My dream kitchen

I discovered this site, Houzz, when I was helping my sister model her new home. Houzz is basically the Flickr for home pictures, where you can save all your ideas and share them with your contractors, vendors, or friends. Here's my "idea book."

Here are a few pictures from my dream kitchen. (I can't take credit for these pictures, they came from Houzz.)

eclectic kitchen design

How to make brussels sprouts taste, gasp, good!

It's quite possibly the most feared and loathed vegetable by children everywhere---brussels sprouts. Is it weird that I actually like brussels sprouts? I didn't actually have my first one until I was in my mid-twenties (I think I'm past that age bracket now - yikes) and was amazed at how pretty and tasty they were.

Proponents in the brussels sprouts camp (i.e., Whole Foods) claim the following:

• They lower cholesterol
• They protect your DNA (don't ask me to explain the science behind this)
• They help protect you against cancer
• They can detox your body

It's almost too easy, but making brussels sprouts taste good is just that. If you are buying from the stem, pull the buds off gently. Most of the time, you'll see them off the stem and prewashed. That's fine too. Cut them in half removing the first layer. Throw them on a pan with a little olive oil. Then add tiny chunks of chorizo (that's the secret ingredient). Add sugar (it's tastier with raw sugar cane) and a couple teaspoons of soy sauce (low sodium if you have it). Saute on the pan for several minutes and out comes magic.

Thanks to Whitney who taught me this recipe originally with green beans instead of brussels sprouts!

Deciphering the hippy lingo

When I shop for food, it's always nice to see words, such as "fresh," "local," or "organic" on the package, but how fresh, local, and organic is it really? I have to admit, I really didn't really know until I read up. A Clean Life in a brochure that I picked up a farmers' market describe the terms as the following:

Fresh - only a few days since it was caught or harvested

Local - food that is sold within 1-200 miles

Seasonal - produce that is the freshest and tastiest

Sustainable - in food terms, that means a balanced cycle that supports farmers, customers, and environment

Organic - grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides

Certified naturally grown - grown with the same standards as organic but with small farmers particularly in mind

Grass-fed, cage free, hormone free, antibiotic free - it is what it sounds like

A Clean Life goes on to say that if each American could eat just one meal per week made from local, organically grown produce, the U.S. could conserve 1 million barrels of oil each week. That, eh, you know, food for thought.

You can find way more info at freshfarmmarkets.org, including recipes and farmers' markets in the Greater DC area.

CSA sign-up time

It's Feb. 1. While I'm still clinging to my new year's resolutions, I did finally cross off an item on my to-do---renew my community supported agriculture (CSA).

I first used CSA when I moved to DC (about a year and a half ago). Since I wasn't commuting anymore (with extra time on my hands) and knew virtually no one in the area, I decided cooking would be my hobby.





If you're new to CSA, you can find a local share on LocalHarvest.org. I use Norman's Farm, which features fruits and veggies from multiple farms. For an average of $14 a week, I get more than enough of my fruit/vegetable food group. I do have to supplement it with eggs, dairy, and meats from the regular supermarket. Although the season can start out slow with limited choices, it definitely pays for itself throughout the year. The only downside is that I have to drive to the pick-up site. If you are sans car and prefer delivery, you can also try HarvestDelivered.com, which I've also considered. It's a little bit more expensive since you are also paying for the delivery fees.


The best part of taking part in CSA is that it forces me to eat the good stuff more and explore new recipes for veggies I've never heard of before, like this:

It's called a turban squash. I had no idea how to carve it or cook it so it was a fall decoration last year.

More strangely beautiful vegetables to come in May!

Currently reading: Good Housekeeping Budget Dinners

I'm currently reading Good Housekeeping Budget Dinners: Quick and Easy Everyday Recipes (thanks to a friend's Christmas present). The book has eight core strategies to eating on a budget:

1. Cook it slow and easy.
   I love my slow cooker and can't say enough about it. A slow cooker can cost as little as $30 and basically turns cheap cuts of meat into magic.
   
2. One dish, many meals.
   Think a roasted chicken turned into chicken mac and cheese or chicken pot pie for the following dinner.
   

Brunch for two

I'm finally getting my act together and sharing some of my favorite cheap meals (and misadventures in cooking) on this blog. Way back when, I had my friend over for Sunday brunch and I made a leek, potato, and feta tart. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to try and stay vegetarian at least until dinner time. There's no good (or noble) reason except that meat is expensive so I save it for dinner.

This tart is super easy to make, pretty flavorful, and a good make-ahead meal; all you have to do is pre-make it earlier in the morning or night before and pop it in the oven when your guest arrives.

Leek, Potato, Feta Tart
[based on Real Simple recipe]
Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 leeks (white and light green parts cut into quarters)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 red bliss potato (thinly sliced)
• 2 or 3 artichoke hearts (jarred)
  
• 1 store-bought 9-inch pie crust (not store brand; normally I'm all for generic but for about 50cents more, the pie crust will keep together)

How to cut leeks: Get rid of the dark green parts (even though it's pretty, it's no good). The best part is the white and light green parts. Cut into half moons and throw them in running water. Because there's so many layers, dirt gets stuck between. Let them sit in water for a while to get the grime out, and repeat the wash.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Meal planners

Half the battle of home cooking, I'm convinced, is food shopping.

To ease this part of the process, I wanted to share the Real Simple Weekly Grocery List. I just started using this simple one-page shopping list. This tool breaks it down by day and by grocery aisle (dried foods, poultry, etc.) to make your supermarket trip a little smoother (and faster). The other great thing is by having a full list before your shopping trip, you can take a look at your meals for the week and make sure you are fully "utilizing your resources," for instance, selecting recipes to use a full block of cheese before it goes bad by the end of the week.

I also read about another group meal planner called MealTrain.com, which allows users to coordinate dinner ideas and delivery times. I haven't used it yet, but it sounds like a great idea for potlucks, when friends have babies, or on a more depressing note, extended illness or for Shiva. The free online software is compatible with Facebook and e-mail invites so that viewers can manage and view one group calendar with the ability to comment.

These things combine my love of food and planning.