Stacking Plates

When you are stacking plates in your cabinet...
it is a good idea to take some paper plates and place a paper plate
in between each plate to prevent any scratches, chipping or extra dust.
If the plate has a glaze or painting on it.. it will help preserve that as well.
It doesn't make sense to do this for your everyday plates...
but if you have slightly nicer plates that you don't use regularly-
it would be a great idea.
(You can also get 100 paper plates from the dollar store for.... yep,  a dollar)

Simple Mashed Potatoes

Just like the way some people have trouble boiling a hard boiled egg-
potatoes aren't the simplest either.

Here is a simple fool-proof way to make basic mashed potatoes.
You can simply start with any kind of potato-
Wash it, and peel it.

After peeling the skin, dice it into small pieces (the smaller the better)
Keep in mind that you are planning to mash these little cubes up once
they are fully cooked.

The next tip is to place the diced up potatoes into a pan large enough
that the potatoes will be completely submerged in water...
BUT make sure the water is cold water!  The reason for the cold water
is that in the time that it takes the cold water to get hot and boiling...
it gives the potatoes that extra time to get comfy in the hot tub.

This is when I add the salt into the water to give the potatoes
some flavor through the boiling  process.
If I'm not too tired, I'll even add a little chicken broth
to raise the flavor even more.

Once the water starts to boil rapidly... lower the heat from high
to medium and cover the pan slightly to help keep the heat in the hot tub.
Once it's been boiling for a few minutes- take a fork (not a knife-
because the knife will just slice it rather than show it's tenderness)
and see if the fork goes through the potato nicely. 
You'll know if it's tender or still needs a little more boiling.
(The more tender the potato is... the less lumps you will have
in your mashed potatoes!)

Once the potatoes have passed the smooth-fork-tender test...
You can drain the water from the pan.

Lastly, you want to get out your masher while adding a little butter
and a splash of milk or cream. Whether to use milk or cream can be
based off of what consistency you want your mashed potatoes
to be. If you don't want then as thick... I'd go with the milk. 
Butter milk is a great alternative also!
Add very little salt if needed (you shouldn't really have to add too
much because you salted the water)

Once you get the basic mashed potatoes down...
you can add your shredded cheese in there, or your garlic
or chives or whatever floats your boat!

The Girl And The Goat (CHI)

Girl & The Goat is a rustic restaurant with a busy, busy environment.
The restaurant is open for dinner from 4:30-11pm and 12 on weekends.
Good luck getting a table unless you have some skills.
(not to brag, but I was able to get a table)
The owner and chef of Girl & The Goat is Stephanie Izard...
winner of Top Chef.
The restaurant has been open for less than 2 years but is filled to
capacity  every single night. The food is pretty amazing.
The portions are on the smaller side but filled with so much
savory flavor- you feel lucky just enjoying the first bite.
Now when I say filled with flavor... you almost want to pick up
your plate and lick every last drop of sauce or seasoning.
Now, that's tasty. If you ever make it to the windy city of Chicago-
you must stop by at The Girl & The Goat even if you have to stand or
sit by the waiting area to get some food.

The menu is filled with vegetables, fish and meat that are locally grown
on farms along with the bread that is baked daily.

Now, when you look at the menu.... you think... hmmm I'm not sure if
I want anything from here... it's kind of weird... very different but
in a good way. You might think... there are ingredients I'm not sure
if I would ever eat or have ever heard of. 
But, you take a deep breath and tell yourself to be brave and you order
anything off the menu... but you should definitely order and try the
"Pig's Face"  yes, I said pig's face.

                                             

It is slightly pricey... but worth every bite & dollar.
The Pig's face is very tender and it basically melts in your mouth
especially with the egg mixed in along with the 2 dominant flavors of
cilantro and almond butter with tints of the tartness of tamarind.
I can't say enough about this dish!

Simple Sauce That You'll Crave !

I have a really simple recipe for a good sauce that is so tasty!
I really enjoy this sauce with steak but it can be good
with chicken, grilled or sauteed veggies.

You'll have to make this sauce by sight and taste.
Simply take some Miso paste(the paste you make Miso Soup with)
and some almond butter and scoop some into a bowl that is
large enough to take a spoon to mix the 2 together in.
I usually start with 1-2 tablespoons of the almond butter
and about 1/2 of the amount of Miso paste because the Miso paste
has salt in it and you don't want your sauce too salty. I also add
a few drops of soy sauce and some water so the sauce isn't a thick
paste but has the consistency of a thicker salad dressing.
Sometimes I add a little Splenda or agave nectar if it's a little on
the salty side. That's it though- Miso paste, almond butter,
a few drops of soy sauce, water and a sweetener.

LCF's Twist On A Quesadilla

Making food you like is always a plus. Cultivating it- is even better!
(when you make it your own by adding things you like)
Why add ingredients you don't have or like just because it's in a recipe.

With that thought... I decided to cultivate a quesadilla.
First, take some...

tomatoes, peppers and cilantro and dice it all up.  (You can also add a red onion) 

Then, take some watermelon and dice that up. 

You might think... watermelon in a salsa with veggies...?   Don't diss it unless you've tried it. 

Once it's diced up- it works well if you put it in a colander to let the liquid out.

Next, you want to cut your corn (I prefer cutting it from the cob because it tastes better) 

and chop some cilantro and saute it together with a little oil in the pan and some chicken stock.

 

 I add some steak seasoning or you can just add which ever seasoning you like! 

Take some burrito wrappers and place your tomato-watermelon salsa, 

cilantro corn and any type of cheese  you'd like and fill half of the burrito wrapper.

I decided to use Brie Cheese, shredded cheddar out of a Kraft bag, diced smoked Gouda 

and Beemsters Valaskas Cheddar for this quesadilla.

 

    

It can be a little tricky flipping it over, BUT- you can do it!

I will say it is pretty tasty! 

You can add some chicken or pork if you'd like as well.

What's One Of The Best...

What's one of the best things in the summer?
An ice cream cone of course!
Excitement starts with which flavor should I get?
Chocolate, mint chocolate, strawberry, french vanilla,
coffee, hmm- it's so hard to decide with soooo many
flavors these days.

So, as your waiting in line....
you finally decide between 2 flavors and then...
oh, the excitement... you are next in line...
If you decide to get a cone with a tip... ask the counter
person if they can smush a small marshmallow in the bottom
of the cone- before they scoop the ice cream in there...      
 

Why? ....
so that when your cone starts to melt, and you can't
lick quick enough- the marshmallow will at least stop the
bottom of your cone from dripping through onto your new
shorts!

I Keep Hearing...

I've heard or talked to at least 5  people in the past 2 weeks about
trying to basically eat less meat or no meat for different reasons.
Here is a dish for no or less meat eaters to try!

Have you ever heard of spaghetti squash?
It almost looks like a big Korean melon.

A simple way to cook it is to- cut the squash in half and
throw it into a big pot of hot water,for the purpose of
getting a head start in making it softer.
Then place it on an oven safe tray or pan cut side down.
Drizzle a little olive oil and some sea salt on it and
let it sit in the dry sauna (oven)on maybe 375 degrees
until it gets softer and almost a little brown but not burnt.
Once it's softened... you'll be able to simply take a
fork and literally fork it off.
It works well for a substitute for spaghetti-
hence the name: spaghetti squash.
You can have a side salad or other veggies with your
vegetarian spaghetti!  You can toss a little
Italian dressing for a little more taste if you'd like!