nielsen-Massey. A Mexican, a Madagascar Bourbon and a Tahitian. I have no idea what I'll do with those, but I can't wait to find out.

I am looking forward to my next class where we focus on foods from Provence, the first place on my list to visit someday when I'm rich and don't have tiny kids that scream and don't take baths. :)

But for now, I am still doing well on my candida food plan, feeling stronger each day, so stay tuned for more recipes and tips on that.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have the new site up for feedback...I want your feedback. Please?

Meal of the week: Chicken salad in Brown Rice Tortilla

Since beginning my dairy free/wheat free eating, I have experimented a lot with new things.

One of my very favorite finds are these Brown Rice Tortilla's made by Food for Life. They contain Brown rice flour, filtered water, tapioca flour, safflower oil, rice bran, vegetable gum and sea salt.

The best way to eat them though, in my opinion, is to use it as a wrap and toast it under the broiler. Flip it over so both sides get nice and crispy. Toasting it creates a nice crunchy texture that I love.

In this particular wrap I used homemade chicken salad. I made the mayo recipe and blended in fresh basil, pine nuts and cracked pepper. Then, I mixed in organic cooked chicken, celery, red onion, celery seed, celery salt and garlic powder. Before sealing the wrap I place a few sprigs of fresh basil and some slices of avocado.

Yumm-ola.

The salad is basically a quickly thrown together way of getting my veggies. Organic romaine, carrots, celery and red onion with a sprinkling of my Annie's lemon and chive dressing, some flax seed oil, kelp flakes for my thyroid and some cracked pepper. It was very light and fresh. I ate it first to fill me up, so I ended up only eating half of the wrap to save for my snack in a few hours.

Food can be fun, and is very forgiving. Just start mixing things together and see what happens.

Healthy eating!

The cutest squash in the world

The bad news is that I love food. I love cooking food and eating food and reading about food and talking about food and watching shows about food...you get the idea.

Some people have an interesting palate with a need to eat the most bizarre of foods. I like to consider myself adventurous, but unlike some people I know, I have no desire to eat chicken feet.


The good news is that I really like all food, which is not limited to junk food. Vegetables are a main staple in our house and I enjoy cooking with them.

For proof, check out this freakishly adorable baby squash I picked up at the Fresh Market. They are baby zucchini and baby yellow squash which they call Sunburst Squash, or Patty Pan Squash.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with them when I bought them, but I decided at the last minute to chunk some leeks with the squash, and some chopped garlic, and then marinated them in some oils (I used avocado, walnut and olive for this), garlic powder, pepper, and a dash of Herbs de Provence.

I grilled them in the pan shown instead of foil wrapping them, because I wanted them to have that grilled taste, and the charred look, instead of being mostly steamed.

I think I made the right choice because these babies were awesomely delish.

Of course I paired them with my other two favorite healthy meal options, burgers and fries. I used actual organic beef, instead of the usual ground turkey, and mixed in some garlic, pepper, salt and onion. On my burger I put red onion and avocado, with a touch of homemade mayo, and the bread is a wonderful millet flax that I get at the co-op.


And these fries have become a much requested staple in our house. I've discovered that russet potatoes make the best fries and I just toss them in avocado oil, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Bake at 425 for about 15 -20 minutes depending on the thickness of the potatoes. (I always salt vegetables after they are cooked, if necessary, so as not to draw out too much moisture.)

Even though I've been hyping up the squash, I'm about to anticlimactically announce that the best part of the dinner was the french fry dip.


Seriously, you have got to try this. I take mayo, and blend in just a touch of avocado oil, paprika, pepper and garlic powder (the same stuff found in the french fries themselves) and dip the fries into it. Say goodbye to ketchup, because this will be your main staple on fry day.


Healthy eating!

A beef with Napoleon

I guess the beef should really be with The Fresh Market actually, since they are the ones peddling this dessert disguised as Napoleons.

For a nice dinner my husband and I stopped at The Fresh Market to gather ingredients for Frogmore Stew that I'll be making tomorrow, and while there we couldn't pass up the desserts that all looked to die for.

He got the Tiramisu, and I opted for the Napoleon, which I had never had before.

One bite and I was less than thrilled. The fillo dough layers were like eating post it notes. The heavy white icing-ish layer and the thick creapy cream layer just didn't gel with my tastebuds.

So, I read the ingredients...are you ready? Here ya go:

Corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, water, soy protein concentrate, artificial flavor, polysorbate 60, sugar, hydropropyl methoylcellulose, salt, polyglycerol, esters of fatty acids, lecithin, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, BHA, TBHQ, modified corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed and palm oils, titanium dioxide, sodium propanoate, sorbic acid, phosphoric acid, artificial flavor, mono & diglycerides, agar, and artificial colors yellow 5 & 6.

Now, want to know what should've been in it?

A quick search on the internet yielded these traditional ingredients:
Puff Pastry
Whole Milk
Granulated Sugar
Flour
Butter
Cornstarch
Vanilla Beans
Egg Yolks

Now, this wouldn't be such a big deal if I had bought the Napoleons from the freezer section, or if it came in a box, but this came from the bakery section in a "fresh" grocery store. This bakery section with actual bakers milling around behind the counter, pushing carts and carrying trays.

Wouldn't you expect something actually made from scratch then? Arg. I'm upset about this, and won't be buying desserts from there anytime soon. I may still get their black and white cookie, but that's it. That black and white cookie is worth whatever artificial junk is in it.

Just my two cents...