Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

Grocery Staples

Monday, December 10th, 2012

I’m one of those nosy people who likes to creep on other people’s grocery carts. I love to see what people are buying and come up with ideas in my head of what they plan on making with what’s in their cart. If I pass you on the street and you have a grocery bag, chances are if you turn my way you’ll see me looking in your grocery bags.

So that got me thinking about what people think when they see MY grocery bag.  Since we are lucky enough to live within three blocks of a Trader Joe’s and a regular grocery store, we tend to split up our groceries. 90% of our produce comes from Trader Joe’s (way cheaper) and the other crap comes’s from a regular store.

Anyway, here’s a peek into what the staples in my grocery cart are from a non Trader Joe’s g-store.  If you come to my place, I will always, always, always have these things waiting to be stuffed in my face.

1. Lots and lots of Chobani.

Always Chobani, ever anything else. I can always count on the flavor being perfect, the consistency nice and thick and the company has been amazing to me so I never stray.  As you can see, I’m very adventurous in my flavors with so many vanillas…

2.  Silk Pure Almond Milk.

This is by far the best tasting almond milk out there in my opinion. I personally think Almond Breeze tastes too plasticy and I don’t really like the Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods brands.  This is where it’s at people.

3.  Kale.

I love kale. So much.  I eat a huge kale salad everyday for lunch and never get sick of it. I love how it tastes and I love the way it makes me feel.  Whenever I eat kale I feel like I’m doing something really amazing for my body and I feel physically better. That huge bag  they sell at Jewel is amazing-all that kale for $2.99!

4.  Beets.

I am literally obsessed with beets and honestly cannot remember the last day when I did not consume any beets.  I typically buy a bunch at the grocery store on Sunday and roast them to throw on salads for the week.  Due to this obsession, I’m forced to always have a toothbrush and toothpaste with me at all times so my entire mouth isn’t disgustingly covered in  beet juice.

5.  Old Fashioned Oats.

 Breakfast every single day.

6.  Raisins.

I go through one of these containers a week. I really like raisins…

7.  Whole wheat pasta.

Always makes for an easy dinner on nights I don’t feel like cooking.

8.  Coconut butter and oil.

You know how some people freak out over pumpkin crap? I’m that way with coconut. Coconut is my favorite flavor in the entire world so coconut butter and oil are always sitting on the counter in my kitchen. I love to throw coconut butter in oatmeal, on toast in some yogurt, or anything else that seems like it would taste good. I put coconut oil basically on anything that coconut butter isn’t appropriate on.

9.  Onions and bananas.

Banana every morning for breakfast and onions are put into pretty much everything I cook.

10. Teddys Grahams!

A handful of Teddy Grahams with a glass of almond milk is my snack almost every night before bed.  The snack of a toddler I know, but so satisfying.

I’ m assuming you already know it’s a given that I also always have a fresh baguette,  wedge of brie, bottles of red wine and coffee creamer on hand too. No need to highlight those since I talk about them 24/7 on this blog.

That’s all the nonsense I have for now!

Give me a look inside your grocery cart-you know I’m dying to see what’s in there!

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Stuffing My Face

Monday, November 26th, 2012

Good news is I’m still full from Thanksgiving.  This year my little elf Em came over to help/keep me company while I did some serious cooking!

I think she wanted to come over early so she could keep me from drinking too much wine before dinner–girl wanted to make sure I was alert and cooking her good food, not food made by someone a bottle of wine in by 12:00.

There’s nothing more I love than drinking wine while cooking. Oh and listening to really good music while doing both.

What, your Thanksgiving day playlist didn’t consist of Good Charlotte too…?

Anyway, after some wine, Good Charlotte and Em making me giggle like a little school girl for a few hours, it was time to eat.

Naturally we had to fufill out duty as bloggers and take some pictures (of ourselves) before we actually allowed anyone to eat.

I also took a picture with PartyDog but it turned out to be the worst picture ever taken by anyone ever. Note to self: make sure boyfriend keeps his eyes open for pictures and never wear horizontal striped shirts on days when lots of pictures are to be taken because you will look 50lbs heavier in 99% of the pictures.

Also, please note the cup Em is holding. That is a Harry Potter Gryffindor cup!  Only the best for my house guests…

So, we stuffed our faces, drank wine (mostly me) and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I hope you did too!

What was your favorite Thanksgiving dish? 

Stuffing My Face

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

Our date night at Girl and the Goat was really fun!  Like I mentioned yesterday, I made these reservations three months ago so I was really excited that they were actually HERE!  We normally eat dinner around 7:45/8:00 so eating at 4:45 basically felt like lunch.  I was so excited the waiter kept chuckling at  me and looking at PartyDog with a face that said ‘is this girl for real?” Back off man, I get excited about food.

We started out with some drinks of course, I got a Malbec that was delicious and PartyDog got some beer I’m too bored to remember.  One of the chefs in the back gets to the restaurant early each morning to make the featured breads for the day. I wanted to order all three since I all I ever want to eat is fresh bread but Max insisted we just get one.  We went with one that was served with some raspberry honey and some kind of peanut-butter dip that was so good I finished it with my spoon. Get ready for some craptastic cell-phone pictures.

Then came out some fish dish we got with pork belly on top.  I honestly only wanted this because I saw the word pork in it and I’m a sucker for that stuff.  This wasn’t that great.  PartyDog didn’t like it at all.  I of course ate the entire thing.  I realize the picture makes it look like I just threw up on a plate and decided to post it for you to see but I promise that is in fact not my vomit but some fancy fish.

Then came out a dish so good I was not capable of talking while I ate it: chickpea fritters.  People, this was really good. I almost stole PartyDog’s portion off his plate it was so good. It was so creamy and silky and everything I imagined it to be. I was really sad when I realized the bowl was empty.

Next came out the green beans.  Gingerfoxxx demanded we get these and because I’m scared of any redhead that owns a machete, I did as I was told (wouldn’t you?).  These were seriously good too.  Trust me when I say I ate 98% of these before PartyDog even had four.  I’m a delight to have as a girlfriend.

The last dish that came out were the goat empanadas.  I have never had goat and I don’t normally eat much meat but I figured since the word goat was in the title of the restaurant we had to get some.

These were just OK.  I don’t think PartyDog and I are big goat meat people.  At least we tried it once!

So overall this was a really fun place to go to on a date!  I doubt we would ever go back, it was pretty expensive for what we got but it is definitely worth going once.  Maybe if you go your photography skills will actually make the food look better than human vomit and actually entice people to go…

That’s all the nonsense I have for now!

Tell me your favorite dish you’ve had lately!

Recipe Challenge: Pork Tinga Tacos

Monday, June 11th, 2012

Do you ever eat so much you feel sick?  You all know I do this every-time I go to XOCO, but I did forget to mention that anytime I make any Rick Bayless recipe the same exact thing happens.  I’m more than a little obsessed with Rick Bayless and consider leaving PartyDog anytime Rick updates his Twitter status that he’s in Chicago. Maybe I can kidnap Rick and make him be my personal chef.  He can live in the hall closet;  I think  it’s roomy enough.

I was so excited to eat these I didn’t have PartyDog take any real pictures so you’re stuck with my crappy Instagram picture of the most delicious thing you will ever eat in your entire life:

When you make these (BECAUSE YOU WILL) you have to make homeade tortillas and pickled red onions to go with. If you don’t I’m afraid I’ll have to come to your house and hit you over the head with a frying pan. The best part about this recipe is it’s made in the crock-pot which means it’s beyond easy.  So, on Kelsey’s Scale of Tastiness these bad boys get a 10!

Ricky Bayless Pork Tinga Tacos (Source)

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 pound lean, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 ounces chorizo sausage, removed from its casing
  • 4  to 5 medium (about 3/4 pound total) red-skinned potatoes, quartered
  • 1 large white onion, sliced 1/4–inch thick
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1  28-ounce can diced tomatoes, in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
  • 2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles, en adobo, finely chopped
  • 4 teaspoons chipotle canning sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • Salt
  • About 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like salted pressed farmers cheese
  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and diced
  • Warm corn tortillas

Directions

Heat the oil in a stovetop-rated slow cooker liner over medium-high heat.  (If your slow cooker liner isn’t made from a material that can be used on a stovetop, use a very large (12-inch) non-stick skillet.)  Once the oil is very hot, add the pork and chorizo in an single layer and cook, stirring until the meat has browned, about  6 to 8 minutes.  Turn off the heat and if you’re using a skillet, transfer the meat and its juices into the slow cooker.  Add the potatoes.

In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Pour mixture into the slow cooker and stir to mix thoroughly.  Cook for 6 hours at the highest temperature.

After six hours, gently stir the tinga.  If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little water.  Taste, and season with salt if you think the dish needs it.   Scoop into a large bowl, sprinkle with the fresh cheese and diced avocado, and serve with warm tortillas.

*Notes