Tag: food

DIY Salad Dressings

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salad dressing
Photo by Amine Ku00fcbranur u00c7aku0131rou011flu on Pexels.com

I used to be intimidated by the idea of making my own salad dressing; it seemed to complicated-scary actually! One day I just gave it a go and I’ve never looked back!

I make all of our dressings now! OK, for the most part. If we have to take one someplace I sometimes buy it.

When buying, read the labels carefully and watch sneaky things like sodium and sugar.

Homemade salad dressing are healthier, or at least have the potential to be healthier, because you are in control; no artificial ingredients, low or no sugar, low sodium, just full rich flavor, and they are just plain easy to make!

Health note: Keep in mind that most salad dressings are largely fat so the calories do add up. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, over double of 1 gram of carbohydrates or protein! Enjoy, but in moderation and learn to love the taste of all those yummy veggies!!

Here are a few of my “go-to” recipes:

Basic Vinaigrette – Hugh Acheson

Bit of a fan girl!!! But even if I wasn’t this is your base, your starting point! From here you can go crazy when it comes to vinaigrette once you master your base.

  • 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vineagar
  • 1 Clove Garlic, minced
  • 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
  • Kosher salt (did you know it matters? kosher salt is flatter and melts differently, among other things)
  • 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Shake well and use. See the link above for yummy things you can add to it.

Ranch – Simple

  • 1/4 Cup Mayo
  • 1/2 tsp Dill
  • 1/4 tsp garlic

water to thin and a pinch of salt

Ranch Dressing – More involved, from my sweet friend Gail

  • 1/4 Cup mayo (can use lite)
  • 1/4 Cup sour cream (can use nonfat)
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp minced onion flakes (I usually use fresh onion)
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1 Clove garlic, minced
  • 1/3 Cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Buttermilk to the consistency you like

Mix, cover & refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Dijon Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 2 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp Mayo
  • Salt and Pepper

Mix and enjoy

1000 Island – Simple

  • 3 Tbsp Mayo
  • 1 Tbsp Ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Tsp minced Shallot
  • Drop of Hot sauce

Mix and enjoy

For a more complex 1000 Island try this one from Kitchen Treaty

Ginger Dressing – from my friend Gail

  • 1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp Lite Soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil
  • 1/8 tsp Red pepper flakes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Shake and serve

Here are some more for you to enjoy!

Now this is a DIY we can all do!

Using Mindful Eating to Battle Food Guilt!

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Person eating
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

Mindful Eating is defined by the Center for Mindful Eating as “Mindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating.” Did you catch that? Without Judgment!!!

I am a big proponent of learning to listen to our bodies and of being loving and kind to ourselves, and I believe that out of this self-love we will take better care of ourselves. One of the biggest stumbling blocks can be shame and guilt related to eating. Learning Mindful Eating can help battle food guilt and be kind to ourselves.

“In my food world, there is no fear of guilt, only Joy and balance” – Ellie Krieger

On your wellness journey, make a choice to have a habit of including more nutritionally dense foods like whole food, plant-based foods into your lifestyle. You will find that the more you eat nutritionally dense foods, the more you will long for them, and you may feel better too! But don’t make this a stumbling block to enjoying your food.

Make room for treats too, enjoy them guilt-free. Remind yourself that this isn’t how you always eat and that you are having a treat, then allow yourself to truly enjoy it. It is about balance and freedom. The Dr. Sears Wellness Institute calls them Red foods, like the stop light. Red means to stop. It doesn’t mean you can’t have it; you just stop and think about it and enjoy Red Light foods occasionally. The key word “Enjoy” – no guilt, just enjoy it!

When you eat, ask yourself:

  • How does it smell? What do I smell?
  • How does it look? Is it pretty or creative?
  • Does it bring back memories? Does it make me feel any certain emotion? Why?
  • Am I actually hungry at the moment? Would I like to eat now, or is later better?
  • Is my brain in a battle over the should’s and should nots? Do I feel guilt? Can I give myself permission to let it go?

These are some of the things we consider in Mindful Eating, allowing our senses to fully soak in the experience.

Learning to Eat Mindfully:

  • Helps you learn to listen to your body’s cues. Hunger, thirst, tired, anxious etc.
  • Helps us slow down when we eat
  • Helps create gratitude for our meals
  • Helps us recognize how we feel in response to our meal
  • Helps us eat in moderation – not too much and not too little
  • Can give us the permission to enjoy our food without guilt or shame

We feel guilt or shame over our food choices because we have been taught that a certain food is “good” or “Bad”. Our goal is to eat foods that nourish our bodies, because they are full of nutrients that our cells need, and we want to properly fuel our bodies. Often this goal becomes imbalanced, making us slaves to the current trend, a current diet, the voices of others, and our own judgment.

You know what?? Food tastes good! It looks good too! We watch all of those cooking shows on TV because it looks good and we can imagine it taste good, we call that mind and eye hunger, and then we put effort into the meals we make because we want them to look good and taste good. It’s good!! There is no shame in this.

So enjoy it!

Exercise: At your next meal, pause…look at the food, is it “Insta worthy”? Then smell it and ask yourself what do you smell? Take one bite and ask yourself what do you taste and how does it feel? Can you identify the spices? Then swallow and think about what your cells are thinking and how it makes you feel. You can think about where the ingredients came from too, let your mind ponder the food.

If you feel yourself feeling guilty, say “5,4,3,2,1 I am practicing balance and joy”! (If you haven’t read the 5 second rule by Mel Robbins, I highly recommend it). Psst – say this out loud!!

If you struggle with food guilt, try using Mindful Eating as a tool to battle it and learn to be loving to yourself, forgiving with yourself, and less judgmental of yourself. Give yourself room for joy and balance.

How did it go? If you struggled, no worries, you have many more meals to practice!

To learn more, read Prinicples of Mindful Eating

Note: This is for the general public. If you struggle with eating dysfunction of any sort following the advice in anyone’s blog or post, including mine, could be more of a struggle for you and lead you to an unhealthy place. If you need help with an eating disorder, please reach out the the National Eating Disorders Association.

*This blog is for education and entertainment and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or mitigate symptoms or to be considered as medical advice.

Let me know how your Mindful practice is going! Comment on this post.

Menu Ideas for the Week

Stuffed Burgers on the Grill

Grilled Sausages, Peppers, and Potatoes

Grilled Scallops

Grilled Salmon Salad

Easiest Ever Veggie Burgers

Chipotle Pineapple Bang Bang Chicken Skewers

Plant-Based Meals:

Grilled Corn & Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Peanut Thai Salad w/ Grilled Tofu

Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad

Grilled Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches

Please Set the Table

Posted in Dinner, Recipes, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

By: Lisa Wright Burbach

We are empty nesters and we sit at the table to eat dinner! Crazy right? -No, it’s connection. I love setting the table and sitting down to a yummy meal and to discuss the day, the future, and just life in general. We take a tip from other countries who celebrate meal time, family and who savor the meal, drink in the aromas, and visit with each other. It’s a relationship table.

I’m from the South and being able to set a proper table is an exam you have to pass to be able to own a string of pearls. It’s serious business!! And I’m grateful for it. I’ve been known to set the table with water glasses, wine glasses, dessert forks, the whole thing for nothing more elegant than sloppy joes.

In addition to setting the table for my family I find that setting a full and proper table when we have company makes them feel pampered and cherished even if they are simultaneously intimidated by it. It’s ok, you really can use the cloth napkin; they wash. Oh and start from the outside and work your way in with the silverware, but don’t worry; there is no test and I promise not to talk about you after you leave. “Van!! Did you see them eat that salad with their dessert fork!! Why I declare! I believe I will just have to set a spell and recover“. No, it will be fine, just eat and enjoy. (To you Northerners, the pearl thing was a joke).

I understand this next statement may be “outdated thinking”, but I believe it is true. When I was 20 and elderly woman told me “Use the China and crystal when you don’t have company-there are no more important people to be seated at your table than your husband and your family.”. It was great advice and I took it to heart. When my kids were small we used china for snacks; my 25 year old son eats snacks on china to this day. A conversation I will need to have with my future daughter-in-law I’m sure.

Try setting the table before you start cooking dinner it will help you feel organized and ready to go; better yet, get the fam involved and have them set the table! Not sure what to do? Here is a How-To from Martha Stewart and one from Real Simple.

RECIPE REVIEWS:

1.  Sweet Potato Soup w/ Blue Corn Tortillas by Bobby Flay/foodnetwork:  Note, the chipotles in adobo sauce can be very warm and you may need to make adjustments up or down based on your family/guests.

Time: 1 1/2 hour

Ease: Simple to moderate

Result: Most everyone loved this, not everyone.  It has combination of spicy, sweet, and smokey.  I will make this again. Serve with cornbread and a nice green vegetable.

2.  Skillet Lasagna:  Use the link as a guide, but feel creative with this one.  I used Newman’s own spaghetti sauce because I had it on hand, I also used spinach pasta in place of lasagna noodles for the same reason.  No reason for things just to sit in the pantry.

Time: 30 minutes

Ease: simple

Result: Turned out nicely, tasted about like you would expect.  We enjoyed it. Serve with steamed green beans or a salad.

3. Quiche: NOTE:MAKE DAY AHEAD FOR BEST TEXTURE. (we didn’t, but I recommend it.)This was a base for me and it takes a lot of work and hopefully Thomas Keller will never read this blog, because I am sure he will cringe repeatedly.  Apologies to great chefs for all that I am about to say for the sake of the basic home cook. First I used a store bought pastry; not the one in the tin, but the Pillsbury one you roll out. Next instead of mushrooms I used broccoli and caramelized onions. Don’t be afraid of caramelized onions, if you start it before anything else you will have sweet, browned, delicious onions by the time you are ready to use them. Lastly, for some reason I do not own a blender and had to make do with the magic bullet, soooo It could have gone a little better. But, even unskilled, ill-prepared this was so yummy!

Time:  2 hours prep & cooking and overnight resting

Ease: complicated

Result: Worth every minute of time.  This quiche is taller than most and great flavor and texture.

5.  One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings I already had chicken breasts that I had frozen when they were on sale, so instead of wings I used chicken cut into nugget sizes.  I also had run out of star anise and used some anise seeds and it worked fine.  Mirin, oyster sauce, Thai pepper paste and Sake can be found in the ethnic section of many grocery stores. Udon noodles may be found a Whole Foods or ethnic groceries-spaghetti can be substituted. 

Time: 40 minutes

Ease: simple-moderate

Result:  My husband and I loved this meal and will eat it again.  I think this will become a family favorite.  To make it fun I served it with chopsticks on china of course.

A few more things: I buys spices from places like Whole Foods and Savory Spice Shop and find that I can have fun with exotic spices without spending a fortune.  I usually spend less than $2.00.  If this week sound intimidating keep checking back.  Some weeks I go crazy on the experimental side and other weeks its just the basics.  After a month or so you should see a variety of recipes ranging in difficulty, price, and time.  There will be something just your speed.

Have fun, try something new and please set the table.

I Love it When you get Fresh!

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Dinner doesn’t have to be a chore and you don’t have to pull out the boxed mixes and packets to pull it off in time.  I promise, after a while you will embrace fresh, fresh, fresh!  It really doesn’t take much more time, if any, to use fresh ingredients.  The real issue is in our heads-it’s mental.  It seems like it is too hard, too time consuming, too involved etc., but the truth is that with a little practice you will be making fresh meals in minutes for your family and friends and they will love you for it.   Don’t feel like it has to be all or nothing here either; baby steps and start where you are.

Keep it fresh and alive at the table too.  Talk to each other, engage with your family and guests and get to really know each other.  Build trust at the table and remember to make it a safe place.  Here are some ice breakers: Get to Know you Cards, Dinner Conversation Starters, Highs and Lows: ask each other what the best part of the day was and what the worse part was and then talk about it.  Some of you are probably rolling your eyes right now, I admit a part of me does, but try it.  Be creative.  Dinner is not about getting food in their bellies, it is about savoring the moments both with your food and your relationships.  Enjoy!

TIP: Try setting up a Mise en Place to help you with time.  Don’t worry about dirtying more dishes; it cleans up quickly.

  • The Meals:

black bean quesadillasBlack Bean Quesadilla: Eating Well Magazine

Time: 15 Minutes

Ease: Simple

Review: This is a quick and easy meal.  I pull this out when I’m rushed for time and I’m still able to give my family a fresh meal.  It is a family favorite.

Tip: Use low sodium canned beans and rinse well and use pepper jack cheese for flavor.

baked RavioliBaked Ravioli: Marthastewart.com

Time: 35-1 Hour; This dish could be a quickie if you use prepared spaghetti sauce instead of making the sauce.  There are many spaghetti sauces on the market that still keep this as a “fresh” dish.  Try organic, low sodium and look for the shortest ingredient list.

Ease: Simple

Review:  I found this recipe to be a nice and easy meal, but did not find the sauce to be especially flavorful and added hot pepper flakes, red wine, and a few more Italian spices to make it a little more full in flavor.  Next time I will probably use prepared spaghetti sauce, which will also cut the time in half.  Play around with this one and see what you get.

lentil soupLentil Soup: The Foodnetwork.com  Chef: Alton Brown

Time: 50 Minutes

Ease: Simple

Review: A nice hearty soup! Adjust the puree to your personal tastes, we like it in the middle.  This recipe calls from ground grains of paradise.  They can be found in places like Savory Spice or specialty markets.  It is a peppery spice with sort of woodsy flavor.  Very nice.  If you can’t find it just use pepper.

meatonioncomboMeatloaf with Cheddar, Bacon, and Tomato Relish: Wichcraft cookbook    Chef: Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar(I’m still researching copyright usage of recipes from cookbooks.  Until I’m sure I’ll try to find a link for you, I linked to a blog called crepesofwrath.net.  A fun blog.)

Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours; The time difference depends upon whether you use leftover meatloaf or make it for this purpose.

Ease: Moderate

Review: Wow and yum!! If you don’t like meatloaf this may win you over.  It didn’t win over one of my eaters who didn’t care for the texture, but as for everyone else, people who still had room ate two!  You can try the meatloaf recipe (which is geat) or make your favorite recipe. 

I cut the bacon amounts in half and crumbled the bacon, just to try to make some attempt at cutting the fat. It still gave it a great flavor.  Don’t be scared by the tomato relish, it is simple to make and can be made while the meatloaf is cooking or even a few days ahead of time, but it truly makes the sandwich. This is a great recipe and now a family favorite. Try it, you can do it! Once you make the tomato relish you’ll be excited to try more.

Meal Five:   We had a pretty busy week this week and didn’t get to five meals, but I suggest that for a fifth meal make meatloaf earlier in the week, try making two at one time and serving one as a meal in itself and the other one for your sandwiches.  A great and easy side dish is roasted vegetables! I like to use chunks of squash, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers.  Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper and bake at 425 degrees for about a half an hour or until just tender, but not too soft.

Enjoy! Be creative, have fun, and set the table!

Photos may be used, but please link back to this blog and credit Lisa Burbach, recipes are links to existing recipes and I have no ownership of recipes other than the ones of Have created.  Thank you.

It isn’t Always Perfect, but it Makes it Memorable

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For all of my perfectionist friends out there, a word of advice: Relax, it doesn’t always have to be perfect!  No, really! But, I do understand.  I like it perfect too.  Years of cooking with friends and family have taught me that the community built in the kitchen that spills over to the table is what it’s all about.  If the dish isn’t “just so”, or the fork is the wrong side- um, ok well, actually I do switch them…. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that it’s OK.  Life isn’t ruined because the dish looked ugly, was burned or the dog ate it, it is just something to laugh about later.  Julia Child is a great example of this, she could drop a chicken or an egg and just laugh and keep on going, you can too.  You may be surprised by the results and you will love what is made through it- Relationships!

What I want to give you in this blog is not just recipes and ideas for dinner, but the joy of dinner; not just dinner, but of every meal.  I want you learn about each other, laugh, cry, talk, share, build, and grow together. I want you to grow memories.  I want people to talk about the joy of sitting at your table.  You can do this whether you’re using a cardboard moving box for a dinning room table or you have a huge formal table in a massive dinning room.  It is about the atmosphere that is set and the comradery.  Be creative, have fun, and set the table.

The Process:  Each week I sit down with a nice cup of coffee and pour over magazines, cookbooks, and the internet and find 5 meals I’d like to make that week.  I base these meals on items that I have in my pantry and fridge so that I can be the most economical in my shopping.  I make 5 because life is busy and I may be away from home a night or we may eat leftovers.  Adapt it to fit your lifestyle.  Then from these meals I make my grocery list and try to stick to it.  I find the list helps me be frugal.  This process takes about a half an hour to an hour.

The Meals:

Spinach Gnocchi

Spinach Gnocchi with Shaved Ricotta Salata:  Food and Wine Magazine, Chef Marc Vetri

Time: 1 Hour

Ease: Intermediate Skill

Results: This was a nice dish, but a little intimidating. The recipe says “to form a soft dough”, but I would have liked a little more description.  My dough was probably a little too wet, and my end result was not like their picture, but it cooked well with a nice texture.

You may not be able to find Grana Padana and may use Parmigiano Reggiano instead.

I found the Ricotta Salata at the grocery in the specialty cheese area. It is a pressed, aged, salted and dried version of Ricotta.  My cheese loving husband liked this very much.  Remember, you are trying new things.  Embrace it!  This is nice with a salad and a fairly acidic dressing as a balance to the rich gnocchi.  I also served bread rounds with bruschetta on the side.

potatoesSoup a Week!!!  In our family we have a soup a week during autumn and winter (most weeks).  My family loves this so much so that when my daughter went away to college she said that when she realized she was missing soup-a-week she was even more homesick.  Food speaks!  This weeks Soup is Potato Soup

There are as many potato soup recipes as there are people.  Personally I make mine a little bit different every time, depending on my mood.  Spicy or baked potato like or pesto, cheesy, lumpy, smooth….  This only takes about an hour or less to make.

Saute onion (about 1/2 cup-2 cups) in 1 tablespoon butter and a little olive oil.  Once the onions are translucent I add a few cloves of garlic (if using this time) and I add whatever spices I may want to use, a pinch of cayenne pepper and stir them until fragrant.   I boil my potatoes (about 1 small potato per person) in vegetable or chicken broth (vegetable is nice if you are doing meatless Mondays). Once the onion mixture is ready add broth and potatoes (about 8 cups of broth).  Simmer until potatoes are tender and remove from heat.

Smooth and creamy or lumpy? This is where my family and friends disagree so here is the compromise: Pull out some of the potatoes and set aside then puree the remaining soup with a hand-held immersion blender or in a regular blender (a little at a time). Slowly add heavy cream to the pureed soup and stir well. I use around 1/4 -1/2 cup cream adjusted for consistency, then add the potatoes you pulled out back to the soup.  This makes the lumpy potato soup people happy while also satisfying the smooth potato soup people.  If they truly insist on no lumps, divide the lumps between the lumpy eaters bowls and ladle the smooth soup over the top.   Serve with a nice bread.

photo by L.W. Burbach

Hot and Sticky Lemon-Pepper Chicken: Food and Wine Magazine, Chef Richard Blaise

Time: 1 Hour

Ease: umm, this is iffy. See below

Results: I left this recipe for my husband to make when I wasn’t planning to be home. ( I told him to use chicken cut into pieces because I had found a great deal on chicken breasts and had a lot in the freezer.)  My husband struggled with the oil temperature and the batter all slid off the chicken and made sort of a glue in the bottom of the pot.  Ok, try again.  Second time around it worked well and in the end it tasted fine.  So results may vary by cook (tongue in cheek). Note: If you do not like sweet and savory combos, this may not be for you.  Serve this with steamed green beans and roasted potatoes.

photo by L.W. Burbach

Fondue Night!!!!

My family loves fondue.  Long live fondue.  As you see from my photo, fondue has been around for a while-ya diggin’ my groovy Avacado Green fondue pot.  We love to do this with friends and do use china!  We usually have a pot of broth, a pot of oil, a pot of cheese, and one of caramel or chocolate.  Just have fun with this one.

Time: several hours of fun and laughter

Ease: piece of cake (dipped in chocolate)

Results: Memory maker, laughter, some oops, silliness, just plain fun.

Suggestions: raw chicken (keep this separated from everything else!), broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, apples, cake, bread, squash, onion petals, sweet potato slices, potato slices, anything else you’d like to try.  We served this with tempura batter, Crab dip for mushroom caps, dipping sauces of: Ranch, Teriyaki, Thai chili paste, chutney, tahini, and a remoulade sauce. Long live fondue!

Margarita Pizza

Margarita PizzaClassic Margherita Pizza – New York Style: Food network, Chef Emeril Lagasse

Time: 1 Hour 13 Minutes

Ease:  Easy

Results:  This is just a great pizza all the way around!  If you are intimidated by making crust try looking in the deli or freezer section of your grocery.  Sometimes they stock dough from the pizzas made in store.  Fresh mozzarella is in the specialty cheese section of most stores.

Well, this week’s meals were not perfect.  We had fun, we still ate well and we made memories.  I’d say it was a successful week!

Photos may be used, but please link back to this blog and credit Lisa Burbach, recipes are links to existing recipes and I have no ownership of recipes other than the ones of Have created.  Thank you.