Day One

I've been pushing around the idea of starting a food blog for a while now, but I wasn't sure how I would format it and if anyone, more importantly, would read it. This is definitely going to be experimental at first, and I will probably only allow a few people to view it until I get it the way I want. I have received great response to postings of my creation on Facebook, so I'm sure the critics won't be too harsh. The Mood for Food came to me because I pretty much cook based on the mood that I am in that day. For example, its currently 33 degrees outside and has been cold all weekend, so what do I have on the stove right now...Eleven Bean Stew. A cold, crisp, refreshing salad just doesn't seem to fit the mood of the day. Even if you have never thought about it, cooking is all about your mood.

Take time to think about a meal you have made (or even eaten at a restaurant) in the past couple days...what made you choose to create or eat that item? One of the obstacles that I faced in culinary school was being told what I had to make. I definitely loved every minute of it, but when its July in Texas and your cooking a Roast and baking Apple Pie, it begins to wear on you. I rarely cooked when I was in school...after cooking for 5 hours in the morning, I just wanted to relax. It has only been recently that I have really gotten in to creating dishes again. Sometimes I go all out and make everything from scratch, but more often than not, I cheat a little. Just because you can make sausage from scratch, or pie crust even, doesn't mean that you want to do it every time you are in the mood for that item. You do not always have to cook to impress. Take it from me, if you cook at all for anyone, that will be impressive enough.

I'm going to try and post a dish a day that I have either made, or maybe even a dish that I order at a restaurant (or something that a friend prepares if I'm so lucky ;)). I may not post all of the recipes, because cooking should reflect who you are, and how you interpret it. A recipe is just a guideline, you do not have to stress over getting every single measurement and ingredient right (except maybe for pastry and dessert, but I will rarely be making any of those). The response to the items will dictact the recipes that I post. This blog is something that I am doing for myself, kin d of like an online food diary of sorts. Cooking should be fun, adventurous, experimental, delicious and hopefully, at least sometimes, healthy. So what if you mess up, you can either throw away or eat the evidence before anyone knows (again, more often than not, if you mess up, people usually won't even notice). I am going to attach photos of some of my recent food creations and adventures, just to get started. With each picture I will explain the "mood" I was in, and even the people that I shared the meal with.

This was the first time I ever made my Mediterranean Lamburger. This is my very own recipe that I created after my mom returned from Greece. Mediterranean food is probably my favorite kind of food to cook (besides cajun). The ingredients are fresh, simple, and very healthy. I have made this burger for a select few, and I am still working on the kind of bread I use for the buns. I think, even though I dread it, that I may have to come up with a recipe for my own bread so it can be just the way I want it (don't get me wrong I love baking, but if any of you have seen my kitchen you know why its such a pain).

Tuna Nicoise. This is probably one of my best friends favorite dish I have ever made her, so much so that it was her birthday gift from me one year, as well as her going away meal a couple weeks ago. I am in love with the salad. I love every ingredient in it. Fresh seared Tuna, Mozzarella, olives, asparagus, tomatoes, eggs, mixed greens and the vinagirette. This was a different take on the traditional nicoise because the market was lacking on vegetables that met my standard, but like I said, its all about interpretation.

Asian marinated grilled Trout, grilled asparagus and herbed brown rice. Clean, healthy, and delicious. Believe it or not I grilled this on an indoor grill. This meal took 10 minutes to make, no lie. If you just put the trout in the marinade in the morning before work, all you have to do is heat up the grill, grill the fish and asparagus at the same time about 4 minutes a side, while at the same time making 5 minute rice on the stove with whatever herbs and spices you want. The next time you tell yourself that you got fast food bc you didnt' have time, think about this dish...10 minutes and you're ready to eat. :)