I have been in Las Vegas for the past few days. I fly back to Charlotte today, so I will post a recipe or something tomorrow.
I will post you a recipe in the next few days, in the meanwhile, how about a Cat video?
Here are some of the recipes I added to the website this week, and yeah, they’re all healthy!
What an exciting time for those lucky enough to be in Washington. I was there working on a yacht a few years ago. It was during the time when a sniper was loose and everyone was real nervous. Our uniform had what looked like a target on our back, so I was extra nervous. The owner of the boat had some white house connections and got us in for a v.i.p. tour. I have some pictures somewhere (I need to look in my scary attic) of me in the white house press room pretending I was taking questions. We were there for only a week or so, but I saw so much, and would love to go back. I guess it’s too late to get a ticket?
The website is offline for a few hours this morning as my host for that site is upgrading their servers to be more green (energy efficient). In the meanwhile, why not play another game of guess my Nationality?
For some reason Celeste and I were talking about how good we were at spotting what country people were from. We might actually suck at it? I thought it would be fun to post some pictures to see how good you are. I will post the answer to this picture in a comment below.
There was a plane crash in New York today. Thank God everyone got out alright. Can you imagine what that was like heading toward the water? I lived only five minutes from that airport last year, and it was heading here to Charlotte! I have taken that flight many times, so it hit home. Looks like they hit a flock of birds. I have already invented a contraption that could have prevented this. How about a big mesh screen to cover the engines? A couple of big colanders covering the engines, I like it.
I came up with this recipe for the website last week. I wanted to come up with a healthy alternative to enchiladas, and wound up with this recipe which is a cross between an enchilada and a burrito. This recipe is for two. Blend a cup of corn with a 1/4 cup of milk, half a teaspoon of cumin, and a few Tablespoons of canned green chillies (you can add jalepeno or a little cayenne if you like a kick).
Season some chopped steak (I used skirt for this) with your favorite mexican seasoning and brown it in a pan (not too much though).
Take a couple of whole grain tortillas (if you want to keep it healthy) and fill with the steak and some shredded cheddar or pepper jack (I used 2% cheddar).
Put a little corn sauce in the bottom of a small baking pan and top that with the enchiladas and then the rest of the corn sauce, and finally, some cheese.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 15 minutes.
Buen Provecho!
I was waiting for Celeste a few weeks ago as she was returning something at Lowe’s (man, that girl returns a lot of stuff), and was reading a book called “eat this, not that” It was a great book that basically told you the healthy and not so healthy options at some popular restaurants. It inspired me to have one of our dietitians go through the menus of some of the most popular restaurants to do something similar for the website members (should be ready next month). I eat at Panera sometimes and found out that the Turkey sandwich I usually get has over 950 calories! Here is a fun link to see some some of the worst choices you could make when going out to eat. I don’t think you needed that article to tell you the cheese fries with ranch dressing was one of your worst choices though (2900 calories).
I was listening to this story today about 2009 food trends. It makes total sense to me, looks like 2009 will be the year of comfort food. With the economic situation being what it is, people are going to be eating more meals at home, taking cooking classes, looking for bargains, and scaling back. Turns out to be good timing for my website to help people eat healthy at home. One of my favorite trends for this year is breakfast all day. A Western Omelet with hash browns for dinner- oh yeah!
There is a reason this blog is called chef traveler. I was working out today and reading a magazine article on the 25 best food markets in the world. I have actually been to a few more than I would have thought. Then I started to fantasize how much fun it would be to take a year and visit (and cook from) each one of those markets (and of course report my findings here). I ran across this video tonight, it was the top youtube video for 2008 (I can see why). Just think of the fun, stories, memories, this guy had shooting this, really awesome! Maybe I can do a version where I travel to the different food markets, but I will need a dance or something?
I like to post cat videos once in awhile because I think they’re funny, and since this is my blog, I can do what I want. This video is less than 30 seconds, but clearly displays why I love those cute adorable kitties!
I forgot that I made a meatball sandwich with the leftover meatballs that I made a few weeks back (I was downloading pictures from my camera and found them). My brother was in Hartford for the holidays and one of the first things he does when he goes back is to order a meatball grinder (sandwich). Take a look at the comment from that meatball recipe post I did and see how a true Italian grandmother cooks meatballs (thanks Mary Ann). For the sandwich, just buy a par-baked french roll, split it open, and place a bunch of meatballs with sauce inside (slice the meatballs if they are big). Saute some peppers and onions, and spread on top of the meatballs. Top that with mozzarella (or provolone for an authentic grinder) and bake at 400 degrees for around 10-15 minutes.
Here are some of the new recipes I added to the website this week (and they’re all healthy!)
Chicken Chow Mein
Warm Salmon, Spinach, Rice, and Mango Salad
Spanish-Style Chicken
Penne Pasta with Pesto and Vegies
Steak Enchiladas with Corn Sauce
So, how are you doing with your new years resolutions? I know a lot of resolutions revolve around weight loss and exercise. This happens every year where the gym is just packed. I give it a few more weeks (if that) before it starts getting back to normal again. Like any change you make in your life, you have to really want it in order to succeed. I was just reading this article about how some of the contestants from the biggest loser have gained back most of their weight, and one of the trainers attributes it to them losing weight for the competition or the money instead of for themselves. If you have already screwed up a few times this year, don’t worry about it, just check it off as a bad day, and hit it again the next day. All right I’ll stop (I’m starting to feel like Tony Robbins), anyone want to walk on some hot coals?
Well maybe I should take out the free part, but you can actually make a homemade pizza from scratch in under 30 minutes. I was able to, but I can’t guarantee that you could, or would want to (some people like to take their time in the kitchen). I posted a pizza recipe last month with pizza dough bought from the pizza shop, this one we make from scratch. Add 1 package yeast to 1 cup warm water in a big bowl and add a tablespoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of salt with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix and turn out on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or so (don’t be afraid, you can do it.)
Roll out the pizza dough and push in to a sheet pan.
At this point you just add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite toppings. I decided to make mexican pizza, so the directions from here are for that. Spread the pizza dough with your favorite salsa and 1 1/2 lb. ground beef cooked with taco seasoning.
Add shredded cheddar cheese and sliced onions.
and bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Cut in to squares on a cutting board and top with chopped tomatoes.
It was good (and fast), and if I did it again, once it came out of the oven I would have topped with cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips, avocado, and sour cream, wow that would be good. Maybe I will buy the toppings and make again?
I don’t put much stock in to these, they’re kind of like fortune cookies (fun to read). Thought you would at least get a kick out of it though, looks like I am going to do some traveling in the spring, and get introspective in summer. I am also going to find someone to love me for the true me (great, now I have to figure that out!). Click here for your 2009 horoscope.
I found this great place where you can get a multi-course meal for free, and in these tough times, it’s my duty as a food reporter (who am I kidding?) to report such great finds. So, can you guess where it is? I ate there over the holiday’s and I think I had over a 10 course meal. I ate there with Celeste today and we only enjoyed a 4 course meal as the offerings were slim (the potstickers were good though). I will put the answer in the comment area below. I thought the food cartoon above was funny, I hope you balance your food better this year!
I hope everyone is feeling good about the new year, and no hangovers present. It was a nice low-key night here, Celeste and I had a late dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, wrote down and shared our resolutions (she called them something else, but they were resolutions), and watched the ball drop (it’s tough to watch Dick Clark), though he seems to be doing good. I know a bunch of you want to lose weight this year, I will have the diet tip of the day on the blog now, so check it out to give you some encouragement. This funny video seems to be the way we are heading, lets at least fill ours with salad.
New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less
Is it just me, or does it seem like the years fly by faster and faster? So how was your 2008? I would have to say mine was very strange to say the least, but never a dull moment. Let’s all get out our pen and paper and write our new years resolutions. I’m pretty good at guessing, so let’s see if I can at least get one on your list- Lose weight, find a better job, save more money, have a kid, fall in love, travel somewhere exotic, volunteer, learn something new, quit smoking. So, there you go, I know I have at least one on that list. I’m not taking any chances that 2009 is going to be a crappy year, so I will be cooking the traditional Southern good luck meal- black-eyed peas (symbolizes coins), collard greens (symbolizes dollars, I will cook extra), and cornbread (not a clue). I know there are customs all throughout the world to bring luck, I thinks Italians eat risotto, and in certain Asian countries egg rolls represent gold bars (maybe I’ll cook a couple of those).
