I Should Have Been a Chef

So this weekend I cooked dinner for someone ( a very greatful someone) who pointed out as I was mixing hamburger with onions how passionate I seem to be about cooking. I thought he was kidding, but he pointed out how when he watches me cook he sees that I am always into what I am doing from giving directions, to picking the ingredients and finally the process of putting everything together and cooking it all. I've been doing this for so long I never really considered cooking to be a passion, more just something I've always done. Don't get me wrong I love cooking, but I have always been afraid to turn the things I love most into a profession. I originally had ambition to become a professional writer (wanted to become a magazine editor), but once I was emerged in the world of magazine editting I came to realise it was starting to kill my love for the written word. So after a very personal hit to my ego (ie through a very biased performance evaluation) I found myself without the desire to write much after that. So when it came to cooking I was always fearful that I would come to absolutely hate cooking if I decided to become a professional chef...but maybe I was wrong. I mean I know that when it comes to cooking I prefer it to even eating out; I would rather cook for my friends they go out to dinner (that is if I could get everyone to eat what I cook). I find cooking to be relaxing as well as rewarding for me (specially when someone really enjoys the things that I have cooked). My dad's mother was like that all my young life; she loved cooking and she actually left this earth alot sooner because she lost her ability to cook and did see much point in staying around anymore. She knew that food brought people closer together, and her food demonstrated how much heart she put into it. She taught me how to cook, which definately would explain my passion for it; now that I see it I feel the same way about food and life as she did. So I guess you can say I discovered my passion this weekend...through a hamburger? Odd, huh? Well as odd as it may be it was one really good hamburger. So here is how you make it.

Gorgonzola Hamburger w/ baked fingerling potatoes and aspargus

Serves 2 (double the recipe if you want more than two or make the patties smaller.
Ingredients:

The Burger:

1. 1/2 pound of 96% lean ground beef

2. 3/4 cup of chopped onions

3. salt

4. pepper

5. two 1" cubes of Gorgonzola cheese

6. 1 Whole Wheat Hamburger bun or Whole Wheat roll

7. 2 Slices of low fat Provolone Cheese

The Side:

1. Olive Oil

2. Mrs. Dash Seasoning

3. 12 fingerling potatoes

4. 12 asparagus spears

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees ( for sides), and heat up outdoor grill or heat up skillet ( or if you have it george forman grill).

2. Mix hamburger meat, onions, salt, and pepper in a bowls until all ingredients is mixed together.

3. Once mixed divide meat in half and mold into pattie ( you can make the pattie as big or as small as you want).

4. Place a cube of gorgonzola in the center of eat patty (simply make an indentation in the center and then cover the gorgonzola with excess hamburger, so while cooking the cheese doesn't get fried by the heat.)

5. Spray non stick cooking spray on grill and place patties on grill for 7 to 10 minutes on each side (if you are using a indoor grill it will take 10 minutes total). When burger are almost fully cooked place sliced cheese onto so that it may melt.

6. Break off ends of asparagus spears and cut in half.

7. cut fingerling potatoes into halfs.

8. Place asparagus and potatoes in a bowl with olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning and mix together until fully coated.

9. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and evenly place asparagus and potatoes in a thin layer on sheet. Place in the oven for 25 mins or until potatoes are golden. (Disclaimer: Burgers tend to be done before vegetables so either cook vegetables first or cook burgers and cover with aluminum foil).

10. Once burgers are cooked lightly toast bread on grill and place pattie ontop of toasted bun. Assemble to your liking and serve.

So hopefully you guys like the recipe. Its crazy cause I'm not really a hamburger person, but there is something about this burger that I really love. Anyway, thats all for now. I'll keep posting as the week goes on. Happy monday everyone!

Recipe to try:

Tomato Tapenad "Open-Face" Grill Cheese Sandwiches

Servings: 2 to 4

Ingredients:

1. 4 slices of bread (wheat or sourdough)
2. 4 to 8 slices or 1 cup of low fat cheese (1/4 cup of shredded per bread)
3. 4 tablespoons of fresh tomato topenad

Cooking:

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon of topenad on each slice of bread (evenly)
3. Place 2 slices of cheese on top of bread and topenad
4. Place on ungreased baking sheet and put in the oven.
5. Cook for 7 mins so that cheese is fully melted.

Disclaimer: For those who are lactose intolerant replace regular cheese with soy or veggie cheese.

So last night my father and I had a repeat of soup, but for once he allowed me to be creative and make the above recipe. It was nice to not have to cook for four people for once, because at times it gets a little costly to have to buy for two normal eaters and two eaters who can pretty much eat you under the table. Its been really hard to eat healthy since I moved back into my parents house, mainly because I'm the only one who is health contious and the sole cook most of the time. But I have found that since I am usually the one cooking I can usually sneak some healthy things into the mix, even if my father and brother won't eat them.

As it says on the department of Agricultures website and many other nutrionists sites its all about eating balanced and trying to incorporate all the right food groups into every meal you have. But lets face it it can be pretty difficult to do that all the time. I get up at 4:30 am every morning during the week, and let me tell you its really hard to try to chop up vegetables and cook from scratch when everyone else in your household is sound asleep, and any loud noise could possible wake everyone up. So I have to admit most morning I keep it really basic (i.e. cereal and fat free milk or multi-grain frozen waffles with sugar free syrup). Plus I run in the mornings before work, so I have to eat before hand; and egg related breakfast just don't feel so great when your working out (sometimes feels like they will come back up). So I stick to carbs, but if your not like me and you don't have to be up early you can try this healthy combination.

Faux Egg McMuffin

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1. Whole wheat english muffin (pick a wheat english muffin that is low in calorie and high in fiber; between 4 and 5 grams per serving).
2. 1 egg (fried in pam or pouched in water)
3. 1/3 teapsoon of butter substitute (i.e. smart balance, promise, or brown and brummel yogurt butter)
4. Optional: 1 slice of fat free or low fat cheese

Cooking:
1. Cook 1 egg in small skillet until cooked to ones liking (or pouch in water).
2. toast english muffin in toaster until crisp.
3. spread butter substitute on bottom half of english muffin
4. place egg on top of bottom half and if using cheese place cheese and top half of english muffin on the egg.
5. Optional: If using cheese melt cheese ontop of egg in toaster oven or microwave for 40 seconds.

I like this recipe for days when I don't have to work early because its easy and quick to make and it can be reheated so you can cook it and take it to work with you and eat it later. Anyway, there is some food for thought. My day is really slow so far, but hopefully it will pick up after lunch. So for now enjoy the day everyone, I will be back to post more recipes and hopefully pictures soon if I can ever find my camera and the charger. Happy friday everyone!

Well finally started a blog, which is funny since I've been threatening to do this for the last three years. Oh well, better late then never, right? So here it is! I'm a 24 (almost 25) year old college graduate with a BA in creative writing. So what does someone with that type of degree do in life, well in my case I became an Administration Assistant for UCSF hospital (huh? Go figure, right?). I can tell you for sure that I know almost nothing about the medical field accept how to take care of myself, and the insurance information and billing that I was trained to do otherwise I really have no business being in this field (but a job is a job so I make due). I used to be a writer until I got blocked for two years, and came to realise that I love writing but it was become nothing but a hobby (that and no one wanted to read what I was writing). But recently I discovered that despite no longer having a passion for being a fiction writer I have had my undiscovered passion working with me through life all along. Food! No not just eating it, but the whole process and creativity behind cooking. I've been cooking since I was 7 years old and if there is one I know more about than anything else its cooking and how to cook healthy without loosing the creativity and most importantly the taste. So this blog is souly going to be dedicated to all things cooking (with somethings healthy). Kinda of like the "Eat Like Me" blog only I'm a cook and not a dietician. So I'll be posting my pictures as I journey through this experience, and I guess we'll see what happens. Anyway, stay tuned!