Hello readers!
I'm trying to forget the fact that I was on a cruise ship two days ago in 80 degree weather and now I'm sitting on my living room floor in pajama pants (pirate themed, though!), a long sleeve shirt and a sweater and I'm still cold. The fact that I have a fever probably doesn't help. It's time for the Anna-just-went-on-vacation-so-naturally-her-body-hates-her annual illness. This post is sponsored by Dayquil and Nyquil, which both knock my on my ass, as my five friends I cruised with saw when I was passed out on the boat most of Sunday and had not had a single thing to drink. But, I digress.
We had some amazing food on our trip to Mexico. We started and ended the trip in New Orleans where, obviously, good food is everywhere. The food on the ship was good for the most part, and even if you hated what you ordered, you could order like four other things in its place until you found something you liked. In Mexico I had the best shrimp nachos and guacamole of my life. It was a good week for food.
But even though I enjoyed all of the food, I missed cooking. I have always liked to cook, but in the past couple of years, it has really become a passion of mine. I frequently spend all of Sunday afternoons in my kitchen, prepping and making my meals for the week, since I know I'm not going to have a lot of time for cooking after work. It's peaceful to me. I love the sounds of roasting vegetables in the oven and the crackling of hot oil in the skillet before you put your ingredients in. I like chopping vegetables...when I'm angry or frustrated at something it's a great way to expend energy and do something productive. I don't so much care about the eating part though, which is weird. Most of the time after I have spent hours cooking, I don't even want to eat anything I made and end up eating a sandwich for dinner. I love the prep more. But my favorite thing about cooking is watching other people enjoy my food. I'm a people pleaser by nature, but few things make me happier than cooking a delicious meal for friends and being with them while they enjoy it. I love planning menus for full meals or even just a tailgate dish. I seriously spend hours combing through recipes, tweaking them to make them my own, and counting down till I can make them. Living alone, I don't get the opportunity to cook for others as much as I'd like. I plan on changing this in 2014. I want to have friends over for dinner at least twice a month. I want to plan elaborate meals I'd never cook just for me (even though I have done that on occasion) and enjoy time with the people that mean the most to me.
People often ask me what are my favorite things to cook. I have listed my top 6 go-tos below. Let me know if you want the specific recipes, or if you want to come over and have me cook them for you! Seriously, I would be so excited if people wanted to invite themselves over!
1.) Scallops. I have mentioned before on this blog how much I love scallops, but they are my absolute favorite. They are delicious and you can do so many things with them. They seem very fancy, but require very little attention: two minutes on each side and they are done and ready to be consumed. Sometimes I'll just use salt & pepper and some lemon juice. Lovely. Other times I'll make a saffron sauce to serve with them. I was playing around in the kitchen one day and ended up creating a champagne cream sauce I served over pasta with scallops that I need to figure out how to make again. I really need to write things down more!
2.) Salmon. Seafood is my favorite, so I cook a lot of fish. I know it's more expensive than chicken, but it's what I like, so it's what I make. A simple rub of brown sugar and Dijon mustard is a great, quick, go-to recipe for work nights. Also, mixing grainy mustard and sour cream makes a great topping for your salmon. Rosemary is a great spice to use too, if you're looking for something different than the normal dill associated with salmon. Seriously, there are so many options for this yummy fish, and it's super good for you!
3.) Roasted vegetables. I make pans of roasted vegetables every week. Broccoli with lemon, asparagus, balsamic green beans & mushrooms, sriracha & honey brussel sprouts...YUM. Roasting is super easy, keeps the nutrients in the vegetables, and give the outside a crunch while cooking the inside to a comfort food temperature. I haven't found anything that I don't like to roast yet! Maybe I'll try eggplant next since I really want to like it, but haven't found a recipe I like yet.
4.) Homemade pasta. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, if you don't do certain things right you'll have a glob of basically playdough on your table. But, if you do it right, there are few things better. One of my goals in life is to be able to recreate my dad's lasagna that he would spend all day making. My mom won't be my guinea pig because she says it brings back hard memories, but I'm taking volunteers!
5.) Pad thai. I make the best pad thai I've ever had. I'm sorry, it's how I feel. There's a place downtown with good pad thai and of course, the Smiling Elephant is delicious, but I really feel like mine is just as good, if not better, and it's incredibly easy to make. I have trouble ordering it while I'm out, because it is so simple to make in my kitchen.
6.) Meatloaf. We were talking about this the other day in New Orleans: there are few ways to make meatloaf look appetizing. I mean, who hears the word 'loaf' and is like, man, that shit is going to be fancy?!?! But I actually really like it, and enjoy making it something people want to eat. I make buffalo chicken meatloaf with large chunks of bleu cheese and frank's red hot sauce. I also make a really good turkey and cranberry meatloaf that is really hearty and a great winter meal. I think I like making meatloaf so much because you can just thrown a lot of random ingredients in a bowl, mix together, and cook it. Chances are, if you know the ingredients you're putting in the bowl mix well, you'll have a tasty dinner.
I'm serious friends, let me know if you want to come over for dinner. I look forward to having many of you at my place soon for great food and some laughs!
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