Now Josh’s culinary preferences traditionally lean heavily toward the big-chunk-of-meat genre, but at the monastery the diet was basically vegetarian: okra, lentils, vegetable soup–and some hard-boiled eggs thrown in for good measure. A lot of us honestly wondered if Josh would survive this unplanned exercise in mostly-herbivorism, so imagine my shock when he came home and actually asked if we could try out something vegetarian for dinner!!

no animals were harmed in the making of these monks

Lucky for me, my awesome former boss Kristin is vegan AND loves Pinterest, so I immediately turned to her board of amazing vegetarian recipes for inspiration and landed on this spicy Chinese eggplant recipe. The spice level in this recipe is intense; next time I would cut it at least in half. Even so, making a legit Asian sauce was so fun, and I was COMPLETELY ADDICTED to the leftovers.

and i do mean SPICY

And what did Josh think? He also loved it, although he MAY have tried to sneak in a roast beef sandwich “post-dinner snack” later that night. Fortunately, I caught him in the act and convinced him to eat a super-yummy veggie sandwich instead (hummus, avocado, cheese and balsamic–what’s not to love??), so I can still say Operation Vegetarian Dinner was a success. Whew!

For your drooling pleasure, here are the other vegetarian dinners on our to-devour list. Do you have a favorite vegetarian recipe? Please share it below!

Chickpea curry w/ coconut rice

Crispy orange cauliflower

Mushroom lemon lentil salad

Roasted grape, goat cheese and honey stuffed sweet potatoes

I almost died laughing at that line–and not just a “funny ha ha” laugh, but the deep-bellied Gina laugh some of you might recognize as especially, ahem, boisterous–while Josh just had to sit and wait my laughter storm out. (Confession: Sometimes one of us will bring this little anecdote up, and I laugh all over again. I’m pretty sure you know you’ve got a good joke when it still cracks you up years later. Even if you’re the only one laughing. …Right??)

I think they meant to use the “Chelada” font to spell the word “Gross”

Fast forward to last night, when my sweet husband drove me to the grocery store to get some mint cookie ice cream. He had been craving a beer himself, and I suggested he get a can of Bud Light & Clamato–one of his favorites (despite earning an official Beer Advocate score of Awful).*

Josh shrugged. “I don’t think Bud Light & Clamato will go well with the ice cream.”

“Um, Bud Light & Clamato doesn’t go good with itself,” I shot back.

There was the tiniest silence before it happened. I roared–I am so witty you guys!

“Gina… that wasn’t even that funny.” Josh noted tenderly between my giggle fits.

And you know what? I kind of see his point. But it was too late, the Gina Joke laughter dam was broken.

* This review sums up the Bud Light & Clamato nicely:

It’s somewhat tolerable, didn’t make me gag too much and I might’ve been able to nurse it until it was gone, except you weren’t kind enough to put it in a regular 12-ounce can.

Oh no.

Instead you decided to put your clammy concoction in a huge 24-ounce aluminum jug, making it impossible to finish without it getting warm, which makes the Chelada feel like someone rinsed their mouth with it and spit it back into the can.

Now pie isn’t just about baking. There’s something about pie making that just seems very… connected to me. Pie is so homey, so full of the earth and family and goodness. Like a big, warm hug full of love.

Since this was my First Pie Ever, I turned to my go-to recipe site, Williams Sonoma, and used their Summer Berry Pie and basic pie dough recipes. My pie included blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. And guess what! Making pies completely from scratch is not really that hard! My First Pie Ever turned out great:

you’ve been pie hugged!

This is fantastic news for Josh, because it means there will likely be lots of new pie experiments in our future. The other plus of making pie? Not only do you get to give your freshly made pie-hug to people you love to enjoy, it earns you lots of extra hugs and kisses of your own from your hubby. :)

Do you have a favorite crust/filling recipe? What are your pie-making tips? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!!

I was pretty stoked when we walked into the lecture hall at Georgia Tech and they had a whole lab table set up next to the podium–but just about went into complete freak-out mode when the emcee casually mentioned that, along with two physicists from Harvard, José Freaking Andrés was presenting!

my ultimate guide to spanish cooking

I was first introduced to JFA when I received his tapas cookbook as a gift. Dudes, the tapas in that cookbook are beyond legit. His flan recipe is the best I’ve tasted (close second: the flan from Colombia restaurant in Florida). Best of all, I finally found a recipe for croquetas that truly reminded me of those sauteed pieces of heaven I so frequently enjoyed when I studied abroad in Spain. I make those croquetas once or twice a year, and I am not exaggerating when I say it is a spiritual experience.

So what’s a famous chef doing with some geeky physicists? Turns out, JFA is as passionate about innovation as he is about food. He teamed up with Michael Brenner and David Weitz from Harvard and they put together a class on culinary physics.

For Andrés, the pairing of food and science “opens new highways to creation” in the kitchen. They did some cool experiments with food and talked about the importance of collaboration and reaching beyond the boundaries of your discipline–but what really made the experience unforgettable was JFA himself. I don’t know how to describe it except to say that his storytelling is as delicious as his food; when he speaks you just get entirely engrossed by his absolute passion, a mix of both urgency and joy.

As soon as the presentation was over, I rushed the stage to meet him–the man whose tapas have been a delight to me for years, at whose restaurants I dined at with friends and forced every single one to order the flan for dessert, and whose stories of the next food frontier left me completely entranced. And as I shook his hand with a grin that threatened to devour my entire face I blubbered, “Mucho gusto. Can I get a picture with you?” Then, as I dragged the two professors from Harvard into the photo and Savory snapped the picture,  “I have a food blog. You’re going to be famous.”

Really, Gina? I have a food blog?? You’re going to be FAMOUS??? JFA humored me despite what a pompous lunatic I must have looked like, and I could barely contain myself as I literally skipped out of the auditorium and into the street before shouting “OHMYGOSH I GOT A PICTURE WITH TWO PHYSICISTS AND JOSEFREAKINGANDRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

josé andrés, pre-'hot plate' fame bump

 

Ironically, the only place I could find the video was on a blog bashing the scene as "completely devoid of emotional impact."

Runner up: The egg scene in Cool Hand Luke.

What else deserves to go on the list?

• Will I have enough time to make, or even just eat, something for breakfast?
• Does my breakfast have too much sugar?
• Too many carbs (grain)?
• Too little protein?
• Will it keep me full?
• Is it too processed?

If I don’t make/eat breakfast before leaving for work, the battle continues on the road: Can I stop somewhere to grab something without being late? What’s cheap, but still healthy? How long is the line? If I just don’t even bother, will I make it to lunch without gnawing my own arm off?

Somewhere along the line, it finally occurred to me that breakfast is WAY TOO COMPLICATED.

Think about your typical breakfast foods: Cereal (too many carbs, too much sugar). Yogurt (won’t keep me full). Bagels (too many carbs, too little protein). Pastries (no brainer–not healthy). Pancakes (too much time, too many carbs). Fruit jams (too much sugar). Granola bars (too many carbs, too much sugar). I finally gave up and started eating eggs almost every day.

Why, I wondered, is something that should be so simple–easy access to a filling, healthy meal–so jacked? Then one day I heard this crazy idea on the radio:

People can just eat the same foods they eat for lunch and dinner, for breakfast. 

a traditional breakfast in japan. doesn't look very familiar, does it?

Wha whaaaaaaaaaaat? WHY HAS NO ONE THOUGHT OF THIS SOONER, you ask? Breakfast has changed in America over time based on work schedules, work environments, and the migration of women into the workforce (and out of the kitchen). All of us now have less time to prepare, and to consume, breakfast–but I think just changing the way we think about what breakfast is will at least give us some better options for what we eat.

For me, understanding my morning meal doesn’t have to be limited to “normal” breakfast foods opened up a world of opportunity for healthy, yummy and filling ways to start my day:

• Meats: Why not grab a small piece of leftover dinner or a slice of lunch meat from the fridge instead of fried sausage or bacon?
• Hummus: No duh–I’ll eat this any time of day!
• Eggs: Easy to make fresh or hard boil for something filling on the go.
• Cheese: see Hummus.
• Yogurt: Also quick and easy. Pair with an egg or some cheese/hummus, and you’re set ’til lunch.
• Fruit: Quick! Easy! Great with any of the above! (Noticing a theme here?)

What do you think? Is breakfast a breeze, or a royal pain in the tummy? I’d love to hear about your breakfast challenges or meal ideas!

Deb Balai, I love you. Also, note to self: Pin blog stuff.

1. Get a grip. So turns out there’s actually a proper form to cutting, y’all! Grip the (chef’s) knife just above/in front of the handle, stand up straight and put your feet hip-width apart. I think this is to make you pay attention so you focus on cutting the food, and not your fingers. Which I support.

cue psycho soundtrack

2. Off with ‘is ‘ead! And feet! The first three chops to everything (disclosure: I haven’t actually tried cutting everything) are to nip off the ends and then do a cut down the length so that the food can lie flat on the cutting board, like so:

and thus ended the dynasty of King Eggplant IV

3. The magic’s in the motion, baby. When you think of cutting, you hear “CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!” and picture an up/down, up/down, up/down motion in your head. But really the noise you should hear when you cut is a smooth “swish, swish” and the motion of each cut should be more of a rocking backward then forward and through the food, with the tip of your knife never leaving the cutting board. Here, take a look:

That’s it! Now you can chop with the best of ’em. Here are a couple additional resources from About.com with more info. Happy cutting!

The Anatomy of a Chef’s Knife

How to Use a Chef’s Knife

so delicious. so healthy. so... evil?

Friends, I have a gastronomic dilemma of the ethical variety.  Before I get into the details, though, let’s just talk about all the reasons  my favorite fast food restaurant, Chick-fil-a, is AWESOME:

1. Those cows are so right–chicken just tastes better than beef.
2. Chick-fil-a is healthy. Not if you order fried chicken strips, french fries and a milkshake–but they have a robust selection of healthy options that are all delicious. Every single one! My favorite is the chargrilled chicken sandwich (pictured above) with a side salad. The salad comes with sunflower seeds, y’all! SUNFLOWER SEEDS. Anything to say to that, McDonald’s? I didn’t think so.
3. Their customer service is stellar. Not only are the people nice, but when there was a tomato shortage a couple of years ago, they actually added a line item to my receipt refunding me the 10 cents for the slice of tomato that was missing from my sandwich.
4. Every winter, they have the most delicious peppermint milkshake in the world. Okay, maybe not in the world, but trust me, it’s yummy.
5. Do you really want anything except a chicken biscuit when you have a hangover?

And yet, despite being the fast-food love of my life (imma call you, Taco Bell!), I am sad to say the Chick-fil-a apparently has not-so-friendly views about homosexuals.

…INSERT SAD/CONFUSED/HUNGRY FACE HERE.

And that brings us to the place where I need your advice. I have been trying really, really hard to not eat at Chick-fil-a since learning this news… but I’ll be honest. One one hand, sometimes I need to grab lunch to go–and when I do, I’d really prefer that lunch be healthy. On the other hand, I also don’t want my lunch to be supporting hate. I mean, if Chick-fil-a were donating $2 million to the Klu Klux Klan, it would take me and I hope not a few other people about .5 milliseconds to stop eating there completely. Why am I still tempted now?

What do you guys think? Do I bite the bullet and stick with the only healthy (and delicious) fast food gig in town–or put my money where my mouth is and swear off the beloved chargrilled chicken sandwich completely? So far, Chick-fil-a is winning in spite of myself. Help!