New Persepective

With every new year comes new adventures, new goals, new aspirations, and it seems a new perspective or outlook on life. But our goal is still the same, we strive to be better than we were the year before. To settle for what we have become accustomed to would be boring, but to stretch ourselves a little further, to push ourselves a little more, to work a little bit harder, to reach a new height in our lives...now that is an adventure that is worth taking.  Just as I was beginning this new year, my church went on a 21 day fast; some know it as the Daniel Fast; which means no meat, no carbonated drinks, no tea...[basically no fun stuff] ONLY fruits and veggies starting January 9th all the way through January 29th . So it was absolutely essential that I became creative with my meals.

Here was my menu:
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Bagel /Yogurt/ Vegetable Egg White Wrap
Lunch: Spinach Salad with light dressing/ Soup and Sandwich
Dinner: Wheat Penne Pasta with sauteed vegetables
Beverage Staple: Ice Water

My favorite culinary creations were my breakfast wrap and my soup and sandwich combo.

Breakfast wrap:
Egg whites
Green Bell Peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
American Cheese
Salsa
*All you do is combine the glorious mixture in 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and then warm up a large tortilla add the mixture and enjoy.

Lunch Sandwich:
Wheat Bread
Mayo
Pepper Jack Cheese
Sliced Tomatoes
 Baby Spinach

To prepare:
place 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter into a non-stick pan over low heat placing the two slices of wheat bread in the pan once the butter is completely melted. When the bread is a golden brown (approximately 2 minute on each side) remove the bread and spread light mayo, the cheese, the spinach and the sliced tomatoes then place the sandwich back in the pan over slightly warmer heat (medium low) until the cheese is melted completely. Take off the heat, plate, and enjoy.

Although it was difficult, I learned a great deal about the importance of discipline; not just in our food choices, but in life. I have a totally new perspective on what I would like to accomplish for this year; starting with being the healthiest that I can be, while I'm still young. I've realized that with the support of my immediate family, and my church family, along with my faith in the Lord nothing and no one can stop me from being all that He has destined me to be.

"The change that I want to see, has to start with me"

An Unbelievable Buy

Hello Foodies!

Boy do I have something to share you...
Imagine taking a spontaneous trip to Target to take full advantage of the after Christmas sales after the hustle and bustle of the holidays have somewhat subsided. Like a little kid who can't seem to stand still in a toy store, your eyes wander down each aisle and from shelf to shelf. Then you go to check out the books that Target has available to you and through your peripheral vision you see a teal cover with red lettering and your eyes are  fixed on a classic item... can you guess what it is?
That's okay I'll tell you-- I found the last copy of Master the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child!!!

It would have been an insult to Julia Child and other food  connoisseurs  like me not to have this it in my book collection, right?

I am so excited to start cooking these classic French Dishes that Mrs Child was inspired to create years ago.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on the madness that will be going on in my kitchen

New Recipes

Happy November Everyone!!!

I just wanted to keep you all in the mix, about some new and exciting things that will be happening in my kitchen very soon.
I have started working on some new Autumn and Winter recipes.  I plan  to put a creative spin on clove ham, hot chocolate, gingerbread, and caramel apples. It is sure to be a comfort for these cold months ahead. What I would like to do is to give you all a chance to cook with me and ask me questions if you so choose; so I will be attempting to add a segment on this blog called "Cooking In The Kitchen with Ari G."  These will be cooking videos that I will post for you to see a step by step process of the recipes that I am concocting in my kitchen. I am really excited to see where this goes!

A Tour of Italy

The first cuisine that I taught myself to cook was Italian. For some recipes I researched about the ingredients that I would be using in my dishes, and for others I just cooked with my imagination as my guide. Through lots of trial and error, and help from the Master Chef (God) I have been able to create some really delicious Italian dishes. I love everything about Italy; it's culture, it's art, the language, and of course the food.

I want to take you all through a "Tour of Italy" this recipe was inspired by one basic Italian ingredient...basil

I call it...
Basilico Pomodoro Parmigiano Pasta
- This is a warm pasta salad bound together cohesively with basil pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

Basil Pesto Ingredients:
- fresh basil leaves
- pine nuts or walnuts
- salt and pepper
- Parmesan or Romano cheese

I really like this basil pesto recipe from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/ 

 

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Special equipment needed: A food processor Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

The other ingredients you will need for this dish are:

• 1 1/2  cup Elbow Pasta
• 2 tbs of butter
• 1/2 cup of Sundried Tomatoes
• 3 tbs Parmesan Cheese
• Buffalo Sauce to taste

Let's Get Cooking:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat ( NOTE: drizzle olive oil in it to ensure that the pasta will not stick to the pot)  Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta to the pot stirring occasionally. The pasta should take approximately 10-12 minutes. When the alotted amount of time has past, quickly drain the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process, put it back into the pot and add to it the 2 tablespoons of butter. Next prepare the basil pesto with the recipe above. Once completed, pour over top of the pasta and heat through over low heat. Then add the sundried tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and buffalo sauce to taste to the basil pesto pasta. Once the cheese has melted all the way through the dish, plate and serve hot.

Piace Mangiare

Lost in Flavor

I have been asked if I have ever traveled outside of the United States, and my response is "Yes, but not in the traditional sense" I explain that I have traveled around the world in the comfort of my kitchen through flavor. I have been transported to Asia, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Germany, and Italy so far; my next venture will be a "trip" to India.


I am always looking for new ways to expand my pallet and today I got lost in colorful flavors on my pallet.


The Non-Traditional Club Sandwich


2 slices of whole wheat bread
Thinly sliced turkey breast
pepper jack cheese
2  sliced vine ripened tomatoes
roasted red peppers
spinach
jalapeno peppers
red onion slices
mayonnaise


How to prepare:


Take the two pieces of bread and smear mayonnaise on both slices, then add the cheese. Next, cut two slices of one medium tomato, then the spinach, the onion, roasted red peppers and jalapeno peppers to taste. Once the sandwich is made, toast it in a 350 degree oven for about 3-5 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Or you can heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat NOTE: to check if the pan is hot enough drizzle water in it. If the water evaporates then the skillet is hot enough.Wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and place in the hot skillet. Press the sandwich down with a another pot or skillet for about a minute and a half to two minutes on each side. Serve Hot and Enjoy

Cooking Tutorials

I have had my blog for about a year now and I have been trying to figure out ways to expand my vision for it. What I would like to do, is post videos of me cooking so that you can see the step by step process of the dishes that I have been inspired to create, and if you so choose, you can follow along with me! I want to hear from you so please comment on my posts. Hope to hear from you all soon :)

Falling in Love with Fall

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I love the beautiful colors; the reds, greens, yellows, oranges, and even the browns. You know that autumn is here when you feel a subtle nip in the air, and when the leaves make a crunching sound under the soles of your shoes on the pavement. What does that have to do with food? Well, in some way or another, you can incorporate the colors of fall, or the sounds of fall in the way that you create a dish as well. For instance, for lunch today I had chicken salad on wheat bread, spinach, and tomato with a robust tomato based soup; it was a combination of rice, fresh tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno peppers. I painted my pallet with the colors of autumn and incorporated the warmth of the season all through one meal. Be on the look out for more recipes in the next few months; I have been inspired to experiment with color, and flavor to give you a taste of this beautiful season of Fall.