Gregory The Sheep!!!

Have you noticed the lime green sheep on the right? Well, his name is Gregory, after an amazing student teacher I've had. I got the idea of adopting Gregory from Lizzie's blog. (www.brunettescanread.blogspot.com GO THERE if you are a brunette)

Have fun feeding Gregory (click more, click the hay or greens and click him) and feel free to copy the idea and adopt your own pet!! It's really fun and cute, plus it's for a good cause. Thanks for viewing Food For Thought! Keep it up! :) And happy holidays!

My Cat Says Hi!!

This is random because it has nothing to do with food but here's a picture of my cat, Chico!! Actually it does have to do with food because my cat is a pig :) That sounded funny! Keep viewing Food For Thought everybody!!

School Lunch Committee Attempts A "Thanksgiving Feast"

EWWWWWW!!! That's the first thing I thought yesterday when our extremely brave witness, Arianna M. Coleman, brought her tray over to the lunch table. Apparently the cafeteria people tried to make a Thanksgiving lunch. How did this "food" turn out to be? I believe my first sentence says it all but I will expand on that:

We start off with the Thanksgiving classic: turkey. It was edible, according to Ms. Coleman, but barely. She says, "the turkey...it's hard, yet rubbery and it tastes saltier than the OCEAN." EWWWW! P.S. I might let you know that the turkey was a slice of deli turkey with some watery brown stuff slathered on it. (Gravy? More like doggy no-no) Google images cannot describe how gross it looked and tasted.

To add to the turkey, ya gotta have cranberry sauce!! But I'm afraid the cafeteria's cranberry sauce was more like cranberry jello. It was almost solid but a little jiggly, it was kind of magenta, and there was not a drop of excess liquid so it was NOT a sauce.

Next we come to by far the most unappetizing part of the meal: the "yam." Let me tell you one thing: IT WASN'T A STINKIN YAM!!! Well it stunk but it wasn't a sweet potato. It was jiggly and wet for the outside layer, then Brave Ms. Coleman cut it in half with her "spork" (spoon+fork combined; picture at end) and there were solid parts. SOLID, people!!! Also, the solid parts were not only an unnatural dark yellow, but they also sprouted little white thorny hairs! GROSS.

And finally, in this horrible lunch we came to an epiphany: we discovered some school food that was not just edible (that's already pretty shocking) but delicious!!!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!! What was it? 'Tis the cornbread!!!!! It was spongy but who cares?!! It tasted like a sweet corn muffin, but better in some cases! A miracle had happened. We broke out in song (well not exactly) and devoured the rest of the tiny warm loaf.

And that is the cafeteria people's idea of a Thanksgiving feast. I don't give thanks for that!




THE FOODS GONE RIGHT

CORNBREAD
CRANBERRY SAUCE
TURKEY

Halloween Recipes!!

Hello ghouls and boos! (Get it? Was that a TERRIBLE pun or what?!) I have all these Halloween recipes from some of the coolest websites for Halloween and I've been dying to share them with someone, so why not you? Here are some names of appetizer recipes and links where I got them from (all recipes are from razzledazzlerecipes.com):

1. I'm not a big fan of deviled eggs, but if you like deviled eggs you should definitely try...Deviled Egg Eyeballs! Here's the link: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/deviled-egg-eyeballs.htm
2. Yum, chips!! This great appetizer is called Spiderweb Dip With Chips. The link: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/spidip.htm
3. This last dish was a big hit at my last Halloween party: Bat Wings With Swamp Dip. It's chicken wings (oops, bat wings...) with a really good sauce. To see it go to: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/batwings.htm

I only listed three recipes, but there's more where that came from! For more Halloween recipes go to razzledazzlerecipes.com! Thanks for viewing Food For Thought and remember: always add a pinch of love!

You Call That Chicken Patties With Apples?

Although Arianna Coleman, our witness, was not here today, I found some other girls who were willing to speak their minds about the school "food." Today's lunch was: chicken patties and apple slices. Here is the report:

Chicken Patties--I don't have any actual quotes but the patty was supposed to be crispy and fried. Instead, it was soggy on the outside and dry meat on the inside. The coating didn't stick to the meat at all.

Apples--"Holy cr...! There's a wormhole!!!" EWWWWW!

That's the latest report on the "food" at school. Keep viewing Food For Thought for more reports on the disgusting school lunches! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

You Call That Chicken and Rice?

Hey, everyone, this is the latest report on my TERRIBLE school lunches. Today's stars: Chicken and Rice! Here is our brave witness, Arianna Coleman's report.

Chicken: "This thing is SO dry!" She moaned. "How could chicken be so dry and stringy??!!" (We didn't get much of a report today.)

Chicken sauce: "This is SAUCE??? EWWWW! Did you see that? Look! It's ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!! It started off gloppy and now it's dry...yet moving!!!! And only after like, five seconds!!" Cafeteria Ladies, a little piece of advice: Try getting your sauce from A SAUCE COMPANY, not the INSIDE OF YOUR NOSE!!!

And finally, the rice: "Why are there black specks in the rice??!!! (they weren't pepper...hmmm... :P) And it's sooooooo greasy and buttery! EW! You can see it sliding off my fork. TOO slippery!!!"

And that's today's report. Keep viewing Food For Thought for more school food (they CALL it food) entries! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

You Call That PB&J with Carrots???

I am here to report about today's TERRIBLE cafeteria food. Today was PB&J with carrots. Comments:

Our brave witness, Arianna Coleman's first reaction to the "sandwich": "WHAT IS THAT???!!!!" Now more of Arianna on the peanut butter: "the jelly was OK, but this peanut butter is SO bad...it tastes like ginger and vinegar mixed together...where do they get this stuff?"

Arianna on the bread: "It tastes like a bunch of crumbs smashed together, very dry. It should fall apart soon."

And the carrots: "These are the WORST carrots I have ever had...they taste like the smell of alcohol, and NOT the drinking kind." Buy fresher carrots, cafeteria women!!!

To get through this terrible lunch, Arianna had to eat while covering her nose. Thanks for viewing this post. Keep visiting Food For Thought for more TERRIBLE food reports. And remember: always add a pinch of love; these cafeteria peeps sure don't!!!

Apple Crisp

My apple crisp just came out of the oven! Although I haven't tried it yet, I just know it will be delicious. So I felt the need to share the recipe with my viewers (you guys)! Here it is:
(Recipe courtesy of the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook)


Apple Crisp>>yields: 8 servings>>great with vanilla ice cream!!
INGREDIENTS
>>Filling<< -6 cups of peeled and diced apples (about 9 apples) -2 tbsp sugar -1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, strained (I have figured out that all the juice possible of 1/2 a lemon makes exactly one tbsp!) -1/2 tsp ground cinnamon >>Topping<<
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
-1/3 cup sugar
-1/3 cup firmly paacked light brown sugar
-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 13x9 baking dish.
To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon until well mixed. Pour into baking dish and set aside.
To make the topping, in a large bowl (a little smaller than the filling bowl), stir together the flour, oats, white and brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until blended. Stir in the melted butter until evenly moistened crumbs form. Spoon the topping in small gobs evenly over the filling.
Bake the crisp for 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

This crisp is sure to be delicious!! I ate a lot of the topping before it was even baked, so I already know it should be great! ;-) Try this recipe anytime, and if you don't have it, I recommend the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking Cookbook that gave us this recipe. Some recipes in it are a little complicated, but well-seasoned cooks can help you figure out how to simplify them (my parents did!). Again, I highly recommend you try this recipe; it's a great sweet treat! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Good News!

Wondering what the good news is? Well, since we're all at the beginning of the school years, I am doing a segment called "You Call That ______?" You Call That _____? is a segment about school food because me cafeteria, like many others, has food you could not believe is edible whatsoever. The ______ will be filled in each post by the school lunch food I am reporting. (If a meal really stands out to me, which will happen at least once a week.) Even though it won't make a difference in my actual cafeteria, I will also include what could make that meal better. Example Entry:

TITLE: You Call That Broccoli?
Today for lunch, there was this broccoli that looked rubbery and undercooked. It was VERY pale green and the top was wilted. My friend reports (not real quote) "it is mushy in some parts, and in others is hard as a hockey puck." Gross! Try cooking your broccoli for a little more time and actually testing a piece to see if it's done.

Keep visiting Food For Thought to hear about my wacky school lunch experiences (though I don't dare try the food; I have a witness)! Just make sure your food is digested before reading...and remember, always add a pinch of love.

Julie And Julia

I have to tell you about this awesome movie (if you haven't seen it already) called Julie and Julia. It's in theaters now, and really relates to my blog because it's about FOOD! Julie and Julia tells two stories: one of Julia Child's life (Julia Child was a famous cook) and another of Julie Powell's. Julia Child is trying to get a cookbook published about how Americans can make French food, and Julie Powell sets a mission to cook all 524 of Julia Child's recipes in a year and keeps a blog about it. The movie is so good and I highly recommend it to you!



Starring: Meryl Streep and Amy Adams
Rated: PG-13

Shrimp Corn Risotto

Hey, people! I just finished a very summery dinner this evening (although it's back to school in 4 days already!) and I wanted to share this delicious dish I had: Shrimp Corn Risotto! This recipe is from my aunt Shirley but I don't know where she got it from. It's a little complex and kinda takes a while to prepare, but I trust that all you awesome chefs can handle it. Here it is!

>>::<<

Shrimp Corn Risotto>>yields about 4 servings**Great when worked on with a few people!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups corn (that should be about 3 ears of corn, depending on its size)--puree one cup of the corn
• 20 shrimp
  

DIRECTIONS

Melt 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot. (Simmer chicken broth in another pot.) Add and saute (vocab word!) the onions for 3 minutes. Add rice and saute for another minute. Add chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring for a few minutes between each addition as it thickens. Add tomatoes, corn, pureed corn, shrimp, basil and lime juice. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

>>::<<

Well, that's the recipe! Try it sometime! Thanks for reading my blog! Keep visiting Food For Thought for more yummy recipes. And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Suggestions

Hey, everyone! I just got back from a relaxing week in a beach house in South Carolina. Right now, I'm kinda stumped about what to put on my blog because I'm not sure what my viewers (you guys) want to read. In this post, I ask that if you have any ideas, please add a comment to this post and explain what your suggestion is. Also, if you can't think of any ideas, please comment on which ones you agree with (if there are any listed). I appreciate any suggestions. All ideas will be taken into consideration and I will be checking my blog frequently for any suggestions. You never know, maybe your idea will be a segment on Food For Thought! Think hard! I will, too. Thanks so much!

Best Brands For Snack Foods And Drinks

Hi, everybody! The Frost Valley segment has ended so here's a new post some of you might find useful. I'm going to tell you about my favorite brands for some snack foods and drinks:

Popcorn--Pop Secret Homestyle--you should buy this kind because it's buttery, but not yellow and over-buttered, and it has a tiny bit of salt that brings out the flavor.

Soda--Polar Orange Dry--it tastes like regular orange soda but not as artificial and sugary, OR Dr. Brown's black cherry soda--it tastes just like eating a cherry only colder and sweeter.

Crackers--Keebler Townhouse FlipSides Pretzel Crackers--these crackers are half cracker and half pretzel. They're addictive to eat in a good way!

Chips--I think all the brands taste basically the same.

Juice--V8 Fusion Mango Peach juice--it has a very relaxing, bright taste, OR
Juicy Juice cherry juice--same thing as Dr. Brown's black cherry soda only without bubbles.

Those are some really good brands for snack foods and drinks. Try them today!

Frost Valley--Part 6--Dinner

This is the last post about my experience with the food at Frost Valley. Here are the last dinners I had at camp:

July 18--Chicken tenders = 4.8, Mixed vegetables = 4.6, Dessert--Ice pops = 4.8
July 19--Seasoned waffle fries = 4.1 (they were room temperature and too spicy), Hamburgers = 4.7, Crispix (I ate A LOT of Crispix at Frost Valley, as you can probably tell) = 4.8, Dessert--Cranberry cake = 4.3
July 20--Lasagna = 4.6, Dessert--Oatmeal raisin cookie = 4.8
July 21--Chicken tenders = 4.7, Dessert--Pound cake = 4.7
July 22--OVERNIGHT CAMPOUT UNDER THE STARS!!! Our dinner was cooked next to a campfire. We had pita pizzas--3.5 (the cheese wasn't melted, the whole pizza was cold, and the only part that got cooked was the burnt edge of the pita.), Dessert--Of course, s'mores = 4.7
July 23--Corn and rice mini-fajita = 4.4, Crispix and Cheerios combined = 4.6, Dessert--Our cabin won this competition and we got CHOCOLATEY ice cream sundaes!!! (chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, Oreo bits, chocolate chips...sorry if i made you drool) = 4.8

And that concludes my Frost Valley segment! I hope you enjoyed reading these past six posts! Frost Valley was such a great experience and I hope you all had some similar ones if there's anything like Frost Valley. Keep reading Food For Thought! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Clafouti!

Hi! I know that I haven't shared any recipes for baking yet, so here's one I think you'll enjoy: clafouti! Clafouti is a cake-like dessert with a thick batter and fresh fruit on top. It tastes SO good and buttery and is really easy to make. My dad gave me this recipe, as he provides many of the recipes on Food For Thought. Here it is:

Clafouti

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 handfuls of fruit (I recommend fresh blueberries or peach slices--if you use peaches you will need about 3; bruises don't matter but I suggest you peel them first)
• 3/4 cup milk
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir flour and sugar together with 3/4 cup milk until just blended.
2. Melt one stick of butter in a 375 degree oven in a 9x12" pan.
3. Pour the batter into the pan so that it's surrounded by the melted butter on the edges and covering it in the middle.
4. Dot the top with scattered fruit.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
6. Optional: Dust with confectioners' sugar.

ENJOY! This dessert is so delicious. And remember: always add a pinch of love!

Vocab Word of the Week

Check out this week's vocab word:

VOCAB #6
August 1, 2009
Leaven--n. a substance, as yeast or baking powder, that causes fermentation and expansion of dough or batter. (thanks to www.dictionary.com)

Keep viewing Food For Thought! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Frost Valley--Part 5--Dinner

I've made many posts about Frost Valley food, so here is the second-to-last-one. On this blog, I'm really saving the best for last because dinners were the best meals at Frost Valley. Here are the first six dinners and desserts I had. You might notice that some of the foods are ones I also had for lunch.

DINNER
July 12, the first meal I had at Frost Valley--Pizza = 4.6, Dessert--Oatmeal Raisin Cookie = 3.5
July 13, Thanksgiving Dinner!--Turkey + Gravy = 3.3 (it was cold and too salty), Dessert--Yellow Cake = 4.3
July 14--Pasta w/ meat = 4.1, Split pea soup (it wasn't even green! It was yellow!) = 4.4, Dessert--Sugar cookies = 4.2, and it was also a girl's birthday in my cabin. We shared her birthday cake. It was kind of dry but I gave it a 4.2
July 15--Fried chicken = 4.4, Mashed potatoes = 3.3 (they had no flavor), Corn chowder = 4.4 (you could say dinner was a Southern comfort food theme), Dessert--None
July 16--Beef stroganoff = 3.3 (too salty), Dessert--Cranberry bread-cake = 4.4
July 17--SPAGHETTI NIGHT!!! That's when we eat spaghetti with our hands and faces! So fun. Spaghetti = 4.6, Meatballs = 4.7, Dessert--MYSTERY Bread-cake (my cabin couldn't figure out what it was) = 4.6

Those are some of the dinners I had at Frost Valley! Keep reading my blog for the last post about Frost Valley.
That's what I looked like on Spaghetti Night!

Frost Valley--Part 4--More Lunches

Below is a list of the last lunches I had at Frost Valley:

LUNCH
July 19--We had brunch, so this was also a breakfast meal: potato pancakes = 4.7, Breakfast steak = 4.5
July 20--Chicken fajitas = last time they were a 4.9, but they made me sick when I had them this time, so these ones are a 4.7, Dessert--Oatmeal Raisin Cookie = 4.8
July 21--Sloppy Joes = 4.8, Dessert--Popsicles = 4.6
July 22--Pizza = 4.8 (I ate four pieces!), Cereal medley (Life, Raisin Bran, Crispix, Cheerios and cornfakes combined) = 4.7, Dessert--Rice Krispies Treats = 4.8
July 23--Hotdog with mustard and ketchup = 4.7, Dessert--Ice cream sandwiches = 4.8

That's the last and best set of lunches at Frost Valley! Keep viewing Food For Thought for the best Frost Valley meals: DINNERS!!!

Frost Valley--Part 3--Lunch

You've read about breakfast, now it's time for me to tell you about the lunches I had at camp. After lunch and after dinner, there is a dessert, so those will be included in these last four posts of the segment. Here are the first 6 lunches and desserts:

LUNCH
July 13--Vegetable soup = 4.2, Succotash = 3.3, Beefaroni = 4.2 Dessert = an apple--4.2
July 14--Chicken fajitas--The BEST camp food I had there! = 4.9 Dessert = I don't remember
July 15--Pizza = 4.4 Dessert = Rice Krispies Treats--4.6
July 16--Chicken nuggets = 4.6, Rice pilaf = 3.4 Dessert = Ice cream sandwiches--4.7
July 17--Hamburgers w/ ketchup = 4.6, Mac and cheese (it was mushy and soupy and there was too much cheese)= 3.8 Dessert = Chocolate chip cookie--4.6
July 18--Waffle fries = 4.6, Tomato soup = 4.6 Dessert--Chocolate cake = 4.8

Those are some of the lunches I had at Frost Valley! Keep visiting Food For Thought for more camp meals!

Frost Valley--Part 2--More Breakfast Foods

Here are the last six breakfasts I had at camp:
July 19--(Brunch) Home fries = 4.7, Breakfast steak = 4.5 The steak was weird, but pretty good. It tasted kind of like ham: really salty and thin...
July 20--Life cereal = 4.7, French toast = 3.7
July 21--TONS AND TONS OF HOME FRIES!!! (That's all I ate for breakfast!) = 4.7
July 22--Blueberry yogurt = 4.6, Diced breakfast potatoes = 4.6
July 23--I was on an overnight camping trip so breakfast was just a TINY mini-bagel dipped in cream cheese. It was a 4.5, but I was STARVING afterward.
July 24--The last meal at Frost Valley!!! I had Cheerios and Crispix mixed together = 4.7

And that concludes the breakfast I had at Frost Valley. Keep viewing Food For Thought to see what I had for lunch and dinner! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Vocab Word of the Week

Hi! This is the vocab word for this week:

VOCAB #5
July 24, 2009
Boil--v. to change from a liquid to a gaseous state, producing bubbles of gas that rise to the surface of the liquid, agitating it as they rise. (Usually chefs boil water or broth.)

Some boiled water:

Frost Valley--Part 1--Breakfast

Hey, everyone! I'm back from Frost Valley. I had SO much fun!! There were twelve days that I spent at Frost Valley. Each entry will be starring one meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). I will include the foods at that mealtime for each six days in my posts. Each dish will be rated on a scale of 1-5. 5 means that it is some of the best camp food I've had (NOT the best meal of my life) and 1 means that it wasn't even edible. Now, I will begin this segment with the breakfast foods I had. Here is Part #1:

BREAKFAST
July 13--French toast = 2.5, Breakfast ham = 3.2, Diced breakfast potatoes = 3.6
July 14--Diced breakfast potatoes = 3.9, Cereal = 3.7
July 15--Pancakes = 2.0 (they were the frozen kind with no taste), Diced breakfast potatoes = 3.7
July 16--Yogurt and granola = 4.3, Hash browns = 4.4, Sausage = 2.3 (it was really dry)
July 17--Waffles = 2.3 (same thing as pancakes), Breakfast ham = 3.7, Diced breakfast potatoes = 4.2
July 18--Hash browns = 4.6, Crispix (rice/corn cereal) = 4.8 (some of the best cereal I've ever had!)

And that's the Frost Valley food so far. We definitely had WAYYY too many hash browns and diced breakfast potatoes especially!! What do you think of this segment?

Frost Valley

Frost Valley logo

Hi, guys! I want to tell you all that I will be going to a 12 day sleepaway camp at Frost Valley YMCA tomorrow! The reason why I want you to know this is because I will have a whole segment of blogs on the food there once I get back from camp on July 24. So this will probably be my last post before I leave. Talk to you all later! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

This is the salad bar at Frost Valley. The salad looks pretty good.

Cheesy Soup Dippers

Hey, chefs! I have this GREAT cookbook by Rachael Ray. It's called "Cooking Rocks!--30 Minute Meals For Kids"! I love it because it's full of recipes for kids like us! They're all pretty simple and SO delicious. Today, I'm going to share a recipe from her cookbook that you can try, called "Cheesy Soup Dippers". Try it with any soup or put some in a salad! It's so good. Here's the recipe:

Cheesy Soup Dippers>>prep time: 15-20 minutes>>serves 4.
INGREDIENTS

• Grated Parmesan cheese--3/4 cup or 1 cup
  
• Garlic powder


• Dried Italian seasoning blend


• She says to use English muffins, but I used Italian bread and it was really good--1/2 loaf


• Butter (not frozen)

DIRECTIONS

Cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally, so that you have two thin pieces of bread that are the same length as the loaf before you cut it. Lightly toast the two pieces of bread. While they're toasting, melt about two tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 10-25 seconds. Brush the pieces of toast with butter, then sprinkle them with lots of cheese and some garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Toast these again until the cheese melts, then cut into 2x1" pieces. Serve.

This recipe is delicious!!! You should try it out sometime. And remember: always add a pinch of love.

My Summer Salad

As the summer weather heats up, I have been creating all types of dishes for this warm, cheerful season. And one of those recipes is a simple summer salad. I was so excited to share it with you, and it only takes a minute to make! So here's the recipe:

Isabel's Summer Salad

Prep time: ten minutes>serves 3-4.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tomato
• 1 small (but not miniature) cucumber
• Olive oil
• Rice vinegar
• 7 leaves of basil
  
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Dice (chop into small pieces but not mince) the tomato and cucumber. Chop the basil or put in a food processor until it is finely chopped. Place these ingredients in a bowl and add olive oil and vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and serve. Your salad will look something like the pic to the left.

Try this recipe! You will love it. And maybe drizzle the salad with my famous dressing! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Vocab Word of the Week

Hi, everybody! I have been so busy so far this summer and I'm sure some of you have been, too. But I've made time to keep posting things on my blog, including this vocab word:


VOCAB #4
July 9, 2009
Dredge-v. to sprinkle or coat with some powdered substance, especially flour. (You might dredge something in flour before frying it.)

Try cooking using these words! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Vocab Word of The Day

Even though it's summer and I'd be surprised if any of you had time to look at this post, here is the new vocab word. (By the way, I am going to be pretty busy this summer, just like you probably will be, so I might not be able to write for a while.)

VOCAB #3
June 30, 2009
Mince-- v. to cut or chop into very small pieces (you might mince garlic, as it says in my salad dressing recipe)

Also, because it has been hard to keep up with these vocab words every day, they will now be weekly vocab words. So from now on, you can check up on my blog every week to find vocabs.

Okay, chefs, I gotta go make snickerdoodles (my family is coming over)! Peace out! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Vocab Word of The Day

Hey guys! Here's today's vocab word (I probably won't be able to write a new one every day but here it is):

VOCAB #2
June 26, 2009
Saute-- adj. cooked or browned in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat. (Chefs often saute mushrooms, onions, or peppers)

Famous Chefs

Yo, peeps! There are many chefs out there who do many different things. So in this post, I'm going to introduce to you my favorite chefs.

This woman to the left is Rachael Ray. Some of her shows (on Food Network) are 30 Minute Meals and Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels.

The man at the right is Emeril Lagasse. I actually met him and have this picture autographed by him! It said: "Isabel--always add a pinch of love!" That's how I got the idea. Some of his shows (on Food Network) are Emeril Live and Emeril Green.

And finally, the dude at the very top is Duff Goldman. He has a show (on Food Network AGAIN!) called Ace of Cakes. He makes wacky cakes for parties with different themes.

All these cooks are so awesome! You should check out their shows! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

Cooking Vocabulary

ATTENTION ALL CHEFS!

I've decided to have a daily cooking vocab word! In each post, I'll include:

• The number of the entry
• The date
• The word
• The definition

Here's a sample vocab entry, which is also the first one:

VOCAB #1
June 24,2009
Julienne--adj. cut into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces (Usually vegetables would be julienned).

These vocab entries are created with the help of www.dictionary.com

Keep viewing my blog for more vocab words! And remember: always add a pinch of love.

My Latest Recipe: Soup of the Chinese Sides

Hey, everybody! Sorry I couldn't write for a while. The truth is, I've been doing A LOT of cooking and baking. This weekend I made muffins, cupcakes, and today I created an awesome recipe I'm dying to share. It's called...Soup of the Chinese Sides! I was at my friend's house (check out her blog:
keeplivinglaughingloving.blogspot.com) and she ordered Chinese food. I made this random simple concoction out of Chinese sides and it turned out to be really good. So here it is! SERIOUSLY TRY IT!

INGREDIENTS

• Brown sauce--about 2 tbsp. (I'm all about estimating)
  
• Brown rice--about 1 tbsp.
  
• Those little yellow crackers that come with Chinese soup--6 crackers
  

DIRECTIONS
Put 'em all in a small bowl and stir. Then enjoy!

So try this recipe, and I don't blame you if you have seconds. And remember: when cooking, always add a pinch of love.

--Chef Isabel

Good Food Combinations

When you're hungry, try combining some random foods. To make it easier for you, here are some yummy combos:

• Shrimp and clementines
• Strawberries and whipped cream
  
• Grapes and pretzels
• Challah and cream cheese
• Apples and cheese

Try some of these whenever you need a snack! And always add a pinch of love.

My Best Salad Dressing Recipe

Hey, chefs! You people are very special and lucky because you get to see my secret recipe for salad dressing. I call it: Dressing ala Isabel. Try it out!

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil--1/4 cup
• Rice vinegar--1 1/2 tbsp.
• Minced garlic (minced= chopped really small)--1/2 or 1 cloves, depending on how spicy you like your dressing
• Mustard (honey or dijon works best)--2 or 3 tsp, once again depending on your taste
• Honey--1 tbsp.
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Simple: just throw these in a food processor and blend or, if you don't have one, it also works to stir them together in a little dressing pitcher like the one to the left.

Enjoy! And always add a pinch of love.

Random Cooking Tips

I'm not a very advanced cook, but there are a few things I know about cooking. From safety to recipes, here are some tips to help you improve your cooking, especially if you're a beginner

• Even though I don't like them, use bananas in a smoothie to get an extra-creamy texture.
• When chopping something, make sure you curl your fingers under. (See picture above)
  

• Use salt to bring out the flavor in things, but not too much!
• Honey is a good ingredient to use in dressing. It sweetens the dressing, but dissolves much better than sugar and really blends with the sharp taste well.
• Citrus zest adds a nice zing to a carrot cake or pie.

Try out some of these tips. And remember: always add a pinch of love.

A Great Smoothie

Say it's summer vacation and you're about to die of sweltering heat. You've got to have a nice cold drink, so this is a really good recipe for smoothies:

INGREDIENTS

• Frozen assorted berries--about 1/2 cup
  
• Soy milk (or regular milk if you don't like soy milk)--about 1/3 cup
  
• Vanilla yogurt--about 1/2 cup
  
• Fresh strawberries--about 1/4 cup

NOTE: These proportions are just estimated, so you don't have measure how much you use.

DIRECTIONS
Throw 'em in the blender (in any order) and press frappe if you have that button (If you don't have frappe, you can use blend). Once smooth, pour into a cup and enjoy! Your smoothie should look something like the one to the left. Yields 1-2 servings.

Hope you enjoy this! And remember, always add a pinch of love.
--Chef Isabel

Intro

Hey, everybody! Thanks for viewing my blog. Food For Thought is all about food, of course, and the many things you can do with it. I'll be giving some recipes, good food combos, and things like that. So keep coming to Food For Thought if you're a food fan like I am. Bon Appetit!