The Blueberries Taste like Blueberries

Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite breakfast foods. Before I became the Chef in Training, my daily routine included a drive-thru stop at Panera Bread on my way to work for a delicious, fresh-baked blueberry muffin. Although they are delicious, Panera's blueberry muffins are not dairy-free. Instead, I've found a great recipe online for delicious blueberry muffins.

In the morning, I'm often rushed, so having something easy to grab on my way out the door is important--and I can only eat so much toast.

The recipe for the muffins is very simple and easy to make. I made my muffin batter while my dinner was cooking tonight. They went into the oven while I ate dinner and the timing was perfect. Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose (or gluten free flour)
3/4 cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup neutral flavored oil (canola, vegetable etc.--I used canola)
1 large egg
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk:dairy and non-dairy both work (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

First, you whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium to large size bowl and set aside. Measure oil in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix together. Once mixed, add to dry mixture and mix with a fork until combined--batter should be thick and gooey, not thin and runny. Fold in the blueberries. Makes 8 decent sized muffins. Put the liners in the tin and fill the additional spots with 2 Tbsp. with water to ensure the muffins bake evenly. Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on your oven. I put mine in for 15 minutes and add 5 until a toothpick inserted in the middle came out clean with crumbs, not batter.

This was a very easy recipe and one that I enjoyed making. You can keep the muffins in a sealed container for up to 3 days or freeze for later use. In my house, eight muffins won't last very long, so no freezing necessary. But this recipe is so easy and quick I can whip up another batch on the fly, as I always have blueberries in my refrigerator.



Recipe courtesy of: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/18982/our-favorite-easy-blueberry-muffin-recipe/

A Peck of Pickled Pickles

Who doesn't love a good pickle? The crunch of a dill pickle makes any sandwich better, while the sweet and tangy bread and butter chips go great on a burger. 

About a year ago, I stopped getting regular pickles because most varieties contained yellow (and sometimes blue) dye to give them their florescent greenish yellow color. Other varieties had a lot of chemicals and additives, which I try to avoid. I found that the Vlasic Farm Fresh pickles were all natural and had no dyes or additives. They tasted fresher than traditional pickles and had a much richer flavor. 

Unfortunately, grabbing a jar of pickles off the grocery store shelf, is a thing of the past for me. Earlier this month, I stopped eating garlic and onion, following a low FODMAP diet. FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols) are short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. Most varieties of pickles contain garlic and/or onion. 

This week, I made pickles. I have never made anything in the line of canning before, so it was a new experience. Thankfully, I did not need the large pot, tongs, and heat sealing of lids for this quick and easy recipe, which I found online.

12 pickling cucumbers

1 package of fresh dill

4 cups water

2 cups white vinegar

2 Tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp.red pepper flakes (optional)

The first step is to wash and dry the cucumbers and then cut into the desired shapes. I did two jars of chips and two jars of spears. Once you've cut your cucumbers, place in jars, leaving room for brine. 

Next you add the dill. Dill is very aromatic. If you don't want to smell like a pickle, wear gloves while handling. Finally, you whisk together the water, vinegar, salt and red pepper flakes and pour into jars. Put on the lid and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours. One week is recommended for full flavor. 

I will be tasting my pickles next Monday; however, I wanted to share the recipe and photos as it was so simple and a great way to make a wholesome snack in a healthy way.  I will post an update when I taste them!

A New Beginning

I started this blog approximately one year ago. I was enthusiastic, energetic, and ready to become a culinary prowess in the kitchen. Slowly, but surely, my enthusiasm, energy and prowess faded away and I returned to eating out most of the week and cooking boxed, frozen and kindergarten staples. Sadly, my health suffered. For a while, my tummy troubles subsided and I thought everything was fine. But then, slowly, but surely, it all came crashing down again. So, here I am, back to my training and ready to become a culinary force to be reckoned with.

I've recently made a discovery regarding my eating habits and health. I cannot tolerate dairy products. I thought it was just milk, but it's not. It's cheese. It's yogurt. It's butter. Cooking is no longer something I want to learn, but something I need to learn. In order to ensure I'm dairy-free, I have to prepare my own foods. Eating out will be a special treat once in a while. It will no longer be the staple of my dietary intake.

Thursday I ordered four dairy-free cookbooks (and a fifth one based on the Food Network show, Chopped). Friday, I purchased new ingredients at the grocery store including an array of unique spices, coconut milk, and non-dairy Almond Dream vanilla ice cream. So far, the only thing I've tried
is the ice cream and I must say, it was AMAZING. It was actually better than regular vanilla ice cream because it has a subtle hint of almond flavor. It definitely makes me happy, as ice cream is probably my favorite sweet treat and I hated giving it up. One of the cookbooks I purchased is all dairy-free ice cream recipes. Now I just need to get an ice cream maker.

This post is a little rambley, so please bear with me. It's been quite a while and I'm trying to catch you all up on what has been happening in my life.

I've decided 2018 is my year to get all of my health issues under control. I've joined Weight Watchers, which is both easy and difficult. The plan itself is easy--especially the new Freestyle plan--but with my dietary restrictions, it's sometimes hard to stay on track, when you just want to eat food you can, without counting points.

I've also made an appointment with a GI specialist to determine what exactly my tummy troubles are. I'm fairly certain it is a mix of dairy intolerance with IBS. So, not only have I given up dairy, I'm also trying to stay away from coffee and caffeine, garlic, onions, and other high-fodmap foods, including gluten.

I've also made an appointment with a back doctor to figure out how to handle this sciatic nerve pain that I've had for the past couple weeks. Technically, I've had issues since I had an aggravated disc three years ago, but it's time to get some answers.

I am hoping to get back to doing yoga within the next couple weeks and just getting things moving forward in my life.

So, here's to a new beginning. Hope you enjoy my culinary adventures in cooking, dairy-free cooking and maneuvering my health throughout 2018.

It's all in the Meatballs

Being a quarter Italian--although, if you ask my Grandma, I'm all Italian--homemade dishes like pasta, meatballs, and the Italian Easter Pie were staples I grew up with. While I had pasta with meat or marina sauce down, I had yet to attempt meatballs.

I figured meatballs would be on the simpler side of my culinary adventure and with a little help from my mother, I finally dove in--hands first. I didn't use an actual recipe; I just went by what my mom told me to put in them.

After mixing the meat, I formed my meatballs using a dough scoop and arranged them on my industrial-sized baking sheet. I popped them in the oven and then started on my homemade sauce.

In the past, I'd always used a packaged spice mixture. My grandfather always used it when I was growing up and I love the flavor it gives. However, I have been out of it for a while and haven't ordered more--as you must order it online now because it's no longer available in the store. So, I've learned to make my own marinara sauce with a unique blend of Italian spices. I'm still perfecting it, but it's getting there.

Once the meatballs were baked, I added them to my pot of sauce and then cooked them for about an hour to infuse the flavors.

I served them on hoagie rolls with some potato chips and it was a family favorite--as 35 or so meatballs were gone in one sitting!!!

A Lesson in Julienne

Citrus Chicken and Vegetables was the first new recipe I decided to try. It came from The Pillsbury Cookbook, which belongs to my mother and has been in my family since the 1980s--although I think I'm the first one in our family to use it for something other than baking.

The recipe calls for fresh green beans--or haricot vert--julienne-cut carrots, zucchini, flour ,sesame seeds, salt, pepper, chicken breast, butter, orange juice, lemon juice, rosemary and fresh parsley. The julienne-cut carrots gave me a little moment of panic, as I had no idea what that meant. Thanks to today's technology, I simply looked up how to julienne carrots on YouTube--see below.

Once I had a general idea of what I was doing, I went to the grocery store and got my ingredients. I'm going to do a little plug here for my local grocery store Weis Markets. Living in a rural town, I don't have access to a Whole Foods or a lot of exotic produce, but Weis tends to carry fresh fruits and vegetables of good quality, fresh fish and meats and a good selection of other products. I love the staff who work there and make my shopping experience enjoyable. I also love my guys in the meat department who not only get me what I need, but help me learn what cuts will be good for what I'm attempting to make. Okay, enough about my great grocery store...

I am not a fan of how recipes are laid out in cookbooks because a lot of times it's misleading as to what you should do first. So, I take the advice of many chefs on television and get everything prepared ahead of time. I started with the julienne-cut carrots and then the haricot vert, and then the zucchini. One they were all cut, I then cleaned and cut the chicken--I cannot stand fat or those thin veins that run through chicken breast, so I typically "clean" them up when I get them. I'd also like to make a note that I chose to use chicken tenderloins instead of a full breast. Knowing I had to cut them into bite-sized pieces, it was much easier using the tenderloins and they cooked much quicker.

Once all of my ingredients were prepared, I began the process of cooking. I started a cup of white rice in medium size saucepan. In another saucepan, I boiled my carrots and haricot vert and added the zucchini after about 15 minutes. After coating the chicken with flour and sesame seeds, I placed it in a skilled with butter and cooked until done and lightly brown.

At this point, the recipe directs me to "cool down the skillet" and then add the orange and lemon juices and bring to a boil. I'm not sure if I used too large of a skillet or if it was too high on heat, but the moment I put the juice in the pan it began to sizzle. So, instead, I quickly added the vegetables and the chicken and added more orange juice. I sprinkled with rosemary, covered and simmered for a good 15-20 minutes making sure the juice cooked down into a glaze.

I plated my rice first and then topped that with my chicken and vegetables. I sprinkled the fresh parsley on top. I served with a glass of red wine--okay, I don't drink alcohol, so it's grape juice, which still has the same health benefits of wine. 

Overall, I'd say the recipe was easy enough for a beginner, but challenging enough to feel accomplished after making it. It was also very tasty and I had enough left over for dinner the next day. It kept well in the refrigerator and the vegetables didn't get too soggy. I've actually made this recipe twice because it's so quick and easy and full of healthy yumminess. 

How I became "A Chef in Training"

Throughout my childhood and adolescence, learning to cook was never a top priority to me. As a youngster, I didn't care much for my grandmother's Italian cooking and as a teen and young adult, I preferred fast food, take out and dining in restaurants to cooking and doing dishes. However, after an unexplained gastrointestinal issue (which I'm still figuring out), I was put on a bland diet--which meant lean meats, vegetables and fruits, white bread and pasta. It also meant no more fried foods, no cheese, no dairy, no desserts, and no more eating out--at least for a while. And that's when cooking became a necessity and eventually a new passion.

Hand-decorated cookies for Christmas.

Over the holidays, I had rekindled my love for baking. When I was younger, I used to bake a lot. I love sweets and I loved decorating cakes. However, as I got older, I avoided the kitchen as much as possible with the excuse that it was too much work or that it was easier to just buy it. This year was different. I made sugar cookie cut-outs, hand decorated with paint brushes and royal icing. I made peanut butter blossoms and chocolate chip cookies--with and without espresso. My coworkers loved my cookies, asking me weekly if I brought any more in. 

So, while the fire was lit in the kitchen, it still hadn't converged into meal preparation. Then I went out to dinner one night with my mom and woke up the next day feeling awful with no appetite. I didn't eat for four days and eventually went to a doctor. He thought it was acid reflux or my gallbladder. It was neither. Instead of going through numerous tests, I decided to try some self-diagnosis and treatment and started taking a pro-biotic each morning, continuing on a blander diet, and cutting out many of the foods I used to eat. So, far, things have been going well--except when I eat something that my digestive system doesn't like. 

Having only a few skills in the kitchen, I realized I needed to expand my culinary expertise and learn to prepare new foods and meals. With my Pillsbury Cookbook in hand, I started looking through the recipes. Many seemed simple and easy and I decided to try them. I learned new skills including julienne cuts, using a hand-held lemon squeezer, and how to use salt--I have a horrible pallet and often under-salt, under-season my food.

I decided after taking photos of my culinary adventures to turn it into a blog. I figured there are more people out there like me who are new to cooking and who are looking for simple, yet challenging, recipes for delicious foods that are healthy and tasteful. While I do cook with butter and oil, I do not overuse either. I have lost 26 lbs. in two months (I lost 11 in the four days I didn't eat) and I am feeling great. I'm no longer sluggish and tired, I no longer get headaches from lack of sugar or caffeine, and I know exactly what is in the foods I eat. I do go out to dinner with friends and family once in a while, but not like I used to. My friends and family are also great about choosing restaurants where I can get foods that won't upset my stomach--although I wish more restaurants carried grape juice, as I drink it with my meals to help in the digestion process.

So, I hope you enjoy my blog and please, feel free to comment or email if you have any questions or would like any recipes. 

Bon appetit!