Christmas In August

Tonight I left my Junior League Provisional Meeting with a sense of soon to be accomplishment and five cookbooks, FIVE!  As if my cookbook shelf isn't already in need of additional structural support...  But, if you've known me for any bit of time, you're well aware that crowded drawers and failing shelves barely count as a detour in my ongoing purchasing journey.

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Nonetheless, I'm exicted!  A Mid-Summer Night Cocktail was my first brush with this culinary collection and it came with great success.  The next recipes on my League blogging agenda?  Lobster with Lemon Basil Butter and the Farmhouse Salad.  Word on the street is each and every recipe has been tested to the Nth degree, and then some.  And that, is a comforting concept in a kitchen that is no stranger to a meal mistake!

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If you'd like to add one of these gems to your structurally sound (or unsound) shelves, they can be purchased here.

It's A Growin'

One would think an indoor garden would have been checked off of my to-do list much earlier in life.  The truth is, I've tried.  In Dallas, I managed to destroy three basil plants on three separate occasions.  And more recently, succulents.  Succulents?!  I killed unkillable plants!  It's a miracle that Clarke is still amongst us...

In a search to fill the blank wall in my kitchen, I found an Ikea inspiration ad from which I decided to steal almost every decor detail.  Two problems...  my negative green thumb abilities and zero natural light in my kitchen.  After more research, I found that I could overcome the natural light issue using traditional CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs as "grow lights".  And after more consideration, I decided I would overcome my planting inabilities with dedication.

The newest living additions to my home are basil, cilantro, and thyme.  If these puppies have a positive life status through the end of August, I'll add rosemary, dill, and chives to the collection.  I'll also consider replacing the target desk lamp with a more aesthetically pleasing stainless CFL hood.

This is a true Fashion Meets Function moment in the KV household!

Rando, Rando, Meat Commando?

A serious case of the Mondays is likely to cause a blah food mood.  And with my brain checking out around 10 AM today...  a lack of creativity checked right on in.    

I'm rarely not hungry enough to skip a meal, so when my blue moon lack of appetite decides to make an appearance, you better believe I cram in some earth made goods.  Or at least I'll try.  I stared blankly at my fridge for a while and could only come up with mushrooms? 

I sauteed an 8 ounces pack of baby bellas in 1/2 tablespoon of butter and gasped at green straws by nuking a frozen creamed spinach.  A brand of creamed spinach in which, after further label examination, I will not purchase again.  I'm a much happier gal knowing words like hydrolized and autolyzed are not floating around in my kitchen.

Olive Juice (I Love You)

 

If it were possible for one week to be longer than another, I would say this week is the longest in history.  It could be that this week is sandwiched between Superbowl Sunday and my much awaited trip to DC.  Or maybe time is following the lead of winter storms and defying scientific reason and history all the same.

With that said, my Wednesday night was a progression of running Bayshore and dinner, to running Bayshore and dinner and red wine, to running Bayshore and dinner and dirty martinis.  And although this site is typically focused on the healthy approach, a mid-slowest week ever-martini IS fashion meeting function.

A "good" dirty martini has always seemed like an impossible homemade task.  And finding a good dirty martini at a place that serves blue cheese stuffed olives is luck just short of winning the lottery.

It turns out that my dirty martini can kick a restaurant martini's butt.  It also turns out, a good homemade dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives is comparable to winning the lottery as you save approximately 10 bucks per drink!

Martini - Dirty and Good:

Fresh Blue Cheese

Spanish Olives sans Pimentos, the bigger the better

Ketel One Vodka

Spanish Olive Brine 

Eggstraordinary

A few years ago, he brought over a slab of raw tuna, sliced off a chunk, and said "taste this".  Oh my goodness, no.  For some reason, eating raw meat that bypassed a restaurant was unfathomable.  After careful convincing that it was indeed more fresh than anything I've experienced, I ate it.  Chewing was barely a necessity, it melted, I loved it.  Trust was earned.

So when he offered to bring me eggs produced by his urban yard birds, I accepted without hesitation.  I'm able to pinpoint obvious differences between these eggs and retail eggs: smaller, harder shell, the green one.  Wow, I totally missed my CSI calling.  But other than these subtle differences, are these eggs the same?  Absolutely not.

I go through phases in which I eat eggs for breakfast daily.  The breakfast means nothing to me, it's breakfast.  But this morning as I ate my eggs, sunny side up on sprouted wheat toast, I smiled.  I know how my eggs came to be.  I know the yard.  I know the farmer.  I was a part of the exchange between the farmer and the consumer and there's something innately cool about being a part of a process in which you're able skip the man.

My Mid-Century Life

I've been told a time or ten that I'm deceivingly domestic.  Perhaps my front door is really a time machine - where everything is different upon entering, including me.  My home is defined by mid-century finds, daily home cooked meals, a sewing machine, and rose scented candles.  In other words, I think your grandma's cool.

I've recently purchased a percolator and it's my newest favorite.  And before I continue, I have to admit that my taste in coffee is comparable to that of red wine - when asked if I enjoy a cup or glass, my answer is merely "yes", no details.

So yes, I enjoy my percolator.  It makes two to four cups of caffeinated goodness and is pretty enough to serve while suited up in your finest Anthro apron.  With no need for a coffee filter, it's also a sustainable choice.  Compete with that Mr. Coffee!

I take mine black, but have agave nectar and almond milk on hand for guests.

Check-Ch-Check, Check it Out!

When asked by my doctor if I was getting enough calcium, I responded in a regretfully snooty tone “of course, I take a really good multi-vitamin”.  Oops!  Even my fancy, raw, high absorbency multi’s don’t contain near the recommended 1000 mg per day. 


I browsed a few popular vitamin websites unsure of what I wanted to find.  Relieved that my multi isn't alone, but disappointed in multi’s in general, none of the supplements I found met the suggested mg.  Although dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, I feel as though this route is a bit future farmers of America-esque.

Taking a calcium supplement and munching a few servings of calcium rich foods each day is your best shot for sufficient intake of this essential mineral.

Family, Holiday & Tammy-isms

And there we were, full bellied and wrapping up 2009, charading our most memorable moments and creating moments for the years ahead. With tag lines such as "I hate babies, they annoy me" and running full force to the pie table only to be interrupted by a sliding glass door (twice), Nicholas, my three year old cousin, was the heart of our laughter this year. And these moments will be added to the vault in which we'll so naturally re-open the next time we gather.

You could call them the star, or the center of attention, but there's one person each year that is single handedly teased the most. I'd be willing to bet that Tammy, my mom, has unintentionally assumed this role more often than not. And herein lies the creation of "Tammy-isms" - flighty acts and questionable words of wisdom.

I won't get into the flighty acts. But as far as questionable words of wisdom go, I've never actually gone out of my way to prove or dis-prove them. And they aren't SO lofty, as I've found myself repeating them as fact. So today I will repeat them again, but this time with a blurb of back-up.

Tammy-ism #1 - Water Cures Your Aches
Confimed: Dehydration is the leading cause of headaches. Muscle aches and cramps can also be caused by dehydration.

Tammy-ism #2 - Cheez Kills Friendly Flora
Confirmed: Any inorganic food you eat is packed with antibiotics, which destroy the good bacteria in your intestinal tract.

Tammy-ism #3 - Sugar Supresses Your Immune System
Confirmed: Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.

Conclusion: Keeping Tammy-isms in your thoughts might be the the perfect mind-set as we begin a near year.

Happy 2010!

The Trifecta of Diet Awesome

After graduation and the few additional LBs that tag along with a newly acquired desk job, I sampled every diet under the sun. There were many that I hated, few that I tolerated, and barely any that I enjoyed. What I've come to realize is that most diets are created from a logical, nutrition-based concept, but taken to extremes in order for people to LOSE WEIGHT FAST! (think Billy Mays).

The diets that were my favorite, uncoincidentally, were the same diets that made me feel my best. Unfortunately, my favorites fall into the extreme category and were difficult to stick to as they tended to make me feel isolated and anti-social. So what were they?

- South Beach / Low Carb (most of 2007)
- Vegan (September 2008)
- Gluten-Free (August 2009 - December 2009)

I was recently tested for food allergies to confirm my suspicions that an allergy must be the cause of a lifetime of stomach mishaps. If it looks like an egg, it must be an egg, right? Wrong. A panel consisting of well over 30 food allergens and I tested negative for every last one of them. Really?? No answers! And so, my quest for optimal health continues...

I fell off the gluten-free wagon about two weeks ago upon receiving my test results AND as holiday goodies started pouring in my office doors. Evil monkeys!

I'm diet-less once again and scheming my next fitness plot. Each time I re-start the scheming process, I'm convinced, I "know" I will find the perfect way to be. So what's my plan today? The Trifecta of Diet Awesome! The Trifecta will be the result of dissecting the above mentioned favorites, cherry picking them if you will, creating a pro/con list and tossing all the cons. If only boys were this simple!

South Beach Pros: Low Gylcemic Index, High Fiber
South Beach Cons: Use of artificial sweeteners, Lots of Meat, Lots of Dairy

Vegan Pros: Alkaline Diet, Sustainable Lifestyle
Vegan Cons: DIFFICULT TO EAT ANYWHERE!

Gluten-Free Pros: No Gluten = Less Sluggish/Difficult to enter food coma
Gluten-Free Cons: Somewhat difficult to eat out, Limited selection at the supermarket

So it is, my newest mission will be to eat foods low on the glycemic index, high on the fiber list, minimal animal, and very minimal gluten (wheat). If I find myself at a steakhouse swimming in a glorious pool of beef and bread, I won't freak, but I also won't venture often.

Wish me luck and happy holidays!

Introduction

Introducing me - a twenty-six year old, fit yet perpetually "dieting gal". I realize this describes approximately 90 percent of female generation y-ers; however there are a few things that distinguish me from the others. Of most importance? My willingness to document my quirky behavior.

I've unintentionally been on the diet train since scrunchies and spandex were cool. Items that were forbidden in my house? Soda, artificial anything, and anything consisting white flour are the first things that come to mind. Yes, I was the nerdy little nugget that critiqued lunches that didn't meet these standards, lunches that I would secretly admire as I'd eat my natural peanut butter and all fruit jelly sandwiches on soggy, whole grain bread. So this is the foundation upon which I was built. The foundation that would take me approximately 22 years to be so incredibly proud of and thankful for.

The purpose of Food: Fashion Meets Function is not to have a venue for passing judgement, but rather a place to share the findings of my compulsive, extensive, and unofficial "research". It's also highly likely that this is my solution to avoid being the cause of the glazed over look in my friends, family, and co-workers' eyes when I talk about food.

I'm not a nutritionist. I have no scientific background. I have no credibility whatsoever. What I do have? An extreme passion for being healthy - feeling my best now and making sure that I continue to feel my best until I'm feeding my great-grandchildren natural peanut butter and all fruit sandwiches on soggy, whole grain bread.