Foodie Rant #1
My husband wants to become vegan I’m about to start doing something on my blog that I usually don’t do; rant. I’m stressed; I mean bake cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing from scratch and not eat any stressed. I love cooking and writing so when I get stressed; I tend to self-medicate in that manner. My husband is working my nerves; bad. Sure his intentions are pure; yes he loves me and wants the best for me blah blah blah. When you come between me and my food, I get full of attitude real quick. He wants us to go vegan! Not only him but all of us; the kids included. Oh, my goodness. I can think of so many reasons why I don’t want to go vegan. Cheese, bacon, corned beef just to name a few. But then again, I can name many reasons why we should. I mean it’s healthy, it’s healthy, and it’s healthy. I’m anaphylactic and was recently diagnosed with asthma, in addition to some other health issues that I have going on; he’s been on a mission since then to fix me. After I disregarded, ignored, and straight denied his wishes, I thought about it. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. I know that a poor diet is a gateway to many health issues. I don’t have bad eating habits per se, but there’s room for improvement; even little improvements can make a big difference in your health. I felt terrible about how I treated him, I apologized and suggested a neutral approach; the pescatarian diet. That way we can get the benefits of eating vegetarian plant-based meals, but still enjoy seafood. The truth is, I don’t fancy meat that much anyway. I’d rather eat veggies. It’s just a few types of meat I don’t want to give up. When I was younger I loved tomatoes so much; my daddy would give me a sliced tomato as a snack after school. I’ve gone weeks without meat just because I wanted to. So a pescatarian diet in comparison to a vegan diet isn’t too big of a stretch for me. I can do this. Plus I think it’s healthier for the kids (One of my children loves veggies like me, the other three have to be held down and force fed before they’d eat vegetables). I sat down and sincerely apologized to my husband for my closed-minded behavior. Then he responds with, “I knew you would come around. I just had to give you time.” Isn’t that something? I’m all stressed about the thought of never eating bacon again, while he had it figured out. Oh well. *Shrugs shoulders.*
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Korean Pork Noodle Bowl
With green beans and Fresno chile From Home Chef I love noodle bowls! The Korean pork noodle bowl, created by the same chef that created the Korean pork tacos, so I knew I had to have it; that taco was delicious! I was hoping for almost identical flavors, which I got, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Korean noodle bowl, just not as much as I thought I would. The flavor was great. It had the dynamic sweet and heat combination that I love. The Fresno chiles added a beautiful color and for sure delivered on the spice. The green beans gave the dish the right amount of crunch and freshness. The only problem I have with this meal is that it was too heavy on the meat; if it had more of those tasty seasoned noodles, the bowl would be better balanced in my opinion. That being said I still say make this Korean noodle bowl! I know I will. Summary
Chamomile Tea with Lemon and Honey The only thing I hate more than being sick is being sick on a holiday. A sore throat and sinus pain all started early on Thanksgiving eve. Instead of resting up and relaxing, I decided to spend the day to get my Thanksgiving dinner ready and rest the next day; I think that’s what sent my simple sinus infection into hyper-drive, evolving into bronchitis. My throat was so sore my voice started to go out, and let’s not mention how hard it is to eat (that’s what Thanksgiving is all about right??). The only thing that soothed my throat enough to bring my voice back (slowly) and stop the pain (quickly) was this piping hot lemon and honey tea. Lemon is acidic with antibacterial properties that help get rid of germs; plus they contain vitamin C which is known for building the immune system. Honey is also antibacterial, and it coats the throat to help to reduce inflammation and not to mention, it helps the tea taste better. Chamomile is essential because it has many antioxidants which is a good cough suppressant, tissue health, and repair; also chamomile tea could help relieve other cold symptoms as well. Enough talking about it, let’s make a cup. Recipe Chamomile Tea with Lemon and Honey Materials you will need:
Ingredients you will need:
Directions
I try to drink this tea two times a day but feel free to drink until your inflamed throat’s content! <3 Lemon Bread
By Rosemary from an Italian in My Kitchen As I was cleaning out my pantry, I found a bag of lemons I bought last week. I wanted to use them before they went rotten and had to be thrown away; I hate wasting food. I love lemonade, but I was 2 lemons short. I got on Pinterest and typed in lemon bread; I love a good quick bread. To my surprise, I found this yummy-looking glistening loaf of bread. Easy to make, good reviews, and I already has all the ingredients; I had to bake this bread. At midnight, I got my Kitchen Aid mixer out and started baking. I am so glad I found this recipe. This bread is AH-MAZE-ING! The bread is bursting with lemon flavor, yet it’s sweet and moist with the perfect texture. Then the lemon syrup brushed on top; OH MY GOSH! I wanted to make more so I could dip the bread in it like one would dip chicken nuggets in a sweet and sour sauce. The lemon syrup tastes like lemonade drizzled on top. This recipe is without a doubt getting added to my repertoire. The recipe is here. Don’t wait until you have extra lemons to make this bread, make it now! Oh, what if you sub the lemons for limes? What about oranges; there are so many yummy possibilities! Side note: Here is the original recipe. The second time I made this recipe, I didn’t have enough butter, so I used ½ cup of vegetable oil as a substitute and it worked perfectly. Summary
Hickory-Seasoned Salmon
With everything bagel-roasted cauliflower From Home Chef I love salmon! When I saw hickory-seasoned salmon on the Home Chef Menu, I knew I wanted it. When the FedEx van pulled up in front of my house, I had my shoes on and was out of the door faster than the delivery guy could get to my front porch. I knew he had my home chef delivery; not that I was tracking it or anything. Happy dancing my package to the kitchen table, I ripped the box open and went through all of the ingredients as I always do; cooking with new ingredients makes me happy. I ran across liquid smoke; I always wanted to use it but never have. When I looked at the ingredients for the hickory-seasoned salmon, I was so excited that I made that meal first. I’ll start with the cauliflower. Full of flavor and seasoned just like my favorite Einstein Bros. everything-bagel, I was in love. I WILL be looking for an everything-bagel seasoning mix to put on any vegetables I decide to roast soon. I love veggies, but the seasoning took cauliflower to a whole new level. Last but not least is this delicious salmon. Cooked perfectly and seasoned oh so well, this fish was the star of the dish. The thick hickory smoke flavor complimented with a hint of sweet, then topped with a tangy, herby vinaigrette made the fish soar. I will be making this recipe over and over again; tasty, simple, and healthy meets my criteria for a Dowell House staple! Summary
5 Guys Burgers and Fries
Bacon Cheeseburger and Cajun Fries I have to admit; Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a cool name. I like saying the whole name while most people shorten it to Five Guys; it’s a nice little rhyme. Anyway, Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a fast food restaurant that mainly serves hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries. They have 1,000 stores and service eight different countries! I have only been to or seen one of their restaurants, and this is my first time eating there. (Where have I been?) I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with Cajun fries and a Coke. Let’s start with the burger. The burger was hefty toting two thick meat patties, plenty of melted American cheese which I loved, nicely grilled diced onions, perfectly cooked crispy bacon, and an excellent tangy barbecue sauce. All of the things on the burger tasted well together, but I wished the meat patties were seasoned a little more. Now for the Cajun fries. They were crispy on the outside and perfected on the inside. The Cajun coating was a dry seasoning that covered the fries after cooking, and they were so good! These spuds boasted lots of flavor with just the right amount of heat. You know how you frantically search the bottom of the bag for stray fries that may be left over? Yeah. That’s how I was after my fry cup was empty. Oh; and they wrapped the burger in a square piece of aluminum foil, and the fries served in a paper cup which I appreciated. It gave me the feeling like it came from an old-school burger joint. Summary
Home Chef
Meal Delivery Service Contigo’s spill-proof water bottle, Shipt grocery delivery, and Home Chef meal delivery services (just to name a few) are things that my husband recommended to me; all of which I denied for one reason or another. Confusion controlled my voice as I questioned, “twenty dollars for a water bottle?” I quickly took my statement back when I saw what twenty dollars-worth of a water bottle is capable of doing. Home Chef meal delivery started off for me as a way to make different meals for the family; with my dinner table serving no less than six people, I knew their four serving limit per meal wouldn’t suffice. But then, I thought maybe I could order for just me and the mister. Maybe I could get meal delivery service just for us; a special homemade dinner and a movie sounds good to me! What if the food isn’t fresh? What if it takes too long in shipping? It could go rotten before it gets to me. Will they put enough of each ingredient? I thought of the things that could go wrong. So I waited and researched. I thought, waited, and researched some more. After finding a thirty dollar off coupon, I decided to give it a try; you can’t beat three full meals for two for under thirty dollars. I am so glad I decided to try Home Chef! When I placed my order, they shipped my box out in the next week. I received my box two days after it shipped. I have to admit I was leery about the food being in transit for two days. When I received my box everything was packed very well with plenty of insulators, bubble wrap, and reusable ice packs (yes my husband uses them in his lunch box). Every meal was separated, labeled, and portioned out perfectly making it impossible to mix up. They included full sheet sized recipe cards with detailed instructions, which I expected, but they also added a three-ring binder for me to keep them in; shut the front door! Their instructions are easy to follow, and the step-by-step pictures help keep you on the right track. The ingredients were fresh, high quality, and perfectly measured, so there was no waste. The meals I ordered in my first box were sweet chili garlic shrimp, Koren pork tacos, and classic chicken piccata. Looking back on all of the things I questioned about Home Chef, I’m glad I was wrong. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Home Chef. Even their app is attractive and easy to use! Home Chef is a winner. All the way around they are one meal delivery service that has my vote! Go on! Give them a try. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and here are a few tips:
Summary
7Up Cake
From The Country Cook I love me some cake! My children and I were playing a little game of this or that with dessert as the topic; cake was my go-to choice. The only thing that I occasionally chose over cake depending on what it is was pie or cobbler. On my 8th birthday, I asked my Grandma to make me a vanilla cake with hot pink frosting and pink sprinkles; she gave me two out of three of my requests, so I was happy about that. I never could eat much sweet stuff at once; my stomach gets all types of upset. Anyways, I had about three pieces of cake that day, plus the extra greasy pizza I had crammed down and then drunk the tasty bubbly liquid sugary drink we all know as pop. Long story short I went to lay down because I felt sick. I fell asleep and was shortly awakened by my shocking pink vanilla birthday cake making its return through my mouth and nose. That day I was traumatized; I vowed never to consume so many sweet things at one time again. This 7up cake is too good; it will make you second-guess your #healthyeating goals. Lol. I’m going to tell you right now; you can’t just have one piece. It’s bursting with bold and bright lemon flavor, it’s moist to boot (because in the words of my grandma “nobody likes a dry cake”), and the flavor is on point. The glaze is perfectly sweet with a hint of sourness from the lemon, creating a taste combination that is essential for this recipe. The original recipe is here. The only thing that I changed was the milk. The original recipe calls for one to two tablespoons of milk for the glaze; I used three tablespoons to get the glaze to a point where it was loose enough to drizzle it onto the cooled cake, but still stiff enough so that it wasn’t too thin. Summary
Classic Chicken Piccata With Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon-Caper Sauce I have always loved chicken with a good sauce atop of angel hair noodles! Yum! Seeing classic chicken piccata with angel hair and lemon-caper sauce on my Home Chef menu, I knew I had to try it. I’ll start off with the good part; the noodles were a perfect fit for this dish. They balanced well with the sauce and angel hair is thin, so they were light and delicate. Sauteed aromatic shallots, slightly acidic tomatoes, fresh parsley with a salty flavor from the chicken broth and the tartness from the fresh-squeezed lemon juice made a flavorful, bright, but robust sauce which complimented the chicken well. The chicken was tender and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper which was ideal for this dish. Now let’s get to the bad part. The capers. I’ve never had them before, but when I bit into one, I was surprised in a not-so-tasty way. A strong tart flavor exploded in my mouth. It was so unpleasant to me that my face scrunched up involuntarily; kind of like when an uncoated aspirin touches your tongue. I think that the lemon in the sauce brought enough sourness; the capers were unappealing in my opinion. I tried to eat around them, but it didn’t work too well. My husband loved the whole meal, so at least it wasn’t a complete waste. Hey, what can I say? I’m a chef, but I’m also picky. Everything I review won’t get a hundred percent on my deliciousness scale, and I’m ok with that, but I still love you Home Chef! <3 Here’s the recipe: Classic Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon-Caper Sauce. Summary
Korean Pork Tacos
With Sriracha Mayo and Slaw I love tacos! I usually shoot for a classic style taco, but when I saw these Korean style pork tacos, I just knew I had to try them. I was a little worried at first because of the ginger, which is an essential component in them having the Korean flavor. My husband does not like ginger at all. Like he’s a ginger-sniffing police dog lol! Every time I tried to sneak ginger in our food, he always knows and will not eat what I made. Once when he came down with a vicious flu virus, he was drinking a pungent ginger-chamomile tea to keep his nausea in check, and hasn’t liked ginger since; I think he was traumatized. I may or may not have made the traumatizing ginger tea for him; I plead the fifth. Oh my goodness! These tacos were delicious! The soft shell Korean style tacos had a browned and almost sticky sweet ground pork as its base, with notable hints of ginger and garlic. The meat topped with a crispy slaw comprised of cabbage, carrots, and green onion. Next was a drizzled spicy, creamy Sriracha mayo sauce and more chopped flavorful green onion sprinkled on top. Once I took a bite of this taco I was in love. There were so many complimenting flavors and textures that my mouth was going crazy; in the best way. Korean pork tacos are a great version of the original taco. Now I wonder what Korean pork tacos would be like on a hard crunchy shell? Hmmmm….anyway, before I go on a creative taco tangent, try this recipe on your next taco night! Here’s the recipe: Korean Pork Tacos with Sriracha Mayo and Slaw Recipe. Summary
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Zelanda DowellHi! I'm Zelanda! I'm a wife, mother to 4 wonderful children, an author and personal chef. I love food! I love to cook it, write about it, read about it, talk about it, look at it, and most of all eat it :-). Join me in my foodie adventures and sign up for my newsletter at the top of this page! |