Running and I are conflicted.
I ran pretty fast for awhile. (Hence the “sprint” in my name.)
Often time with running comes injuries. I had a PCL that was stretched thin and the only way I was going to run more than a mile or two again was to have surgery or build my quads. I chose quads and started doing figure competitions. I mean… go big or go home, right?
Tuesday morning run
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Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese?
Besides me at age 6… I didn’t like cheese… IDK.
As strange as it is not to like cheese, I eventually grew out of it and embraced cheese’s goodness.
Vegas and I got to attend a cheese a wine class as part of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival a couple of weeks ago. The class was called “Cheese: A Class to Make You Melt”… and melt we did! How could you not when the class starts out with a plate of cheese a a generous wine pour?
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We all learned to share in pre-school.
Some of us learned better than others…
I’m alright at it… until it’s food.
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I don’t always make mac ‘n cheese…
…but when I do, it’s for flower-senders.
When the sender of the flowers came to visit, I had to make mac ‘n cheese by request. Of course, I couldn’t just make a normal recipe. This Spicy Butternut Mac ‘n Cheese has a strange twist or two, but I assure you it is good! Apparently I’m on a butternut squash kick!
Even done with a Laura-like spin, you don’t go wrong with a pan of cheesy noodles! And… ahem… it would be the perfect side for a bird next week.
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With my 30s staring me down, I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation.
4 more days…
There has been a lot of post floating around lately about exercise – what’s the “right” way to do it, how much is a too much, when you should rest… much like my No Shit Diet, I think exercise should be a personal choice.
I posted this on Instagram yesterday:
It sums up my thoughts pretty well. When you exercise, do it for YOU. If you want to do it twice a day or twice a week, make sure it’s because that’s what your mind and your body are telling you to do. Just because someone is banging out an hour of cardio and an hour of weights every day doesn’t mean you need to! Conversely, you don’t need to do yoga 3 days a week and that be it just because someone else has found that works for them.
Play with your diet. Play with your exercise. Find what’s right for you. Find something that motivates forward progress. Have fun!
In true fashion, Kat was in my head again as she wrote her post this week. I love this post for more than just the cheese recipe (though that IS a big factor 😉 ). Kat is the perfect example of marching to her own drum and not letting others define her.
But I’m going to step off my soap box now and let her tell you about all that…
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I saw a really old man, moving really slowly, but moving/jogging along the BeltLine. He must have been in his late 70s, and his feet were shuffling. He really made me think about whether I’ll do that at his age, in that condition. (Editor’s note: I saw a women running with a TRIPLET stroller. I was amazed.)
Why do we keep going? Because we love it? Because we identify as runners and that’s just who we are?
It also hit home this week when I attended the defense of a prospectus (the first 3 chapters of a dissertation) for a PhD student. The question that made me think quite a bit was, “Do you see yourself more as a scholar or a researcher?” Society is always trying to get us to define who we are. Why can’t we just be?
Ironically enough, she is doing post-structural work, which is not even supposed to need to have structures to define being (or, that is my understanding of it).
I think it would be nice to just “be” sometimes, but also find myself wanting some sort of structure as to what it is that I am, especially this summer, when I’m not an attorney, and I’m not a student. (Editor’s note: I get that – having this surgery made me re-think my gym rat identity.) In the in-between, what identity can I cling to? Runner?
And then I realized I can choose more than one, or I can choose none. In a chaotic world, it seems natural to want to choose something… but you don’t have to and it’s okay to change! Just be yourself and life your life authentically. Yes. Reminding myself of this.
You are not your career. You are not the activities that you do. It matters so much less in the long run than what kind of person you are.
Change happens. And change is created. I played with a recipe this week inspired by the fact that we have the power to create and change things into something we really want or crave.
So I turned Milk into Cheese. (Editor’s note: I swear I’m just moving in with you so I don’t miss this stuff.)
This week I made homemade ricotta! I hadn’t done this in quite sometime, since I went to Hawaii in November and played with a recipe with my sister. I made some changes to it, and I like my version MUCH better. It’s a little sweeter, perfectly creamy, and has a wonderful consistency.
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Bring the gallon of milk to 190 degrees (medium high heat). Stir continuously so the milk doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom. Then prepare your strainer. Wet cheese cloth and place it over a fine strainer.
Once the milk is fully up to temperature, mix the salt, vinegar, lemon juice, and citric acid.
This is what it should look like when you turn off the heat
Keep it at 190 degrees for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. At this point, the milk will look like it’s curdling and everything is separating.
Now the hard part… waiting. Just let it sit there at room temperature. Don’t touch it for at least 20 minutes.
Pour the entire pot over the cheese cloth and strainer. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, then put in the refrigerator, and continue to let it strain and cool for 30 minutes.
That’s it! One gallon of milk will make about 3.5 – 4 cups of cheese.
When you taste it, your first thought will probably be how FRESH it tastes! It’s really awesome!
Use this delicious homemade cheese in lasagna, with berries for dessert, in cannoli, or on top of crackers with marmalade or jam! Wonderful addition to fresh summer recipes!
Note: This works best with raw, unpasteurized milk. However, it’s almost impossible to find because it’s illegal to sell for human consumption in most states (including Georgia). Alternatives? Find Organic, Pasteurized, Non-homogenized (cream on top) Whole Milk. AVOID Ultra-Pasteurized… it WILL NOT come out right, and it will not taste the same or have the same texture. It’s hard to find, but you can do it for amazing homemade ricotta!
Side note: I really want to get some different plates! Black is terrible for picture-taking! (Editor’s note: Now you are a “real” food blogger.)
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To clarify: I’m actually excited about turning the big 3-0 (especially since it involves a trip to wine country). I just think it’s bizarre… didn’t I turn 21 last year?!
Who do you feel like you are?
What fun kitchen experiments have you done lately?
Food & Wine is about more than stuffing your face.
Though you know from my last post on the topic that I stuffed it well.
My favorite feature of Atlanta’s Food & Wine Festival is the focus on education. Each day of the festival begins with classes led by well-known Southern chefs and libation experts. You get to choose 3 per day from a long list. Proof that life is full of tough choices.
My friend Rich and Me
My strategy was to choose classes that were diverse. The amount of time I spent creating my schedule is embarrassing, but in the end it paid off!
Without rambling on (hopefully), I want to share some photos and takeaways from a few of those classes.
This class was taught by Chef Asha Gomez, a lady I admire and respect (she inspired me to try curry leaves!). She owns Cardamom Hill, one of the best Indian restaurants in Atlanta. She focuses on cuisine from her home-region of Kerala. It’s much different that the spicy curry dishes many associate with Indian food!
I especially love Asha’s mentality when it comes to trying new things:
I will never walk away from a fruit, vegetable, or spice that I am not familiar with. I will always pick it up and try it.
Pork Vindaloo
Chef Nathan Lyon taught this clean eating course. You may be familiar with his series on Discovery Health, A Lyon in the Kitchen, or from his appearance on The Next Food Network Star.
Summer Squash Salad
Beer Director Greg Elbert and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac (read: doughnut genius) from Birch & Barley and GBD Chicken & Donuts in Washington DC blew my mind with this session. Who knew beer would be so tasty for breakfast?!
Beers sampled:
Doughnuts sampled:
Led by Tim Gaddis of Atlanta’s Star Provisions and Seth Thompson of The Bourbon Review magazine, this session was a boozy treat. At least it was after noon at this point. To be honest I think all cheeses go with bourbon… I was an easy sell.
The Bourbons:
There isn’t much in terms of education notes to share here – you really have to experiment at home!
The cheeses were all scrumptious – we sampled Sweet Grass Dairy’s Green Hill Cow’s Milk, Ossau Inaty Sheep’s Milk, Rogue Blue, and Gouda. I’d had all but one before (I love cheese, what can I say?).
The one I hadn’t tried was actually my favorite! It was a Aged 5 Year Gouda. It wasn’t smoked – it was a deliciously sweet butterscotch/caramel flavor that sung when paired with the Woodford.
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One other note: don’t be afraid to go to events by yourself! I went solo on Saturday and met two awesome friends who I hung out with into the evening.
Were any of the lessons/takeaways new or surprising to you?
What is the most valuable food or drink-related lesson you’ve learned?
You can never go wrong with Mac ‘n Cheese.
You CAN go wrong opening the noodle box
Wedding showers mean bite-sized treats… but we needed mac ‘n cheese to go with the Southern themed-food of the shower I catered last weekend!
What to do? Mini-mac muffins!
Using smoked Gouda here rather than the more traditional mozzarella was a big win.
The deeper, smokey flavor went well with the herbed bread crumb topping without being over-powering. Extra-sharp cheddar is also key for a more flavorful mac.
I doubled the recipe and made what felt like a million of these. I wish I’d counted… but I think there were 144. Plus the leftovers, which I turned into a casserole for the family. 🙂
After looking at the quantity, I thought “There is NO way people will eat all of these.” Wrong.
While these weren’t the first item to go (these deviled eggs flew the coop!), there weren’t any left at the end of the night.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin tins.
In a large pot, cook macaroni according to package instructions, leaving it slightly al dente. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan.
Return pasta to pot and stir in melted butter until coated. Stir in 1 1/2 C of each cheese and stir until melted.
Mix together milk, eggs, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over macaroni and mix well.
Spoon macaroni into each tin, slightly over-filling.
In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle reserved cheese and bread crumb mixture over the tops.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan so that the cheese sets and they hold their shape.
Makes ~72 mini muffins.
Note: If you have any mix leftover, pour it in a casserole dish for a traditional mac n’ cheese. I added some cayenne and truffle oil to my leftovers.
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I tried the Kraft mac ‘n cheese at a friend’s house as a kid and thought I didn’t like mac… until years later someone made me the “real” thing (read: homemade). Life-changing, my friends.
Did you ever eat the Kraft mac growing up?
What are you favorite mac ‘n cheese add-ins?
This was the sort of weekend where you stay so busy you aren’t really sure it ever happened.
Not that I’m complaining – catering and cupcakes iced with a little chillaxing is a good time.
This week I am looking forward to sharing some fun new recipes with you, but for today I’ll stick to the highlights. Here is the Top 5 from a weekend so crazy that I was in bed by 11p last night (that’s unheard of for me).
Though I spent a lot of time prepping Saturday’s catering gig, I took a little break to make a hummus, veggie, and cheese board.
A wandering afternoon in the cheese department while was supposed to be catering-shopping lead to the discovery of a new favorite cheese. Mitica Quadrello di Bufala (buffalo’s milk cheese).
I’m not ashamed to admit… I couldn’t stay vegan for the love of cheese.
This was my second “official” catering job and it went really well. The event was a was a joint wedding shower for a bride and groom. I was asked to come up with a “Southern” menu for ~30 people.
On the Menu:
If it’s any indication of success, there was hardly any food leftover. 🙂
Recipes coming throughout the week!
Sunday I woke up still exhausted from the previous day’s catering; however, I was energized by the fact that the Easter Bunny had come!
I will always spend the night at my mom’s on holidays. Shameless.
A girl’s day by the pool with my mom and baby sister was just what I needed. That and a tasty mimosa.
We laid out, talked, and ate a poolside Easter lunch of watermelon salad, endive salad, pretzel bread, carrot soufflé, and mac ‘n cheese. I was too busy chillaxing to take pics of any of it. #fail
4 dozen Chocolate-Nutella cupcakes in one weekend clearly wasn’t enough. We came in from the pool and wanted something sweet. Being a good kid, I whipped up some vanilla bean cupcakes to go with the last but of Nutella icing.
This recipe will be coming soon!
This week I was all about the P90X. I’m still not following the prescribed program, but I did a workout with Tony Horton just about every day this week. Good thing because my diet was abysmal.
#PROOF
Workout Recap (4/2 – 4/8):
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And now the reveal you’ve all been waiting for. What was the “lie” from Friday’s post? #9 “Monday night I ate octopus for the first time.”
Many of you guessed the right answer, but for the wrong reason. I have NEVER eaten octopus. The tentacles creep me out.
Did the Easter Bunny come visit you?
What food prevents you from ever going vegan/vegetarian, or – if you are vegan/vegetarian – what food was hardest for you to stop eating?
